overheard

"start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly, you are doing the impossible." ~st. francis of assisi

"the rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of contemporary violence. to allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence." ~thomas merton

"my dear child, you must believe in God in spite of what the clergy tell you." ~benjamin jowett

i'd love to tell you that these quotations arose from my reading, but they did not. instead, (yes, i am almost ashamed to admit this) i found them while preparing an excerpt for jan karon's a continual feast. i am afraid that if i find illumination in the works of jan karon i'll soon be finding spiritual significance in the masterpieces of thomas kinkade. i think i just threw up in my mouth.