Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional - - Wish You Happy Birthday: Beautiful Quotes, Cakes, Words, Cards and Gifts

We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it.     Author Unknown

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.  Enjoy the trip.     Author Unknown

Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear...
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.
Martial

Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year:  The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.     Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.    Chili Davis

Thanks to modern medical advances such as antibiotics, nasal spray, and Diet Coke, it has become routine for people in the civilized world to pass the age of 40, sometimes more than once.  Dave Barry

Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.    Sam Ewing

Youth is a wonderful thing.  What a crime to waste it on children.  George Bernard Shaw

In childhood, we yearn to be grown-ups.  In old age, we yearn to be kids.  It just seems that all would be wonderful if we didn't have to celebrate our birthdays in chronological order.    Robert Brault

The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.      Jerry M. Wright

Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.  Jean Paul Richter

Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.    Plautus

Birthdays? Yes, in a general way;
For the most if not for the best of men:
You were born (I suppose) on a certain day:
So was I: or perhaps in the night: what then?
 James Kenneth Stephen

There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents ... and only one for birthday presents, you know.     Lewis Carroll

  A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.     Jean Paul Richter

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. George Harrison

Half Baked

On your birthday, it's time to reflect,
For the passing of time leads to change.
What once was important we leave;
Our priorities and goals rearrange.

It's official; you've lived one more year.
You're birthday gifted and caked,
But don't think you're fully mature,
'Cause you're really only half-baked!

 Joanna Fuchs

True Friendship is Like Sound Health; The Value of it is Seldom Known Until it be Lost - - Charles Caleb Colton

True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.         Charles Caleb Colton

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.   Anais Nin

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.   Leo Buscaglia

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.     Albert Schweitzer

Silences make the real conversations between friends.  Not the saying but the never needing to say is what counts.        Margaret Lee Runbeck

Love is like the wild-rose briar;
Friendship is like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly?
 Emily Brontë

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.    Henri Nouwen

Bad Friend
They gather quickly with plans
At your expense
Fonder memories gather in gutters
It was there in the faces all along
The truth you didn't see
For want of friends
Loneliness does that
On dreary days when yourself is locked

Away……………………. G E Barr

False friends are worse than open enemies.         Proverb

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.    William Blake

 

 Do not put your trust in a bad companion nor even trust an ordinary friend, for if he should get angry with you, he may bring all your secrets to light.         Chanakya

No good friends, no bad friends; only people you want, need to be with. People who build their houses in your heart.          Stephen King

Nature, Background and Philosophy of Eid al-Adha (Eid-ul-Azha) - - Remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim's Sacrifice

What is Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice)..??

At the end of the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Makkah), Muslims throughout the world celebrate the holy day of Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). In 2010, Eid al-Adha will begin on approximately November 16^th/17^th, and will last for three days.

It is the second of the two major Muslim holy days. The other is Eid-ul-Fitr which follows Ramadan -- a lunar month of partial fasting. 

It is celebrated on the 10^th of Zul-Hijjah, the last month of Islamic calendar. Because the date of the Feast of Sacrifice is determined by a lunar calendar, it is observed about 11 days earlier each year with respect to the Gregorian calendar. Islamic months begin at sunset on the day when the lunar crescent appears after the new moon, and can be sighted by the unaided eye.  

"Visibility depends on a large number of factors including weather condition, the altitude of the moon at sunset, the closeness of the moon to the sun at sunset, the interval between sunset and moonset, atmospheric pollution, the quality of the eyesight of the observer, use of optical aids etc." 

As a result, although the phases of the moon can be predicted accurately, the moon's visibility at a given place on Earth cannot be estimated in advance. Thus, the feast day has always been celebrated on different days in various areas of the world.

During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims commemorate and remember Ibrahim (A.S.)'s trials, by themselves slaughtering an animal such as a sheep, camel, or goat. This action is very often misunderstood by those outside the faith.

What’s The Background of Eid al-Adha..??

During the Hajj, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.). The Qur'an describes Ibrahim (A.S.) as follows:

"Surely Ibrahim was an example, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists. He was grateful for Our bounties. We chose him and guided him unto a right path. We gave him good in this world, and in the next he will most surely be among the righteous." (Qur'an 16:120-121)

One of Ibrahim (A.S.)'s main trials was to face the command of Allah to kill his only son. Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to Allah's will. When he was all prepared to do it, Allah revealed to him that his "sacrifice" had already been fulfilled. He had shown that his love for his Lord superseded all others, that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in order to obey Allah (S.W.T).

What’s The Philosophy of Eid al-Adha..??

The symbolism is in the attitude - a willingness to make sacrifices in our lives in order to stay on the Straight Path. Each of us makes small sacrifices, giving up things that are fun or important to us. A true Muslim, one who submits his or herself completely to the Lord, is willing to follow Allah's commands completely and obediently. It is this strength of heart, purity in faith, and willing obedience that our Lord desires from us.

It is very important to understand that the sacrifice itself, as practiced by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for our sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin. This is a misunderstanding by those of previous generations: "It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him." (Qur'an 22:37)

Allah has given us power over animals and allowed us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life. Muslims slaughter animals in the same way throughout the year. By saying the name of Allah at the time of slaughter, we are reminded that life is sacred.

The meat from the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is mostly given away to others. One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The act symbolizes our willingness to give up things that are of benefit to us or close to our hearts, in order to follow Allah's commands. It also symbolizes our willingness to give up some of our own bounties, in order to strengthen ties of friendship and help those who are in need. We recognize that all blessings come from Allah, and we should open our hearts and share with others.

How is Eid al-Adha Celebrated..??

Muslims around the world celebrate this feast of commitment, obedience and self-sacrifice to Allah. They wear their nicest clothing and attend Salatul-Eid (Eid Prayer) in the morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone socializes. Next, people visit each other's homes and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts. Children receive gifts and sweets on this happy occasion. In addition, like the pilgrims in Makkah; the Muslims, who can afford to do so, offer domestic animals as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice.

Boredom …. Boredom is always counter-revolutionary

Before, for me, peace could have been synonymous with boredom. Isabelle Adjani

Boredom is just the reverse side of fascination: both depend on being outside rather than inside a situation, and one leads to the other. Arthur Schopenhauer

Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away. Walter Benjamin

Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is. Thomas Szasz

All our life passes in this way: we seek rest by struggling against certain obstacles, and once they are overcome, rest proves intolerable because of the tedium it produces. Blaise Pascal

Boredom is like a pitiless zooming in on the epidermis of time. Every instant is dilated and magnified like the pores of the face. Jean Baudrillard

Boredom rests upon the nothingness that winds its way through existence; its giddiness, like that which comes from gazing down into an infinite abyss, is infinite. Soren Kierkegaard

To escape boredom, man works either beyond what his usual needs require, or else he invents play, that is, work that is designed to quiet no need other than that for working in general. Friedrich Nietzsch

Nothing is so stifling as symmetry. Symmetry is boredom, the quintessence of mourning. Despair yawns. There is something more terrible than a hell of suffering -- a hell of boredom. Victor Hugo

Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it. Bertrand Russell

Boredom is an emptiness filled with insistence. Leo Stein

Boredom flourishes too, when you feel safe. It's a symptom of security. Eugene Ionesco

The war between being and nothingness is the underlying illness of the twentieth century. Boredom slays more of existence than war. Norman Mailer

I am never bored anywhere: being bored is an insult to oneself. Jules Renard

A life lived in love will never be dull. Leo Buscaglia

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. Ellen Parr

Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible. Frank Moore Colby

The secret of being a bore is to tell everything. Voltaire

BOREDOM

Sitting all alone one day
wondering what to do
Picked up a pen and found myself
In the land of Kharmantou

The Kharmantou are little folk
Seldom seen or heard
They live in the nibs of fountain pens
Or ink that's not been stirred.

Cherish forever what makes you unique, ‘cuz you're really a yawn if it goes. Bette Midler

Every hero becomes a bore at last. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Childhood: The Best Part of Anyone's Life - - Some Beautiful Quotes About Children and Their Behaviour

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. Stacia Tauscher

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.

Franklin P. Jones

In a dark moment I ask, "How can anyone bring a child into this world?" And the answer rings clear, "Because there is no other world, and because the child has no other way into it." Robert Brault

I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring.

Liz Armbruster

A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn't act that way very often. Author Unknown

A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer. Author Unknown

Childhood is the world of miracle or of magic: it is as if creation rose luminously out of the night, all new and fresh and astonishing. Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing. When the world gives you a feeling of "déjà vu," when you are used to existence, you become an adult.

Eugene Ionesco

Stay a child while you can be a child. Stephen Sondheim

All of us have moments in out lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them. Erma Bombeck

Truly wonderful the mind of a child is. Yoda

Old men can make war, but it is children who will make history. Ray Merritt

Children's Poetry

I am the child,

All the world waits for my coming,
All the earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.

Civilization hangs in the balance,
For what I am, the world of tomorrow will be.

I am the child,

I have come into your world,
About which I know nothing,

Why I came I know not;
How I came I know not;

I am curious;
I am interested.

I am the child,

You hold in your hand my destiny,
You determine, largely, whether I shall succeed or fail.

Give me, I pray you,
Those things that make for happiness.

Train me, I beg you,
That I may be a blessing to the world.

Author Unknown