Learning from Maya Angelou

At Thanksgiving time, I was reading a magazine article about Maya Angelou.  Included in it was a quote that Oprah has mentioned several times in her writings and it is this: 

"When you get, give.  When you learn, teach."

This quote reflects the spirit of sage-ing which emphasizes being compassionate and giving generously of our time and talents.  Sage-ing includes continual learning so that we can teach and mentor others.  In all of these ways, we are leaving a legacy for future generations.

Maya Angelou (this link includes a great interview with Maya about Obama) had this to say about being grateful:

"I am truly grateful.  I'm grateful for being here, for being able to think, for being able to see, for being able to taste, for appreciating love--for knowing that it exists in a world so rife with vulgarity, with brutality and violence, and yet love exists.  And I'm grateful to know it exists in me, and I'm able to share it with so many people."

"No matter how bad it gets, I'm always grateful to know that I don't have to stay with the negative."

These are words to remember that can guide our lives.  An attitude of gratitude keeps our life focused on the positive and what is important.

• What do you have that you can give to others?

• What do you know that you can teach others?