To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.           -- Ralph Waldo Emerson This was a beautiful quote on my home page today.  Have I touched another life?  Have I made a difference?  If I honestly look at my life, I can say yes.  I have tried to live well and live brave and do the right things.  I have tried to give my children values and value of themselves.  I have not always been perfect but I have always tried to make progress. I want to live a life of progress not perfection.  I believe in paying it forward and sharing with others what has been shared with me.  I want to live in peace and share peace and that is hard work.  To be peaceful in your soul is to live without fear and that is a hard thing.  To live without fear is to know that your life is touched by a power higher than your own.  That means letting go and allowing spirit to work in your life.  That is not always an easy statement to live up to but when it can happen it does work.