| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: sat night and day for more than a fortnight. The good preceptor,
Honorato Juan, afterwards Bishop of Osma, wrestled in prayer for the
lad the whole night through. His prayer was answered: probably it
had been answered already, without his being aware of it. Be that
as it may, about dawn Don Carlos's heavy breathing ceased; he fell
into a quiet sleep; and when he awoke all perceived at once that he
was saved.
He did not recover his sight, seemingly on account of the
erysipelas, for a week more. He then opened his eyes upon the
miraculous image of Atocha, and vowed that, if he recovered, he
would give to the Virgin, at four different shrines in Spain, gold
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Horse's Tale by Mark Twain: mothers, I think, and wiser than some other mothers; for they let
her take lots of risks, and it is a good education for her; and the
more risks she takes and comes successfully out of, the prouder
they are of her. They adopted her, with grave and formal military
ceremonies of their own invention - solemnities is the truer word;
solemnities that were so profoundly solemn and earnest, that the
spectacle would have been comical if it hadn't been so touching.
It was a good show, and as stately and complex as guard-mount and
the trooping of the colors; and it had its own special music,
composed for the occasion by the bandmaster of the Seventh; and the
child was as serious as the most serious war-worn soldier of them
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Blue Flower by Henry van Dyke: weaker hour by hour. He moans and calls for some one to help
him; then he laughs. It breaks my heart. He has just fallen
asleep. The moon is rising now. Unless a change comes he
cannot last till sunrise. Is there nothing we can do? Is
there no power that can save him? Is there no one to pity us
and spare us? Let us call, let us beg for compassion and
help; let us pray for his life!"
Yes; this was what he wanted--this was the only thing that
could bring relief: to pray; to pour out his sorrow somewhere;
to find a greater strength than his own and cling to it and
plead for mercy and help. To leave this undone was to be
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