Stories Motivational

8/7/2019 Stories Motivational

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FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE

o Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear. o Don't cry over anyone who won't cry over you. o Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to

forget. o You can only go as far as you push. o

Actions speak louder than words. o The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody

else. o Don't let the past hold you back; you're missing the good stuff. o Life's short. If you don't look around once in a while, you might

miss it. o A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to

have. o If you think that the world means nothing, think again. You might

mean the world to someone else. o When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you

can look beside you and your best friend will be there

o True friendship never ends. o Friends are forever. o Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you

know they are always there. o Don't frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile. o What do you do when the only person who can make you stop

crying is the person who made you cry?

o NOBODY IS PERFECT UNTIL YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM. (Isn'tthat the truth?)

o Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

Most people walk in and out of you life. But only True friends leave footprints in yourheart.

Send this on to everyone special in your life, even the people who really make you madsometimes. Whether we realize it or not, everyone we know is very special to us.

When we look back on our younger years, we will remember the people who went toschool with us, the people who made us laugh, the people who hung out with us whennobody else would, and the people who made our lives much better simply by being apart of it.

There may be somebody who is thinking about you RIGHT NOW and wishing that youwere around. That's the wonderful thing about friendship-you always feel loved andcared about. The most important thing to remember is... Always appreciate thefriends that you have.

A fight may come and go very easily, but a friendship could last forever.

For every second spent in anger, a minute of happiness is wasted. So send this to yourfriends and let them know that you care.

Love and Time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness,

Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was

announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and

left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible

moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,

"Richness, can you take me with you?"

Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There



is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity,

please help me!"

"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity

answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."

"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear

when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So

blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going.

When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much

was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered."Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable

of understanding how valuable Love is."

A Box Full of Kisses

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a rollof gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried todecorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift toher father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when hefound out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you givesomeone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at himwith tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box.They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father keptthat gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take outan imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filledwith unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God.There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

Always be careful...By Valerie

Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and

she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her

"Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that the baby had crawled neara window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The

police said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He

told her that they think the serial killer has a baby's cry recorded, and uses it to coax women out

of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but

have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside of their doors, when

they're home alone at night. This should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby

theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the

serial killer in Louisiana.



THE 4 WIVES

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned herwith rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing butthe best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off herto his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with someother men. He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in

fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he alwaysturned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions inmaintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, themerchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. Hethought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll bealone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing andshowered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?""No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then askedthe 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow meand keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going toremarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out.Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, Ican't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to yourgrave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." Themerchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered frommalnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of youwhile I could have !"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives

• The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making itlook good, it'll leave us when we die.• Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.• The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for uswhen we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.• The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth andsensual pleasure.

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good ideato cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.

Alexander Fleming

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for

his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself.

Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed

nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life.""No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that

moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education.

If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in

London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the

discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved him? Penicillin. name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir

Winston Churchill.

Someone once said what goes around comes around.



A WAKE UP CALL by Catherine Pulsifer

The story below is a true story that happened in September.

During the month of September, a dear friend of mine lost her husband suddenly in anaccident. The tragedy was a shock to everyone. This accident was sudden and certainlyunexpected. It drove home the realization that you just don't know when a loved one is no

longer going to be with you. We sometimes take our love ones for granted, and we expect thatthey will be with us forever. However, as we all know, life does not work that way andsometimes we get a wake up call that shocks us and makes us stand back and realize howshort life is.

In consoling her, I tried to imagine if I was in her shoes how would I feel. It was impossible toimagine what she was going through. What words do I say to help her?

Sometimes words just can not express our feelings. Sometimes our actions are much moremeaningful than words. A hug can sometimes express more than our words will ever express.Sometimes, just being there to listen is more meaningful and helpful to people.

A SECOND WAKE UP CALL,

As I was leaving the funeral parlor, I ran into a Marilyn. (Marilyn has been a true friend to meover the years. She is one of those friends who is with you in the good times and is always byyour side in the bad times. She has a sense of humor that makes everyone laugh and shemakes everyone feel at ease.) We chit chatted for a few moments, and then she asked me howmy job was. So I started talking and talking and talking (am sure she wished she had never asked, ha) I was having a stressful week with my job and I was telling her all the issues andhow I was feeling. She listened to me as I was raving about my frustrations, then withoutsaying a word, she took her hands and placed them on my face, and said to me,"But at least you had a day."

The touch of her hands on my cheeks, the calmness in her voice, and the words she spoke,"BUT AT LEAST YOU HAD A DAY",hit me like a ton of bricks. All the frustrations, all the stress that was building up inside of me -came to a complete stop.

Since that day, when I start feeling stressed, I remind myself of Marilyn's words - but at least Ihad a day! Things could be a lot worse, the stress of the situation always could be worse, but Iam alive and I have a lot to be thankful for - so I shall not waste my days with stress andfrustrations - Life is too short! Positive Attitude

Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has somethingpositive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were anybetter, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who hadfollowed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry wasbecause of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerrywas there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don't getit! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morningI wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a goodmood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each timesomething bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose tolearn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their

complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices.When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react tosituations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or badmood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my ownbusiness. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to doin the restaurant business...he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun pointby three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness,slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was foundrelatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.



I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If Iwere any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did askhim what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that wentthrough my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay onthe floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. Ichose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "...the paramedicswere great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their

eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked."Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I wasallergic to anything. 'Yes' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited formy reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'BULLETS!'

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learnedfrom him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Building Your House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leavethe house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extendedfamily. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one morehouse as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that hisheart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. Itwas an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, hisemployer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter andsaid, "This is your house... my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his ownhouse, he would have done it all so differently.So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into thebuilding. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we coulddo it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place aboard, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, andthe choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Buildwisely!

BUTTERFLY

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He satand watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its bodythrough that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. Itappeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snippedoff the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But ithad a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any

moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body,which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawlingaround with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that therestricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through thetiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly intoits wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom fromthe cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Godallowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.



In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea tobuild a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. Howeverbridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was animpossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done.It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. Hethought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be

done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussionand persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and comingengineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. Withgreat excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge beforethem, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragicaccident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured andleft with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not beingable to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazy dreams." "It`s foolish tochase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should bescrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridgecould be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged andstill had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharpas ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but theywere too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, withthe sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsywhite curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the treesoutside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an ideahit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the bestuse of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with hiswife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted herto call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her armto tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was underway again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on hiswife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacularBrooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man'sindomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. Itis also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in aman who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangiblemonument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patientlydecoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude thatovercomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem verysmall in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridgeshows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determinationand persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.



DON'T WE ALL

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from thecar wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way fromacross the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looksof him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There aretimes when you feel generous but there are other timesthat you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want tobe bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. Hedidn't.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like hecould have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke.

"That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignityaround him. His scragglyblond beard keep more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continuedwiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. Asthe silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs anyhelp." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Doyou need any help?" I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. Weoften look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three wordsthat shook me."Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in thestreet, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge Don't we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. Ireached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough toget a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true.No matter how much you have, no matterhow much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little youhave, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money ora place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you maysee someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give themwhat they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something

beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world cansee. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets.Maybe he was more than that.

Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul toocomfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said,"go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."Don't we all?

EAGLES IN A STORM



Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets

its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below,

the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds

that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them -

we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not haveto overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and

disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

People always come into your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime. When youfigure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you haveexpressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or evenspiritually. They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are. They are there for areason, you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at aninconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to anend. Sometimes they die, Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met,

our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered andit is now time to move on.

GENEROSITY

Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha

Sangh. During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old

woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The

volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. "I

must see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched his feet. Then from the folds of her

sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin

and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj.

He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. "I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees

for the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a copper

coin." "This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man

has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much. But this coin was

perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of

her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of

rupees."

Life Still Has A Meaning

If there is a future there is time for mending-Time to see your troubles coming to an ending.Life is never hopeless however great your sorrow-If you're looking forward to a new tomorrow.If there is time for wishing then there is time for hoping-When through doubt and darkness you are blindly groping.Though the heart be heavy and hurt you may be feeling-If there is time for praying there is time for healing.So if through your window there is a new day breaking-Thank God for the promise, though mind and soul be aching,

If with harvest over there is grain enough for gleaning-There is a new tomorrow and life still has meaning. I will convince my heart.



DREAMS

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know

someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched myshoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that that lit upher entire being.

She said, "Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giantsqueeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children,and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on thischallenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and share a chocolate milkshake. Webecame instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her

wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friendswherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forgetwhat she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began todeliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and alittle embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. Igave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order solet me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not stop playing because we are old;we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, beinghappy, and achieving success. "You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got tohave a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking aroundwho are dean and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen yearsold and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty yearsold. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turneighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is togrow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for thingswe did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She challenged each of us tostudy the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the collegedegree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful womanwho taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.



If you read this, please send this peaceful word of advise to your fiends and family. We sendthese words in loving memory of ROSE.

Remember, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

There are many messages in this story:- you are never to old to learn,- always pursue your dreams, you are never to old to set your goals and accomplish your dreams,- laugh and find humor in everyday,- find opportunities in change,especially in today's world where change is moving at a fast

pace, don't let change overwhelm you, let change help you find opportunities you may havenever seen! - have no regrets - her story is so true, so many people use words such as "if only", "I wish", "I can't", etc.

Do you have a dream, a wish, then turn it into a goal today - break it down, take one step, thenanother and accomplish your dream.Catherine Pulsifer

Thomas Edison's

It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas Edison's factory washumming with activity. Work was proceeding on a variety of fronts as the greatinventor was trying to turn more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison's plant,made of concrete and steel, was deemed "fireproof". As you may have already guessed,it wasn't!

On that frigid night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational blaze that had burstthrough the plant roof. Edison's 24-year-old son, Charles, made a frenzied search forhis famous inventor-father. When he finally found him, he was watching the fire. Hiswhite hair was blowing in the wind. His face was illuminated by the leaping flames. "My

heart ached for him," said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old, and everything he hadworked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, 'Charles! Where'syour mother?' When I told him I didn't know, he said, 'Find her! Bring her here! She'llnever see anything like this as long as she lives.'"

Next morning, Mr. Edison looked at the ruins of his factory and said this of his loss:"There's value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can startanew." What a wonderful perspective on things that seem at first to be so disastrous.A business failure, divorce, personal dream gone sour . . . whether these things destroyan individual depends largely on the attitude he or she takes toward them. Sort out whyit happened, and learn something from the blunders. Think of different approaches thatcan be taken. Start over.

Happiness is Attitude

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morningby eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, eventhough she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiledsweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator,I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had

been hung on her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just beenpresented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait."“That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or notdoesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind.

I already decided to love it ... It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. Ihave a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the partsof my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all thehappy memories I've stored away ... just for this time in my life."



GOOD THINGS DON’T STAY TOGETHER, BUT OFTEN STAY APART

• Moments that we’ve shared, cannot be jotted down on paper,

• But nevertheless it was chemistry, not vapor,

• You walked into my life, and made the deepest mark,• This ignited my fire, which gave birth to a spark,

• When you are here, I have the world with me,

• It is heaven; I wish it could be eternity,

• We walked side by side,

• Hand in hand, under the moonlight,

• The touch of your hand, your presence worthwhile,

• The warmth that you give me makes me feel so secure,

• I will be with you in pain; I will be with you in cure!

• As the sun rose, and a new day just began,• You leave my hand and told me it’s all done,

• I know you have to go, but you’ll stay by my side,

• That look in your eyes, just seems to tell me more,

• Though, the parting is a pain, our love seems to grow,

• You tell me not to cry, but, keep a positive heart,

• “Because all good things don’t stay together, but often stay apart.”

• The day is finally here, when you leave me all alone,

• Like an orphan misses a mother, and a homeless misses a home,

• The depth in your eyes, your touch and your feel,

•

Is what I’ll miss, I’ll miss you for real,• That passion and that care, you’ve showered on me,

• Are all those special moments, and that’s what they are going to be.

• If I had to give you something, that would remind you of me,

• I’d give you a house full of memories,

• Because memories are things that go deeper into time,

• We can look back at them and revive all that, lasting for years to go,

• We’ll build it together and cherish it forever,

• All that we shared, we’d capture under lock and key,

• And make a life in that house, which is ideal for you and me.

• Its time for us to part, you’ll be at the other end of the world,

• Both of us with a totally shattered heart,

• My heart bleeds to see you depart,

• I will wait for you with bated breath,

• I will lead my life, but I will also fret,

• Cause without you I am incomplete, the emptiness is there,

• Only when you are with me again, will that hollowness disappear,

• As the sun goes down, with autumn all around,

• Till the waters are blue, I will wait for you,

• I wish you luck for the times we‘re apart, I will miss you, don’t worry

Mothers day - inspiring story about mother

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred

miles away.

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.

But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose."

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home.

She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother."

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.



The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two

hundred miles to his mother's house.

Another man's folly

...He paid the price for another man’s folly. One life gone, 2 people dead ! A mother is

devastated, she is howling with pain, yelling all she can in that dark and dingy corner of her four

by four kholi. There was nobody to hear her yell and not a soul to pacify her, because outside her

shack is a long winding lonely road. There was no existence of mankind for miles and miles

ahead. The wind was at rest, the leaves didn’t rustle and no resonance of a barking dog, silence

filled the air. Loneliness was already killing her, but no one knows what made her cry?

Losing something you love with all your heart isn’t really the grief you can ever overcome.

Radha lost her baby. Her only means to live. She saw her child getting crushed under a car in

front of her own eyes. Blood was all over and the accident was terrible. One lonely night, she was

walking down the street t get a breath of fresh air with her child cuddled tight in her arms. Shewalked a long time s till she saw the face of mankind (in the evilest form).

The whole time she walked with her child in her arms the only thing that worried her was

Aryans (her son’s) future. What kind of a person will he be? Will he make me proud? How much

light is life going to bring in his existence? She was imagining and feeling every day of the Childs

growth, and what she had in store for him. But who knows what’s in store for us tomorrow, life

can change in the splits of a second. Talk about destiny, all those dreams hopes and expectations

were snatched away from her in an instant. Her smiles were frowns and her faith just crumbled,

like a deal soul in a living, rather breathing body.

This is how it happened…. On that abandoned road, were a few streetlights barely sufficient?There was this one light that was visible from a distance, but as it came closer it got brighter and

brighter. That light changed radha’s life into darkness forever. A speeding car came down that

road, as if the driver had jammed the accelerator, cutting across the wind. He came at a speek of

110kmph throwing beer bottles out of his half open window. He was definitely drunk, the speed

took everything in its path. Just then, there was a loud cry, and silence set in again. The cry of a

baby and no sight of a child.

Ironically the mother wasn’t hurt, not a scratch on a body, not a bruise on her arm. She opened

her eyes and didn’t she Aryan, her vision was blur. After a few minutes when her sight cleared

up she looked all over frantically for her baby, but alas! There was nothing. Just then she noticed

something about then feet away it was blood draining into the gutter’s, and pieces of mincedflesh, laying there saying so much without saying anything at all. The blood of her baby, the child

who hadn’t even seen life,

He paid the price for another man’s folly. The same little child whose future was just being

planned. Simple, don’t drink and drive. You could take a life, but kill a number of people.

Keep On Singing

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, shedid what she could to help her 3-year old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They

find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night,Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's tummy.

The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther CreekUnited Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. Then the labor pains come. Everyfive minutes every minute. But complications arise during delivery. Hours of labor.Would a C-section be required?

Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With siren howlingin the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St.Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. The days inch by. The little girl gets worse. Thepediatric specialist tells the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for theworst."



Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot. They have fixed upa special room in their home for the new baby - now they plan a funeral.

Michael, keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, "I want to sing to her," hesays.

Week two in intensive care. It looks as if a funeral will come before the week is over.Michael keeps nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed inIntensive Care. But Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it

or not. If he doesn't see his sister now, he may never see her alive.

She dresses him in an oversized scrub suit and marches him into ICU. He looks like awalking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, "Getthat kid out of here now! No children are allowed.

The mother rises up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings tohis sister!" Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losingthe battle to live. And he begins to sing.

In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sings: "You are my sunshine, my only

sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray --- "

Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate becomes calm and steady.

Keep on singing, Michael.

"You never know, dear, how much I love you, Please don't take my sunshine away---"

The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr. Keep on singing,Michael.

"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms..." Michael's

little sister relaxes as rest, healing rest, seems to sweep over her. Keep on singing,Michael. Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glows.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't, take my sunshine away."

Funeral plans are scrapped. The next, day-the very next day-the little girl is wellenough to go home!

Woman's Day magazine called it "the miracle of a brother's song." The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God's love! NEVER GIVE UP ON THEPEOPLE YOU LOVE

Life Experiences of Bill McDonald"A Spiritual Warrior's Journey"

Amazing Grace

It was during the summer of 1994 that a most wonderful and unexplainable experience

took place in the lives of my daughter and me. It all began when I went to Los Angeles for a

church convocation. I was staying at a hotel in the downtown area and was attending the classes

and meetings in the same hotel.

One afternoon, between events, my old friend Bob invited me out to lunch. He wanted to

take me to a local Indian restaurant that was only a short walk from the hotel. We had a great

lunch and some good conversation. We left the restaurant and began our walk back to the hotel.We walked through the downtown area where many homeless people hung around the

streets. As we stepped around one corner, a man with a wild look on his face jumped up in front

of us. He thrust a filthy finger at Bob as he shouted out a date, including the month and the year.

My friend stood frozen as their eyes met. I asked Bob what that date meant to him. He turned to

me and said that it was his birthday, right down to the year.

We were both dumbfounded as to why, or how, some homeless man could possibly have

known that kind of information. The man had looked just like all the other homeless men we saw

around us, except for that strange look in his eyes. We turned and walked across the street to get

away from the homeless man who had shocked us with his sudden insight. He did not follow us

as we made it safely to the other side of the street.

Just outside the metro station steps, we came upon an old black man. He was standing



Angels and Dogs

The year was 1956, and I was 10 years old. I had just returned home from my long stay atthe San Jose County Hospital where I was a captive for almost a full year of my young life. I had

been through some long treatments and a year of complete bed rest. I was just glad to be alive

and home again.

I was looking for ways to make myself better, not just physically but spiritually as well.

Even though I was very young, I felt a strong urge and need to draw closer in my personal

relationship with God. One of the first things I remember doing was taking a vow never to eat

meat again. My thinking was that if the Catholics did not eat meat on Fridays, then I could go

without it altogether. After all, I had so much to be grateful for. My mother was supportive of my

decision, but she did suggest that I eat some fish and fowl since otherwise there would not be

much for me to consume.Shortly after making this personal decision, I shared a strange yet beautiful experience

with my mother. The moment still stands out brightly in my heart and mind today. We were

resting on the sofa in the living room when I began to hear what sounded like the singing of a

church choir. I had never in all my life heard singing as wonderful as this. The multitude of

muted feminine voices seemed to be coming from all around us, even from inside of me. The

sound and feel of the sensuous music was soft—very holy, very sacred. I had never heard any

church music sound so inspiring or so beautiful.

At first, I had thought that someone may have left on a radio or a record player. I could

tell from the look my mother gave me that she was hearing the singing also! We both got up and

searched the entire house, but we could not locate the source of this beautiful singing. No matter

where I went, the music followed me. Outside, it seemed to be coming from the sky itself. Apleasurable, blissful chill came over my entire body, and a joyful shiver raced up my spine. It was

like being loved and being in love.

No matter where we went, the music remained the same volume as if it were a part of us.

The voices were everywhere, singing, praising, loving. My mother and I finally stood side by side,

listening. Peace washed over both of us. I embraced the feeling of love that blossomed within

myself. I felt as if I were being hugged by a divine being. Neither I nor my mother could offer any

explanation for the singing, so we just absorbed all that awesome peace. Finally, after a blissfully

long time, the voices gently faded.

My mother and I both felt lightheaded and joyous for several days following that event.

Later, when my mother suggested to me that we had perhaps been blessed to hear the angels

themselves singing, I fully accepted that as a fact. And it felt right.Just a short while after this shared experience, a passing car hit one of our dogs. He could

barely move when I found him lying there in the street. I tearfully carried him inside the house to

the sofa where I knelt down on my knees and prayed. I prayed with all my heart and soul for

God to heal my dog. With all my faith, I tensed up my entire body; then, I gently laid my hands

on the dog and wished with all my strength for God to transfer that energy to him. It felt like

electricity jumping from my fingertips into the dog's body. To my astonishment, my dog

suddenly jumped off the sofa. He paraded around the house as if nothing had ever happened. He

was healed! I believed that God healed my dog because I had trusted and believed in Him. My

faith in God had healed my dog.

More strange and wonderful experiences began to unfold after that healing. I found that I

was aware of events in the future, not just my own future but in the futures of other people Ididn't even know. At the time, I did not realize what was unfolding or why these things

were happening to me. Back then, I was but a small, trusting child who somehow was graced to

have experienced the magic and holiness of God's angels. I heard them sing, and they touched my

heart and soul forever!

Cat Angel

We once had a very fat and lovable tabby cat called "Critter." She belonged to my son

before he left to go into the Army and eventually off to the Gulf War. That is how my wife and I

became the caretakers of this furry feline.

Over a short period of time, Critter took over the house not by being bossy but by being so



loving. She knew how to get anything she ever wanted just by turning on the old charm. This cat

was not a fighter but definitely a lover. She got along with all of the neighborhood cats and dogs,

allowing any of them into our yard.

When I went into the garden, she followed me all around, stopping where and when I did.

She lay or sat at my feet as I worked in the garden, sometimes almost causing me to trip over her

fat little body. She was a people cat and loved to be around us all the time.

I had a room built into the attic space above my garage ceiling. This little room was my

sanctuary, a place where I could find quiet for prayer and meditation periods. I put a couple of

chairs in there right under the skylight I had installed in the roof. I would sit in one chair and oldCritter often wandered up the pull-down steps and climbed onto the other chair, which had a soft

cushion on it.

She always lay there, silent and still, no matter how long I was meditating or praying. She

really enjoyed being up there with me, as evidenced by her purring. She never left until I was

finished, and we went into the house together. If I left the stairs down when I went to work, she

often wandered back up there and sat in "her" chair.

I enjoyed her company at night the most. Her nightly routine began when she jumped up

on our mattress and pounced along from the foot of the bed to our pillows. She circled around a

few times, rubbing her furry body into our faces before she settled down between our heads. I

loved to pet her soft body, which started her purring like a small motor. But in order to get any

sleep, I had to nudge her toward our feet, where she eventually curled up into a small ball of furand slept. Around four every morning, she wanted to be let outside for her morning social time.

One day while I was away on a business trip, my wife called me with bad news. Some

stray dogs had been running loose and got into our yard. They had attacked and killed our

friendly, little tabby cat. My wife said that she was not home when it happened. It was our

neighbor who stopped the attack and took the cat to the vet's office where she died. At least we

were spared from having to see her bloody body or hearing her cries for help. I felt an emptiness

inside because I never got to say goodbye to her. There was no closure for me.

Not long after Critter's death, something happened to help me with my closure. I had been

sleeping in late on a cold Sunday morning when I felt a familiar bounce at the end of the

mattress. It was followed by the pouncing of little cat-like feet walking up the bed toward my

head. I felt the touch of fur on my neck and the back of my head. I could hear the loud purringand feel the warm breathing in my ear of a cat. I reached behind my head expecting to stroke my

cat, but when I did, there was nothing there. No cat. No nothing at all.

A gentle current of energy flowed up my spine as I realized what had happened. I knew

my cat was no longer alive. Yet, I knew that what I had felt were very real sensations. I knew

then that my cat had come back just to say goodbye in the only way a cat angel could. I felt at

peace once again. I had my closure.

Our Heavenly Father's Gifts

I asked God to take away my pride, And God said "No." He said it was not for him to

take away, but for me to give up. I asked God to make myhandicapped child whole. And God said "No." He said her spirit is whole, her bodyis only temporary.



I asked God to grant me patience. And God said "No." He said patience isa by-product of tribulations. It isn't granted, it is earned. I asked God togive me happiness. And God said "No." He said he gives me blessings,happiness is up to me. I asked God to spare me pain. And God said"No." He said suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and bringsyou closer to Me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. And God said "No." He said I mustgrow on my own. But he would prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. And God said "No." Hesaid I will give you life, that you may enjoy all things.God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. And God said, Ah,finally you have the idea. Amen!!!

The Hitchhiker

For several days I had a nagging feeling that I had someone special waiting for me. In

fact, I couldn't get the thought out of my mind. Hebrews 13:2 kept coming to the forefront of

my thoughts. It was a mantra playing in my mind, overshadowing all my other thoughts: "Be

not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

When I went to the local bookstore, I picked up only one book. It was Linda Goodman's

Star Signs. It was stacked on a lower shelf, and I had to actually stoop down to see it there. I

reached down and pulled out this one particular hardback that was among dozens of otherbooks. For whatever reason, this book acted like a magnet. I felt drawn to it. I quickly opened it

at the beginning of the book, and jumping out at me was the Bible quote from Hebrews 13:2,

which had been ever present in my thoughts all week long. I could not believe that the first

book I picked up, on the first page I turned to, had this verse sitting right there in front of me

to remind me of "my appointment."

I did not know what specifically I was to do or whom I was going to run into. I was

trusting that my inner feelings would lead me to the right place and the right time to make "my

appointment." I relaxed and let the thought go.

Later in the week, while at work in downtown Sacramento, I got an urge to leave work

early to head home. The feelings were too strong to ignore. I left work, heading south down

Highway 99. That Bible passage kept coming back to me as I drove. I knew something wasabout to happen, so I was on the lookout for what it might be even though I was not totally

certain of what I was looking for. My feelings got stronger the farther I drove south. I felt I was

about to make my appointment and very soon.

When I passed the South Sacramento Kaiser Hospital, which was only about five miles

from my house, I saw a hitchhiker alongside the highway.

It was illegal to be hitchhiking on that stretch of the highway. He was not near an on-

ramp, and he was standing along the highway where no one could safely pull over to give him a

ride. It was obvious that this young man did not have a clue as to how to hitchhike.

I decided that I should pull over and give him a ride. It just did not feel like an optional

thing to do. My feelings were very strong that this was something I needed to do. I pulled over

as close to where he was as I possibly could. Even then, he had to run about 100 feet to get to

my pickup truck. When he got up to my side window, I could see how young he was. I later

found out he was 22 years old. He looked beat-up by the weather and life in general. He was

soaked from sleeping in a field alongside the highway the night before. The rain had continued

to dampen him and his spirits all day. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt, and he didn't even

have a jacket. He had taken a pair of white socks and had fashioned gloves over both of his

arms. It was apparent that he was trying to keep warm, but the socks were soaked, as was

everything else he was wearing.

He looked in at me through my truck window, but then he pulled back with a strange

look on his face when he got a good look at me. I asked him where he was heading. He replied

that he was trying to get to Texas, to find his stepdad. I was only going a couple more exits

down the highway, but I told him to hop in the truck and I would take him a short way.

He smelled like someone who had been living out on the streets for weeks without a



shower. He had a rancid body order that emanated in all directions. It was a musky, foul smell

like a pile of unwashed gym clothes stuffed in a locker for months. His clothing was drenched

and more than just dirty; he was filthy from head to toe. He was so cold and chilled that he was

actually shaking. He did not say too much as we made it to my exit ramp. When I took the

turnoff, I impulsively asked him to stay in the truck. I took him to my home so he could warm

up and eat.

When we got to my house and my daughter saw the young man coming in with me, she

made an expression that I knew meant she wondered what in the heck I was doing. His odor

permeated the house. I showed him the bathroom where he could take a hot shower. I gave himsome of my clothing to change into, tossing his spent rags in my garbage can. When he was

clean and freshly dressed, I took him to my garage and pulled out my camping equipment. My

thoughts were that if this kid were going to survive out on his own, he needed some basic

equipment.

I pulled out a backpack and filled it with camping gear, including a waterproof tarp that

he could use to make a shelter. Back in the house, I packed a wool blanket and some other

comfort items into the backpack. I went through my clothing and gave him some underwear,

tee shirts, sweaters, socks, extra jeans, and most important, a jacket. I also gave him an old

Oakland Raider's baseball cap and a bag to carry extra food and clothing. I made sure that he

was fully equipped.

He was grateful and polite when I made him lunch. He looked at me in the same way hehad when we first saw each other on the highway. I asked him what he was thinking.

He told me that he had left his grandmother's house up on the northern coast of

California because she had died. He had no one to turn to and no place to call home. He told me

about all his time spent in foster homes and about the lousy life he had been living. He was now

trying to hitchhike to Texas to see if his stepdad would take him in.

He went on to tell me how he got to that place on the highway and what had happened to

him the night before. He told me that the rainstorm had drenched him. He was unable to stay

dry because he had no tent or rain gear. Everything he owned had been totally rain soaked. His

sleeping bag was ruined, so he had thrown it away. He had no jacket or spare clothing. He went

on talking, and it was easy for me to see that he was desperate and depressed. The night before,

he had felt that he had absolutely nothing in his life for which to live. There was nobody in hislife to help him or care about him. This caused him much inner pain. I could empathize since

I'd felt this way many times during my younger years.

As he talked about his night of despair, I could tell how close this young man had come

to thoughts of suicide. I thought on that night of his young life when all he wanted was to end

all the suffering. He had felt so unloved and unwanted, even the weather was against him. At

this point in his conversation, his eyes got that fixed look on me again.

He told me that at his very lowest point of despair the night before, he had some kind of

"real-life dream," as he called it, while he was totally awake. He saw a man who looked just

like I did: same clothing, same beard, hair, eyes, and voice. He believed I was the one who had

been in his real-life dream the previous night. He did not understand how or why. He went on

to say that "this man" came to him with a smile on his face as he reached out and saidsomething.

I stopped his story at this point. I opened a kitchen drawer, reached in and pulled out an

opened pack of sugarless chewing gum. His eyes opened wide.

"Some people have said that I have a special psychic gift. When I hand you this, you will

understand more fully what happened to you last night," I said.

I reached out and put the pack of gum into his hand, and his eyes began to tear up. Why

I had said and done this, I was not even sure myself, but the words just came out.

He stated that in his real-life dream, the man who looked like I did, had put the package

of chewing gum into his hands. Then, the man in the dream went on to say something to him.

"And the man said that everything would be all right. God loves you," I finished his

sentence for him.The young man let out a gasp. He said that was word for word what the man in his

dream had said to him. Those were the exact words that the night before gave him enough hope

to continue his journey to Texas. My daughter, who had been watching all this transpire,

couldn't believe all that she heard. The kitchen was very quiet for a few moments as we tried to

figure out what had taken place. We had just witnessed something incredibly special. We did

not have a clue as to how or what had happened or even why.

I gave the young man a hug. We got back into my pickup truck, and I drove him to the

best spot to catch a ride heading south on Highway 99. I put a few dollars in his pocket and

handed him a raincoat so he would be comfortable. He got out of my truck, and I watched him

walk away down the road. He turned one last time to look back at me, sitting there in my truck.

"Thanks," he called out.



"Thank God," I replied.

He walked over to the on-ramp for the highway to continue his journey. I started up my

truck and turned around to head home. My eyes were beginning to get moisture in them. I

figured it must have been all the rain, but I knew this was much deeper. I knew God had given

me a special gift that day.

That happened back in 1991, and I have been sending out prayers for this young manever since. I do not know his name or where he is, but I know that in some strange and

wonderful way our paths had crossed. Our lives have been forever changed because I listened

to that voice within me. How many more strangers are waiting out there for others to discover

and help? How many are "angels unawares?"

Out of the Mouths of Children

I was on a family outing with some old friends and their two children, enjoying a rafting

trip down the American River not too far from Sacramento. We had been rafting under a hot

summer sun, and we pulled over to a beach to rest and have lunch. That is when we heard

shouting and saw some activity on the beach up the river.

Our friend Beverly, who had been walking ahead of me, was quickly on the scene where

two young men had pulled a 17-year-old boy from the river. The young man was not breathing.

His face was white and bluish as he lay motionless on the ground. He looked like a dead person.

A group of young people with their heads bowed had gathered around him. No one was

moving to do anything to help revive the drowned boy whose time was running out very

quickly.

Beverly, who had just completed a Red Cross CPR class, was getting ready to jump in

and help. She was willing to do what she had been trained to do, but she was not totally

confident since she had never done this in a real situation before. I told her to step aside and

allow me. I had been a professional lifeguard in my last year in the U.S. Army. I had some real-

life experiences and also had taken the class several times over the years. I knew I could help. I

knelt down and took the young man's head in my hands.

By this time, he looked very much dead. He must have been lying on the beach for

several minutes in this condition. He looked as bad as I have ever seen someone who wasn't

drowned beyond saving. I began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I could feel his chest swell upand rise each time I pushed my air into his lungs.

In my mind, I kept wondering why all these young people were not doing anything and

why they had just left their friend lying on the sandy beach. I looked around and saw all these

able-bodied teenagers still standing there with their heads bowed. I was getting angry with

them as I continued to force my air into this young victim's lungs.

Finally, after what seemed several minutes, he coughed violently, shooting a stream of

vomit right into my mouth and up my nose. I gagged, but only briefly stopped to clear my own

mouth and nose. He then began to violently vomit several more times, so I turned him over on

his side to allow him to clear out his lungs. At least a full cup of water came running out of hismouth as he gasped and sat up.

He began getting his color back as he continued to cough and spit. When he was fully

alert, he stood up. All of his friends came over to hug him. He was still kind of in a daze, but he

was very much alive, no thanks to all of his friends. I was a little annoyed by their lack of

action, and I told them so. They looked at me as I told them that I thought they should have

been doing something besides just bowing their heads.

"We were doing something, we were praying to Jesus to send us someone who knew

what he was doing to come and save him," one young man said.

"Well, what good did that do?" I arrogantly muttered back to him.



"You came, didn't you? And you knew what to do! Can't you see, you were the answer

to our prayers."

I stood there silently for several moments trying to collect myself. How could I not see

that these teenagers had actually done something? I was there at the right time and the right

place, and I knew what I was doing. I left feeling both humbled and blessed at the same time. My

only thought was that of a passage I had read in the Bible: "Those whose glory above the

heavens is chanted by the mouth of babes and infants."

The Ant & the Contact Lens

Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing.Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to atremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, tookhold on the rope and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to aledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the

safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contactlens.

Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet Below her andhundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked andlooked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there. Hereshe was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate andbegan to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing forthe lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down,

despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them tomake it up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after rangeof mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of theLord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, Youcan see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and Youknow exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom therewas a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well,

that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it?An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it.

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him theincredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew apicture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don'tknow why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfullyheavy. But if this is what You want me do, I'll carry it for You." I think itwould probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don'tknow why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it'sawfully heavy. But, if you want Me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the

qualified, He qualifies the called.

The Dart Board

A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a seminaryclass, given by her teacher, whom we'll call Brother Smith. She saysBrother Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. Oneparticular day, Sally walked into seminary and knew they were in foranother fun day.



On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts.Brother Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that theydisliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allowthem to throw darts at the person's picture. Sally's girlfriend (on herright), drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Anotherfriend (on her left), drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew apicture of Brother Smith, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing,even drawing pimples on his face. Sally was pleased at the overall effectshe had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts, with much laughter andhilarity. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that theirtargets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and wasfilled with disappointment when Brother Smith, because of time limits,asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking abouthow angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any dartsat her target, Brother Smith began removing the target from the wall.Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus ...

A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangledpicture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyeswere pierced out. Brother Smith said only these words, "In as much asye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it untoMe." No other words were necessary; the tear-filled eyes of each studentfocused only on the picture of Christ. The students remained in theirseats . . . even after the bell rang . . . then slowly left the classroom,tears streaming down their faces. Enough Said!!! "And the King willanswer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did itto one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it toMe.'" Matthew 25:40

The Bridge

There was once a big turntable bridge, which spanned a large river.During most of the day, the bridge sat with the length running up anddown the river parallel with the banks allowing ships to pass freely onboth sides of the bridge. But, at certain times of the day, a certain trainwould come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across theriver allowing the train to cross. A switchman sat in a small shack on one

side of the river, where he operated the controls to turn the bridge andlock it into place when the train crossed.

One evening, when the switchman was waiting for the last train of theday to come, he looked off into the distance, through the dimmingtwilight, and caught sight of the train's light. He stepped to the controlsand waited until the train was at a prescribed distance when he was toturn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but to his horror, hefound that the locking control didn't work. If the bridge was not lockedsecurely into position, it would wobble back and forth at the ends whenthe train came to it, causing the train to jump the track and go crashinginto the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard.He left the shack with the bridge turned across the river, and hurried tothe other side of the river, where there was a lever, which he could useto operate the lock manually. He could hear the rumble of the train now,and leaned backwards to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. Manylives depended upon this man's strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the other direction, he heard asound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first instinct

was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close. The



"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"He receives the answer: "Who are you?"And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"The voice answers: "I admire you!"Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"He receives the answer: "Coward!"He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"

The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"The voice answers: "You are a champion!"The boy is surprised, but does not understand.Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.It gives you back everything you say or do.Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;Life will give you back everything you have given to it."

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!"

NEW THEORY OF MOTIVATION LISTS 16 BASIC DESIRES THAT GUIDE US

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Professor Steven Reiss says there's nothing wrong with workaholics, non-curious schoolchildren and timid people. While much of society may believe these people have problems that need to be fixed, Reiss saidhis research suggests they are probably happy just the way they are. They justhave personalities that don't fit in with much of society.

Reiss, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, hasspent ten years developing and testing a new theory of human motivation. Theresult of his research is published in the new book Who Am I? The 16 Basic

Desires That Motivate Our Action and Define Our Personalities(Tarcher/Putnam, 2000). After conducting studies involving thousands of

people, Reiss has found that 16 basic desires guide nearly all meaningful behavior.

The desires are

1. power,2. independence,3. curiosity,4. acceptance,5. order,6. saving,7. honor,

8. idealism,

9. physical exercise,10. social contact,11. family,12.status,13.vengeance,14.romance,15.eating,

16.tranquility.

PUPPIES FOR SALE

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set

about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he

Felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy.

Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come

from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a



And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a specialperson and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant andcannot make a change.

Sand and Stone

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had

an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but

without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE

FACE."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been

slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered

from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand

and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of

forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone

where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE

THE BRICK

About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Joshwas traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit toofast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two monthsold.

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and sloweddown when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child dartedout, but a brick sailed out and - WHUMP! - it smashed Into the Jag's shinyblack side door! SCREECH..!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse,and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick hadbeen thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him

up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about andwho are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna costyou a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please. . . I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!"Pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!"Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parkedcar. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked theexecutive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow therapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man backinto the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapesand cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He thenwatched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward theirhome.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE-a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. Hekept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has



to throw a brick at him to get his attention. . . Some bricks are softer thanothers. Feel for the bricks of life coming at to you. For all the negativethings we have to say to ourselves, God has positive answers.

The Buzzard, The Bat, and the Bumblebee

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in

spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins

a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he

will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take

off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about

helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw

itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It

never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the

sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bee. They are struggling

about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above

them.

The Gift of Life

On the very first day, God created the cow. He said to the cow, "Today I have created you! As a cow, you

must go to the field with the farmer all day long. You will work all day under the sun! I will give you a life

span of 50 years."

The cow objected, "What? This kind of a tough life you want me to live for 50 years? Let me have 20

years, and the 30 years I'll give back to you." So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, "You are supposed to do is to sit all day by

the door of your house. Any people that come in, you will have to bark at them! I'll give a life span of 20

years."

The dog objected, "What? All day long to sit by the door? No way! I give you back my other 10 years of life!" So God agreed.

On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey, "Monkeys have to entertain people.

You've got to make them laugh and do monkey tricks. I'll give you 20 years life span."

The monkey objected. "What? Make them laugh? Do monkey faces and tricks? Ten years will do, and the

other 10 years I'll give you back." So God agreed.

On the fourth day, God created man and said to him, "Your job is to sleep, eat, and play. You will enjoy

very much in your life. All you need to do is to enjoy and do nothing. This kind of life, I'll give you a 20

year life span."

The man objected. "What? Such a good life! Eat, play, sleep, do nothing? Enjoy the best and you expect

me to live only for 20 years? No way, man!....Why don't we make a deal? Since the cow gave you back 30

years, and the dog gave you back 10 years and the monkey gave you back 10 years, I will take them from

you! That makes my life span 70 years, right?" So God agreed.

AND THAT'S WHY.... In our first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play, enjoy the best and do nothing much. For

the next 30 years, we work all day long, suffer and get to support the family. For the next 10 years, we

entertain our grandchildren by making monkey faces and monkey tricks. And for the last 10 years, we

stay at home, sit by the front door and bark at people!

THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH



The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, itlooks like You have a leak with this model. I told You that You were trying to put too much intothis one."

"That's not a leak." the Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!"

The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again. I createdthe woman, but she created the tear!"

The Rose Within

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought,

"How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?

Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom...

it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us

at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns,

the defects.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good

within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of

the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find

the rose within them.

This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting

that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to

realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will

conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

The Two Pots

A Water Bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, whichhe carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered afull portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, thecracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half

pots of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of itsaccomplishments, for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of itsown imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it hadbeen made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer oneday by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes mywater to leak out all the way back to your house."

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of thepath, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your

flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walkback, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to



decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, we would not have suchbeauty."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Parable of the Pencil The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things youneed to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone'shand.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.

And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition,you must continue to write.The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now change places with the pencil. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

The Praying Hands

Below is a touching story about DURERS Praying Hands that is circulated widely. It tells of DURER doing his creation in

appreciation of a brother who went to work in the mines to support Albrecht's education.

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen

children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of

the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and

any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless

condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursuetheir talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to

send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a

pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his

earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won

the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy,

either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and

went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years,financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's

etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by

the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their

lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal,

punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the

table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht

to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it

is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."



All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears

streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and

repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no." Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from

his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands

close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for

me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger

have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my

right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on

parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ...for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful

portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper

engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most

people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar

with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer

painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched

skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almostimmediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The

Praying Hands."

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your

reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - - ever makes it alone!

THE VALUE OF A SMILE

A smile cost nothing, but gives much.

It enriches those who receive,without making poorer those who give.It takes but a moment,but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but thathe can be made rich by it.

A smile creates happiness in the home,fosters good will in business,

and is the countersign of friendship.It brings rest to the weary,cheer to the discouraged,sunshine to the sad,and is nature's best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,for it is something that is of no value to anyoneuntil it is given away.

Some people are too tired to give you a smile.

Give them one of yours,as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over myyard.My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably

wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.



When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen.My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pullingme back when I walk.My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that.My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from?Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I wish you Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions!!!

A parable - A Farmer Who Owned An Old Mule

The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worththe trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what hadhappened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and puthim out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continuedshoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on himthat every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back: he should shake it off and stepup! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful theblows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just keptright on shaking it off and stepping up!

You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, steppedtriumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actuallyblessed him. All because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

Are you a Carrot, an Egg or Coffee Bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life, and how things were so hardfor her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tiredof fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot, she placedcarrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She letthem sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed themin a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee,"she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted thatthey got soft. She then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, sheobserved the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point,

mother?"



Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity- boiling water-but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water,its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they werein the boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When trials and adversity knock on your door,how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do Iwilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluidspirit, but after a death, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened andstiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, am I bitter and tough with a stiff spiritand a hardened heart?

Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstancethat brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are

like the bean, when things are at their worst, you become better and change the situationaround you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Like the CARROT, the EGG, OR the COFFEE BEAN?

If A Dog Was The Teacher If a dog was the teacher, you would learn stuff like:- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.- When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.- Let others know when they've invaded your territory.- Take naps. Stretch before rising.- Run, romp, and play daily.- Thrive on attention and let people touch you.- Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.- On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.- On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.- When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.- No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout! Run rightback and make friends.- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.- Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.- Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently

A White Lie Cake!

Alice was to bake a cake for the church ladies' group bake sale, but she forgot to do ituntil the last minute. She baked an angel food cake and when she took it from the

oven, the center had dropped flat. She said, "Oh dear, there's no time to bake another cake." So, she looked around the house for something to build up the center of thecake.

Alice found it in the bathroom - a roll of toilet paper. She plunked it in and covered itwith icing. The finished product looked beautiful, so she rushed it to the church.

Alice then gave her daughter some money and instructions to be at the sale the minuteit opened and to buy that cake and bring it home.

When the daughter arrived at the sale ... the attractive cake had already been sold.

Alice was beside herself.



The next day, Alice was invited to a friend's home where two tables of bridge were tobe played that afternoon. After the game a fancy lunch was served, and to top it off,the cake in question was presented for dessert.

Alice saw the cake, she started to get out of her chair to rush into the kitchen to tellher hostess all about it, but before she could get to her feet, one of the other ladiessaid, "What a beautiful cake!"

Alice sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess say ... "Thank you; I baked itmyself."

A gentle reminder that it never pays to tell even a little white lie!!

Two frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. Whenthe other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good asdead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of

the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell downand died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled athim to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he gotout, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf.He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouragingword to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it

through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takesto kill them.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understandthat an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speakwords that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue indifficult times. Special is the individual who will take the timeto encourage another.

The Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One manwas allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids fromhis lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other manhad to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives andfamilies, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the militaryservice, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon whenthe man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass thetime by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outsidethe window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods wherehis world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colorof the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake,the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while childrensailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and afine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by



only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled

food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He

asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am

making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-

old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless.

Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what

must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to thefamily table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither

husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the

tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever

listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a

happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their

lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child's

future.

Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, ... and those you love, ... today,and everyday!

Touching life story.....

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many monthshe had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and

knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all hewanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that hisfather had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduationhis father called him into his private study. His father told him how proudhe was to have such a fineson, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son abeautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed theyoung man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible.

Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your moneyyou give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holybook.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful inbusiness. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized hisfather was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He hadnot seen him since that graduation day. Before he could makearrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passedaway, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to comehome immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father'shouse, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search his father's important papers and saw the stillnew Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened theBible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car keydropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible.It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had thesports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation,and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not

packaged as we expected?



Trees That Wood

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussingtheir hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to bea treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. Icould be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see thebeauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will takekings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest andstraightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill andlook up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how closeto them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and peoplewill always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a groupof woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree hesaid, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell thewood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree washappy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into atreasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, Ishould be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happybecause he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightenedbecause he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not cometrue. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from mytree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feedbox for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. Thiswas not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and madeinto a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carryingkings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and

left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about theirdreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth andthey placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from thefirst tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby,but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the secondtree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out onthe water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strongenough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and hestood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the treeknew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through thestreets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When theycame to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to dieat the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that itwas strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to Godas was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.



The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going yourway, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust inHim, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God'splans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but Hisways are always best.

Unconditional Love - motivating story A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having foughtin Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd liketo bring home with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt prettybadly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. Hehas nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with sucha handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, andwe can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should justcome home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more fromhim. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Franciscopolice. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. Thepolice believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Franciscoand were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. Theyrecognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn'tknow, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those whoare good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people whoinconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away

from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully,there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with anunconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of howmessed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that Godwill give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help usall be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!

There's a miracle called Friendship That dwells in the heart You don't know howit happens Or when it gets started But you know the special lift It always bringsAnd you realize that Friendship Is God's most precious gift!

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage youto succeed They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always wantto open their hearts to us.

Value

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. Inthe room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.



He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me dothis." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the groundand started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?"Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter whatI did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease invalue. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the

dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happenedor what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special -Don't ever forget it!

Wait For The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a

bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from betweenparked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed,no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammedon the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed himup against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?Just what the heck are you doing?That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.Why did you do it?"The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know whatelse to do," he pleaded.

"I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot justaround a parked car."It's my brother," he said."He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me gethim back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in histhroat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took outhis fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told

him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back tothe Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't gothrough life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to

listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!



THE WINNER AND THE LOSER

The Winner - is always part of the answerThe Loser - is always part of the problem

The Winner - always has a programThe Loser - always has an excuse

The Winner - says "Let me do it for you"The Loser says "That's not my job"

The Winner - sees an answer for every problemThe Loser - sees a problem for every answer

The Winner - sees a green near every sand trapThe Loser - sees two or three sand traps near every green

The Winner - says "It may be difficult but it's possible"

The Loser - says "It may be possible but it's too difficult"

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