Positively Inspirational

A Story of Gratitude

2012-01-30T04:54:00.005-06:00

Reprinted from 6/10/11

Perhaps you read several years ago about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines near the Golden Gate Bridge. The fifty-foot whale was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her tail, her torso and a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her - a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers said she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around - she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The diver who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

-A True Story As Reported In The SF Chronicle, 12/15/05

Dreams Are Renewable

2012-01-27T05:46:00.001-06:00

Are you too old to get married? Several years ago, Jim Gorringe, 99, and Dinah Leach, 84, wedded at the St. James Rest Home in Christchurch, New Zealand. Both had been previously married and great, great grandchildren attended the ceremony. Just before the wedding, the groom quipped, "We won't be having children."

I wonder if this is the same older couple who stopped by a pharmacy a couple months before their wedding. They told the pharmacist they wanted to get married. "Do you sell heart medication?" they asked. He said that of course they do.
"Then how about medicine for circulation?"
The druggist replied, "All kinds."
"Do you have drugs for rheumatism, arthritis, memory problems and scoliosis?"
The pharmacist assured them that they had a wide array of medicines for all of those problems and more.
"And you sell wheelchairs, walkers and canes?"
"Absolutely," said the druggist. "Whatever you need."
They looked at each other and smiled. "Great!" the bride-to-be said. "We’d like to register here for our wedding gifts."
You have to admire their enthusiasm. They may have old memories – that is a gift of age. But they also have young hopes.

Author and television personality Hugh Downs reported some good news for seniors. He said that when older adults are properly motivated, their intelligence does not wane. In fact, the ability to organize thinking may actually increase as folks age. Many people in their 50's, 60's and even 70's can go through college with greater efficiency than at 18. Adults over 70 years of age have contributed richly and in varied ways.

-Emmanuel Kant wrote his finest philosophical works at age 74.
-Verdi at 80 produced "Falstaff" and at 85, "Ave Maria."
-Goethe was 80 when he completed "Faust."
-Tennyson was 80 when he wrote "Crossing the Bar."
-Michelangelo completed what may have been his greatest work at age 87.
-At age 90, Justice Holmes was still writing American Supreme Court opinions.

And then there's George Dawson. George learned to read at age 98. (He was forced to quit school when he was a small child in order to help support his family.) "I got tired of writing my name with an 'X,'" he said. Four years later, at age 102, he co-authored his autobiography, Life Is So Good, published by Random House.

Dreams are renewable. They need not expire like an over-due library book. No matter our age, we can breathe new life into old dreams. In fact, we have to renew our dreams, or else they will wither away altogether. I don’t want to spend my life so busy looking back that I lose interest in what lies ahead. As I age, I will have old memories. But I also want a few young hopes. After all, dreams are renewable.

- Steve Goodier, Life Support System

A Liberating Attitude

2012-01-22T07:18:00.000-06:00

I had a remarkable conversation with a woman about physical limitations. Nancy was a sufferer of M.S. She could no longer walk and spent her waking hours in a wheelchair. "I'm not 'confined' to the wheelchair," she insisted one day. "It doesn't confine me. It sets me free." I had never thought of it that way. And I have never referred to someone in a wheelchair since as being "confined."

She asked me, "Do you want to know my reason for living?" It seemed like an abrupt change of subject, but I went with it.
"What is it?"
"To liberate people. To set them free."

She must have studied my face and figured I needed more help. "It's like me...before I got my wheelchair, I had trouble getting around," she explained. "Now I can go places. But other people may be trapped in different ways. So however I can free people, I want to do it." "People speak of being 'shut in,'" she continued. "People who have difficulty leaving a room or a house or a bed are not 'shut in.' They're 'shut out' -- shut out of activities and shut out of people's lives. So I try to help people find some freedom, however I can." I wonder how she'd handle my limitations, though. I can get around all right, but I hold myself back by my thinking. I say, "We'll never do that!" or "I just don't believe that is possible" and later find that somebody proved me wrong. It's my beliefs and attitudes that cause some of my biggest problems. They are as limiting to me as Nancy's disease is to her.

"Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary limitations inside his head," says author J. H. Brennan. "While the burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back." It IS a burden, isn't it? Like a sack of rocks. Some people carry the burden that they will never be able to pursue a passion or achieve a cherished dream. And some tote around the idea that other people can experience good things of life, or simply be happy, but they never will. Our thinking itself can be as much a burden as climbing a mountain with a sack of rocks tied to our backs.

When I feel "confined" by my thinking, I sometimes ponder these words from Darwin P. Kingsley, past president of New York Life Insurance Company:
    "You have powers you never dreamed of.
    You can do things you never thought you could do.
    There are no limitations in what you can do except
    the limitations of your own mind."

Think about it. It's a liberating attitude we should all have.

-Taken in part from 'Real Liberation' by Steve Goodier, Life Support System

Good People Surround Us

2012-01-21T04:57:00.002-06:00

We can sometimes get the impression that most of the world is more or less out for themselves and that people care little about the plight of others. But I choose to believe differently. I believe that a lot of people are basically concerned about others, even if they don’t always know how to express it. That is perhaps why a certain story, clipped years ago and filed away, has remained one of my favorites to this day.

A trucker relates that he was traveling through rural North Carolina on I-95 when a brown sedan merged onto the highway. It weaved back and forth between lanes, causing the driver of the truck to shift into a lower gear. At first he thought the driver was drunk, but when he came closer, the trucker saw an old man shaking uncontrollably behind the wheel. He noticed a Citizen’s Band aerial whipping to and fro as the car jerked between lanes, so he called on the radio: “You in the brown Chevy, if you can hear me, pull over. Pull off the road!”

Amazingly, he did! The trucker pulled up behind the car and climbed from his cab. The elderly man staggered from his auto and fell into the trucker’s arms. He poured out a story of months of fear and pain that accompanied the illness of his only daughter. Now he was returning from the hospital where it was decided that she would cease any further treatment. In the hospital he remained “strong” and stoic for his daughter, but out on the road he fell apart.

The two men talked for the good part of an hour. The father eventually decided to share his pain with his daughter and said he felt good enough to drive home. The men embraced and the trucker followed him for 50 miles. As they drove along, the two talked together on the radio. The older man finally acknowledged that his exit was ahead and thanked his new friend again for the help. The trucker asked if he could make it home all right and, suddenly, a third voice broke in on the conversation: “Breaker 19, don’t worry, good buddy. Go your way. I’ll see him home!” Glancing in his mirror, he saw a livestock truck move into the exit lane behind the brown sedan.

I think there are good people the world over. People who will gladly give that caring touch, a needed warm embrace or a patient and listening ear. They are like angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. Look around. You're sure to see one. And look in the mirror. You might spot one there too.

-Taken from 'Good People' by Steve Goodier, Life Support System

Second Chances

2012-01-18T06:26:00.002-06:00

Even if you're not from Washington D.C. you may have heard of former Mayor Anthony Williams. He has a remarkable story. Williams was born to an unwed teen who gave him up. He was known as a "problem child" in foster care. By age three, little Anthony had still never spoken a word. It seemed that a pattern for his life was set, that is, until two warm and caring people took a chance on him.

Anthony was taken in by an opera-singing postal clerk and her equally generous-hearted husband. Anthony soon began to speak and eventually thrived in their home. He excelled academically and later attended both Harvard and Yale Universities. In 1998, he came from obscurity to win 66% of the vote to become mayor in one of the world's major cities. In his inaugural address, Williams said: "Forty-four years ago, my parents adopted me and gave me a second chance. I feel this city has now adopted me and I will give to it everything my parents taught me about love, service, commitment."

It's no doubt that, had he never been adopted into his particular family, his life would have been wholly different. He was saved by a second chance. And haven't each of us been given second chances? Haven't we been given do-overs on relationships, jobs, blown opportunities and the like? Quite often second chances are the result of the generosity of someone who cares a great deal. And sometimes we are saved by those second chances.

Author Dr. Seuss says in his book THE LORAX, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." But it's the people who give do-overs who truly change the world.

-- Taken from "Do-Overs" by Steve Goodier, Life Support System

Men vs. Women - A Biblical Perspective

2012-01-17T04:00:00.007-06:00

This is not going to really come as a news flash to anybody who's been around very long, but the differences between men and women aren't just biological. For example, the difference between how a man and woman tell a story or relate an incident. The man sort of skims the surface; kind of does the 'from 30,000 feet' view of things, and usually he can't even remember a lot of details. Now, when a woman tells the same story, oh, we get the color of the drapes, the weather forecast for the day, even the expressions people had on their faces. And the man is thinking, "Okay, so what's the point? Where's this going?" Actually, this underscores an important difference between men and women; one that I think God designed. And the sooner we understand it, the sooner we'll really appreciate each other.

This is a biblical view of 'Men Are From Mars, Women are from Venus'. In Genesis 2:15, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."... Adam, run the garden! That's no small job; he's got a big challenge. God has set him up to deal with the big picture. The creation of woman is only a few verses later. It says, "The man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the air, the beasts of the field." Okay, he's busy running the big operation. "But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman... He made her from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man." Notice, He's created Eve now; not to run the garden, but with a different concern. Adam would care about the big picture; Eve would care about the details. He would see the forest (or the garden); she would see the trees.

It's still that way today and we really need each other's perspective. If a man doesn't have a woman's perspective, he tends to trample over people without even knowing it while pursuing his conquest. And the man without a woman, misses the journey because all he can see is the destination. He doesn't see the problems until they are crisis; maybe too late to deal with. A woman tends to see them sooner and soon enough to solve them. But if a woman doesn't have a man's perspective, she could be overwhelmed with worry over the details. She could tend to overreact to a bad situation because she's so close to it...to panic, maybe even make short-sighted decisions. However, it's dynamite when you put the two perspectives together. A man has this objective distance, and he's able to say, "Come over here and let's look at the whole forest and we'll probably make a better decision and better choices." But then you put that with a woman's sensitive closeness, where she says, "Come over here. Did you notice that there are trees dying and falling down in the forest? You've got to come and look at the smaller picture with me, because if more of these trees die there won't be a forest anymore." Put us together; we've got the whole story. Let's celebrate the fact that we're different. She needs to see his forest, and he needs to see her trees.

-Taken from "Man's Forest and Woman's Trees" by Ron Hutchcraft, AWWY

Choose Happiness

2012-01-16T05:17:00.004-06:00

Reprint of 1/23/2011 post.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. 'I love it', he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it', he replied. 'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn'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. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of 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 the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. I am still depositing!'

-Author Unknown

Missing Opportunities

2012-01-14T05:05:00.001-06:00

While visiting the circus grounds, a man passed the area where the elephants were kept. He stopped, observing that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. There were no heavy chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. The trainer replied, "When they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them. At that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they remained standing where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging on to a belief that we cannot do something? Maybe we failed at it previously, or maybe we've never even tried. Like the elephants, do we give up trying because we are conditioned to believe that it can't be done?

"Opportunities fly by while we sit regretting the chances we have lost, and the happiness that comes to us we heed not, because of the happiness that is gone." ~Jerome K. Jerome, The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, 1889

Talking It Out

2012-01-12T12:07:00.002-06:00

I heard a story about one woman who ran a classified ad in order to sell her brand new car. It had only 3,000 miles. "Like new," the ad boasted. "Mint condition. $75.00." A prospective buyer laughed to himself, and said, "There goes the newspaper, making another mistake." But he decided to call the number anyway and ask about it.
"Is it really brand new?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Three thousand miles?"
"Yes."
"The price?"
"Seventy-five dollars," she answered.
"Seventy-five dollars! Lady, what's wrong with it?" he asked.
"Nothing is wrong with it. And, amazingly, you're the first to call. I suppose nobody else believes the ad."

He decided to look at it. She let him take a test drive. The car looked exquisite and ran perfectly. He just couldn't believe his luck. "The car is yours for $75.00. Just drive it away." He paid her and took the keys. "Please tell me, lady," he persisted. "You could have sold this car for $35,000, at least. What is going on?" She told her story: "I bought the car for my husband on our fortieth wedding anniversary. Two weeks later he ran off with somebody else. Last week I got a text from him. They are in a resort in Florida. The text said, 'Need money, sell car, send cash.' I did."

What do you do when you are angry? Some people "act it out." They break something. Or they say something they later regret. They strike back. Or they sell the car for $75.00. Other people "wait it out." Waiting it out seemed to be her husband's strategy. Let her cool down - it will blow over. But the avoidance of conflict usually never ends well. It just doesn't go away by itself. Others "take it out." They kick the dog or scream at the kids. They lash out at the next unlucky person they come across. Still others "fight it out." Humorist Bob Orben says, "Who can ever forget Winston Churchill's immortal words: 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills'? It sounds exactly like our family vacation." With friends and family, fighting it out becomes bickering. On a larger scale, it's called warfare.

Of course, the best idea is to "talk it out." Nothing new here - we have to bring it up before we can get it out. But talking it out isn't shouting it out. I think some people believe that if they just say it loudly enough, they can make it so. Talking it out is about bringing it up - saying what needs to be said clearly, calmly and kindly. But it is also about listening. I think it's interesting that the word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent." I know that I can't listen when I'm talking. I can't listen when I'm figuring out what I want to say next. I have to be still. I have to be silent. And when I'm silent, something almost magical happens. Walls come down and I can begin to see my way through. When I'm silent I create space for something new to grow between us.

ACT IT OUT and your actions will become a block to good communication.
WAIT IT OUT and you just let it build up inside.
TAKE IT OUT and you cause more hurt and anger.
FIGHT IT OUT and you create winners and losers.
But TALK IT OUT and you can get it out. Be honest. Be clear. But, be reasonable. And then be silent. Let the magic of the moment ferment so that understanding can grow. Maybe then you can keep the car.

-- Steve Goodier, Life Support System

It's About Time

2012-01-08T04:36:00.002-06:00

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400 - with no balance carried from day to day - what would you do? Well, you do have such a bank...time. Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as "lost" whatever you have failed to use toward good purposes. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. You can't hoard it, save it, store it, loan it or invest it. You can only use it - time. Here's a story that drives the point home:

Arthur Berry was described by Time as "the slickest second-story man in the East", truly one of the most famous jewel thieves of all time. In his years of crime, he committed as many as 150 burglaries and stole jewels valued between five and ten million dollars. He seldom robbed from anyone not listed in the Social Register and often did his work in a tuxedo. On an occasion or two, when caught in the act of a crime by a victim, he charmed his way out of being reported to the police. Like most people who engage in a life of crime, he was eventually caught, convicted and served 25 years in prison for his crimes. Following his release, he worked as a counterman in a roadside restaurant on the East Coast for $50 a week. A newspaper reporter found him and interviewed him about his life. After telling about the thrilling episodes of his life he came to the conclusion of the interview saying, "I am not good at morals. But early in my life I was intelligent and clever, and I got along well with people. I think I could have made something of my life, but I didn't. So when you write the story of my life, when you tell people about all the burglaries, don't leave out the biggest one of all... Don't just tell them I robbed Jesse Livermore, the Wall Street baron or the cousin of the king of England. You tell them Arthur Berry robbed Arthur Berry."

-Excerpt from First Thing Every Morning by Lewis Timberlake

Benedicto

2012-01-05T05:59:00.000-06:00

Reprint of 7/30/10

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you - beyond that next turning of the canyon walls.

-Edward Abbey

Reflecting and Projecting

2012-01-02T05:55:00.002-06:00

Now that we have entered 2012 and left 2011 behind, reflect about the past year and how it can be helpful in improving the next 12 months. These 20 questions will help you reflect.

*1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
*2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
*3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
*4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
*5. Pick three words to describe 2011.
*6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

*7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).
*8. What were the best books you read this year?
*9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
*10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
*11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
*12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
*13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
*14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
*15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
*16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
*17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
*18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
*19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
*20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2011 for you.

Are your answers to these questions what you thought they would be one year ago? Use the answers to project how you will attempt to change areas of your life in 2012.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous and fulfilling 2012.

-Taken from (in)Courage by Tsh Oxenreider

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T04:00:00.002-06:00

The sun is just rising on the morning of another day, the first day of the new year. What can I wish that this day, that this year, may bring to me? Nothing that shall make the world of others poorer, nothing at the expense of others; but just those few things which in their coming do not stop with me but touch me rather, as they pass and gather strength:

A few friends who understand me, and yet remain my friends.
A work to do which has real value without which the world would feel the poorer.
A return for such work small enough not to tax unduly anyone who pays.
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed.
An understanding heart.
A sight of the eternal hills and unbelting sea, and of something beautiful the individual hand has made.
A sense of humor and the power to laugh.
A little leisure with nothing to do.
A few moments of quiet, silent meditation. The sense of the presence of God.
And the patience to wait for the coming of these things, with the wisdom to know them when they come.

- "A Morning Wish" by W. R. Hunt

New Year's Wishes

2011-12-31T04:00:00.001-06:00

May God make your year a happy one,
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
     and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.

Recipe For A Happy New Year

2011-12-30T04:00:00.002-06:00

Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor; mix well and use daily.

-Author Unknown

Preparing For The New Year

2011-12-29T04:49:00.002-06:00

This is a time for reflection as well as celebration.

As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life, remember the blessings:

Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained.

Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached.

Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought.

Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.

And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life.

The Seasons of My Life

2011-12-26T18:10:00.001-06:00

I sit here

Where I often sit these days
But as I look into the fire in the hearth
I am far away;
It is spring, and I am a child
Bare-footed and dancing in the grass
Swimming in the lake and
Making mud pies

Then it is summer;

I am a mother
Holding hands, wiping noses,
Smoothing hurts
And waving goodbye
In through the window of a big yellow bus.

Red turn the leaves
And it is autumn
My love and I alone again
Pretending not to mind the
Empty house -
Learning to enjoy it.

And now, as I gaze at the flames
I realize the leaves have all fallen
And lie buried under the snow
Both cold and beautiful
And part of my heart

Aches to think of the seasons past
Yet all seasons fade into the next;
And secretly, as I sit here,
My heart is content.

-Author Unknown

2011-12-25T04:43:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Mattie Chitzmats

2011-12-24T04:29:00.000-06:00

My next door neighbor was a prune. I don’t mean any disrespect, but she really looked like a four-and-a-half foot prune. I don’t have a picture of her but the two closest descriptions of her I can give is either a prune or ET’s grandmother. We called her Granny. If she went by any other name I never knew it or have long since forgotten it. She kept mostly to herself and would often be seen with a walking stick in hand carrying her wrinkled body through neighborhood alleys. Her granddaughter (in her 70′s) spoke a little English and told us that Granny had come from Mexico in her late 70′s after her husband passed away and had stopped celebrating her birthday at 97 (which had been some years before I knew her). Most people stayed away from Granny. Not only was she very old, but she didn’t speak English and wore a variety of tattered clothes. This grandmother several times over helped raise several generations of younguns’.

There would come a time when Granny would find herself alone. And when she was, my mother would make a little extra at suppertime and my sister I would take it over to Granny’s house. Granny would never come to the door although she might occasionally pull back a curtain and peer through the window at us, her eyes partially hidden by the flowing wrinkles on her face. So we learned to leave the meal on her doorstep and knock. Once we were a safe distance away we would see her hand reach outside the door and the plate and its contents would disappear inside. The next morning we would hear a knock on our front door, by the time we got there Granny was gone, but she left behind a clean plate with a stack of homemade tortillas still warm from the pan. Soon it became a neighborly ritual; we would supply her supper and she made sure we were never without fresh tortillas. Granny would never let us actually thank her or even talk to her, but she understood what my family was doing and she appreciated it and even without words she let us know of her gratitude.

One Christmas, after we had read Luke, chapter two, opened presents and were enjoying the holiday, I heard the doorbell ring. I didn’t suspect Granny because she always knocked. When I reached the front door I had to look down and I saw a short, toothless, wrinkled lady grinning from ear to ear. She held out a plate of Christmas Tamales and said, “Mattie Chitzmats”. I was so startled to hear Granny speak that her very broken English words didn’t register right away. By the time I realized that she had personally wished my family a Merry Christmas she was backing away, waving and grinning. This beautiful, wonderful, toothless prune of a granny had shared Christmas cheer with my family.

As I recall those were the only two words I ever heard Granny say, but her life spoke volumes. And in that moment of Christmas cheer I came to realize the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ continues to leave a lasting impression on regular people. He didn’t come just for those of us who speak English. He didn’t come just for those who attend church in their very best clothing. He didn’t come just for those who had a particular color of skin. He didn’t even come just for those who were wrinkle-free. He came for me. He came for you. And He came for Granny.

A smooth-skinned baby and a wrinkled old woman. This, my friends, is the story of a Christmas past and the best Christmas present. Mattie Chitzmats to all and to all – Jesus Christ.

- Glenn A. Hascall

Merry Christmas To Our Troops

2011-12-23T06:56:00.001-06:00

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts…
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said, "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl' on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it's my turn and so here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.”
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

-Author Unknown

Merry Christmas to our troops here and abroad!
God bless you for your service!

The Extreme Hospitality Makeover

2011-12-21T06:00:00.002-06:00

For years my small house has stunted my hospitality. I’ve always loved to have friends over. I’m not awesome with a glue gun and I do not have any real furniture arranging mojo. But I’m generally comfortable in my own skin. And I love lingering over the last of the hot chocolate with friends and leaving the dishes for later. Give me girlfriends, church friends, grand parents, aunts, uncles or cousins – I love to have them in my space.

With 3 small children, my space has shrunk the last few years. It turns out my hospitality has shrunk right along with it. I didn’t realize quite how much until our South African cousins surprised us with the news they were going to be coming through our area and were so excited to come and visit – and hopefully stay – with us. I was elated for 5 minutes before the wave of embarrassed disappointment hit. The teeny living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom all flashed through my mind. Then there was the not-so-small matter that we only have 4 dining room chairs and no guest bedroom. An inflatable mattress and sofa pillows were the best we had to offer over night guests. Five of them and five of us in our house seemed like a recipe for hostess hyperventilation. So I was relieved when they said they’d be happy to stay at a hotel. And astonished when my husband emailed them back and insisted they stay with us.

I was incredulous. I pointed out the obvious. Our. House. Is. Small. Turned out, however, Peter wasn’t limited by the size of our house. Because he had big hospitality in mind. He said we should give them our master bedroom and we’d take the inflatable mattress in the playroom, even if it was only for a night. The kids could camp out on mattresses and sofa cushions in the living room. He was determined that our homesick boys would get a full dose of family. And that meant sleepovers included. We made dinner a taco fiesta buffet and everyone ate anywhere they were comfy. We put our best sheets on the bed and fluffed up our favorite pillows for them. The boys rolled out their blankets and stuffed toys and plotted games and snacks and stories.

In the four years we’ve lived here our house has never felt as big as it did the week that the cousins visited us. I learned that big hospitality has nothing to do with the size of your house. Big hospitality is a matter of the heart and not the architecture. Once I let go of the obsession with smallness, I was able to embrace the fun of squeezing as much big hospitality as we could manage into a week instead of worrying how it would fit into our four walls.

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe this holiday season has you hyperventilating at the thought of your house being exposed for all to see how small or cramped or imperfect it is. May I suggest a mental shift? If you see your house as big and welcoming as you feel about the people you’re having over, so will everyone who walks through its doors. The size of your house, my friends, is entirely in your own hands.

- Taken from "Your House is Only as Big as Your Hospitality" by Lisa-Jo, Gypsy Mama, community manager of (in)courage

On Santa's Team

2011-12-20T04:40:00.006-06:00

My grandma taught me everything about Christmas. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," jeered my sister. "Even dummies know that! My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough; but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. I didn't see a price tag, but ten dollars ought to buy anything. I put the coat and my ten-dollar bill on the counter and pushed them toward the lady behind it. She looked at the coat, the money, and me. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" she asked kindly. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie. He's in my class, and he doesn't have a coat." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it ... Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Suddenly, Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell twice and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie. He looked down, looked around, picked up his present, took it inside and closed the door.

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering beside my grandma in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: Ridiculous! Santa was alive and well ... AND WE WERE ON HIS TEAM!

-Author Unknown

Christmas in The Trenches

2011-12-18T05:59:00.005-06:00

Words & Music by John McCutcheon, c. 1984

This song is based on a true story from the front lines of World War I that I've heard many times. Ian Calhoun, a Scot, was the commanding officer of the British forces involved in the story. He was subsequently court martialed for 'consorting with the enemy' and sentenced to death. Only George V spared him from that fate. -- John McCutcheon (Story, "The Christmas Truce", was posted yesterday)

My name is Francis Toliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here,
I fought for King and country I love dear.

'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung.
Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground,
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound.
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear,
As one young German voice sang out so clear.

"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me.
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony.
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more,
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent,
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent.
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "'Tis 'Silent Night,'" says I,
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.

"There's someone coming towards us!" the front line sentry cried.
All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright,
As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Then one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land,
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand.
We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well,
And in a flare lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home.
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own.
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin,
This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.
With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war.
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night:
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung.
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war,
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore.

My name is Francis Toliver, in Liverpool I dwell,
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well,
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame,
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.

To listen to this inspirational Christmas story in song: Click here

The Christmas Truce

2011-12-17T07:12:00.001-06:00

It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War I. German, British, and French soldiers, already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with "the enemy" along two-thirds of the Western Front (a crime punishable by death in times of war). German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, "Merry Christmas."

"You no shoot, we no shoot." Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man's land strewn with rotting corpses. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.

A shudder ran through the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous peacemaking to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March 1915 the fraternization movement had been eradicated and the killing machine put back in full operation. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen million would be slaughtered.

Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played "Christmas in the Trenches," a ballad about the Christmas Truce, several times and was startled by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. "Even more startling than the number of requests I get is the reaction to the ballad afterward by callers who hadn't heard it before," said the radio host. "They telephone me deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, 'What the hell did I just hear?' "

I think I know why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, "This really happened once." It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, out of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.

-David G. Stratman, From his book We Can Change the World

Lyrics to the song "Christmas In The Trenches" will be published tomorrow.

The Gift We Humbly Receive

2011-12-14T07:35:00.002-06:00

"When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:10-11 (NLT)

Our culture, unfortunately, misunderstands giving. We think of it, honestly, as trading. I get you something, you get me something—hopefully we spend about the same amount of money so no one feels awkward. We all know that panicked feeling when a friend shows up at our door in December with a wrapped package in her hand, and we realize we didn't get anything for them. We now feel we "owe" them a gift. I've read articles in women's magazines that suggest keeping a wrapped stash of generic gifts in your front closet for such unexpected occasions. Kind of takes the meaning out of it, doesn't it?

Imagine if the wise men had thought this way: "I wonder what Mary and Joseph will give us. Do you think they'll know we got this frankincense on clearance at TJ Maxx?" Of course not. And did Mary, seeing these strange gifts, think, "Okay, gold, that works for me. But spices you normally use for burial? What kind of baby gift is that? And it's so awkward that I have nothing to give them in return!"

Jesus and His family simply received their gifts without any concern for what they would give back. The Magi likewise seemed unconcerned with reciprocity—it was enough to find and worship a king they'd seen declared in the night sky years before.

In the same way, we can never give something equal in value to God's Christmas gift—Jesus. He is a gift we must humbly receive.

- Keri Wyatt Kent, for Guideposts

Hope In Unlikely Places

2011-12-12T06:07:00.003-06:00

It's something grandiose that often inspires hope: a Christmas bonus, a pay raise, a great deal on a new vehicle, a dream home or your favorite team winning the Super Bowl. These more significant events in our lives renew our energy and give us some sense of expectation about the future. Rarely do we see little things as sources of hope.

I wonder if we were there witnessing this seemingly mundane event unfold, would that have inspired hope? There was nothing attractive about it; nothing particularly captivating. We probably would have written it off as common and hardly noteworthy. What is the event I speak of? The birth of Jesus. A baby wrapped in crudely-fashioned cloths, lying in a cow's feeding trough under the thatched roof of a stable is not alluring. It's forgettable. But without it, where would we be? A truly life-giving hope arose in the most unlikely of places.

- Brian Dainsberg (Rev. Dainsberg is a pastor at Appleton Alliance Church, Appleton WI)

Overcoming Stuffitis

2011-12-09T05:48:00.002-06:00

There's a contagious bug spreading around the country, and I'm sure you've heard of it already: Stuffitis. Hardly any of us are immune, and it's particularly aggressive this time of year. While the holidays can be a joyful time to bond with our families, deepen our faith, and look for ways to give back, unfortunately, stuffitis wants to infect us all. And the most vulnerable? Our own children and grandchildren.

Boys and girls are affected by stuffitis in different ways, but fortunately, there are cures. Below, I talk about the signs and symptoms of stuffitis, and the common cure – which you can try out this holiday season.

1. Beware the Christmas Princess. If you have a daughter or granddaughter, you have likely been caught up to some degree in the princess movement. This generation of divas-in-the-making has grown up wearing Onesies announcing their "Princess" status in rhinestones. The Disney princess empire banks around $4 billion annually. More likely than not, most of us have supported that fund to some degree. But not everyone thinks it's healthy to feed into the princess mentality when it comes to raising our girls – and it certainly doesn't help Christmas stuffitis. Now, there's nothing wrong with telling your daughter she's a princess and treating her like one on occasion. But during the holidays, we have a perfect opportunity to show her what it's like to be treated, and what it's like to treat others. Be thinking of ways to bless others in your community. How can you and your daughter or granddaughter make a child in need feel like a princess?

2. Deck the Halls with … Video Games? Shifting gears a bit, let's talk about a common Christmas present that boys can't wait to unwrap: The latest and greatest video game. Prior to my son's sophomore year in high school, he learned a valuable life lesson that won't soon be forgotten. He and a good friend had been waiting with much anticipation for a new video game to release, and when it did that summer, they were first in line. In the week that followed, they holed themselves up in my home office in front of the computer in a frenzied attempt to get to the next level in the game. One week turned to two, two weeks to four, and before you knew it, the summer was gone. While I sometimes stepped in and made them take a break and go outside, it was as if they had a one-track mind and could think of nothing more than getting to the next level of that ridiculous video game. I held back on the urge to ban playing it altogether, hoping he would eventually come to the conclusion that it was nothing more than a time waster. Sure enough, my plan worked. By the end of the summer, my son grew weary of playing the game only to realize the summer was now gone. I remember him saying something to the effect of, "I can't believe I wasted my whole summer playing that stupid game."

While video games can be okay for holiday presents, they can also worsen stuffitis because ultimately, they are disposable. Beat a game, then move onto the next, right? Instead, create some video game boundaries in your household prior to Christmas morning (such as "No running off to play the game while people are still opening presents"). That way, you'll have rules in place that temper immersive video game playing.

3. 'Tis the Season to Give. The absolute best cure for stuffitis, I have found, is to expose your children to others in need and find ways to help them. If they are young, volunteer in a soup kitchen or sponsor needy families, and take them with you to pick out the gifts. It’s easy for our children to assume that every family experiences the luxury of waking up on Christmas morning to gifts under a tree, but in reality, many families are unable to buy a tree and are worried about putting food on the table. If you are able, consider buying food or a holiday meal for a needy family, in addition to a few gifts. If your family is involved in church and your children are older, think about seasonal mission trips to build homes or schools for the poor.

By helping your child understand the difference between quick, momentary happiness (the kind that comes with new stuff) and lasting joy (the kind that comes with feeling pride and generosity about helping others), you'll not only have helped cure stuffitis. You'll make this Christmas the merriest yet!

-Adapted from 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Son and 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney (youth culture commentator and bestselling author).

Connected For Life

2011-12-05T16:05:00.001-06:00

Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you've experienced a crisis or deep disappointment? Maybe the most difficult thing we can do is to be with people when we don't feel like being around anybody. We need other people and we'll never thrive as human beings in isolation.

A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be alone. In time he dropped out of his worshiping community and curtailed all of the activities he and his wife had shared for so many years. He increasingly kept to himself. He quit socializing at work and returned straight home to an empty house. He turned down invitations from friends and co-workers. His leisure time was now spent watching television or working in his shop in the basement. His contact with people dwindled until friends became alarmed that he might live out his life as a recluse. One came by to visit and to invite him over for supper the next evening. The two old friends sat in comfortable chairs by a warm fireplace. The visitor extended the dinner invitation and encouraged him to come. "You may need to allow others to share your pain." The man responded that he figured he was better off without being around other people. After all, others only seemed to remind him of all he had lost. "And besides," he said, "it's just too difficult to get out anymore."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the wood burn in the fireplace. Then the visitor did an unusual thing. He took tongs from a rack by the fireplace, reached into the fire, pulled out a flaming ember and laid it down by itself on the hearth. "That's you," he said. The men continued in silence watching the red-hot ember. It slowly lost its glow. Neither man looked away as the once-hot coal gradually transformed into a crusty, black lump. After some moments, the widower turned to his companion and said, "I get the message, my friend. I'll be over tomorrow evening."

We cannot survive in any healthy way by ourselves. The leaf needs the branch. The branch needs the trunk. The trunk needs the roots. And the roots need the rest of the tree. We are connected. And in that connection we find life and vitality.

- Steve Goodier, Life Support System

Teach The Children - A Christmas Story

2011-12-03T06:05:00.003-06:00

Just a week before Christmas I had an unusual visit. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. “What are you doing?” I started to ask him. The words choked in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, TEACH THE CHILDREN! I was puzzled: What did he mean? As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, Teach the Children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that a now-a-day Christmas has forgotten!

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it on the mantle. Teach the Children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts turning toward heaven.

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. Teach the Children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of that promise.

He then reached into the bag and pulled out a CANDLE. Teach the Children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.

Once again he reached into his bag and then removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. Teach the Children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. God's love for us is eternal.

He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF. Teach the Children that Santa Claus symbolizes the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.

He reached in again and pulled out a HOLLY LEAF. Teach the Children the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent blood shed by Him.

Next he pulled out a GIFT from the bag and said, “Teach the Children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the Children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should give gifts in the same spirit as the wise men.”

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. Teach the Children that the candy cane represents the shepherd’s crook. The crook on the shepherd’s staff helps bring back strayed sheep from the flock.

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. Teach the Children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth. The angels sang ‘Glory to God in the highest, on earth, peace and good will.’

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. Teach the Children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of a bell, it should bring people to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.

Santa looked at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, “Remember, teach the Children the true meaning of Christmas, and not to put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One who is. Bow down and worship Him, our Lord, our God.”

-Author Unknown

Waiting For Happiness

2011-12-02T04:28:00.001-06:00

A reprint of an earlier article.

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. There is a quote by Alfred D. Souza, in which he said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, Something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my "life".

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting ... until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you make more money, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you get that apology ... to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy your journey.

-Author Unknown

The Christmas Envelope

2011-12-01T05:49:00.001-06:00

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing that he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly. "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached youth league football, baseball, and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year, and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, their toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown, and someday will expand even further, with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation, watching as their fathers take down the envelope.Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember the true reason for the season, this year and always.

-Nancy Gavin (This story appeared in Women's Day Magazine in 1982.)

Wildflowers

2011-11-30T04:50:00.001-06:00

Lord, help me to grow as the wildflowers grow
be it a meadow or a crack in cement.
Despite the terrain, be it good or bad,
let me know I am there by intent.

Instead of my sadly complaining within
regarding life's rough terrain,
May my face, too, look upward to you
through seasons of drought and rain.

Help me to bloom as the wildflowers bloom,
regardless of where I am placed;
wherever the spot You plant me, Lord,
let the air there be sweet with Your grace.

Someday a tired pilgrim may stop to rest
from carrying his heavy load
And thank my Creator for placing me there
to brighten that spot in life's road.

-Kitty Chappell

Jumping to Conclusions

2011-11-27T05:45:00.002-06:00

A woman was waiting at an airport one evening, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shop, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to sit for her long wait.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see out of the corner of her eye that the man sitting two chairs down boldly took a cookie or two from the bag on the seat in between them. She was extremely annoyed that he would take one of her cookies without even asking. She munched the cookies and read her book as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would ..." Several thoughts came to mind.

With each cookie she took, he took one too. When only one was left, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half as he ate the other. She snatched it from him and thought… "Oooh, brother, this guy has some nerve!" She sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate refusing to look back.

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat. Seeking her book, she reached in her carry-on bag. She gasped with surprise as she discovered her bag of cookies. "If mine are here, the others were his, and he tried to share!" Too late to apologize. She realized that she was the rude one, the 'cookie thief'.

-Derived from “A Matter of Perspective” by Valerie Cox

Happy Thanksgiving Day USA

2011-11-24T05:34:00.003-06:00

In the USA, Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding them safely to the New World. Almost 400 years ago in 1619, the Pilgrims celebrated a Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth in what is now Massachusetts. That Thanksgiving took place in recognition of the anniversary of their settlement at Plymouth. Two years later, they held a similar event in thanksgiving for the good harvest that year. Eventually, in the 1660s the celebration of Thanksgiving became an annual event. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving.

On this special day of thanks-giving, let us remember that our blessings are many.

Thanksgiving Is...

2011-11-23T04:58:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is a
time of gratitude to God,
our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care
go before us...
and whose love
is with us forever.

Thanksgiving is a time
to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too,
grow and change
from one season of life to another.

Thanksgiving is a time
of changing seasons,
when leaves turn golden
in Autumn's wake
and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.

Let us remember the true meaning
of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty
of Autumn, let us acknowledge
the many blessings
which are ours...
let us think of our families
and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.

-Author Unknown

Parable of The King's Thanksgiving

2011-11-20T04:57:00.006-06:00

Every child in the village was very excited about the news that had come down from the castle on the hill. Because it had been such a rich harvest, the fields yellow with grain and the orchards crimson with fruit, the King was going to hold a thanksgiving day. He was going to ask some child from the village to come up the hill to the castle and eat dinner with the Prince and Princess. It was rumored, too, that this child would be given good gifts by the King. But it must be a very special kind of child.

Then the village children remembered everything that had been told them by their mothers, and their grandmothers, and their great-grandmothers about the castle kitchen. Scores of cooks and scullery boys were kept busy there night and day. The fires always glowed to roast the rich fowls that turned on the spits. The cake bowls and the soup pots were never empty. Spices and herbs from far countries, strawberries when the ground was covered with snow, ices of all the rainbow colors, and cream so thick that a knife could cut it—all these were to be found in the King's kitchen.

There were dishes of gold and silver upon which to serve the fine foods, and a hothouse of rare flowers with which to deck the table, and linen as fine as a cobweb and as beautiful in pattern as snowflakes to cover it. "Oh, a thanksgiving day in the castle would be very wonderful", the children thought, and each hoped that he or she would be chosen to go.The day before this day of thanksgiving, the messenger of the King came down from the castle and went from door to door of the homes in the village. He went first to the house of the burgomaster. It was a very pretentious house with tall pillars in front, and it stood on a wide street. It seemed likely that the burgomaster's child might be chosen to go with the messenger to the castle for the thanksgiving. She was dressed in silk, and her hair was curled, and the burgomaster had packed a great hamper with sweets as an offering for the King.

"Are you ready to keep the feast as the King would like you to?" asked the messenger. "Oh, yes!" said the burgomaster's child. "I have on my best dress, and here are plenty of sweets to eat. Will you take me?" But the messenger shook his head, for the child was not ready

Then the King's messenger went on until he came to the house where the captain of the guards lived. The captain's little boy was quite sure that he would be chosen to go with the messenger to the castle for the thanksgiving. He wore a uniform with silver braid and buttons like that which the guards wore. A sword hung at his side, and he wore a soldier's cap. He held the cap in his hand, so that he could put it on quickly.

"Are you ready to keep the thanksgiving day as the King would like you to?" asked the messenger. "Oh, yes!" said the child of the captain of the guards. "I have my sword here and I can fight any one who crosses our path on the way to the castle. Will you take me?"

But the messenger went on again and he came to the baker's shop. The baker's boy stood at the door, dressed in his best white suit, and holding an empty basket on his arm. He was quite sure that he would be chosen to go to the palace, for his father's bake shop was an important place in the village. They measured their flour carefully, and weighed the loaves so that they might receive the utmost penny for each. They very seldom had any crumbs left for the poor, but they were selling a great deal of bread every day.

"Are you ready to keep the thanksgiving day as the King would like you to?" the messenger asked of the baker's boy. "Oh, yes!" the boy said. "I have this basket to gather up whatever remains of the King's feast and bring it home with me. The King would not want anything wasted. Will you take me?" But the messenger shook his head a third time, for the child was not ready.

Then he did not know which way to go, and he began to think that he would not be able to find any guest for the King's feast. As he waited, he saw two children, a girl and a boy, coming toward him. They were poor children, and one was leading the other, for he was lame. The messenger looked at them. The little girl had eyes like stars and her hair, blowing in the November wind, was like a cloud made golden by the sunset. She held her head so high, and smiled so bravely that no one would have noticed her old dress and the holes in her coat. The messenger stood in the road in front of her and spoke to her.

"Are you ready to keep the thanksgiving day as the King would like you to?" he asked. The little girl looked up in the messenger's face in surprise. "No, I am not ready," she said, "but this child is. I am bringing him because he is lame, and because he is hungry. Will you take him?" she asked. "Yes," said the messenger, "and you, too. There is room at the King's table for both."

-Author Unknown

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. -Proverbs 22:9

Preaching vs Practice

2011-11-18T04:36:00.000-06:00

It is easy to sit in the sunshine
And talk to the man in the shade;
It is easy to float in a well-trimmed boat,
And point out the places to wade.

But once we pass into the shadows,
We murmur and fret and frown,
And, our length from the bank, we shout for a plank,
Or throw up our hands and go down.

It is easy to sit in your carriage,
And counsel the man on foot,
But get down and walk, and you'll change your talk,
As you feel the peg in your boot.

It is easy to tell the toiler
How best he can carry his pack,
But no one can rate a burden's weight
Until it has been on his back.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What Does Success Mean To You?

2011-11-17T06:49:00.000-06:00

Everyone wants success. People talk about setting goals and positive thinking and getting to the top. However, most of these same people never really define what success means to them. Instead they think only in terms of the next big promotion or the next raise or climbing the corporate ladder, but few ever stop to really look at where these goals are taking them.

What does success mean to you? Money?...Power?... Influence?... Fame? I like Ralph Waldo Emerson's definition:

"To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded."

Morning Prayer

2011-11-15T05:20:00.003-06:00

Let me today do something that shall take
A little sadness from the world’s vast store,
And may I be so favoured as to make
Of joy’s too scanty sum a little more.
Let me not hurt, by any selfish deed
Or thoughtless word, the heart of foe or friend;
Nor would I pass, unseeing, worthy need,
Or sin by silence when I should defend.
However meager be my worldly wealth,
Let me give something that shall aid my kind –
A word of courage, or a thought of health,
Dropped as I pass for troubled hearts to find.
Let me tonight look back across the span
‘Twixt dawn and dark, and to my conscience say –
Because of some good act to beast or man –
“The world is better that I lived today.”

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

To Everything a Season

2011-11-14T04:59:00.001-06:00

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, saying it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them. He said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree... or a life... by only one season. The essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons have passed.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

-Author Unknown

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. - Ecclesiates 3:1

The Triple Filter Test

2011-11-13T05:12:00.001-06:00

Reprinted from 3/08/11

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Wait!", Socrates replied. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"Well, no," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and…"

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now, let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary…"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left—the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

-Author Unknown

A Veteran's Day Poem

2011-11-11T04:00:00.005-06:00

Heroes Die For Me

By Jamie Burns, Student

I am the flag;
I look down upon this land called America;
I have been here since this great nation was formed;
I have seen each battle fought;
I have seen the heroes die for me, for my country.

Thank you all those of you
Who have kept me flying in the breeze
Keeping this country united as one.
Thank you those of you who have sacrificed your lives,
Giving up all that I may still fly,
Watching over the citizens of this nation.

Thank you all those of you who have ever fought,
I am ever grateful for you.
You risked everything; you faced death each day,
Faced fear, faced many terrible things.
And because of you, my thank you's ring out,
Filling the sky, echoing from the hills
They find their way to the graveyards.

And to all of you still living,
You are a special kind of person.
To anyone who has ever served this country,
And to those serving today,
Thank you.

Sincerity

2011-11-07T05:38:00.003-06:00

One person writes: "I have been in many places, but I have never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can't go there alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. You have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my family, friends and those where I have worked."

I find myself in some interesting places - like Love. Have you ever been in Love? It can be a hard place to leave. Occasionally I find myself in Fear, in Doubt and, at times, in Capable. I don't like to spend a lot of time there. But what about Sincere? Have you been in Sincere, lately? I've been there and it is not an honorable place to go. A guy was in Sincere when he bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. Well, not quite a diamond, but it looked like one. You remember comedian Tommy Smothers old line? "The best thing about getting older is that you gain sincerity. Once you learn to fake that, there's nothing you can't do."

I heard a true story of a teenager who got a tattoo on her hip - a delicate little Japanese symbol. At her friend's house she showed it off. The friend's mother commented on it and the girl begged, "Please don't tell my parents." The mother assured her that she wouldn't say anything about it. Then she asked, "By the way, what does it stand for?"
"Honesty," she said.
I love irony.

The Wall Street Journal once printed a little piece titled "Sincerity":

"I wish I were big enough honestly to admit all my shortcomings;
brilliant enough to accept praise without it making me arrogant;
tall enough to tower above deceit;
strong enough to welcome criticism;
compassionate enough to understand human frailties;
wise enough to recognize my mistakes;
humble enough to appreciate greatness;
staunch enough to stand by my friends;
human enough to be thoughtful of my neighbor;
and righteous enough to be devoted to the love of God."

-Taken from "Something You Can't Fake" by Steve Goodier

The Story of Two Horses

2011-11-05T05:55:00.001-05:00

Reprinted from 5/10/10

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you get a closer look you will notice something quite interesting... one of the horses is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made him a safe and comfortable barn in which to live. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. It is coming from a smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small, copper-colored bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting he will not be led astray. When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, he will stop occasionally to look back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect. Or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse, being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives and at other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

- Author Unknown

You're Not Worthy?

2011-11-02T08:05:00.002-05:00

You know you're not perfect. You may have all kinds of problems and shortcomings. Your friends or family fail you....and sometimes you fail them. You think sometimes you're just not worthy. You think, "Why would anyone love me? Why would God love me?" Did you know that:

Moses stuttered.

Timothy had ulcers.

Demas deserted Paul.

Hosea's wife was a prostitute.

King David committed adultery with another man's wife.

Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.

Jacob was a liar.

Solomon was too rich.

Jesus was poor.

Abraham was too old.

David was too young.

John was self-righteous.

Saul was a persecutor of the church.

Moses committed murder.

Jonah ran from God's will.

Miriam was a gossip.

Gideon and Thomas both doubted.

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.

Elijah was burned out.

John the Baptist was a loudmouth.

Martha was a worry-wart.

Noah got drunk.

Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?

So did Peter, Paul - well, lots of folks did.

Peter denied Jesus 3 times.

The Bible is filled with people who had problems and shortcomings. Their friends and family failed them...and sometimes they failed their friends and family. The next time you think you're not worthy... even Peter was forgiven.

Playing On Three Strings

2011-10-28T05:53:00.005-05:00

On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight. He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.

By now, the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair. They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play. But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do.

We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.

Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing, re-composing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said - not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

What a powerful line that is. It has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it. And who knows? Perhaps that is the definition of life - not just for artists but for all of us. Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings, who, all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings.

So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.

-Taken from 'A Violin With Three Strings' by Jack Riemer

Stroke of Faith

2011-10-24T05:37:00.001-05:00

A true story...

My family spent one summer vacation enjoying the beaches of beautiful Gulfshores, Alabama. My oldest daughter was about 6 years old and the youngest was 3. We bought a two-man inflatable boat thinking this would make for a really fun day at the beach for the two girls. And so it did. They played all day, the two of them, in that boat. But the little one got tired and was beginning to look pretty pink with too much sun. So, I took her to our spot on the sand and placed an umbrella over her as my older girl continued to play in the boat.

I probably became a little too involved with my younger daughter and spent a little too much time, not noticing what was going on the small distance to the water. But as I looked I became concerned as I saw the little boat with my oldest daughter in it had moved far out from the shore and was moving even further. I called to her to come in closer to shore and she seemed to be frightened and doing all she could to accomplish just that. But the thing we hadn't thought to buy for the boat were any oars. Her little arms were too short to reach across the boat and into the water. All she could do was paddle hard to one side and was just making small circles.

About this time, others on the beach are noticing this little girl so far out but no one seems to be doing anything but watching. I'm standing as far out in the water as I can - shouting instructions to her with no success. There's a sailboat of teenagers not far from her, who start her way and then flip their boat.

I stood watching her go farther out - then looked to Heaven and confessed to God "Lord I don't believe you gave me this beautiful child for me to watch her float out to sea. Lord, you know I am a pitiful swimmer but somehow, Lord, I'm trusting You to get me out there". And so went my prayer. The first stroke of my arm seemed to be in slow motion, I couldn't believe I was doing this. I swam until I no longer knew or could feel that I had legs. But I just kept praying and keeping my eyes on her. I saw my arm somehow operating on its own hook over the edge of that small boat and began making my way back pulling her and calming her, when everything inside me was screaming.

We made it back to shore and even got some applause but my life was forever changed by that experience. I learned we don't always have to operate on our own strength. But, if we can trust enough and take that first stroke we have all the strength we need.

-Author only listed as Nita

How Much Will You Need?

2011-10-22T05:43:00.001-05:00

Several years ago I was at a train station waiting in line to buy a ticket. As I stood there I saw a young homeless man asking people for money so he could buy breakfast. It was early in the morning and most of the travelers simply ignored the young man or gave him a dirty look. There was one exception though - an older, well-dressed businessman. When approached by the panhandler, the gentleman looked straight into his eyes and quietly asked, "How much will you need?" I couldn't hear what the young man said but watched as the older man pulled several bills from his wallet and calmly placed them in the young man's hands. What impressed me more than anything was that the older man did not look away when he was approached (like so many others did). The fact that he offered money wasn't nearly as important as the way he looked into the other man's eyes.

I don't know if the young man actually used this money for breakfast or for some other purpose. What I do know is that I witnessed two completely different reactions to the same situation. I saw people who were either afraid or annoyed or distrustful. And then I saw this man who was not afraid and treated the homeless man as though he were a brother. I decided then and there that, even though we have to be careful in this world, I would rather be like him. May this day bring us many opportunities for kindness.

-Taken from "Do You Have Any Change?" by Ron Atchison

Faith That Moved a Mountain

2011-10-20T06:25:00.001-05:00

A small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smokies built a new sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by a church member. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local building inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building and parking was not allowed on the street. Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary. Unfortunately, the church with its undersized parking lot had used every inch of their land except for the mountain against which it had been built. In order to build more parking spaces, they would have to move the mountain out of the back yard.

Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday morning that he would meet that evening with all members who had "mountain-moving faith". They would hold a prayer session asking God to remove the mountain from the back yard and to somehow provide enough money to have it paved and painted before the scheduled opening dedication service the following week.

At the appointed time, 24 of the congregation's 300 members assembled for prayer. As the pastor said the final "Amen", he assured, "We'll open next Sunday as scheduled. I know our prayers have been heard!"

The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock at his door. When he called "come in", a rough looking construction foreman appeared, removing his hard hat as he entered. "Excuse me, Reverend. I'm from Acme Construction Company over in the next county. We're building a huge new shopping mall over there and we need some fill. Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the church? We'll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away. We can't do anything else until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly."

The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned. It was filled with faith that moved a mountain.

- Author Unknown

The Faith of Helen Keller

2011-10-19T05:37:00.001-05:00

Although she has been gone for more than four decades, Helen Keller's words still resonate. Among the most poignant, are these from "Mine to Keep" (found on the back cover of her book The Faith of Helen Keller):

They took away what should have been my eyes
(But I remembered Milton's Paradise).
They took away what should have been my ears,
(Beethoven came and wiped away my tears).
They took away what should have been my tongue,
(But I had talked with God when I was young).
He would not let them take away my soul -
Possessing that, I still possess the whole.

Broken Wing

2011-10-17T07:02:00.003-05:00

Some people are just doomed to be failures. That's the way some adults look at troubled kids. Maybe you've heard the saying, "A bird with a broken wing will never fly as high." I'm sure that T. J. Ware was made to feel this way almost every day in school.

By high school, T. J. was the most celebrated troublemaker in his town. Teachers literally cringed when they saw his name posted on their classroom lists for the next semester. He wasn't very talkative, didn't answer questions and got into lots of fights. He had flunked almost every class by the time he entered his senior year, yet was being passed on each year to a higher grade level. Teachers didn't want to have him again the following year. T. J. was moving on, but definitely not moving up.

I met T. J. for the first time at a weekend leadership retreat. All the students at school had been invited to sign up for ACE training, a program designed to have students become more involved in their communities. T. J. was one of 405 students who signed up. When I showed up to lead their first retreat, the community leaders gave me this overview of the attending students: "We have a total spectrum represented today, from the student body president to T. J. Ware, the boy with the longest arrest record in the history of town." Somehow, I knew that I wasn't the first to hear about T. J.'s darker side as the first words of introduction.

At the start of the retreat, T. J. was literally standing outside the circle of students, against the back wall, with that "go ahead, impress me" look on his face. He didn't readily join the discussion groups, didn't seem to have much to say. But slowly, the interactive games drew him in. The ice really melted when the groups started building a list of positive and negative things that had occurred at school that year. T. J. had some definite thoughts on those situations. The other students in T. J.'s group welcomed his comments. All of a sudden T. J. felt like a part of the group, and before long he was being treated like a leader. He was saying things that made a lot of sense, and everyone was listening. T. J. was a smart guy, and he had some great ideas.

The next day, T. J. was very active in all the sessions. By the end of the retreat, he had joined the Homeless Project team. He knew something about poverty, hunger and hopelessness. The other students on the team were impressed with his passionate concern and ideas. They elected T. J. co-chairman of the team. The student council president would be taking his instruction from T. J. Ware.

When T. J. showed up at school on Monday morning, he arrived to a firestorm. A group of teachers were protesting to the school principal about his being elected co-chairman. The very first communitywide service project was to be a giant food drive, organized by the Homeless Project team. These teachers couldn't believe that the principal would allow this crucial beginning to a prestigious, three-year action plan to stay in the incapable hands of T. J. Ware.

They reminded the principal, "He has an arrest record as long as your arm. He'll probably steal half the food." Mr. Coggshall reminded them that the purpose of the ACE program was to uncover any positive passion that a student had and reinforce its practice until true change can take place. The teachers left the meeting shaking their heads in disgust, firmly convinced that failure was imminent.

Two weeks later, T. J. and his friends led a group of 70 students in a drive to collect food. They collected a school record: 2,854 cans of food in just two hours. It was enough to fill the empty shelves in two neighborhood centers, and the food took care of needy families in the area for 75 days. The local newspaper covered the event with a full-page article the next day. That newspaper story was posted on the main bulletin board at school, where everyone could see it. T. J.'s picture was up there for doing something great, for leading a record-setting food drive. Every day he was reminded about what he did. He was being acknowledged as leadership material.

T. J. started showing up at school every day and answered questions from teachers for the first time. He led a second project, collecting 300 blankets and 1,000 pairs of shoes for the homeless shelter. The event he started now yields 9,000 cans of food in one day, taking care of 70 percent of the need for food for one year. T. J. reminds us that a bird with a broken wing only needs mending. But once it has healed, it can fly higher than the rest. T. J. got a job. He became productive. He is flying quite nicely these days.

-Jim Hullihan, Chicken Soup for the Soul

Make A Difference

2011-10-15T06:06:00.001-05:00

There was an author who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a person moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance on the beach, so he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man. The young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As the author approached the young man, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean. The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die." The author replied, "But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

-Author Unknown

Spirit and Image

2011-10-13T05:24:00.001-05:00

The doctor said to a new father, “You have a cute baby.”
“I bet you say that to all the new parents,” smiled the proud daddy.
“No,” he replied, “just to those whose babies really are good-looking.”
“So what do you say to the others?”
I say, “He’s the spittin’ image of you.”

I'm told that a young mother enlisted the help of a friend in taking her infant identical twins to the doctor. Since the waiting area was full, the two women, each with a twin, were seated on opposite sides of the room. After a few minutes someone commented, "It's amazing how much those two babies look alike!" The friend was quick to reply, "Well, they should. They have the same father." I haven't heard whether the misunderstanding was ever straightened out.

With identical twins, it's easy to see that they are the "spittin' image" of each other. Actually, that term "spittin' image" stems from an old misunderstanding itself. Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus stories, explained that when an American slave seemed to be saying, "spittin' image," he or she was actually saying, "spirit and image," as: "'He's the spi'it 'n' image of his daddy." It meant more than they merely looked alike. Spirit and image - alike, inside and out.

And what makes it even more interesting are thoughts from the monk, Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), who said, "What we love we shall grow to resemble." Or put another way, we become the spi'it 'n' image of that which we hold dear. We are shaped by that which we admire most, and by the people we love most.

Who do you love and admire? What qualities draw you to them? "What we love we shall grow to resemble." Is someone the spi'it 'n' image of you?

-Taken from "A Spittin' Image" by Steve Goodier

Ah, There You Are!

2011-10-11T05:28:00.003-05:00

There is a story of a proud lion who strutted through the jungle. The lion came across a chimpanzee. "Who is the king of the jungle?" he demanded. "Why, of course, you are." The terrified chimpanzee trembled. With that, the lion gave a mighty roar. Next he spotted a hyena. "Who is the king of the jungle?" The hyena was quick to respond. "You are, mighty one." She bounded away without looking back. Then the lion came across an elephant drinking from the river. "Who is the king of the jungle?" he roared. The elephant grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air and threw him into the water. As the soggy and bedraggled beast struggled to shore he said, "Just because you don't know the answer is no reason to get upset." The lion had trouble hearing what he didn’t want to hear. He was king of the jungle no matter what anyone else might think.

Have you noticed – for some people, like the lion, it's all about them? Yet, for others, it's all about you. Author and speaker Leil Lowndes puts it this way: "There are two kinds of people in this life. Those who walk into a room and say, 'Well, here I am.' And those who walk in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'" I know which I am happiest to see.

It's important to try to make others feel important. Do you know that it is easy to talk to practically anybody? If you want to find a subject of interest, ask them about themselves. Help them feel as if they matter and you will always have plenty to talk about. And if you want to take it to the next level, treat each person you are with as if they are the most significant person in your life at that moment. That is making the shift from "Here I am" to "There you are."

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army in 1865, understood this principle. A story is told that, one Christmas season, he tried to think of a way to encourage all of his officers. The Salvation Army had seen rapid growth. By this time they were spread throughout several countries. He decided to send each one a telegram. The cable consisted of a one-word message: OTHERS. His organization grew around that motto. I can hardly think of a better motto for a life. A life dedicated to "others" is one that shouts "Ah, there you are!"

-Taken from "There You Are" by Steve Goodier

The Master's Hand

2011-10-08T16:02:00.005-05:00

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"

"Three dollars once, three dollars twice,
Going for three". . . but no!
From the room far back a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as an angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on,
He's going once, and going twice -
He's going - and almost gone!
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd,
Never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul, and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

-Myra Brooks Welch

Who Is Learning From You?

2011-10-07T04:36:00.002-05:00

Did you know that ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica? This ice also represents most of the fresh water in the world. Yet Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert. If you’re into biology, you may know this about the Mayfly -- after hatching, it takes up to three years to grow up, and then spends only one day as an adult. During that day it mates, lays eggs and expires. Did you know that the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows? Or that that 80% of your brain is water?

You’ve heard the expression "having a lark." Those who are interested in language might want to know that group of larks is called an exaltation. A group of owls is called a parliament. A group of ravens is called a murder. (Edgar Allen Poe would have understood that one.) A group of baboons is called a congress. (Yes, it's true.) A group of rhinos is called a crash, which also seems to make some sense.

As interesting as all of these facts are, I doubt any of them is bound to significantly change your life. The stuff we need to know in order to live happier, healthier and more meaningful lives does not usually come from tidbits of knowledge. More often it comes from people; and especially, people who mean something to us. Let me explain.

For Ross Perot, the kind of knowledge that made the greatest difference in his life was actually gleaned from his mother. The American businessman and one-time presidential candidate made billions of dollars from the technology industry. But his mother, who raised him before the phrase "computer age" was ever coined, taught him how to live. She helped shape him into the man he would eventually become. Perot remembers the days of America’s Great Depression. "Hoboes" regularly knocked on their door asking for a little food. It puzzled young Ross that his house seemed to be singled out on their street. One day he learned why. On the curb in front of their house someone had etched a white mark, indicating to fellow travelers that this house was an "easy mark." This disturbed the boy and he asked his mother if she wanted him to erase the signal. She told him to leave it there. It was a lesson in compassion he never forgot.

Our greatest teachers are usually those who did not volunteer for the job. They are parents and friends, spouses and children. Much great wisdom is learned best from the example of those closest to us. And the remarkable fact is this: you are a great teacher. You teach powerful lessons every day of your life. You teach them simply by the way you live; by the way you respond to the world; and, by the little decisions you make. I wonder -- who’s watching and learning?

Taken from 'Great Teachers' by Steve Goodier

A Tribute to A Friend

2011-10-06T04:58:00.003-05:00

Near a shady wall a rose once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God's free light,
Watered and fed by morning dew,
Shedding its sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall,
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength,
With never a thought of fear or pride,
It followed the light through the crevice's length,
And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before;
And it lost itself in beauties new,
Breathing its fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve,
And make our courage faint or fail?
Nay! Let us faith and hope receive:
The rose still grows beyond the wall.

Scattering fragrance far and wide,
Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will for evermore.

**John**
Loving husband, father and grandfather
Loyal friend
Playful prankster
Gentle soul

We will miss you, my friend.
Sincere condolences to the family.

Who Do You Trust?

2011-10-05T05:04:00.002-05:00

I’ve never visited the town of Wetumka in Oklahoma. But I understand the folks there celebrate a day every year when they laugh at themselves. They call it Sucker Day and they plan a town festival on the last Saturday of September to commemorate it.

It all started in 1950 when a man calling himself F. Bam Morrison arrived in Wetumka and persuaded local residents to put up the money to bring a circus to town. They did not know F. Bam, but he was a nice enough fellow and they trusted his word. Merchants bought plenty of food, beverages, and souvenirs in preparation for the crowds of people who were bound to attend. And Morrison sold advance tickets. The townspeople were ecstatic at the thought of a circus in their very own village. Children could hardly sleep at night.

On the day the circus parade was to march down the main street, ecstasy turned into dismay when nothing happened. F. Bam had slipped quietly away in the night with any money he had left. There would be no circus. The good folks of Wetumka had been swindled.

It didn’t take long for their disappointment to turn into amusement, however. Someone came up with the idea of holding a four-day celebration anyway. And why not? They had all the food and goodies. Calendars were cleared and, besides, everyone’s heart was set on having a good time.

They called their party The Sucker Festival. In a display of good-natured fun, people celebrated the fact that they’d been conned, snookered and hornswoggled. And now Sucker Day is an annual event in Wetumka – a good excuse to come together, to laugh and to have some fun.

We’re going to be fooled sometimes. Especially if we easily place our confidence in people. But I’m not going to give up trusting just to avoid being had. I’ve observed that some of the happiest people I know are far from being the most wary – in fact, they are quite often open and trusting. These contented folks share at least two traits. The first is that they are trustworthy. They are known to be honest and true to their word. And the second trait these happy and satisfied people share is that they easily trust others. Sometimes their trust is misplaced, but they’ve discovered that the benefits of trusting usually outweigh the risks of disappointment.

I expect I’ll get taken in plenty of times yet by friends and strangers I believed in. But I hope the next time I trusted when I should have been more cautious, I can learn from the good folks of Wetumka and laugh at myself. Because I’d rather let others into my heart than shut them out. I’d rather be a sucker for a day than unhappy for a lifetime. And I’d rather believe there is goodness in most people, for that is the only way to find it.

Taken from 'Sucker Day' by Steve Goodier

Stop For A Moment

2011-10-03T04:58:00.002-05:00

With human minds we emotionally bind ourselves to things we cannot see.

Hopelessly setting a course that will deprive us of the strings of peace that were given to you and me.

We often pass up rainbows, a spring shower, a sunset, or even just a smile.

Yet in the name of prosperity and growth we'll go the extra mile.

God gave us the ability to experience the delicate sides of this earth.

But often we don't allow ourselves to fully appreciate what it's worth.

Have you ever whistled with a songbird, been touched by a breeze, or smelt the seasons in the air?

Or did you just consider them daily problems and not ever really care?

Have you ever had a falling leaf placed gently at your feet?

Carried by a loving wind just for you to meet.

Did you let it say good morning friend, or kick it to the side?

Thinking that you're late for work or you'll never catch your ride.

During a crowded traffic jam have you ever looked up high?

To see how God directs the clouds as they go flying through the sky.

What was your thought today as you tumbled out of bed?

"Thank you Lord for this day" or "Man do I feel dead".

You see it's up to us to find these things as we're traveling down life's road.

Because God sends these gifts to cross our paths and relieve our heavy load.

- David Waddell

Building Sandcastles

2011-09-30T04:37:00.001-05:00

This is a repeat of an article previously published 2/15/11.

Hot sun. Salty air. Rhythmic waves. A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing the walls. Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A sandcastle will be built.

Big city. Busy streets. Rumbling traffic. A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers into stacks and delegates assignments. He cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers. Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future. Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built.

Two builders of two castles. They have much in common. They shape granules into magnificence. They see nothing and make something. They are diligent and determined. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come.

Yet that is where the similarities cease. For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it. Watch the boy as the dusk approaches. As the waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand, and goes home.

The man, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide. "It's my castle," he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs.

I don't know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn. Go ahead and build, but build with a child's heart. When the sun sets and the tides take - applaud. Salute the process of life and joyfully go home.

-Author Unknown

Hidden Gifts

2011-09-28T04:52:00.001-05:00

There is a fable about a farmer that didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field. One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse died. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see."

A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man." The farmer said, "We'll see."

Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy." The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man." The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."

Moral of the story: There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts from which we can learn valuable lessons.

As Fra Giovanni once said, "Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty, believe me... the gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence."

-Author Unknown

Climb Till Your Dreams Come True

2011-09-27T05:05:00.000-05:00

Often your tasks will be many,
And more than you think you can do…
Often the road will be rugged
And the hills insurmountable, too…
But always remember, the hills ahead
Are never as steep as they seem,
And with Faith in your heart start upward
And climb ’till you reach your dream,
For nothing in life that is worthy
Is ever too hard to achieve
If you have the courage to try it
And you have the Faith to believe
For Faith is a force that is greater
Than knowledge or power or skill
And many defeats turn to triumph
If you trust in God’s wisdom and will…
For Faith is a mover of mountains,
There’s nothing that God cannot do,
So start out today with Faith in your heart
And Climb ‘Til Your Dream Comes True.

-Helen Steiner Rice

The Cross Room

2011-09-25T05:52:00.000-05:00

There was a young man who had many burdens. He was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear." The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear it's weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then look around the room and pick any cross you wish."

The young man was filled with relief. "Thank you, Lord," he sighed, and did as he was told. As he looked around the room he saw many different crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. And the Lord replied, "My son, that's the cross you brought in."

-Author Unknown

Autumn Beauty

2011-09-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

Each season has its special charm. I take great delight in observing the changes each day brings. Gazing from my window, enjoying the morning's first cup of freshly brewed coffee, I have had the pleasure of experiencing many magical moments. The wonders of nature are sometimes fleeting; each moment should be savoured to fill the heart with warmth and love. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than drinking in the colors and sounds of my surroundings and realizing what a wonderful world we live in.

Great fir trees stand proud, almost black against the sky. In amongst the firs, a birch strives to reach the sun, its golden leaves brightening the otherwise somber mood. A proud oak stands alone, long arms of brown and gold. A squirrel, in and out it scurries along the branches, its red tail bobbing, eager paws gathering nuts to bury for the winter not far away.

Across the lake on this still, breathtaking day the trees stretch their branches upwards, proudly holding onto their jewels of red, yellow, and green. The many colored leaves mirrored upon the water give the impression of a multi-colored quilt enveloping the reflection of the sky. Here and there a fallen leaf, now brown and shriveled, glides across the water on its way to who knows where.

Too soon this palette of color will be forgotten as leaves fade and depart their place of honor, to reveal the naked brown bark branches. Nature must rest and make ready, and I will wait through winter in eager anticipation for the fabulous show called Spring.

-Taken from 'The Colors of Autumn' by Wendy Andersen

Keep Walking

2011-09-21T04:54:00.001-05:00

Here we stand together,
Dressed in our pain,
Covered with scars
From wounds we did not ask for
Or deserve.

So what now?

We can't go back and relive our lives.
We can't take back the innocence we lost
Or make the sadness we felt into happiness.

But we can go on from here,
So let us start.

Stretch out your hand to mine,
Close your eyes
And slowly let the pain slip away.
Let go of the sadness;
It belongs to yesterday,
And let's walk.

The earth is firm beneath our feet.
The sun is warm on our face.
Heavenly Father sees our struggle,
Smiles at our effort,
And sends us strength.

My friends, we can't stay, looking back,
Lest we falter.
We must face forward,
Eyes wide open,
And keep on walking.

Hold tight and don't let go;
You aren't walking alone,
And neither am I.

-Barbara Aldrich

The Seven Wonders Of The World

2011-09-19T07:40:00.002-05:00

Junior high school students were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them. Enjoy your wonders!

-Author Unknown

Encouraging Words

2011-09-17T19:54:00.001-05:00

“Could I speak to the manager?” My friend’s sudden query to our waitress startled me. Our dinner at a popular pizza restaurant had seemed uneventful, and I wondered what Eileen was up to. The manager appeared at our table a few minutes later. “What can I do for you?” she asked hesitantly, as if she were expecting yet another reprimand from an angry customer. “I just want to you to know that our waitress tonight has been really exceptional,” Eileen began. Then she described several things our server had done that impressed her. The manager was obviously relieved – and delighted. So was the waitress, who was standing nearby. The four of us laughed and chatted for a few minutes. Eileen had made the day of two hard-working women… and left an indelible impression on me of the power of positive words.

When we think about our words, there are certain phrases that are almost always the right thing to say – words that communicate love and encouragement.

“You do that really well.”
“How are you, really?”
“What you said helped me.”
“I was wrong.”
“Thanks for leading/serving.”
“Have I offended you?”
“I appreciate the way you ________.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Tell me about your day, job, kids….”
“Please forgive me.”
“I'm proud of you.”
“I missed you.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“I prayed for you today.”
“That must have been very difficult.”
“I’ll be glad to!”

If there are words you’d like to hear, it’s likely they would encourage others, too.

I Hope...

2011-09-15T05:16:00.002-05:00

I hope you woke up this morning with a big smile on your face
I hope the sun is shining just for you
and the birds are singing their very best songs...

I hope your coffee is hot and tastes just right
and the cats are purring contentedly,
and the mailman waves a cheery hello
and there are no bills in the mailbox...

I hope just everything goes your way ...
I hope everything is well with your world,
a place for everything and everything in it's place...

I hope you can enjoy all you do
and you are complimented on the way you look
and you can laugh and talk and share
to your heart's content

I hope you have all you wish for yourself
and those dear to you,
and all your dreams come true...

At the end of the day
I wish you a perfect moon shining just for you,
a snug and cozy bed with the softest of pillows
and I hope you sleep like a lamb with a smile on your face...

I hope you have a perfect end to the perfect day
and I hope that every day is just as wonderful in it's own way
I hope your day is ... filled with love!

-Author Unknown

Your Backpack of Life

2011-09-14T05:49:00.002-05:00

When my brother and I were children we spent a few weeks each summer in the countryside. Our childless uncle owned a big house there and liked having children around, so our parents were happy to loan us for a few days at a time. Our uncle was a geologist and loved to go on long walks to find stones to his collection at the university. More often than not we followed him. He had a housekeeper who always packed a big basket full of good food for those trips. We eagerly waited for those excursions.

One day we left early and this time uncle had brought backpacks for us, explaining, "You can help me carry the samples". The whole day we walked around the countryside and uncle put stones in our bags. We were a bit surprised when he also took some stones out from our bags at times, but figured he had just found better samples than the ones we already had.

When we reached the house in late afternoon, we were tired. The backpacks were so heavy we gave a big sigh of relief when we thumped them on the porch. Yet uncle´s backpack was half empty.

"Why did you give us so many stones?", we asked. " I didn't. You did." he said. "You didn't know it, but I made you go through a little attitude test today. It is something someone once did to me and I shall always remember it. You see, I listened to every word you said. And whenever you were complaining about anyone or anything, I added a stone to your bag. And whenever you talked about something in a positive way, I took out a stone."

We looked at our backpacks. They were almost bursting at their seams. "I hope you remember this little attitude test. You see your negative thoughts are like stones. You carry them on in your mind just like those stones in a backpack. The more negative thoughts, the heavier your mind is. A positive thought, however, cancels a negative one. So look at those bags and start paying attention to what you say and how you say it."

This little lesson was one of the most important I ever had. Lighten your backpack of life by removing the weight of negativity.

-Author Unknown

We're Still Standing

2011-09-11T05:15:00.000-05:00

Those twin towers
Standing tall with pride,
Fell with grieving hearts.
Stunned, America cried.

But we’re still standing.

Bin Laden tried
To crush our land,
But we stood our ground
With our flag in hand.

And we’re still standing.

Red for valor
And the blood that fell.
White for purity
Our heroes tell.
Blue for the justice
That will be done,
Proving once more
These colors don’t run.

And we’re still standing.

~ Hannah Schoechert, 7th grade student

An Ode To America

2011-09-10T05:23:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, 9/11/2011, is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack against America. A Romanian columnist, Cornel Nistorescu, wrote this article on September 24, 2001. He had watched a celebrity telethon in New York for victims of the 9/11 attack.

Why are Americans so united? They don't resemble one another even if you paint them! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations. Some of them are nearly extinct, others are incompatible with one another, and in matters of religious beliefs, not even God can count how many they are.

Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed on the streets nearby to gape about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic, they raised the flag on the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colours of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a minister or the president was passing. On every occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!".

Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on Saturday once, twice, three times, on different tv channels. There were: Clint Eastwood, Willie Nelson, Robert de Niro, Julia Roberts, Cassius Clay, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Sylvester Stalone, James Wood, and many others whom no film or producers could ever bring together. The American's solidarity spirit turned them into a choir.

Actually, choir is not the word. What you could hear was the heavy artillery of the American soul. What neither George W. Bush, nor Bill Clinton, nor Colin Powell could say without facing the risk of stumbling over words and sounds, was being heard in a great and unmistakable way in this charity concert. I don't know how it happened that all this obsessive singing of America didn't sound croaky, nationalist, or ostentatious! It made you green with envy because you weren't able to sing for your country without running the risk of being considered chauvinist, ridiculous, or suspected of who-knows-what mean interests.

I watched the live broadcast and the rerun of its rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who fought with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that would have killed other hundreds or thousands of people. How on earth were they able to sacrifice for their fellow humans? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit which nothing can buy.

What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases which risk of sounding like commonplaces. I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion. Only freedom can work such miracles!

~ Cornel Nistorescu

Enjoy Your Coffee

2011-09-08T05:40:00.001-05:00

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling the alumni to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. The cups are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee.”

-Author Unknown

A Letter To A Friend

2011-09-07T06:42:00.001-05:00

I am your friend and my love for you goes deep. There is nothing I can give you which you have not got, but there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant. Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. There is radiance and glory in the darkness could we but see - and to see we have only to look. I beseech you to look!

Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by the covering, cast them away as ugly, or heavy or hard. Remove the covering and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love, by wisdom, with power. Welcome it, grasp it, touch the angel's hand that brings it to you. Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty, believe me, that angel's hand is there, the gift is there, and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Our joys, too, be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal divine gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty - beneath its covering - that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage, then, to claim it, that is all. But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are all pilgrims together, wending through unknown country, home. And so, at this time, I greet you. Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

***

This letter was written by Fra Giovanni Giocondo to his friend, Countess Allagia Aldobrandeschi on Christmas Eve, 1513. Born in Venice, Giocondo would become a priest, a scholar, an architect and a teacher. He was indeed a true 'renaissance man'.

Getting Back To God

2011-09-06T05:02:00.001-05:00

All the aim of life is just
Getting back to God.
Spirit casting off its dust,
Getting back to God.
Every grief we have to bear,
Disappointment, cross, despair,
Each is but another stair
Climbing back to God.

Step by step and mile by mile, -
Getting back to God.
Nothing else is worth the while -
Getting back to God.
Light and shadow fill each day,
Joys and sorrows pass away,
Smile at all, and smiling, say,
Getting back to God.

Do not wear a mournful face
Getting back to God.
Scatter sunshine on the place
Going back to God.
Take what pleasure you can find,
But wherever your paths may wind,
Keep the purpose well in mind, -
Getting back to God.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A Rest From Labor

2011-09-05T05:51:00.003-05:00

Today is Labor Day in the United States. The first Labor Day was observed on August 26, 1878 in Boston by the Central Labor Union of New York. It became a federal holiday in 1894. Even though this holiday started out to honor trade and labor organizations, it has turned into the final 'end of summer' weekend before fall kicks in. Parades, family picnics, and of course, the beginning of the NFL season, all mark this special holiday weekend.

The title itself reminds me that it's good to take a 'rest' from labor, not just one holiday a year, but each week. God hardwired us for a weekly rest which Christians observe on the Lord's Day. With all the activity going on in our lives, it's also good to take frequent 'Brain Breaks', as one writer calls them. These little time-outs usually involve getting up from your work place, grabbing a power bar or some other 'pick-me-up', or just walking around and stretching. These brain breaks involve changing your posture, changing rooms or work area and just allowing your mind to rest for a few moments so it can re-calibrate and re-energize. The best form of brain break is meditation or prayer...to sit in quiet peace for several minutes. This is effective by itself, but especially after the physical part of the brain break. Try it. It might become a bit of rest for your labor.

It's Not Too Late

2011-09-04T05:53:00.000-05:00

It's not too late... the angel said.
Even though the world's a mess...
Even though you're not that young...
Even though you've made mistakes and have been afraid
It's not too late...
And then I saw the world through the angel's eyes...
I saw the colors I could paint
The bridges I could build
The lives that I could touch
The dreams that could still come true
And it became very clear to me...
That it's not too late.

-Ron Atchison

Native American Wisdom

2011-09-02T06:24:00.003-05:00

These words of wisdom were taken from the Native American Code Of Ethics:

-Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.

-Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

-Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

-Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.

-Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. If it was not earned or given, it is not yours.

-Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

-Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.

-All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

-Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.

-Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life's lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.

-Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.

-Be truthful at all times.

-Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self - all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.

-Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.

-Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others. This is forbidden.

-Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity.

A Lesson From The Mountains

2011-08-31T06:07:00.001-05:00

A son and his father were walking in the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself and screams, "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain..."AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Curious, he yells, "Who are you?" He receives the answer, "Who are you?" Angered at the response, he screams, "Coward!" He receives the answer, "Coward!"

The boy looks to his father and asks, "What's happening?" The father smiles and says, "My son, pay attention." And then he calls out to the mountain, "I admire you!" The voice answers, "I admire you!" The man calls out, "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 what you have given to it."

-Author Unknown

Judge Gently

2011-08-30T05:22:00.000-05:00

Pray don't find fault with the man who limps
or stumbles along the road,
unless you have worn the shoes he wears
or struggled beneath his load.
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,
though hidden away from view,
or the burden he bears, placed on your back
might cause you to stumble too.
Don't sneer at the man who's down today
unless you have felt the blow
that caused his fall or felt the shame
that only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
that were his if dealt to you,
in the selfsame way, at the selfsame time,
might cause you to stagger too.
Don't be too harsh with the man who sins
or pelt him with word or stone,
unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure,
that you have no sins of your own -
for you know perhaps if the tempter's voice
should whisper as softly to you
as it did to him when he went astray,
it might cause you to stumble too.

-Author Unknown

Forgiveness Is The Virtue Of The Brave

2011-08-29T06:10:00.000-05:00

Mahatma Gandhi provided sage advice: “Forgiveness is the virtue of the brave. The person alone is strong enough to avenge a wrong who knows how to love and forgive.” Forgiveness requires an act of bravery, an act of courage and strength. Forgiveness brings healing to others, and to yourself. Not forgiving destroys more than just a life, but your very soul as well. This reminds me of a story about a woman stung by her own poison:

    “I’ll never forgive him. I told him I would never forgive him.” The elderly lady spoke softly, but with resolve, as the nurse brought her her nightly medication. The lady’s expression was troubled as she turned away, focusing on the drape wrapped around her nursing home bed. This brief exchange revealed a deep, deep hurt.
    She told of how her brother had approached her bed, accusing her of taking more than her share of family heirlooms following their mother’s death. He spoke of various items, ending with “the berry spoon.” He said, “I want the berry spoon.” For the forty years since the mother’s death he had hidden his feelings, and now they erupted. She was both hurt and angered by his accusation and vowed never to forgive him. “It’s my spoon. Mother gave it to me,” she defended herself. “He’s wrong and I won’t forgive him.”Standing at her bedside, the nurse felt her own spirit soften and grieve. A spoon—a berry spoon! In the bed lay a woman given two months to live—just sixty days—and she would face eternity and never see her brother again in this life. Her mind and spirit were in anguish, and her only remaining family ties were broken over a berry spoon.
    As the nurse returned to her station she was drawn deep into thought: “How many berry spoons are there in my life? How many things, as insignificant as a spoon, in light of eternity, separate me from God—and from others? How does a lack of forgiveness keep me separated from my family?” She asked God to search her heart, “How many berry spoons are there in my life?”

Are there any berry spoons in your life?

-Brian Cavanaugh

Reprinted from April 2010

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

2011-08-27T06:06:00.001-05:00

I recently overheard a conversation between two people who were talking about parenting. One made the comment that her mother always said, "Do as I say, not as I do." I smiled when I heard this for who hasn't at one time or another said one thing, but did the exact opposite?

When I think of those who have inspired me, those whom I admire, and those whom I hold up as an example of what kind of person I wish to be, I realize it's not their words, but rather who they are and how they live their lives, which speak the loudest.

When faced with a problem or difficult decision in my life, I often think of my grandfather and consider how he might have handled the situation. Interestingly before his passing many years ago, I don't recall my grandfather and I ever having any long talks about honesty, integrity or even life in general. We didn't need to, for his actions and his life spoke volumes. He was a man of few words to be sure, but one from whom I learned a great deal. And even though he's not with us any more, I continue to learn from him and his life.

I can only imagine the hardships he faced and the courage it took for him to travel halfway across the country to homestead his modest farm. Even on my best day I could never have endured the long days of back-breaking work which were an everyday part of his life. From the unforgiving earth he provided for his wife and four small children, never asking anything more from life than what he was willing to earn through sweat and sacrifice.

Despite his hardships and endless work he was a good husband and loving father. Known for his quick wit and keen sense of humor, love and laughter filled the home which he had made with his own two hands. Though a simple farmer he was extremely intelligent and a sharp businessman. He was one whose word was truly his bond and whose handshake was as binding as any legal contract.

I need only to look at my grandfather's life - who he was and how he lived, to understand that what we do does matter, and matters most. For words by themselves are hollow indeed and in the absence of action are meaningless. "Do as I say, not as I do," may get a smile, but little more.

-"The Meaning behind Our Words" - T.W. Winslow

Two Rooms

2011-08-25T06:39:00.002-05:00

A man had a dream in which he saw two doors. He opened one of the doors and looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the center of the table was a large pot of stew which looked and smelled delicious. But the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

He then went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which looked and smelled delicious. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The man related his vision of the first room to one of the elders in this room . "I don't understand. It's the same situation, yet all of you in this room are well-nourished and happy while in the other room, they are malnourished and miserable." "It is simple," said the elder man, "In this place the people have learned to feed one another."

Today

2011-08-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

We shall do much in the years to come,

but what have we done today?

We shall give our gold in a princely sum,

but what did we give today?

We shall lift the heart and dry the tear,

We shall plant a hope in the place of fear,

We shall speak the words of love and cheer

but what did we speak today?

We shall be so kind in the afterwhile,

but what have we been today?

We shall bring each lonely life a smile,

but what have we brought today?

We shall give to truth a grander birth,

And to steadfast faith a deeper worth,

We shall feed the hungering souls of earth,

but whom have we fed today?

We shall reap such joys in the by and by,

but what have we sown today?

We shall build us mansions in the sky,

but what have we built today?

'Tis sweet in idle dreams to bask,

but here and now do we do our task?

Yes, this is the thing our souls must ask,

"What have we done today?"

-Author Unknown

(Reprint from Oct 1, 2010)

Lesson From A Butterfly Mom

2011-08-21T07:08:00.001-05:00

As many know, I am a butterfly 'mom'. I have a butterfly house built by my husband and I grow plants to feed the butterflies and also host plants for my 'babies' in my garden. It is such a thrill each year to watch them grow and go through their metamorphosis and then release them back to nature to start the life cycle once again. As I released 2 black swallowtails yesterday, it reminded me that in many ways, the life of a butterfly parallels our lives. The following story is one example.

Once a little boy was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it. The little boy got a large jar from his mother and put plants to eat, and a stick to climb on, in the jar. Every day he watched the caterpillar and brought it new plants to eat.

One day the caterpillar climbed up the stick and started acting strangely. The boy called his mother who came and understood that the caterpillar was creating a chrysalis. The mother explained to the boy how the caterpillar was going to go through a metamorphosis and become a butterfly.

The little boy was thrilled to hear about the changes his caterpillar would go through. He watched every day, waiting for the butterfly to emerge. One day it happened. A small hole appeared in the chrysalis and the butterfly started to struggle to come out. At first the boy was excited, but soon he became concerned. The butterfly was struggling so hard to get out. It looked like it couldn’t break free. It looked desperate. It looked like it was making no progress.

The boy was so concerned he decided to help. He went to get a scissors, and then he snipped the chrysalis to make the hole bigger. The butterfly quickly emerged! As the butterfly came out the boy was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body would shrink and the butterfly’s wings would expand. But neither happened! The butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly…

As the boy tried to figure out what had gone wrong his mother took him to talk to a biologist from a local college. He learned that the butterfly was supposed to struggle. In fact, the butterfly’s struggle to push its way through the tiny opening of the chrysalis pushes the fluid out of its body and into its wings. Without the struggle, the butterfly would never, ever fly.

And so it is with us. As you go through life, keep in mind that struggling is an important part of any growth experience. In fact, it is the struggle that gives you strength and helps you to develop your ability to 'fly'.

Temper Your Temper

2011-08-19T07:45:00.002-05:00

A young girl came into the house with a tear in her pants. Her mother was exasperated, as this had happened too many times before. At her wits end, she said to her daughter, "Now you go into your room, take off those pants, and sew up that tear!" The poor child had never held needle and thread in her life. Understandably, a little while later her mother saw the pants crumpled on the floor of her daughter's bedroom -- still torn. She looked around for her daughter. Spying the basement light on, she called down the stairs, "Are you down there running around with your pants off?" A big voice boomed up, "No ma'am. I'm reading the gas meter."

What parent can't relate to her exasperation? On the other hand, I do have trouble understanding the guy in Los Angeles who was arrested for negligent discharge of a weapon after shooting his toilet bowl five times with a handgun (and yes, this is true). Why did he assault the commode? He apparently exploded when he couldn't extract a hair brush his daughter flushed down.

He might benefit from the advice of one of America's great presidents, Thomas Jefferson, who cautioned, "When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to 100." I think it

applies to discharging weapons, too.

An old joke goes something like this: One husband asked his wife, "When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger?" She smiled at him. "I clean the toilet bowl." (Uh-oh, toilets again.) "How does that help?" "I use your toothbrush," she said sweetly.

It's not that anger is a bad thing in itself. A good bit of fire in the belly may be needed to right the world's wrongs. But this isn't about righteous indignation. It's about tempering our temper. I've seen marriages destroyed, careers derailed and relationships of all kinds decimated by uncontrolled rage. It's no wonder all of the world's great religions have something to say about it. To name a few, the Buddha said, "You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger." In the Koran we find, "He is not strong and powerful who throws people down, but he is strong who withholds himself from anger." And in Christian scripture Jesus instructs, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

Mahatma Gandhi hung on his wall at Sevagram:
"When you are in the right,
You can afford to keep your temper;
When you are in the wrong,
You can't afford to lose it."

-- Steve Goodier, Life Support System "Tempering Our Temper" (Edited)

The Butterfly

2011-08-17T19:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday a butterfly
Came floating gently through the sky.
He soared up through the atmosphere
Then drifted close enough to hear.

I said, "I'd love to fly with you
And sail around the way you do.
It looks like it would be such fun
To fly up toward the summer sun.

But I have not your graceful charm.
I haven't wings, just these two arms.
I've been designed to walk around.
My human feet must touch the ground.

Then magically he spoke to me
and told me what his wish would be.

He said, "What I'd love most to do
Is walk upon God's Earth with you,
To squish its mud between my toes
Or touch my finger to my nose.

I'd love just once to walk around
With human feet to touch the ground,
But I have not two legs that swing,
I haven't arms, just these two wings."

And so we went our separate ways
In wonder and surprise.
For we'd both seen God's precious gifts
Through someone else's eyes.

-Author Unknown

Footprints

2011-08-15T20:38:00.002-05:00

Although a very familiar story that most people know, I was prompted to include it as it has a very special meaning to our family at this time. Perhaps there are times when it has had a special meaning for you as well.

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

-Author Unknown

Pennies Are Plentiful

2011-08-13T19:53:00.002-05:00

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. The boss was very wealthy, with a grand home on the beach and cars costing more than her house. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend, but delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live.

The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant one evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before. What was the point of this?

"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says."
She read the words "United States of America."
"No, not that; read further."
"One Cent?"
"No, keep reading."
"In God We Trust?"
"Yes!"
"And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! If God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him, who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few weeks, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient...

Have a blessed day!

Bend But Don't Break

2011-08-12T05:20:00.001-05:00

One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream, and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright position after the wind had died down.

When I think about the bamboo tree's ability to bounce back or return to it's original position, the word resilience comes to mind. When used in reference to a person this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person's emotions.

Have you ever felt like you are about to snap? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms.

Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend but don't break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you. A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant ordeal. With hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant ordeal may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having.

If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don't break.

- Author Unknown

Rocking Together: A Story of Kindness

2011-08-08T05:33:00.001-05:00

There was an elderly, despondent woman in a nursing home. She wouldn't speak to anyone or request anything. She merely existed, rocking in her old rocking chair...day after day, rocking in silence.

The old woman didn't have many visitors. But several days a week, a concerned and wise young nurse, after her shift had ended, would go into the woman's room. She didn't speak or ask questions of the aged woman. She simply pulled up another rocking chair beside her and rocked with her. In silence they rocked together.

After months of silent rocking with the elderly woman, she finally spoke. 'Thank you,' she said. 'Thank you for rocking with me.'"

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. ~Seneca

Concluding Timeless Wisdom by Ann Landers

2011-08-05T04:57:00.003-05:00

The past two days I have posted words of advice from Ann Landers' New Years Day column in 2000. Today is the final post in this series. I hope you have enjoyed reading and remembering the columns of the woman from Iowa who became a household name, writing her daily column from 1955-2002.

-When courage is needed, ask yourself, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"
-Take care of your health. You're all you've got. Vow to eat healthier. Reschedule that missed dental or doctor appointment.
-Take those photos out of the drawer and put them in an album.
-If you see litter on the sidewalk, pick it up.
-Give yourself a reality check. Phoniness is transparent, and it is tiresome.

-Make a genuine effort to stay in closer touch with family and good friends.
-Don't abandon your old-fashioned principles. They never go out of style.
-Take pleasure in the beauty of nature. A flower is God's miracle.

"Ann Landers"

Esther Pauline "Eppie" Friedman Lederer

(July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002)

More Timeless Wisdom from Ann Landers

2011-08-04T07:34:00.002-05:00

Most of us have grown up reading Ann Landers (pen name) or her twin sister's column, Dear Abby. These two ladies mixed common sense with a sense of humor from their mid-western roots. Yesterday's column gave a bit of practical advice from Ann Landers from her New Year's Day column in 2000. I am adding more of it today.

-Try to understand a point of view that is different from your own.
-Examine the demands you make on others.
-When you feel like blowing your top, ask yourself if this will matter in a week.
-Laugh the loudest when the joke is on you.
-To have a friend, be a friend. We all need each other.

-Avoid malcontents and pessimists. They drag you down.
-Don't discourage a beginner from trying something risky. Nothing ventured means nothing gained.
-Be optimistic. The can-do spirit is the fuel that makes things go.
-Express your gratitude.
-Give credit when it's due.
-Read something uplifting. Deep-six the trash. You wouldn't eat garbage, why put it in your head?
-Return those books you borrowed.
-Clean out your closet.
-Take better care of yourself.

(Final Timeless Wisdom tomorrow)

Timeless Wisdom From Ann Landers

2011-08-03T06:17:00.004-05:00

As I was looking through some inspirational books, I happened across an Ann Landers article from 1/1/2000 that I had clipped and stuck inside one of the books. What a wonderful surprise to find the columnist's wisdom this morning. It is simple, practical advice that all of us know but fall short in practice from time to time.

-Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't 'find the time'.
-Call up a forgotten friend.
-Drop an old grudge and replace it with pleasant memories.
-Share a funny story with someone whose spirits are dragging. A good laugh can be very good medicine.
-Give a soft answer.

-Free yourself of envy and malice.
-Encourage some youth to do his or her best.
-Make a genuine effort to stay in closer touch with family and good friends.
-Resolve to stop magnifying small problems and shooting from the lip.
-Find the time to be kind and thoughtful. Give a compliment. It might give someone a badly needed lift.
-Think things through.
-Listen more.
-Apologize when you are wrong. An apology elevates a person, not diminishes him.
-Don't blow your own horn. If you've done something praiseworthy, someone will eventually notice. (to that I add...if no one eventually notices, so what? The act itself without glory is enough.)

(To be continued...)

Seeing The Positive in All Situations

2011-08-02T05:41:00.001-05:00

Learn to look at every difficult situation as a present; the gift within is the possibilities it holds. To open the gift you must find the "possibility".
When you are in a difficult or a stressful situation, reflect on the following four questions:
1) Could it be worse?
2) Are there lessons I can learn to avoid a similar situation in the future?
3) What good can be realized?
4) What am I going to do about it?

COULD IT BE WORSE?
In the majority of cases, there is always a worse situation we could be in. By reflecting on a worse situation, it helps put the current situation into perspective.

ARE THERE LESSONS I CAN LEARN TO AVOID A SIMILAR SITUATION IN THE FUTURE?
Look at the situation. Could it have been avoided? Don't go beating yourself up for not realizing this previously. Learn from the situation. Mistakes are our greatest teachers! No sense dwelling on the issue. Recognize and think of ways for the future to avoid a similar situation and then move on! Remember you can't change the past, but you can change the future!

WHAT GOOD CAN BE REALIZED?
This is the gift. Rather than focusing our energy and thoughts on the negative of the situation, look for the positive. Sometimes you have to look hard, sometimes you don't even realize until later. But in every situation, there is positive, you just have to find it! By focusing on the positive you are helping to reduce your stress levels!

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
In my opinion, this is the most critical. What are you going to do? Often just by taking action, by doing something about the situation can relieve the stress and help correct the situation. If you focus on the possible when you experience difficult situations, YOU CAN positively change your outlook, reduce your stress, and concentrate on achieving things that otherwise may not have been possible.

-Catherine Pulsifer

(This article is meaningful for me as my husband is in ICU. Although a very difficult and stressful situation, there are positives I am realizing during his recovery. We will use those positives as our gift.)

There Is...

2011-07-30T09:04:00.001-05:00

For every hectic work day there is a quiet rest...
For every painful experience there is a healing touch...
For every negative feeling there is an abiding joy...
For every disappointment there is a certain hope...
For every turbulent storm there is a sure foundation...
For every doubting thought there is a calm assurance...
For every hurtful action there is a forgiving love.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

-Roy Lessin

Four-Letter Words

2011-07-26T07:03:00.001-05:00

Four-letter obscenities are being used more and more in literature, movies and, so I'm told, even in sophisticated conversation. Some psychologists even suggest obscenities serve a useful purpose in helping people find a release from tension and frustration. It's a temporary release at best, and more than likely will bring the user increasing self-dislike and frustration.

I'd like to suggest a better way to use four-letter words. The idea comes from pharmacist George Scharringhausen, who some years ago went through a period of intense stress and tension. A man of imagination who enjoys crossword puzzles, he began working on a written formula for inner strength. The result was a series of four-letter words to give him a healthy mental attitude all day long. Here are the five key words:

1. Look. Look squarely at the nature of your problems. Be alert. Keep looking for the right solutions. Look around you for opportunities.
2. Work. Nothing will so fortify you against stress as hard, constructive work. It helps you forget yourself.
3. Give. Give yourself to people. Be genuinely interested in their problems--in the process you'll overcome reluctance and weariness.
4. Love. It nourishes and restores you. Love is taking a phone call at three o'clock in the morning, getting up to prepare a prescription for a sick child. It is going the second mile in caring for people.
5. Pray. Prayer connects you with spiritual power, and it builds up your inner strength. From it comes the certainty that you are being helped by someone else--and that is a wonderful confidence-builder.

You don't have to utter obscenities to relieve tension and frustration. Instead, try this formula of four-letter words to give inner strength to match outer stress: Look, Work, Give, Love, Pray.

-Norman Vincent Peale

Keeper Of The Spring

2011-07-24T08:36:00.001-05:00

The Keeper of the Spring was a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slope of the Alps. The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier by a young town councilman to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise have choked and contaminated the fresh flow of water. The village soon became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the mill wheels of various businesses located near the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.

Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semi-annual meeting. As they reviewed the budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid to the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, the strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn't necessary any longer." By an unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.

For several weeks, nothing changed. By early autumn, the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped of and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A few days later, the water was much darker.

Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water along the banks, and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill wheels moved more slowly, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists. Clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.

The embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they rehired the old keeper of the spring, and within a few weeks, the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps.

Our lives and our relationships are much like this--so much of what keeps us going and advancing is hidden from our sight, working behind the scenes to keep our springs clear and fresh. Just because we don't see the work that others do in our lives, that doesn't mean that their work isn't important and useful to us. By the same token, just because our own work doesn't shine for the entire world to see, we shouldn't feel that what we do isn't useful and helpful. You may be a Keeper of The Spring, but you may never know it.

-Peter Marshall
(The late Peter Marshall was an eloquent speaker and for several years served as the chaplain of the US Senate. He used to love to tell this story.)

A Psalm of Life

2011-07-23T08:28:00.001-05:00

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!--
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

-1839, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Forgiving The Past

2011-07-22T07:12:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I don't feel that it's my vehicle that is essential. I don't know about you, but I don't feel that it's my education that is essential. I don't think what is essential about me is my house or my car or my clothes. What is essential about me? Well, I think what is essential is that I live and embrace life right now, wherever I am. Don't spend time crying about yesterday--yesterday is over with! I forgive my past. I forgive the people who've hurt me. I don't want to spend the rest of my life blaming and pointing a finger. People gripe about what their parents did to them. You know what your parents did to you? The best thing they could do. The best thing they knew how, the only thing in many cases that they knew how. Nobody has set out maliciously to hurt their child, unless they were psychotic.

Can you forgive? Can you forget? Can you say it's "OK"? Can you say, "They are people, too"? And you take them in your arms and embrace them? Then take your self in your arms. Find out again that you are unique, that you are wondrous, that in all the world there is only one of you. Hug yourself. Sure you've screwed up, and sometimes you do dumb things and you forget that you are a human being, but the most wonderful thing about you is that, no matter where you are, you have potential to grow. You are just starting. There is only this much of you now, and there is an infinite amount to discover and to find! Don't spend your time crying! Forgive others! Forgive yourself. Forgive yourself for not being perfect. And accept responsibility for your own life.

-From 'Kiss Your Life' by Leo Buscaglia

Filling Up

2011-07-19T19:33:00.001-05:00

I recall reading that a man from Virginia Beach VA filed a law suit against his hospital. He opted to have surgery in order to lose weight. So he had his stomach stapled -- a procedure that reduced the size of his stomach so he couldn't eat as much. A couple of days after surgery he sneaked down the hospital corridors to the kitchen. There he raided the refrigerator and ate so much that his staples burst. The law suit? He claimed it was the hospital's fault. They should have locked the refrigerator. He wanted to make other people responsible for what he put into his mouth. Which raises the question: who decides what we bring into our lives?

One man told me, "I'm not a garbage truck."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked him.

"I mean that sometimes other people want to dump their garbage on me," he said. "They fill themselves up with negativity and complaints and want to dump all of that garbage on me. I'm not going to take all of their garbage. They may need to get rid of it, but not all over me."

He believes people need to be responsible for the garbage in their lives. And that's probably true for the good stuff, too. For me, that includes just about everything. It means I am responsible for everything I put into my mouth, but also for everything I choose to watch and hear. Some of it's good and some of it's garbage. It even means everything that comes into my head through my eyes and ears. It's also about everything that fills up my time. Everything. And to be honest, I don't always do a great job with everything that comes into my life. But I am clear that what I allow in is up to me, not somebody else.

When we fill our bodies with the right foods, they perform well.
When we fill our heads with learning, they won't easily stagnate.
When we fill our minds with healthier attitudes, we will have a better outlook.
When we fill our hearts with a little more courage, we will be able to face life with confidence.
When we fill our talk with more gratitude, we will be happier.
When we fill our lives with more love, we will never be alone.
Only we can decide how to fill ourselves up.

Only I can choose what should come into my life. And only I can choose what to do about it today.

-Taken from 'All Filled Up" by Steve Goodier, Life Support