Learn

After a while, you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul
and love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security

And you begin to learn that
kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises

And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a beautiful swan
not the grief of an ugly duckling

After a while, you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much of it

And you begin to build your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans

So plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers

And you learn
that you really can endure
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS

Sooner or later, everyone you know will disappoint you in some way. They'll say something or fail to say something that will hurt you. And they'll do something or fail to do something that will anger you. It's inevitable.

Unfortunately, you make things worse when you stew over someone's words and deeds. When you dwell on a rude remark or an insensitive action made by another person, you're headed for deeper problems. In fact, the more you dwell on these things, the more bitter you'll get.

You'll find your joy, peace and happiness slipping away. And you'll find your productivity slowing down as you spend more and more time thinking about the slight or telling others about it. Eventually, if you don't stop doing it, you'll even get sick.

So what should you do the next time someone betrays you?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS.

Even though the other person may be at fault, even though the other person wronged you, you are still responsible for your own feelings. In other words, other people do not "cause" your feelings. You choose them.

For example, two different people could be told that their suggestions made at the staff meeting were "stupid and idiotic." One person may "choose" to feel so hurt that he never speaks up at any other meeting again. The other person may "choose" to feel sorry for the critic, sorry that the critic couldn't see the wisdom and necessity of her suggestions.

As long as you blame other people for your feelings, as long as you believe other people caused your feelings, you're stuck. You're a helpless victim. But if you recognize the fact that you choose your feelings and you are responsible for your feelings, there's hope.

You can take some time to think about your feelings. And you can decide what is the best thing to say or do. Then, you've got to learn to WALK AWAY FROM DISAPPOINTMENT. It's difficult to do, but it's possible.

The famous 19th century Scottish historian, Thomas Carlyle, proved that. After working on his multi-volume set of books on "The French Revolution" for six years, Carlyle completed the manuscript and took volume one to his friend John Stuart Mill. He asked Mill to read it. Five days later, Mill's maid accidentally threw the manuscript into the fire.

In agony, Mill went to Carlyle's house to tell him that his work has been destroyed. Carlyle did not flinch. With a smile, he said, "That's all right, Mill. These things happen. It is a part of life. I will start over. I can remember most of it, I am sure. Don't worry. It's all here in my mind. Go, my friend! Do not feel bad."

As Mill left, Carlyle watched him from the window. Carlyle turned to his wife and said, "I did not want him to see how crushed I am by this misfortune." And with a heavy sigh, he added, "Well the manuscript is gone, so I had better start writing again."

Carlyle finally completed the work, which ranks as one of the great classics of all time. He had learned to walk away from his disappointment. After all, what could Carlyle have done about his burnt manuscript? Nothing. Nothing would have resurrected the manuscript. All Carlyle could do was to get bitter or get started.

And what can you do about anything once it is over? Not much. You can try to correct it if it is possible, or you can walk away from it if it isn't.

Those are your only two choices.

Sometimes you've just got to shake it off and step up. Finally, you need to FORGIVE. It's difficult, especially when the other person doesn't deserve your forgiveness or doesn't even seek it. It's difficult when the other person is clearly in the wrong.

Part of the difficulty comes from a common misunderstanding of forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person's behaviour is okay. And forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person is off the hook. He's still responsible for his misbehaviour. Forgiveness is about letting yourself off the emotional hook. It's about releasing your negative emotions, attitudes, and behaviours. It's about letting go of the past so you can go forward to the future.

Everyone in your life, everyone on and off the job is going to disappoint you. If you know how to respond to those situations, you'll be way ahead of most people. You'll be able to live above and beyond your circumstances.

Am I happier holding on to it? Do I sleep better?
Is my life richer, fuller, and better because of my bitterness?"

If you find that your bitterness is hurting you, make a decision. Actually decide to let it go. Walk away from the disappointment -- which means you no longer dwell on it or talk about it.

I Have Learned

{Source: forwarded emails}

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday.

Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.

And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts.

They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.

The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!

Maya Angelou said this:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.

People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

The Law of the Seed

Take a look at an apple tree.
There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just
ten seeds.
That's a lot of seeds!
We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more
apple trees?"
Nature has something to teach us here.
It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow.
So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more
than once."

This might mean:

You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.
You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum
cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea.
And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.
When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed.
We stop feeling like victims.
We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.
Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to
understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL

Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When Things Are Beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT
DO so as to avoid misery in your life:
You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry!
That's what miserable people do!
On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
Friends SHOULD return favours.
People SHOULD appreciate you.
Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
Everyone SHOULD be honest.
Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.
These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these
things won't happen!
So you end up frustrated and disappointed.
There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, ave preferences!
For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:

"I WOULD PREFER "A", BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!"

This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it
gives you more peace of mind .
You prefer that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't
ruin your day.
You prefer sunshine ... but if it rains, it i s ok too!
To become happier, we either need to

a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.

It is easier to change our Thinking!

IN A NUTSHELL
It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude
attending to the problem that is the problem.
It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness.
It's how you think about what happens to you!

ATTITUDE

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and
> >makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a
> >nursing home today.
> >Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
> >After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,
> >she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
> >As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator,
> >I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet
> >sheets that had been hung on her window.
> >"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
> >just been presented with a new puppy.
> >"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait."
> >"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.
> >"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
> >room or 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
> >Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.
> >
> >Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
> >
> >1. Free your heart from hatred.
> >2. Free your mind from worries.
> >3. Live simply.
> >4. Give more.
> >5. Expect less.
> >
> >FAMILY
> >
> >Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the
> >company that we are working for could easily
> >replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel
> >the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour
> >ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise
> >investment indeed, don't you think?
> >
> >So what is behind the story?
> >
> >Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
> >FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
> >

Desiderata

(Author: Max Ehrmann, Copyright 1952)

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Happiness On Hold

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, when we're able to go on a nice vacation, or 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. 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 with... and remember that time waits for no one. So, stop waiting....

--until your car or home is paid off
--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you finish school
--until you lose 10 lbs.
--until you gain 10 lbs.
--until you get married
--until you get a divorce
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die

There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So...
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching.

If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special.

Source: my emails

Putting Life In The Right Perpectives

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh Yeah" said the son.

"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."

With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have.

What is one person's worthless object is another's prized possession. It is all based on one's perspective. Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for all the bounty we have instead of worrying about wanting more.

Take joy and appreciate every single thing you have, especially your family & friends.

Moving Thoughts

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours.

It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lives for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Just Because

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize what a gold mine you are, doesn't mean you shine any less.

Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out that you can't be topped, doesn't stop you from being the best.

Just because no one has come along to share your life, doesn't mean that day isn't coming.

Just because no one has made this race worth while, doesn't give you permission to stop running.

Just because no one has realized how much of a woman you are, doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.

Just because no one has come to take the loneliness away, doesn't mean you have to settle for a lower quality.

Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level, doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs.

Just because you deserve the very best there is, doesn't mean that life is always fair.

Just because God is still preparing your king, doesn't mean that you're not already a queen.

Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing right now, doesn't mean you need to change a thing.

Keep shining,
Keep running,
Keep hoping,
Keep praying,
Keep being exactly what you are already - COMPLETE!

Source: Author Unknown

Letter From Reagan

Here is a letter from Ronald Reagan to his son, Michael, who was 26 years old when he married his first wife, Julie, who was 18 in 1971.

Dear Mike:

You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the 'unhappy marrieds' and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till 3 a.m, a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears.

There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving the blame. There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it. The man who puts into the marriage only half of what he owns will get that out. Sure, there will be moments when you will see someone or think back on an earlier time and you will be challenged to see if you can still make the grade, but let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood.

It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming ho me, nor should you want any other woman to be able to meet your wife and know she was smiling behind her eyes as she looked at her, the woman you love, remembering this was the woman you rejected even momentarily for her favours.

Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others. Now you have a chance to make it come out the way it should. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting to the sound of his footsteps.

Love,Dad

p.s. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day.

Taken from Reagan - A Life In Letters

A Butterfly's Lesson

One day, a small opening appeared in a cocoon; a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then, it seems to stop making any progress.

It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could not go any further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly: he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.

But it had a withered body, it was tiny and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butterfly's body, and become firm.

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

What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, were natural's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Never been able to fly.

I asked for Strength...
and I was given difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom...
and I was given problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity...
and I was given a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for Courages..
and I was given obstacles to overcome.

I asked for Love...
and I was given troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors...
And I was given Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted...
But I received everything I needed."

Postcards From My Son

[ by Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones ]

My favorite saying about your associations and my way of saying it is, "You are the same today as you're going to be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read."

Hang around thinkers; you'll be a better thinker. Hang around givers; you'll be a better giver. Hang around workers; you'll be a better worker. Hang around a bunch of thumb sucking, complaining, griping boneheads; and you will be a better thumb sucking, complaining, griping bonehead.

Now. With that said... how many of you are under sixteen yet? Great. How do you like an idea that you might be driving a Cadillac when you're sixteen? I got it for you. When my son was your age, he wasn't quite as excited as you. I said, "Jerry, do you want to have a car when you're sixteen?" "Yes." "Do you want me to help you buy that car?" "Yes sir, dad." "Alright, son, we're going to do it, but the free ride's over. No more allowance. I'm going to give you a way to make a lot of money.

Here is the deal. I am going to pick out books for you to read. There will be motivational books, history books, inspirational books; and every time I give you a book, you give me a book report. Every time I get a book report, I'll put money in your car fund. Another book report; more money in the car fund. In two years if you read in style, you'll drive in style. But if you read like a bum, you're going to drive like a bum."

Overnight he developed a fantastic hunger for reading. Now the first book I had him read was Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Now the first day he came down and said, "Dad, dad, there's a whole chapter in here on smiling and shaking hands." And he shook my hand, shook my hand - first sign of life in fourteen years. Woohoo! And he smiled at me. Then I had him read a book named Joshua in the Old Testament on discouragement. And we were going to Sunday school one week, and I said, "Jerry, how are you getting along with Joshua?" He says, "Dad, dad." He hit my leg. Imagine that, he hit my leg. And he said, "Everybody ought to have to read that book." That was a sign he was beginning to think about somebody other than himself.

Well, he read 22 books. Did he buy a car? No. He kept the money, used my car and my gas. Now but wait a minute. Don't laugh. It was worth it. Then he went off to college, and I got one of the greatest experiences of my life. And the last chapter of my book "Life is Tremendous" is about Jerry Jones (my son), and there is the reading contract to negotiate with your dad to get it in writing, so he can't change his mind.

So Jerry goes off to college and he writes me a "Dear Dad" postcard everyday for four years. You know what I used to do when I would get some of the cards? I would put my head on my desk and cry. Do you know why? He was thinking thoughts that I never dreamed a young person could think. Now he didn't have the full meaning of them, but he had read and he had the thoughts in his mind.

So I would like to read you a couple cards from college to me:

"Dear Dad, It's tremendous to be able to know that when you are in a slump, just as a baseball player will break out in time, so will you break out of yours. Yes, time really cures things. Like you said, you don't lose any problems, you just get bigger and better ones, tremendous ones. Tremendously, too. Jerry"

"Dear Dad, Just started reading a Hundred Great Lives. Thanks for what you said in the front. The part that every great man never sought to be great. He just followed the vision he had and did what had to be done. Love, Jerry."

"Dad, I just got done typing up little quotes out of the Bible and Napoleon Hill, so everywhere I look, I see them. When people ask me what they are, I tell them they are pinups. Tremendously."

"Dad, I am more convinced than ever that you can do anything you want to. You can beat anyone at anything just by working hard. Handicaps don't mean anything. Because often people that don't have them have a bad attitude and don't want to work."

"Dad, nothing new. Just the same old exciting thought that we can know God personally and forever in this amazing life."

"Dad, when you're behind two papers in the fourth quarter and you're exhausted from the game, you have to make up a set of downs in order to stay in the game, and you get up to the line and you see two, 250 pound tests staring you in the face, it sure is exciting to wait and find out what play the Lord will call next."

Well, the power of books. Now here is another one. Sammy is my nine year old grandson. I'd like to share something that I hope your dads will get for you. So last Father's Day a year ago, I'll just read you a paragraph that I wrote to Sammy on reading.

My dear Sammy, each word in this letter is bathed with my love and prayers for you. As you get older, you will discover that your mind doesn't always keep pace with your body. The food you eat can nourish your body, but the food you feed your mind and heart determines your good as a person. I am going to share a few principles I pray you will commit to memory. I could share many more, but I have tried to select ones that I wish I could have begun working on earlier in my life.

Read, read, read, read.

A proper diet is good for your body, and the best books are good for your mind.

You're life will be determined by the people you associate with and the books you read. You will come to love many people you will meet in books.

Read biographies, autobiographies and history.

Books will provide many of the friends, mentors, role models and heroes you will need in life. Biographies will help you see that there is nothing that can happen to you that wasn't experienced by many who used their failures and tragedies and disappointments as stepping stones for more tremendous lives.

Many of my best friends are people I've never met - Oswald Chambers, George Mueller, Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, Abraham Lincoln, Jean Gietzen, hundreds of others. Don't read the Bible, but instead study it. Digest it. Memorize it. Realize that God's greatest gift for our time on earth is His word. Well, know the word..."

Happy Reading!

Sometimes...

Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. We miss out some warmth in human relationship to give each other support. Treasure what you have. Just a little story for you:

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter. The boy playfully went to the medicine bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all.

It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child showed signs of poisoning the mother took him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.

QUESTIONS:

1. What were the four words?

2. What is the implication of this story?

Check with the answers only after you have tried to come up with your own.


ANSWER:

The husband just said, " I Love You Darling ".

The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. He is indeed a genius in human relationships. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world.

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little.

To be happy with a woman you must understand her a lot and love her with all your heart.


"A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step." Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears AND you will find things are actually not so difficult as you think."

There are many beautiful, charming and wonderful men and women here on earth, it's just a matter of who you get to meet along the way and who you choose to end up with for the rest of your life.

"Love has its own time, season and reason. You can't ask for it to stay. You can only embrace it when it comes and be glad that for a moment in your life, it was yours.

Four Seasons in A Tree

I must share this lovely story with you...may we live by the lessons learn from this!

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to 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 the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

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 no-it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, he said 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 ONLY one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that 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 are up.

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.

Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.

Author: Unknown

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."