The richness of nature

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 can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people can be?” 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.”

Dandelions

When grown ups look at a patch of dandelions, they  see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over their yard …… Kids see flowers for their Mom and blowing white fluff they an wish on.

When grown ups look at an old drunk and he smiles at them, they  see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and they look away. Kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

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

When grown ups feel wind on their face,  the brace themselves against it.They  feel it messing up their hair and pulling them back when they walk. Kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When grown ups pray, they say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that. Kids say, “Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don’t want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy.”

When grown ups see a mud puddle they step around it. They see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. Kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and molding clay to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children! Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

How to Stay Young

• Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
• Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
• Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ” An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.
• Enjoy the simple things.
• Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
• The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
• Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
•  Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
•  Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
• Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

And always remember: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

There are moments in life when you miss someone to love so much …

… that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

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.

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.

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 humble, enough hope to make you happy.

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

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward 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 at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You may wish to send this to those who mean something to you; to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, and to those whose friendship you appreciate. Don’t, miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone’s day with this message.

Stay in touch with your dreams. They will always write back.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

… One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find his lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.

“Today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.”

People will forget what you said… People will forget what you did… But people will never forget how you made them feel…

THE TONGUE CAN BE YOUR WORST ENEMY!

Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create
conditions in your life.
What you speak about, you can bring about.

If you keep saying you can’t stand your job, you might lose your job.
If you keep saying you can’t stand your body, your body can become sick.
If you keep saying you can’t stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.
If you keep saying you’re broke, guess what? You’ll always be broke.
If you keep saying you can’t trust a man or trust a woman, you will
always find someone in your life To hurt and betray you.
If you keep saying you can’t find a job, you will remain unemployed.
If you keep saying you can’t find someone to love you or believe in you,
your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.
If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then
you might end up with it.

There is power in the tongue.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power packed with faith, hope, love and action.
Don’t be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your Words, they become actions.
Watch your Actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.

The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

In the search for Me, I discovered Truth.
In the search for Truth, I discovered Love.
In the search for Love, I discovered GOD.
And in God, I have found Everything.

Be Blessed

Watch how your circumstances and situations begin to change when you change the way you speak.
Pass this on to as many people……as you can, so they can change their lives, too.

“Life is like melted butter. . .once things cool down, it can be
reshaped!”

Faith makes all things Possible.
Hope makes all things Work.
Love makes all things Beautiful

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics …

… nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back……every one of them.

One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.” Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.

Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. If you pass this on, we may be able to change our hearts as well as someone else’s.

“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle”

A new preacher was walking with an older more seasoned preacher in the garden one day.

Feeling a bit insecure, he wondered aloud about the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his Ministry. Walking to a rosebush, the older preacher plucked a rosebud and asked the younger preacher to open it without tearing off any petals. It wasn’t long before the young preacher realized how impossible it was to do so.

Noticing the younger preacher’s dilemma, the older preacher said. “It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design; but a man’s clumsy hands cannot open it. The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to us. GOD opens this flower so sweetly, when in our hands they break up and die. If we cannot unfold a simple rosebud, then how can we have the wisdom to unfold our lives? So let us trust Him to lead each moment of our days. Let us look to him for His guidance each step of the pilgrim’s way. The pathway that lies before us, only our Heavenly Father knows. He is the master designer. Let us trust Him to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose”