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The Law of The Garbage Truck
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One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car
jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi
driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car
by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head
around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled
and waved at the guy; and I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined
your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi
driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage
Truck.'
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run
around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and
full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a
place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't
take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move
on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at
work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage
trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the
morning with regrets, so...... 'Love the people who treat you
right. Pray for the ones who don't.'
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you
take it.
~Author Unknown~
Clean Wash
===========
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young
woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know
how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young
woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice
clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has
learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our
windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
~Author Unknown~
Hole Ting
==========
Hole Ting
Hole Ting
Hole Ting
That's what my two-year-old says.
He has developed the habit of wanting it all.
My wife will often offer him a spoonful of food from her plate.
I will break off a piece of what I am eating and hand it to him.
He shakes his head.
He emphatically says, "Hole Ting."
He doesn't want a piece.
He doesn't want a spoonful.
He wants the whole thing.
I wondered, "Where did he get such behavior?"
Who taught him that?
Where did he pick it up?
Hole Ting?
Why didn't he want to share?
Why wasn't he satisfied with what was given to him?
Wasn't the piece sufficient?
The piece was plenty and he could get as many as he could eat.
Why did he want the whole thing?
Was he acting like a child or an adult?
As I watched other children, I saw that it was more innate for
children to want the whole thing.
They wanted the whole toy without sharing.
They wanted all of mama's attention.
They wanted the swing or the tricycle all of the time.
Hole Ting
Many of the conflicts and wars are over the same thing.
People don't want to share.
They want it all.
Hole Ting
It's not just for kids anymore.
TV Knob
=======
I wish there was a knob on the TV so that you could turn up
the intelligence.
They have one marked 'brightness' but it doesn't work."
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
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They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
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On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'
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'It was great, Dad.'
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'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.
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'Oh yeah,' said the son.
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'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.
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The son answered:
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'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
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We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
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We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
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Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
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We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
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We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
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We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
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We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'
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The boy's father was speechless.
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Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'
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Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
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Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
Oldschool
11-15-2008, 11:19 PM
Very true :)
W H I S P E R S O R B R I C K S
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood
street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids
darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he
saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick
smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the
Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver
then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up
against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about? Who are you?
Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you
threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"
The young boy was apologetic. "Please, Mister ... please, I'm sorry ...
I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "I threw the brick because
no one else would stop ..." With tears dripping down his face and off
his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.
"It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his
wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the
stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his
wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words,
the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He
hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took
out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A
quick look told him everything was going to be OK.
"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his
wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a
long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but
the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the
dent there to remind him of this message:
We don't have to go through life so fast that people have to throw a
brick in order to get our attention! God whispers in our souls and
speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He
has to throw a brick at us. We can either listen to the whisper ... or
wait for the brick!
.................................................. ...........
May God Bless you and keep you safe,
Father Pat
"Be still and know that I am God" ~Psalm 46:10
Two Evil Brothers
==================
There were two evil brothers. They were rich and used their money to keep their ways from the public eye. They even
attended the same church and looked to be perfect Christians. Then, their pastor retired and a new one was hired. Not only
could he see right through the brothers' deception, but he also spoke well and true, and the church started to swell in numbers. A fundraising campaign was started to build a new assembly. All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to finish paying for the new building. "I have only one condition," he said. "At his funeral, you must say my brother was a saint." The pastor gave his word and deposited the check. The next day at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said. "He cheated on his wife and abused his family." After going on in this vein for a small time, he concluded with,
"But, compared to his brother, he was a saint."
No Need to Be Discouraged
==========================
As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a local Little League baseball game that was being played in a
park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was.
"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile on his face.
"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."
"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look.
"Why should we be discouraged? We haven't even been up to bat yet."
I don't know who wrote the above joke but when life has you down, when it appears you are losing, when you think the odds
are impossibly against you, remember this little boy.
...you haven't even been up to bat yet.
Bloom Where You're Planted!
============================
In an effort to be cordial, I asked a certain young man how he was doing one day. Instead of hearing the common curt response of "Fine," he said, "I feel like I have dug myself in a hole." My response to him was, "The only place you start out on top is when you are digging a hole!" Immediately he retorted, "I didn't think I was digging a hole; I thought I was laying a foundation!" Well, the truth of the matter is that everything is a matter of perception. Your outlook determines your outcome! It's better to be in a hole than in a rut. A rut is simply a grave with both ends kicked out! The hole
that this young man dug for himself was his foundation. This is a process of life. You lose before you gain.
You give before you get. You follow before you lead. You establish a solid foundation before you build.
Before a farmer sows his fields, he first digs holes. Every beautiful flower starts out as a seed in a hole.
Every fruit-bearing tree gets its start in a hole. Most of us are in a hole of debt before we can graduate from college, but we don't have to stay there! While digging a hole is dirty work and frustrating at times, it is necessary. Thomas Edison aptly stated, "Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress."
So although being in a hole is confining and irritating, just hang on and learn to bloom where you are planted! A pearl is formed in an oyster because of an irritant that enters. That irritant causes a secretion to be released, which actually forms the pearl. So, while you are irritated, realize that a valuable pearl is being formed deep within you.
Just keep your mouth closed, and bloom where you are planted!
Bishop Dale C. Bronner, D. Min.
This story changed my life and I thought maybe it could change others too, so I'm sharing it with you.
This story was told to me by my sister, whom it happened to. She was really upset, she hadn't seen or spoken to her best
friend Jim in a couple of weeks, and he shows up at her door and commands her to get dressed and go riding with him. So she finally does. As they were riding, they passed a garden full of flowers. Jim says "Do you see those flowers?"
"Yes," she says.
"Do you think that when someone steps on those flowers that they lie there and feel sorry for themselves?" Jim says.
"No."
"No, they immediately start to mend their wounds so they can heal, and grow strong and healthy!"
They ride a little further and Jim points up in a tree, "You see those squirrels up there? Do you think that when people shoot at them they go hide forever?"
"No," she says.
About that time the ocean comes into sight.
Jim says "You see that ocean out there? Do you think that when there's a hurricane out there that the
ocean doesn't go back out because it's afraid to face the storm?"
"No," she says.
"Then, why have you stopped living because you have been hurt?"
That story really hit me like a ton of bricks!
The worst part was the fact that Jim died a short time later.
And that's when she realized how much precious time she wasted.
Why have you stopped living because you have been hurt?
Life's Echo
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A son and his father were walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, the son fallshurts 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!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains:
"People call this Echo, but really this is Life.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life.
Life will give you back everything you have given to it.
Author Unknown
Oldschool
11-26-2008, 11:30 PM
Nice story :)
What I Truly Wanted
====================
My daughter was home after graduating from college and like most was unsure of the next step. After a few rounds of active
discussion she was still unable to decide. It seems that she was trying to follow everyone's advice at the same time and no
two opinions were the same. Like every parent out there who has been in this position, I realized that whatever the decision, I was going to have to break out the old checkbook one more time. Everything worked its way out as everything usually does, but in this process I started to think of all of the things I truly wanted:
I wanted a new stereo...
I got my daughter a new bicycle
I wanted to join a health club...
I got my daughter dancing lessons
I wanted a fishing boat...
I got my daughter a new computer
I wanted a new car...
I got my daughter through college
I wanted to be happy...
I GOT MY DAUGHTER
It is sad that most of us do not understand what we truly want.
I count my blessings everyday because HE knew what I truly wanted.
Life is full of little adjustments;
the trick is to see them when they appear.
Maybe if we meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, 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 lies 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.
- Author Unknown
Hints on How to Be a Friend
============================
1. Be Trustworthy.
When a friend tells you a secret, keep it.
Don't repeat it to others.
Trust is a vital part of friendship.
Loss of trust can destroy a friendship.
2. Be sensitive.
Be aware of a friend's needs. Try to know when your friend
needs to be with you and when your friend wants to be alone.
Respect his or her wish for privacy and need for personal space.
3. Be dependable.
If you make a promise to a friend, keep it.
Don't let your friend down.
Be there for him or her in good times as well as bad.
Let friends know they can count on you.
4. Be a good listener.
Kids like to talk to someone who listens actively.
Show a genuine interest in the things that are important to your
friend. Maintain eye contact while he or she talks.
5. Be honest.
Let a friend know how you feel.
If a friend says or does something that hurts you, talk it over
with him or her privately.
Express your feelings as honestly as you can, and encourage your
friend to do the same.
Weird Docs Advice
==================
I just finished reading "3 Brands" and "Following the Smoke Trail." These two stories relate closely to something I
experienced recently in my family and I will share with you the quick version.
My grandpa is late 50's-early 60's in age. I think he was smoking before he could recite the alphabet on his own. I didn't get to see much of him or spend a lot of time with him, but whenever I did, he was sure to have a cigarette in his hand. And when that one was finished, he would light up another one. And another. And another. And another. So a year ago, for whatever reason, he decided that it was time to up and quit. He had cut down from around four packs a day to three packs, to two packs, then to four packs of lights, three packs... and finally decided enough was enough. The doctor said this would be good, even though a little late, and they were going to monitor his progress. Well, I don't know what caused it, nor do the doctors. But when my grandpa quit it gave him a disorder. The disorder is called narcolepsy. If you're not familiar with it, it's the condition that has often been the butt of many movie jokes - a person will fall asleep at random without warning and for no reason. The sleeping times are of random and various amounts. Anyway, so at first this seemed weird and the doctors told him not to worry too much, gave him some medicines that they thought might help, and figured it would go away on its own and his body was just reacting to being off a substance that it had been addicted to for so long. Wrong. Fast-forward to
one year later. The narcolepsy continued and worsened until the breaking point. What was the breaking point? Well, my grandpa was on a vacation with his wife and one of his sons. They were in Las Vegas driving down the strip. HE was driving, to be more precise. Yup, you guessed it. Lo and behold, as he was driving, he was struck by his narcolepsy and he went right out asleep ... as the car veered into oncoming traffic down the Las Vegas strip. I laugh because it always reminds me of the joke, "I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not like the screaming passengers in his car." So yes after screaming and yelling and panicking, my grandma was able to grab the steering wheel and pull it back onto the right side of traffic - where after a few more seconds my grandpa woke up. Back to the doctors - they had to go. And you know what the
doctor had to prescribe to my grandpa? They told him to start smoking again. After being clean for over a full year -
FINALLY all that hard work paid off - then the sucker-punch. His body had become so dependent on cigarettes that there was
no cure for his narcolepsy. The doctors said the only way to stop it was to start smoking again.
So now grandpa is back to smoking. Every time you see him, he will have a cigarette in his hand. I sit and wonder and try to
think what is going on in his brain. What goes through a person's mind in those situations? I imagine that after finally realizing that cigarettes were going to kill him, and after toughing the battle out, and after finally being able to stop smoking after so many years, there must have been a euphoria of excitement. Hope again. Long-term goals made, since he would no longer be tied down by cigarettes and the diseases that come with smoking. And then to go from one minute of being on the mountaintop - to tumbling down straight in the same old valley he came from. All in an instant when the doctor looked him in the eye and said "the only cure is for you to start smoking again." I will never know what he felt during those times, but I can
only imagine. And I hope this story serves not only as a bit of laughter in your day, but a lot of inspiration for your life.
Oldschool
12-26-2008, 12:44 PM
HAVE A DAISY DAY
By Mel Freer
I am sitting here tonight with my Daisy dog lying next to me on
the couch, my mother's dog, Jake, beside me on the floor, and
my pet-sitting friend, River, on her bed behind me. All sleeping
peacefully. Can it get any better?
Today, I watched Daisy as she ran through the woods at the dog
park. Her tail flew high as she leapt over a tree branch and then
floated through a group of bushes. She looked as if she hadn't a
care in the world, and to be honest, I hope she didn't have a one.
There is nothing more beautiful than seeing your rescue dog, the
one who used to freeze in fear at sudden movements or loud noises,
being so carefree and happy.
You see, Daisy is a former breeder dog. Raised in a puppy mill,
she was used by her former owners to generate a profit. Her vet
told me that Daisy had probably been kept pregnant as much as was
possible. It's likely she'd had multiple litters of puppies, all
this by the young age of four.
In December, it will have been a year since I adopted Daisy the
Wonder Dog. I am constantly amazed at her progress and still
surprised by all the new things she learns and then incorporates
into her repertoire. She is truly amazing.
There are so many things I could write about Daisy's progress these
past few months and yet, I can't help but focus on what she has
been doing these past few days. Will there ever be an end to her
growth? To her progress? I don't think so. It seems like she is
constantly surprising me with new facets of her personality.
Most mornings, Daisy and I pick up Henry, another of my wonderful
pet-sitting clients. We all head off to the dog park. Daisy, as is
her wont, claims the full back seat as her own, sprawling across
the length of the seat so she can sleep comfortably.
Henry rides shotgun; always alert for the lone squirrel crossing
the street or another dog on a walk. On occasion, he looks over at
me with his adorable puppy dog eyes. I cannot help but pet him and
tell him how cute he is. An absolute truth, and he knows it.
Usually when we drop off Henry, Daisy remains sprawled in the back,
sleeping until we near home. Then it's like she contains some
hidden radar. She sits up after the first stop sign on our street
and looks out the window. Sometimes, she stands up, tail wagging,
as she waits for me to pull into the driveway and garage.
But recently Daisy has added a new behavior. After we drop off
Henry, she climbs into the front seat. There she sits until falling
asleep. With her head drooping down lower and lower, she finally
lies down or curls up into a ball. In this position she can actually
fit her Lab body onto the seat. She lays her head on my lap between
the stick shift and my bottled water.
Daisy with her head on my lap like this is the first time she has
really sought me out for affection in that way. I know I may be
adding human emotion into the mix, but it's almost as if she feels
more at peace being near me. Her whole body relaxes, and she sleeps
more deeply, sometimes snoring gently, as I rub her belly or scratch
behind her ears. She seems to love that I can pet her continuously
from that position.
For me, it is the most peaceful ride I have ever had. There
is so much love that is contained in that one small moment in
time. Knowing how afraid Daisy was to trust anyone, including me,
for so long makes it all the more amazing and beautiful.
How does a dog who was mistreated and unloved for so much of her
early life trust enough to let me see her vulnerable? I really
am lucky.
Daisy is one special dog, and I don't think I will ever be the same
again. She has taught me so much in the past eleven months that she
has been with me including love, patience, trust, commitment, beauty,
peace, and the joy that comes from the small things in life. It's
my wish that everyone gets the chance to be blessed with the same.
Please, have a Daisy day on me.
Bio:
Melissa Freer is the owner of Mel's Pet Pals, a dog-walking and pet-
sitting business in Eagan, Minnesota. She has also been a volunteer
dog walker, STAR volunteer, and foster mom for the past seven years
at the Minnesota Valley Humane Society. She has a blog dedicated
to Daisy and her progress from puppy mill dog to beloved dog and
friend. You can read more about Daisy at
http://daisythewonderdog.blogspot.com/
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
Has a rescued animal touched your heart with the blessing of placing
trust in you?
* * * * *
ANGEL ANIMALS QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"My favorite animal is the mule. He has more horse sense than
a horse. He knows when to stop eating -- and he knows when to
stop working."
--Harry S. Truman
"Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally
speaking, they are ignored."
--Alice Walker
* * * * *
Advent is for Longing
Posted December 23rd @ 10:11 am by Steven Koster
Is it Christmas time? Or Advent? How should we feel and think about this time of year?
Try this scenario: Right after Halloween, we start planning and stockpiling for the Holiday, with maybe some bonus early shopping. By late November, just as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, we burst into full Christmas mode. The decorations go up, the lights get strung, the carols are 24/7, and Santa encamps at the mall for pictures and maximum retailage. And by December 26, it’s all over except the bills. That’s how we celebrate Christmas!
Now contrast this: Advent is a season of emptiness, of longing. The decorations are sparse, the readings are about promises not yet fulfilled. It’s the season of John the Baptizer proclaiming in the desert. The songs are not yet “Joy to the World,” but “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “O Lord, how shall I meet you? How welcome you aright?” Rather like Lent, Advent is about waiting and self-reflection. It’s remembering Israel’s exile and our own longing:
The season of Advent, a season of waiting, is designed to cultivate our awareness of God’s actions—past, present, and future. In Advent we hear the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming as addressed to us—people who wait for the second coming. In Advent we heighten our anticipation for the ultimate fulfillment of all Old Testament promises, when the wolf will lie down with the lamb, death will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away. (CICW)
In Advent, we dwell on our need for Christ’s coming, looking back to Bethlehem and forward to the New Jerusalem. It not until Christmas that the party explodes. Christmas Day is still the climax of the season, but rather than being the end, it is the beginning of celebration that carries on in worship for weeks. We sing of God’s faithfulness and his promises fulfilled. We sing from Christmas Day, through New Years, right to early January (Epiphany, the traditional arrival of the wise men, is January 6, for instance, hence the twelve days of Christmas).
My point is not so much that we should all observe the liturgical calendar in detail, but that there’s more going on right now than hanging tinsel. There’s a lot of wisdom in that old pattern, wisdom that could be a counter-cultural witness, even to ourselves as worshiping Christians. We have a story to tell of longing, right now, that should stand out in our culture. But most of us aren’t aware how much culture shapes even church holidays. As my friend Scott puts it, “Secular society knows a little something about Christmas but virtually nothing about Advent. The danger for the Church is to end up going in this same direction.”
My point, my fear, is that the we have, out of ignorance or indifference, drifted into thinking about Christmas in Hallmark and secular terms, rather than Biblical themes. We are the poorer for it, and our witness is less striking and counter-cultural. Those of us who don’t come out of a liturgical tradition would do well to learn a bit more about the way the church has celebrated Advent and Christmas through the centuries if only for perspective.
God promised that Immanuel would come. And he promised he would come again. Let us be prepared, not exhausted.
Oldschool
01-25-2009, 01:14 PM
Scripture: John 14:2
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” KJV
The story is told of a stranger who came by the other day and wanted to buy the beautiful old barn that sits out by the highway. He was a city type and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.
Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there’s been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun’s beat down on that old barn till all the paint’s gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired. Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.
That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there, gazing at that old barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den in a new country home he’s building down the road. He said you couldn’t get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood.
It came to me then. We’re a lot like that, you and I. Only it’s on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too --- and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap. But the Good Lord knows what He’s doing. And as the years pass He’s busy using the hard wealth of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons, to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce. And to think how often folks holler because they want life easy!
They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man’s house. And I reckon someday you and I’ll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord has for us on the Great Sky Ranch.
And I suspect we’ll be more beautiful then for the seasons we’ve been through --- and just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father’s house.
Prayer: Father thank you for preparing me over the years to join you in heaven. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Mama Has Long School
=====================
. . .and a little child shall lead you.
Children can teach us a lot.
My son taught me another lesson.
He goes to school at 8:30 each morning.
He is typical of virtually all children and prefers to stay at
home. He has his usual whining about school each morning.
My wife will either pick him up at 1pm or 3pm depending on her
schedule.
She started taking classes twice each week to get her real
estate brokers license. Her class is from 9 to 5 each day.
It is a 1 hour drive in the rush hour traffic to get to the
class. That means she is out of the house by 8am twice each
week and doesn't get home until after 6.
On those days, I take my son to school.
This was one of those days.
He was unusually quiet and cooperative.
As we pulled into the school parking lot he said,
"You know daddy, mama has to go to school a lot longer than I
do."
I hadn't thought of it in those terms.
Neither had he until this morning.
He learned the important lesson of relativity.
All things in the material world are relative.
His school didn't seem so bad now.
Mama was gone from early until late.
He was only at school until early afternoon.
Suddenly things weren't so bad.
Life is relative.
Complaining about the job that you have to go to early each day?
Think about the over 500,000 workers who filed for unemployment
last month.
Complaining about the husband who won't help wash the dishes
or the wife who uses paper plates instead of washing dishes?
Think about the ones who took off and never came home for
dinner.
Complaining about the extra bit of fat around your stomach?
Think about all those whose ribs show from lack of food.
"You know daddy, mama has to go to school a lot longer than I
do."
Mama, exhausted from class all day, housework,
childcare and driving, looks at her son and says,
"boy, he sure has it easy."
Others look at mama and say, "boy, she sure has it easy,
with a few kids and a good husband."
Life is relative. Learn to see your blessings.
Though you, like my son, carry a heavy load based on your
perception,
Boy, you sure have it easy.
Evergreens
===========
A comment on the issue, "Winter Is Coming!"
Winter is coming and winter is here.
Another word for winter in this context is famine. Many COULD
falter by this economic downturn but NONE of us needs to.
It's all about adapting to the environment. Nature tells us
this every day. For example, if you go outside in the spring,
all of the tress has leaves. It's not until the winter comes
that you see which trees have learned to adapt to their
surroundings and hold their foliage year-round. There's no
hiding them. They are the EVERGREENS.
No matter how bad the external forces of the environment,
evergreens (conifers) are a constant fixture year-round. It's
embedded in their physical makeup. For many years, Christians
have BLENDED into the fabric of society, just like all trees do
in the spring. As winter approaches, however, external
circumstances tell if we as Christians are truly "evergreen".
The upcoming trials will testify in every person's life if our
faith will remain as grounded in God thru the famine as it was
in the times of plenty. In the end only a few will remain
standing because what we are on the inside will keep us glowing
to a dark world on the outside.
A Chinese proverb says it best: "It is only when the cold
season comes that we know pine and cypress to be evergreens."
Oldschool
01-26-2009, 08:42 AM
Scripture: John 20:29
“Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." NIV
I had a dream, Joseph. I don’t understand it. I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about. The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought new clothes. They’d gone shopping many times and bought elaborate gifts. It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren’t for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree.
Yes, a tree, Joseph, right in their house. They’d decorated the tree also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on top of the tree. It looked like an angel might look.
Oh, it was beautiful. Everyone was laughing and happy.
They were all excited about the gifts. They gave the gifts to each other, Joseph, not to our Son. I don’t think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name. Doesn’t it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone’s birthday if they don’t know Him?
I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding. Everything was so beautiful; and Joseph everyone so full of cheer, but it made me want to cry. How sad for Jesus not to be wanted at His own birthday celebration.
I’m glad it was only a dream. How terrible Joseph --- if it had been real.
Prayer: Father please help me to always remember Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
it's true..............a lot of decorations but very few nativities were set up............The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for nearly a month Christians await the coming of Christ in a spirit of expectation, singing hymns of longing. Then, on December 25, Christmas Day itself ushers in twelve days of celebration, ending only on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany. This tradition has been lost and should be renewed again
Oldschool
01-27-2009, 05:55 AM
It'll be really sad if that tradition is gone forever :(
Its sad that you never hear about it, every one is so wrapped up in the traditions today (decorations, buying presents etc) and not everyone goes to Church, just on the big holidays (Easter, Christmas, Ash Wednesday) that they forget the real traditions. its up to christians like us to bring back these traditions
The Splinter
========
Once there was a man who thought to cross America on foot.
He bought a map of the USA and carefully plotted out his course.
He would take the back roads and walk from morning till night,
viewing the beautiful land all around him as he went, stopping
at wayside inns and spending the night, rising the next morning
to begin his journey again.
On the morning of the beginning of his journey, he walked
outside on his porch and viewed the beautiful sunrise.
As he headed back into his house, his foot caught on a loose
board and a splinter wedged in the ball of his right foot.
The man sat down and lifted his foot and yelled at the splinter,
“Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!”
Rising, he went inside and finished preparing for his journey.
Heavy socks and thick walking shoes were to be his protection
against the hard earth. T-shirt and shorts would be his main
clothing. A backpack with a change of clothes and trail mix, a
map and plans for the trip, identification and a first aid kit
along with various other items completed his gear. A full belly
and plenty of sunscreen and he was off on his journey.
The man had not gone very far from home when he started to limp.
The splinter seemed to grow larger and larger. But the man was
determined and continued on his way.
That night he stopped at a little Bed and Breakfast Inn and got
a room for the night. After eating supper at a local diner, he
prepared for the morning before going to sleep. Finishing his
shower, the man sat on the side of his bed, lifted his right
foot and yelled at the splinter, “Out! Get out of my foot!
Out, I say!” And then he went to bed.
The following morning, the man rose up and started dressing for
the day. He lifted his foot and yelled at the splinter, “Out!
Get out of my foot! Out, I say!” Then he renewed his journey.
The sun rose with a spectacular view as the world shimmered
awake, but the man limped by with his eyes on his right foot,
glancing up only now and then, missing a lot of the views.
The roadside bloomed in wonderful shades of blues, greens, reds,
yellows, purples, oranges and burgundies. Rabbits hopped and
deer cropped in the fields all around. The birds sang and flew
all around the man, but he was unaware. The splinter was bigger
now, of that he was sure, as big as a two by four or maybe
more.
The sunset came that evening in glorious hues of purples, reds,
oranges and blues, but the man did not notice. He focused on the
painful throbbing of his right foot.
His mornings and nights started rolling together as the splinter
grew and grew and grew, and his limp got bigger and bigger and
bigger. His views got smaller and smaller as he focused more and
more on his right foot.
Each morning and each night, the man would lift his foot and yell
at the splinter, “Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!”
Halfway across America he went, inch by painful inch. Finally he
could stand it no longer, caught a bus and went home.
Calling his best friend along the way to tell him he was coming
home, the man settled into the swaying of the bus. Every so
often, he would take off his right shoe, remove his right sock
and yell at the splinter, “Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!”
Home at last, the man limped down his driveway to find his best
friend waiting for him on his doorstep. All excited, his friend
asked him about what he had seen, where he had gone and what he
had done.
The man had nothing to tell him but the splinter that was lodged
in his right foot. It hurt so much that he didn’t feel like
looking at the view. It hurt so much that he didn’t feel like
walking, much less going anywhere special. It hurt so much that
he didn’t feel like doing anything exciting. It hurt so much
that he came home with his journey incomplete.
Then his friend asked the man,
“Why didn’t you remove the splinter?”
So many times in life, we let splinters get in our way.
Instead of removing them and enjoying the rest of our journey,
we simply yell at them thinking they will respond to our
complaining and fussing. Then we cut the trip short.
What splinters do you carry?
~Author Unknown~
A Tour of Heaven
===========
A newly arrived soul in Heaven was met by St. Peter. The saint
toured the soul around Heaven. Both of them walked side by side
inside a large workroom filled with angels.
St. Peter stopped in front of the first section and said,
"This is the Receiving Section. Here, all the petitions to God
said in prayer are received."
The soul looked at the section, and it was terribly busy with so
many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper
sheets from all the people of the world.
They walked again until they reached the 2nd section, and St.
Peter told the soul, "This is the Packaging and Delivery
Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for
are packed and delivered to the people who asked for them down
on earth."
The soul saw how busy it was. There were so many angels working
in that room, since so many blessings were being packed and
delivered to Earth.
Finally, at the farthest corner of the room, the soul stopped at
the last section. To the surprise of the soul, only one angel
stayed there idly, doing nothing.
"This is the Acknowledging Section," St. Peter told the soul.
The soul asked, "How is that; there is no work here?"
"That's the sad thing," St. Peter answered, "after the people
received the blessings they asked for, very few send their
acknowledgments."
"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?"
"Simple," St. Peter answered, "Just say Thank you, Lord."
~Author Unknown~
I just moved to a new town where I don't know anyone. I've had
phone conversations with friends and family but not a single
face-to-face conversation with anyone in the two weeks I've been
here.
Since I've moved, I've gotten in the habit of stopping at the
same convenience store each morning for a cup of coffee.
This morning, the owner recognized me from coming in every day
and commented on it. We had a brief conversation, and as I
turned to leave, he said, "God bless you; you are so nice."
Those words stayed with me for the rest of the day. He had no
way of knowing how grateful I was for that simple conversation,
and I was probably the only person that day who recognized him
as a person, not just the man behind the counter.
In a time when people seem so scared to talk about God, his
simple words "God bless you," touched me more than I can explain.
It was a MountainWings Moment.
~A MountainWings Original by Amy, Louisville, KY~
When did you last recognize the person behind the counter?
Oldschool
03-07-2010, 07:30 AM
A good point, small things can make a difference :)
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