Inspirations - Just a few things to think about...

FIVE GREAT LESSONS:
The Important Things Life Teaches You...

1.  Most Important Question

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz.
I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I
read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several
times.  She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her
name?  I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the  professor.  "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant.  They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'.
"I've never forgotten that lesson.  I also learned her name was Dorothy. 

2.  Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.  Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.   The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab.   She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and drove away. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came along.  Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.  God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole

3.  Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table.  A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.   "How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a  number of coins in it.  "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired.   Some people were now waiting for a table and
the waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins.  "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.  The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away.   The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.  When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.  There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies - her tip.

4.  The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway.  Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.  On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.  After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.  The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

5.  Giving Blood

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.  I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks.  Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going
to have to give his sister all of his blood. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Attitude

CHOOSE HOW YOU START  YOUR DAY..TOMORROW

Michael is the kind of guy you love  to hate.  He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When  someone would  ask  him how he was doing, he would reply,  "If I were any better, I'd be  twins!" He was a natural motivator.  If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the  positive  side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one  day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it.  You can't be positive all the time.  How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I  wake up and say to myself, 'Mike, you have two choices today.  You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.'  I choose to be in a good mood. Each  time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out  the positive side of life.  I choose the
positive side of life."

"Yeah, right.  It isn't that easy," I protested.   "Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice.  You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.  The bottom line is: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Michael said.  Soon thereafter, I left the tower industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.  After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw Michael about six months after the accident.  When I asked him how he was,
he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins.  Wanna see myscars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well being of my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied."Then, as I lay on the ground,  I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared?  Did you lose consciousness?"  I asked.   Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great.  They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.'  I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael.  "She asked me if I was allergic to anything.  'Yes,' I said.  The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.  I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity.'

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operation on me as if I am alive, not dead'." Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.  I learned from him that every day we have a choice to live fully.  Attitude is everything.

Remembering Independence Day

 Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration
of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons
captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.  They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers
and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the
Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept
from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his
debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his
family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his
reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton,
Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General
Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged
General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died
bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife,
and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children
fled for their lives. His fields and his
gristmill were laid to waste, he found his wife dead and his children vanished.
A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not
wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education.   They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged:

"For the support of this declaration, with firm  reliance on the protection of
the divine providence,  we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our
fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books  never
told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't  fight
just the British. We were British subjects at that time  and we fought our own
government!

Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take
a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these
patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: Freedom is
never free!

It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a  sin, and  the Fourth of
July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

Satan's Convention

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth.  We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church; let them have their conservative
lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ.

This is what I want you to do angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" shouted his angels. "Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, and borrow.  Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10 - 12 hours a day, so they can
afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work." "Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical, contradicting music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ."

"Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards.  Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders.  Send them to Amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies instead. "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled
emotion." "Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there. Has the devil been successful at his scheme? You be the judge. How about this definition of Busy:
B?being
U?under
S?Satan's
Y?yoke

Wow huh, makes one think... Satan's goal is to take our minds and hearts off Christ then steer us toward the cares of the world. God wants us to enjoy life but He must be first. If we are too busy for God, then we are too busy!

Dear Lord, help me to leave spaces in my days for quiet growth, for new ideas, for dreams and new insights, for new perspectives and directions, for listening for Your quiet voice, and sensing Your will for me. ... Let me not limit my quiet time with You, lest I miss out on what Your Holy Spirit has uniquely for me! ... Let me not be impatient, afraid of being becalmed; let me learn to wait until the breath of the Holy Spirit fills my sails, and I can set forth on a course, secure in the knowledge that it is the one that You have charted for me. In the name of Jesus I pray.

Amen.

The Price of a Child

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. (talk about sticker shock!) That doesn't even touch college tuition! For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the things you could have bought, all the places you could have traveled, all the money you could have banked, if not for your child.  For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down.  It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month or $171.08 a week.  That's a mere $24.44 a day.  Just over a dollar an hour.  Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be rich. It's just the opposite!

There's no way to put a price tag on:

* Feeling a new life move for the first time and seeing the bump of a knee rippling across your skin.
* Having someone cry, "It's a boy!" or shout, "It's a girl!" then hearing the baby wail and knowing all that matters is it's healthy.
* Counting all 10 fingers and toes for the first time.
* Feeling the warmth of fat cheeks against your breast.
* Cupping an entire head in the palm of your hand.
* Making out "da-da" or "ma-ma" from all the cooing and gurgling.

What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights. First, middle and last.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles and
skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how
your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140:

* You never have to grow up.
* You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch
lightning bugs and never stop believing in Santa Claus.
* You have an excuse to keep reading the adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies and wishing on
stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts and flowers under refrigerator magnets
and collect spray-painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, handprints set in
clay for Mother's Day and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140:

* You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling the
wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs and coaching a baseball team
that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
* You get a front-row seat to witness the first step, first word, first bra,
first date, first time behind the wheel.
* You get to be immortal.
* You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a
long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.
* You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice,
communications and human sexuality no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you can do anything.  You have the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

This week, remember and enjoy the return(s) on your investment!

            "One Liners"

1.  Give God what's right - not what's left.

2.  "Pray" is a four-letter word you can say anywhere
        - except in public schools.

3.  Man's way leads to a hopeless end - God's way leads to
    an endless hope..

4.  A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

5.  He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

6.  To be almost saved is to be totally lost.

7.  In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma
    - but never let him be the period.

8.  Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.

9.  God grades on the cross, not the curve.

10. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church
    for a facelift.

11. When praying, don't give God instructions - just
    report for duty.

12. God doesn't want shares of your life - He wants a
    controlling interest.

13. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church.

14. We don't change God's message - His message changes us.

15. The church is prayer-conditioned.

16. When God ordains, He sustains.

17. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

18. Plan ahead - It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

19. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

20. Suffering with truth decay? Brush up on your Bible.

21. Exercise daily - walk with the Lord.

22. Coincidences happen when God chooses to remain anonymous.

23. Wisdom has two parts -

    1) having a lot to say;  2) not saying it.

24. Never give the devil a ride - he will always want to drive.

25. A clean conscience makes a soft pillow.

26. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

27. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps
    coming back.

28. He who angers you controls you.

29. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

30. Give Satan an inch & he'll be a ruler.

31. Forbidden fruits create many jams.

32. Be ye fishers of men - you catch them & He'll clean them.

33. Deciding not to choose Jesus is still making a choice.

34. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

35. Read the Bible - It will scare the hell out of you.

36. If God is your co-pilot - swap seats.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

Buried Mule

     Once there was a farmer who owned an old mule.  One day the mule fell into the farmer's well.  After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.  Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
     Initially, the old mule was hysterical!  But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he could shake it off and step up!  This he did time and again.  Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up.
     He repeated this phrase to encourage himself.  No matter how painful or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up.  And it wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well.   What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.  If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic and bitterness- -the adversities that come along to bury us have the potential to actually benefit us!

Things To Ponder for 2001

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun.

Birthdays are good for you: the more you have the longer you live.

How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than
the people who have to wait for them.

If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?

Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing in the store is free yet?

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Don't cry because its over; smile because it happened.

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names,and all are different colors ...but they all have learned to live in the same box.

Definition of FAMILY

       I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
       "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
       He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't
       watching for you." We were very polite,
       this stranger and I.
      
       We went on our way and we said good-bye. But
       at home a different story is told, How we
       treat our loved ones, young and old.
      
       Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
       My son stood beside me very still. When
       I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
      
       "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
       He walked away, his little heart broken. I
       didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
      
       While I lay awake in bed, God's still small
       voice came to me and said, "While dealing
       with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
       but the children you love, you seem to abuse.
      
       Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some
       flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers
       he brought for you.
      
       He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
       He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
       and you never saw the tears that filled his little
       eyes." By this time, I felt very small, And now
       my tears began to fall.
      
       I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up,
       little one, wake up," I said.  "Are these the
       flowers you picked for me?"
      
       He smiled, "I found'em, out by the tree. I
       picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
       I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
      
       I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted
       today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
      
       He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
      
       I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers,
       especially the blue."
      
       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 to 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!

WHICH ARE YOU?
(Author Unknown)

A daughter complained to her father about life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of struggling. It seemed that as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl.  Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.Turning to her he asked.

"What do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it.  After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.She said, "What's the point?"

He explained that each of the items had faced the same adversity -  boiling water - but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong and hard . But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.  The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

SOMEBO

VOICE OF COMPASSION

I heard a story about Fiorello LaGuardia who was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII. He was adored by many New Yorkers who took to calling him the "Little Flower," because he was so short and always wore a carnation in his lapel.

He was a colorful character --  he rode the New York City fire trucks, raided city "speakeasies" with the police department, took entire orphanages to baseball games, and when the New York newspapers went on strike, he got on the radio and read the
Sunday funnies to the kids.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city.  LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving.

But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor," the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson."   LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions. Ten dollars or ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous hat, saying, "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."

The following day, New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered woman who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren Fifty cents of that amount was contributed by the grocery store owner himself, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

Someone beautifully said, "Sympathy sees and says, 'I'm sorry.'   Compassion sees and says, 'I'll help.' " When we learn the difference, we can make a difference.

WHO PACKED YOUR PARACHUTE?

 "What I do today is important because I have traded a day of my life for
it."
                                                           - Anon.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam.
After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air
missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands.  He was captured
and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.  He survived the ordeal and
now lectures on lessons learned from that experience. 

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers.  I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said "Good morning", "How are you?" or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute.  He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes, in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute. 

Who packed your parachute?

The Quilt

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes.  Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally ! the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes..... I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took from me my world as I knew it. I had to start over many times, I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me. Now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it! for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. A gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you. May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

Please share this with someone you love, care about or even someone who needs Jesus in their heart. They may scoff, but at least the seed has been planted, and God will do the rest. May God bless you today.
 

Author Unknown

OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD

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

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

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

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread laughing.

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

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms to play with. I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from?

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." 

Just a reminder about the important things in life -- I wish you mud puddles and dandelions!

--Author Unknown

Mother Teresa's Advice

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true
enemies; 
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build it anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.