We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik
in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and
talking.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded
his fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were wide with
excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He wriggled
and giggled with merriment.
I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man
with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants
were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of
would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and
unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his
nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.
We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His
hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; hi there,
big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik.
My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?"
Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi, hi there." Everyone in the
restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old
geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.
Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do
ya know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows
peek-a-boo."
Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My
husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for
Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring
skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.
We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband
went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot.
The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me
out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed.
As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep
him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik learned
over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up"
position.
Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to
the man's.
Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated
their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust, love and
submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The
man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His
aged hands full of grime, pain and hard labor - gently, so gently
cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back.
No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I
stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms
for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He
said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby."
Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone.
He pried Erik from his chest - unwillingly, longingly, as though he
were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you,
ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."
I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I
ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and
holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God,
forgive me."
I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a
tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a
soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes.
I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I
felt it was God asking - "Are you willing to share your son for a
moment?" -- when He shared His for all eternity.
The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the
Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."
I sure can't add anything of significance to Nancy's story, except
to wish you all Happy Holidays.
- Author Unknown
A Picture Of Peace
------------------
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would
paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King
looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked
and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for
peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue
sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that
it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and
bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which
lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming
waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King
looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack
in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There,
in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her
nest... perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize?
The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because,"
explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where
there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the
midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is
the real meaning of peace."
- Author Unknown
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.
- Author Unknown
What Was In Jeremy's Egg?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
(Ida Mae Kemple)
Jeremy was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and a chronic,
terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young
life. Still his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as
possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School.
At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable
to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with
him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises.
At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of
light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time,
however, Jeremy irritated his teacher.
One day, she called his parents and asked them to come to St.
Theresa's for a consultation. As the Forresters sat quietly in the
empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a
special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children
who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five-year gap
between his age and that of the other students!"
Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke.
"Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It
would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of
this school. We know he really likes it here."
Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow
outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She
wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only
child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her
class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a
distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write.
Why waste any more time trying?
As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. "Oh God," she
said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing
compared with that poor family! Please help me to be more patient
with Jeremy."
From that day on, she tried to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank
stares. Then one day he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg
behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed loudly enough
for the whole class to hear. The other children snickered, and
Doris's face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-Why, that's very nice,
Jeremy. Now please take your seat."
Spring came, and the chidden talked excitedly about the coming of
Easter. Doris told them of the story of Jesus, and then to
emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of
the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want
you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something
inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Miss Miller!" the children responded enthusiastically - all
except for Jeremy. He just listened intently, his eyes never left
her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood
what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he
understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and
explain the project to them.
That evening, Doris's kitchen sink stopped up. She called the
landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After
that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and
prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot
about phoning Jeremy's parents.
The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking
as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss
Miller's desk. After they completed their Math lesson, it was time
to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes,
a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants
peek through the ground we know that spring is here." A small girl
in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she
called out.
The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real.
Doris held it up, "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows
into a beautiful butterfly. Yes that is new life, too." Little Judy
smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."
Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that the
moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the
classroom. "My Daddy helped me!" he beamed.
Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty!
Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not
understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone
his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly
set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly Jeremy spoke
up.
"Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered,
Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!" He looked into her
eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"
Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you
know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Jesus
was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up!"
The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the
school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely
away.
Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at
the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket,
all of them empty.
Think, Believe, Dream, And Dare
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
An eight-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing
well, looked up into his eyes, and asked:
"I understand you're a very wise man. I'd like to know the secret
of life."
The old man looked down at the youngster and replied:
"I've thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up
in four words
The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your
life by.
The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking
you've done about the values you're going to live your life by.
The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be, based on
your belief in yourself and the values you're going to live by.
The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on
your belief in yourself and your values. "
And with that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy, "Think,
Believe, Dream, and Dare."
- Author Unknown
