**********************************************************

VICTORY GARDEN  

HOW TO PLANT YOUR OWN VICTORY GARDEN

[ 1 ]       First plant five rows of PEAS

PREPAREDNESS
PROMPTNESS
PERSEVERANCE
POLITENESS
PRAYER

[ 2 ]       Next to them, plant three rows of SQUASH

SQUASH GOSSIP
SQUASH CRITICISM
SQUASH INDIFFERENCE

[ 3 ]       Then, plant five rows of LETTUCE

LET US BE FAITHFULL
LET US BE UNSELFISH
LET US BE LOYAL
LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER
LET US BE TRUTHFUL

[ 4 ]       And no garden is complete without TURNIPS

TURN UP FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL
TURN UP WITH SMILES
TURN UP WITH DETERMINATION
TURN UP WITH A PRAYER ON YOUR HEART
TURN UP WITH A LOVE FOR GOD AND YOUR FELLOWMAN

**********************************************************

" LET'S " KEEP THE LINE MOVING

By Sam Of San Francisco

Just so you know, I hate to shop and especially hate grocery stores. My biggest gripe about them is that when I'm standing in an express lane and the checker doesn't know the price of an item, why do they have to do a PRICE CHECK ? Every time this happens all forward progress in the line is halted. The customers wait and wait and wait. I've often wondered why the checker doesn't just make an educated guess on the price and, if the customer doesn't mind, then charge him that price. Especially if the store happens to be crowded. Anything to keep the line moving. So what if he's off by ten percent ? It usually amounts to pennies. Besides, its not going to bankrupt the store and at the same time its good for public relations.

A similar experience happened to me last Sunday, but this time I was the one holding up the line. I was at the grocery store buying some food for the 49er football game that was being televised later that afternoon. The store was very crowded. As I was standing in line another checker opened up her register. A bunch of us went over to her check stand. When my turn came she rang me up.

The total came to $20.21. All I had was a twenty dollar bill so I told her to take back a can of soup. By the time I finished getting the words out of my mouth, most of my groceries had already been bagged. The checker looked at me and asked, " You just have a twenty ?" I answered, " Yes. " She looked at her register and said something like, "Sheese, its only twenty-one cents. Don't worry about it. "

When I got home I looked at my receipt. It read:

Balance Due: $20.21

Cash: $20.21

**********************************************************

             

" A BIG HEART "

By H.
Of Laguna Beach

- - - - - - - - - -

I'm a flight attendant for a major airline. One afternoon while running through LAX to my plane I tore one of my nylon stockings. It was a real bad tear and I wasn't carrying another pair with me. Fortunately there was a convenience store in the terminal that was close to my gate where I knew I could buy a new pair. However, to my surprise, as I waited in line at the sales register I discovered that I had NO MONEY in my purse.

I thought to myself that maybe the store manager will sell me a pair of $4.00 nylons and let me pay her back the next time I see her. I've been inside her store a lot and she always smiles and is friendly to me, even though we've never been introduced. When it was my turn to pay I showed her my leg and explained that I had no money on me. And that I was desperate. She laughed and simply said, " take them. "

Well, for whatever reason, two months passed and I still had not paid the manager back the money I owed her.

Then one day at work before my flight departed I was busy doing my usual preflight preparations when a passenger asked me for a newspaper. There was no paper on the plane to give him. He then asked me if I wouldn't mind going into the terminal to buy him one. I said, " sure ", and he handed me a quarter.

I deplaned and walked to the same convenience store. Before I entered the store I noticed the manager was there. I was too embarrassed to go inside because I had never paid her back and I wasn't carrying my wallet.

So, I decided that I would just stand outside the store and flag down the first person I saw and ask him or her to buy me a paper.

A giant of a man with a friendly face approached. Before he could walk past me I stopped him and asked if he would buy me a newspaper. He smiled and said that he would do so gladly but wanted to know why I couldn't do it myself. I told him that I was too embarrassed to tell anyone the reason. He was rather jovial and kept saying, " ah, come on, tell me. Surely it isn't that bad. " I liked him. There was something very sweet and gentle about him. I needed a newspaper so I gave in and told him.

Suddenly he said " hold on ", and in one fell swoop whisked me up into his arms and carried me into the store, right over to the counter where the manager was. I was laughing the whole way. With his free hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill and said, " I'd like to pay for the nylons this person owes you and for a newspaper. "

I later learned that the big, gentle man was Rosie Grier, the former LA Ram and Hall of Fame football player.

- - - - - - - - - -

The Fearsome Foursome, Los Angeles Rams
1960's N.F.L. Quarterbacks

Lamar Lundy, Roosevelt Grier, Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones

**********************************************************

" The Outsider "

By Melissa Knapp

- - - - - - - - - -

I remember a time when I was in grade school. A family had just moved to our small community and one of their children was in my class. She was immediately marked as an outsider. I suppose she got this label for being new, and for her appearance.

Her clothes were old and her shoes were dirty and torn. Although she was clean and did not smell, the kids instantly named her Miss Piggy. I did not join in with their teasing and I was teased some for not joining in. It was hard, but I held my ground. I stayed away from her so the other kids would not think we were friends, and so I wouldn't be teased for not teasing her.

The school year was over. Summer was upon me. I always enjoyed the summer and spent most of my weekends with my mother going shopping. One day while we were out, my mother stopped at a yard sale. We were looking around when I heard a voice call my name and say " Hi. " It was her, the girl who everyone picked on; the girl who I deliberately avoided.

I smiled and said " Hello " back to her. Then I proceeded to walk to my car. I was worried that one of my friends would see us together and assume that she and I were friends.

She spoke again and said, " Wait, please. I need to say something to you. "

By this time I was already at my car, with the door open. I looked around and prayed that none of my friends were anyplace where they could see me. Then I motioned for her to come to the window. I sat in the car and she began to speak.

" I wanted to thank you for being so nice to me in school, for not treating me like I was worthless, and for being my friend. I've never had a friend before. The other school I went to was the same way. See, my parents don't have a lot of money, but they give us everything we need, and all the love we could want. Anyway, thank you for being my friend. "

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't say, " You're welcome. " Although I never said any words to hurt her, in a way I was still just as mean as the other kids. I felt terrible. I didn't even come close to being like a friend to her. Here she was, someone without any friends, and she thought because I had never teased her, that made me a friend. Out of guilt or whatever, I invited her to spend the night at my house. Not surprisingly, we became good friends afterwards.

Sadly, her family moved to another state a year later, and I never saw her again.

I was so glad that she could see a friend in me, and so ashamed that I couldn't see one in her. In my heart, and I know in hers too, distance and time don't matter. I am still her friend and she will always be mine !

**********************************************************

" NO AMOUNT OF WORDS "

OR THANKS ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD AND A OLD PERSON VERY HAPPY

By Anterra

- - - - - - - - - -

I was standing in line behind an elderly woman who was picking up a prescription. She was short a few pennies and appeared to be confused. She searched through her purse again and again trying to find some pennies. As she diligently searched in her bag once more, I caught the clerk's eye and put a nickel on the counter. We must have communicated silently for she said to the woman, " Oh here's a nickel. " The sale was completed and the elderly woman went on her way out the front door of the drug store without any embarrassment and a sigh of relief and great joy came over her. The clerk checked me through with only a smile. A beaming one.

I was glad that the elderly woman never knew that I shared a nickel with her. She seemed like the type who would have felt obligated even for such a small amount. I was grateful that the clerk knew that I didn't want to be thanked or have a big deal made out of it. What a good feeling came over me, as I too went out the front door of the drug store.

P. S. We both met right out in front of that drug store, each with our own joy and blessings we had received in that store. As I looked up at that elderly lady it seemed like she had grown 20 feet tall next to me.

          

**********************************************************

~ ~ ~ AND ~ ~ ~

Click on this banner and surf the web
by the Holy Spirit's Leading !

- - - Click Here To Go Back To :
~ GLOOMBUSTERS # 15 ~
HERE IS A PAGE,
ONLY YOU CAN MAKE
* * * A DIFFERENCE ! * * *

- - - Click Here To Visit :
~ ~ ~ PASTOR BILL'S ~ ~ ~
AWESOME FREE GREETING CARDS
~ ~ ~ POST OFFICE ~ ~ ~
REMEMBER YOUR LOVED ONES
AND FRIENDS ON SPECIAL DAYS
FREE E-MAIL GREETING CARDS

JUST THINK, RIGHT NOW YOU COULD BE ENJOYING
THE OZARK HILLS WEATHER IN BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN:

PASTOR