Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down And said with great excitement, "Look what I found
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, With its petals all worn-not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and its beautiful too. That's why I picked it; here its for you."
The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow, or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time That weed-toting boy could not see; he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.
And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
When tomorrow starts without me, and I'm not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes, all filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry, the way you did today,
while thinking of the many things, we didn't get to say.
I know how much you love me, as much as I love you,
and each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me too;
But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand,
that an Angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand,
and said my place was ready, in heaven far above,
and that I'd have to leave behind, all those I dearly love.
But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye,
for all life, I'd always thought, I didn't want to die.
I had so much to live for, so much yet to do,
it seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had.
If I could relive yesterday, just even for awhile,
I'd say goodbye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized, that this could never be,
for emptiness and memories, would take the place of me.
And when I thought of worldly things, I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.
But when I walked through heaven's gates, I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me, from His great golden throne,
He said, "This is eternity, and all I've promised you".
Today for life on earth is past, but here it starts anew.
I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last,
and since each day's the same day, there's no longing for the past.
But you have been so faithful, so trusting and so true.
Though there were times you did some things, you knew you shouldn't do.
But you have been forgiven and now at last you're free.
So won't you take my hand and share my life with me?
So when tomorrow starts without me, don't think we're far apart,
for every time you think of me, I'm right here, in your heart.
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
To handle yourself, use your head, To handle others, use your heart.
Anger is only one letter short of danger.
If someone betrays you once, it's his fault. If he betrays you twice, it's your fault.
Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.
God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into it's nest.
He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all.
Beautiful young people are acts of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.
The tongue weighs practically nothing, but so few people can hold it.
Friends, you and me ... you brought another friend...and then there were 3 ... we started our group... Our circle of friends ... and like the circle ... there's no beginning ... there is no end.
GREAT SPECKLED BIRD
What a beautiful thought I am thinking
Concerning a great speckled bird
They say that her name is recorded
in the pages of God's holy word
All the other birds are flocking 'round her
And she is despised by the squad.
But the great speckled bird in the Bible
Is one with the great church of God
All the other churches are against her
They envy her glory and fame
They hate her because she is chosen
And has not denied Jesus' name
Desiring to lower her standard
They watch every move that she makes
They long to find fault with her teachings
But really they find no mistake
She is spreading her wings for a journey
She's going to leave by and by
When the trumpet shall sound in the morning
She'll rise and go up in the sky
In the presence of all her despisers
With a song never uttered before
She will rise and be gone in a moment
Till the great tribulation is o'er
I am glad I have learned of her meekness
I am proud that my name is on her book
For I want to be one never fearing
The face of my Savior to look
When He cometh descending from heaven
On the cloud that He writes in His Word
I'll be joyfully carried to meet Him
On the wings of that great speckled bird
contributed by Billie Peters
"A grandma is a lady who has no children of her own;she likes other people's little boys and girls.
A grandpa is a man grandma.He goes for walks with the boys and they talk about fishing and tractors and like that.
"Grandmas don't have to do anything except be there.They're old,so they shouldn't play hard or run.It is enough if they drive us to the market where the pretend horse is,and have lots of dimes ready.Or,if they take us for walks,they should slow down past things like leaves or caterpillars.They should never say 'hurry up'!
"Usually they are fat but not to fat to tie your shoes.They wear glasses and funny underwear.They can take their teeth and gums off.
"It is better if they don't typewrite or play cards,except with us.They don't have to be smart only answer questions like,'Why do dogs hate cats'and 'How come God isn't married?'
They don't talk baby talk like visitors do because it is to hard to understand.When they read to us,they don't skip or mind if it is the same story again.
"Everybody should try to have one,especially if you don't have television,because grandmas are the only grownups who have time."
"You Can Keep Your Fork"
The sound of Martha's voice on the other end of the telephone always brought a smile to Pastor Jim's face. She was not only one of the oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful. Aunt Martie, as all of the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope, and love wherever she went. This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to her words.
"Preacher, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you." "Of course, I'll be there around three. Is that ok?"
It didn't take long for Jim to discover the reason for what he had only sensed in her voice before. As they sat facing each other in the quiet of her small living room, Martha shared the news that her doctor had just discovered a previously undetected tumor.
"He says I probably have six months to live". Martha's words were naturally serious, yet there was a definite calm about her. "I'm so sorry to...," but before Jim could finish, Martha interrupted. "Don't be. The Lord has been good. I have lived a long life. I'm ready to go. You know that."
"I know," Jim whispered with a reassuring nod. "But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want." The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about Martha's favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared from the five years Jim had been with Central Church.
When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Aunt Martie paused, looked up at Jim with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, "One more thing, Preacher... When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other".
"A fork?" Jim was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise. "Why do you want to be buried with a fork?"
"I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years," she explained. "I couldn't begin to count them all, but one thing sticks in my mind... At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, 'You can keep your fork.' And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming! It didn't mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don't need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come! That's exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together.
That would be nice... But when they walk by my casket and look at my pretty blue dress, I want them to turn to one another and say, 'Why the fork?'
That's when I want you to tell them,that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come."
that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
I've learned-
that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
I've learned-
that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I've learned-
that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I've learned-
that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned-
that you can keep going long after you can't.
I've learned-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I've learned-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I've learned-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned-
that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I've learned-
that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I've learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated. I've learned-
that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
GOD KNOWS BEST
Our Father knows what's best for us So why should we complain?
We always want the sunshine, But HE knows there must be rain.
We love the sound of laughter And the merriment of cheer,
But our hearts would lose their Tenderness if we never shed a tear.
Our Father tests us often With suffering and with sorrow,
He tests us not to punish us, But to help us meet tomorrow.
For growing trees are strengthened When they withstand the storm,
And the sharp cut of the chisel Gives the marble grace and form.
God never hurts us needlessly; And HE never wastes our pain,
For every loss HE sends to us, Is following by rich gain.
And when we count the blessings That GOD has so freely sent,
We will find no cause for murmuring and no time to lament....
For Our Father loves HIS children, and to HIM all things are plain.
So HE never sends us pleasure When the soul's deep need is pain.
Whenever we are troubled, And when everything goes wrong
It is GOD working in us, To make our spirit strong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At a family gathering,one daughter was relating how her husband could sit on the porch looking over the pasture and recognize by name all their cows."There's Ermintrude scratching herself on the maple stump." or Buelah's trying to reach the grass on the other side of the fence".
"Amazing",our other daughter's husband,a college professor,exclaimed."I can't even remember my students names.
"That's because"my Vermont daughter interjected,"you don't have to milk them twice a day".
/center>Samantha
An Amish lady is trotting down the road in her horse and buggy when she is pulled over by a cop.
"Ma'am, I'm not going to ticket you, but I do have to issue you a warning. You have a broken reflector on your buggy."
"Oh, I'll let my husband, Jacob, know as soon as I get home." "That's fine. Another thing, ma'am. I don't like the way that one rein loops across the horse's back and around one of his balls. I consider that animal abuse. That's cruelty to animals.
Have your husband take care of that right away!"
Later that day, the lady is home telling her husband about her encounter with the cop.
"Well, dear, what exactly did he say?" He said the reflector is broken.
I can fix that in two minutes. What else?
I'm not sure, Jacob ... something about the emergency brake...
During the wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the pastor with an unusual offer:
"Look, I'll give you $100 if you'll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I'm to promise to 'love, honor and obey' and 'forsaking all others, be faithful to her forever,' I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave that part out." He passed the minister a $100 bill and walked away satisfied.
It is now the day of the wedding, and the bride and groom have moved to that part of the ceremony where the vows are exchanged. When it comes time for the groom's vows, the pastor looks the young man in the eye and says:
"Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?"
The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, "Yes," then leaned toward the pastor and hissed: "I thought we had a deal."
The pastor put a $100 bill into the groom's hand and whispered: "She made me a better offer."
In a friendship
We're free to expose,
Parts of ourselves
Nobody else knows.
But the thing that sustains it
And sets it apart,
Is not something spoken
It's a bond of the heart.
True friends are rare
In a lifetime two or three,
I'm so glad it happened
Between you and me!
author unknown.
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