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A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew
it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase
with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his
journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met a
long-haired, bearded biker sitting by his motorcycle. He was in
the park just relaxing amongst nature and staring at some gulls.
The boy sat down next to the biker and opened his suitcase. He
was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that
the bearded man looked a little hungry so he offered him a
Twinkie. The biker gratefully accepted it and smiled warmly at
the boy. His smile was so pretty and his eyes gleamed so warmly
that the boy wished to see the smile again, so he offered him a
root beer. Again, the friendly man smiled nicely at the boy. The
child was delighted!
The two of them sat there all
afternoon munching on twinkies and smiling happily, but they
never exchanged a word.
As darkness came, the boy realized how
tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more
than a few steps he turned around, ran back to the handsome
bearded man and gave him a hug. The biker gave the boy his
biggest, warmest smile ever as the boy ran off to his home. When
the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later his
mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face.
She asked him, "What did you do today that
made you so happy?"
He replied, "I had lunch with God."
But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what?
He's got the coolest motorcycle I've ever seen!"
His Mom just stood there with her mouth wide
open.
Meanwhile, the lonely bearded man, also radiant
with joy, returned to his home. His pet mouse was so
awestruck by the look of peace on his face that he asked, "Hey,
what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with
God."
And before the little pet mouse responded, he
added, "You know, Mouse, God's much younger than I expected."
Moral: Too often we underestimate the power of a
touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest
compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a
reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
- When we share laughter, there is twice the fun.
- When we share success, we have surpassed what we have
done.
- When we share problems, there is half the pain.
- When we share tears, a rainbow follows rain.
- When we share dreams, they become more real.
- When we share secrets, we reveal our hearts.
- If we share a smile, that is when our love shows.
- If we share a hug, that is when our love grows.
- If we share with someone on whom we depend, that person is
always Family or friend.
In addition, what draws us closer and makes us
all care is not what we have, but the things that we
share.
Something to Think About
A number of years ago I was complaining to a
friend of mine about how much responsibility I had and how
difficult my life seemed to be.
His response played a role in my transformation
from seeing myself as a victim of circumstance to being a person
who truly accepts life as it is (most of the time). Rather than
commiserating with me and sharing his own difficulties, his
question to me was, "Is there some reason why you think you
should be exempt from the rest of the human race?"
He was referring, of course, to the obvious,
but largely overlooked, fact that life is full of challenges,
obstacles, hurdles, setbacks, difficulties, hassles, and
problems-for all of us. No one is exempt. Regardless of your
background, race, religion, or sex- regardless of what kind of
parents you had, your birth order, how much money or notoriety
you have, and all the other specifics of your
life-you
will have problems. Case closed. The old saying
is still true, as it will be forever: Circumstances don't make a
person, they reveal him or her.
It's very helpful to remind yourself of this fact
of life. It puts things in perspective. When we remind ourselves
that life wasn't meant to be hassle-free or perfect, we are more
able to respond to our challenges with perspective and grace.
Rather than being annoyed or over-whelmed by every little thing,
we're usually able to say something like, "Oh, well, here's
another one to deal with."
The less you struggle with your problems and
challenges, the more energy you have at your disposal to solve
them. Rather than exacerbating the issues you are dealing with,
you'll see the bigger picture, including the best possible
solutions at hand.
Reminding yourself of the inevitability of
problems to deal with won't make your life perfect, but it will
put things in a healthier perspective and make life seem a whole
lot less overwhelming. Starting right now, see if you can view
your current problems in a new light. You might discover that at
least the "small stuff" can be experienced with a great deal more
serenity.
Real People Make Great Angels
This story submitted to us.
I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12,
3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class
I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring
with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced
with. Her last project of the term was called "Smile." The class
was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their
reactions. I am a very friendly person and always smile at
everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought, this would be a
piece of cake, literally.
Soon after we were assigned the project, my
husband youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp
March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time
with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served,
when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and
then even my husband did. I did not move an inch...an
overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned
to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a
horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were
two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman,
close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were
full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good
day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The
second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend.
I realized the
second man was mentally deficient and the blue
eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them. The
young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said,
"Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If
they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy
something. He just wanted to be warm). Then I really felt it -
the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the
little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in
the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled
and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more
breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the
corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I
put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed
gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his
eyes, and said, "Thank you."
I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I
did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give
you hope." I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband
and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That
is why God gave you to me, Honey. To give me hope."
We held hands for a moment and at that time we
knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were
we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers.
That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.
I returned to college, on the last evening of
class, with this story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the
instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I
share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the
class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we, as
human beings and being part of God, share this need to heal
people and be healed.
In my own way I had touched the people at
McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that
shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college
student.
An Angel wrote: Many people will walk in and out
or your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your
heart.
At FCS We Promote Caring and
Sharing
- When we share
laughter, there is twice the fun.
- When we share success,
we have surpassed what we have done.
- When we share
problems, there is half the pain.
- When we share tears, a
rainbow follows rain.
- When we share dreams,
they become more real.
- When we share secrets,
we reveal our hearts.
- If we share a smile,
that is when our love shows.
- If we share a hug,
that is when our love grows.
- If we share with
someone on whom we depend, that person is always Family or
friend.
- In addition, what
draws us closer and makes us all care is not what we have, but
the things that we share.
A few ideas to think about.
1) Take into account that great love and great achievements
involve great risk.
2) When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3) Follow
the three "R"s: *Respect for self; *Respect for others and
*Responsibility for all your actions.
4)
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful
stroke of luck.
5) Learn
the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6) Don't let a little dispute a great
friendship
7) When
you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to
correct it
8) Spent
some time alone every day.
9) Open
your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10)
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer
11) Live a good, honorable life. Then when you
get older and think back, you"ll be
able to enjoy it a second time.
12) A
loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for you
life.
13) In
disagreements with loved, one, deal only with the current
situation. Don't bring up the past.
14) Share
your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15) Be
gentle with the earth.
16) Once a year, go someplace you've never been
before.
17) Remember that the best relationship is one
in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each
other.
18) Judge your success by what you had to
give up in order to get it.
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