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  1. #34
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    People always say how mean kids can be, never how nice they can be. This story will either make you cry, give you cold chills or just leave you cold, but it puts life into perspective!


    At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all that attended.

    After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son Shay cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?"

    The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself and it comes in the way people treat that child."

    Then, he told the following story:

    Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that the boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.

    Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

    In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.

    In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

    Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.

    Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact.

    The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.

    The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.

    Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first, run to first."

    Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "run to second, run to second!"

    By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. Hecould have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag.

    But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.

    As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned himin the direction of third base, and shouted, "run to third!"

    As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home!"

    Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero for hitting a "grandslam" and winning the game for his team.


    "That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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  3. #35
    Jolie Rouge's Avatar
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    A POWERFUL LESSON ON FORGIVENESS

    My father taught me a powerful lesson on forgiveness.

    His own father was a mining engineer and his family lived in the Philippines prior to World War II. They were captured by the Japanese and incarcerated there during World War II. He, his mother and sisters were sent to a prison camp at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila where they remained until the Philippine Islands were freed at the end of the war. His father, an enlisted man, was separated from the family and imprisoned with captured military personnel.

    My dad was a teenager at the time. He, like other prisoners, struggled to survive. To keep from starving, he learned to eat his small, daily rations of rice without first removing the carcasses of worms in the bowl. But he ate better than most prisoners - he worked as an orderly in the prison hospital and, on occasion, was able to finish leftover food from patients. Though almost six feet tall, when he was finally freed he weighed only 95 pounds.

    Life was difficult there by any standards. Numerous prisoners became ill and many died. Anger and bitterness toward their captors abounded. For years, even decades, after their eventual release from the prison camp, the men and women of Santo Tomas (like other prisoners of war) felt a smoldering bitterness toward the people who incarcerated them.

    My father lost almost everything. His family lost their home. They lost their possessions. And harder still, they lost their freedom. But he also lost his father. My grandfather did not survive his captivity.

    Yet I never heard my dad express any anger or resentment toward the Japanese soldiers or the Japanese people. Just the opposite. He taught me to regard ALL people with respect. He taught me to honor people of all races, nationalities and religions. He knew that bitterness only kept his wounds open and infected. Like a disease, his festering resentments could even infect others. And they could kill.



    Alexander Pope has said, "To err is human; to forgive, divine." But that is not accurate. It's better said, "To err is human, but to forgive is human, too." Forgiveness is not an option for human beings. Forgiveness is essential for our health as individuals and necessary if we are to live together. To err is human, but to forgive is human, too. Perhaps to be perfect is divine. But to forgive is one of the most human things we can do.


    And its never too soon to do something so very human.





    By Steve Goodier © 2004
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  4. #36
    Jolie Rouge's Avatar
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    "One of life's best coping mechanisms is to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire -- then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience.

    Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference."

    -- Robert Fulghum
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    DO WHAT YOU LOVE

    In his book "Asimov Laughs Again" (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993), author Isaac Asimov relates an incident when he was interviewed by television journalist Barbara Wal_ters.

    She asked him how many books he had written and then asked, "Don't you ever want to do anything but write?"

    He said, "No."

    She pressed on. "Don't you want to go hunting? Fishing? Dancing? Hiking?"

    This time he answered, "No! No! No! And no!"

    She continued, "But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?"

    He said, "Type faster."




    Isaac Asimov spent his life doing what he loved. It was comedian George Burns who once said, "I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at some_thing you hate."

    Easily said, but leaving the safety of what is known and venturing into the unknown can be one of the scariest decisions we can make. And also one of the most fulfilling.

    If you no longer find satisfaction in what you do, is it time to leave the familiar behind and follow your heart?



    __________







    This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book : ONE MINUTE CAN CHANGE A LIFE : 60-second readings of hope and encouragement.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  6. #38
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    A HEALTHY DOSE OF LAUGHTER

    I read that a child laughs 400 times a day on the average, while an adult laughs only 15 times each day. Which is puzzling since laughter feels so good and is so good for us!

    You may know the benefits of laughter on the mind and spirit, but are you aware of how much a good laugh can help you physically? Nor_man Cousins used to say that laughter is so bene_ficial for your body that it is like "inner jog_ging."

    Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 1993) reports that laughter aids breathing by disrupting your normal respiration pattern and in_creasing your breathing rate. It can even help clear mucus from your lungs.

    Laughter is also good for your heart. It in_creases circulation and improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout your body.

    A good laugh helps your immune system fight off colds, flu and sinus problems by increas_ing the concentration of immunoglobulin A in your sa_liva. And it may help control pain by rais_ing the levels of certain brain chemicals (endorphins).

    Furthermore, it is a natural stress reliever. Have you ever laughed so hard that you doubled over, fell off your chair, spit out your food or wet your pants? You cannot maintain muscle tension when you are laughing!

    The good news is that you are allowed more than 15 laughs a day! Go ahead and double the dose and make it 30 times today. (You may begin to no_tice immediate improvement in your relationships!) Then double it again! You are bound to feel better, you will cope with problems more effectively and people will enjoy being around you.


    Laughter: it's just good medicine!


    __________




    This reading can be found in Steve Goodier's book: RICHES OF THE HEART : Sixty-Second Readings that Make a Difference
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  7. #39
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    The two most beautiful words in the English language are "check
    enclosed." -- Dorothy Parker
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    WHAT IS LOVE?


    Diane Ackerman said, "Everyone admits that love is wonderful and necessary, yet no one agrees on just what it is." Over the years, I have been learning what it is.

    When I first got married, I wanted to show my love to my new wife. I was drawn to romantic stories like one from the time of Oliver Cromwell in England where a young soldier had been tried in military court and sentenced to death. He was to be shot at the "ringing of the curfew bell."

    His fiancée climbed up into the bell tower. Several hours before curfew time and tied herself to bell's huge clapper. At curfew time, when only muted sounds came out of the bell tower, Cromwell demanded to know why the bell was not ringing. His soldiers went to investigate and found the young woman cut and bleeding from being knocked back and forth against the great bell. They brought her down, and, the story goes, Cromwell was so impressed with her willingness to suffer in this way on behalf of someone she loved that he dismissed the soldier saying, "Curfew shall not ring tonight."



    That must be love, I thought! That was the kind of commitment I needed to make! I wanted to give my all. To tie myself to the bell for her. To die, if necessary, for her. To sacrifice myself on the altar of true love! I wanted her to know that I'd give it all up for her.

    But she never wanted me to die for her.

    Never!

    Clean the toilets, maybe, but never die.

    My commitment was to be shown in household chores! (I read that an exhaustive study showed that no woman ever shot her husband while he was doing dishes. What a relief. Washing dishes may lack inspiration, but at least it's safe...)

    I was never called upon to tie myself to the bell. But I was still called upon to show my love - in little ways, mostly.

    I was needed to comfort her before we were married when the doctor told her she could never have children…to hold her hand and tell her I wanted her more than I wanted a family.

    I was called upon to sit by her hospital bed after surgery and encourage her.

    I was called upon to hold her after her father died and let her cry.

    I was also called upon to carve out alone time with her as often as possible and to make sure my plans included her as well as me.

    I was never needed to prove my undying love through a glorious act of self-sacrifice. It was something I was required to do in little ways, through one small act of kindness at a time.

    And that, I've learned, is love.



    By Steve Goodier © 2004




    __________




    Rita Rudner quips, "My mother buried three husbands

    – and two of them were only napping."
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    Jolie Rouge, I am not sure where you come up with all of these inspiring stories (I do see some notations on where they were found) but I want to let you know that they are SO VERY appreciated! Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the simple things....like in the last post, showing many small acts of kindness to show your love.....

    Thank you so much!

  10. #42
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    Potato chips, Root beer, and God...

    A little boy wanted to meet God.

    He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

    Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

    They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

    As twilight approached, 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 old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

    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]"I had lunch with God."[i] But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"


    Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

    She replied, "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."


    > > > > > >


    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!


    Have lunch with God........bring chips.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  11. #43
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    Thanks for sharing!

  12. #44
    Jolie Rouge's Avatar
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    Thumbs up

    Thank YOU Taegus and Queen Angie, I post items that touch my heart because it would be selfish not to share. Some are from a book series I am reading, some are from emails that I get from friends. I am glad that ya'll enjoy them too. Ya'll just made my day !
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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