Believing In *you*

[Jolie Rouge]

Did you know that Albert Einstein could not speak until he was four years old and did not read until he was seven? His parents and teachers wor_ried about his mental ability.

Beethoven's music teacher said about him, "As a composer he is hopeless." What if young Ludwig be_lieved it?

When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid he could never learn anything. He once said, "I remember I used to never be able to get along at school. I was al_ways at the foot of my class... my father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided that I was a dunce." What if young Thomas believed what they said about him?

When F. W. Woolworth was 21, he got a job in a store, but was not allowed to wait on cus_tomers because he "didn't have enough sense."

When the sculptor Auguste Rodin was young he had difficulty learning to read and write. Today, we may say he had a learning disability, but his father said of him, "I have an idiot for a son."

His uncle agreed. "He's uneducable," he said. What if Rodin had doubted his ability?

A newspa_per editor once fired Walt Disney because he was thought to have no "good ideas." Caruso was told by one music teacher, "You can't sing. You have no voice at all." And an editor told Louisa May Alcott that she was incapable of writing anything that would have popular appeal.



What if these people had listened and be_come discouraged? Where would our world be without the music of Beethoven, the art of Rodin or the ideas of Albert Einstein and Thomas Edi_son? As Oscar Levant has accurately said, "It's not what you are, it's what you don't become that hurts."

You have great potential. When you believe in all you can be, rather than all you cannot become, you will find your place on earth.


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This reading can be found in Steve Goodier's book:RICHES OF THE HEART Sixty-Second Readings that Make a Difference

[Jolie Rouge]

TOUCHING MOMENTS

I read that an insurance company survey revealed that spouses who kiss their mates in the morning will probably live five years longer than those who don't. It also showed that the kissing mate will have fewer auto accidents and up to 50% less time lost from work due to illness. I won't begin to interpret what all this means, except that it seems that those people in intimate relationships seem to be happier and healthier.

But what about that "touching moment" -- that kiss? Is touching also important?

I once was asked to give some emotional support to a prisoner who was awaiting trial. We visited for a while in a prison conference room, talking about nothing more important than how long he may be incarcerated and whether or not he was guilty of the crime with which he was charged. He shared nothing of his deepest fears and yearnings.
I felt as if we had not "connected" in any meaningful way.

Before I left, I took his hands. He held on tightly and dropped his head. No words were spoken -- we just held onto each other. After a moment, he began to cry. As he sobbed, he held tightly to my hands. Somehow, the touch melted a dam of ice and now all his emotions gushed forth.

When his sobbing subsided, he began to talk once more. Only this time he spoke of his fear and loneliness and he told me of his concern for his family while he was imprisoned. All the while, he never let go of my hands, and I hung onto his. Because of the touch, he felt safe enough to share deeply.



People are crying out to be touched in caring and appropriate ways. (I know a woman who goes to a massage therapist once a week, even when she feels fine, just because she needs that dose of physical contact.) The lack of touch is one of the greatest impediments to emotional intimacy and happiness.

When film star Marilyn Monroe was asked if she ever felt loved by any if the foster families with whom she lived, she replied, "Once, when I was about seven or eight. The woman I was living with was putting on makeup, and I was watching her. She was in a happy mood, so she reached over and patted my cheeks with her rouge puff... For that moment, I felt loved by her."

Maybe you are in need of more closeness. And perhaps you know of those who are hungry for some assurance that they are indeed loved; they are not alone. Your touch may accomplish what your words cannot -- for those touching moments can change a life.


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This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book TOUCHING MOMENTS :[i] 60-second readings that touch the mind and heart.[i]

[Jolie Rouge]

WHEN YOU'RE ROOT-BOUND

Like potted plants, people can become "root- bound."

We have a beautiful "Christmas Cactus" which I gave to my wife as a gift 28 years ago. It has accompanied us through tough years and good times. It has lived with us in four different communities and has been present during the raising of our family. But it almost died.

As the small plant grew, we transferred it to a larger pot. It did well for about twenty years, but then began to die. It seemed that no amount of feeding, coddling or attention helped. We finally plucked a few leaves, re-rooted them and started over.

We could barely remove the now-dead plant from its pot for all the knotted and intertwined roots. The beautiful succulent was dying because it outgrew its environment. The plant changed, but the container it lived in stayed the same.



People, too, can die when they outgrow their environments. They need broader views, bigger challenges. Songwriter Bob Dylan put it this way: "If you are not busy being born, you are busy dying."


One man was offered employment at a salary higher than he had ever made in his life. After careful consideration, he declined the position. "What's the matter?" his potential boss asked. "Isn't the salary big enough?"

"The salary is fine," the man said. "It's the job that's not big enough." He chose growth over decline, life over death.


Karen Kaiser Clark said, "Life is change… growth is optional…choose wisely."

Good advice - especially when we find ourselves becoming root-bound.

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This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book : PRESCRIPTION FOR PEACE : 60-second readings to help you build a better life.

[Jolie Rouge]

TRUE PRAYER

I asked God to take away my pride.
God said, "No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up."

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, "No. Her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary."

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, "No. Patience is a by-product of tribula_tions; it isn't granted, it is earned."

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, "No. I give you blessings, happiness is up to you."

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, "No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, "No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful."

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, "No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things."

I asked God to help me love others, as much as God loves me.
God said... "Ahhhh, finally you have the idea!"


(Author unknown)



Someone accurately said that maturity in prayer occurs when we are able to move from the plea, "Give me..." to the deeper prayer, "Use me."



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This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book ONE MINUTE CAN CHANGE A LIFE 60-second readings of hope and encouragement.

[captorquewrench]

thanks!