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What I Have Learned - 2

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I've learned....
that I feel better about myself when

I make others feel better about themselves.


I've learned....

that what we have done for ourselves
alone dies with us.
What we have done
for others, and the world, remains and is immortal.

I've learned....

that people will remember you
as being
a great conversationalist
if you mostly listen.


I've learned....

that one sincere apology is
worth more
than all the roses money can buy.

I've learned....

that words harshly spoken are as difficult
to retrieve as feathers in a gale.

What I Have Learned - 1

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I've learned....
that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an
elderly person.

I've learned....

that a kindness done is never lost.

It may take a while, but like a
suitcase on a luggage carousel,
it
will return again.

I've learned....

that when you're in love, it shows.


I've learned....

that if you hang something in the closet
for a while, it shrinks two sizes.

I've learned....
that just one person saying to me,

"You've made my day!" makes my day.

When in despair

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"When in despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won; there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall."

~ M. K. Gandhi ~

Where The Mind is Without Fear

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Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

~ Rabindranath Tagore ~

Bringing peace

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"It is my belief that the problem of bringing peace to the world on a super-national basis will be solved only by employing Gandhi's method (non-violence and truth) on a large scale."

~ Albert Einstein ~

On the Nature of Love

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The night is black and the forest has no end; a million people thread it in a million ways.

We have trysts to keep in the darkness, but where or with whom -- of that we are unaware.

But we have this faith -- that a lifetime's bliss will appear any minute, with a smile upon its lips.

Scents, touches, sounds, snatches of songs brush us, pass us, give us delightful shocks.

Then per adventure there's a flash of lightning: whomever I see that instant I fall in love with.

I call that person and cry: 'This life is blest!

For your sake such miles have I traversed!'

All those others who came close and moved off in the darkness -- I don't know if they exist or not.

~ Rabrindranath Tagore ~
From Chaitali (1896)

Courage

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Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.

~ Eddie Rickenbacker ~

Be thankful

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For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek
out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the
hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers
through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that
you'll never walk alone.


~ Audrey Hepburn ~

With passion

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"With passion pray. With passion, love. With passion eat and drink and dance and play. Why look like a dead fish in this ocean of God?"

~ Rumi (1207-1273) ~

Ten Principles of Sacred Relationships

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1. Unselfishness and selflessness -- Consciously put your loved one at the center of your heart and cultivate awareness of his/her needs. But don't go overboard; remember to also take care of yourself.

2. Generosity -- Give of yourself, sharing time, things, and
emotions.

3. Acceptance -- Commit yourself to patience, forbearance,
tolerance, and accepting your mate not as a fantasy object--but a real person.

4. Respect -- Your mate is a gateway to God and so deserves your
respect, trust and support.

5. Honesty -- the hard work of communication, revealing yourself,
truth-telling, listening (these are big practices)--all lead to authenticity.

6. Empathy -- Genuine love involves working hard to understand, and
share, the feelings of your loved one. And to offer compassion and caring even for feelings you don't "get."

7. Play -- Don't take your love or yourself so seriously. Remember
to leave room for fun, whimsy, joy and meaninglessness too.

8. Passion -- True passion is not the romantic fascination we
associate with teenage crushes; it's a deep wonderment and interest in the other.

9. Mystery -- Being open to not knowing, to not having it all worked
out, to the discovery of being together.

10. Mission -- Strengthen your bond by having some shared "mission," purpose, direction.

~ By Lama Surya Das ~

What we are

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"Though we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; one equal temper of heroic hearts made weak by time and fate but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

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Someone noted that their life and their bank both have something in common - they get out of them about as much as they put in. Which, as far as my bank is concerned, isn't much! But it means I can get a great deal of joy and satisfaction out of life if I am careful about what I put into living.

Gary Player for years was a great competitor in national and
international golf tournaments. People constantly said to him, "I'd give anything if I could hit a golf ball like you."

Upon hearing that comment one day, Player responded impatiently: "No,
you wouldn't. You'd do anything to hit a golf ball like me, if it were easy! Do your know what you have to do to hit a golf ball like me? You've got to get up at 5:00 every morning, go out to the golf course, and hit a thousand golf balls! Your hands start bleeding, and you walk to the clubhouse and wash the blood off your hands, slap a bandage on it, and go out and hit another thousand golf balls! That is what it takes to hit a golf ball like me!"

His goal was to be at the top of his sport. That lofty dream requires
practice, practice and more practice. If your desire, on the other hand, is to excel at living - to give and receive love, to experience joy and to develop fulfilling relationships - then how much of you will you put into your dream? These things, too, are possible with practice.

Do you actually practice love, even when you don't feel like it? Do
you practice finding joy even when you're unhappy? Do you work at difficult relationships? It is not always easy, but the payoff is worth it!

From Steve Goodier's 'ONE MINUTE CAN CHANGE A LIFE'

The First Parent

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Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought
that even God's omnipotence did not extend to his kids. After creating heaven
and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said to them
was: "Don't."

"Don't what?" Adam replied.
"Don't eat the forbidden fruit."

"Forbidden fruit? Really? Where is it?"


"It's over there," said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after making
the elephants.

A few minutes later God saw the kids having an apple break and he was
angry. "Didn't I tell you not to eat that fruit?" the first parent asked.

"Uh-huh," Adam replied.
"Then why did you?" "I don't know," Adam answered.

God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own.
Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

But there is a reassurance In this story. If you have persistently and lovingly

tried to give them wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself.
If God had trouble handling children, what makes you think it would be a piece
of cake for you?

Trouble Tree

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The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a
rough first day on the job.

A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his

ancient pickup truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in

to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a
small tree, touching tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face
was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the

better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier, "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up,
there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

The sweet love of Mother Teresa

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"Souls of prayer are souls of deep silence. We cannot place ourselves directly in the presence of God without forcing ourselves to an inner and outer silence. Therefore, we have to get used to the silence of the spirit, of the eyes, and of the tongue.

Those who are unwanted and unloved...those who walk through the world
with no one to care for them. Do we go out to meet those? Do we know them? Do we try to find them? Do we help them?

God has created us for great things: to love and offer love, to
experience tenderness toward others, as He did, and to know how to offer Jesus to others. People are not hungry for us; they are hungry for God.

In Him we live and move and have our being. Consider that you are in God, surrounded and encompassed by God, swimming in God."

How important you are!

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You are here to enable the Divine purpose of the universe to unfold.
That is how important you are!

~ Eckhart Tolle ~

The Soul

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The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts.

Think only on those things

that are in line with your principles

and can bear the full light of day.


The content of your character is your choice.


Day by day, what you choose,

what you think,

and what you do is who you become.


Your integrity is your destiny . . .

it is the light that guides your way.

~ by Heraclitus ~

Happiness now

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You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged.

~ Dale Carnegie ~

On love

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If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~ Mother Theresa ~



Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone
deeply gives you courage.

~ Lao-Tzu ~



The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved --
loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.

~ Victor Hugo ~

A Mixture of Love

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I believe that, as eternal spiritual beings, we have taken physical form in order to experience a unique, amazing, and fantastic (although often difficult) journey as human beings.

We are here to
learn about both kinds of love: human love, with its needs and
desires and inconsistencies, and spiritual love, with its all- encompassing benevolence.

by Shakti Gawain

The King and the Beggar

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As I went begging today from door to door they cried, "He is coming! He draws near!" And seeing the dust of your gorgeous chariot, I thought, "Who can this be but a king among kings?"

My hopes soared, and I stood waiting for alms to be given and wealth scattered in the dust. Your chariot stopped right before me, you looked down with a smile, and I knew that the luck of my days had come. Until suddenly you held out your palm and said, "What will you give?"

Begging from a beggar! What a kingly jest--I was confused and dismayed, but I groped in my sack until I brought out one grain of wheat, the tiniest thing I could afford.

I got home that night and emptied my sack on the floor, only to spy a grain of gold gleaming there in the heap. Then how bitterly I wept. If you did this for a tiny grain of wheat, what would you return if I had given you everything?

By Rabindranath Tagore

When I despair

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When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

8-yr-olds' Definitions of Love (5)

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"I let my big sister pick on me because me. Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."

"Love cards like Valentine's cards say stuff on them that we'd like to say ourselves, but we wouldn't be caught dead saying."

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."

"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But ifyou mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. I forget."

8-yr-olds' Definitions of Love (4)

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"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken."

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is more handsome than Denzel Washington."

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

8-yr-olds' Definitions of Love (3)

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"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." "Love is hugging. Love is kissing. Love is saying no."

"When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you're scared they won't love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more."

"There are two kinds of love: our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them."

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

8-yr-olds' Definitions of Love (2)

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"Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."


"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of
kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop
opening presents and listen."

8-yr-olds' Definitions of Love (1)

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"Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way."

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend
over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.

You know that your name is safe in their mouth."


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving
cologne and they go out and smell each other."

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your
french fries without making them give you any of theirs."

The Authority

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He entered the store on shuffling feet
and headed for the display

of beautiful frilly valentines

to honor this special day.


With trembling hands he reached for one,

and read the verse inside.

Somehow it didn't meet his demands,

so he gently put it aside.


One after another he'd read a card

and then would put it back.

He just couldn't find the one he sought,

though he read every card in the rack.


"You sure are choosy," I gently remarked,

as I stood there by his side.

Tears came to his eyes as he turned to me,

and in a soft voice replied.


"Yes, I am choosy, as you say,"

and he smiled at me through his tears.

"For I'm an authority on valentines,

I've lived with one for fifty years!"


~ Unknown ~

The Look of Love

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Eyes they say reflect the depth of the soul;
I’ve been there I know.

I’ve seen love, reflected it, felt it.


I’ve been to the depths without touching;

I’ve experienced the ultimate from one lingering glance.


I’ve been caressed from across a room,

returned the embrace, stroked by a lingering vision.


I’ve penetrated the core, sunk quickly

pulled by the gravity of a momentary glimpse.

I have peered into the depth of another’s essence,
been kissed by a response of lingering pools.

Intimacy across a room awakens from within
what a touch can never arouse;


I’ve experienced it; I know.

You too are aware;


I’ve witnessed the look of recognition
in one single glance.


Something’s you don’t know,
something’s your not sure of.


Something’s your eyes report from the depth of the soul,


"I love you."


I Know.



~ Betty King ~

Copyright Jan. 2002

The Fragrance of Love

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And…when I breathe in the aroma of love,
I am immersed in the scent of you,

and in your fragrance all my senses explode,

and I am awakened to your touch -

though there may be miles between us.


~ Betty King ~

Copyright Jan. 2002

Trust

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Light in my soul,
I trust you now
with all my heart
to guide me
through the labyrinth called life.

I am no longer afraid
because I know

I travel in loving company.


Your purity
transcends my being,
calms my mind

and heals my wounds.

Everlasting light,
I thank you
for watching over me,
for granting me strength

and for allowing me

to feel your love.


~ Margrit Schlatter ~

The source of your joy

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Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.


~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

A happy life

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To love, and to be hurt often, and to love again

- this is the brave
and happy life.


~ J.E. Buchrose ~

The beauty of Thy peace

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Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess,
The beauty of Thy peace.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier ~

When one door closes....

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door"When one door closes, another door opens;
but we so often look so long
and so regretfully upon the closed door,

that we do not see the ones which open for us."


~ Helen Keller ~

Hugging Is...

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Hugging is healthy. It helps the immune system, cures depression, reduces stress and induces sleep. It's invigorating, rejuvenating and has no unpleasant side effects.

Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.

Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet, no artificial ingredients, non-polluting, environmentally friendly and 100 percent wholesome. Hugging is the ideal gift.

Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive, shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, fully returnable.

Hugging is practically perfect. No batteries to wear out, inflation-proof, non-fattening, no monthly payments, theft-proof and nontaxable.

Hugging is an
underutilized resource with magical powers. When we open our hearts and arms we encourage others to do the same.

Think of the people in your life. Are there any words you'd like to say? Are there any hugs you want to share? Are you waiting and hoping someone else will ask first?

Please don't wait! Initiate!



By Charles Faraone
from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Patty Hansen

A Story To Live By

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I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time at work. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure.

I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I'm not "saving"
anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries.

I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank. "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.

I'm not sure what my aunts and uncles would've done had they known that they
wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, or for whatever their favorite food was. I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them.

I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

We Often Learn The Most From Our Children

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Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

He was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?"

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Daddy it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

rssHugger Hugs Bloggers

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This blog directory site gives me a good impression on its simplicity. This is my first completed blog, and so do this blog registration to rssHugger RSS feed.

Some really good features are offered by RSSHugger as written in http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/ or rssHugger's website itself. The "Top 100 blogs" statistics is very attracting for bloggers, I believe. And hopefully, I can see my blog listed on that page pretty soon :).

One thing that may need a little bit improvement is the existence of a Help page. It's quite difficult to get any helpful information on what needs to be done, how to enter data in Edit Blog page and what members should do in order to be successfully listed in rssHugger.

Apart from that, rssHugger is worth to try for its excellent services.

Thanks, rssHugger. Well done!

Pumpkin Lover.
rssHugger Feed: Mom's Pumpkin Soup rssHugger

What It Means to Be Adopted

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Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family.

One little boy in the picture had a different color hair than the other family members. One child suggested that he was adopted and a little girl named Jocelynn Jay said, "I know all about adoptions because I was adopted."

What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child.

"It means," said Jocelynn, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy..."

I Asked God To Give Me Shoes

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A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?"

"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes", was the boys reply.

The lady took him by the hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel he quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks.

Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"

As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her, "Are you God's Wife?"...

The 2nd Ten Commandments

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  1. Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.
  2. Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.
  3. Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.
  4. Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.
  5. Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.
  6. Thou shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you can.
  7. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now!
  8. Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It is hard to learn something new when you are talking, and some people do know more than you do.
  9. Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.
  10. Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

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I found a penny today
just laying on the ground
But it's not just a penny
this little coin I've found

Found pennies come from heaven
that's what my Grandpa told me
He said Angels toss them down
oh, how I loved that story

He said when an Angel misses you
they toss a penny down
Sometimes just to cheer you up
make a smile out of your frown

So don't pass by that penny
when you're feeling blue
It may be a penny from heaven
that an Angel's tossed to you

Guardian Angel

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Bare foot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak, she never said a word. Many people passed, but never did one person stop. Just so happens, the next day I decided to go back to the park, curious if the little girl would still be there. Right in the very spot as she was yesterday, she sat perched on high, with the saddest look in her eyes.

Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl. As we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone. As I began walking towards her, I could see the back of the little girl's dress indicated a deformity. I figured that was the reason the people just passed by and made no effort to help.

As I got closer, the little girl slightly lowered her eyes to avoid my intent stare. I could see the shape of her back more clearly. It was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form. I smiled to let her know it was OK, that I was there to help, to talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple Hello. The little girl acted shocked and stammered a "hi" after a long stare into my eyes. I smiled and she shyly smiled back.

We talked 'til darkness fell and the park was completely empty. Everyone was gone and we were alone. I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me and with a sad face said, "Because I'm different." I immediately said... "that you are!"... and smiled. The little girl acted even sadder. She said, "I know."

"Little girl," I said, "you remind me of an angel, sweet and innocent." She looked at me and smiled. Slowly she stood to her feet, and said, "Really?" "Yes, dear, you're like a little guardian angel sent to watch over all those people walking by." She nodded her head "yes" and smiled, and with that she spread her wings and said, "I am. I'm your guardian angel," with a twinkle in her eye. I was speechless, sure I was seeing things.

She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job here is done." Immediately I stood to my feet and said, "Wait! So why did no one stop to help an angel?" She looked at me and smiled, "You're the only one who could see me, and you believe it in your heart." And She was gone. And with that my life was changed dramatically. So, when you think you're all that you have ---- remember, your angel is always watching over you.

Mine is....

Footprints

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One night I dreamed a dream.

I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belong to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.

I realized that this was the lowest and the saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
'Lord, You told me when I decided to follow,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.'

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

~ Margaret Fishback Powers ~

Grandma's Hand

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Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled.

'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story: 'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken,dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.'

"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God."

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

Learn From Bamboo

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One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me...

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo." He said.

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit." He said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle." He said to me.

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?" "I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you."

"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned...

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life

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Never regret a day in your life.

Good days give you happiness;
Bad days give you experiences;

Both are essential to life.