When i was small, and all of my other sibling who were in the secondary at that time staying in the hostel because the school was quite far from our house. i was still in the primary and the youngest which means only me and my parents in the house, sometimes my parents have to leave me alone in the house as early as 3am in the morning, that's how i started to really hate when i left alone in the dark and when there was no one around. I would open the bible and read it really loud, my whole body would be trembling whenever i heard weird sounds. Ive this fear that they would leave me someday alone and at that time, I always wish that if i gonna leave this world, it would be me first so that i dont have to be worried to be left alone in this world. Ive experienced many many times woke up crying whenever i dreamt each of my family members especially my mother leaving me alone and never come back. Maybe that's one of the reasons that i do not want to get too close or too depending with anyone even my own family because the fear of losing. when things around me too comfortable im afraid that someday it would really hits me when i was no longer in the comfort zone. Being away from my family for many many years, ive learned to be independent and eventually ive come to accept that I need to learn to live on my own and not depending too much on them. ive experiences people that ive come to know, come and goes in my life.Some, went away somewhere to chase after their dreams,some.. starting a new chapter in their lives, and some have gone forever. as i grow up, i have accepted and realizes that nothing is going to stay forever..
Sometimes the fear of losing makes you holding back from doing something when you can do much better, holding back yourself to know people because you know that eventually they would gonna leave you, not able to do your best in your life because you afraid it's gonna failed you someday or you dont want people to look up to you because you afraid you gonna failed them or become a stumbleblock for them.
wherever we are, whatever we are at this very moment... we could not escape the facts that life is indeed a constant battle. Things may not always the way we've planned or expected, people you have come to know and love would come and goes in your life, you have tried so hard to do something and still never able to reach your goal, you prayed for something and nothing ever happened..
God never says that with Him, we would have never experiences temptations, pains and troubles in our lives, but He promises that He would never leave us alone..
Psalms 42:5 "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. (Ref: NAST).
Even when Jesus in this earth, He had shown to us that God would never leave Him in his battle alone..
John 16:32 " "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."
... because life with God it doesnt mean everything would be easy, we would go thru difficult life and experiencing ups and down in our lives but He promises that as long as we depending on Him, He would be our pillar of strength.
Sometimes God allows all the earthly things we lean on for security to be removed so we will learn to lean on Him. You have to agree with me that Job in the bible is perfect example for this. "Suffering and disappointment can cause us to despair and become bitter, or they can become opportunities for us to grow and mature. James 1 tells us that God uses all kinds of trials and difficulties to bring our faith to maturity. “Consider it pure joy... when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything” (James 1:2-4). Perseverance means to “hang in there” in spite of opposition, discouragement, loss, or any kind of oppression.(quoted frm other site)".
Sometimes when we gets too tired of our works and all kind of busyness in our daily lives, we tend to complain rather than to be thankful we've another day to complain about when some... never had a chance to make up what's yesterday. We get irritated with the people around us and constantly nagging of what they doing.. or too busy to to spend time with them or listen to their problems because we take everyday for granted not knowing that very moment may be our last day...
Ive also come to realize that I cant do things all on my own. Im not tough or strong enough to bear all my burdens by myself. I used to keep all my problems on my own because i do not want to be a burden for others.. but i realized they would just did the same to me, because just like how i feel about it, they too dont want to share their problems with me because they too feel that I dont want be burdened by them. Life is about sharing.. whether you like it or not.. we are bearing each other burdens. but the most important thing is that to know.. we do not have to bear it on our own.. or to burden others.. but just let God to take it away for us.
..and Just like the seasons, your family, your friends or the people around you may be in your life for temporarily, or just passing by.. they did not passed by accident or coincidence... they would leave footprints in your life.. they touched your life, they taught you about something and they would leave you not for nothing.. just like what you have done to them. You would continue your journey.. and passing by many new people..new places.. experience many battles and feel many kind of emotions.. but the most important thing is along the way.. along your journey, though we do not know what is going to happen next or tomorrow, you know who is really going to stay with you and holding your hand.. you have God continue holding your hand and pulling you whenever you gets tired or stumble.
so.. do not stop loving just because you know that someday they may be gone in your life.. do not giving up kindness just because the people around you sting, and appreciate all the pure things in your life, enjoy your day as much as you can no matter how worse it could gets, reach and climb higher though you know that you may lose or fall someday... because the worse could ever happened to you is not because you have done it and you failed.. but because you have never tried..
I like this song because it taught me something about life..
Martina McBride
Anyway
You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin
One storm could come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You could chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway
God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like i think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway
This worlds gone crazy
And it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all you heart
For all the right reasons
And in a momemt they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway
God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like i think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah I do it anyway
You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway
I sing
I dream
I love anyway
or the BMG version : href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FdB5Adws78&feature=related"
this is 'specially tribute to my late grandparents who have touched my life deeply when i was small especially my late grandmother on my father side, she passed away when i was 13/14. we used to sit around her whenever she visited us and listening to her fairy tale stories. We used to have a family reunion every year when both of my grandparents(Salagan's family) on my mother side were still alive and that's the only chance for me to meet most of my relatives. May God bless them.
Monday, May 19
Sunday, May 4
Golden Rule Jones
Samuel Milton Jones was born in Ty Mawr, Wales, on 8th August, 1846. The family emigrated in 1849 to the United States and settled in New York. After a brief schooling he started work at the age of ten.
At eighteen Jones moved to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he found work in the oil industry as a driller, pumper, tool-dresser and pipe-liner. After inventing an improved oil-pumping mechanism, in 1892, Jones set up his own business, the Acme Sucker Rod Company, in Toledo, Ohio. Jones made a considerable fortune manufacturing his invention.
Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones was a Welsh immigrant who made his fortune in the oilfields of Ohio and as the inventor of an oil-drilling implement manufactured in his Acme Sucker Rod factory. Jones experienced a religious awakening in 1894, which he announced by hanging a sign on the Acme wall reading "The Rule That Governs This Factory: 'Therefore Whatsoever Ye Would That Men Should Do Unto You, Do Ye Even So Unto Them.'"
He meant it. Jones abolished work rules and time clocks in his factory and instituted profit sharing, paid vacations, eight-hour days, annual bonuses, and an adjacent Golden Rule Park, which featured fresh air, free concerts, and speakers preaching moral uplift. His goal, he said, was to show that "this fundamental rule of conduct, given us by the founder of Christianity, was a livable and practical thing." This never been practised during his era. He started to work as early as ten year old and that's why he understood what's the workers have been through and he promised that he's never going to treat his workers as he was treated before.
The immensely popular Jones was elected mayor of Toledo in 1897 as a Republican but thereafter ran and won thrice as an independent whose platform called for banning political parties. Senator Mark Hanna (R-OH), the muscle behind President McKinley, called Jones "a crank, but he is a moral crank, and that makes the thing worse, for he believes what he says."
Golden Rule Jones's eccentricities were numerous and endearing. He stood on his head, sometimes speaking from that position. He gave away the better part of his fortune, often to strangers. He wore a flowing cravat and carried his heavily underlined copy of Whitman's Leaves of Grass into the prisons and workhouses whose inmates he visited. He paid court costs for the indigent out of his pocket.
Jones was often mistaken for a socialist, although the doctrinaire socialists derided him for his belief in Christian brotherhood and opposition to class warfare. He adorned his office with a portrait of Leo Tolstoy, not Karl Marx, and confessed, "I am indifferent to man-made laws."
In favoring public parks and municipal ownership of streetcars and utilities, Golden Rule Jones was a fairly standard, if unusually honest, Progressive mayor-except when it came to crime and punishment. "If I could I would open the penitentiaries," he said. "Anything which today separates me from the lowest soul in the penitentiary or tenderloin district is the very opposite of religion." When Mayor Jones sat in as Magistrate of the Police Court dealing with petty crimes, he routinely dismissed all cases.
His psychobiographer and great-granddaughter Marnie Jones notes that Golden Rule "stands virtually alone among nineteenth-century reformers in his refusal to use municipal powers to repress vice." The state, he believed, could not abolish sin.
The teetotalling Jones would not enforce laws against boozing, gambling, or prostitution. He urged bluenoses to take ladies of the street into their homes until they got back on their feet, so to speak. His successor and friend, Brand Whitlock, said of Golden Rule: "He was an oddman, born so far ahead of his time that the sins of others never troubled his conscience."
Jones placed his faith in "the love of Christ," not the policeman's nightstick. "I believe the only way in which the saloon will finally disappear," he said, "will be through the growth of the loving spirit in mankind which will provide opportunity for people to lead decent lives."
When Mayor Jones sat in as Magistrate of the Police Court dealing with petty crimes, he routinely dismissed all cases. He explained: "I have done by them just as I would have another judge do by my son if he were a drunkard or a thief, or by my sister or daughter if she were a prostitute."
He paid no price at the polls for his heterodox views. The Golden Rule, it seems, was not bad politics. Mayor Jones died in office in 1904. "Toledo has my heart and my life," he said as the end drew nigh.
Jones was not popular among businessman or wealthy people because of his rule. When he died thousands people attended his funeral and never before in his era would receive such highest respect.
As evidenced by the absence of an Anarchist Caucus within today's U.S. Conference of Mayors, our age has yet to find its own Golden Rule. Don't hold your breath waiting. For Albert Jay Nock called Jones "the incomparable true democrat, one of the children of light and sons of the Resurrection, such as appear but once in an era."
Source : Combined sources from different websites.
At eighteen Jones moved to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he found work in the oil industry as a driller, pumper, tool-dresser and pipe-liner. After inventing an improved oil-pumping mechanism, in 1892, Jones set up his own business, the Acme Sucker Rod Company, in Toledo, Ohio. Jones made a considerable fortune manufacturing his invention.
Samuel "Golden Rule" Jones was a Welsh immigrant who made his fortune in the oilfields of Ohio and as the inventor of an oil-drilling implement manufactured in his Acme Sucker Rod factory. Jones experienced a religious awakening in 1894, which he announced by hanging a sign on the Acme wall reading "The Rule That Governs This Factory: 'Therefore Whatsoever Ye Would That Men Should Do Unto You, Do Ye Even So Unto Them.'"
He meant it. Jones abolished work rules and time clocks in his factory and instituted profit sharing, paid vacations, eight-hour days, annual bonuses, and an adjacent Golden Rule Park, which featured fresh air, free concerts, and speakers preaching moral uplift. His goal, he said, was to show that "this fundamental rule of conduct, given us by the founder of Christianity, was a livable and practical thing." This never been practised during his era. He started to work as early as ten year old and that's why he understood what's the workers have been through and he promised that he's never going to treat his workers as he was treated before.
The immensely popular Jones was elected mayor of Toledo in 1897 as a Republican but thereafter ran and won thrice as an independent whose platform called for banning political parties. Senator Mark Hanna (R-OH), the muscle behind President McKinley, called Jones "a crank, but he is a moral crank, and that makes the thing worse, for he believes what he says."
Golden Rule Jones's eccentricities were numerous and endearing. He stood on his head, sometimes speaking from that position. He gave away the better part of his fortune, often to strangers. He wore a flowing cravat and carried his heavily underlined copy of Whitman's Leaves of Grass into the prisons and workhouses whose inmates he visited. He paid court costs for the indigent out of his pocket.
Jones was often mistaken for a socialist, although the doctrinaire socialists derided him for his belief in Christian brotherhood and opposition to class warfare. He adorned his office with a portrait of Leo Tolstoy, not Karl Marx, and confessed, "I am indifferent to man-made laws."
In favoring public parks and municipal ownership of streetcars and utilities, Golden Rule Jones was a fairly standard, if unusually honest, Progressive mayor-except when it came to crime and punishment. "If I could I would open the penitentiaries," he said. "Anything which today separates me from the lowest soul in the penitentiary or tenderloin district is the very opposite of religion." When Mayor Jones sat in as Magistrate of the Police Court dealing with petty crimes, he routinely dismissed all cases.
His psychobiographer and great-granddaughter Marnie Jones notes that Golden Rule "stands virtually alone among nineteenth-century reformers in his refusal to use municipal powers to repress vice." The state, he believed, could not abolish sin.
The teetotalling Jones would not enforce laws against boozing, gambling, or prostitution. He urged bluenoses to take ladies of the street into their homes until they got back on their feet, so to speak. His successor and friend, Brand Whitlock, said of Golden Rule: "He was an oddman, born so far ahead of his time that the sins of others never troubled his conscience."
Jones placed his faith in "the love of Christ," not the policeman's nightstick. "I believe the only way in which the saloon will finally disappear," he said, "will be through the growth of the loving spirit in mankind which will provide opportunity for people to lead decent lives."
When Mayor Jones sat in as Magistrate of the Police Court dealing with petty crimes, he routinely dismissed all cases. He explained: "I have done by them just as I would have another judge do by my son if he were a drunkard or a thief, or by my sister or daughter if she were a prostitute."
He paid no price at the polls for his heterodox views. The Golden Rule, it seems, was not bad politics. Mayor Jones died in office in 1904. "Toledo has my heart and my life," he said as the end drew nigh.
Jones was not popular among businessman or wealthy people because of his rule. When he died thousands people attended his funeral and never before in his era would receive such highest respect.
As evidenced by the absence of an Anarchist Caucus within today's U.S. Conference of Mayors, our age has yet to find its own Golden Rule. Don't hold your breath waiting. For Albert Jay Nock called Jones "the incomparable true democrat, one of the children of light and sons of the Resurrection, such as appear but once in an era."
Source : Combined sources from different websites.
Destiny
.... People always using the word 'takdir' whenever something bad happened to them. I always thght that it was actually an excuse for not being able to reach the goal that we have set. What & Who we r when we were born is called 'fate'.. but what you'll become is called 'destiny'.. A story below might help us to understand what our destiny is..
There was a woman who always complained about her destiny. One day he met an old wise man. This woman says, " Am I already destined to do this and that "..
The old wise man said, "It is you who make your destiny."
"But surely I am not responsible for being born a woman?"
"Being born a woman isn't destiny.That is fate. Destiny is how you accept your womanhood and what you make of it.
There was a woman who always complained about her destiny. One day he met an old wise man. This woman says, " Am I already destined to do this and that "..
The old wise man said, "It is you who make your destiny."
"But surely I am not responsible for being born a woman?"
"Being born a woman isn't destiny.That is fate. Destiny is how you accept your womanhood and what you make of it.
The House of 1000 Mirrors
by: Author Unknown, Japanese folktale
Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
Are You a Bucket-Filler or a Dipper?
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.
A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.
When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.
Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. "Bright Eyes" across the table says, "You upset that glass of chocolate milk." I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake ("Red pencil" mentality!)
Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don't really think about what are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, "That is a pretty tie you have," and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.
Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.
The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little.
For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds "fakey," or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is "brown-nosing."
Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.
courtesy of inspirationalstories.com
You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.
A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.
When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.
Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady's skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. "Bright Eyes" across the table says, "You upset that glass of chocolate milk." I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake ("Red pencil" mentality!)
Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don't really think about what are doing. When a person's bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, "That is a pretty tie you have," and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.
Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.
The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little.
For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds "fakey," or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is "brown-nosing."
Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone's life in order to fill their bucket.
courtesy of inspirationalstories.com
A Scorpion Moment
By: Author Unknown, Source Unknow
There was this Hindu who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, but the scorpion stung him again.
A man nearby told him to stop saving the scorpion that kept stinging him.
But the Hindu said: "It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?"
Don't give up loving.
Don't give up your goodness.
Even if people around you sting.
courtesy of inspirationalstories.com
There was this Hindu who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water. He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, but the scorpion stung him again.
A man nearby told him to stop saving the scorpion that kept stinging him.
But the Hindu said: "It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting?"
Don't give up loving.
Don't give up your goodness.
Even if people around you sting.
courtesy of inspirationalstories.com
Appreciate All Gift
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
She tried so very hard, so very many times, to walk away from him; to escape the hold that he seemed to have over her. She recognized that he chose to live such a separate life and had little room for her, but for a few stolen moments in time. She knew there would come a day when even the moments in time were no longer possible, yet she didn't have the strength to follow through. She couldn't move away on her own.
It was like being sucked down into a whirlpool endlessly, hopelessly spinning downward. But each time, when spending time with him became a possibility, she was released from the downward spiral and lifted up onto the waves, with the clear blue sky and sunshine looming above her. She took flight, soaring above the sea, above the world, in a place where she felt such joy such freedom. It was these times she could not give up.
For those moments were unlike any other and she knew they would continue to be unlike any others that would come to her in her remaining lifetime. Sometimes she almost hated the hold he had on her. Sometimes she prayed for logic, reality and reason to take control and protect her from his reach. But these efforts were hopeless. She knew she had no chance of escaping; knew that for her, this man embodied all that was beautiful, all that was precious, all that was life.
His strength, his compassion, his beautiful soul; a single hour in his presence was equal to years of peace and serenity filled with such an enduring feeling of security and safety. He rescued her from her responsibilities. Rescued her from her life, from the draining demands by all those around her. He made her whole. He made her complete.
Though she would never fully understand why the walls he put up would not come down, why it could not be more, she was left to accept what there was, yet ultimately to appreciate that God and fate had brought to her this special gift.
The conventional is not always the course. Don't miss out on the wonderful moments that can be captured in life by expecting more. Learn to accept that which touches you, which leads you to appreciate every aspect of life; that which brings you to appreciate all of the other special things in life; that which makes you smell the air after a spring rain, rejoice in the sounds of the birds, be moved deeply by a sunrise, a sunset, to feel all of the beauty that surrounds you.
Embrace anyone and anything that can make this happen for you. Enjoy it while you can and afterwards let your sweet memories return you to this state, over and over again.
courtesy of inspirationalstories.com
She tried so very hard, so very many times, to walk away from him; to escape the hold that he seemed to have over her. She recognized that he chose to live such a separate life and had little room for her, but for a few stolen moments in time. She knew there would come a day when even the moments in time were no longer possible, yet she didn't have the strength to follow through. She couldn't move away on her own.
It was like being sucked down into a whirlpool endlessly, hopelessly spinning downward. But each time, when spending time with him became a possibility, she was released from the downward spiral and lifted up onto the waves, with the clear blue sky and sunshine looming above her. She took flight, soaring above the sea, above the world, in a place where she felt such joy such freedom. It was these times she could not give up.
For those moments were unlike any other and she knew they would continue to be unlike any others that would come to her in her remaining lifetime. Sometimes she almost hated the hold he had on her. Sometimes she prayed for logic, reality and reason to take control and protect her from his reach. But these efforts were hopeless. She knew she had no chance of escaping; knew that for her, this man embodied all that was beautiful, all that was precious, all that was life.
His strength, his compassion, his beautiful soul; a single hour in his presence was equal to years of peace and serenity filled with such an enduring feeling of security and safety. He rescued her from her responsibilities. Rescued her from her life, from the draining demands by all those around her. He made her whole. He made her complete.
Though she would never fully understand why the walls he put up would not come down, why it could not be more, she was left to accept what there was, yet ultimately to appreciate that God and fate had brought to her this special gift.
The conventional is not always the course. Don't miss out on the wonderful moments that can be captured in life by expecting more. Learn to accept that which touches you, which leads you to appreciate every aspect of life; that which brings you to appreciate all of the other special things in life; that which makes you smell the air after a spring rain, rejoice in the sounds of the birds, be moved deeply by a sunrise, a sunset, to feel all of the beauty that surrounds you.
Embrace anyone and anything that can make this happen for you. Enjoy it while you can and afterwards let your sweet memories return you to this state, over and over again.
courtesy of inspirationalstories.com
Three Trees On a Hill
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate caring and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow up to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree; I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it downs. The tree was happy because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to a shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsman came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one," and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day a man and a woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made for the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are best.
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate caring and everyone would see the beauty."
Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."
Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow up to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."
After a few years of praying their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree; I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it downs. The tree was happy because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to a shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsman came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one," and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day a man and a woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made for the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are best.
What he valued most
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The
funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old
newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of
him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were
doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of
the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make
sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this
business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me
things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,"
Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his
hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no
children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to
see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing
over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house
was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture,
every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said.
"What box? " Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I
must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell
me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered
it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had
taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better
get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from
work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required
on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within
the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and
looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was
difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.
"Mr. Harold Belser" it read.
Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There
inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read
the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack
Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped
to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack
carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold
pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing,
he unlatched the cover.
Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time!
Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most...was...my time."
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and
cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his
assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The
funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old
newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of
him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were
doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of
the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make
sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this
business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me
things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,"
Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his
hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no
children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to
see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing
over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house
was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture,
every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said.
"What box? " Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I
must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell
me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered
it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had
taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better
get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from
work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required
on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within
the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and
looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was
difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.
"Mr. Harold Belser" it read.
Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There
inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read
the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack
Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped
to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack
carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold
pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing,
he unlatched the cover.
Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time!
Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most...was...my time."
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and
cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his
assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"
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