I am a 61 year old, father of two boys and have been happily married for 33 years. I have been a Physical Education teacher and coach for 38 years and have loved EVERY minute of it. I enjoy making people laugh and feel good about themselves. It’s fun collecting inspiring and heartwarming stories.from people. So, if you have a good story…let me know! I hope you enjoy my page!! :)
Remember:
Everyone is fighting a battle that you know nothing about.
Be kind.
Always.
There are many, many guidelines and rules that are in the world about life. here are seven “rules of life” that I thought are a good reminder how to keep our lives positive and productive.
The Seven Rules of Life
SMILE – Life is short. Enjoy it while you can.
IT’S ON YOU – Only you are in charge of your happiness
LET IT GO – Never ruin a good day by focusing on a bad yesterday
IGNORE THEM – Don’t listen to other people. Live a life that is empowering to you
DON’T COMPARE – The only person you should try to beat is the person you were yesterday
GIVE IT TIME – Time heals everything
STAY CALM – It’s ok to have everything figured out. Know that in time, you’ll get there
What is love? What is TRUE love? I came across the following little story that I think will give us a small glimpse of what TRUE love really is.
“My parents were married for 55 years. One morning, as my mom was heading downstairs to make Dad breakfast, she suffered a heart attack and fell. My father, with all the strength he could muster, picked her up and nearly dragged her into his truck. He drove at full speed to the hospital, ignoring traffic lights, desperate to save her.
By the time they arrived, she was gone.
At the funeral, my father barely spoke. His gaze seemed lost, and tears rarely came. That evening, as my siblings and I sat with him, we shared memories of Mom. The atmosphere was heavy with sorrow and nostalgia. My father turned to my brother, a theologian, and asked, “Where is your mom now?”
My brother began speaking about life after death and where she might be. Dad listened intently. Suddenly, he interrupted: “Take me to the cemetery.”
“Dad, it’s 11 at night,” we protested. “We can’t go now!”
With a steely voice and tear-filled eyes, he replied, “Don’t argue with the man who just lost his wife of 55 years.”
Respectfully, we complied. At the cemetery, under the beam of a flashlight, he knelt by her grave. Gently caressing her resting place, he prayed and then turned to us with words that will stay with me forever:
“It was 55 years… no one can speak of true love unless they’ve lived it. She and I shared everything—crises, moves, the joy of raising you kids, the pain of losing loved ones, hospital prayers, Christmas hugs, and forgiveness for our mistakes.
Now she’s gone, and you know what? I’m at peace. I’m grateful she went first. She didn’t have to bear the pain of losing me or face the loneliness of my absence. I’ll take that burden because I love her too much to let her endure it.”
As he finished, tears streamed down our faces. He pulled us into a hug and said, “It’s okay. We can go home. It’s been a good day.”
That night, I understood the essence of true love. It’s not just about romance or physical attraction. True love is found in shared struggles, unwavering care, forgiveness, and the bond of two people deeply committed to one another.
Today’s little message should be a great reminder to all of us that we can usually make the most of a bad situation when they come our way.
Here is today’s story:
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. ‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’
‘Oh, you’re such a good boy,’ she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’
‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly..
‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.’
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in a soft voice.. ‘The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now’.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse.
‘Nothing,’ I said.
‘You have to make a living,’ she answered.
‘There are other passengers,’ I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~ BUT~ THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
At the bottom of this great story was a request to forward this – I deleted that request because if you have read to this point, you won’t have to be asked to pass it along you just will…
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
“Clint Eastwood, 94-year-old actor legend, formulated one of the most important lessons of his life so far for the young generation:
“”Don’t look for luxury in watches or bracelets, don’t look for luxury in villas or sailboats!
Luxury is laughter and friends, luxury is rain on your face, luxury is hugs and kisses.
Don’t look for luxury in shops, don’t look for it in gifts, don’t look for it in parties, don’t look for it in events!
Luxury is being loved by people, luxury is being respected, luxury is having your parents alive, luxury is being able to play with your grandchildren. Luxury is what money can’t buy.””
(2024) “
~ Source & Picture: FaceBook Page “This Will Blow Your Socks Off”
In the hustle and bustle of life, we can sometimes lose focus what of the REALLY important things might be. Many people dedicate their whole lives trying to attain lots of money, owning a big house, becoming famous, driving around a lot of fancy cars, etc. The list can go on and on.
It was once said that no one ever brings a U-Haul to a funeral and it is so true. The most important and valued things in life are the things that you cannot see.
Let’s take a look at today’s little story which perfectly illustrates the fact of how blessed WE REALLY ARE!
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Before dying at the age of 40 from stomach cancer, the world-renowned designer and author “Crisda (Kyrzada) Rodríguez” wrote:
1. I had the world’s most expensive car in my garage, but now I have to use a wheelchair.
2. In my house there are all kinds of branded clothes, shoes and price tags, but now my body is wrapped in a small cloth provided by the hospital.
3. I have a lot of money in the bank. But now I don’t benefit from that amount.
4. My house used to be like a castle, but now I sleep in two beds in the hospital.
5. From five star hotel now spending time in hospital moving from one clinic to another
6. I’ve signed autographs to hundreds of people but this time the medical records are my signature.
7. I’ve been to seven barbershops to get my hair done, but now – I don’t have a single hair on my head.
8. With a private jet, I can fly anywhere, but now I need two assistants to walk to the hospital gate.
9. Even though there is a lot of food, now my diet is two tablets a day and a few drops of salt water in the evening.
10. This house, this car, this plane, this furniture, this bank, the excessive fame and glory, none of it works for me. None of this will calm me down. “There is nothing real except death.” “I have no energy to be angry anymore. I just want to live and love.”
“Don’t let anyone waste your time. Eat the cake. Buy the shoes. Be kind. Forgive. Love. And always, always do it with style.”
At the end of the day, the most important thing is health. Always be happy with how little or much you have while you are healthy, have everything, have a plate of food, a place to sleep… YOU ARE NOT LACKING ANYTHING.
My parents were married for 55 years. One morning, my mom was going downstairs to make dad breakfast, she had a heart attack and fell. My father picked her up as best he could and almost dragged her into the truck. At full speed, without respecting traffic lights, he drove her to the hospital.
When he arrived, unfortunately she was no longer with us.
During the funeral, my father did not speak; his gaze was lost. He hardly cried.
That night, his children joined him. In an atmosphere of pain and nostalgia, we remembered beautiful anecdotes and he asked my brother, a theologian, to tell him where Mom would be at that moment. My brother began to talk about life after death and guesses as to how and where she would be.
My father listened carefully. Suddenly he asked us to take him to the cemetery.
“Dad!” we replied, “it’s 11 at night, we can’t go to the cemetery right now!”
He raised his voice, and with a glazed look he said: “Don’t argue with me, please don’t argue with the man who just lost his wife of 55 years.”
There was a moment of respectful silence, we didn’t argue anymore. We went to the cemetery. With a flashlight we reached her grave.
My father sat down, prayed, and told his children: “It was 55 years… you know? No one can really talk about true love if haven’t done life with a person.”
He paused and wiped his face.
“She and I, we were together in the good and in the bad.” he continued. “When I changed jobs, we packed up when we sold the house and moved. We shared the joy of seeing our children become parents, together we mourned the departure of loved ones, we prayed together in the waiting room of some hospitals, we supported each other in pain, we hugged one another each day, and we forgave mistakes.”
And then he paused and added, “Children, that’s all gone and I’m happy tonight. Do you know why I’m happy? Because she left before me. She didn’t have to go through the agony and pain of burying me, of being left alone after my departure. I will be the one to go through that, and I thank God for that. I love her so much that I wouldn’t have liked her to suffer…”
When my father finished speaking, my brothers and I had tears streaming down our faces. We hugged him and he comforted us, “It’s okay. We can go home. It’s been a good day.”
That night I understood what true love is. It is more than just romanticism and sex, it’s two people who stand beside one another, who are committed to one another … through all the good and bad that life throws at you.
I recently came across the following little writing and I thought to myself, “This would be a great thought to share with everyone.” So, without further ado, here it is:
I asked God to take away my habit.
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. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.
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 God for all things so 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 He loves me.
I have bad news folks…we are all getting older. Unfortunately, some of us are older than others and with that, we need to find the humorous part of life. The following statements are amusing adages that I think that you will find amusing!
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I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much faster now.
Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers..
I didn’t make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row.
I decided to stop calling the bathroom the ‘John’ and renamed it the ‘Jim’. I feel so much better saying “I went to the Jim this morning”.
Old age is coming at a really bad time. When I was a child I thought “Nap Time” was a punishment. Now, as a grownup, it feels like a small vacation.
The biggest lie I tell myself is…”I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.”
I don’t have grey hair; I have “wisdom highlights” I’m just very wise.
Don’t ever ask me to bend down and touch my toes. If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would have put them on my knees.
Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators, we haven’t met yet.
Of course I talk to myself; sometimes when I need expert advice.
At my age “Getting lucky” means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for.
Actually I’m not complaining because I am a Senager. (Senior teenager)
I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later. – I don’t have to go to school or work. – I have a driver’s license and my own car. – I get an allowance every month. – I have my own ipad (although I can’t recall where I kept it) – I don’t have a curfew.
Life is great.
I have more friends I should send this to, but right now I can’t remember their names. Now, I’m wondering…did I send this to you, or did you send it to me?
“ I’ve always been fairly open about dad’s progression, even though it’s hard, because you never know if your experience can help someone else who feels alone in a similar situation. Soo.. My dad called me yesterday. He asked if I lived at home (the usual), so I told him about my apartment and downplayed the cost of my rent as always. He asked what I do for work and he thinks it’s pretty cool, I do too. I heard my mom in the background talking to a friend. Then, my dad asked me how “mommy” was. I thought it was odd considering she was in the other room, but I answered “she’s doing well I think”. He sounded happy and asked me if she’s “found a new boyfriend yet”. I was going for a walk through town and had to stop. Why would mommy have a new boyfriend I asked myself? “Nana Betty, I think I have her number I should call her”. Nana Betty is my dad’s mom who passed away shortly after I was born. I was so confused and then I realized that my dad thought his mother is my mom. “Our mommy?” I asked. “Yeah Nana Betty!” I corrected him explaining who Nana Betty was- “no, Nana Betty is my wife, she gave birth to you”. I called his sister crying, I called my aunt, and then I called my mom. How do I tell my mom that her husband, my dad, thinks I have a different mom? Apparently this wasn’t a new thought for him because a few days ago he asked her “Danielle…is she your daughter?” My dad thinks that he’s 18 years old and still in high school. He wakes my mom up at 2 am wondering when he has to get ready. He has no recollection of college at the University of Miami, which we all know he loves, go canes!
Life changes quickly and we often only recognize the changes after they’ve happened. So, cherish the small moments just as you would the big. Remember the happy days but also accept the hard ones. Answer every phone call, smile for the 10th photo, and make your hugs a little tighter. Whether it’s Alzheimer’s, ALS, Cancer or another disease a parent, friend or family member is fighting, you don’t have to go through it alone “
When we face a major disaster such as a tornado, epidemic, storm, earthquake, or flood … are you anxious and fearful? Do you wonder if God really cares for you? Is He truly someone you can turn to when disaster strikes … even in times of great personal crisis? The answer is “Yes!” God is well-aware of what disaster you are facing right now.
God changes lives through crisis. Sometimes it is the life of the one going through the crisis. Other times it is the lives of those around a suffering person. Most of the time, it is both. Sometimes He changes lives in ways that we might not understand NOW but will in the future.
When disaster strikes, here’s a story that might provide some insight and hope…
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his new possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.
The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. “God, how could you do this to me!?” he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly. But we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground—it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
A lady asks: “How much do you sell your eggs for?”
The old vendor replies “50¢ an egg, madam.” The lady says, “I’ll take 6 eggs for $2.50 or I’m leaving.”
The old salesman replies “Buy them at the price you want, Madam. This is a good start for me because I haven’t sold a single egg today and I need this to live.”
She bought her eggs at a bargain price and left with the feeling that she had won.
She got into her fancy car and went to a fancy restaurant with her friend. She and her friend ordered what they wanted. They ate a little and left a lot of what they had asked for.
They paid the bill, which was $150. The ladies gave $200 and told the fancy restaurant owner to keep the change as a tip…
This story might seem quite normal to the owner of the fancy restaurant, but very unfair to the egg seller…
I once read this somewhere ,that a father used to buy goods from poor people at high prices, even though he didn’t need the things. Sometimes he paid more for them.
I was amazed. One day his son asked him “Why are you doing this Dad?” His father replied: “It’s charity wrapped in dignity, son.”
I want to challenge each one of us to do better. We can do that.
My Good Time Stories 