When I was in my childhood years and all through my adult years, our house was always a welcome and loving solace for friends and relatives that came our way. It has been such a comfort and joy knowing that people can visit us and feel safe, loved, and feel right at home.
I recently came across the following poem written by Raising Teens Today that I thought was an encouraging writing that…hopefully…will embolden the doors of your home and Be “That House.”
I love finding little stories that make me feel good and smile to myself. Today’s story fits that category. I hope that you find this humorous little tale as enjoyable as I did 🙂
Going to bed the other night, I noticed people in my shed stealing things.
I phoned the police but was told that no one was in the area to help. They said that they would send someone over as soon as possible.
I hung up.
A minute later, I called the police again. “Hello,” I said, “I called a minute ago because there were people in my shed. You don’t have to worry now because I shot them.”
Within minutes there were half a dozen police cars in the area, plus helicopters and an armed response unit. They caught the burglars red-handed.
One of the officers said, “I thought you said that you shot them.”
To which I replied, “I thought you said there was no one available.”
We will all experience death someday. Many people wonder what it will be like “on the other side.” While it is true that nobody knows for sure, I recently came across the following little story that I think will give you a glimpse of what you may expect.
A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what’s on the other side,” Very quietly, the doctor sais, “I don’t know…”
“You don’t know? You’re a Christian Man, and don’t know what’s on the other side?”
The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness and love.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing…I know my Master is there and that is enough.”
What kind of person are you? Are you compassionate, sympathetic, and kind towards others? Or are you someone who is unsympathetic, callous, and impervious in your relationships with individuals?
The following poem was written by Sheri Eckert and serves as a great reminder that we should all “Be That One” kind of person who looks to inspire, encourage, and assist others in their journey of life.
Be That One
Be that one.
That One who forgives when a deep offense has been committed.
That One who loves when no one else does.
That One who shares kindness to those who are mean.
Be That One who looks past the insult, instead seeing the pain that motivated it.
That One who shines the light upon those who sit in utter darkness.
Because the impact of being That One runs far and wide.It brings healing to the wounded, joy to the sad, and hope to those in despair.
Be That One.
“How beautiful a day can be when KINDNESS touches it” 🙂
One of the things that I enjoy, is finding stories, anecdotes, and other little nuggets of wisdom and knowledge to share with others. A friend of mine sent me the following Six VERY short stories that demonstrate short examples of simple truths. I hope that you find them as enjoyable and helpful as I did!
Enjoy!
{1} Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That’s FAITH.
{2} When you throw babies in the air,they laugh because they know you will catch them. That’s TRUST.
{3} Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That’s HOPE
{4} We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That’s CONFIDENCE
{5} We see the world suffering,but still we get married and have children. That’s LOVE.
{6} On an old man’s shirt was written a sentence’I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.’ That’s ATTITUDE.
Have a happy day & live your life like the 6 stories.
When I was a child, I thought nap time was punishment. Now it’s like a mini-vacation.
“GOOD FRIENDS ARE THE RARE JEWELS OF LIFE..DIFFICULT TO FIND AND IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE!
I recently came across the following story that I found interesting and inspirational. Unfortunately, I do not who wrote this analogy, I think that this is something that will inspire people whose desires and goals in their lives are to become leaders in their everyday lives.
Enjoy!
In the Jungle:
1. The Elephant is the biggest
2. The Giraffe is the tallest
3. The Fox is the wisest
4. The Cheetah is the fastest
Yet, the Lion is the King of the Jungle even without any of these qualities.
Why?
Because:
1. The Lion is courageous, bold, walks with confidence, is daring and never afraid.
2. The Lion believes it is unstoppable.
3. The Lion is a risk taker.
4. The Lion believes any food is for him.
5. The lion believes any opportunity is worth trying.
So…
1. You don’t need to be the biggest.
2. You don’t have to be the tallest.
3. You don’t have to be the wisest.
4. You don’t have to be the fastest.
All you need is “courage.”
All you need is the “will to try.”
All you need is the “Faith” to believe it is “Possible.”
All you need is to believe in yourself and believe that you can do it.
The Lion never walks alone! It is the only big cat that lives, hunts, and eats in groups. This quality demonstrates that we all need each other to succeed…whether it be in a family, neighborhood, workplace, Church/Mosque/Synagogue, and the nation at large!
Never Walk Along!
Stay in the Lion’s Mood!
That’s the mood for winners…regardless how old you are!
If you’ve ever felt despair, suffered tragedy or generally gone through the harshness of life, this is a wonderful story that will lift your spirits…
The Four Candles burned slowly. Their Ambiance was so soft you could hear them speak…
The First Candle said, “I Am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep me lit.”
Then Peace’s flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
The Second Candle said, “I Am Faith, but these days, I am no longer indispensable.”
Then Faith’s flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
Sadly, The Third Candle Speaks, “I Am Love and I haven’t the strength to stay lit any longer.
People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” Waiting no longer, Love goes out completely.
Suddenly…A child enters the room and sees the three candles no longer burning. The child begins to cry, “Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end!”
Then the Fourth Candle speaks gently to the little child, “Don’t be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles.”
With Shining Eyes, the child took the Candle Of Hope and lit the other three candles.
Never let the Flame of Hope go out of your life. With Hope, no matter how bad things look and are…Peace, Faith and Love can Shine Brightly in our lives.
No nursing home for me. I’ll be checking into a Holiday Inn!
With the average cost for nursing home care being approximately $275.00 per day, there is a better way to go when we get old and feeble.
I’ve already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn.
For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it is $79.00 per night. Breakfast included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.
That leaves $196.00 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities, and special TV movies.
There is another big plus…they hotel also provides a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge, and washer dryer, etc. Most hotels have free toothpaste and razors, and all of them have free soap and shampoo.
If you give $10 worth of tips a day, you will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
They will treat you like a customer…not a patient.
There is a city bus stop out front and seniors ride free. The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).
To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.
For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus to the airport and eat at one of the nice restaurants there. While you are at the airport, fly somewhere…otherwise, the cash will keep building up.
It takes months and months to get into decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today…and you are not stuck in one place forever. You can move from Inn to Inn, or even city to city. Want to see Hawaii? They have a Holiday Inn there too.
TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a new mattress replaced? No problem. They fix everything and apologize for the inconvenience.
The Inn has a night security person and a daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are OK. If not, they call an ambulance…or the undertaker.
If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.
And no worries about visits from your family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days mini vacation and the grandkids can use the pool!
What more could I ask for?
So, when I reach that golden age…I will face it with a grin!!
A father said to his son: You graduated with honors, here is a car that I acquired many years ago … it is several years old.
But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you.
The son went to the used car lot, returned to his father and said, “They offered me $ 1,000 because it looks very worn out.”
The father said, “Take him to the pawn shop.”
The son went to the pawn shop, returned to his father and said, “The pawn shop offered $ 100 because it was a very old car.”
The father asked his son to go to a car club and show them the car.
The son took the car to the club, returned and told his father: “Some people in the club offered $ 100,000 for it, since it is a Nissan Skyline R34, iconic car and sought after by many.
The father said to his son, “I wanted you to know that the right place values you the right way.” …
If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means that you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you, and never stay in a place where no one sees your value.
My father passed away a few years ago and there isn’t a day that goes past that I don’t think of him. I miss the times that we shared together fishing, traveling, camping, laughing, and doing the plethora of other things that I loved to do with him. He was more than a father to me, he was my buddy, my confidant, my best friend.
Today, I was going through my desk here at home and came across a poem that a friend of mine had shared with us. For some reason, I don’t remember reading it at the time, but after reading it today, it brought a sense of comfort to my heart.
It is for this reason that I felt as though I should share it with other people that may be going through a time of grief, loss, or nostalgia.
Today’s world is getting busier and busier. It seems as though the anxieties, stresses, and the speed of the events going on around us are going faster and quicker every day. There are times when it seems like we just can’t catch up with the things that we would like to do. Our minds sometimes seem so overwhelmed with all the vast amounts of technology and information bombarding us…it can sometimes feel like we are going “over the edge.”
Well, I have good news for you time! The following is a simple story that I hope serves as a great reminder…for all of us…the importance of taking some time for ourselves each day!
There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in his barn. You see, it was no ordinary watch because it had great sentimental value for him. The watch had been passed down to him through the generations and it broke his heart knowing that he lost the watch.
He searched and searched but he could not find the treasured heirloom. After much thought and contemplation, the farmer decided to enlist the help of a group of children that were playing outside the barn. The children looked and looked for the watch, but they just couldn’t find it.
The farmer was heartbroken…it seemed like the watch was lost forever. But just when the farmer was about to give up, a little boy came up to him and the farmer, “Mr. Farmer, can I look for the watch one more time?” The farmer looked at him and thought, “why not?” “It certainly wouldn’t hurt…after all your friends looked for a few hours and couldn’t find it,” the farmer said.
So, the farmer told the little boy to go back into the barn and continue his search. To his complete surprise and astonishment, the boy come out, face beaming with pride, with the farmer’s watch in his hand!
The farmer was so happy and surprised! He asked the boy, “How did you find the watch? There were so many other people searching for it and they couldn’t find it, how did you discover it so quickly?”
The boy simply replied, “I did nothing but sit quietly on the ground and listen…in silence. Then I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in the direction the sound was coming from.”
You see folks, in the hustle and bustle of today’s world, we all need to take some time for ourselves to be quiet and allow ourselves to enjoy the gift of relaxing, re-energizing silence. A peaceful mind will allow us to think better and more clearly than a mind full of turmoil, anxiety, and stress.
Allow yourself to take some time each day to silence your mind and discover how it will help your day run a little smoother and happier when you quiet your soul!
This is a great illustration as to why some people do not do politics. This was my friend’s article in his church’s newsletter.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ~ Philippians 4:8
As children, we played outside all the time. I am sure it was because we did not have air conditioning and the house was hotter than outside. Getting tangled up with “red ants” was a common occurrence.
Now it should not be a surprise to anyone that I was a very hyper child. So one day I was riding my bike and came across a huge red ant pile. Do you remember the phrase, “I got ants in my pants and I need to dance”? Well, I decided to see what that was like and I sat right down in the middle of that ant pile. You can guess what happens next… I got covered with ants. I ran home screaming and crying. I do not know what my mom said, but I do remember her pouring alcohol all over the bites.
You may be wondering what this has to do with the verse in Philippians. We are living in a time with information overload. We are filling our time watching and consuming information that we have no control over. I have quite a few friends who have become angry, and cynical because all they do is watch the news and then feel like they have to change the world by posting and talking and trashing the headlines.
Mostly it is about politics. It is just like those ants that I stirred up and paid the price for becoming part of their world. I would have been far better off ignoring them and chasing butterflies. But I gave my attention to the wrong thing.
When we are told to “think about things” that are noble and true, pure and right, lovely etc. it is because that is what is best. We are stressing ourselves out because we are paying attention to the wrong things. God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It gives light to our soul. It leads us beside still waters and comforts us. These are the things we need to be concentrating on.
I do not think we need to be ignorant of things going on in our world, but posting, commenting and constantly talking about it is like stirring up an ant bed and sitting on it. It makes us miserable and drives friends and families away. And, like it or not, if we disagree with the person it does effect how we feel about them, even if for a short moment. Plus, it does not change one little thing in the world other than “getting it off our chest”
We need to choose to be happy. If we are going to be posting things that are going to change the world, then we need to be posting about Jesus and what He is doing for us.
Let’s all make a commitment to read God’s word and put Philippians 4:8 into practice. Let’s choose to be trustworthy, pure, lovely, commendable, and excellent.
