(POSTED September 19, 2006)
An Act Of Kindness
Contributed By Lee Ryan Miller
He was driving home one evening,
on a two-lane country road. Work,
in this small mid-western community,
was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac.
But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levis factory closed,
he'd been unemployed, and with winter raging on,
the chill had finally hit home. It was a lonely road.
Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless
they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left.
They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill.
But he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his
mother and father. He was born
here and knew the country.
He could go down this road blind,
and tell you what was on either side,
and with his headlights not working, that came in handy.
It was starting to get dark and
light snow flurries were coming down.
He'd better get a move on. You know, he almost
didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road.
But even in the dim light of day,
he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in
front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was
still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried.
No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so.
Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe,
he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened,
standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt.
It was that chill that only fear can put in you.
He said, "I'm here to help you m'am. Why don't you wait
in the car where it's warm. By the way, my name is Joe."
Well, all she had was a flat tire,
but for an old lady, that was bad enough Joe crawled under
the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his
knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to
change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his
hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts,
she rolled down her window and began to talk to him.
She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only
just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for
coming to her aid. Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk.
She asked him how much she owed him.
Any amount would have been alright with her.
She had already imagined all the awful things
that could have happened had he not stopped.
Joe never thought twice about the money. This was not a
job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows
there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past.
He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred
to him to act any other way. He told her that if she
really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw
someone who needed help, she could give that person the
assistance that they needed, and Joe added "...and think of me".
He waited until she started her car and drove off.
It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt
good as he headed for home, disappearing into the
twilight. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe.
She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before
she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking
restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was
unfamiliar to her. The cash register was like the telephone of an out of work actor, it didn't ring much.
Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to
wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even
being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.
The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant,
but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude.
The old lady wondered how someone who had so little
could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe.
After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went
to get her change from a hundred dollar bill, the lady
slipped right out the door. She was gone by the
time the waitress came back. She wondered where the
lady could be, then she noticed something
written on a napkin. There were tears in her eyes,
when she read what the lady wrote. It said, "You don't owe me a thing,
I've been there too. Someone once helped me out, the way I'm helping you.
If you really want to pay me back, here's what you do.
Don't let the chain of love end with you."
Well, there were tables to clear,
sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve,
but the waitress made it through another day.
That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed,
she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written.
How could she have known how much she and her husband needed it?
With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.
She knew how worried her husband was,
and as he lay sleeping next to her,
she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low,
"Everything's gonna be alright, I love you Joe."
A Story To Live By
by Ann Wells, Los Angeles Times
My brother-in-law opened the bottom
drawer of my sister's bureau and
lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.
"This," he said, "is not a slip.
This is lingerie." He discarded the
tissue and handed me the slip. It
was exquisite; silk, handmade
and trimmed with a cobweb of lace.
The price tag with an astronomical
figure on it was still attached. "Jan
bought this the first time we went
to New York, at least 8 or 9 years
ago. She never wore it. She was saving it
for a special occasion. Well,
I guess this is the occasion." He took the
slip from me and put it on
the bed with the other clothes we were
taking to the mortician. His
hands lingered on the soft material for a moment,
then he slammed the
drawer shut and turned to me.
"Don't ever save anything for a special
occasion. Every day you're
alive is a special occasion."
I remembered those words through
the funeral and the days that
followed when I helped him and my
niece attend to all the sad chores
that follow an unexpected death. I thought
about them on the plane
returning to California from the Midwestern
town where my sister's
family lives. I thought about all the things
that she hadn't seen or
heard or done. I thought about the things that
she had done without
realizing that they were special. I'm still
thinking about his words,
and they've changed my life.
I'm reading more and dusting less.
I'm sitting on the deck 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 in
committee meetings. Whenever possible,
life should be a pattern of
experience to savor, not 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, the
first camellia blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the market
if I feel like it. My theory is if
I look prosperous, I can shell out
$28.49 for one small bag of
groceries without wincing.
I'm not saving my good perfume for
special parties; clerks in hardware
stores and tellers in banks have
noses that function as well as my
party-going friends'.
"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 sister would have done had
she known that she wouldn't be here for
the tomorrow we all take for
granted.
It's those little things left
undone that would make me angry if I knew
that my hours were limited.
Angry because I put off seeing good friends
whom I was going to get in touch
with-someday. 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 daughter 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.
(POSTED September 15, 2006)
Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the
surgeon come out of the operating room.
She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going
to be all right? When can I see him?"
The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could,
but your boy didn't make it."
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer?
Doesn't God care any more? Where were you,
God, when my son needed you?"
The surgeon asked, "Would you like some
time alone with your son? One of the nurses
will be out in a few minutes, before he's
transported to the university."
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while
she said good-bye to son. She ran her fingers
lovingly through his thick red curly hair.
"Would you like a lock of his hair?"
the nurse asked.
Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock
of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag
and handed it to Sally. The mother said,
"It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to
the university for study. He said it might help
somebody else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy
said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe
it will help some other little boy spend one more
day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a
heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else.
Always wanting to help others if he could."
Sally walked out of Children's mercy Hospital for
the last time, after spending most of the last six
months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's
belongings on the seat beside her in the car.
The drive home was difficult. It was even harder
to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's
belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of
his hair to her son's room. She started placing
the model cars and other personal things back
in his room exactly where he had always kept
them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging
his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying
beside her on the bed was a folded letter.
The letter said:
"Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me;
but don't think that I will ever forget you, or
stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say
I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more
with each day. Someday we will see each other again.
Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't
be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my
room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to
get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same
things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and
stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me.
This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met
me as soon as I got here and showed me around some,
but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels
are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what?
Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw
Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD!
And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him,
like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I
wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good-bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom?
God handed me some paper and His own personal
pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name
of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the
questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him?'
"God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son
Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is
with all His children.
Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written
except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper.
Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now.
He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life.
Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper.
I'm, sure the food will be great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore.
The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't
stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see
me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent
The Angel of Mercy to come get me.
The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?
Signed with Love from: God, Jesus & Me.
(POSTED September 10, 2006)
THIS IS A POWERFUL MESSAGE. PLEASE READ ALL OF IT. I AM
PASSING IT ON BECAUSE I AM CERTAINLY NOT ASHAMED TO DO
SO.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh,
this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke,
it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.............
Dart Test...
A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a seminary class,
given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says that
Dr. Smithwas known for his elaborate object lessons.
One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day.
On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts.
Dr. Smithtold the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked
or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them
to throw darts at the person's picture.
Sally's friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend.
Another friend drew a picture of his little brother.
Sally drew a picture of a former friend,
putting a great deal of detail into her drawing,
even drawing pimples on the face.
Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.
The class lined up and began throwing darts.
Some of the students threw their darts with such force
that their targets were ripping apart.
Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when
Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.
As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't
have a chance to throw any darts at her target.
Dr. Smithbegan removing the target from the wall.
Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus.
A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the
mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered
His face and His eyes were pierced.
Dr. Smithsaid only these words... "
In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto Me."
Matthew 25:40.
No other words were necessary; the tears filled eyes of
the students focused only on the picture of Christ.
Isn't it funny how simple it is for people
to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say,
but question what the Bible says.
Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven
provided they do not have to believe, think,
say, or do anything the Bible says. Or is it scary?
Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe in God"
but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God ).
Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and!
they spread like wildfire, but when you start
sending messages regarding the Lord,
people think twice about sharing.
Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass
freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus
is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Isn't it funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday,
but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.
Are you laughing?
Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this message,
you will not send it to many on your address
list because you're not sure what they believe,
or what they will think of you for sending it to them.
Isn't it funny how I can be more worried about what other
people think of me than what God thinks of me.
(POSTED September 8, 2006)
DEATH~
WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT ! ! ! ! !
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 lies on the other side."
Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know ?
You, a Christian man, do not know what is 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.
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."
READ AND RETURN
May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly
where you are meant to be.
I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet
when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly.
(POSTED September 4, 2006)
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
to provide you with guidance and support,
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometim!
es they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met
our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.!
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid
emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person and put what you have learned to use in
all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant .
Thank you for being a part of my life,
whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.
(POSTED August 28, 2006)
I LOVE this story.
Somewhere in Milaor, Camarines Sur, there lived a fourth grader boy who
would follow this route to school everyday: He has to cross the rugged
plains and cross the dangerous highway where vehicles are recklessly
driving to and from.
Once past this highway, the boy would take a short cut, passing by the
Church every morning just to say Hi to God, and faithfully say
his, "Magandang umaga po" in Bicol dialect. He was faithfully being
watched by a Priest who was happy to find innocence so uplifting in the
morning,
"Kamusta, Andoy? Papasok ka na?"
"Opo padre ... "he would flash his innocent grin, the priest would be
touched. He was so concerned that one day he talked to Andoy.
"From school...", he advised "Do not cross the highway, you can
pass through the Church and I can accompany you to the other side of the
road...that way I can see that you are home safe...."
"Thank you father ... "
"Why don't you go home ... why do you stay in
this church right after school?"
"I just want to say 'Hi' to my friend, God," and the priest
would leave the boy to spend time beside the altar,
talking to himself, but the priest was hiding behind the altar to listen
to what this boy has to say to his heavenly FATHER.
"You know my math exam was pretty bad today, but I did not cheat although
my seatmate is bullying me for notes... I ate one cracker and drank my
water, Itay had a bad season and all I can eat is this cracker.
Thank you for this! I saw a poor kitten who was hungry and I know how he
feels so I gave my last cracker to him ... funny but I am not that hungry.
Look, this is my last pair of slippers ...I may have to walk barefoot next
week, you see this is about to be broken... but it is okay....at least I am
still going to school.... Some say we will have a hard season this month,
some of my classmates have already stopped going to school .... please help
them get to school again, please God?
...Oh, you know, Inay hit me again, it is painful, but I know this pain
will pass away, at least I still have a mother.... God, you want to see my
bruises? I know you can heal them.... Here... here and .... oh ...blood
...I guess you knew about this one huh? Please don't be mad at Inay, she is just tired and she worries for the food in our table and my schooling that is why she hits us....Oh, I think I am in love ... there's this pretty girl in my class, her name is Anita ... do you think she will like me? Anyway, at least I know you will always like me,
I don't have to be anybody just to please you, you
are my very best friend! Hey your birthday is two days from now!!! Aren't you excited? I am! Wait till you see,
I have a gift for you . but it is a surprise! I hope you will like it! Oooops, I have to go ..." then he stood
up and calls out, "Padre, padre, I am finished talking to my friend ....
youcan accompany me to the other side of the road now"
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