Christmas is a time for love and fun,
A time to reshape souls and roots and skies.
A time to give your heart to everyone
Freely, like a rich and lavish sun,
Like a burning star to those whose lonely sighs.
For those who show the need of such a time for love and fun.
For children first, whose pain is never done,
whose bright white fire of anguish never dies.
It’s time to give your heart to every one,
That not one angel fall, to hatred won
For lack of ears to listen to her cries,
Or arms to carry him towards love and fun,
Or friends to care what happens on the run
To adult life, where joy or sadness lies.
It’s time to give your heart to everyone,
For God loves all, and turns His back on none,
good or twisted, ignorant or wise.
Christmas is a time for love and fun,
A time to give your heart to everyone.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall!
GRANDMA’S HANDS
Author Unknown
This is good; I’ll never look at my hands the same!
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She
didn’t move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I
sat down beside her she didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer
I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her
at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and
looked at me and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking,” she
said in a clear voice strong.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here
staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I
explained to her.
“Have you ever looked at your hands,” she asked. “I mean really looked
at your hands?”
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over,
palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at
my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story: “Stop and think for a moment
about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout
your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been
the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace
life.
“They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the
floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my
mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled
on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off
to war.
“They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were
uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with
my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved
someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook
when I buried my parents and spouse.
“They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and
shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand.
“They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed
the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken,
dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me
works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again
continue to fold in prayer.
“These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of
life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach
out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me
to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of
Christ.”
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God
reached out and took my grandma’s hands and led her home.
When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my
children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked
and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my
face.
When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you
and watch God’s answer to prayer work in your life. Let’s continue
praying for one another.
The Gift of Praise
Appropriate mention, right in front of the other
fellow, of superior qualities or of a
job or deeds well done.
The Gift of Consideration
Putting yourself in the other’s shoes and
thus providing your genuine understanding
of his side of the case.
The Gift of Concession
Humbly saying at just the right point,
“I am sorry, you are right and I am wrong.”
The Gift of Gratitude
Never forgetting to say “Thank You”
and never failing to mean it.
The Gift of Attention
When the other fellow speaks, listen attentively.
If his words are directed to you
personally, meet his eye squarely.
The Gift of Inspiration
Plant seeds of courage and action
in the other person’s heart.
The Gift of Personal Presence
In sickness, in trouble, or in great joy,
there is nothing quite equal to your
personal expression of sympathy or
congratulations. Resolve to give these gifts
each day. You will be pleasantly surprised
at what you will receive in return.
May you find serenity and tranquility
in a world you may not always understand.
May the pain you have known
and the conflict you have experienced
give you the strength to walk through life
facing each new situation with courage and optimism.
Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding will always be there,
even when you feel most alone.
May a kind word,
a reassuring touch,
and a warm smile
be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts
as well as receive them.
May the teachings of those you admire
become part of you,
so that you may call upon them.
Remember, those whose lives you have touched
and who have touched yours
are always a part of you,
even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.
It is the content of the encounter
that is more important than its form.
May you not become too concerned with material matters,
but instead place immeasurable value
on the goodness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see beauty and love
in the world around you.
Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard
you may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.
Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
May you find enough inner strength
to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent
on another’s judgment of your accomplishments.
May you always feel loved.
- Sandra Sturtz Hauss
Believe in yourself…
in the power you have
to control your own life day by day.
Believe in the strength
that you have deep inside
and your faith will help
show you the way.
Believe in tomorrow
and what it will bring,
let a hopeful heart
carry you through
for things will work out
if you trust and believe
there’s no limit
to what you can do!
A Blessing Prayer
This day is full of beauty and adventure,
help me Lord to be fully alive to it all.
During this day, may I become a more thoughtful person,
a more prayerful person, a more generous and kindly person.
Help me not to be turned in on myself but
to be sensitive and helpful to others.
Let me do nothing today that will hurt anyone,
but let me help at least a little,
to make life more pleasant for those I meet.
When night comes, may I look back on this day without regrets;
and may nobody be unhappy because of anything
I have said or done or failed to do.
Lord God, bless this day for me and all of us.
Make it a day in which we grow a little more
like your Son, and gentle as Mary His Mother.
Amen
Then Why Don’t We Pray?
The highest privilege ever afforded to man is the power of prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?
The right to talk to the highest potentate in all the universe…
…then why don’t we pray?
The most powerful force accessible to man is the potential of prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?
The greatest longing in the heart of God is to talk to His children…
…then why don’t we pray?
Nothing is impossible to those who pray…
…then why don’t we pray?
No man ever fainted or faltered who gave himself to prayer…
…then why don’t we pray?
Every sin is forgiven, every stain is washed clean, all guilt diminished to the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?
Hell moves farther away, Satan flees from the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?
Anointing will come, mountains will be moved, valleys made smooth, rivers made crossable, the inaccessible made accessible, the impossible made possible, dreams come through to the man who prays…
…then why don’t we pray?
Jesus said that men ought always to pray…
…then why don’t we pray?
Paul encouraged prayer without ceasing…
…then why don’t we pray?
The riches of heaven are open to those who pray in His name…
…then why don’t we pray?
Everyone can pray, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, the child, the aged, the sinner, the prisoner, in any nation, in any language, all can pray…
…then why don’t we pray?
Pass this on and encourage others to pray…
- Author Unknown
HOW TO BE MISERABLE
If your aim is to be miserable most of the time, the following ten actions will help you reach that state of misery in record time:
1. Think only about yourself. Talk much about yourself. Include “I” as much as you can in every conversation.
2. Pay close attention to what people think and say about you.
3. Expect to be appreciated.
4. Cultivate suspicion, jealousy and envy.
5. Be sensitive to every sight insult. Never forgive a criticism.
6. Trust nobody but yourself.
7. Insist upon special consideration
8. Demand that everyone agree with your views and opinions on everything.
9. Shirk your duties and responsibilities if you can.
10. Do as little as possible for other people.
Inspirational Thought
Our body is the temple of God and our soul is His image. It is the devil’s work to make us forget that and feel useless, incapable and worthless. God, I will not deny Your existence in me. I am strong and capable because You live and work through me.
