******************

IF YOU DON'T READ THIS TO THE VERY END, YOU HAVE LOST A DAY IN YOUR LIFE. AND WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED, DO AS I AM DOING AND SEND IT ON.

George Carlin's View on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?"  "I'm four and a half!"  You're never thirty-six and a half.  You're four and a half, going on five!  That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back.  You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?"  "I'm gonna be 16!"  You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21.  YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30.  Oooohh, what happened there?  Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out.  There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling.  What's wrong?  What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.  Whoa!  Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50

and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!!  You MAKE it to 60.  You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.  And it doesn't end there.  Into the 90's, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens.  If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again.  "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.  Let the doctors worry about them.  That is why you pay "them "

2. Keep only cheerful friends.  The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning.  Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.  Never let the brain idle.  "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."  And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.  Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen.  Endure, grieve, and move on.  The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.  Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.  Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:  If it is good, preserve it.  If it is unstable, improve it.  If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips.  Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares?  But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!
Have a wonderful day!!!!!!!

Courtesy of Walid D.

What Money Can and Can Not Buy You...

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT.
DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE.

 THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH.

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, "AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,
YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?"

THE OTHER FRIEND REPLIED "WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.

BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

 THEY SAY IT TAKES A MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL PERSON,
AN HOUR TO APPRECIATE THEM, A DAY TO LOVE THEM,
BUT THEN AN ENTIRE LIFE TO FORGET THEM.

SEND THIS PHRASE TO THE PEOPLE YOU'LL NEVER FORGET.

IF YOU DON'T SEND IT TO ANYONE, IT MEANS YOU'RE IN A
HURRY AND THAT YOU'VE FORGOTTEN YOUR FRIENDS.
TAKE THE TIME TO LIVE!

DO NOT VALUE THE THINGS YOU HAVE IN YOUR
LIFE, BUT VALUE WHO YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE!

 

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever" Ghandi  - courtesy of Elias K

" Man's inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively, skillfully, and with understanding to another human being." by Carl Rogers -  courtesy of Soulaima K

Julie Andrews' 69th Birthday!

To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My FavoriteThings" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music."

However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "blue hair" audience.

Here are the lyrics she recited:

"Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things..

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."

Miss Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to those of us associated with someone Irish

May the road rise to meet you; May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your Face and the rains fall soft upon your Fields
And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand...  an Irish Blessing

Courtesy of Sandy M.

No matter what

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked,  "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"
And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE.
You are special- Don't EVER forget it."
If you do not pass this on, you may never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring.
Count your blessings, not your problems.
And remember: amateurs built the ark ... professionals built the Titanic.
If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.
Share this message with those you care about and spread good energy around you.
 

Courtesy of  Victoria-Ghada

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said good-bye.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?
So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
 

Courtesy of Andre

Courtesy of Anwar

Courtesy of Victoria

....a Friend does most or all of these...

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you

(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over

(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life

(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits

(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you

(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

Courtesy of Sylva A B Z

Mistakes

Courtesy of Rita R.

What is the coldest profession?

The Adelie penguin, a species that inhabits Ross Island in Antarctica, ensures the survival of its species in a curious manner. Though scientists claim that this species mates for life, an exception is apparently made where nest building is concerned.

Female Safety

Courtesy of Victoria

After reading, forward it to someone you care about; it never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we
live in.

Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

 ..... If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you. Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse.  RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

..... If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

Last night I attended a personal safety workshop, and it jolted me. It was given by an amazing man, Pat Malone, who has been a bodyguard for famous figures like Farrah Fawcett and Sylvester Stallone. He works for the FBI and teaches police officers and Navy SEALS hand-to-hand combat.This man has seen it all, and knows a lot. He focused his teachings to us on HOW TO AVOID BEING THE VICTIM OF A VIOLENT CRIME. He gave us some statistics about how much the occurrences of random violence have escalated over the recent years, and it's terrible. Something like 99% of us will be exposed to, or become a victim of a violent crime.

Here are some of the most important points that I got out of his presentation; the three reasons women are
easy targets for random acts of violence are:

1a. Lack of Awareness: swing your arms, stand straight up.
1b. Wrong Place, Wrong Time: DON'T walk alone in an alley, or drive in a bad neighborhood at night.

2. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! (I even lock my doors while doing this).....Don The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS LEAVE.

3. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

..... ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

..... If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

..... As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Pat Malone told us the story of his daughter, who came out of the mall and was walking to her car when she
noticed 2 older ladies in front of her. Then she saw a police car come towards her with cops who said hello.  She also noticed that all 8 handicap spots in the area were empty. As she neared her car she saw a man a few rows over calling to her for help. He wanted her to close his passenger side door. He was sitting in the back on the driver's side, and said he was handicapped.

He continued calling, until she turned and headed back to the mall, and then he began cursing at her. In the
meantime, she wondered why he didn't ask the 2 older ladies, or the policeman for help, and why he was not parked in any of the empty handicap spots. As she got back to the mall, two male friends of hers were exiting, and as she told them the story and turned to point at the car, the man was getting out of the back seat into the front and the car sped away. DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THIS TRAP.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life.

A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys,
if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it on to them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know who may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Courtesy of Alaa & Tarek

Make a Wish

Courtesy of Victoria

Parachutes

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison.  He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.  "I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today,"

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said "Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?"

Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute.  He called on all these supports before reaching safety.  Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important.
We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute !!! And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours!

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word, maybe this could explain it: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do--you forward jokes. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?  A forwarded joke.

So my friend, next time when you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute.

Courtesy of Beatriz, Brazil

Author

Topic: why ask why!

Victoria Member Member # 26   posted 06-09-2003 10:13 AM                    1. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented? 2. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes? 3. Why do we say something is out of whack? What's a whack? 4. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? 5. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? 6. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? 7. When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts" and you put your two cents in ... what happens to the other penny? 8. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? 9. When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say? 10. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car not called a racist? 11. Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites? 12. Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things? 13. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one? 14. "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language.  Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence? 15. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed? 16. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP? 17. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks? 18. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men? 19. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me, they're cramming for their final exam. 20. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks? 21. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail. 22. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for? 23. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. 24. No one ever says, "It's only a game" when their team is winning. 25. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag? 26. If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose? 27. Do people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water know that spelling it backwards is NAIVE. 28. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? 29. OK...so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs", what does that make the Tennessee Titans? 30. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea... does that mean the fifth one enjoys it? Posts: 197 | From: San Jose, CA, USA | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged

George Matar Administrator Member # 4   posted 06-09-2003 04:59 PM                    These are cute ya Victoria: Here's one 1. IF a man's pants on fire shouldn't he quench it before his faucet is fused? Posts: 1153 | From: Houston, Texas USA | Registered: Sep 2000  |  IP: Logged
Victoria Member Member # 26   posted 06-09-2003 06:41 PM                    A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Prada shoes, Gucci sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the shepherd, "If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?" The shepherd looked at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looked at his peacefully grazing flock and calmly answered, "Sure." The yuppie parked his car, whipped out his notebook and connected it to a cell phone, then he surfed to a NASA page on the internet where he called up a GPS satellite navigation system, scanned the area, and then opened up a database and an Excel spreadsheet with complex formulas. He sent an email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, received a response. Finally, he printed out a 150 page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized printer then turned to the shepherd and said, "You have exactly 1586 sheep." "That is correct; take one of the sheep." said the shepherd. He watched the young man select one of the animals and bundle it into his car. Then the shepherd said: "If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?" "OK, why not." answered the young man. "Clearly, you are a consultant." said the shepherd. "That's correct," said the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?" "No guessing required." answered the shepherd. "You turned up here although nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked, and you don't know crap about my business. Now give me back my dog." Posts: 198 | From: San Jose, CA, USA | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged

Courtesy of Grace

This is pretty strange or odd how it worked out this way. Even if you are not religious you should read this.
 
What is the shortest chapter in the Bible? Answer - Psalms 117
 
What is the longest chapter in the Bible? Answer - Psalms 119
 
Which chapter is in the center of the Bible? Answer - Psalms 118
 Fact: There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118
 Fact: There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118
 Add these numbers up and you get 1188
 
What is the center verse in the Bible? Answer - Psalms 118:8
 
Does this verse say something significant about God's perfect will for our lives? The next time someone says they would like to find God's perfect will for their lives and that they want to be in the center of His will, just send them to the center of His Word!
 
Psalms 118:8 (NKJV) "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."
 
Now isn't that odd how this worked out (or was God in the center of it)?
 
Before sending this, I said a prayer for you. You got a minute? 60 seconds for God?
 
All you do is simply say a small prayer for the person who sent you this:
 
"Father God bless _____ in whatever it is that you know he/she may be needing this day! And may ___ life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with You. Amen"

Then send it on to five other people. Within hours five people have prayed for you, and you caused a multitude of people to pray to God for other people. Then sit back and watch the power of God work in your life for doing the thing that you know he loves.
 
Faith doesn't get you around trouble, it gets you through it.
 

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Author Topic: Saturday Mornings! Victoria Member Member # 26   posted 11-18-2002 10:13 AM                    The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement ham-shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital" he continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime." "Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail" he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the sack next to my gear." "Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focus more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight." "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time." "It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is 75 Year Old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile." Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.... A friend sent this to me, so I to you, my friend. And so, as one very smart bear once said... "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh Herbert Hoover, the 31st US President was independently wealthy before entering politics. For his entire forty-seven years in government, Hoover turned over each of his Federal salary checks to charity. Posts: 151 | From: San Jose, CA, USA | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged

Author Topic: what do words mean? interesting Victoria Member Member # 26   posted 11-11-2002 05:04 PM                    > > CULTURE & MEANING > > A while ago, a worldwide survey was conducted by the UN. > > The only question asked was: "Would you please give your honest opinion > > about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?" > > The survey was a huge failure... > > In Africa they didn't know what "food" meant. > > In Eastern Europe they didn't know what "honest" meant. > > In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage" meant. > > In China they didn't know what "opinion" meant. > > In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" meant. > > In South America they didn't know what "please" meant. > > And in the USA they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant. Posts: 148 | From: San Jose, CA, USA | Registered: Mar 2001  |  IP: Logged

Courtesy of Grace Halabi

THE SPECIAL SAUCE

I was sitting at the drive-through window at McDonald's this weekend (ok, I eat out a lot). I did the usual thing; I drove up to the menu and ordered. I proceeded to the first window and paid, then drove to the second window and waited for the order. After sitting there for a few minutes, the clerk slid back the window and asked, "Will you please pull over to the side? Your order is not ready."

I was a little upset and even impatient, but I pulled over and waited.  I thought, "How come other folks ordered and drove straight through and I have to wait." I waited for another two or three minutes. It seemed like hours before the clerk finally ran out, tapped on the window, and handed me the order. Of course I asked, "Hey, what took so long?"  She replied, "You wanted the Special Sauce, which meant it had to be specially made for that sandwich - it doesn't usually come with that one.

It seems to me this scene could be a reflection of our prayer lives. We make our request to the Lord. Our menu is His Word, where He has listed promise after promise. We stand before Him and request and plead and, sometimes, even beg. We go to the first window and pay, sometimes with fervent prayer, sometimes with prolonged suffering, sometimes with obedience, and sometimes not at all.  We then move to the second window and wait for our order.  If God doesn't answer within a few minutes, we become upset. You know the phrase, "Lord it's 5:00 p.m. Friday; I prayed to You yesterday, and You still haven't answered. I can't wait much longer."

Why is it taking Him so long? I've seen people drive up before me and they received their orders right away! We even go so far as to tap on the window and ask if He has forgotten our order.  We become impatient. We become upset. We become downright mad. 

Lord I asked for a mate ten days ago and I don't see him/her anywhere. 
Lord, I've been asking for a new job for two years; others have passed me by. 
I've been waiting on a financial blessing for ten years and I still have more month than money. 
Where are You and why haven't You blessed me? 
And just when you think He is giving you the answer, He pulls back the royal curtain of Eternity, and says, "Please pull over to the side and wait a while longer."

This once frustrated me to no end, made me mad, made me want to give up, made me want to holler; that is, until the clerk brought out my sandwich.

Then, the revelation became clear.

Do you know why the Lord has put you on the side? Do you know why you have had to wait for this blessing longer than before? Do you know why He has put you through more this time than ever? Do you know why it seems as though He has not heard you and He does not care? Do you know why it seems like you have had to go through more tears, more pains, and more struggling this time?

Because this blessing is a Special Sauce Blessing!

This is an Overflowing, Pressed-Down, Shaken Together, Blessing!

You made a Special Order and God has been putting together a Special Sauce Blessing for you and He has to prepare it for you!

That mate you wanted . . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

That job you wanted . . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

That financial blessing . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

That peace on the job . . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

That house . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

That deeper anointing . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

That promotion . . He's putting together a Special Sauce!

How many people have driven away before the clerk brought their food, and how many people have missed their blessings because they did not wait?

Hang on there. Keep on waiting. You made a Special Order, now wait on God's Special Sauce!

They who wait shall receive a Special Sauce!

Author: Unknown.

************************************

The Rented Room

  Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the clinic.

    One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door.  I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my eight-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw.     Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see  if you have a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning."

    He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success; no one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face. I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments..." For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning."    I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us.

"No thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag.   When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury.    He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with a thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer.  He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going.

    At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded, and the little man was out on the porch.   He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair." He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home.  Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind.  "I told him he was welcome to come again.   And on his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen.   He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh.  I knew his bus left at 4 a.m., and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us.

In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden.  Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed.  Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious.  When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning.  "Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!"

    Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But, oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illness' would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.

    Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms.   But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket.  I thought to myself, "If this were my plant, I'd put it in the loveliest container I had!"

  My friend changed my mind. "I ran short of pots," she explained, "and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn't mind starting out in this old pail.  It's just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden."    She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven. "Here's an especially beautiful one," God might have said when hec came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. "He won't mind starting in this small body."

All this happened long ago-and now, in God's garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b) Friends are very special. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear and they share a word of praise.  Nothing will happen if you do not decide to pass it along. The only thing that will happen if you do pass it on is that someone might smile-because of you.

From Shweir.com Bulletin Board:

Author

Topic: REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

Victoria Member Member # 26   posted 08-01-2002 05:38 PM                    DREAMS The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.  I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug? " I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may! " and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age? " I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel. " "No seriously, " I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one! " she told me.  After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we walked together after class and I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.   Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'! m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know. " As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know t! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will still turn twenty. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets. "She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose.  " She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE. REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

-----Original Message-----
From: Matar, George [mailto:gematar@sbec.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 10:14 AM
Subject: FW: The Forwarders 12 step Program

I do not forward messages, you know I try to break the chain letter streak.  But this message is worth forwarding because it exposes many of the forwarded messages you receive day in and day out.....  

I am forwarding this because the punishment if I don't is severe...So I am not taking any chances...hahahahahahaha

The Forwarders 12 Step Program

1) I will NOT get bad luck, lose my friends, or lose my mailing lists if I DON'T forward an email.

2) I will NOT hear any music or see a taco dog, if I do forward an email.

3) Bill Gates is NOT going to send me money, Victoria Secret doesn't know anything about a gift certificate they're supposed to send me.

4) Ford will NOT give me a 50% discount even if I forward my email to more than 50 people.

5) I will NEVER receive gift certificates, coupons, or freebies from Coca Cola, Cracker Barrel, Old Navy, or anyone else if I send an email to ten people.

6) I will NEVER see a pop-up window if I forward an email...NEVER!

7) There is NO SUCH THING as an e-mail tracking program, and I am not STUPID enough to think that someone will send me $100 for forwarding an email to ten or more people!

8) There is NO kid with cancer through the Make-a-Wish program in England collecting anything!  He did when he was seven years old.  He is now cancer free and 35 years old and DOESN'T WANT ANY MORE POST CARDS, or GET-WELL CARDS.

9) The government does not have a bill in Congress called 901B (or whatever they named it this week) that, if passed, will enable them to charge us 5 cents for every email we send.

10) There will be NO cool dancing, singing, waving, colorful flowers, characters, or program that I will receive immediately after I forward an email. NONE, ZIP, ZERO, NADA!

11) The American Red Cross will NOT donate 50 cents to certain individual dying of some never-heard-of disease for every email address I send this to.
      The American Red Cross RECEIVES donations.

12) And finally, I WILL NOT let others pressure me into sending things by telling me I am not their friend or that I don't believe in Jesus Christ.  If  God wants to send me a message, I believe the bushes in my yard will burn before He picks up a PC to pass it on!

Now, repeat this to yourself until you have it memorized, and send it along to at least five of your friends before the next full moon or you will surely be constipated for the next three months and all of your hair will fall out!
 

-Original Message-----
From: Walid Khayrallah [mailto:mrdc @videotron.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 5:42 AM

 THE FOLLOWING IS A CHINESE GOOD LUCK TANTRA TOTEM.
 You may not believe in this but the advice is great!
 Read all the way down, you might discover something new!!!

             ====================================================

 ONE.      Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

 TWO.    Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE.  Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you  want.

FOUR.   When you say, "I love you", mean it.

FIVE.     When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.

SIX.   Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN.  Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT.  Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE.   Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.   In disagreements, fight fairly. Please No name calling.

ELEVEN.  Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE.   Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN.  When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN.   Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN.   Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN.   When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN.  Remember the three R's:  Respect for self;   Respect for others;   Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN.  Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN.  When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY.   Smile when picking up the phone.  The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY ONE.   Spend some time alone.

 Now, here's the FUN part! This tantra totem has been sent to you for good luck. It has been sent around the world ten times so far. You will receive good luck within four days of relaying this tantra totem. Send copies to people you think highly of.  Don't send money as fate has no price.
 

courtesy of Rouba Khayrallah who got it from  Zeina Khairallah

 FAMILY:  Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?     And we often treat strangers and coworkers better than members of our family. Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

 FAMILY = Father And Mother, I Love You  

 Pass this on to everyone that you care about. I just did... 

Courtesy of Grace Halabi,

Would you like to know how smart you  are?  Click here: Take Our All New In-Depth IQ Test! 

Author

Topic:   Hopeful words

Victoria Member

posted 04-15-2002 10:15 AM           The 7 ups 1. Wake Up !! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24   2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.  A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart."  I Samuel 16:7 3. Shut Up!! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.  "He who guards his lips guards his soul."  Proverbs 13:3 4. Stand Up!!... For what you believe in.  Stand for something or you will fall for anything. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."  Galatians 6:9-10 5. Look Up !!... To the Lord.  "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".  Philippians 4:13 6. Reach Up !!... For something higher.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."  Proverbs 3:5-6 7. Lift Up !!... Your Prayers.   "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."  Philippians 4:6 A POSITIVE THOUGHT If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.  If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.  He sends you flowers every spring, and a sunrise every morning.  Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem; not to mention that Friday at Calvary.  Face it, He's crazy about you. Send this to the people you care about. I thought this was mighty special, just like you. Pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember: God answers Knee-Mail. WAKE UP, DRESS UP, SHUT UP, STAND UP, LOOK UP, REACH UP, LIFT UP.

To Top

Subject:  Listen
Courtesy of Grace Halabi

  A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar.  He was
watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.  As his car passed, no children appeared.  Instead a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!  He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had  been thrown.
    The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?  Just what the heck are you doing?  That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost me a lot of money.  Why did you do it?"  
The young boy was apologetic.  "Please mister, please, I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do.  I threw the brick because no one else would stop,"      With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.  "It's my brother.  He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."  Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned
executive "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?  He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."  Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the lump in his throat.  He lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his handkerchief and wiped at the fresh scrapes and cuts.  Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward home.
    It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar.  The damage was very noticeable but the driver never repaired the dented side door.  He kept the dent to remind him of this message:

                Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.
    God whispers to our souls and speaks to our hearts.  Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.
Listen to the whisper.  Or wait for the brick!

Author

Topic:   the human mind

james Member

posted 03-23-2002 01:03 AM           Count the number of "F's" in the following text: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE- SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF- IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS Finished? Scroll down only after you have counted them, okay? How many? 3? Wrong, there are 6!!-- no joke. Read it again.  The reasoning behind is further down. Let me know how you all did. The brain cannot process "OF". Incredible or what ? Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a genius. Three is normal, four is quite rare.

Here is a Saying "Deebajeh" that came to Webmaster via email around St. Patrick's Day

May there always be work for your hands to do,
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane,
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. 
As you slide down the banister of life, 
May the splinters never point the wrong way.

One Last Goodbye

Courtesy of Hanadi Abdel Ahad  

To Top

A Father - Daughter Goodbye

From a forwarded email.

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, " I love you. I wish you enough."
She said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."

They kissed and she left.  He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me.  Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to
face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?" I asked.

"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral, " he said.

"When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, 'I wish you enough." May I
ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.  "When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Good-bye."

He then began to sob and walked away.
My friends and loved ones, I wish you ENOUGH! Send this to your friends and don't forget to send it back to the one that sent it to you.

Author	Topic:   Footprints
Hanadi Member	posted 12-15-2001 03:25 AM           Footprints One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most You would leave me." The lord replied, "My child, My precious child, I love and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." - Author unknown I thought of communicating this to you my friends, especially for those of you who are passing through difficult times. I can tell you that out of experience. This small story inspired me in many hard stages and helped me realize that God is always present in our lives. Only, we should be farsighted in order to see and feel that. After all, how could he ever abandon man, His most precious creatures, whom He created with infinite love. And the greatest proof for that is the story of Christmas- God gave up His only son to save the whole human race. So Merry X-mas to you all & I wish you a happy new year, full of joy, peace, success, prosperity, and love. May God bless us all! Wishing you always the best, Hanadi Abdel Ahad                                                                           IP: Logged
George Matar Administrator	posted 12-15-2001 07:23 AM           Thank you so much for this wonderful story Ya Hanadi. it is quite inspiring. But thank you most for your the little message you attached to it, it is actually better. Have yourself a very Merry Christmas and please wish all of our friends and relatives in our town the same. A special warm Christmas greating to the Adel Abd Ahad Family. Is it snowing in Dhour?

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Forwarded by Joanna & Hanadi Abdel Ahad   "2 MINUTES"
 
PLEASE TAKE 2 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME TO READ THIS.
 
  Imagine this happening to you.
  One Sunday morning during service, a 2,000 member congregation was surprised to see two men enter, both covered from head to toe in black and carrying submachine guns. One of the men proclaimed, "Anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ remain where you are." Immediately, the choir fled, the deacons fled, and most of the congregation fled.

   Out of the 2,000 there only remained around 20. The man who had spoken took off his hood, looked at the preacher and said "Okay Pastor, I got rid of all the hypocrites. Now you may begin your service.

   Have a nice day!" And the two men turned and walked out.

   Too deep not to pass on...
   Funny how simple it is for people to trash God ...  and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
   Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

  Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided  they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.

  Funny or is it scary?

 Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes"in God).

 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.

 Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and work place.

 Funny, 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?
  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.

 Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.

  Are you thinking?
  Will you share this with people you care about?   Or not?

  WISHING YOU GOD'S BLESSINGS
  

Courtesy of Nabil

It is long but you might like it...         READ THIS SLOWLY...

Live Life

I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: "Seize the moment." Just possibly,
she may be the wisest woman on this planet.  Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back.  From then on, I've tried to be a little more
flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?"
She would gasp and stammer, "I can't." "I have clothes on the line." "My hair is dirty." "I wish I
had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast."  "It looks like rain." And my personal favorite:
"It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.
We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect:
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more
kids out of college.  

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older.  The days get shorter, and the list of promises
to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of  "I'm going to," "I plan on" and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, >she is open to adventure and available for trips.  She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious.  You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well
apply it directly to my hips with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process.  The other day, I stopped the car and bought a tripledecker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now ... go on and have a nice day.  Do something you WANT to ... not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make,
who would you call and what would you say?  And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round
Or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow'
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Because you didn't call just to say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift.... Thrown away...

Life is not a race. Do take it slower
Hear the music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship Week.
Show your friends how much you care.
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND.
If it comes back to you, then you'll know you
have a circle of friends

*************************

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God's creation

On the very first day, God created the cow.   He said to the cow, "Today I have created you! As a cow, you must go to the field with the farmer all day long.  You will work all day under the sun! I will give you a life span of 50 years."
Cow objected. "What? This kind of tough life you want me to live for 50 years?  Let me have 20 years, and the 30 years I'll give back to you."  So God agreed.

Author	Topic:   C'est pout Toi !
Victoria Member	posted 10-19-2001 05:15 PM           Il y a au moins 5 personnes dans ce monde qui t'aiment au point de mourir pour toi. >2. Il y a au moins 15 personnes qui t'aiment d'1 certaine manière. >3. La seule raison pour laquelle une personne te déteste, c'est parce >qu'elle veut être comme toi. >4. Un sourire de toi apporte de la joie à quelqu'un, même s'il ne t'aime >pas. >5. Toutes les nuits, quelqu'un pense à toi avant d'aller se coucher. >6. Tu représentes le monde pour quelqu'un. >7. Si ce n'était pas pour toi, quelqu'un ne pourrait pas vivre. >8. Tu es Spécial et Unique. >9. Quelqu'un dont tu ignores l'existence t'aime. >10. Quand tu fais la plus grosse bêtise, quelque chose de bien provient de >celle ci. >11. Quand tu penses que le monde te tourne le dos, regarde bien : c'est >surtout toi qui tourne le dos au monde >12. Quand tu penses que tu n'as pas de chance quand tu n'as pas ce que tu >veux, tu ne l'auras probablement pas. Si tu crois en toi, probablement, tôt >ou tard, tu l'auras. >13.Souviens-toi toujours des compliments que tu reçois. Oublies les >remarques méchantes. >14. Dis toujours aux gens ce que tu ressens à propos d'eux ; tu te sentiras >mieux quand ils le sauront. >15. Si tu as un meilleur ami, prends le temps de lui dire ce qu'il >représente pour toi. >Ces phrases sont toutes faites pour toi > >Merci d'être mon ami !           Sorry, didn't have the time to translate for our english speaking members.            IP: Logged
Elias Khonaisser Member	posted 10-19-2001 07:43 PM           I Will translate: 1- there is at least 5 people in this world that love you to the extent of dying for you. 2- there is at least 15 people that love you in a certain manner 3- the only reason a person would detest you is because he or she wants to be like you. 4- a smile from you brings happiness to someone even if that person might not like or love you. 5 every night somoene thinks of you before going to sleep. 6- you are the world to someone. 7- if it wasn't for you osmeone wouldn't be able to live. 8- you are special and unique 9- someone whom you ignore their existance love you. 10- when you do the stupidest thing something good come sout of it. 11- when you think the world is turning its back on you look good it is you who is turning your back to the world. 12- when you think that you odn't have a chance at becoming what you want you will probably never achieve it but if you believe in yourself eventually you will achieve it. 13- always remember the compliments you get and forget the silly commenst. 14- always tell people what you really think of them you will always feel better afterwards knowing that they know your opinion of them. 15- if you have a best friend always take the time to let them know what they mena to you. all these quotes were made for you thank you for being my friend!

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Courtesy of Hilda

Your Inspiration:  Strength and Courage

It takes strength to be certain,
It takes courage to have doubts.

It takes strength to fit in,
It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to share a friend's pain,
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide your own pain,
It takes courage to show it and deal with it.

It takes strength to stand guard,
It takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer,
It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to endure abuses,
It takes courage to stop them.

It takes strength to stand alone,
It takes courage to lean on a friend.

It takes strength to love,
It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive,
It takes courage to live.

May you find strength and courage in everything you do,
And may your life be filled with Friendship and Love!

                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Samer Moujaes [mailto:smoujaes@hotmail.com]
                Sent:   Monday, September 03, 2001 1:51 AM
 
 A friend sent me this email and I think it is good to share with shweir.com  members.

During my life journey on this planet I shall start each day with these affirmations:

I am capable. I am worthwhile. I am beautiful. I am lovable. 
I shall accept both my strengths and my weaknesses for they are me.  
I shall never again believe the "lie" that if I make a mistake, I am a mistake.
My mistakes are the learning tools that I shall encounter on my life journey.  
When I learn  from my mistakes, I give them meaning.  
When I give my mistakes meaning, I can begin to forgive myself, I can begin to heal.  
I shall not use my mistakes as excuses to give up on me -  my mistakes are not me.  
I shall seek the wisdom to nurture my heart, mind, body, and soul so that I may feel more centered  - providing an energy reserve that allows me to climb the mountains in my own life  - providing an energy reserve that allows me to love and support others who are climbing a different mountain  - providing an energy reserve that allows time for friends, play, and celebration of life.  
I shall allow myself to feel capable - so that I may seek excellence. 
I shall allow myself to feel sadness - so that joy may return.  
I shall allow myself to feel joy - so that I may be revitalized.  
I shall allow myself to feel afraid - so that I may find courage.  
I shall allow myself to feel alone - so that I may know me.  
I shall allow myself to feel beautiful  - so that I may feel free.  
I shall allow myself to feel lovable - so that the loving may seek me.  
I shall allow myself to feel pain - so that I may heal.  
I shall allow myself to feel worthy - so that I may fulfill my purpose.  
When I am centered, I see the perfection in the world, myself and others.  
When I find the world to be imperfect, I will take responsibility for painting it that way.  
I will look into the heart of a rose, or the eyes of a newborn baby and again know perfection.  
I take responsibility for creating my own life story through the choices I have made;
to blame others is to give away my personal power.  Who will I allow to write the next chapter of my life?  
I shall seek the courage to believe in a God or Higher Power who will laugh with me in the sunlight or cry with me in the darkness.
I shall make a small difference on this planet through the work I do -  when I leave I will have done my share.  I shall live, love, laugh, and learn on my journey.

Author Unknown 

Thank you Samer, these are the perfect kind of messages and affirmation to help us overcome the challenges that life throws our way.  

Courtesy of Hilda                                   Food for thought...     THINK ABOUT IT....

Even though it's a bash against women - the appearance one really gave me a chuckle - as well as the memory one.

SIMPLE MATH
Smart man + smart woman = romance
Smart man + dumb woman = affair
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

OFFICE ARITHMETIC
Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

SHOPPING MATH
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

HAPPINESS
 To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little. 
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand  her at all.

LONGEVITY
Married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

MEMORY 
Any married man should forget his mistakes, there's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

APPEARANCE
 Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. 
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE 
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. 
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE 
A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

COMPREHENSION 
There are 2 times when a man doesn't understand a woman - before marriage and after marriage.

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED: 
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and  cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the  same thing to them at funerals.

Courtesy of Grace Halabi

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

When in sorrow, ........................................call John 14.
When men fail you, ................................call Psalm 27.
If you want to be fruitful, .........................call John 15.
When you have sinned, ..........................call Psalm 51.
When you worry, .................................call Matthew 6:19-34.
When you are in danger, .............................call Psalm 91.
When God seems far away, ........................call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring, ....................call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful, ......................call Psalm 23.
When you grow bitter and critical, ...........call I Corinthians 13.
For Paul's secret to happiness, ........... call Colossians 3:12-17.
For understanding of Christianity, ........ call II Corinthians 5:15-19.
When you feel down and out, .......................call Romans 8:31.
When you want peace and rest, .................call Matthew 11:25-30.
When the world seems bigger than God, ..............call Psalm 90.
When you want Christian assurance..............call Romans 8:1-30.
When you leave home for labor or travel, .........call Psalm 121.
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, .......call Psalm 67.
For a great invention/opportunity, ....................call Isaiah 55.
When you want courage for a task, ..................call Joshua 1.
For how to get along with fellow men, .............call Romans 12.
When you think of investments and returns,.....call Mark 10.
If you are depressed, ........................call Psalm 27.
If your pocketbook is empty, ...........................call Psalm 37.
If you are losing confidence in people, . ..call I Corinthians 13.
If people seem unkind, ..........................call = John 15.
If discouraged about your work, .......................call Psalm 126.
If you find the world growing small and yourself great,..call Psalm 19.
Alternate numbers: For dealing with fear, .........call Psalm 34:7.
For security, ...................................call Psalm 121:3.
For assurance, ..................................call Mark 8:35.
For reassurance, ...............................call Psalm 145:18.

All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Feed your faith, and doubt will starve to death! Pass it on!!!

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State Trooper

There was a middle aged guy who bought a brand new Mercedes convertible.  He took off down the road, flooring it up to 80 mph and enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left on his head.  "This is great," he thought and floored it some more.

He looked in his rearview mirror and there was a Pennsylvania State Trooper behind him, red and blue lights flashing and siren blasting.  "I can get away from him with no problem" thought the man and he floored it some more and flew down the road at over 100 mph.  Then he thought, "What am I doing? I'm too old for this kind of thing" and pulled over! To the side of the road and waited for the Trooper to catch up with him.

The Trooper pulled in behind the Mercedes and walked up to the man.  "Sir," he said, looking at his watch. "My shift ends in 30 minutes and today is Friday the 13th." "If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go."

The man looked back at the Trooper and said, "Last week my wife ran off with a State Trooper, and I thought you were bringing her back."  The State Trooper said, "Have a nice day".  

Courtesy of Grace Halabi  

Marine's Deck of Cards

The Chaplain noticed one Marine looking at a deck of cards during the Sunday Service.  After service, he was taken by the Chaplain to see the Major.  The Chaplain explained to the Major what he had seen. The Major told the young Marine he would have to be punished if he could not explain   himself. 
The young Marine told the Major that during the battle, he had neither a Bible or a Prayer Book so he would use his deck of cards and explained: 

"You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace, it tells me that there is one God and no other. When I see the "2" it reminds me that there are two parts to the Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The "3" tells me of the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The "4" reminds me of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
When I see the "5" it tells me of the Five Unwise Virgins who were lost   and that five were saved. The "6" makes me mindful that God created the earth in just six days, and God said that it was good. 
When I see the "7" it reminds me that God rested on the seventh day. 
 As I look at the "8" it reminds me that God destroyed all life by water except for eight people, Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their three son's wives. 
When I see the "9" I think of the nine lepers that God healed. There were ten lepers in all, but only one stopped to thank Him.  
The "10" reminds me of the Ten Commandments carved in stone by the hand of God. 
The "JACK" makes me remember the Prince of Darkness. Like a roaring lion, he devours those
that he can.  
When I look at the "QUEEN," I see the The Church, The Bride of Jesus. As I look at the last card,
"The King," it reminds me that Jesus Is Lord Of Lords and King Of Kings."

There are 365 spots on a deck of cards, and that is the number of days in   each year. 
There are 52 cards to a deck and that is the number of weeks in a year. 
There are 12 picture cards and that is the number of months in   a year. 
There are 4 different suits in a deck and that is the number of   seasons in a year...

And so, the young Marine then said to the Major, "You see, Sir, my intentions were honorable. My deck of cards serves as my BIBLE, my PRAYER BOOK and my ALMANAC. 

May you never look at a deck of cards the same way

*****************************

Subject: Robby. A true story.

At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher  from DeMoines, Iowa. I've always supplemented my income by teaching  piano lessons--something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had  the pleasure of having a protege though I have taught some talented  students. However, I've also had my share of what I call "musically challenged" pupils.

One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.
Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales  and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn. 

Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and  cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson,  he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but assumed, because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue  something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was  for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mom had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. "Miss Hondorf... I've just got  to play," he insisted. I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be alright.

The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my "curtain closer." Well the recital went off without a hitch.
The students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?"  Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C  Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light
on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from  pianissimo to fortissimo...from allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes, he ended  in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.  Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby!  How'd  you do it?" Through the
microphone Robby explained: "Well, Miss  Hondorf...remember I told you my mom was sick?  Well actually she had  cancer and passed away this morning. And
well....she was born deaf so  tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special." There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As
the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster
care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I  thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my  pupil.   No, I've never had a protégé, but that night I became a  protege...of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil. For it  is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know  why.

This is especially meaningful to me since after serving in Desert Storm, Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995, where he was reportedly....playing the piano.

And now, a footnote to the story. If you are thinking about  forwarding this message, you are probably thinking about which people  on  your address list aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of  message. The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize God's plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:  Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the process?

*****************************

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Courtesy of Nabil   - - - test your observation ability...

****************************

Rocks: a meaning for life

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.  He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.  So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.  The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life.  The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.  The sand is everything else. The small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children.  Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter.  Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand."

But then................  A student then took the jar which the other students and the professor agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a glass of beer.   Of course the beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full.

The moral of this tale is:  - that no matter how full your life is, there is always room for BEER

****************************

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats. 
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3 year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.  
2) Wrinkles don't hurt. 
3) Families are like fudge ... mostly sweet, with a few nuts. 
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing helps. It's like jogging on the inside. 
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD:

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. 
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. 
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there. 
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster. 
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. 
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's also a lousy beautician. 
7) With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus. 
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus. 
3) You are Santa Claus. 
4) You look like Santa Claus.

*****************************

WE CHANGE

When I was in my younger days,
I weighed a few pounds less,
I needn't hold my tummy in
To wear a belted dress.

But now that I am older,
I've set my body free;
There's comfort of elastic
Where once my waist would be.

Inventor of those high-heeled shoes
My feet have not forgiven;
I have to wear an eight now,
But used to wear a seven.

And how about those pantyhose-
They're sized by weight, you see,
So how come when I put them on,
The crotch is at my knees?

I need to wear these glasses
As the prints are getting smaller;
And it wasn't very long ago
I know that I was much taller.

Though my hair has turned to silver
and my skin no longer fits,
On the inside, I'm the same old me,
Just the outside's changed a bit.

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things:  a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. 

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.  
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."  
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. 
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.  
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.  
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.  
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. 
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. 
People love that human touch - holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.  
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. 
I've learned that you should pass this on to someone you care about. I just did.   
Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.   
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.....

GOD'S Blessing's, 
Peace & Happiness 
Nabil E. Matar

Courtesy of Cori 

The Miracle 

Tess was a precocious eight-year-old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and the house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money.  She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now." 

Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.  Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. 

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said, without waiting for a reply to his question.

"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick ... and I want to buy a miracle."  "I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.  "His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?"

"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.  "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs." The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?" "I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up.  I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."  

"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.  
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."  "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents--the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."  He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a well-known surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed without charge, and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. "That surgery, "her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child. 

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law...... This is a true story

**********************************************************************

The Friendship Ball

A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end.
It keeps us together like our circle of Friends
But the treasure inside for you to see
Is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me. 
Today I pass the friendship ball to you.

MY OATH TO YOU...
When you are sad.....I will dry your tears.
When you are scared.....I will comfort your fears.
When you are worried.....I will give you hope.
When you are confused.....I will help you cope.
And when you are lost.....And can't see the light.
I shall be your beacon.....Shining ever so bright
This is my oath.....I pledge till the end.
Why you may ask?.....Because you're my friend.

*********************************************************************

This is the Miracle/Friendship Ball. Throw it back to someone else who means something to you!

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Courtesy of Hilda 

Take this test for yourself...and send it to your friends,  including me, and let them know who you are.

Hilda's score was in the subject box... (34)

Don't peek but begin the test as you scroll down and answer.  Answers are for who you are now...not who you were in the past.  
Have pen or pencil and paper ready.

This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today.  It helps them get a better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees.   It's only10 simple questions, so... Grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers.

Make sure to change the subject of the e-mail to read YOUR total.  When you are finished, forward this to everyone you know, and also  send it to the person who sent this to you. Make sure to put YOUR score in the subject box.  

Ready?? Begin...

1. When do you feel your best? 
> > (a) in the morning 
> > (b) during the afternoon & early evening 
> > (c) late at night

2. You usually walk 
> > (a) fairly fast, with long steps 
> > (b) fairly fast, with short, quick steps 
> > (c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face 
> > (d) less fast, head down 
> > (e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you 
> > (a) stand with your arms folded 
> > (b) have your hands clasped 
> > (c) have one or both your hands on your hips 
> > (d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking 
> > (e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with 
> > (a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side 
> > (b) your legs crossed 
> > (c) your legs stretched out or straight 
> > (d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with: 
> > (a) a big, appreciative laugh 
> > (b) a laugh, but not a loud one 
> > (c) a quiet chuckle 
> > (d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you.. 
> > (a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you 
> > (b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know 
> > (c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed 

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted.  Do you..
> > (a) welcome the break 
> > (b) feel extremely irritated 
> > (c) vary between these two extremes 

8. Which of the following colors do you like most? 
> > (a) red or orange 
> > (b) black 
> > (c) yellow or light blue 
> > (d) green 
> > (e) dark blue or purple 
> > (f) white 
> > (g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep, you lie 
> > (a) stretched out on your back 
> > (b) stretched out face down on your stomach 
> > (c) on your side, slightly curled 
> > (d) with your head on one arm 
> > (e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are 
> > (a) falling 
> > (b) fighting or struggling 
> > (c) searching for something or somebody 
> > (d) flying or floating 
> > (e) you usually have dreamless sleep 
> > (f ) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:

1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6 
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1 
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6 
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1 
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2 
 6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2 
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4 
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1 
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1 
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

 Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS:   
Others see you as someone they should "handle with care." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: 
Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure.  They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: 
Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest...Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: 
Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: 
People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything. They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

> --------------------------------------------------------------------------<

> > You are welcome to share or  forward this with everyone you know, making sure to put YOUR score in the subject box.

Courtesy of Nabil Matar

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS 
Smart man + smart woman = romance 
Smart man + dumb woman = affair 
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage 
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy 

OFFICE ARITHMETIC 
Smart boss + smart employee = profit 
Smart boss + dumb employee = production 
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion 
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

SHOPPING MATH 
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. 
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS 
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. 
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife. 
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. 
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

HAPPINESS 
To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him little. 
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all. 

MEMORY
Any married man should forget his mistakes, there's no use in two people remembering the same thing.  

APPEARANCE 
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. 
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE 
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. 
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE 
A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

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The following was sent to webmaster by Dr. Maka-ala Yates, a respected chiropractor and one of the finest practitioners of the fine healing arts of Hawaiian Lomilomi massage.

Resolve To Be Kind

“If you will resolve with all your heart, and soul and mind that your attitude to mankind individually and collectively to be kind – we ask no more, only that you shall be kind, you will be amazed at the peace you will find…  Be kind... be kind to every living thing, be thoughtful of others always, and so identify yourself with their feelings, their sorrows, their joys and their interests.  This in itself will cause an expansion of consciousness.  We would have you readjust your attitude towards life and just be kind, kind in your thought, kind in your words, kind in your actions.  If you cannot give constructive criticism, never criticize at all.  Thus your Master taught.”  -White Eagle
 

Thoughts and Quotes to Live By

“It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.”  -Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Imagine a future world in which medicine is oriented toward healing rather than disease, where doctors believe in the natural healing capacity of human beings and emphasize prevention above treatment . . .  In such a world doctors and patients would be partners working toward the same ends, with malpractice litigation a rare event rather than commonplace.  Insurance companies would happily reimburse for preventive education and natural treatments, knowing that these efforts were in their own best interests.”  -Andrew Weil, MD

“Anger, fear, anxiety, craving, greed, and ignorance are the great afflictions of our time.  By practicing mindful living, we are able to deal with them, and our love is translated into effective action… To love is first of all to accept yourself as you actually are.  ‘Knowing thyself’ is the first practice of love.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

“True happiness needs no supports.  As a poet wisely philosophized: ‘Having nothing, yet having all.’  You can learn to be happy at will and to hold on to that happiness within, no matter what happens …  Those who are unconquered in spirit are the successes in life.”   -Paramahansa Yogananda

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.  Watch your words; they become actions.  Watch your actions; they become habits.  Watch your habits; they become character.  Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. -Frank Outlaw

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.  The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”  Mark Twain

“When you meditate you will find in it an extraordinary beauty; you will act rightly at every moment; and if you do not act rightly at a given moment it does not matter, you will pick it up again – you will not waste time in regret.  Meditation is part of life, not something different from life.”  -J. Krishnamurti
 

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to meet your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have      become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, (mine or your own) without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you’re telling is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from Its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the moon, “YES”.
It doesn’t interest me where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand at the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
       -Oriah Mountain Dreamer

The following is courtesy of Hilda Sawaya

 An Irish Blessing 
The Friendship Bracelet
 - -  O~xxxxxxx@@@@@xxxxxxx~O  - -

 May there always be work for your hands to do;
may your purse always hold a coin or two;
 may the sun always shine on your windowpane;
may a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
may the hand of a friend always be near you
may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. 

Feel free to copy, forward and share this with others 

 Believe in yourself, know what you want, and make it happen!

A GLASS OF MILK

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.  He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart." 

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong so. He had been ready to give up and quit.  

Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her.  He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.  

She read these words..... "Paid in full with one glass of milk" 

(Signed)  Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed:  "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands." 

Now you have two choices. You can send this story on and spread a positive message. or ignore it and pretend it never touched your heart.

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Take a few minutes and read these, and think about them BEFORE going on to the next one... 
IT DOES MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD

Falling in love. 
Laughing so hard your face hurts. 
A hot shower.  
No lines at the Super Wal-Mart.  
A special glance.  
Getting mail.  
Taking a drive on a pretty road.  
Hearing your favorite song on the radio.  
Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.  
Hot towels out of the dryer.  
Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price.  
Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!) 
A long distance phone call. 
A bubble bath.  
Giggling. 
A good conversation. 
The beach.  
Finding a $20 bill in your coat from last winter. 
Laughing at yourself.  
Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 
Running through sprinklers. 
Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 
Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.  
Laughing at an inside joke.  
Friends.  
Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 
Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.  
Your first kiss.  
Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 
Playing with a new puppy.  
Having someone play with your hair.  
Sweet dreams.  
Hot chocolate.  
Road trips with friends.  
Swinging on swings.  
Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies and drinking eggnog.  
Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid. 
Going to a really good concert.  
Making eye contact with a cute stranger.  
Winning a really competitive game.  
Making chocolate chip cookies. 
Having your friends send you homemade cookies.  
Spending time with close friends.  
Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends.  
Holding hands with someone you care about. 
Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.  
Riding the best roller coasters over and over.  
Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. Watching the sunrise.  
Getting out of bed every morning and thanking God for another beautiful day.  

PASS ON THESE NATURAL HIGHS TO AT LEAST 7 PEOPLE AND SOMETHING GODLIKE WILL COME TO YOU SHORTLY THEREAFTER  

I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. 

My Special List 

 I have a list of folks I know...  all written in a book, 
And every now and then..  I go and take a look.  

That is when I realize these names ... they are a part, 
not of the book they're written in... but taken  from the heart.  

For each Name stands for someone... who has crossed my path sometime, 
and in that meeting they have become... the reason and the rhyme.   

Although it sounds fantastic...  for me to make this claim, 
I really am composed... of each remembered name.  

Although you're not aware... of any special link,  
just knowing you, has shaped my life... more than you could think.  

So please don't think my greeting... as just a mere routine, 
your name was not...  forgotten in between.  

For when I send a greeting... that is addressed to you, 
it is because you're on the list... of folks I'm indebted to.   

So whether I have known you... for many days or few, 
in some ways you have a part... in shaping things I do.  

I am but a total... of many folks I've met,  
you are a friend I would prefer... never to forget.

> > > > > > > > Thank you for being my friend! > > > >

Thanks Hilda for passing this along to us.

A Wonderful Story.   Webmaster received it via email,   copy & forward to those you care about.. 

He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary's School in Morris, Minn.  All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark  Eklund was one in a  million.  Very neat in appearance, but had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional  mischievousness  delightful.  Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again  and again that talking without  permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much,  though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for  misbehaving - "Thank you for correcting  me, Sister! "I didn't know what to make of it at first,  but before long I became accustomed to hearing it  many times a  day.

 One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark  talked once too often, and then I made a  novice  teacher's mistake. I looked at Mark and said, "If you  say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth  shut!"   It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck  blurted out, "Mark is talking again." I hadn't asked  any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had  stated the punishment in front of the  class, I had to act on it.  I remember the scene as if it had occurred this  morning. I walked to my desk, very  deliberately  opened my drawer and took out a roll of masking tape.   Without saying a word, I proceeded to  Mark's desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a  big X with  them over his mouth. I then returned to  the front of the  room.   As I glanced at Mark to see how he was  doing, he  winked at me.   That did it!! I started laughing. The  class cheered as I walked back to Mark's desk, removed  the tape, and  shrugged my shoulders. His first words  were, "Thank  you for correcting me, Sister."  

 At the end of the year, I was asked to  teach  junior-high math. The years flew by, and before I  knew it Mark was in my classroom again.   He was more  handsome than ever and just as polite.   Since he had to listen carefully to my instruction in the "new math," he did not  talk  as much in ninth grade as he had in third.  One Friday, things just didn't feel  right. We had  worked hard on a new concept all week,  and I sensed  that the students were frowning,  frustrated with  themselves and edgy with one another.  I  had to stop this  crankiness before it got out of hand.   So I asked them to list  the names of the other students in the  room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.  Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write  it down.  It  took the remainder of the class period  to finish their  assignment, and as the students left the  room, each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled.   Mark said, "Thank you  for  teaching me, Sister. Have a good  weekend."

That Saturday, I wrote down the name of  each student  on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what  everyone else had said about that  individual.  On  Monday I gave each student his or her  list. Before  long, the entire class was smiling.   "Really?" I heard whispered. "I never  knew that  meant anything to anyone!" "I didn't know others  liked me so much."   No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I  never knew if they discussed them after class or with  their parents, but it didn't matter.  The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students  were happy with  themselves and one another again.  That group of students moved on.   

Several years later, after I returned from vacation, my parents met me at the airport. As we were driving home, Mother asked me  the usual questions about the trip the  weather, my experiences  in  general.   There was a lull in the conversation.   Mother gave Dad  a sideways glance and simply says, "Dad?" My father  cleared his throat as he usually did  before something important.   "The Eklunds called last night," he  began.  "Really?" I said. "I haven't heard  from them in years.   I wonder how Mark is."   Dad responded quietly. "Mark was killed  in Vietnam," he said.   "The funeral is tomorrow, and his  parents  would like it if you could attend."  

 To this day I can still point to the  exact spot on  I-494 where Dad told me about Mark.   I had never seen a serviceman in a  military coffin before.   Mark looked so handsome, so mature.  All I could think at that moment was,  "Mark I would give all the masking tape in the world  if only you would talk to  me."  The church was packed with Mark's  friends. Chuck's  sister sang "The Battle Hymn of the  republic."   Why did it have to rain on the day of  the funeral? It  was difficult enough at the graveside.   The pastor said the usual prayers, and the bugler  played taps.  One by one those who loved Mark took a  last walk by  the coffin and sprinkled it with holy  water. I was  the last one to bless the coffin. As I  stood there,  one of the soldiers who acted as  pallbearer came up to  me. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he  asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin.   "Mark talked about you a lot," he said.  After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates headed to Chuck's farmhouse for lunch.   Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting  for me. "We want to  show  you something," his father said, taking  a wallet out of his pocket.   "They found this on Mark when he was  killed. We thought you might recognize it."   Opening the billfold, he carefully  removed two worn  pieces of notebook paper that had  obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times.  I knew without  looking that the papers were the ones on which  I had listed all the good things each of  Mark's  classmates had said about him.  "Thank you so much for doing that," 

 Mark's mother  said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."  Mark's classmates started to gather  around us.  Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."  "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached  into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said without batting an eyelash.  "I think we all saved our lists." That's when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.  The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. 

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late. Do something loving and beautiful and continue that trend.  If you've received this it is because someone cares about you and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care about.  Do it, and reap what you sow.  

Find your birthday and then find your tree...This is really cool and usually accurate...

APPLE TREE (the Love) - of slight build, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination. 

ASH TREE (the Ambition) - uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be egotistic, very reliable and trustworthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over the heart, but takes partnership very seriously.

BEECH TREE (the Creative) - has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.)

BIRCH TREE (the inspiration) - vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

CEDAR TREE (the Confidence) - of rare beauty, knows how to adapt, likes luxury, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, determined, impatient, likes to impress others, many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waiting for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

CHESTNUT TREE (the Honesty) - of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritates easily and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.

CYPRESS TREE (the Faithfulness) - strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, content, optimistic, craves money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered, unruly, pedantic, and careless.

ELM TREE (the Noble-mindedness) - pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

FIG TREE (the Sensibility) - very strong, a bit self-willed, independent, does not allow contradiction or arguments, loves life, its family, children and animals, a bit of a social butterfly, good sense of humor, likes idleness and laziness, of practical talent and intelligence.

FIR TREE (the Mysterious) - extraordinary taste, dignity, sophisticated, loves anything beautiful, moody, stubborn, tends to egoism but cares for those close to them, rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious, uncontested lover, many friends, many foes, very reliable.

HAZELNUT TREE (the Extraordinary) - charming, undemanding, very understanding, knows how to make an impression, active fighter for social cause, popular, moody, and capricious lover, honest, and tolerant partner, precise sense of judgment.

HORNBEAM TREE (the Good Taste) - of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgement in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

LIME TREE (the Doubt) - accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress, and labor, dislikes laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous but loyal.

MAPLE TREE (Independence of Mind) - no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

OAK TREE (the Brave) - robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

OLIVE TREE (the Wisdom) - loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

PINE TREE (the Particular) - loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, but seldom friendly, falls easily in love but its passion burns out quickly, gives up easily, everything disappointments until it finds its ideal, trustworthy, practical.

POPLAR TREE (the Uncertainty) - looks very decorative, not very self-confident, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

ROWAN TREE (the Sensitivity) - full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

WALNUT TREE (the Passion) - unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

WEEPING WILLOW (the Melancholy) - beautiful but full of melancholy, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful and tasteful, loves to travel, dreamer, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with, demanding, good intuition, suffers in love but finds sometimes an anchoring partner.  

Elias mattar sent this fron London.

Change our Hearts 
Subject: and they call these people retarded!

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.

At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.  All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry.

They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them.  One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said: "This will make it better."  Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes.  People who were there are still telling the story.  

Why? Because deep down we know this one thing:  What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.  

"Life's piano can only produce the melodies of brotherhood 
when it is recognized that the black keys are as basic,
necessary, and beautiful as the white keys."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The following are courtesy of Webmaster, these are collected from different sources.

OOOPPs, I missed one... sorry...here it is... Webmaster
The first part is an email introduction from Al Mukhtaar.

Hello Ya habayeb.  
This message is courtesy of Salim Bou Chebl. It is good, and a great message to live by, I just could not help wanting to share it with you. I would very much, and very strongly urge you not to follow # 10 (below) when it comes to our www.shweir.com <http://www.shweir.com> we need all the ideas, opinions, and support we can get.  Check the photos page and look at some of the old ones.  They are so old that Dhour had no houses showing. Possibly the best pictures so far. I have a feeling they were taken about the same time the Camera was invented. Very, very precious.
George

 THE FOLLOWING IS TAKEN FROM A NEPALESE GOOD LUCK MANTRA. 
YOU'LL FIND IT TO  BE WORTH READING AND WORTH SHARING.

 Do not keep this message.  The mantra must shared and practiced within 96  hours.
 You will get a very pleasant surprise. This is true, even if you  are not superstitious.

 INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE

 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great  risk.  
 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
 3. Follow the three Rs:   Respect for self.   Respect for others and    Responsibility for all your actions.
 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct  it.
 8. Spend some time alone every day.
 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
 10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
 11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current  situation. Don't bring up the past.
 14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
 15. Be gentle with the earth.
 16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
 17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for  each other exceeds your need for each other.
 18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
 19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.  

The more people you share the above principles with ( whether in practice or copy and send via email) the better that you, they and the rest of the world would be.  

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Submitted by Anwar George Kenicer, San Francisco, California, USA 

This is a copy of an email that was forwarded to me. 

Here is a true story by Paul Harvey. You will be surprised who this young man turns out to be.

Years ago a hardworking man took his family from New York State to Australia to take advantage of a work opportunity there. Part of this man's family was a handsome young son who had aspirations of joining the circus as a trapeze artist or an actor. This young fellow, biding his time until a circus job or even one as a stagehand came along, worked at the local shipyards which bordered on the worst section of town.

Walking home from work one evening this young man was attacked by five thugs who wanted to rob him. Instead of just giving up his money, the young fellow resisted. However, they bested him easily and proceeded to beat him to a pulp.  They smashed his face with their boots, and kicked and beat his body brutally with clubs, leaving him for dead.  When the police happened to find him lying in the road, they assumed he was dead and called for the Morgue Wagon. On the way to the morgue a policeman heard him gasp for air, and they immediately took him to the emergency unit at the hospital. When he was placed on a gurney, a nurse remarked to her horror that this young man no longer had a face.

Each eye socket was smashed, his skull, legs, and arms fractured, his nose literally hanging from his face, all his teeth were gone, and his jaw was almost completely torn from his skull. Although his life was spared he spent over year in the hospital. When he finally left, his body may have healed but his face was disgusting to look at. He was no longer the handsome youth that everyone admired. When the young man started to look for work again he was turned down by everyone just on account of the way he looked. One potential employer suggested to him that he join the freak show at the circus as the Man Who Had No Face. And he did this for a while.

He was still rejected by everyone and no one wanted to be seen in his company. He had thoughts of suicide. This went on for five years.  One day he passed a church and sought some solace there. Entering the church he encountered a priest who had seen him sobbing while kneeling in a pew. The priest took pity on him and took him to the rectory where they talked at length.  

The priest was impressed with him to such a degree that he said that he would do everything possible for him that could be done to restore his dignity and life, if the young man would promise to be the best Catholic he could be, and trust in God's mercy to free him from his torturous life.  The young man went to Mass and communion every day, and after thanking God for saving his life, asked God to only give him peace of mind and the grace to be the best man he could ever be in His eyes. The priest, through his personal contacts, was able to secure the services of the best plastic surgeon in Australia. There would be no cost to the young man, as the doctor was the priest's best friend. The doctor, too, was so impressed by the young man, whose outlook now on life, even though he had experienced the worse, was filled with good humor and love.

The surgery was a miraculous success. All the best dental work was also done for him. The young man became everything he promised God he would be.  He was also blessed with a wonderful, beautiful wife, and many children, and success in an industry which would have been the furthest thing from his mind as a career, if not for the goodness of God and the love of the people who cared for him.  This he acknowledges publicly.

The name of the young man...?             
Mel Gibson.

His life was the inspiration for his production of the movie "The Man Without A Face". He is to be admired by all as a God fearing man, a political conservative, and an example to all as a true man of courage. :-)  

As Paul Harvey Says... and now you know the rest of the story, GoodDay. 

Anwar 

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Just in case you were having a "bad day"......

1. The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full view, they were both eaten by a killer whale.  

 2. A psychology student in New York rented out her spare room to a carpenter in order to nag him  constantly and study his reactions. After weeks of needling, he snapped and beat her with an ax  leaving her mentally retarded. 

 3. A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked  like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle.  Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in  two places. Until that moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman.  

 4. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in  Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.    And finally.......  

 5. Terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits.

Your day's not so bad, is it?  

Something to Appreciate
Something that makes you think about what is important in your life.  Take this quiz: mentally

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.  
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.  
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.  
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.  
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.  
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.  
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.  
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.   
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.  
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.  
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier? ...   The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.  

(Then the Canticle is again recited).

  THE PRAYER “TIN ORAIΌTITA”  
  The beauty of your virginity,  
And the splendor of your purity,  
Gabriel beheld in amazement,  
O Mother of God!  
“Which praise is most worthy of you?  
How shall I address you?  
I wonder and I marvel!  
But, as I was commanded,  
I shall greet you:  
Hail, O full of grace!”  

+ By the intercessions of our holy fathers, Our Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us!

                              Amen.

   __________________________________________________________

 The Sign of the Cross is customarily made at the prayers indicated by  +

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