The Letter

 I love this story, I think that is exactly what Jesus would have done if He were here. We are His hands, let us never forget that. Good night dear friends.

The Letter

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:
Dear Ruth:
I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I would like to visit.
Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.”
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. “Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.” She reached for her purse and counted out it’s contents. Five dollars and forty cents. “Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.” She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk…leaving Ruth with a grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
“Hey lady, can you help us, lady?” Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the byway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. “Look lady, I ain’t got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us, lady, we’d really appreciate it.”
Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to. “Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to “Him.”
“Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway. “The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and he headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart. “Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.” She handed the man her grocery bag.
“Thank you lady. Thank you very much!” “Yes, thank you!” It was the man’s wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. “You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back…..without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.
“Thank you lady! Thank you very much!”
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. “That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day.” She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always, Jesus
The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.
… Author unknown
found the photo here:

The importance of HOPE!

My daughter sent me this poster, isn't it neat, and soooo true! Hope you had a great Sunday! Good night dear friends!

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Hope you were able to read  yesterday's post on Teddy Bears, that poster was amazing too!) 

I love Teddy Bears!

A dear friend sent this photo / picture to me today. I love it! I love the whole concept that we can have protection and a friend, to be with us as a child. Most of you know that I collect Teddy Bears. Once I became a Mother, an older and wiser friend told me that I needed to collect something. I asked why, her reply was " all you life your kids and husband will want to get you something, if you can steer them in a certain direction you will be better off. If not you will have to put some real ugly things up in your house! " I laughed so hard...but it is true!
So I thought long and hard about it, and decided I would like to collect Teddy Bears. I would have loved to done that as a child but... didn't have that type of childhood. But if anyone ever needed a Teddy Bear to protect them... I sure did. My monster turned out to be my Grandfather... and so now years later, I am safe and have many beautiful Teddy Bears in my home ( for almost every occasion ). They constantly and simply remind me how SAFE I am, and that is a wonderful feeling. Plus, when I die, they can be given to my children and grandchildren and anyone else who I knew and loved. Yes, that is why I love Teddy Bears and I would love to get a copy of this print!

found this drawing here:

During my second battle with Cancer, I wonder one night as I laid awake in pain and fearful of my future, what in the world Mothers do that have kids battling cancer? How could their hearts handle all that the kids would have to go through? What is there out there to help the kids fight these terrible monsters? Thus came the idea for our Once Upon a Time or Recnac Monsters. It has been neat to sell them ( my girlfriend now makes and sells them ), plus give them away. When I pack one up and send it off to a child battling any life threatening problems, it feels wonderful.  I hope they bring them the same mental picture as the one above.
So the next time life gets really hard, ask for one of our Monsters, or go purchase yourself a sweet Teddy Bear just to be safe!  Good night and sweet dreams dear friends!

This photo is from Lauren's blog, you can find it here:

Once upon a time there was a monster under my bed.
So I shivered and screamed and pulled the covers over my head.
All of a sudden, that monster came out--and do you know what he said?
"can I be your friend and sleep with you instead?"
Congratulations! You've just adopted a ONCE UPON A TIME MONSTER!
Now you'll always have a friend to help you be brave and you'll never be alone again!

Cancer can be scary and I know you are afraid.
Just cuddle up with me and try your best to be brave.
If it helps to ease your worry, go ahead and change the name.
Turn cancer into recnac and see if you feel the same.
Make me your recnac monster; look at my silly face.
I hope I make you smile as you take me from place to place.


Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing."

"There is much in the world to make us afraid.  There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid."  ~Frederick W. Cropp

True Love sees beyond the physical!

It's Date night, but here is a sweet love story for you. Good night dear friends.  Military: A beautiful true love story

One day, a young guy and a young girl fell in love.
But the guy came from a poor family. The girl’s parents weren’t too happy.
So the young man decided not only to court the girl but to court her parents as well. In time, the parents saw that he was a good man and was worthy of their daughter’s hand.
But there was another problem: The man was a soldier. Soon, war broke out and he was being sent overseas for a year. The week before he left, the man knelt on his knee and asked his lady love, “Will you marry me?” She wiped a tear, said yes, and they were engaged. They agreed that when he got back in one year, they would get married.
But tragedy struck. A few days after he left, the girl had a major vehicular accident. It was a head-on collision.
When she woke up in the hospital, she saw her father and mother crying. Immediately, she knew there was something wrong.
She later found out that she suffered brain injury. The part of her brain that controlled her face muscles was damaged. Her once lovely face was now disfigured. She cried as she saw herself in the mirror. “Yesterday, I was beautiful. Today, I’m a monster.” Her body was also covered with so many ugly wounds.
Right there and then, she decided to release her fiancé from their promise. She knew he wouldn’t want her anymore. She would forget about him and never see him again.
For one year, the soldier wrote many letters—but she wouldn’t answer. He phoned her many times but she wouldn’t return her calls.
But after one year, the mother walked into her room and announced, “He’s back from the war.”
The girl shouted, “No! Please don’t tell him about me. Don’t tell him I’m here!”
The mother said, “He’s getting married,” and handed her a wedding invitation.
The girl’s heart sank. She knew she still loved him—but she had to forget him now.
With great sadness, she opened the wedding invitation.
And then she saw her name on it!
Confused, she asked, “What is this?”
That was when the young man entered her room with a bouquet of flowers. He knelt beside her and asked, “Will you marry me?”
The girl covered her face with her hands and said, “I’m ugly!”
The man said, “Without your permission, your mother sent me your photos. When I saw your photos, I realized that nothing has changed. You’re still the person I fell in love. You’re still as beautiful as ever. Because I love you!”
I found this story here:
I found the photo here:

Author Unknown

Bigger than me day!

I haven't had a Bigger Than Me Day for awhile, I guess I was due for one. For the last couple of days I have had some sensitivity in my teeth. I just had my 6 month check up and was told everything looked great, so I was sure that the pain was just in my mind :) But I should have known better, teeth are very unsure things... there is really no rhyme or reason. Some people eat all kinds of junk and sugars and they never had any cavities. I try so hard to eat healthy and have been for over 20 some years, and my teeth have tons of problems. What, did I hear you say ...life isn't fair? You are sooooooooooo right!
Last night I woke up with some throbbing pain in my lower left side and I began to worry. I even prayed about it... tried to convince God that I had too many things going on right now to have trouble with my teeth. And they are all good things too... for some reason I thought that might give me some leverage? Who am I kidding?
So first thing this morning I thought I had better call my dentist, the last time I had throbbing pain in a tooth, I was in another state and it went into a terrible abcess...so I didn't want to wait too long. They were great and got me right in, I didn't have time to eat but thought I could do that right after. Once the Dentist looked at it, he said he thought I should get right over to a specialist...it didn't look good. We called them right there from the office and they say they didn't have any other time this week or next except for today in 20 minutes...so I went. After lots of X-rays and testing, the verdict was I needed a root canal done right then. :(
Oh well, as my Grandmother used to say " If it wasn't for bad luck Lynn, you wouldn't have any at all". No truer words have ever been spoken...or so it seemed today. After 2 or more hours we were all done and I was told to go home, stay on the pain medicine and lay low.
Now I have to admit, that wasn't at all what I had to do on my calendar today...shocking. I did come home and lay down, but had big plans to catch up on a few things tonight... that didn't happen either. So I just checked this off as a Bigger Than Me Day, and I am going to go back to bed and try again tomorrow. I tried to think of something positive about today... so here is my little, but positive list!

1. At least I wasn't out of town when I had my tooth ache this time
2. It was raining outside, so a good day to do something inside ( like a root canal )
3. I wasn't able to eat much, so did well on my Weight Watcher's points :)
4. ........?????

Ok, so I only had 3, but that was more than 0. Good night dear friends!


"There is no education like adversity."
~Benjamin Disraeli
"Fractures well cured make us more strong." ( sure hope that is true for teeth too? I had some fractures on that same tooth :)
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Positive thoughts

Tonight I went to a Motivational meeting, the topic was Positive thoughts. Here are some of the things that were mentioned...

-It is important to do positive talk with yourself ( and everyone used to think talking to yourself was bad :)
- When you have a set back, don't get discourage that happens to all of us sometimes
-Stay around friends and family who support you, not ones who criticize you
-Work on your self esteem
-Embrace flexibility
-Set up your environment to help you make healthy choices
-Start Victory journals ( even if it is just one accomplishment a day )

"Success isn't about luck, but rather about choosing to think positively and acknowledge accomplishments.

"One of the most significant findings in psychology in the last 20 years is that individuals can choose the way they think!   ~ Martin Seligman Ph D


So you are probably wondering where this meeting was? It was my Weight Watchers meeting. I just started last week, and I have to say ( being a motivational speaker myself ) I should have been going for years just to have such great and positive energy that they have there. It was impressive to hear people's stories and find out a bit about their lives and what they have overcome.
I know some of you might wonder if I really have enough to lose to go to Weight Watchers? Well, I do and even though it is not alot, I really felt like I needed to do it. My body has changed as I am getting older, and those extra few pounds are not getting any easier to get off. So I wanted to be pro-active and try to get on top of it before it gets bad.
 What a great thing for me, I love the accountability and I don't like to disappoint people ( not that the ladies that weigh you in care ) but still it seems a good fit for me.
Need to head to bed, but remember to keep those positive thoughts coming!
Good night dear friends!

Enjoying life!

Enjoy your life at every moment

I really liked this story. Enjoy!
Good night dear friends!

Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?
Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?
Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.
Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?


MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.
As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.
Found this story here:

 "Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find eternity in each moment".  ~ Thoreau

Missing my hour!

I am always surprised at how tired I am when we have the Daylight savings time change. This picture and quote made me laugh tonight (probably because I am so tired ). I decided to finally set our clocks all at the same time now. I know you are probably asking why I didn't always do that? Not sure exactly, we started by setting Jeff's clock up, so when the alarm went off...he still knew he had a few more minutes to sleep in. We set our kitchen clock ahead about 10 mins so some of us ( will not mention names ) would get somewhere on time, otherwise they would have been late. Our downstairs clock is always off because it needs new batteries, and the old mantle clock I got Jeff for Christmas is usually chiming about 20 mins early or 20 mins late (that one I can't do anything about ). But the Christmas clock in my room is right and that is all that really matters, because every hour it plays a beautiful Christmas song!  So I had to keep telling myself today that what the clock says really was the right time! ( Oh it's the little things in life....:)
So to answer the question below.... "WE HAVE JUST SUCKED ONE HOUR OF YOUR LIFE AWAY. TELL ME...HOW DO YOU FEEL?"    My answer is...TIRED AND VERY SLEEPY, so I am heading to bed dear friends. Good night!

 

"Both young children and old people have a lot of time on their hands. That's probably why they get along so well."   ~ Jonathan Carroll ( this is certainly true with Grandparents )

"Know how to live the time that is given you."  ~Dario Fo

Sending prayers

Today, I found out about a young couple's loss of their little boy yesterday.  I know the family a little, but can't even imagine how they must be feeling. I just have been teary eyed all day about it. I think in times like these, all we can do is really pray and pray hard for them. No words can express how sorry we feel and yet we struggle to even find words of comfort to send to them. I just realized some times the best thing really is prayer. Trusting our Heavenly Father to keep them in His arms during this time is what can give them peace, healing and comfort.
How grateful I am to know that God lives. I have watched throughout the years, many people who have had tremendous trials and hardships in their lives but never believed that there was anything or anyone out there to help them. They truly believed that this life is it, that there is no life after this...no hope of ever seeing their loved ones again. How comforting it is, to know that there is a life after this, to know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and will take care of our loved ones until we can see them again. As one sweet Mom ( who lost a child also ) told me, "every day I get up and try to live my very best, so we will be able to see our sweet child again". Families can be forever, what comfort that knowledge brings.
My prayers go out to all who are struggling and hurting tonight, please know you are not alone!
Good night dear friends!

The Cord

We are connected,
My child and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.

It's not like the cord
That connects us 'til birth
This cord can't been seen
By any on Earth.

This cord does it's work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.

I know that it's there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From my child to me.

The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed
It can't be denied.

It's stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.

And though you are gone,
Though you're not here with me,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.

It pulls at my heart
I am bruised...I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline
As never before.

I am thankful that God
Connects us this way
A mother and child
Death can't take it away!

Author Unknown

 

If Only

If only, my child, I could send,
A basket filled with love,
And pretty blue forget-me-not’s
To your new home above.

If only I could send a hug
Past every twinkling star,
And a suitcase filled with kisses
Up to heaven where you are.

If only I could rock you
As I did not long ago,
And sing you one more lullaby
Before you had to go.

If only’s fill my every thoughts
As my heart is aching for you.
With faith, I’ll wait until the time
“If only’s” all come true.

By Ron Tranmer ©  found poems here:

Eskimo Proverb

 "Perhaps they are not stars,
but rather openings in heaven
where the love of our lost ones
pours through and shines down upon us
to let us know they're happy."

Computer problems!

Been trying to get my computer to stop acting up for over an hour now, not sure what is going on? Hope it's not me. Anyway, now it is already the Sabbath ( remember we set our clocks up an hour tonight ) so I need to head to bed. I will give the computer, and my mind a break. Hopefully it will work better tomorrow ( I mean today ), oh whatever... good night dear friends!

Thought for the night!
"In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness. But the number of prayers we may answer may be of greater importance."   ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Date night!

Tonight is Date night, so I will talk to you tomorrow.
Good night dear friends!

Battle wounds!

We have always told our kids about God, and also that there is a devil. We have taught them that it is important to know how he works on tripping you up, discourages you or fools you into a false sense of security going down a wrong path in your life. I don't really believe in the old saying  "The devil made me do it ", but I do think it is important (like going into any battle) to know who your enemy is, and what type of weapons or strategy they are going to use.
Life is alot like that, it is a battle of right and wrong, good verse evil and so we need to be prepared and go into it with our eyes wide open.
I had a discussion the other day with one of my children, we were talking about how differently we see things or react to things... because of our backgrounds. They talked about how (because they were protected and not abused ) their lives have turned out and how they don't have the same worries, concerns and heartache that I do. Then they thanked me for that. Now normally I would have been thrilled to hear that maybe I did something right in my parenting but instead, right after the conversation ( when I was by myself ), I just cried and cried. The thought that keep coming into my head was "You are still so broken Lynn". After a few minutes I stopped and realized this was just a thought, and then I tried to understand where it came from, instantly I said to myself " God does not say things like that to His children", as soon as I realized that once again Satan was working on my self esteem, I quickly thought..."No, you aren't broken you are just wounded." Just like many soldiers that go off to war who come back wounded. I tried to remember I had to be in battle for many years, so naturally I am going to have to keep slowing healing from my wounds.
Some days I wonder what it would have been like to have a fun, happy and safe childhood? I wonder what I would have turned out like, if I had had that?  I some times envy people who have had that and then I realized that is what my kids had. And that makes me happy. Plus, I have to remember that if I hadn't stopped that chain of incest, how many more generations would it have effected with it's poison?So I need to remember I still have some of the wounds and some times, without any notice... they get reopened a bit. But still I am home now, I am safe and I am healing little by little with the help of a great husband, wonderful kids, incredible friends and of course from my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
That is what I need to remember each time those terrible thoughts come in my mind. I am not broken,  I am a Survivor!!!
I pray for all of you that have wounds too! Don't give up, remember you can be a survivor!
Good night dear friends.

"In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit".  ~MARGE KENNEDY

"Love makes a family."  ~GIGI KAESER

Dad's Empty Chair

---

It is late and I really need to head to bed. Had a very eventful day and it was sunny... it is hard to top that! Loved this story! 

Good night dear friends! 

Daddy’s Empty Chair

Photo from here:

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two  pillows.

An empty chair sat beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were  expecting me," he said.

“No, who are you?” said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked, “I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up,”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

“I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day, four years ago, my best friend said to me, ‘Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest...’”

‘Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky, because He promised, ‘I will be with you always.’ Then just speak to Him in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’”

“So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

“Did he die in peace?” the minister asked.

“Yes. When I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But, there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?”

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go like that.” ~ Author unknown
I found the story here:

"Prayer requires more of the heart than the tongue."     ~Adam Clarke

 

"Do not make prayer a monologue-make it a conversation."   ~Author unknown 

Virtual Reality, is it harmful or not?

I am always one of the last people on the block to have some of the latest and greatest technology. I am sure part of that is just my age, I really never thought I would ever even have my own laptop and be able to do half the things I do now ( and I am still way behind on most of them ). Still I realize what little bit I am on here, is sometimes not the best use of my time.
I read this article the other day on Virtual Reality and the actual risks that come with being connected all the time. It was about our relationships in our marriages that could be at risk, if we don't heed the warning signs. It really hit me hard on how easy it would be to slip into some of these dangerous places. Here are some questions we might ask ourselves...just to keep in check...

1. Are you withdrawing from your spouse?
Maintaining a healthy marriage takes effort, if either spouse stops taking care of the marriage, it is in danger.
2. Are you hiding communications with your friend from your spouse?If you feel you need to keep the relationship a secret, it's inappropriate.
3. Are you preoccupied with and daydream about your friend?Even if you don't have a physical relationship with your online friend, your thoughts can reveal that the relationship is inappropriate. The way we spend our mental energy is an indicator of our true focus.
4. Are you sharing your thoughts, feelings, and problems with your online friend instead of your spouse?
Such emotional relationships damage marriages and families. Ask yourself this question too. Would my spouse be pleased if he or she knew I was doing this?
5. Does your online friend seem to understand you better than your spouse does? Do you find yourself anticipating when you can communicate or be with your online friend again?For some, they have become so dependent on the way they feel and represent themselves online that it has become the highlight of their day. As exciting and promising as a new relationship may seem, its true destructive nature is inevitably revealed in time.
6. Are you not interested in being close to your spouse, emotionally or physically?
Emotional closeness is as important to a marriage as physical intimacy. When a person loses interest in being close to a spouse--emotionally or physically--that person my make the mistake of looking elsewhere for that closeness.
7. When confronted about having feelings toward someone other than your spouse, do you justify your actions to yourself and others?
Husbands and wives do have positive relationships with members of the opposite sex. Friendships are important at all stages of life. However, this fact is often used to rationalize inappropriate behavior. It is hard to love your spouse with all your heart if you have these types of feelings for someone else and result can be heartbreaking and a feeling of betrayal to your spouse.
8. Will you be willing to end the improper relationship?
Your marriage is worth ending this no matter how awkward or difficult it might be. Develop a pattern of happiness that is not dependent on others. Recognize that secret actions have consequences. Is it worth the pain it can cause your spouse and the rest of your family?

If you want to read the whole article you can find it here

"No person will ever be totally free who is living a lie... We should ever bear in mind that a wrong isn't right just because many people do it.  A wrong deed isn't right just because it hasn't become visible."   ~ Marvin J. Ashton

Unstoppable spirit

I found this story and couldn't wait to share it. I used to work with severely handicapped kids. That was my job that I truly loved. After working there for a short time, you know longer looked at them as handicapped, but incredibly special spirits inside those little imperfect bodies. As I read this story, I thought about some of our kids (at work ) who could never speak. My niece who I love so much has been unable to speak her whole life, she is now in her 30s and yet, without saying a word...she has taught us all so very much. Our lives have been blessed and richer because of Farah. How I wish she could have spoken to us, like this young woman in the story. I know she too had a voice which we have never heard. Thank goodness God hears us no matter what. He knows our thoughts and our hearts. When you spend some time with Farah and these other wonderful kids that I have, you feel like you have just spent the day with an Angel.
So I hope you read this story and not only count your blessings, but maybe change your outlook on others that are different than we are.
Good night dear friends.

 
 Photo from here

Teen Locked in Autistic Body Finds Inner Voice
2009-08-06, ABC News 20/20
Something extraordinary happened to Carly Fleischmann, a severely autistic 14-year-old who, unable to speak, was once written off as mentally deficient. "It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can't speak." There are experts and skeptics who believe that nonverbal people like Carly are incapable of thinking or writing. Her words may never have been found if not for the relentless determination of her family, who never gave up on her. Carly's story is how one child found her way out of the dense forest that is autism, and how her experience may unlock the mysteries of this baffling disorder. In the beginning, Carly's delays prevented her from walking and sitting up, but as she grew, it became painfully clear that Carly couldn't speak. But then one day, three years ago, when Carly was 11, she was working with two of her therapists when she started to feel sick. Unable to communicate what she needed, she ran to a computer and began to type for the first time. First she typed the word "H-U-R-T" and then "H-E-L-P" and then she threw up. Her therapists were shocked: They had never specifically taught her those words, and they wondered where she had learned them. Carly's typing showed them that there was a lot more going on inside her head than they had thought. For the first time she was able to communicate independently. After nine years of intensive therapy, and not much to show for it, Carly was finally emerging out of her silent, secret world.

 I found the story here:http://www.wanttoknow.info/inspirationalnewsstories

Watch her story here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vNZVV4Ciccg

"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone."  

~Martina Navratilova

"The more I read and the more I talked to other parents of children with disabilities and normal children, the more I found that feelings and emotions about children are very much the same in all families. The accident of illness or disability serves only to intensify feelings and emotions, not to change them."   ~Judith Weatherly

Thinking of Others

This was just a cute little story reminding us that we should always be thinking of Others! I am trying to learn how to do my post in another form and so please bear with me as I ... once again have to update myself on the some technology. Thank goodness for this young women who are kind enough and patient enough to teach me. I did this post while at her house so that she could help me figure out how to use the new system I am in, so it wasn't a very personal post tonight but it still made a positvie point, in sort of a funny way.
I do believe the last part of the story when it mentions we are all connected to each other. We should be aware and compassionate about those around us. I do believe that we are here to make a difference in people's lives. I know you have made a big difference in mine, in many ways and for that I am truly grateful. Good night dear friends!

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow and said “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The cow said “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many! people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember: when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each of us is a vital thread in another person’s tapestry.

Story found here:
Photo found here:

"If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."  ~Bob Hope

"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up."  ~Jesse Jackson

To test, or not to test.

One thing that I forgot to mention the other day when I was talking about my annual cancer check up, was something the nurse said to me. She asked me, after going through my charts…if I had ever had the Genetic Testing that they do for women who have had breast cancer. My response was “no”. She then went on to proceed that since I had daughters, that it might be something I want to think about. I didn’t really feel like going into the whole way I feel about that test, and so I just mentioned to her that my insurance wouldn’t pay for it. Why? Because we don’t have any history of breast cancer in any of our family ( that we know about ). Since my Grandmother, Mother, Aunts didn’t and I don’t have any sisters, then insurance doesn’t think I am a likely candidate for that and so… therefore if I was going to do the testing, I would have to foot a $7000.00 bill for it. I don’t think so!
I know she was just doing her job in mentioning it, but honestly in the 11 years that I have been dealing with other survivors that I have met along  my way through cancer, I have heard some horrific stories of those who decided to do the this test. One of the first ladies was an acquaintance I made 11 years ago, she didn’t have cancer, but her family had and so she did the test. After she found out that she had that genetic gene, she went right away and had a double mastectomy and a complete hysterectomy. We later met at our one year survivor mark, and she was devasted when she went in for her yearly check up and the Doctor asked her if she had been doing her monthly self checks on her CHEST WALL! She didn’t know that she had to do that or that she could even get cancer back on her chest wall, that is why she had the mastectomy in the first place. He reminded her that cancer is an inside deal and it could come back there. Then because she had the test, next her young daughters ( in their 20’s )  decided to have the exact same  procedures, for fear that someday they might get cancer. I just hope that it gave them a sense of peace that they were looking for, if so then it was probably worth it to them.
You all know me, I truly believe that YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU! For me this isn’t what I wanted to do and even if I had $7000.00 I would not get that test, to see if I MIGHT have the genetic gene. Or I wouldn’t want my daughters to have any more FEAR than they already have. Fear can stop us from doing what we know, should be done. I know lots of women who are going down this road, and many have asked my opinion about this. I just want to say that my opinion is for me and my family only. I didn’t have a family history of it, I am not sure if I would have done it anyway because I don’t like my life ran by FEAR, and that is what it would have done for ME, I am not talking about anyone else, just me! 
I have learned from my cancer experiences, to not share my opinion with too many or even what roads I went down. I know what I did, was very unpopular, I did not follow the prescribed road. Still I did study, pray and decided on the road that was right for me and my family. Everyone’s choices and roads will be different, because we are all different. I just don’t like fear to take over my life. That is something you have to constantly work on when you are a cancer survivor. But knowledge is power and that is what everyone should have, a knowledge of their disease, a knowledge of options and  a knowledge about their bodies, we should know our bodies better than anyone else.
There are other tests that I could get each year to see if I might have cancerous cells again. I opt out of them for the same reason, the tests aren’t that accurate, and so it would only tell me if I might have cancer growing somewhere and then we would just have to watch that area to see if something develops. That would be such a burden and worry on me, it would take a quality of my life away.  So it is important for you to know what you want, what makes you happy, what scares you or builds you up. Ultimately the decision is yours  and yours alone.
So I hope this at least gives you an understanding of my decisions, but encourage all of you to make your own decisions. Good night dear friends!


“ True friends just love each other, and then support each other in their decisions”   ~ Lynn Woodard
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”  ~ Mark Twain

A dream come true!

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved to do things with my hands. Any type of arts and crafts, sewing, painting, drawing, crocheting, needlework and etc. Some things you learn because that is what your Mom does, but my Mom didn’t like to do any of those things. She was a cook and a fabulous one at that. I really never saw the value in spending hours making and cooking something, just to watch your family devour it in minutes…that never appealed to me ( still doesn’t really ). But as I got older, I realized that I would need someone to teach me so that I could learn more and more. My girlfriend’s Mom used to make her clothes and I really envied her. So one day when I was at her house, I asked her Mom if she would teach me how to sew my own clothes. That is exactly what she did, we got a pattern, materials and some needed supplies… and then we went back to her house to sew. But before I was even able to cut out my material, she showed me how to read a pattern, she also said that clothes look really well made when you are good at your top stitching, and so she gave me a piece of lined notebook paper, put in an old needle in her machine and would have me practice over and over again..sewing on those lines. Then when I got that perfected, then she would have me practice over and over again to stitch exactly in between the lines. Even though she has passed away many years ago, I will never forget her kindness in teaching me how to sew. So, I try to be there to help anyone who asks me to teach them how to sew (haven’t had a lot of time for that since I started working), but still I love to pass on that tradition.

My grandmother and Aunt used to make beautiful quilts out of their old dresses and aprons. I was shocked to see how most of them were done by hand. I couldn’t believe that someone could do that kind of detail by hand. They also quilted by their machines too. I only got 2 of their quilts, but they are displayed proudly in my home and only dreamed that one day I could quilt like that.

Fast forward to the present day, now I am teaching at a Quilt Shop! Who would have ever thought I could do that? I am still a beginner compared to most of the ladies in there, but still I have a love for quilting/sewing and I love to teach …so it is a great opportunity for me to do something that I had never done. The fun thing about working at the quilt shop and getting to know all these wonderful talented women is….that I am learning something new every day! I see all the wonderful things that these ladies are creating, it gives me a desire to do something else I have never done. It is exciting and scary at the same time. I wonder at times, if it would be possible to do some of these amazing things but… I have finally realized that I just need to try new things and never say never! 
Good night dear friends!

“To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time.”    ~Deepak Chopra

“Sewing mends the soul.”     ~Author Unknown

Rite of Passage!

Yesterday Angie lost her first tooth, she has been waiting for one to get loose. She has been talking about the other girls in class that lost theirs, and that seemed exciting to her. Once it got loose, she wasn’t quite as excited to touch or wiggle it… but it did come out last night ,I think with some help from her MOM!

Each one of my kids reacted differently to having to lose a tooth, some were excited and would wiggle and wiggle it till it came out. Others were very hesitant and it would nearly go back and forth when they spoke, but still they wouldn’t touch it. Then one of the kids ( we won’t mention who ) nearly jerked his out as fast as he could, because he needed more money he said!  

So Angie went through another RITE OF PASSAGE yesterday, loosing a tooth. Hard to watch her grow so fast, before long Jenny will be losing hers and Hezekiah’s first teeth will be coming in! And then Jeff and I will start losing our …..well, no reason to jump ahead that fast.

I have to stop and remember to enjoy these magical moments of childhood with my grandkids, how grateful I am for that!

I hope  that we will never forget to help each child have a magical childhood!

Good night dear friends.

 

The TOOTH FAIRY CAME

Last time I put a tooth under my pillow for the Tooth Fairy, she came and took my tooth and left me a dollar. I wanted to see her, but somehow I fell asleep.

Now, I've lost another tooth. THIS time I am going to see that Tooth Fairy. I am putting my tooth under my pillow and I will stay awake. I will stay awake all night if I have to. I will just lie here and wait.

Oh, oh. I hear whispering wings. I see a sparkle of light. The Tooth Fairy! “Hello, Tooth Fairy.”

“I thought you would be asleep,” she said in a small voice that sounded like tiny bells.

“I want to thank you for the dollar you left me last time. I stayed awake because I wanted to see you. No one ever sees the Tooth Fairy.”

The Tooth Fairy smiled and said, “Many children just like you do see me, they just don't remember.”

“Why don't they remember?” I wanted to know.

“Because Tooth Fairies make and carry magical Fairy Dust. Just before we leave, we sprinkle it over the children’s eyes so they forget.”

“Fairy Dust does that? What else can it do?”

“It gives happy dreams too.”

“What else?”

“Since it is magical, it does many good things. Fairies of all kinds use Fairy Dust to work their magic.”

“What is Fairy Dust?” I wanted to know.

Again she smiled. “We go all over the world and collect baby teeth that are left under pillows and leave something in return. Then we take these teeth back to Fairyland, and make them into Fairy Dust.”

“But, teeth aren't magic,” I said.

She landed on my chest and looked me in the eye. “Yes, they are. We get it from all the good and happy children of the world. Every time you smile, you store a little magic in your teeth. The more you smile, the more magic is in your teeth. It’s smiles that make Fairy Dust magical.”

The Tooth Fairy flew up into the air. “Thank you for your tooth,” she said. “It is a very happy tooth and will make wonderful Fairy Dust. Happy dreams.” She sprinkled something shiny over my face and I fell asleep.

But guess what? When I woke up this morning, I remembered!     http://sites.google.com/site/gingeredwardshome/toothfairystories

 

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”  ~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. "  ~ John F. Kennedy

Things got you down?

 
In a hospital's Intensive Care Unit, patients always died in the same bed, on Sunday morning, at about 11:00 am, regardless of their medical condition. This puzzled the doctors and some even thought it had something to do with the super natural. No one could solve the mystery as to why the deaths occurred around 11:00 AM Sunday, so a worldwide team of experts was assembled to investigate the cause of the incidents. The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 AM all of the doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits. Just when the clock struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson , the part-time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner.

Hopefully this put a smile on your face? It did mine!  Good night dear friends!

“If you die in an elevator, be sure to push the Up button.”

“Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.”

“Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.”

Be you own hero!

I personally learned this concept right after Amy was born and I realized in order to protect her that I was going to have to brake the generations of abuse that was in my family. As soon as she was placed in my arms, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that I needed to protect her at all costs. However that was going to take great faith and courage on my part, I knew that it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do, I feared  how my family would take it. But the truth was, this abuse had been going on for generations and it had to be stopped. I realized that I had to fight this battle no matter what, no one else was going to do that.

The night that I told my parents, it was awful, all I could remember was the feeling of somehow is still must have been my fault. After my parents had left, I begin to doubt my ability to continue to  go through with this tough decision…I seemed to sense the gravity of what I was starting to do, and truly felt like I wasn’t strong enough to do so. Incest is like a weed, if  you decide to stop it ( or pull it up ) you have NO IDEA how many roots it has, or have far they have reached. So that is what makes it so hard, you have no idea how big the battle will be or how many years you will have to keep fighting.

For the first time in my life, I begged my Heavenly Father to let me die ( I was not thinking of suicide, I just wanted Him to take me right then and there) I told Him this was much bigger than me, I didn’t feel I could go through it. My parents reaction was one of blame on me, and how could I go on and tell the rest of the family. That night after my prayers I felt a sense of peace and in my heart I  felt like I could hear my Heavenly Father tell me  that it was not time for me to come home, and that I could and needed  be strong enough to break this silence of incest. He told me that there we generations counting on me, that there were other women who needed to see my example, and that my future children as well as Amy, needed a Mom who had great faith and courage. He then  promised me I could come home when my mission was over and that HE would hold me and protect me forever.

I can’t even explain the feeling I had after that connection, I knew this was my battle and no one else was going to fight it. I knew what the God expected of me, and I knew that no matter how hard it might be, that I was not alone in this fight.

That was one of the toughest things I ever did in all my life, battling cancer took a close second. But even though it was a long hard battle, there was a big separation in our family because of it, and to some…I was still the bad guy.  I can honestly say… I know that I did what God needed me to do, and my kids ( the next generation ) were protected and that was… worth any of it!  I encourage anyone who is being abused or knows of abuse…to stand up and fight it with everything you have. Ask for help, don’t be afraid. Abuse is wrong, it was 40 some years ago when I was a little girl, and it is still wrong today!

Good night dear friends!

 

Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime.  ~ Herbert Ward

The consequences of your denial will be with you for a lifetime and will be passed down to the next generations. Break your Silence on Abuse!   ~ Patty Rase Hopson

The only reason why child abuse is alive today, is because we as adults fail our children when we fail to listen to them. Listen to a child today!   ~  Heather McClane

Lessons from a child!

Today I was asked to speak in church. I actually love to have that opportunity ( I know that is weird ). I think one of the reasons I love to teach and speak, is because of all the study and preparation it makes me do. I love reading my scriptures, but to have a reason to really dive into them and search things out of them, it a great experience for me. Some of my talk was about FAITH, and so I will share part of it with you.

I first started out with this cute story…

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a parochial elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The teacher made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

But this time a child had written a note and put it by the cookies  which said, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

I have always been interested in how children see things so black and white, completely trusting in what they have been taught by their parents

Then it reminded me, of how as parents… it is our responsibility to teach these children of the truths that we know. Of course we can not teach what we do not know. That is why it is vital for us to study, and pray to know the truth first for ourselves.

In James chapter 1 verse 5 it reads:

IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, THAT GIVETH TO ALL MEN LIBERALLY, AND UPBRAIDETH NOT; AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN TO HIM”.

I looked up the word upbraideth and in the dictionary, is said that upbraideth is to find fault with.  I think that is important to any of us that need to ask questions from our Heavenly Father, He is the source of all knowledge, but understanding no matter what we ask that He isn’t going to find fault or make fun of our questions. As a kid, I felt like that was very important, God promised to give answers to all and He will not judge us.

The only other thing we have to do (which is vital ) and it goes on to say this in James 1:6  is…“BUT LET HIM ASK IN FAITH,NOTHING WAVERING”.

It is important to remember “that great faith has a short shelve life” so we need to daily work on strengthening our faith and deepen our testimony of the Savior,  to the point that we can endure whatever life holds in store for us, and come out stronger than before.

I go back to where I started with an example of a child…
 
A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.'
The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'

We need to stay close to our children and grandchildren, because they are closer to God than we might think. Wouldn't it be great for us to be that confident in our trust and knowledge in God, and understanding our purpose here on earth?
It is my testimony that we truly can obtain that type of faith and hope, and with that… be able to accomplish the purpose of why we are here!

Good night dear friends!

“Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”   ~ Voltaire

So true!

“If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will-to your surprise- miss them profoundly.”   ~ Thomas S. Monson

Oh am I glad today is over!

Being a cancer survivor twice doesn’t help your nerves when you have to do your scheduled check ups. For me, mine are every 6 months, the first six months is a mammogram and ultrasound and the next six months is a needle MRI. I still am not sure if I want to continue at that pace, but for now I have been. Except in January, I got to thinking it had been a while since my last exam and so I called and asked when it was. They said it was a year ago…I couldn’t believe I missed it. Well, I did have to find 3 new DRs this year so I was a bit busy with so many other exams but still they always call me and they didn’t. When I asked the lady why, she just told me that they had a policy change and they don’t make those calls any more. I couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t notify us and tell us that. I was sad to find out that I had been behind a year on my MRI and a year and a half on my Mammogram. I was upset, frustrated and scared…why didn’t I remember that then? Still I couldn’t believe that they would have to notify you if they are going to make a big change like that. So my normal nervous, scared, anxious, sick feeling that you get before you go for a check up, was just heightened…just what I needed.

I feel like last week and this week were just a blur, I don’t think I really accomplished that much. Hard to concentrate when you are worried! I know that worrying does absolutely no good but still it is hard NOT to do, when you have been down this road before. Last night before I went to bed I just bawled. I didn’t want to go to bed, because then I would have to wake up and go today. This morning though, I woke up and felt a bit better.  I have fought cancer twice, if something happens that I have it again, then I just reminded myself I could handle it … if I had to. I listened all the way there to my song that I called my Theme Song 11 years ago, right before I had my 1st cancer surgery…here are the lyrics. 

BRING ON THE RAIN  sung by Jo Dee Messina

Another day has almost come and gone
Can't imagine what else could wrong
Sometimes I'd like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost , but not the war
cause Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain
It's almost like the hard times circle ‘ round
A couple drops , and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
and I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing - but I'm not dead
cause Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

   Still as I drove by myself to the appointment, I thought I shouldn’t have been so brave …I should have asked Jeff or one of my girlfriends to go with me. After I got there, waited and filled out the paper work, I began to get a bit nervous again and about that time I saw Jeff walk in! My knight in shining armor! Oh I was sooooooooo glad to see him, then they called me in. The mammogram went pretty well, until she asked me to do it one more time, she said she saw something but was sure it was nothing, but just wanted to be on the safe side, now my stomach and nerves began to kick in ( that is what they told me 3  1/2 years ago and it ended up being SOMETHING!). Still I tried to keep talking to myself as she went to have the DR look at the results. Well, she was gone for about 10 mins and never came back, the next tech that came in was one that was going to do my Ultrasound. She didn’t talk much at all and seemed to go over this one area in my right breast again and again. I know not to ask the techs anything, they couldn’t tell you even if they knew something, so by now my nerves were wearing and I began to make some big deals with the Lord. On the serious side,  I know my Heavenly Father is well aware of me and my situation, and I know He won’t give me more than I can bare but still, I was begging not to have to fight Cancer a third time.

Then after that tech was through, she went and got another tech to do a 2nd check, by now I was getting pretty quiet and concerned. She however didn’t take nearly as long and then she went and got the DR and he did the 3rd Ultrasound on the same area. I had mentioned it had been a while and I asked why the Policy changed? He was pretty upset when I told him the story, he just said that their policy HAD NOT changed and that I would be receiving my reminder call in 6 months. I hope I didn’t get someone in trouble, but at the same time I felt like I really needed to say something. I always think if you say something about things that aren’t right and you do it in the right way and with the right spirit about it, that hopefully things will change for the better and some other survivor won’t have to be late on their check ups.

But the good news after all that is…the area that they were worried about  and kept checking, was just a fold in the skin, and everything looks fine!
Wow, how grateful I was for that answer! I will have to go through the MRI in 6 months, but for today I was done and very, very grateful for the results!  I am very glad that today is almost over, and now I need to go back to the Lord and see exactly what I promised! :)

  
“Sometimes you have to do what you don’t like to get to where  you want to be.”   ~ Tori Amos

"Don't count the days, make the days count."       ~Muhammad Ali

What a great example!

I have a lot on my mind tonight, and without weighing  you down with my problems (which isn’t motivating ), I am going to find 3 great things about today.
First… is I got to sew a lot of things for my little grandson, who is to be born in 3 weeks. I have been trying so hard not to count, that the time has gone faster than I thought and so I sewed and sewed the day away. Second…I got to talk to an old friend today, and we are going to get to reconnect this week, I am excited to see her again!  And Third… I found this wonderful poster, with this photo and quote on it. Mother Teresa was truly a great example to us all. She didn’t have to tell people what her religious beliefs were… she just lived them! 

Thank you for all of your examples to me and my family too. They have truly made a great difference in our lives!

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” 
~ Mother Teresa

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”     ~Mother Teresa

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”   ~ Mother Teresa

Acts of service can have far-reaching effects!

I had read this story years ago, and it always has touched me. Maybe because I was a Mother myself many times in situations where I wish I could have explained my actions. Yet, I too have fallen guilty of judging too quickly…well knowing that we don’t know the whole picture. Making a quick judgment is so easy, but like this story…things may not always be what they seem.

I hope you enjoy it.
Good night dear friends!

Serving Others

Stranded in an airport because of bad weather, a young mother and her two-year-old daughter had been waiting in long lines for hours trying to get a flight home. The child was tired and fussy, but the mother, who was pregnant and at risk of miscarriage, did not pick her up. A doctor had advised the mother to avoid lifting the two-year-old unless absolutely necessary. The woman overheard disapproving comments from people around her as she used her foot to slide her crying daughter along in the line. Nobody offered to help. But then, the woman later recalled, “someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, ‘Is there something I could do to help you?’ With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. He asked if she could chew a piece of gum. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport.”

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/01/spencer-w-kimball-man-of-action?lang=eng

Later at the end of the story Spencer W. Kimball got a letter from a young man. Here is just a part of his letter to him… 

… a story was told of a loving service which you performed some 21 years ago in the Chicago airport. The story told of how you met a young pregnant mother with a young screaming child in … a [condition of] distress waiting in a long line for her tickets. She was threatening miscarriage and therefore couldn’t lift her child to comfort her. She had experienced four previous miscarriages which gave added reason for the doctor’s orders not to bend or lift.
“… You comforted the crying child, and explained the dilemma to the other passengers in line. This act of love took the strain and tension off of my mother. I was born a few months later in Flint, Michigan.
“I just want to thank you for your love. Thank you for your example!”

 

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”  ~Anne Frank

“It is not so much what we know that is important, as what we do and what we are.” ~ Spencer W. Kimball