My Little Secret

I had a drug problem when l was young.

I was drug to church on Sunday morning,

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions no matter the weather.

I was drug to the bus stop to go to school every weekday.

I was drug by my ears when disrespectful to adults and teachers.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would certainly be a better place."

Food For Thought

When I was a little boy, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad.

I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to tell Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things..... and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper, cook or the best anything.

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults — and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you the kind of relationship where a burnt biscuit is not a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship in fact – as understanding is the base of any relationship, but it a husband, wife, or parent-child, sister-brother, or friendship!

Cell Phone vs. Bible

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

So remember this...
You'll never have dropped calls and unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about
our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

But most important of all...you'll never have to ask Him "Can you hear me now?"

Makes you stop and think, "Where are my priorities?"

23rd Psalm For The Workplace

The Lord is my boss, and I shall not want.

He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.

He reminds me to pray, before I speak in anger.

He restores my sanity.

He guides my decisions that I might honor Him in all I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mail, system failures, copier jams, back-ordered supplies, unrealistic deadlines, staff shortages, budget cutbacks, red tape, downsizing, gossiping co-workers and whining customers, I won’t give up, for You are with me.

Your presence, peace and power will see me through.

You raise me up, even when the boss fails to promote me.

You claim me as your own, even when the company threatens to let me go.

Your loyalty and love are better than a bonus check.

Your retirement plan beats any 401K, and when it’s all said and done, I’ll be working for you a whole lot longer!

Thanks be to God!

Life Make It A Good One

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don‘t see the one which has been opened for us.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don’t go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don‘t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can‘t go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Share this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life in one way or another, to those who make you smile when you really need it, to those that make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, to those who you want to let them know that you appreciate their friendship.

The Paper Route

Forty-three years seems like a long time to remember the name of a mere acquaintance. I have duly forgotten the name of an old lady who was a customer on my paper route when I was a twelve-year-old boy in Marinette, Wisconsin back in 1954. Yet it seems like just yesterday that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I can only hope to pass on to someone else someday.

On a mindless Saturday afternoon, a friend and I were throwing rocks onto the roof of the old lady's house from a secluded spot in her backyard. The object of our play was to observe how the rocks changed to missiles as they rolled to the roofs edge and shot out into the yard like comets falling from the sky.

I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and sent it for a ride. The stone was too smooth, however, so it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight for a small window on the old lady's back porch. At the sound of fractured glass, we took off from the old lady's yard faster than any of our missiles flew off her roof. I was too scared about getting caught that first night to be concerned about the old lady with the broken porch window.

However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortable in her presence. I made up my mind that I would save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would cover the cost of her window.

I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost for repairing it. I waited until it was dark, snuck up to the old lady's house, and put the envelope of retribution through the letter slot in her door. My soul felt redeemed and I couldn't wait for the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady's eyes.

The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to return the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and said, "Here, I have something for you." It was a bag of cookies. I thanked her and proceeded to eat the cookies as I continued my route.

After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was stunned. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, "I'm proud of you."

Author Unknown

A Mouse, A Pig, A Cow, And A Snake

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

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"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

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Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.

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"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

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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."

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The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

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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."

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The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

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The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

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

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That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap

catching its prey.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

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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.

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Forgive Me When I Whine

Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair.

and wished I was as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one leg and wore a crutch.

But as she passed, a smile.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have 2 legs, the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.

The lad who sold it had such charm.

I talked with him, he seemed so glad.

If I were late, it'd do no harm.

And as I left, he said to me,

"I thank you, you've been so kind.

It's nice to talk with folks like you.

You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play.

He did not know what to do.

I stopped a moment and then I said,

"Why don't you join the others, dear?"

He looked ahead without a word.

And then I knew, he couldn't hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have 2 ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.

With eyes to see the sunset's glow.

With ears to hear what I'd know.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

~ Author Unknown ~

 

SHMILY

My grandparents were married for over half a century and played their own special game from the time they had met each other... The goal of their game was to write the word

"SHMILY"

in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving

"SHMILY"

around the house and as  soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged "SHMILY"

with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers, to await whoever was preparing the next meal. They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio (where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring).

"SHMILY"

was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper, to leave

"SHMILY"

on the very last sheet. There was no end to the places

"SHMTLY"

would pop up. Little notes with

"SHMILY"

scribbled hurriedly were found on dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows.

"SHMILY"

was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture. It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love one that is pure and enduring. However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little games; it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on a devotion and passionate affection, which not everyone is lucky to experience. Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses, as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other's sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble. My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew "how to pick 'em." Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune and each other. But, there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' lives, my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. Now the cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my grandfather's steady hand, they went to church every morning. But, my grandmother grew steadily weaker (until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore.) For a while, Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.

"SHMILY"

it was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time. Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's casket and (taking a shaky breath) he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came (a deep and throaty lullaby). Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment. For I knew that although I couldn't begin to fathom the depth of their love) I had been privileged to witness its' unmatched beauty.

S-H-M-I-L-Y: See How Much I Love You.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for letting me see.

SHMILY,

Mr. David A. Cross

The Secret

One day, one friend asked another, "How is it that you are always so happy? You have so much

energy, and you never seem to get down." »

With her eyes smiling, she said, "I know the Secret!"

"What secret is that?"

To which she replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with

others."

"The Secret is this:

I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy.

I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs.

When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches.

I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do.

He has never let me down.

Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."

_The questioner's first thought was, "That's too simplel"

But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her

happy, but it didn't!

She thought a better paying job would make her happy, but it hadn't.

When did she realize her greatest happiness?

Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple

gift from God.

Now you know it too!

We can 't depend on people to make us happy.

Only GOD in His inHnite wisdom can do that.

Trust HIM!

And now I pass the Secret on to you!

So once you get it, what will you do?

YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!

That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!

But it's not really a secret".

We just have to believe it and do it...

Really trust God!

A Matter Of Perspective

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white Huff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can’t carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen. My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that. My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms to play with. I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from.

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may I look back and realize they were the big things. I wish you BIG MUD PUDDLES & SUNNY YELLOW DANDELIONS

23rd Psalm For The Workplace

The Lord is my boss, and I shall not want.  

He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.  

He reminds me to pray, before I speak in anger.  

He restores my sanity.  

He guides my decisions that I might honor Him in all I do.  

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mail, system failures, copier jams, back-ordered supplies, unrealistic deadlines, staff shortages, budget cutbacks, red tape, downsizing, gossiping co-workers and whining customers, I won’t give up, for You are with me.  

Your presence, peace and power will see me through.  

You raise me up, even when the boss fails to promote me.  

You claim me as your own, even when the company threatens to let me go.  

Your loyalty and love are better than a bonus check.  

Your retirement plan beats any 401K, and when it’s all said and done, I’ll be working for you a whole lot longer!  

Thanks be to God!