SHMILY

"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

Put The Glass Down

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his student on stress management.

 He demonstrated the weight of water. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience,

"How heavy would you guess this glass of water is?"

The students answered between 5 ounces & 500 mg.

"It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it.

"If I hold it for a minute, it is OK.

 "If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm.

"If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance.,

"It is the exact same weight in each case, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

The lesson . . .

"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier."

"What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again."

We have to put down our burdens periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

So before you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work down, don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow, if you must. Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders, let it down for a moment, if you can.

Pick it up again later when you have rested. . .

Rest and relax.

Life is short, enjoy it!!

Let Go And Let God

God never tells us that OUR need to forgive is contingent on another's genuine repentance. Christ didn't die ONLY for those who would be REALLY sorry. He didn't forgive ONLY those who could eventually prove their worthiness. And He certainly didn't set up a record-keeping system for tracking our screw-ups! Once forgiven, ALWAYS forgotten. And forgetting is the essence of true forgiveness: the sweat aroma that melts resentment and builds love.

Remember back to that first time you felt unconditionally accepted by someone who REALLY knew you. That acceptance could not have been possible if resentment had grabbed a foothold. Resentment amounts to hatred, and that resentment would have been against YOU!

I love that old maxim, "Let go, and let God." It's the things we can't handle that God promises to take on for us! WE don't have to learn to overcome or overlook someone else's shortcomings, that's God's job. WE are called to love. WE are called to forgive. Once we realize this, what a heavy burden is lifted from our shoulders!

If by chance, the FACT that you're right and someone else is wrong is your justification for harboring resentment, remember the principles of love in

I Corinthians 13: 4-8:

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last for ever."

With this in mind, dare we waste any more time harboring resentments and burying our heads, when we should be enjoying life, embracing love and living more fully? Let's do ourselves a favor - let's let go. and let God!

Steve Goodier, publisher of Your Life Support System

I Wish You Enough

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together.  They had announced her plane departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." 


She in turn 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?" I asked.

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 at this happy time of year ... I Wish You All ... Enough!

© By Bob Perks

The Old Soldier

He was getting old and paunchy

and his hair was falling fast,
and he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
and the deeds that he had done,
in his exploits with his buddies;
they were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
all his buddies listened quietly
for they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
for ol' Bob has passed away,
and the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
going quietly on his way;
and the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
their bodies lie in state,
while thousands note their passing,
and proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
from the time that they were young
but the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
to the welfare of our land,
some jerk that breaks his promise
and cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
to the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
is paid off with a medal
and perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
with your enemies at hand,
would you really want some cop-out,
with his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
and his ranks are growing thin,
but his presence should remind us
we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
we find the Soldier's part
is to clean up all the troubles
that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
while he's here to hear the praise,
then at least let's give him homage
at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."



Pass On The Patriotism!
YOU can make a difference

Prayer For My Witness

Dear God,

Please forgive me. I sometimes look at those I see and get frustrated by the way they are. Some are angry and act ugly and even curse. Others have no desire to do what is right. Some just want to "party" and live like the world all the time. Some are lazy. Some are hurting and holding on to bitterness. I don't always understand why they are that way. Then I, in my frustration, become angry and grumble. Forgive me for my ungodly attitudes and complaining. I am sorry. Help me to see the potential in others and to pray for them more and criticize them less. I pray that through my prayers to you and through my Christian testimony and example and through my words and deeds, these people would come to know you or come back and lay their issues on the altar. I pray that we all will lift our burdens to you and drop them at your feet, so that you can take them away and guide us in the way everlasting. Please relieve our grieves and burdens and replace them with your peace. Please bless us as we serve you. Please help us and pick us help when we stumble. Thank you for your mercies.

 In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen.

The Map

A father wanted to read a magazine but was interrupted by his little girl.  She wanted to know what the United States looked like.  Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country.  Tearing it into small pieces for each state, he gave it to his daughter, and said, "See if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today."

After a few minutes, she handed him the map correctly fitted together with tape.   The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.   "Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together."

Can I hear an AMEN!!!!!!