Meet Your Team for 2007

 

Meet Your Team for 2007

 

Today, I would like you to meet the team that is going to support you in 2007.  I would like you to meet Love, Courage, Peace and Faith, to invite them in to be your lifetime companions.  To enter your life and abide there, within you, part of your being, ever a part of your thoughts and actions, an integral part of who you are.

 

Picture them now.  Great, white and glowing with power, a golden light encircling each one, a light that comes from within, so bright and powerful that fear and doubt cannot survive in their presence. 

 

You may picture them as powerful winged angels, strong and glowing.  You may picture them as knights, galloping in, silver armor flashing, swords ready to defeat the darkness.  You may picture them as great balls of golden energy.  Whatever form you wish them to take, they will take.  Whatever powers you feel they need to have to finally defeat the last bits of fear and doubt within you, you may give them.

 

See them before you.  Feel yourself open to their presence.  Invite them in now.

 

First open your heart, wide and wider.  Invite Love to enter and fill your heart completely.  Feel the glow, the warmth, as all the ice melts, as all the hardness softens, as the cracks and fissures mend.  Your heart is glowing with love.  It is nothing but love.  It is love completely.

 

Now open your heart even wider and allow Courage to take up residence alongside Love.  See what a wonderful team they make, Love and Courage, allowing you to take on anything and everything, confident and daring, yet still feeling safe and secure.

 

And now, open your mind and invite Faith to enter.  Invite the light of Faith to shine there so brightly, that doubt is instantly dissolved.  It cannot sustain in the bright glow of faith.  Your belief is absolute.  You believe in yourself and all that you can accomplish and you believe also in the help that is there for you.  Your mind is on your side, willing to support the actions that Love and Courage are now yearning for.  They are all working together as your team.

 

And now, open your center and let it fill with Peace, like a deep and endless pool of water.  This pool of Peace will allow you to come down and reach your personal truth, no matter what is happening, no matter what you are feeling or anyone else is saying.  It will allow you to make your decisions and choices freely, from a deep sense of knowing.

 

And now, for a moment, just glow within the presence of these four, Love, Courage, Faith and Peace, filling you from head to toe, lighting your life, giving you the absolute power to be the fullest and best expression of yourself that you could possibly be, shining with the glory that is you.

 

And now, feel how a fifth presence is forming.  It is Joy, for Joy is naturally formed wherever Love, Courage, Faith and Peace abide.  Joy cannot stay away when her friends are all present.  And Joy surrounds you now and is within you and without you, lifting your energies higher and higher.  

 

And now they are all with you:  your team for 2007.  How blessed you are!

www.Quado.com

quote by Agnes M Pharo

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past,
courage for the present, hope for the future.
It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow
with blessings rich and eternal, and that every
path may lead to peace.
~Agnes M. Pharo

From "Discovery" newsletter I receive

The beautiful season brings with it such an opportunity for growth.  We don't need to get lost in the mass of activities and preparations for the holidays.  Go slow.  Remember to breath.  Allow time to regroup, to think, to relax.  Don't let this precious time deplete you.  Focus on taking care of yourself.  This is such a gift that only you can give to yourself.  Do it this year.  You deserve the very best......... you are such a blessing to so many people, and as you learn how to take care of yourself better, you have more gifts to share with others along the way.

 

Want to share Discovery with a friend ?

PLS Send Discovery Newsletter

Hugs

A hug is a great gift.....

one size fits all.

It can be given for any occasion

and it's easy to exchange

 

from a newsletter i get

Each moment is an open door you can walk through.  But at the same time, there is no need for regret, for the next moment is an open door as well, and even though you will not have exactly the same opportunity, you will have another, one that is perfect in its own moment.

 

www.Quado.com

I Wish You Enough

 

I wish you enough~

I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports.

  I love them and I hate them  I love them
because of the people I get to watch.  But
they are also the same reason I hate airports. 
It all comes down to "hello and goodbye."
  I must have mentioned this a few times while writing
my stories for you.  I have great difficulties with saying
goodbye.  Even as I write this I am experiencing that
pounding sensation in my heart.  If I am watching such
a scene in a movie I am affected so much that I need
to site up and take a few deep breaths.

  So when faced with a challenge in my life I have been
known to go to our local airport and watch people say
goodbye.  I fugue nothing that is happening to me at
that time could be as bad as having to say goodbye.
Watching people cling to each other, crying and holding
each other in that last embrace makes me appreciate
what I have even more.  Seeing them finally pull
apart, extending their arms until the tips of their
fingers are the last to let go, is an image
that stays forefront in my mind throughout the day.

     On one of my recent business trips, when I arrived at the counter to check in, the

woman said. "How are you today?"  I replied, "I am missing my wife already and I

haven't even said goodbye"  She then looked at my ticket and began to ask, "How long

will you... Oh, my God.  You will only be gone three days!"

  We all laughed
My problem was I still had to say goodbye.
But I learn from goodbye moments, too.

  Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together.  They had

announced her departure and standing hear 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 then enough.  Your love is more then 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 need for privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking "Did you ever say goodbye 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 goodbye?" 

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 goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough."  May I ask what
that means?"

  He began to smile.  "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. 

My parents used to say it to everyone."  He paused for a moment and looking up as if

trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.

  "When we said 'I wish you enough.' we were wanting the other person to have a life

filled with just enough good things to sustain them."  He continued and then turning

toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting from memory.

  "I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude right.
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 posses,
I wish you enough "Hello's' to get you through
the final "Goodbye"
  He then began to sob and walked away.

  My friends, I wish you enough !

                           Bob Perks
          www.bobperks.com

What you have been waiting for!!!!

Christmas Links Are Here!!!
more to come later......maybe

from an email don't know who wrote this

To realize
The value of a sister
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.
 
To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.  

 

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.
 
To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.


To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.

 

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.



To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

 

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.



To realize
The value of a child
Ask a Person
Who has buried one.

Time waits for no one.


Treasure every moment you have.  

 

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

 

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

 

LOSE ONE.

 

  Do not keep this letter.
 

Send it to friends & family to whom you wish good luck 
Peace, love and prosperity to all!
 

Remember...

 
Hold on tight to the ones you Love

Silly Quiz

Go Take The Silly Quiz!  Now

Bet you can't answer all the questions correctly!!! Bet ya can't!!!!

quotes -- don't know who said it

Anger is a condition in

which the tongue works

faster than the mind.

 

You can't change the past

but you can ruin the

present by worrying over

the future.

Questions I Got in an Email Today

Why, Why, Why
do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are
getting dead?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there
is not enough money?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars,
but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw
a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are
always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that
something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum
cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to
give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a
shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all
right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you
stupid idiot?"

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling
off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer
when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And my FAVORITE......
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is
suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best
friends -- if they're okay, then it's you. I've done my job and sent
this email to you , now it's up to you to send it on.

from a newsletter I get

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Quado Daily Portion

 

Turn the ordinary into a joyful experience

 

Today is a day of joy and connection.  Today is a day to step outside and take a deep breath and declare to all the world:  I am alive!  Today is a day to feel the energy coursing through your veins and allow that energy to flow freely, enlivening and empowering you.  Today is a day to embrace simply being alive, for no other reason than because you are.

 

Do not judge whether outer circumstances are good enough to allow you to enjoy yourself.  Do not set the day against a standard which must be met before you fill with joy.  Fill with joy just because you are you and the day is.

 

Life is.  It unfolds as it unfolds.  You are.  You stand within your life and blossom.  Let us see you blossom.

 

Take one moment in your life, something very ordinary that you do every day, and turn it into a spiritual and joyful experience.  For example, going out to get the mail or the newspaper.  Walking across a parking lot and passing under a tree.  Walking by a window that overlooks a garden.  Take some moment with a touch of beauty in it and fill that moment with joy.  Every time you walk down the driveway or parking lot or by that window, slow down, take a deep breath and pull in joy, letting it pour in with golden energy through the top of your head and fill your body completely, each breath pulling in more golden joy.

 

Do this every day.  And throughout the day, if you find yourself feeling sad or low, just picture that moment and breathe in the joy again.

 

Teach your mind and body this experience of joy and beauty.  You deserve to be full of love and joy every moment of every day.

 

www.Quado.com

Patience

Recently while exchanging emails with someone they mentioned maybe God was testing their patience.  This was my reply:

 

Gee, please don't tell me you have been praying for patience! Please!  I learned when I was a teenager (in youth group) that you don't pray for patience.  Why? Cause God doesn't just zap you with patience.  Nope, that is something you have to learn.  And if you pray for patience then you will start having all kinds of problems that will help you learn patience!

 

George Carlin's Views on Aging

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

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

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

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

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

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

and your dreams are gone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

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

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouchespull you down.

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

4. Enjoy the simple things.

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

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets,keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

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

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

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


AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

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

quote by Kahlil Gibran

"...love knows not it's own depth
until the hour of separation."

quote from Daily Quado 11-13-06

Reach for the Joy

 

Today is a day to fill yourself with joy, joy unutterable, joy abounding, joy simply because you are alive. 

 

Today is a day to remember that you have this power, that you have the power to bring yourself into the full grace of being, to connect deeply within each moment as it passes, and to dip down deep into the well of joy that it contains.

 

Underneath your fears and worries, underneath the drama of your everyday concerns, underneath all of that, lying still within a great pool of peace is a little drop of pure joy.  This is a joy that knows nothing of circumstances which come and go.  This is a joy that is not concerned with anything at all, that exists just because it exists, that is because it is.

 

And it is yours.  Yes, this joy is yours.  You may access it by reaching up into the golden light.  You may access it by breathing down into the peaceful pool.  You may reach it however it is you reach peace and connection.  Just get to your peaceful place and then take one step more, step in just a bit deeper and reach for the joy.

 

It is there.

 

www.Quado.com

sharing what I "borrowed" from someone

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•
_____****__________**** ______
___***____***____***__ *** ____
__***________****_______***____
_***__________**_________***__
_***_____________________***_
_***________JUST_________***_
__***_____SHOWING______***___
___***______LOVE_______***____
____***_______________***_____
______***___________***_______
________***_______***_________
__________***___***___________
____________*****_____________
_____________***_____________
______________*_____________

Funny Friday -- back to our regular stuff next week

One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his Sweat- shirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"
"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"
He yelled back, "University of Oklahoma .."

And they say blondes are dumb...

--------------------------------------

A couple is lying in bed. The man says, "I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world."
The woman replies, "I'll miss you..."

--------------------------------------

"It's just too hot to wear clothes today," Jack says as he  stepped out of the shower, "honey, what do you think the neighbors would think if I mowed the lawn like this?"
"Probably that I married you for your money," she replied.

--------------------------------------

Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?
A: A rumor

--------------------------------------

A man and his wife, now in their 60's, were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. On their special day a good fairy came to them and said that because they had been so good that each one of them could have one wish.
The wife wished for a trip around the world with her husband.
Whoosh! Immediately she had airline/cruise tickets in her hands.
The man wished for a female companion 30 years younger...
Whoosh...immediately he turned ninety!!!
Gotta love that fairy!

--------------------------------------

Dear Lord,
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods. Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.
AMEN

--------------------------------------

Q: Why do little boys whine?
A: They are practicing to be men.

--------------------------------------

Q: What do you call a handcuffed man?
A: Trustworthy.

--------------------------------------

Q: What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?
A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough.

--------------------------------------

 

Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?
A: Rename the mail folder "Instruction Manuals"

Got in an Email -- What 4 - 8 yr olds think love it

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." 
Jessica - age 8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.

The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elde rly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

  

"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

21 Things to Remember

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it

cheerfully.

 

 

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get

older, their conversational skills will be as

important as any other.

 

 

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

or sleep all you want.

 

 

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

 

 

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

the eye.

 

 

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get

married.

 

 

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

 

 

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't

have dreams don't have much.

 

 

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt

but it's the only way to live life completely.

 

 

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

 

 

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

 

 

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

 

 

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't

want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to

know?"

 

 

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great

achievements involve great risk..

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self;

Respect for others; and responsibility for all your

actions.

 

 

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

friendship.

 

 

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take

immediate steps to correct it.

 

 

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller

will hear it in your voice.

 

 

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

The Bible in 50 Words

The Bible In 50 Words God made, Adam bit, Noah arked, Abraham split, Jacob fooled, Joseph ruled, Bush talked, Moses balked, Pharaoh plagued, People walked, Sea divided, Tablets guided, Promises landed, Saul freaked, David peeked, Prophets warned, Jesus born, God walked, Love talked, Anger crucified, Hope died, Love rose, Spirit flamed, Word spread, God remained. Amen.  Author Unknown

Believe by Ralph Marston

          Believe it

You will accomplish whatever you sincerely believe you will accomplish. And you can believe whatever you choose to believe.

When you truly believe you can, then you can. For your actions in each moment are vigorously guided by the things you believe about yourself.

Your beliefs influence you even when you're not thinking about them. That gives them a constant and enormous power to affect your reality.

The things that you believe to be out of your reach will indeed be out of your reach as long as your beliefs stay the same. You can, however, change your beliefs to include whatever possibilities you dare to imagine.

Visualize yourself reaching the goal, and your belief begins to grow. Take solid and consistent steps in the direction of that goal, and your belief becomes more firmly entrenched with each action.

Allow yourself, with everything you are, to fully believe in whatever you seek to do. And it will surely be.

-- Ralph Marston

Feel good Sunday

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

      -Anonymous

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.

       -Ann Landers

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

       -Will Rogers

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your
face.

       -Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

     -Josh Billings

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.

      -Andy Rooney

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made.

       -M. Acklam

Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.

       - Sigmund Freud

 I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird
religious cult.

       -Rita Rudner


A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.

       -Robert Benchley


Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.

       -Franklin P. Jones


If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I
have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.

       -James Thurber

If  your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise.

        -unkown


My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money.

       -Joe Weinstein

Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth.

       -Anne Tyler


Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

       -Robert A. Heinlein



If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

       -Mark Twain


You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a
look that says, "wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!"

       - Dave Barry


Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

       -Roger Caras


If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in
your pocket and then give him only two of them.

       -Phil Pastoret


My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.

from the 10-29-06 edition of Discovery Newsletter

Random Acts of Kindness...... do you consciously practice each day, watching for opportunities to be kind to others ?  As you move through your days, look for times when you can bring a smile to someone else.  YOU will feel much better.   Look for times when you can give something to help someone else.  For each of us it takes so little to bring that inner smile of being cared about, and it is so life sustaining.  Go the extra little bit to do something nice for someone .  Maybe it is just helping them put their groceries into their car for them.  Could be just sending a warm email to someone.  Always give more then you are expected to, in every situation.  Your life will change.

Want to share Discovery with a friend ?

PLS Send Discovery Newsletter

quote -- author unknown

This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind... let it be something good.

 

 

quote by Henry Drummond

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love."

Great Idea!!!!

I know that my regular readers will love this.  And I trust you will all give it a try.  Leave a comment over at Tammy's to let her know you stopped by.

A Quest

 

carrots, eggs, or coffee

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and >how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. > In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the >carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and >placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.  Turning to >her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. > Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. > Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" > Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. > "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on >your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee >bean? > Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? > Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with >the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a >financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and >stiff?  Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and >tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? > Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot >water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.  When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? > May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and 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. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward 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 at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. > May we all be COFFEE

quote by Henry David Thoreau

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. "

got in an email, you probably have also. don't know who wrote but it is a great lesson

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.  His name was Kyle.  It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?  He must really be a nerd."  I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.  As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.   They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and  tripping him so he landed in the dirt.  His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. 

As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. "
They really should get lives.

" He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"  There was a big smile on his face.  It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.  I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.  As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him  before. He said he had gone to private school before now. 
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends.We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.  Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!"  He just laughed and handed me half the books.  Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors, we began to think about college.
Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be  friends, that the miles would never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak

Graduation day, I saw Kyle.

He looked great.

He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.

He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.

He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
!
Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech.

So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.

" Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began

"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...

I am here to tell all of you that being a
friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.

I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

"Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.

Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person's life.

For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.

Look for God in others.

Got this in an email. Don't know who wrote it.

F A M I L Y

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."


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


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


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


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