Community Chat

[gloriajean]

You can become more peaceful and a more interesting person by having
a healthy attitude and accepting your responsibilities. Lord, help me to
remember that life is what we make of it.

Scripture for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
~Matthew 18:20

Meditation for the day:

Wherever there is true fellowship and love between people, God's
spirit is always there, as the divine third. In all human
relationships God's spirit is what brings them together. When a life
is changed through the channel of another person, it is God, the
divine third who always makes the change using the person as a means.
The moving power behind all spiritual things, all personal
relationships between people is God, the divine third, who is always
present. No personal relationships can be entirely right without the
presence of God's spirit.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be used as a channel by God's spirit. I pray that I
may know that God is always there to help me.

Hello my friends! How was your day? I worked all day today - until around
7:00 PM. Got to visit with a girl and her husband who had massages with Lori
today - Got to talk an hour with each as the other had their massage. The
girl was from our hometown and I haven't seen her since she was a kid. Now
she works in Australia and met her husband there (love his accent!) and they
came here to her parents for Christmas and stay 3 weeks. I did sell some
gift certificates today and I ran the credit card machine and everything was
fine! Now I work on Friday yet, and then I'm finished there until next
year. Another blessing was tonight when I got a call from Sister LaDonna
saying our prayers are being answered - she is feeling so much better now!
Praise God!! She had some computer trouble and now that's fixed so I can
email her too. Thanks be to God for cell phones, too! They sure come in
handy for long distance calls.

Once again I'd like to share with you the Cab Ride - it's so touching!


The Cab Ride


I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
after waiting a few minutes
I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute, answered a frail,
elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before
me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on
it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one
had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the
counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and
glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to
the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.


She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her... 'I just
try to treat my passengers
the way I would want my mother to be
treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me
an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'


'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly...

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.


I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have
any family left,' she continued in a soft voice... 'The doctor says I don't
have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.


For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when
they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse
that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.


Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner
and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm
tired. Let's go now'.


We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building,
like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.


I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was
already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?'
She asked, reaching into her purse.


'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.


'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me
tightly.


'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.
'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light... Behind
me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life...


I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in
thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman
had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in
my life.


We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others
may consider a small one.


It's the little things that mean the most.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY
WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to ten people.
But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by
sending it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of kindness
that most benefit all of us.


Thank you, my friend...

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as
well dance.

Angels Of Wisdom

You have been sent the Angels of Wisdom!
Follow their words of wisdom and you will be blessed!
Don't be so busy adding up your troubles
that you forget to count your blessings.

The smallest deed done
is greater than the best of intentions.
Love is a language that can be heard by the deaf
and seen by the blind.

A house is made of wooden beams.
A home is made of love and dreams.
To be a good friend open your ears and heart
more often than your mouth.

People don't care how much you know
until they know how much you care.

One Baby Born

One baby born in the darkness of time.

One baby born for the good of mankind.
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
Who would have thought
The Son of God He would be?

One baby born to laugh and play,
One baby born to give us hope that day.
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
Who would have thought
His mission was to die on the tree?

One baby born to suffer for all,
One baby born, to die was His call.
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
Who would have thought He held the key
That opens Life's Gate to Victory?

One baby born in the darkness of time,
One baby born for the good of mankind,
So small, so frail, so meek was He,
A gift of Love for you and me.

By Brenda Bergen

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL
Author Unknown


It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our
Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has
peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the
true meaning of Christmas, but
the commercial aspects of it overspending ... the frantic running
around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting
powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you
couldn't think of anything else.


Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual
shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special
just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin,
who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school
he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league
match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings
seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp
contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and
sparkling new wrestling shoes.


As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was
wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect
a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not
afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class.
And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in
his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't
acknowledge defeat.


Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them
could ave won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing
like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids ---
all kids --- and he knew them, having coached little league football,
baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That
afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an
assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously
to the inner-city church.


On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside
telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His
smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in
succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition --- one
year sending a group of mentally
handicapped youngsters, to a hockey game, another year a check to a
pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week
before Christmas, and on and on.


The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the
last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring
their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad
lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the
children grew, the toys gave
way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its
allure.


The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to
dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped
in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me
placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by
three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had
placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.


The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our
grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation
watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like
the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.


May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the
true Christmas spirit this year and always. God bless---pass this
along to your friends and loved ones.

A PRAYER WHEN YOU FEEL WORRIED AND UNCERTAIN

O Lord, each of us has fears that betray; worries that capture and shake
out our joy. We find ourselves in limbo because we are neither here nor
there. We are in a time of transition, of getting ready. Change and
chance surround us. Help us, O Lord, to return to your presence. Cause
us to find the point and purpose of each day. All we ask is that you keep
us on our feet so that we might walk with you. Bless us this night and
grant us rest. Amen.

Advent Prayer

Father, all-powerful God, your eternal Word took flesh on our earth
when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan.
Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces
His glory and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares
us for His coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Good night - Sweet Dreams - May your tomorrow be filled with so many
blessings - too many to count!!! God bless you!