Hello my friends! Today I got my Tablet - it's a Sumsung one, an early Christmas present so that I can learn how to use it for my list etc. when we're gone to Texas for Christmas. It even has a keyboard. I am not sure I'll know how to do this thread on there, but I'm learning - I just got it from Lori tonight. She already got me hooked up to both emails, and spent a lot of time trying to teach me things that I can do with it. First last summer I got her old smart phone when she upgraded to a new one, so that was something new for me to learn, but with her help, I'm good at it now. So she made sure she got me the Samsung tablet because it's like the phone, only bigger. Wish me luck!!! I think it will work out! That is my biggest blessing for today! Also another one, she had us over for chili, and it was delicious!! She sure does a lot for us - but we do alot for her too, and she appreciates it. Like this weekend she's arranged for a sister's weekend for us - and is picking up Deil, Sister LaDonna, and bringing us to Ethel's - and Erma will be there too, she's getting better! Praying for you all!!
God gives abundantly to those who pass His gifts on to others. Lord, let
Your blessings flow in to me and then out from me. I will neither be
selfish
nor let my gifts stagnate.
Scripture for the day:
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set
their minds on the things of the Spirit." ~Romans 8:5
Meditation for the day:
God can draw us all closer to God in the bonds of the spirit. God
would have all people drawn closer to each other in the bonds of the
spirit. God, the great spirit of the universe, of which each of our
spirits is a part, wants unity with God and all God's children.
"Unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace." Each experience of our
life, of joy, of sorrow, of danger, of safety, of difficulty, of
success, of hardship, of ease, each can be accepted as part of our
common lot, n the bonds of the spirit.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may welcome the bonds of true fellowship. I pray that I
may be brought closer to unity with God and other people.
May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half truths, superficial relationships,
so that you will live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
so that you will work for justice, equality and peace.
May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war,
so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain
into joy.
And may God bless you with the foolishness
to think that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done.
By a misplaced blow with a hammer, a man smashed one of his thumbs.
"That's too bad," said a friend, when he heard about the accident.
But the man was a kind of philosopher. He replied, "No, it isn't. It is one
of the best things that ever happened to me. It taught me to appreciate
thumb. I never knew its value to me before. On the first day, by actual
count, I found out after I injured my thumb, that there were 257 things I
had been doing with my thumb everyday in my life, without giving it a
thought. And I never realized that my thumb is practically indispensable to
me."
We never seem to value our commonest blessings until we are deprived of
them. Someone has remarked (evidently from personal experience) that the
best thing that can happen to us is to lose everything we've got and then
get it all back again.
The second time around, we'll treasure it and appreciate it much much more.
TIME TO THINK
Author Unknown
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and
lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.
"This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the
tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and
trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical
figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we
went to New York, at
least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a
special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the
slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were
taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a
moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever
save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a
special occasion."
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that
followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores
that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane
returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's
family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or
heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without
realizing that they were special.
I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life. I'm
reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring
the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending
more time with my family and friends and less time in committee
meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to
savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and
cherish them. I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and
crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the
sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to
the market if I like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can
shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm
not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware
stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my
party-going friends. "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing
their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing,
I want to see and hear and do it now.
I'm not sure what my sister would've done had she known that she
wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she
would have called family members and a few close friends. She might
have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past
squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese
dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing - I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I
knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good
friends whom I was going to get in touch with - "someday". Angry
because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write -
one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and
daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that
would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I
open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every minute, every breath truly is... a gift from God.
If you've received this it is because someone cares for you. If you're
too busy to take the few minutes that it would take right now to
forward this to ten people, would it be the first time you didn't do
that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships?
I can tell you it certainly won't be the last. Take a few minutes to
send this to a few people you care about, just to let them know that
you're thinking of them.
May God litter your life with blessings!
"You've got to dance like nobody's watching, and love like it's never
going to hurt."
"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends
don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always
be there."
My Prayer For You
May the good Lord bless
And keep you
Each hour of every day,
And be the light that guides you
Each step along life´s way.
May He comfort and sustain you
When things perplex your mind,
May He be your inspiration
Your lofty goals to find.
May He be with you in spirit
And help your burdens bear,
May He ever find you worthy
Of His tender love and care.
Written by: Harold F. Mohn
Shake It Off and Step Up
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the
farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule "braying," or whatever mules do
when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the
mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble
of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had
happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the
well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors
continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It
suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his
back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step
up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or
distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept
right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted,
STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! that seemed like it would
bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he
handled his adversity.
THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and
refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT
COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND
BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS--FAITH--PRAYER-- PRAISE and HOPE...all
are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which
we find ourselves!
As in nature and in the arts, so in grace: it is rough treatment that gives
souls, as well as stones, their luster. The more the diamond is cut, the
brighter it sparkles, and in what seems hard dealings God has no end in view
but to perfect our graces. --Thomas Guthrie (1803-1873)
Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves. --Sir
William Davenant (1606-1668)
As the sea is subject to storm and tempests, so is every man in the
world. --John Donne (1572-1631)
Men think that God is destroying them when he is tuning them. --Henry Ward
Beecher (1813-1887)
On the top of those very billows which look as if they would overwhelm us
walks the Son of God. --Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)
"Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance, the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured
such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and
discouraged in your souls." Hebrews 12:1-3
SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP...Father, may those who read these words drive them
deep into their minds, that when the next trial faces them, they endure it
with new found strength and understanding. Help us to see you in ALL things.
"And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Let us enter into the reality of this scripture. Amen.
-- Gary Amirault
~ THE POWER OF HABIT ~
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might as well turn over to
me,
And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done,
And after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great individuals
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great I have made great
Those who are failures I have made failures.
I am not a machine,
Though I work with all the precision of a machine
Plus the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for profit or run me for ruin;
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me,
And I will put the world at your feet
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am habit!
Author Unknown
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