God's Lessons
--Author Unknown
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy in life.
God said No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as God loves me.
God said...
Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead tell your storm how big your GOD is.
--Author Unknown
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy in life.
God said No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as God loves me.
God said...
Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
Stop telling God how big your storm is.
Instead tell your storm how big your GOD is.
Family
--Author Unknown 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? (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU! |
Values
---Author Unknown 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 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 hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. 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 one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics. 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: Lose one. |
'W' in Christmas
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I
had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless
baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself
exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course,
the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season
for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's
"Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the
night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with
his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the
presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come
then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found
a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several
other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students
were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat
cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform
their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday
as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial
entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.
So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly
taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens,
red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front
row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the
title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child
would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until
each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
"Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small,
quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally
unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W." The audience of 1st through 6th
graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they
were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W."
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued
until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came
over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood
the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place,
why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
"CHRISTWAS LOVE"
And, I believe, He still is. --Author Unknown
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I
had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless
baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself
exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course,
the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season
for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's
"Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the
night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with
his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the
presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come
then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found
a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several
other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students
were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat
cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform
their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday
as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial
entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.
So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly
taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens,
red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front
row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the
title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child
would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until
each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
"Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small,
quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally
unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W." The audience of 1st through 6th
graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they
were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W."
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued
until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came
over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood
the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place,
why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:
"CHRISTWAS LOVE"
And, I believe, He still is. --Author Unknown