TOTAL MARITAL MISCOMMUNICATION !!

IT'S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR PRIDE TO THE ONE YOU LOVE, THAN TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE BECAUSE OF PRIDE. (so true.)

Story goes like this:
TOTAL MARITAL MISCOMMUNICATION !!
A fatal misunderstanding and the person who loves me the most in this world is gone forever.
Cruel misunderstandings, one after the other, had disrupted the blissful footsteps in our family. Our original and noble intentions of having Mother enjoy some quiet and peaceful moments in her remaining years with us went terribly wrong as destiny's secret was finally revealed at a stiff price and before we knew it, every thing became too late.
Just two years after our marriage, hubby brought up the idea of asking Mother to move in with us from the rural hometown and spend her remaining years with us. Hubby's father passed away while he was still very young and mother had endured much hardship and struggled all throughout her own life to be able to provide for him and see him through to a university degree. You could say that she suffered a great deal and did everything you could expect of a woman to bring her son, my hubby to where he is today. I immediately agreed and started packing the spare room in the house, which has a balcony facing the South, to let her enjoy the sunshine and plant some greenery. While going through my chores, Hubby stood in the bright room, and suddenly just picked me up and started spinning me round and round over his head. As I begged for him to put me down, he said: "Lets go fetch mother." Hubby is tall and big-sized and I love to rest on his chest and enjoy the feeling of him picking me up any moment. Whenever we had an argument, and both of us refused to back down, he would pick me up and spin me over his head continuously until I surrender and beg for mercy. I became addicted to this kind of panic-joy feeling.
Mother brought along her countryside habits and lifestyle with her when she joined us. For example; I was so used to buying flowers to decorate the living room and she could not stand it and would often comment: "I do not know how you young people can spend your money, what do you have to buy flowers for? You also can't eat the flowers!" I would often smile to her tirades and would usually say: "Mum, with flowers in the house, our mood will also become better." Mother would continue to grumble away and hubby would just smile: "Mum, this is a city-people's habit; slowly you will get used to it." Mother would usually stop saying anything. But every time thereafter, whenever I came home with flowers, she would ask me how much the flowers cost. I would tell her how much and she would shake her head and express displeasure. Sometimes, when I came home with lots of shopping bags, she would ask each and every item and how much they cost, I would tell her honestly and she would get even more upset. Hubby would playfully pinch my nose and would say: "You little fool, just don't tell her the full price of everything and that would solve it." There began the friction to our otherwise happy lifestyle.
Mother hated it most when hubby would wake up early to prepare the breakfast. In her point of view, how could the man of the house cook for the wife? At the breakfast table, mother's facial expression was always like the dark clouds before a thunderstorm and I would pretend not to notice. She would use her chopsticks and make a lot of noise with it to show her silent protest.
As I was a dance teacher in the Children's Palace and I was usually exhausted from a long day of dancing around, I did not wish to give up the luxury of that additional few minutes in the comfort of my bed and hence I decided to turn a deaf ear to all the protests mother made. From time to time, mother would help out with some of the housework, but soon her help created additional work for me. For example: she would keep all kinds of plastic bags, accumulate them so that she would sell them later on, and that resulted in our house being filled with all the trash bags; she would scrimp on dish washing detergent whenever she was helping wash the dishes. So as not to hurt her feelings, I would quietly wash the dishes again.
One day, late at night, mother saw me quietly re-washing the dishes, and "Bam", she slammed her bedroom door and cried very loudly in her room. Hubby was placed in a very difficult position, and after that, he did not speak to me during the entire night. I pretended to be a spoiled child, tried acting cute, but he totally ignored me. I got mad and asked him: "What did I do wrong?" Hubby stared at me and said: "Can't you just give in to her once? We couldn't possibly die eating from a bowl however unclean it is, right?" After that incident, for a long period of time, mother did not speak to me again and you can feel the awkwardness of the situation hanging in the house.
During that period of cold war, hubby was caught in dilemma as to who he would please. In order to stop her son from having to prepare breakfast, mother took on the "all important" task of preparing breakfast without any prompting. At the breakfast table, mother would look at hubby happily eating his breakfast and would cast that reprimanding stare at me for having failed to perform my duty as a wife. To avoid that embarrassing breakfast situation, I resorted to buying my own breakfast on my way to work. That night, while in bed, hubby was a little upset and asked me: "LD, is it because you think that mum's cooking is not clean that's why you chose not to eat at home?" He then turned his back on me and left me alone in tears as the feeling of unfairness overwhelmed me. After some time, hubby sighed: "LD, just for me, can you have breakfast at home?" I was left with no choice but to return to the breakfast table.
The next morning, I was having porridge prepared by mother and I felt a sudden churning in my stomach and everything inside seemed to be rushing up my throat. I tried to suppress the urge to throw up but I couldn't. I threw down the bowl and rushed into the washroom and vomited everything out. Just as I was catching my breath, I saw mother crying and grumbling very loudly in her dialect, hubby was standing at the washroom doorway staring at me with fire burning in his eyes. I opened my mouth but no words came out of it, I really didn't mean it. We had our very first big fight that day; mother took a look at us, then stood up and slowly made her way out of the house. Hubby gave me a final stare and followed mother down the stairs. For three days, hubby did not return home, not even a phone call. I was so furious. Since mother arrived; I had been trying my best in putting up with her, what else did he want me to do? And for no reason at all, I kept having the feeling of throwing up and I simply had no appetite for food. Coupled with all the events happening at home, I was at the lowest point in my life. Finally, a colleague said: "LD, you look terrible, you should go and see a doctor." The doctor confirmed that I was pregnant. Now it became clear to me why I threw up that fateful morning and a sense of sadness floated through that otherwise happy news. Why didn't hubby, and mother who had been through this before, thought of the possibility of this being the reason why I threw up that day?
At the hospital entrance, I saw my hubby standing there. It had only been three days, but he looked haggard. I had wanted to turn and leave, but one look at him and my heart softened, I couldn't resist and called out to him. He followed my voice and finally found me but he pretended that he didn't know me; he had that disgusted look in his eyes that cut right through my heart.
I told myself not to look at him anymore, and hailed a cab. At that moment, I had such a strong urge inside me to shout to my hubby: "Darling, I am having your baby!" and have him lift me up and spin me round in circles of joy. What I wanted didn't happen and as I sat in the cab, my tears rolled down my cheeks. Why? Why our love couldn't even withstand the test of one fight? Back home, I laid on the bed thinking about my hubby and the look of disgust in his eyes. I cried and cried and wetted the corner of the blanket. That same night, the sounds of the drawers opening woke me up. I switched on the lights and saw hubby with tears rolling down his face. He was removing the money from the drawer. I stared at him in silence; he ignored me, took the bank deposit book and some money and left the house. Maybe he really intended to leave me for good. What a rational man, so clear-cut in love in money matters. I gave a few dried laugh and tears started streaming down again.
The next day, I did not go to work. I wanted to clear this out and had a good talk with hubby. I reached his office and his secretary gave me a weird look and said: "Mr. Tan's mother had a traffic accident and is now in the hospital." I stood there in shock. I rushed to the hospital and by the time I found hubby, mother had already passed away. Hubby did not look at me, his face was expressionless. I looked at mother's pale white and thin face and I couldn't control the tears in my eyes. My god, how could this happen?
Throughout the funeral, hubby did not say a single word to me, with only the occasional disgusted stare at me. I only managed to find out brief facts about the accident from other people: That day, after mother left the house, she walked in daze toward the bus stop, apparently intending to go back to her old house back in the countryside. As hubby ran after her, she tried to walk faster and as she tried to cross the street, a public bus came and hit her...
I finally understood how much hubby must hate me, if I had not thrown up that morning, if we had not quarreled, if...In his heart, I was indirectly the killer of his mother. Hubby moved into mother's room and came home every night reeking of liquor. And me, I was buried under the guilt and self pity and could hardly breath. I wanted to explain to him, tell him that we were going to have our baby soon, but each time, I saw the dead look in his eyes, all the words I had at the brink of my mouth just fell back in. I would rather he hit me real hard or give me a big and thorough scolding, though none of the events that happened had been my fault at all. Many days of suffocating silence went by and as the days went by, hubby came home later and later. The deadlock between us continued, we were living together like strangers who didn't know each other. I was like the dead knot in his heart.
One day, as I passed by a western restaurant looking into the glass window, I saw hubby and a girl sitting facing each other and he very lightly brushed her hair for her. I understood what it meant. After recovering from that moment of shock, I entered the restaurant, stood in front of my hubby and stared hard at him, not a tear in my eyes. I had nothing to say to him, and there was no need to say anything.
The girl looked at me, looked at hubby, stood up and wanted to go, hubby stretched out his hand and stopped her. He stared back at me, challenging me. I could only hear my slow heart beat, beating one by one as if on the brink of death. I eventually backed down. If I had stood any longer, I would have collapsed, together with the baby inside me.
That night, he did not come home, he had chosen to use that as a way to indicate to me: Following mother's death so did our love for each other follow. He did not come home anymore after that. Sometimes, when I returned home from work, I could tell that the cupboard had been touched. He had returned to take some of his stuff. I no longer wished to call him. The initial desire to explain everything to him vanished.
I lived alone. I went to my medical checkups alone. My heart broke again and again every time I saw a guy carefully helping his wife through the physical examination. My office colleagues hinted to me to consider aborting the baby. I told them No, I will not. I insisted on having this baby. Perhaps it was my way of repaying mother for causing her death.
One day, I came home and I saw hubby sitting in the living room. The whole house was filled with cigarette smoke. On the coffee table was a piece of paper. I know what this was all about without even looking at it. In the two months plus of living alone, I had gradually learned to find peace within myself. I looked at him, removed my hat and said: "You wait a while, I will sign." He looked at me, mixed feelings in his eyes, just like mine. As I hang up my coat, I kept repeating to myself "You cannot cry, you cannot cry..." My eyes hurt terribly, but I refused to let the tears to come out from there.
After I hung up my coat, hubby's eyes stared fixed at my bulging tummy. I smiled, walked over to the coffee table and pulled the paper towards me.
Without even looking at what was written in the paper, I signed my name on it and pushed the paper to him. "LD, you are pregnant?" Since mother's accident, that was the first time he spoke to me. I could not control my tears any further and they fell like raindrops. I said: "Yes, but it's ok, you can leave now." He did not go. In the dark, we sat, facing each other. Hubby slowly moved over to me, his tears wetting the blanket. In my heart, everything seemed so far away, so far that even if I sprinted, I could never reach them. I could not remember how many times he repeated "sorry" to me. I had originally thought that I would forgive him, but now I couldn't. In the western restaurant, in front of that girl, that cold look in his eyes, I will never forget, ever. We had drawn such deep scars in each other's heart. For me, it was
unintentional; for him, totally intentional.
I had been waiting for this moment of reconciliation, but I realized now, what had happened in the past was gone forever and could never be repeated. Other than the thought of the baby inside me that brought some warmth to my heart, I was totally cold towards him, I no longer ate anything he bought for me, I didn't take any presents from him and I stopped talking to him.
From the moment I signed on that piece of paper, marriage and love had vanished from my heart. Sometimes, hubby would try to come into the bedroom, but when he walked in, I would walk out to the living room. He had no choice but to sleep in mother's room. At night, from his room, I could hear light sounds of groaning. I kept quiet. This used to be his trick; whenever I ignored him, he would fake illness and I would surrender and find out what was wrong with him, then he would then grab me and laugh. He had forgotten that last time I cared for him and was concerned because there was love, but now, was there any more love between us?
Hubby's groaning came on and off, continuing all the way till baby was born. Almost everyday, he would buy something for the baby, infant products, children products and books that kids like to read. Bags and bags of baby stuffs were stacked inside his room till the room was full. I know he was trying to use this to reach out to me, but I was no longer moved by his actions. He had no choice but to lock himself in his room where I could hear him typing away on his computer keyboard. Maybe now he is addicted to web surfing, but none of those mattered to me anymore.
It was sometime towards the end of spring in the following year, one late night, I screamed because of a sudden stomach pain, hubby came rushing into the room, it was like he did not change and sleep, and had been waiting for this moment. He carried me and ran down the stairs, stopped a car and held my hand very tightly and kept wiping the sweat off my brows throughout the journey to the hospital. Once we reached the hospital, he carried me and hurried into the delivery suite. Lying on the back of his skinny but warm body, a thought crossed my mind: In my lifetime, who else would love me as much as he did? He held the delivery suite door opened and watch me went in, his warm eyes caused me to manage a smile at him despite my contraction pain.
Coming out of the delivery room, hubby looked at our son, and finally at me, his eyes filled with tears of joy and he kept smiling. I reached out and touched his hand. Hubby looked at me, smiling and then he slowly collapsed onto the floor. I cried out for him in pain... He smiled, but without opening that tired eyes of his... I had thought that I would never shed any tear for him, but the truth was, I had never felt a deeper pain cutting through my body at that moment.
Doctor said that by the time hubby discovered he had liver cancer, it was already in terminal stage and it was a miracle that he managed to last this long. I asked the doctor when did he first discover he had cancer? The doctor said about 5 months ago and he consoled me, saying: "Prepare for his funeral." I disregarded the nurse's objection and rushed home, I went into his room and checked his computer, and a suffocating pain hit me.
Hubby's cancer was discovered 5 months ago, his groaning was real, and I had thought that... The computer showed over 200 thousand words that he wrote for our son: "Son, just for you, I have persisted, to be able to take a look at you before I fall. It's my biggest wish now... I know that in your life, you will have many happiness and maybe some setbacks, if only I can accompany you throughout that journey, how nice would it be. But daddy now no longer has that chance. Daddy has written inside here all the possible difficulties and problems you may encounter during your lifetime, when you meet with these problems, you can refer to daddy's suggestions... Son, after writing these 200 thousand words, I feel as if I have accompanied you through your life journey. To be honest, daddy is very happy. Do love your mother, she has suffered, she is the one who loves you most and also the one who loves me most..."
From play school to primary school, to secondary, university, to work and even in dealing with questions of love, everything big and small was written there in my hubby's computer. Hubby had also written a letter for me:

"My dear, to marry you is my biggest happiness, forgive me for the pain I have caused you, forgive me for not telling you my illness, because I want to see you in a joyful mood waiting for the arrival of our baby... My dear, if you cried, it means that you have forgiven me and I would smile, thank you for loving me... These presents, I'm afraid I cannot give them to our son personally, could you help me to give some of them to him every year, the dates on what to give when are all written on the packaging..."
Going back to the hospital, hubby was still in coma. I brought our son over and placed him beside him. I said: "Open
your eyes and smile, I want our son to remember being in the warmth of your arms..."
He struggled to open his eyes and managed a weak smile. Our son, still in his arms was happily waving his tiny
hands in the air. I pressed the button on the camera and the sound of the shutter rang through the air as tears slowly rolled down my face...
THE END

This is beautiful! Try not to cry.

This is beautiful! Try not to cry. She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: 'How is my little boy ? Is he going to be all right ? When can I see him ?' The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.' Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer ? Doesn't God care any more ? Where were you, God, when my son needed you ?' The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son ? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university.' Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. 'Would you like a lock of his hair ?' the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally. The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.' Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep. It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :

'Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You' . I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD ! And guess wha! t, Mom ? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom ? ;God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him ?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children. Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool ? I have to give God His pen back now.. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be gr! eat.. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery ! How about that ? Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me...

song reflection of 12 days of christmas

One repeating Christmas story which is more legendary yet interesting in it's development as 'fact' (through the world-wide web vine) is about the origin of this popular Christmas song. This story is coming from the middle ages that Christmas was extended from a one-day celebration to a 12-day celebration. It begins with Christmas day and ends with the Epiphany twelve days later.

The story of the song develops that during this time period (mid-1500's to the early 1800's) people of the Catholic faith were being repressed by laws in England. To hide their Christianity but teach their faith, believers came up with a song that was a catechism for children to learn the Catholic faith, and each of the gifts was a clue to this.

In the song, 'My true love' refers to God, 'gave to me' refers to being baptized, and the 'partridge in the pear tree' is a direct reference to Jesus the Savior in the first verse of the song.


2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the "Pentateuch", whicH gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-Laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-Swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-Milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-Leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Others believe the song was simply a delightful rhyme set to music. The song was developed and used as a "memory and forfeits game" that was played by the children of this time period. The game was played by a leader reciting the first verse, and continued around, each child reciting the next verse.

Many Christians do celebrate January 6 as the Epiphany, also known as the 12th Day of Christmas, the Twelfth Night, Three King's Day. The word epiphany means an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being; an illuminating discovery as when the Magi finally found the baby Jesus.

Note that this story does not have "hard evidence" as to the true nature of the song and is more likely anecdotal. It can certainly be used today to teach a part of Christianity. We repeat this story because it is a fun song to learn as well as other Christmas-related songs - no matter what your faith.

Creating a Space to Dance Together

When we feel lonely we keep looking for a person or persons who can take our loneliness away. Our lonely hearts cry out, "Please hold me, touch me, speak to me, pay attention to me." But soon we discover that the person we expect to take our loneliness away cannot give us what we ask for. Often that person feels oppressed by our demands and runs away, leaving us in despair. As long as we approach another person from our loneliness, no mature human relationship can develop. Clinging to one another in loneliness is suffocating and eventually becomes destructive. For love to be possible we need the courage to create space between us and to trust that this space allows us to dance together.

Beauty Around

We don't have to go far to find the treasure we are seeking. There is beauty and goodness right where we are. And only when we can see the beauty and goodness that are close by can we recognize beauty and goodness on our travels far and wide. There are trees and flowers to enjoy, paintings and sculptures to admire; most of all there are people who smile, play, and show kindness and gentleness. They are all around us, to be recognized as free gifts to receive in gratitude.
Our temptation is to collect all the beauty and goodness surrounding us as helpful information we can use for our projects. But then we cannot enjoy it, and we soon find that we need a vacation to restore ourselves. Let's try to see the beauty and goodness in front of us before we go elsewhere to look for it.

The Husband Store

A store that sells husbands has just opened in
New York City , where a woman may go to choose a
husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a
description of how the store operates. You may
visit the store ONLY ONCE !
There are six floors and the attributes of the men
increase as the shopper ascends the flights.
There is, however, a catch . . .. you may choose any man
from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a
floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit
the building! So, a woman goes to the Husband Store
to find a husband . ..
On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and
love kids.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love
kids, and are extremely good looking.
"Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to
keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and sign
reads:
Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love
kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the
housework.
"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love
kids, are drop- dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor.
There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.
Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.
Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

You have to learn to be grateful for what you have to get more. When you are ungrateful you end up with nothing.

TEN suggestions for a brighter future

1. Realize that life isn't always fair.
Accept what you must, and change what you can.

2. Think before you act. A moment of carelessness or anger can cause years of anguish and regret.

3. Look for the beauty in life, in people, in nature and in yourself.

4. Appreciate what you have. The people, the opportunities, the material possessions.

5. make tthe effort to have fun. it's a great way to bond wih others, and it makes some of the best memories.

6. set aside some time for yourself. do something you enjoywithout feeling even a little guilty.

7. accept others without judgement. everyone is unique, it's ok to be different.

8. forgive.bitterness and resentment hurt you more than the person you direct them at.

9.Learn. open your mind to new ideas and activities, and don't be afraid to try.

10. DREAM. make plans, believe in yourself, and go for what you want.

A MIRACLE OF $1.10

Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."

Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle." "I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist. "His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?" "We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little. "Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money." "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago. "One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to. "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specialising in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
"That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law......

The Ant and The Contact Lens

Dear Friend,
There are times in our life when we go through struggles and hardships
that we do not fully understand. It is important that in these times of
difficulty we remain faithful and strong in the Lord and know that He has
a purpose behind that situation. It is easy to get down and depressed when
burdens pile up, but remember God's Word is true and He is faithful to
bring you forth stronger and victorious in the end.
(Ephesians 6:10-13) (Hebrews 10:23)
This is a good story that shows how God has a purpose in everything that
He asks us to do. God will never lay something upon your heart without a
great purpose behind it. I hope this message encourages your heart to
continually trust the Lord and know that He has great plans for your life
even though you might not see it right now. (Jeremiah 29:11)

THE ANT AND THE CONTACT LENS
Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she
was very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In
spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and
started up the face of that rock.
Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was
hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked
out her contact lens.
Here she is, on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds
of feet above her! Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping
the lens had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there.
Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and
began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her find her lens.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the
lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent,
with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the
face of the cliff.
She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that
verse that reads, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the
whole earth.” She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You
know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is.
Please help me.”
Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom, there
was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One
of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?”
That would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An
ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it on its back.
Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist and when she told him the
incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a
picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, “Lord, I don't
know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully
heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for you.”
I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, “God, I
don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it
and it's awfully heavy. But, if you want me to carry it, I will.”
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Appreciate what you have

Today upon a bus,
I saw a lovely maid with golden hair.
I envied her - she seemed so gay - and wished I were as fair.
When suddenly she arose to leave,
I saw the cruel braces as she hobbled down the aisle;
a victim of polio was she.
But as she passed -- a smile! Oh, God,
forgive me when I whine.
I have two straight feet.
The world is mine!

And then I stopped to buy some sweets.
The lad who sold them had such charm.
I talked with him.
He said to me, "It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see,"
he said, "I'm blind." Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two eyes.
The world is mine!

Then walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play.
It seemed he knew not what to do.
I stopped a moment, then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word
and then I knew.... He could not hear.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have two ears. The world is mine!

With feet to take me where I'd go,
with eyes to see the sunset's glow;
with ears to hear what I would know --
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I'm blessed indeed. The world is mine!


I would say then that we must be grateful of what we had even the littlest thing...Appreciating what we have is one of the best things ever.

A SOULFUL RELATIONSHIP

Something for you to ponder. Got a question.
>What's the difference
> between UNITED and UNTIED?

If you're not married yet, share this with a
friend. If you are married,
share it with your spouse or other married
couples and reflect on it.

An African proverb states, "Before you get
married, keep both eyes open,
and after you marry, close one eye."

Before you get involved and make a commitment
to someone, don't let
lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance,
pressure from others or a low
self-esteem, make you blind to warning signs.
Keep your eye s open, and
don't fool yourself that you can change someone
or that what you see as
faults aren't really important.

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time
his or her flaws,
vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences
will become more obvious.
If you love your mate and want the relationship
to grow and evolve,
you've got to learn to close one eye and not
let every little thing
bother you. You and your mate have many
different expectations,
emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses,
and strengths. You are two
unique individual children of God who have
decided to share a life
together.

Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect
for each other? Do you
bring out the best in each other?

Do you compliment and compromise with each
other, or do you compete,
compare, and control? What do yo u bring to the
relationship? Do you
bring past relationships, past hurt, past
mistrust, past pain? You can't
take someone to the altar to alter him or her.
You can't make someone
love you or make someone stay.

If you develop self-esteem, spiritual
discernment, and "a life", you
won't find yourself making someone else
responsible for your happiness
or responsible for your pain.

Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and
selfishness are not the
ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and
lasting relationship!
Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are
the wrong reasons to be in
a relationship. What keeps a relationship
strong?

Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of
humor, sharing household
tasks, some getaway time without business or
children and daily
exchanges (a meal, shared activity, a hug, a
call, a touch, a note).

Leave a nice message on the voicemail or send a
nice email.

Sharing common goals and interests. Growth is
important. Grow together,
not away from each other, giving each other
space to grow without
feeling insecure. Allow your mate to have
outside interest. You can't
always be together. Give each other a sense of
belonging and assurances
of commitment. Don't try to control one
another. Learn each other's
family situation. Respect his or her parents
regardless.

Don't put pressure on each other for material
goods. Remember for richer
or for poorer. If these qualities are missing,
the relationship will
erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse,
neglect, dishonesty, and pain
replace the passion.

The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is
where you put the i.