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.