Category: WIT & WISDOM

WE ALL NEED TO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES whether the email story is true or not…

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.

She poured 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 your 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 audible. ‘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 miracle you need.’

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of 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.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.

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

NEW YEAR FULL OF POSSIBILITY REPLACES HARD YEAR FOR MANY

I receive a Dear Abby email each day. Many days I flat out ignore it, but often there are these gems that bear repeating.  This is one of them:

“Today is the day we discard destructive old habits for healthy new ones, and with that in mind, I will share Dear Abby’s often requested list of New Year’s Resolutions — which were adapted by my mother, Pauline Phillips, from the original credo of Al-Anon:

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once.

I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I’ll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I’m a smoker, I’ll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully — if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it’s only around the block.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

And now, Dear Readers, I would like to share an item that was sent to me by I.J. Bhatia, a reader who lives in New Delhi, India:

DEAR ABBY: This year, no resolutions, only some guidelines. The Holy Vedas say, “Man has subjected himself to thousands of self-inflicted bondages. Wisdom comes to a man who lives according to the true eternal laws of nature.”

The prayer of St. Francis (of which there are several versions) contains a powerful message:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
“where there is hatred, let me sow love,
“where there is injury, pardon;
“where there is doubt, faith;
“where there is despair, hope;
“where there is darkness, light;
“and where there is sadness, joy.
“O Divine Master,
“grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
“to be understood, as to understand;
“to be loved, as to love;
“for it is in giving that we receive,
“it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
“and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.”

And so, Dear Readers, may this new year bring with it good health, peace and joy to all of you. Love, ABBY”

EVERY DAY ANGELS Right place, Right Time can be a Blessing.

Every now and then we all need a reason to understand why we are here. I know I have been questioning that A LOT lately, but then my good friend, Mikey, sent me the following email tonight and reminded me. Even if the following email isn’t completely true, it reminds us that there are people in this world, many of whom we have yet to meet that need us as much as we need them or need to be needed. 
Always follow your heart and grab a tissue.
I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die – I barely managed to coast into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn’t even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay.  When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.
At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat) , and the gas pump reading $4.95.
I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying ‘I don’t want my kids to see me crying! ,’ so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, ‘And you were praying?’ That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, ‘He heard you, and He sent me.’
I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald’s and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.
She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City. Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn’t have money to pay rent January 1st and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.
So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.
I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, sh e said, ‘So, are you like an angel or something?’
This definitely made me cry. I said, ‘Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.’
It was so incredible to be a part of someone else’s miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I’ll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won’t find anything wrong.
Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings…
Psalms 55:22 ‘ Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’

SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL REMEMBER

You all know that I’m dealing with an aunt who is in a guardianship situation and that the situation is not good because the guardian (in mine and my family’s opinions) is not doing due diligence to care for my aunt or at least have her in a care taking situation that does.  She is in a home where she is being verbally, emotionally, spiritually abused.  These I have witnessed.  She also says they physically abuse her when no one is around to see.  Unfortunately, all of this is being written off as here say and the proper authorities are not getting involved because the guardian is “well respected” by the court.  I have to ask how my aunt was placed in this home (along with many other “guardian” clients of the same lawyer) when the home did not even have the proper licensing, at the time of the placement, but that’s another story.  While this is a sad situation that we are pulling our hair out to solve (and also explains why my uncle is bald) part of the blame lies with my aunt.  Yes, she has a debilitating disease, yes she is a pain in the neck, but she is a human being that deserves at the very least compassionate care takers and if she had a better attitude it would help all around. I can’t help but pray and wish that she had had the attitude of this man and I pray that I WILL have this attitude and the grace to live with life as it happens as I grow older.

This was an email I received recently.  I couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to share it than here at THE Motivation Station.   

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.  His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. 

 

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.  I love it,’ he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. 

 
Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.’  

‘That doesn’t have anything to do with it,’ he replied.  Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.  Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is  arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.  ‘It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;  I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the  parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful  for the ones that do. 

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.. Just for this time in my life.  Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in. 

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! 

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. 
I am still depositing.
 

‘Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 
1. Free your heart from hatred. 
2. Free your mind from worries. 
3. Live simply. 
4. Give more. 
5. Expect less. 

Hope for the future…

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.  When the universe takes something from your grasp, it’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.  Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.  
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An email story from my mom to make you chuckle…

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and  nature. What in the world is going on down there  on the planet? What happened to the dandelions,  violets,  milkweeds  and stuff I  started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance  garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of  soil, withstand drought and multiply with  abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting  blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and  flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast  garden of colors by now. But, all I see are  these green rectangles.
ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The  Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers  ‘weeds’ and went to great lengths to kill them  and replace them with grass.
GOD:  Grass? But, it’s so boring. It’s not  colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds  and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It’s  sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites  really want all that grass growing  there?
ST. FRANCIS:  Apparently so, Lord. They go to great  pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin  each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning  any other plant that crops up in the  lawn.
GOD:  The  spring rains and warm weather probably make  grass grow really fast. That must make the  Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS:  Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows  a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a  week.
GOD:  They  cut it? Do they then bale it like  hay?
ST. FRANCIS:  Not  exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put  it in bags.
GOD:  They  bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell  it?
ST. FRANCIS:  No,  Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it  away. 

GOD:  Now,  let me get this straight. They fertilize grass  so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they  cut it off and pay to throw it  away?
ST. FRANCIS:  Yes,  Sir.
GOD:  These Suburbanites must be relieved in the  summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up  the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves  them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS:  You  aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the  grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses  and pay more money to water it, so they can  continue to mow it and pay to get rid of  it.
GOD:  What  nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees.  That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say  so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring  to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In  the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a  natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and  protect the trees and bushes. It’s a natural  cycle of life. 

ST. FRANCIS:  You  better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have  drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall,  they rake them into great piles and pay to have  them hauled away.
GOD:  No!?  What do they do to protect the shrub and tree  roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and  loose?
ST. FRANCIS:  After throwing away the leaves, they go  out and buy something which they call mulch.  They haul it home and spread it around in place  of the leaves.
GOD:  And  where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS:  They  cut down trees and grind them up to make the  mulch.
GOD:  Enough! I don’t want to think about this  anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the  arts. What movie have you scheduled for us  tonight?
ST. CATHERINE:  ‘Dumb and Dumber’, Lord.  It’s a story about….
GOD:  Never mind, I think I just heard the whole  story from St.  Francis.

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POSITIVE THOUGHT

“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; 
Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; 
Love more, and all good things will be yours” 
~Swedish Proverb
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Serious Food for Thought

The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue and goal. Don’t take it personally when they say “no” ~ they may not be smart enough to say “yes”.
~ Keith Olberman, an American journalist and former sportscaster

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40 years of marriage = LMAO email from an awesome woman

A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant .  Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table . She said, ‘For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish . ‘

The wife answered, ‘Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband . ‘ The fairy waved her magic wand and – poof! – two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands . 

The husband thought for a moment: ‘Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again .  I’m sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me . ‘  The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish .  So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof! . . . the husband became 92 years old .

The moral of this story: Men who are ungrateful bastards should remember fairies are female . . . . .

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