Category: WIT & WISDOM

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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21 pieces of sage advice for a happy life ~ another email gem.

  1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
  2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, t heir conversational skills will be as important as any other. 
  3. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want. 
  4. When you say, ‘I love you,’ mean it. 
  5. When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ look the person in the eye. 
  6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married. 
  7. Believe in love at first sight.
  8. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much. 
  9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely. 
  10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling. 
  11. Don’t judge people by their relatives. 
  12. Talk slowly but think quickly. 
  13. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, ‘Why do you want to know?’ 
  14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 
  15. Say ‘bless you’ when you hear someone sneeze. 
  16. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. 
  17. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
  18. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 
  19. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 
  20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. 
  21. Spend some time alone.

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