"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."

~Dale E. Turner~

ACTS OF LOVE

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.
~anon~
Galatians 5:22 .

And Joy is Everywhere;
It is in the Earth's green covering of grass;
In the blue serenity of the Sky;
In the reckless exuberance of Spring;
In the severe abstinence of gray Winter;
In the Living flesh that animates our bodily frame;
In the perfect poise of the Human figure, noble and upright;
In Living;
In the exercise of all our powers;
In the acquisition of Knowledge;
in fighting evils...
Joy is there Everywhere.

~"Joy," by Rabindranath Tagore~
Indian Poet

Galatians 5:22

TODAY'S DOSE OF INSPIRATION

Crises

"In every crisis there is a message. Crises are nature's way of forcing change—breaking down old structures, shaking loose negative habits so that something new and better can take their place."
~Susan Taylor~
-Romans 5:3,4

FORGIVENESS

"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future."
—Lewis B. Smedes
-Matt 6:12

"The old dreams were good dreams. They didn't all come true, but i'm glad i had them."

Anon

"The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mood of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change; for happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up."
— Charles Langbridge Morgan

LOVE IN THE FAMILY
I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way saying good-bye.

But at home a difference is told,
how we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
my son stood beside me very still.
As I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
but the children you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
you’ll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
and you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small,
and now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said. "
Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found them, out by the tree.
I picked them because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like them, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow,
the company that we are working for
would 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 to 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?
~anon~
1Timothy 4:8
`

THE WILL OF GOD

The will of God will never take you,
Where God's undeserving kindness cannot keep you.
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the all-knowing God cannot find you.
~anon~
Psalm 23

Hey,
I’m still working on finding precious gems of thought. However, from the time Hurricane Wilma affected South Florida, some of us are still waiting to get our phone and internet services restored. That explains why I am slow in e-mailing thoughts for each day. I have proved over and over again that in numerous ways America is no better than anywhere else in the world.

Glasceta


TODAY'S GEM OF THOUGHT

BROODING

The problem with brooding, holding grudges, and guilt is that they just keep taking us back where we were. It's not just that we relive our misery. It's also that we never get the chance to move forward. They send us on a Groundhog Day trip. Remember Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day? Each day was the same day. Each morning, he awoke to the same song on the radio. He had to relive the same day over and over and over
until he learned the lesson of the day.

Like a dog chasing its tail, we run in circles when we brood. It's sort of like climbing that famous trick staircase. We keep climbing, but we never seem to get anywhere. We always wind up back where we started.
That staircase will never get us into God’s Kingdom.
~anon~
Proverbs 15:13; Ephesians 4:26

APPRECIATION

Is the glass half full or half empty? There are just so many ways to answer this, but have you ever noticed how some people complain quite a lot, even though they have lots of luxuries (including a roof over their head and a meal at night)?

Nothing drills a hole in your cup faster than complaining. Your cup is probably overflowing, but if you complain about what you don't have, it’s like drilling a hole in the cup - no matter how much you have, you don't get to appreciate any of it.

Do you want to appreciate that roof over your head and that meal at? night? You know what to do.
~anon~
1Corinthians 9: 9, 10

Ninety percent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves.
— Sydney J. Harris, American Journalist (1917-1986)