Professor gives his final lecture

I love watching the inspirational videos
on you-tube. But I just don't have a lot
of time to search for them. That's why I
LOVE how Kim Komando has added a
video of the day link on her emails she
sends out.

This one is a wonderfully inspiring one
given by a professor who is dying from
pancreatic cancer.

His outlook on life is admirable.


Life Lessons


Great men are they who see
that the spiritual is stronger
than any material force.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~


Interested in Kim's emails for yourself? Well Sign up then!

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Nail in the Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad
temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his
temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails
into the fence. Over the next few weeks,
as he learned to control his anger, the
number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down.

He discovered it was easier to hold his
temper than to drive those nails into the
fence.


Finally the day came when the boy didn't
lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that
he was able to hold his temper.


The days passed and the young boy was
finally able to tell his father that all the
nails were gone.

The father took his son by the
hand and led him to the fence He said,
"You have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same.

When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one. You
can put a knife in a man and draw it out.


It won't matter how many times you say I'm
sorry, the wound is still there. "

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.

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Sand and Stone

Via email~~~~

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some
point of the journey, they had an argument; and one friend
slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything,
wrote in the sand: Today my Best Friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis where they
decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck
in the mire and started drowing, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowing, he wrote on a stone:
Today My Best Friend saved my life.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked
him, "after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write
on a stone, why?"

The friend replied "when someone hurts us, we should
write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase
it away.

But, when someone does something good for us, we
MUST engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn to write YOUR hurts in the sand and to carve your
Blessings in stone.

Do not value the THINGS you have in your life, but value
WHO you have in your life!



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Windshield thoughts of a 6 year old

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main

streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when

the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen,

spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat.

"Dad, I'm thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant she had been pondering

some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound

all that her six-year-old mind had discovered.

I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The rain" she began, "is like sin, and the wind shield wipers

are like God wiping our sins away." After the chill

bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond.

"That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this

little girl take this revelation?

So I asked... "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming?

What does that tell you?"


Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer:

"We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."

I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True? Probably not. But the moral of this fable is timely and accurate.

C~B~N

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IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

by Irma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's" More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it ... live it and never give it back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Death can really put things into perspective. We all should live each day as if it were OUR LAST.

What would you want YOUR last words to be to a loved one? Words of anger or LOVE?

What would you want YOUR last action to be? One blaspheming God; showing weak faith; showing hatred to mankind? Or one honoring God, your faith and mankind?

Thanks again to a wonderul woman who shared her thoughts as she faced death.

You are missed Irma....hoping to meet you someday in Heaven!

C~B~N


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Life Lessons

Lesson 1

The Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz.
I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions
until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who
cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman
several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s,
but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before
class ended, one student asked if the last question would count
toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "

In your careers, you will meet many people.
All are significant. They deserve your
attention and care, even if all you do is smile
and say "hello."

Lesson 2

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old
boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a
glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied
the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?"
he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain
ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put
the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down
the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two
nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have
enough left to leave her a tip. {Although, a 15 cent tip was pretty
darn good for a 35 cent item back then! 10% would have been 3.5
cents......but still a very important lesson to remember!~~~~}

Always remember those who serve.

Lesson 3

The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.
Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the
huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and
courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed
the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything
about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came
along carrying a load of vegetables.

Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and
tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his
load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the
boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who
removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what
many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve
our condition.

Lesson 4

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to
know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious
disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a
blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously
survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies
needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked
the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath
and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister
and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek.
Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the
doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die
right away"?

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he
thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in
order to save her.

Giving When it Counts...

† † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † †

If you snopes this one, you'll find most are not true; but then
whoever said fables had to be true in order to learn from them?
Because these are simply modern day fables~~~meant to
enlighten and inform in a pleasant and yes, sappy way!

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I Wish You Enough

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough".

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom".

They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said , 'I wish you enough', we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.



She then began to cry and walked away.

† † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † † †
To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH
c~b~n



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SLOW DANCE

by David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you neve r had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Interview with God

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The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:

"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

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