The best
and most beautiful things in the world cannot
be seen or
even touched. They must be felt....
with the
heart.
~Helen Keller~
The future
belongs to those who believe in the beauty
of their
dreams.
~Eleanor
Roosevelt~
The work
will wait while you show the child the rainbow,
but the rainbow
won't wait while you do the work.
A woman is
like a tea bag, you never know
her strength
until you drop her in hot water.
Angela's
World
When Angela
was very young,
Age two or
three or so,
Her mother
and her father
Taught her
never to say NO.
They taught
her that she must agree
With everything
they said,
And if she
didn't, she was spanked,
And sent
upstairs to bed.
So Angela
grew up to be
A most agreeable
child;
She was never
angry
And she was
never wild;
She always
shared, she always cared,
She never
picked a fight,
And no matter
what her parents said,
She thought
that there were right.
Angela the
angel did very well in school
And, as you
might imagine, she followed every rule;
Her teachers
said she was so well-bred,
So quiet
and so good,
But how Angela
felt inside
They never
understood.
Angela had
lots of friends
Who liked
her for her smile
They knew
she was the kind of gal
Who'd go
the extra mile;
And even
when she had a cold
And really
needed rest,
When someone
asked her if she'd help
She always
answered Yes.
When Angela
was thirty-three, she was a lawyer's wife.
She had a
home and family, and a nice suburban life.
She had a
little girl of four
And a little
boy of nine,
And if someone
asked her how she felt
She always
answered, "Fine."
But one cold
night near Christmastime
When her
family was in bed,
She lay awake
as awful thoughts went spinning through
her head;
She didn't
know why, and she didn't know how,
But she wanted
her life to end;
So she begged
Whoever put her here
To take her
back again.
And then
she heard, from deep inside,
A voice that
was soft and low;
It only said
a single word
And the word
it said was....NO.
From that
moment on, Angela knew
Exactly what
she had to do.
Her life
depended on that word,
So this is
what her loved ones heard:
NO,
I just don't want to;
NO,
I don't agree;
NO,
that's yours to handle;
NO,
that's wrong for me;
NO,
I wanted something else;
NO,
that hurt alot!
NO,
I'm tired, and NO, I'm busy,
And NO,
I'd rather not!
Well, her
family found it shocking,
Her friends
reacted with surprise;
But Angela
was very different, you could see it in her eyes;
For they've
held no meek submission
Since that
night three years ago
When Angela
the Angel
Got permission
to say NO.
Today Angela's
a person first, then a mother and a wife.
She knows
where she begins and ends,
She has a
separate life.
She has talents
and ambitions,
She has feelings,
needs and goals.
She has money
in the bank and
An opinion
at the polls.
And to her
boy and girl she says,
"It's nice
when we agree;
But if you
can't say NO, you'll never grow
To be all
you're meant to be.
Because I
know I'm sometimes wrong
And because
I love you so,
You'll always
be my angels
Even when
you tell me NO."
Barbara
K. Bassett
ICECREAM
Last week I took my children to
a restaurant. My six-year-old
son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said,
"God is good, God is great.
Thank you for the food,
and I would thank you even more
if Mom gets
us Ice Cream for dessert. And liberty
and justice for all!
Amen!"
Along with the laughter from the
other customers nearby,
heard a woman remark, "That's
what's wrong with this country.
Kids today don't even know how
to pray. Asking God for Ice Cream!
Why, I never!" Hearing this,
my son burst into tears and
asked me,Did I do it wrong?
Is God mad at me?"
As I held him and assured him that
he had done a terrific
job and God was certainly not mad
at him,
an elderly gentleman approached
the table.
He winked at my son and said, "I
happen to know that God
thought that was a great prayer."
"Really?", my son asked.
"Cross my heart", then in theatrical
whisper he added
(indicating to the woman whose
remark had started this
whole thing), "too bad she never
asks God for Ice Cream.
A little Ice Cream is good for
the soul sometimes."
Naturally, I bought my kid Ice
Cream at the end of the meal.
My son stared at his for a moment
and then did something
I will remember the rest of my
life.
He picked up his Sundae and without
a word walked over
and placed it in front of the woman.
With a big smile he told her,
"Here, this is for you. Ice
Cream is good for the soul sometimes
and my soul is good already!"
24
Things to Remember
and
one thing to
never
forget
Your
presence is a present to the world
You're
unique and one of a kind
Your
life can be what you want it to be
Take
the days just one at a time
Count
your blessings, not your troubles
You'll
make it through whatever comes along
Within
you are so many answers
Understand,
have courage, be strong
Don't
put limits on yourself
So
many dreams are waiting to be realized
Decisions
are too important to leave to chance
Reach
for your peak, your goal, your prize
Nothing
wastes more energy than worrying
The
longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets
Don't
take things too seriously
Live
a life of serenity, not a life of regrets
Remember
that a little love goes a long way
Remember
that a lot....goes forever
Remember
that friendship is a wise investment
Life's
treasures are people...together
Realize
that it's never too late
Do
ordinary things in an extraordinary way
Have
health and hope and happiness
Take
time to wish upon a star
And
don't ever forget....even for a day.....
how
very special you are
~Collin
McCarty~
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