I'd like to share with you these "Words of Wisdom" I have received over the past few months. I hope you enjoy these stories and find comfort in their message. A young man was getting ready to graduate from college.
For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a
dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it,
he told him that was all he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that
his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his
graduation, his father called him into his private study.
His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son,
and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a
beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box
and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name
embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said
"With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business.
He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father
was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen
him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he
received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and had
willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home
immediately and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret
filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important
papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago.
With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.
His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11,
"And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to
those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible.
It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports
car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the
words PAID IN FULL.
Today has been one of those days... I have just finished a rough day at
the office. On the way home a flat tire caused me an hour of delay in rush
hour traffic, the spare tire was flat, and no one has stopped to lend a hand.
After getting the tire repaired I drove home sitting in stony silence
reflecting on the meaning of the day and what my friend, who I picked up and
was coming to dinner, might be thinking. On arriving, as I walked toward the
front door, I paused briefly at a small tree as I do each night, touching the
tips of the branches with both hands.
I found that opening the front door I undergo an amazing transformation. My
tanned weathered face is wreathed in smiles, as I would hug my children and
give my wife a kiss. After dinner I was taking my friend home and as we walked
to the car we passed the tree. My friends curiosity got the better of him and
asked me about what he had seen me do earlier. I told him "Oh, that's my
trouble tree." "I know I can't help having troubles at the office, but one
thing for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the
children. So, I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home.
Then in the morning I pick them up again."
"Funny thing is," I remembered smiling, "when I come out in the morning to
pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night
before."
TOMORROW IS ALWAYS A BETTER DAY
A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her
seniors in high school by telling them the difference they
each made. Using a process developed by Helice Bridges
of Del Mar, California, she called each student to the front of
the class, one at a time. First, she told them how the
student made a difference to her and the class.
Then she presented each of them
With a blue ribbon imprinted with white letters which read, Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to
see what kind of impact recognition would have on a
community. She gave each of the students three more
ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this
acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on
the results, see who honored whom and report back to the
class in about a week.
One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a
nearby company and honored him for helping him with
his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his
shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons, and said, "we're
doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go
out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon,
then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge
a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going.
Then please report back to me and tell me what happened."
Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss,
who had been noted by the way, as being kind of a grouchy
fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he
deeply admired him for being a creative genius.
The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked
him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would
he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said,
"Well, sure." The junior executive took the blue
ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart.
As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said,
"Would you do me a favor? Would you take
this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else?
The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project
in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going
and find out how it affects people."
That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son
and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing
happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior
executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a
blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine.
He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon
that says 'Who I Am Makes A difference'
on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon
and asked me to find somebody else to honor.
As I
was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom
I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you.
I want to honor you. "My days are really
hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention
to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough
grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess,
but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just
let you know that you do make a difference to me.
Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my
life. You're a great kid and I love you!
"The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't
stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father
and said through his tears, "I was planning on committing
suicide, Dad, because I didn't think you loved me.
Now I don't need to."
WHO I AM MAKES A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE
I AM A PERSON WITH A HEART,
AND FEELINGS AND WITH A NEED TO BE ACCEPTED.
If you have anyone who means a lot to you, I encourage
you to send them this message and let them know.
You never know what kind of difference a little encouragement
can make to a person. Send it to all of the people who mean
anything important to you, or send it to the one or two people
who mean the most. Or just smile and know that someone
thinks that you are important, or you wouldn't have
received this in the first place.
Remember that I gave you a blue ribbon! Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless.
Do not let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
You live all the days of your life.
Do not give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is too hold it too tightly.
In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope.
To be without hope is to be without purpose.
Do not run through life so fast that you forget
not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
Author Unknown
Many thanks to those of you who have shared these with me.
"Who I Am Makes a Difference."
Who you are makes
a difference!
And I wanted you to know you mean a lot to me!
You make a Difference !
