* Things to Think

Things to Think 13-01-12

2012-01-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

Breaking the Silence

2011-12-05T09:18:00.001-08:00

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Breaking the Silence

"How did you do it, Dad? How have you managed to not take a drink for almost 20 years?" It took me almost 20 years to have the courage to even ask my father this very personal question. When Dad first quit drinking, the whole family was on pins and needles every time he got into a situation that, in the past, would have started him drinking again. For a few years we were afraid to bring it up for fear the drinking would begin again.

"I had this little poem that I would recite to myself at least four to five times a day," was Dad's reply to my 18-year-old unasked question.

"The words were an instant relief and constant reminder to me that things were never so tough that I could not handle them," Dad said.

And then he shared the poem with me. The poem's simple, yet profound words immediately became part of my daily routine as well.

About a month after this talk with my father, I received a gift in the mail from a friend of mine. It was a book of daily affirmations with one affirmation listed for each day of the year.

It has been my experience that when you get something with days of the year on it, you automatically turn to the page that lists your own birthday.

I hurriedly opened the book to November 10 to see what words of wisdom this book had in store for me. I did a double-take and tears of disbelief and appreciation rolled down my face. There, on my birthday, was the exact same poem that had helped my father for all these years! It is called the Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me
the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
the Courage to change the things I can; and
the Wisdom to know the difference.

By Barry Spilchuk .

Things to Think 05-11-11

2011-11-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

USA: Nutritional Shake Mix Herbalife

ORDINARY MIRACLES

2011-10-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

ORDINARY MIRACLES

Today...I wish you a day of ordinary miracles-

A fresh pot of coffee you didn't have to make yourself.

An unexpected phone call from an old friend.

Green stoplights on your way to work or shop.

I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in...

The fastest line at the grocery store.

A good sing along song on the radio.

Your keys right where you look.

I wish you a day of happiness and perfection-little bite-size pieces of perfection that give you the funny feeling that the Lord is smiling on you, holding you so gently because you are someone special and rare.

I wish You a day of Peace, Happiness and Joy.

Leather Bound Bible

2011-09-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

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Leather Bound Bible

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 beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat Disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible? and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

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 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.

*******

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for...

IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKED THAT WAY! ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO ATTACHMENTS!

Angels Everywhere

2011-08-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

Angels Everywhere

Angels coming out to play
Angels touch our life each day.
Though we may not know they're there,
There are angels everywhere.

Angels can cause a heart to sing.
Angels give our spirits wings!
An angel's touch brings God so near.
An angel's smile can dry a tear.

Have you felt a tug on your heartstrings?
Chances are that was caused by angel wings.
They flutter softly in the light,
Shimmering with edges of gold so bright.

We mere mortals to earth are bound.
Angels trod on holy ground.
So next time you are feeling low
Remember--angels are there...wherever you go!

-Author Unknown-
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Things to Think 26-08-11

2011-08-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

Proverbs

My Dad's Hands

2011-07-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

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My Dad's Hands
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Bedtime came, we were settling down,
I was holding one of my lads.
As I grasped him so tight, I saw a strange sight:
My hands. . .they looked like my dad's!

I remember them well, those old gnarled hooks,
there was always a cracked nail or two.
And thanks to a hammer that strayed from its mark,
his thumb was a beautiful blue!

They were rough, I remember, incredibly tough,
as strong as a carpenter's vice.
But holding a scared little boy at night,
they seemed to me awfully nice!

The sight of those hands - how impressive it was
in the eyes of his little boy.
Other dads' hands were cleaner, it seemed
(the effects of their office employ).

I gave little thought in my formative years
of the reason for Dad's raspy mitts:
The love in the toil, the dirt and the oil,
rusty plumbing that gave those hands fits!

Thinking back, misty-eyed, and thinking ahead,
when one day my time is done.
The torch of love in my own wrinkled hands
will pass on to the hands of my son.

I don't mind the bruises, the scars here and there
or the hammer that just seemed to slip.
I want most of all when my son takes my hand,
to feel that love lies in the grip.

By David Kettler
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Things to Think 26-07-11

2011-07-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Things to Think 16-06-11

2011-06-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

A Brother's Song

2011-04-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

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A Brother's Song
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Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes. . . every three. . . every minute, but serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor. Would a C-section be required?

Finally, after a long struggle, Michael's little sister was born, but she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. The days inched by and the little girl got worse.

The pediatrician had to tell the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst."

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I want to sing to her," he kept saying. Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.

Karen made up her mind, though. She would take Michael whether they liked it or not! If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. But the head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed."

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.

"He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"

Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray"

Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady.

"Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.

"You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away-"

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr. "Keep on singing, sweetheart!!!"

"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms..."

Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.

"Keep on singing, Michael."

Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen
glowed.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't, take my sunshine away..."

The next day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to go home!

Woman's Day Magazine called it "The Miracle of a Brother's Song."

The medical staff just called it a miracle.

Karen called it a miracle of God's love!

NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY
POWERFUL.

Please send this to all the people who have touched your life in some way.

Life is good. We each have song to sing....... It is important that we keep singing it.

Crazy Jokes

Things to Think 01-04-11

2011-04-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

Cat tips & Images

A Friend...

2011-02-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

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A Friend...
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(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plain things you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

Chicken & Poultry Recipes

Things to Think 23-02-11

2011-02-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Cool Quotes

Things to Think 20-01-11

2011-01-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

Italian Recipes

Things to Think 17-12-10

2010-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

Tips & Tricks

Things to Think 27-11-10

2010-11-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

Cute Images

Things to Think 21-10-10

2010-10-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Cats: Tips & Images

Things to Think 06-09-10

2010-09-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

When We're Alone, We Can Dance

2010-08-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

When We're Alone, We Can Dance

The cruise ship was crowded with people off for three days of pleasure. Ahead of me in the passageway walked a tiny woman in brown slacks, her shoulders hunched, her white hair cut in a bob.

From the ship's intercom came a familiar tune - "Begin the Beguine." And suddenly a wonderful thing happened. The woman, unaware anyone was behind her, did a quick and graceful dance step - back, shuffle, slide.

As she reached the door to the dining salon, she re-assembled her dignity and stepped soberly through.

Proverbs

Younger people often think folks my age are beyond romance, dancing or dreams. They see us as age has shaped us; camouflaged by wrinkles, thick waists and gray hair.

They don't see the people who live inside - we are the wise old codgers, the dignified matrons.

No one would ever know that I am still the skinny girl who grew up in a leafy suburb of Boston. Inside, I still think of myself as the youngest child in a vivacious family headed by a mother of great beauty and a father of unfailing good cheer.

And I am still the romantic teenager who longed for love, the young adult who aspired to social respectability - but whom shall I tell?

We are all like the woman in the ship's passageway, in whom the music still echoes. We are the sum of all the lives we once lived. We show the grown-up part, but inside we are still the laughing children, the shy teens, the dream-filled youths. There still exists, most real, the matrix of all we were or ever yearned to be.

In our hearts we still hear "Begin the Beguine" - and when we are alone, we dance.

Things to think 07-05-10

2010-05-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

Cool Quotes

Things to think 03-04-10

2010-04-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Crazy Jokes

Things to think 11-01-10

2010-01-11T10:17:00.001-08:00

Animated Signatures - Animated Names

Things to think 09-12-09

2009-12-09T07:56:00.001-08:00

Low Fat Recipes

Things to think 11-10-09

2009-10-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Bumper Stickers & Cool Remarks