Sandpipers

Photo Credit: Dan Pancamo

This is a true story sent out by Robert Peterson. It serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to take time to enjoy life, living, and each other.

"The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less." Life is so complicated. The hustle and bustle of everyday traumas can make us lose focus about what is truly important and what is only a momentary setback or crisis. Today, tomorrow, be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug, and by all means, take a moment....even if it is only ten seconds, to stop and smell the roses.

She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.

"Hello," she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child.

"I'm building," she said.

"I see that. What is it?" I asked, not really caring.

"Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand."

That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. A sandpiper glided by.

"That's a joy," the child said.

"It's a what?" I asked.

"It's a joy, my mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy." The bird went gliding down the beach.

"Good-bye joy," I muttered to myself, "hello pain," and turned to walk on. I was depressed; my life seemed completely out of balance.

"What's your name?" She wouldn't give up.

"Robert," I answered. "I'm Robert Peterson."

"Mine's Wendy....I'm six."

"Hi, Wendy."

She giggled. "You're funny," she said. In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on. Her musical giggle followed me.

"Come again, Mr. P," she called. "We'll have another happy day."

The days and weeks that followed belonged to others; a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings, and an ailing mother.

The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out of the dishwater. "I need a sandpiper," I said to myself, gathering up my coat. The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was chilly, but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed. I had forgotten the child and was startled when she appeared.

"Hello, Mr. P," she said. "Do you want to play?"

"What did you have in mind?" I asked, with a twinge of annoyance.

"I don't know, you say."

"How about charades?" I asked sarcastically.

Her tinkling laughter burst forth again. "I don't know what that is."

"Then let's just walk," I said. Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face. "Where do you live?" I asked.

"Over there." She pointed toward a row of summer cottages. Strange, I thought, in winter.

"Where do you go to school?"

"I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation." She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was on other things.

When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.

Three weeks later, I rushed to the beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt like demanding she keep her child at home.

"Look, if you don't mind," I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, "I'd rather be alone today."

She seemed unusually pale and out of breath. "Why?" she asked.

I turned to her and shouted, "Because my mother died!" and thought, "My God, why was I saying this to a little child?"

"Oh," she said quietly, "then this is a bad day."

"Yes," I said, "and yesterday and the day before and - oh, go away!"

"Did it hurt?" she inquired

"Did what hurt?" I was exasperated with her, with myself.

"When she died?" she asked.

"Of course it hurt!" I snapped, misunderstand, wrapped up in myself. I strode off.

A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there. Feeling guilty, ashamed and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.

"Hello," I said. "I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today and wondered where she was."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much. I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance, please, accept my apologies."

"Not at all-she's a delightful child," I said, suddenly realizing that I meant what I had just said.

"Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia. Maybe she didn't tell you."

Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.

"She loved this beach; so when she asked to come, we couldn't say no. She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called "happy days. But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly..." Her voice faltered.

"She left something for you...if only I can find it. Could you wait a moment while I look?" I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say to this lovely young woman.

She handed me a smeared envelope with "Mr. P" printed in bold, childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues - a yellow beach, a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed: A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.

Tears welled up in my eyes and a heart that had almost forgotten how to love opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." I muttered over and over, and we wept together.

The precious little picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words - one for each year of her life - that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love. A gift from a child with sea-blue eyes and hair the color of sand - who taught me the gift of love.

Source: lifeofhope.com

Smile!

Photo Credit: Lovin’ Scoopful via Flckr

Smiles and happiness are SO good for the heart and soul. It is great medicine a person. The following thoughts are are fabulous reminders as to why a smile is so important.


A smile costs nothing, but gives much.

It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.

It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor, but that he can be made rich by it.

A Smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship.

It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone, until it is given away.

Some people are too tired to give you a smile;

Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

A Soldier and His Deck of Cards

Photo Credit: clarita via morguefile.com

During the North American Campaign, a bunch of soldier boys had been on a long hike, and arrived in a little town called Kasinok. The next morning being a Sunday, several of the boys went to church. A sergeant commanded the boys in church, and after the Chaplain had read the prayer, the text was taken up next. Those of the boys who had prayer books took them out, but this one boy had only a deck of cards, and so he spread them out. The sergeant saw the cards, and said "Soldier, put away those cards."

After the services were over, the soldier was taken prisoner and brought before the provost marshal.

The marshal said, "Sergeant, why have you brought this man here!"

"For playing cards in church, sir."

"And what have you to say for yourself, boy?"

"Much, sir," replied the soldier.

The marshal replied "I hope so, for if not, I will punish you more severely than any man has ever been punished."

The soldier said, "Sir, I have been on march for about six days, and I have neither Bible, nor prayer book; but I hope to satisfy you, sir, with the purity of my intentions."

And with that, the boy started his story.

"You see, sir, When I look at the ace, it reminds me that there is but one God. And the deuce, it reminds me that the Bible is divided into two parts, the Old and the New Testaments. And when I look at the trey, I think of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

"When I see the four, I think of the four evangelists who preached the Gospel: there were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And when I see the five, it reminds me of the five virgins who trimmed their lamps. There were ten of them: five who trimmed their lamps, five were foolish and were shut out.

"And when I see the six, it reminds me that in six days God made this great Heaven and Earth. When I see the seven, it reminds me that on the seventh day, God rested from His great work. And when I see the eight, I think of the eight righteous persons that God saved when He destroyed this earth. There was Noah, his wife, and their sons and their wives.

"And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our Savior cleaned, because it was nine out of ten who didn't even thank Him. When I see the ten, I think of the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on a table of stone.

"When I see the king, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven - God Almighty. And when I see the queen... I think of Mary, the mother of Jesus. And when I see the jack of knaves, it is the devil.

"When I count the number of spots on a deck of cards, I find 365, the number of days in a year. There are 52 cards, the number of weeks in a year. There are four suits, the number of weeks in a month. There are 12 picture cards, the number of months in a year. There are 13 tricks, the number of weeks in a quarter.

"So you see, sir, my pack of cards serves me as a Bible, almanac and prayer book."

With a tear, the marshal just waved the soldier away.

"Do It Anyway"

Photo Credit: stevencox.com

The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta, India, and are widely attributed to her. 

Some sources say that the words below were written on the wall in Mother Teresa’s own room.  In any case, their association with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives. 
They seem to be based on a composition originally by Kent Keith, but much of the second half has been re-written in a more spiritual way.  Both versions are shown

The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.
- this version is credited to Mother Teresa
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The Original Version: The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith:

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
   Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

© 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith
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These are great, encouraging words and thought s to live by. My hope is that they touch your heart like they did mine!


source: prayerfoundation.org

The Mother With One Eye

Photo Courtesy: Fran Ullola via Flickr

I came across this story that simply broke my heart and reminded me of an important lesson: never judge a person until you know exactly of what made them the way they are…

My mom only had one eye. I hated her… She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family.

There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, “EEEE, your mom only has one eye!”

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, “If you’re only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?” My mom did not respond… I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings.

I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study.

Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one day, my Mother came to visit me. She hadn’t seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, “How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!”

And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address.” – and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.

My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

“My dearest son,

 I think of you all the time. I’m sorry that I came to your house and scared your children.

I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

You see……..when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine.

I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,
 
Your Mother.”

If God Came to Your House

Photo Credit: David Wagner via publicdomainpictures.net

If Jesus came to your house
To spend some time with you,
If He came unexpected,
I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room
To such an honored guest
And all the food you’d give to Him
Would be the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him
You’re glad to have Him there–
That serving Him in your home
Is joy beyond compare.

But when you saw Him coming,
Would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome
To your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes
Before you let Him in
Or hide some magazines
And put the Bible where they’d been

Would you hide your worldly music
and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right
in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder – if the Savior
spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing, the
things you always do?

Would you go right on saying, the
things you always say?
Or would life for you continue
as it does from day to day?

Would you take Jesus with you
everywhere you go?
Or would you maybe change your
plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him
meet your closest friends?
Or would you hope they stay away,
until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him
stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great
relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know,
the things that you would do,
If Jesus came in person, to spend
some time with you.

Grandma's Apron

Photo Credit: klynslis via Flickr

When I was growing up, my grandmother lived with us. Her husband, my mom and her built the house that we lived in. Sadly, her husband, my grandpa, died when I was only four years old…so I don’t remember much about him.

My grandma (we called her Grammy) was my second mom. She would always be there when my brother and I got home from school. She would ask us how our day was she always had a tasty snack ready for us.

We learned a lot of things from Grammy during those years and many if these lessons I still use today.

The other day I found this neat little story called “Grandma’s Apron” on dobhran.com and it really brought back a lot of memories of my days as a kid with my grandma. I hope this story touches your heart the same way it did mine. It has a nice little message too!

The principle use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken-coop the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled it carried out the hulls. In the fall the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that “old-time apron” that served so many purposes.

We Have Come A Long Way!

Photo Credit: Dzz via morguefile.com

Happy Moon Day!!!

It was 44 years ago today, July 20, 1969, that one of the biggest accomplishments of mankind happened…it was the day that man first walked on the moon. The astronauts, Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. became instant worldwide heroes It had only been a short 22 years earlier that the Soviet Union had become the first nation to ever launch an artificial satellite out of the earth’s atmosphere and enter space.

Upon landing at the moon base, “Tranquility Base”, Neil Armstrong announced from the space module “Eagle”, “the Eagle has landed.” Hours later, Neil Armstrong, stepped off of the Eagle’s ladder, put his foot upon the moon’s surface and declared: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Well, since then, our world has grown, discovered and developed things faster than anyone could imagine.

It is hard to believe how far we have come as a world in forty years. Consider what been invented and developed since then…here are a few examples….

The development of the home computer

Flat screen and plasma TV’s

Cell Phones

The internet (for public use)

Digital Cameras

The Space Shuttle

The Space Station

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1999

Face Book, Twitter, Instagram, and eBay

GPS (Global Tracking Systems)

Video Game Consoles (Play Station, Xbox, Nintendo)

Digital music and cameras

MRI’s

ATM’s

Hybrid Cars

Doppler Radar

Camcorders

Smart Phones

Google (and other Search Engines)

Electronic Word Processing

Caller ID

Blog Pages

And much, much more!

Today’s world is a fascinating place. Technology and life styles are developing at incredible rates. It is mind-boggling to think about what things may be around in another 40 years from now. Some things, such as cell phones which screens will be able to be rolled up like scrolls (while still being able to read the screen), totally transparent cell phones, or planes such as the FAXX Concept fighter which has no vertical tail fins and will have “skin” that will be able to repair itself….and maybe…someday soon…trips to the moon and Mars!

It is an exciting time in the world’s history to live. We need to enjoy every minute that we experience here on this earth and appreciate all the awesome technology and information that we have at our fingertips. Some day in 40, 50 or 100 years from now, people will look back at our time and say… wow…we have come a long way!

Cranky Old Man

Photo Credit: chilombianovia morguefile.com

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
 

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.

And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet.
———————

CRANKY OLD MAN

What do you see nurses…What do you see?
What are you thinking…when you’re looking at me?

A cranky old man…not very wise,
Uncertain of habit…with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food and makes no reply,
When you say in a loud voice…’I do wish you’d try!’

Who seems not to notice…the things that you do.
And forever is losing…A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not…lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding…The long day to fill?

Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse…you’re not looking at me.

I’ll tell you who I am…As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding…as I eat at your will.

I’m a small child of Ten…with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters…who love one another

A young boy of Sixteen…with wings on his feet,
Dreaming that soon now…a lover he’ll meet.

A groom soon at Twenty…my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows…that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now…I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide…And a secure happy home.

A man of Thirty…My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other…With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons…have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me…to see I don’t mourn.

At Fifty, once more…Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children…My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me…My wife is now dead.
I look at the future…I shudder with dread.

For my young are all rearing…young of their own.
And I think of the years…And the love that I’ve known.

I’m now an old man…and nature is cruel.
It’s jest to make old age…look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles…grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone…where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass…A young man still dwells,
And now and again…my battered heart swells

I remember the joys…I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living…life over again.

I think of the years, all too few…gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact…that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people…open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer…see…ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!

Short Heartwarming Stories of Love

Grandpa's Daisies via DyanDiamond.net

Generally speaking, today’s world is becoming a more and more depressing, discouraging, and sad place to live. People seem to be more selfish than they were years ago and the most important focus in a person’s life is the all-important “me.”
I thought that it would be a good idea to create a blog that focused on people GIVING things to other individuals rather than trying to GET things.  So, I decided to collect and share some short stories of love that I found from around the web, family, friends, and other people who contributed stories. It is my hope that these stories will inspire you, touch your heart, and in some small way, brighten your day.  Enjoy!
———————–
There was a song my grandparents loved called, “I’ll give you a daisy a day.” (By Jud Strunk)  It is about a husband and wife who enjoyed life, love and one another.  It is a beautiful tribute to romantic love.  In the song, the husband brings the wife a daisy a day – even after she passes on.
After my grandfather first heard this song he began to bring my grandmother daisies every day.  Years later, when he became ill, he brought some wild daisies from their farm and planted them in their yard.  He wanted her to always have daisies, even after he was gone.  They had a beautiful relationship.  They left nothing unsaid.
A friend of mine lost her best friend very recently.  It was sudden and tragic.  She was comforted by the fact that they had said everything to one another, they never held anything in.  They gave each other daisies every day.
Never leave love unspoken.  Be sure to give everyone you love a daisy a day.  You never know how important a little daisy, a little love, can be.
Note: The photograph on top of this blog is the actual daisies my grandfather brought from the farm.  They still grow in their yard.
Submitted by: Dyan – htttp://DyanDiamond.NET
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It was a busy morning in a hospital, when an elderly gentleman, came in to have stitches removed from his thumb.
He stated that he was in a hurry and he had an appointment, 30 minutes from now. Then one of nurses came into the room, examined his wound and started to re-dress it.
While taking care of his wound, that nurse engaged him in a conversation with the old man. During the conversation, the nurse ask from the old man,  “Where do you have to be 30 minutes from now?”
The gentleman told her that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.
As they were talking, the nurse inquired about the health of his wife. He told that she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
After nurse finished dressing his wound, the nurse asked “if you are late, will she worry about it?”
He replied “no because she no longer knows who I am and she hasn’t recognized me for last five years.”
Surprised, the nurse asked him, “And you are still going every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?”
He smiled and patted nurse’s hand and said.
“She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.”
Source: http://love-tenderly.blogspot.com
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Today, my 8-year-old son hugged me and said, “You are the best mom in the whole entire world!” I smiled and sarcastically replied, “How do you know that? You haven’t met every mom in the whole entire world.” My son squeezed me tighter and said, “Yes I have. You are my world.”
Source: http://www.marcandangel.com/
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One day an 11 year old girl asked her daddy, “what are you going to get me for my 15th birthday?”
Her father replied,” Please wait, there is much time left.”
When the girl was 14 years old, she fainted and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor came out and told her dad that she had a bad heart and that she was probably going to die.
When she was lying in the hospital bed, she said softly, “daddy… have they told you that I am going to die?” The father replied; “no, you are going to live” as he left her room weeping.
She asked, “how can you be so sure daddy?” He turned around from the door and said” because…I know.”
A short time later she turned 15. After she was released from the hospital and recovering she came home to find a letter on her bed which read…”My dearest daughter, if you are reading this letter it means that everything went well, just as I told you it would. A little while ago you asked me what I was going to give you for your 15^th birthday. I didn’t know then, but my present to you was MY HEART.”
Source: http://soup-heart.blogspot.com
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10th Grade
As I sat there in English class, I stared at the girl next to me. She was my so called ‘best friend’. I stared at her long, silky hair, and wished she was mine. But she didn’t notice me like that, and I knew it. After class, she walked up to me and asked me for the notes she had missed the day before. I handed them to her.
She said ‘thanks’ and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don’t want to be just friends, I love her but I’m just too shy, and I don’t know why.
11th grade
The phone rang. On the other end, it was her. She was in tears, mumbling on and on about how her love had broken her heart. She asked me to come over because she didn’t want to be alone, so I did. As I sat next to her on the sofa, I stared at her soft eyes, wishing she was mine. After 2 hours, one Drew Barrymore movie, and three bags of chips, she decided to go home.
She looked at me, said ‘thanks’ and gave me a kiss on the cheek…I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don’t want to be just friends, I love her but I’m just too shy, and I don’t know why.
Senior year
One day she walked to my locker. “My date is sick” she said, ”he’s not going to go” and I didn’t have a date, and in 7th grade, we made a promise that if neither of us had dates, we would go together just as ‘best friends’.
So we did. That night, after everything was over, I was standing at her front door step. I stared at her as she smiled at me and stared at me with her crystal eyes.
Then she said- “I had the best time, thanks!” and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don’t want to be just friends, I love her but I’m just too shy, and I don’t know why.
Graduation
A day passed, then a week, then a month. Before I could blink, it was graduation day. I watched as her perfect body floated like an angel up on stage to get her diploma. I wanted her to be mine-but she didn’t notice me like that, and I knew it.
Before everyone went home, she came to me in her smock and hat, and cried as I hugged her.
Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said- ‘you’re my best friend, thanks’ and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don’t want to be just friends, I love her but I’m just too shy, and I don’t know why.
Marriage
Now I sit in the pews of the church. That girl is getting married now and will drive off to her new life, married to another man. I wanted her to be mine, but she didn’t see me like that, and I knew it. But before she drove away, she came to me and said ‘you came!’.
She said ‘thanks’ and kissed me on the cheek. I want to tell her, I want her to know that I don’t want to be just friends, I love her but I’m just too shy, and I don’t know why.
Death
Years passed, I looked down at the coffin of a girl who used to be my ‘best friend’.
At the service, they read a diary entry she had wrote in her high school years.
This is what it read:
‘I stare at him wishing he was mine, but he doesn’t notice me like that, and I know it. I want to tell him, I want him to know that I don’t want to be just friends,
I love him but I’m just too shy, and I don’t know why. I wish he would tell me he loved me!
Source: http://rishikajain.com
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Today, my grandpa keeps an old, candid photo on his nightstand of my grandma and him laughing together at some party in the 1960’s. My grandma passed away from cancer in 1999 when I was 7. This evening when I was at his house, my grandpa caught me staring at the photo. He walked up, hugged me from behind and said, “Remember, just because something doesn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.”
Source: http://makesmethink.com/
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Today, I walked up to the door of my office (I’m a florist) at 7AM to find a uniformed Army soldier standing out front waiting. He was on his way to the airport to go to Afghanistan for a year. He said, “I usually bring home a bouquet of flowers for my wife every Friday and I don’t want to let her down when I’m away.” He then placed an order for 52 Friday afternoon deliveries of flowers to his wife’s office and asked me to schedule one for each week until he returns. I gave him a 50% discount because it made my day to see something so sweet.
Source: http://makesmethink.com/
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I hope you enjoyed this blog and it brought a little sunshine to your life in some way. Find time each day to make your own story of love. Reach out and show how much you love and care for your “better half” whenever you can. I would love to create another blog of short love stories from collected from YOU! If you have a god story…share it!

The Power of Words

Photo Credit: Anna Langova via publicdomainpictures.net

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 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.

Days inched by. 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 decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not. If he didn’t see his sister right then, he may never see her alive.

Karen dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, ‘Get that kid out of here now. No children 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’ she stated.

Then 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.

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