THREE MEN IN A BOAT

"It is lumber, man - all lumber! Throw it overboard. It makes the boat so heavy to pull, you nearly faint at the oars. It makes it so cumbersome and dangerous to manage, you never know a moment's freedom from anxiety and care, never gain a moment's rest for dreamy laziness - no time to watch the windy shadows skimming lightly o'er the shallows, or the glittering sunbeams flitting in and out among the ripples, or the great trees by the margin looking down at their own image, or the woods all green and golden, or the lilies white and yellow, or the sombre-waving rushes, or the sedges, or the orchis, or the blue forget-me-nots.

Throw the lumber over, man! Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

You will find the boat easier to pull then, and it will not be so liable to upset, and it will not matter so much if it does upset; good, plain merchandise will stand water. You will have time to think as well as to work. Time to drink in life's sunshine - time to listen to the Æolian music that the wind of God draws from the human heart-strings around us - time to - "

THREE MEN IN A BOAT-Jerome K. Jerome
( one of the funniest books ever written, funny this passage figures in this book)

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting
on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I
learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake
for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in
life.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I
knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in
God.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it
to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take
care of each other.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and
money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who
have something should give to those who don’t.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of your house
and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are
given.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your
responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and I learned that I
would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes
and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it is alright to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted
to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons
that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow
up.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to
say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t
looking”.

Run Through the Rain
She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have
been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of
innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over
the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no
time to flow down the spout.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the
Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature
messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I
get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt
and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as
a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my
day.
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all
caught in. “Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.
What?" Mom asked.
“Let’s run through the rain!" She repeated.
"No honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom,
let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the
young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
“This morning when did I say we could run through the rain and not
get wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his
cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us
through anything!”
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear
anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the
next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about
what she would say.
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might
even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a
young child's life. Time, when innocent trust can be nurtured and
bloom into faith. ”Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through
the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,"
Mom said. Then off they ran.
We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the
cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags
over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were
followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way
to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions,
they can take away your money, and they can take away your health.
But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't
forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories
every day!

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under
heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

PERSEVERANCE

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little
brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no
money left. They were moving to a smaller house because they could
not afford to stay in the present house after paying the doctor's bills.
Only a very costly surgery could save him now and there was no one
to loan them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered
desperation, 'Only a miracle can save him now', the little girl went to
her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the
closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it
carefully.
Clutching the precious piggy bank tightly, she slipped out the back
door and made her way six blocks to the local drugstore. She took a
quarter from her bank and placed it on the glass counter.
"And what do you want?" asked the pharmacist.
"It's for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He's really very sick
and I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his
head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much
does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry," the pharmacist said,
smiling sadly at the little girl.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I can try and
get some more. Just tell me how much it costs."
In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped down and
asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?"
"I don't know," she replied with her eyes welling up. "He's really sick
and mommy says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for
it, so I have brought my savings".
"How much do you have?" asked the man.

"One dollar and eleven cents; but I can try and get some more", she
answered barely audibly.
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man, "A dollar and eleven
cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and held her hand with the other. He
said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet
your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon,
specialising in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without
charge and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again and doing
well.
"That surgery," her mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder
how much it would have cost."
The little girl smiled. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ...
one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.
Perseverance can make miracles happen!

Always remember those who serve you.

In the days, when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 years
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 his 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 wanted enough left
to leave her a tip.

FOR DADDY

a beautful story


Some time ago a man punished his 5-year-old daughter for wasting a
roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he
became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper so as
to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the
little girl brought the gift box to her father the next morning and said,
"This is for you, Daddy."

The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger
flared again when he found the box was empty. He spoke to her in a
harsh manner, "Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone
a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?"
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh,
Daddy, it's not empty - I blew kisses into it until it was full." The father
was crushed. He fell to his knees and put his arms around his little
girl, and he begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.

An accident took the life of this child only a short time later and it is
told that the father kept that gold box by his bed for all the years of his
life. And whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems he
would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the
love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as human beings have been
given a golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from
our children, family, friends and God. There is no more precious
possession anyone could hold.