A BEAUTIFUL PRAYER

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

May God Bless You,...

"To the world you might be one person,
but to one person you just might be the world"

"Even the word 'IMPOSSIBLE' says 'I M POSSIBLE' "

God's Email...

One day God was looking down at earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. So He called one of His angels and sent the angel to earth for a time.

When he returned, he told God, 'Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not.'

God thought for a moment and said, 'Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion.'

So God called another angel and sent him to earth for a time, too.

When the angel returned he went to God and said, 'Yes, it's true. The earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good.'

God was not pleased. So He decided to email the 5% who were good because He wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going

Do you know what the email said?

No?

Okay, just wondering. I didn't get one either........

What is it like to you?

Mortal: What is a million years like to you?

God: Like one second.

Mortal: What is a million dollars like to you?

God: Like one penny.

Mortal: Can I have a penny?

God: Just a second.

MISTAKES...

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
- Albert Einstein

Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
- Al Franken

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.
- Confucius

We must not say every mistake is a foolish one.
- Cicero

Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.
- Cullen Hightower

Instruction does not prevent wasted time or mistakes; and mistakes themselves are often the best teachers of all.
- James Anthony Froude

Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake.
- Georgette Mosbacher

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
- Oscar Wilde

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.
- Elbert Hubbard

Acknowledge that you failed, draw your lessons from it, and use it to your advantage to make sure it never happens again.
- Michael Johnson

There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake.
- Robert Fripp

Only those who do nothing at all make no mistakes... but that would be a mistake.
- Anonymous

The Pope...

The Pope goes to New York. He is picked up at the airport by a limousine. He looks at the beautiful car and says to the driver, "You know, I hardly ever get to drive. Would you please let me?"

The driver is understandably hesistant and says, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm supposed to do that."

But the Pope persists, "Please?" The driver finally lets up. "Oh, all right, I can't really say no to the Pope."

So the Pope takes the wheel, and boy, is he a speed demon! He hits the gas and goes around 100 mph in a 45 zone. A policeman notices and pulls him over.

The cop walks up and asks the Pope to roll down the window. Startled and surprised, the young officer asks the Pope to wait a minute. He goes back to his patrol car and radios the chief.

Cop: Chief, I have a problem.

Chief: What sort of problem?

Cop: Well, you see, I pulled over this guy for driving way over the speed limit but it's someone really important.

Chief: Important like the mayor?

Cop: No, no, much more important than that.

Chief: Important like the governor?

Cop: Wayyyyyy more important than that.

Chief: Like the president?

Cop: More.

Chief: Who's more important than the president?

Cop: I don't know, but he's got the Pope driving for him!

"Adultery" - "Fallen"

There's this old priest who got sick of all the people in his parish who kept confessing to adultery. One Sunday, in the pulpit, he said, "if I hear one more person confess to adultery, I'll quit!" Well, everyone liked him, so they came up with a code word. Someone who had committed adultery would say they had "fallen".

This seemed to satisfy the old priest and things went well, until the priest died at a ripe old age. About a week after the new priest arrived, he visited the Mayor of the town and seemed very concerned. The priest said, "you have to do something about the sidewalks in town. When people come into the confessional, they keep talking about having fallen." The Mayor started to laugh, realizing that no-one had told the new priest about the code word.

Before the mayor could explain, the priest shook an accusing finger at the mayor and said, "I don't know what you're laughing about, Your wife fell three times this week."

FOUR CATHOLIC LADIES

Four Catholic ladies are having coffee together. The first one tells her friends, "My son is a priest. When he walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'."

The second Catholic woman chirps, "My son is a Bishop. Whenever he walks into a room, people say, 'Your Grace'."

The third Catholic woman says smugly, "My son is a Cardinal. Whenever he walks into a room, people say, 'Your Eminence'."

The fourth Catholic woman sips her coffee in silence. The first three women give her this subtle "Well.....?"

She replies, "My son is a gorgeous, 6'2", hard bodied stripper. When he walks into a room, people say, 'Oh my God...'."

Locked Car Door ...

A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication. She got back to her car and found that she had locked her keys in the car.

She didn't know what to do, so she called home and told the baby sitter what had happened. The baby sitter told her that her the fever was getting worse. She said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door."

The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been thrown down on the ground, possibly by someone else who at some time or other had locked their keys in their car. Then she looked at the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use this."

So she bowed her head and asked God to send her some help. Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful.

The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?"

He said, "Sure". He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "Thank You So Much! You are a very nice man."

The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour."

The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud, "Oh, Thank you God! You even sent me a Professional!"

Jesus Help me...

In every need let me come to youwith a humble trust saying,Jesus help me.
In all my doubts,perplexities and temptations,Jesus help me.
In hours of loneliness,weariness and trials,Jesus help me.
In failure of my plans and hopes,in disappointments,troubles and sorrows,Jesus help me.
When others fail meand your grace alone can assist me,Jesus help me.
When I throw myself on your tender love,as my Lord and Saviour,Jesus help me.
When my heart is cast down by failureat seeing no good coming from my efforts,Jesus help me.
When I am ill and my head and hands cannot workand I am lonely,Jesus help me.
Always, always, in spite of weariness,falls and shortcomings of every kind,Jesus help me and never forsake me.
Almighty Lord,before you I come with all my faith,begging you for comfort in my difficulties.Do not forsake me, my Lord.Open your doors,that your almighty arms will open and closeas you design to give that tranquility that I so desire.
Oh my God!Receive my supplication from a wounded heartthat is always fighting for mewith your Divine power.Never let me scramble for want of help.

Almighty Lord,assist me to find shelter in your celestial bounty forever.

Amen

"MARRIAGE...A MUST READ"

by Ramon E Mendoza
When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside
the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage.
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

That's GOD...

Dancing with God

When I meditated on the word
"Guidance"

I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right
The movement doesn't flow with the music
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead
Both bodies begin to flow with the music

One gives gentle cues
Perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully
The dance takes surrender, willingness
And attentiveness from one person

And gentle guidance and skill from the other
My eyes drew back to the word
"Guidance"

When I saw "G"
I thought of "God"
followed by "u" and "I"
"God", "u" and "I" dance
God, you, and I dance
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
That I would get guidance about my life and once

Again, I became willing to let God lead
May you abide in God, as God abides in you
Dance together with God
Trusting God to lead and to guide you through each
Season of your life
And I Hope You Dance!

Happiness

Make up your mind to be happy.
Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

"Happiness is a conscious choice
not an automatic response."
Mildred Barthel

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances,
but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
Hugh Downs

The following pics are of the same place but taken under diffrent seasons!!

Lessons on Life


There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge
things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look
at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in
summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe
what they had seen.


The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son
said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so
sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping
with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.


The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they
had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,
and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come

from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring,
the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral:

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

Don't judge life by one difficult season.

Persevere through the difficult patches
and better times are sure to come some time or later

Troubleshooting: How to Install LOVE...

Tech Support: Yes, ma’am, how can I help you?

Customer: Well, I’ve been having glitches and difficulties, and I’ve been strongly advised to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: I’m not very technical, but I’ll give it a try. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your heart drive. Have you located your heart drive ma’am?

Customer: Yes, but wait – several other programs are running right now. Is it okay to install Love while they’re running?

Tech Support: Which programs are running?

Customer: Let’s see… Past-Hurt, Low-Self-Image, Grudge, and Resentment at the moment.

Tech Support: Love will gradually erase past-Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low-Self-Image with a module of its own, called Self-Acceptance. However, you will have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. These programs prevent Love form being installed properly. Can you turn those off, ma’am?

Customer: I don’t know how. Can you explain?

Tech Support: Yes. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. You may have to perform the operation repeatedly before Grudge and resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, the process is underway – Love has started installing itself. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you only have the base program. You will need to begin connecting to others’ hearts in order to get needed upgrades.

Customer: Okay, I understand. Hey – my heart drive is up with new files already!

Tech Support: Good. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin to patch faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Self-Criticism form all directories and empty your recycle bin to make sure it’s not only completely gone but also never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Smile is playing on my monitor, and peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over my heart drive. Is this normal?

Tech Support: It happens sometimes, yes. Sometimes it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded. So Love is installed and running? One more thing, then, before we hung up: Love is freeware. It was purchased for you many, many years ago. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return cool modules back to you.

Customer: I will do just that. By the way, what’s your name?

Tech Support: Call me the Divine Cardiologist, the Great Physician, or just “I AM”. Most people feel all they need is an annual checkup to stay heart-healthy; but the manufacturer (Me) suggests a daily maintenance schedule for maximum Love efficiency on the heart drive. Please contact Me any time for any reason.