Leaving the City of Regret

Leaving the City of Regret
===========================

I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and
yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was
going to be unpleasant, and I knew in advance that no real good
would come of it. I'm talking about my annual "Guilt Trip."

I got tickets to fly there on Wish I Had airlines.
It was an extremely short flight.

I got my baggage, which I could not check. I chose to carry it
myself all the way. It was weighted down with a thousand
memories of what might have been.

No one greeted me as I entered the terminal to the Regret City
International Airport. I say international because people from
all over the world come to this dismal town.

As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they
would be hosting the year's most important event, the Annual
Pity Party. I wasn't going to miss that great social occasion.
Many of the town's leading citizens would be there.

First, there would be the Done family, you know,
Should Have,
Would Have
and Could Have.

Then came the I Had family.
You probably know ol' Wish and his clan.

Of course, the Opportunities would be present, Missed and Lost.

The biggest family would be the Yesterday's. There are far too
many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad story
to share.

Then Shattered Dreams would surely make an appearance. And It's
Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how
things had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly
applauded by Don't Blame Me and I Couldn't Help It.

Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing
party knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing so.
And, as usual, I became very depressed.

But as I thought about all of the stories of failures brought
back from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and
subsequent "pity party" could be cancelled by ME!

I started to truly realize that I did not have to be there.
I didn't have to be depressed. One thing kept going through my
mind, I CAN'T CHANGE YESTERDAY, BUT I DO HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE
TODAY A WONDERFUL DAY.

I can be happy, joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as
encouraging. Knowing this, I left the City of Regret
immediately and left no forwarding address.

Am I sorry for mistakes I've made in the past? YES!
But there is no physical way to undo them.

So, if you're planning a trip back to the City of Regret, please
cancel all your reservations now.

Instead, take a trip to a place called, Starting Again. I liked
it so much that I have now taken up permanent residence there.

My neighbors, the I Forgive Myselfs and the New Starts are so
very helpful. By the way, you don't have to carry around heavy
baggage because the load is lifted from your shoulders upon arrival.

God bless you in finding this great town. If you can find it,
it's in your own heart.

Please look me up. I live on I Can Do It street.

~by Larry Harp~

The Other Side

The Other Side

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was leaving the room after paying a visit, and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side." Very quietly the doctor said, "I don't know." "You don't know?" the man said.

"You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door, on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining. As he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear."

"I know little of what is on the other side of death," the doctor continued, "but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. And when the door opens, I shall pass through with no fear, but with gladness."

Love's Garden

Love's Garden

There is a quiet garden,
From the rude world set apart,
Where seeds for Christ are growing;
This is the loving heart.

The tiny roots are loving thoughts;
Sweet words, the fragrant flowers
Which blossom into loving deeds,
Ripe fruits for harvest hours.

Thus in our hearts the seeds of love
Am growing year by year;
And we show our love for the Saviour,
By loving His children here.

Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Sunday
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the other Mary, went to visit the tomb early in the morning of the third day, and there was a great earthquake and the Angel of God descended and rolled back the stone and sat upon it, so that the keepers shook with afright, but the Angel said "Fear not, for Jesus is not here, He is risen, as He, said." so the two Marys ran to tell His disciples the great news, and on their way met Jesus Himself, and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him. He told them to go and tell His disciples to go into Galilee and He would meet them there. This He did, and for the last time He met them on a hill side in Bethany, and again taught them, telling them still to go out into the world and preach repentance and the remission of sins in His Name. Then He lifted up His hands, and blessed them, and even as He did so, He was suddenly carried up into Heaven and hidden from their sight.

Jesus Christ is risen! Praise be to God! :)

The Easter Promise

The Easter Promise

The Easter message is bold and clear
for all who are willing to lend an ear.
He came to establish the reason why
mankind may no longer have to die.

He died - then rose to life again
for Son of God is how He came.
And to do such deeds no other can
proves Him more than mortal man.

He promised followers, every one,
they would not die but follow Him
to eternal life, in a heavenly land
as at beginning God has planned.
And,given His death and resurrection,
of His promise there can be no question.

A promise of life beyond the earth
must come from One surviving death.
From any other the promise is vain,
false prophets fail, they are but men.
And in this world there is no gain
being misled by any one of them.

Follow Christ if life you prize.
This is the choice of the wise.
Deny Him and then ask why
you set yourself prepared to die.
Life is hard but Christians cope
because with Christ they live in HOPE.

The Dish Washer

The Dishwasher
===============

A man went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a secluded,
rural area of the state. After spending the night, his
grandfather prepared breakfast for him consisting of eggs and
bacon.

He noticed a film-like substance on his plate and he questioned
his grandfather, "Are these plates clean?"

His grandfather replied, "Those plates are as clean as cold
water
can get them so go on and finish your meal."

That afternoon, while eating the hamburgers his grandfather made
for lunch, he noticed tiny specks around the edge of this plate,
and a substance that looked like dried egg yolks so he asked
again, "Are you sure these plates are clean?"

Without looking up from his hamburger, the grandfather says,
"I told you before, those dishes are as clean as cold water can
get them, now don't ask me about it anymore!"

Later that afternoon, he was on his way out to get dinner in a
nearby town. As he was leaving, Grandfather's dog started to
growl and would not let him pass.

"Grandfather, your dog won't let me out."

Without diverting his attention from the football game he was
watching, Grandfather shouted,

"COLDWATER, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Two Boxes of Rice

Two Boxes of Rice

I drove to a local supermarket the other day. My shopping list was long and my wallet was light. Still, I needed to get a week's worth of groceries for my family. I parked my car, looked down at my list, and hoped I could afford it all.

As I approached the door I saw a man with kind eyes and a gentle smile. He said he was collecting for a local food bank that helped to feed the hungry in my area. He handed me a second shopping list of things they could use and asked me to help if I could. I smiled back, took the list and walked into the store. I really wanted to help but wasn't sure if I could this time.

I walked through the store getting vegetables, soup, spaghetti, bread, milk, cereal, macaroni, bananas, and a dozen other things. I slowly marked each item off my list until I was done. When I looked down at my full cart I wondered again if I even had enough to pay for it all. Then as I put my own list back into my pocket I saw the food bank list under it. I smiled and decided to trust in the Heavenly Father who loves us all. I went over and picked up two of the biggest boxes of rice the store had for the food bank and put them in my cart. It took another six dollars out of my wallet to pay for them, but my heart felt six times larger when I did. And when everything was totaled, I had just enough to pay for it all.

It takes so little to make our world a better place. It takes so little to do God's work here. A few dollars can help to fill a child's hungry belly. A smile and hug can help to heal a hurting heart. An encouraging word can inspire someone else to live and to love. A random act of kindness can change another's day and life. It is up to you, though. You can think only of yourself and those close to you or you can see that we are all Children of the same God. You can save a few bucks on rice or you can share a love that will last for all eternity.

The Wisdom of Will Rogers

The Wisdom of Will Rogers
==========================

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes
from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin'
it back in.

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now
and then to make sure it's still there.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try
orderin' somebody else,s dog around.

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he
started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and
shot him.......The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your
mouth shut.

Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

There's two theories to arguin' with a woman.
Neither one works.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop
diggin'.

Never slap a man who's chewin' tobacco.

It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person,
don't be surprised if they learn their lesson.

When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it
thrown around by somebody else.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put
it back in your pocket.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

There are three kinds of men. The one who learns by reading.
The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee
on the electric fence for themselves.

In This Moment

In This Moment

It was a cold, cloudy and rainy morning outside my kitchen window today. I shivered and walked over to the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a steaming bowl of oatmeal in the other. I sat down, gave thanks, and took in a spoonful of the oatmeal and a sip of the coffee. I sighed as my chilled insides grew instantly warmer.

Just then I felt a nudge on my knee. I looked down and saw my little beagle, Snoopy's warm brown eyes looking up at me. I petted her head and smiled down at her. Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap gently around my neck as my daughter gave me a loving hug. I squeezed her arms with my hand and said "Good morning" to her. I gazed out the window and saw a single ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds and shining on the Maple tree in the meadow behind my house. A red Cardinal flew down, landed on a branch, and looked at me. It was beautiful. At that moment I felt so loved! I felt loved not only by my daughter and my dog, but by God and life itself. At that moment I had what we all want in this life: sweet, wonderful, glorious happiness! I looked to the heavens, laughed, and thanked God for my life!

Most of us go through life with one eye looking towards the future and the other eye gazing into the past. Half our sight is focused on our goals and desires. The other half is looking back with regret at mistakes and missed opportunities. In order to be happy, though, both of our eyes have to be here in the present. In order to be happy we have to live here now.

The future is only a dream and the past is only a memory. God doesn't want us to live in either. God wants us to live in this moment. God wants us to love each other in this moment. God wants us to share kindness and have happiness in this moment. Life is a collection of moments. May you always fill yours with love, joy, and oneness with God.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella

So Little Time

So Little Time

So little time to say the things
You'd really like to say -
Before you even find the words,
The time just slips away.

So little time to do the things
You feel that you must do.
So treasure, like the purest gold,
The time God's given you.

So little time to dream your dreams,
For youth has passed its prime,
And all too soon you realize
That there's ... so little time.

So little time to reach the height
To which you're bound to climb,
For swiftly pass the waning years,
And there's ... so little time.

So little time to pass regrets,
And less, to make amends,
Yet God can heal the deepest wounds
In chosen, cherished friends.

So little time to share God's love
And beauty here on earth,
And know, before His endless time,
Their meaning and true worth.

Oh, yes, there is so little time
To seek the hidden door
That opens up to heaven's time,
Where time's forevermore.