An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.
It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."
The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built.
If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.But, you cannot go back.
You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."
Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!
Lessons Learned From a Child and Her Dog
By Cyndi Krupp
So teach him to close the door", my daughter Emma responded after listening to me complain, again, about the dog coming in from the back door, bringing with him a blast of Buffalo January cold air.
Teach a dog to close a door behind him? You got to be kidding. That has got to be a really, really hard thing to do, and I do not have any dog credentials following my name.
But then she took it a step further. "Come on Kolby", she said, grabbing some treats and positioning him in front of the open door. "Touch."
And "touch" he did, which moved the door to a closed position. She rewarded him with a treat, smiled, looked at me, and said "see!"
And I saw and became convinced. Over the last few days I have been consistent with Kolby. Each time he comes in I bring him back to the open door and ask him to close (I changed the target word, making the command more specific). There have been failures, but lately more and more successes. And I knew we turned the corner this morning when he asked to be let out just so I would open the door, so that he could close it and be treated.
WOW
There remains work to be done. I have to remove the hand signal and work so that he will close the door from a distance. But, I now realize, with consistency of focus the task will be completed, and, with the way things are progressing, completed quickly.
What a wonderful treat to have a dog that can close the door after himself. Even more wonder can be found in the lessons I learned so clearly from both Emma and Kolby.
A wish is just a wish until you decide to take action.
Once you decide to accomplish a goal, and decide that it "is" easy (remember Emma's assurance), than it becomes easy to do what needs to be done. Just start doing it.
As long as one holds on to the belief that it is "too hard", than it remains "too hard" and out of reach.
Working towards the accomplishment of a goal can be loads of fun, and full of lots and lots of treats.
So what have you been wishing for lately? And what has been stopping you from getting started?
Grandfather's Letter
by Steve Brunkhorst
One day, a young man was cleaning out his late grandfather's belongings when he came across a bright red envelope. Written on the front were the words, "To my grandson." Recognizing his grandfather's handwriting, the boy opened the envelope. A letter inside read:
Dear Ronny,
Years ago you came to me for help. You said, "Grandpa, how is it that you've accomplished so much in your life? You're still full of energy, and I'm already tired of struggling. How can I get that same enthusiasm that you've got?"
I didn't know what to say to you then. But knowing my days are numbered, I figure that I owe you an answer. So here is what I believe.
I think a lot of it has to do with how a person looks at things. I call it 'keeping your eyes wide open.'
First, realize that life is filled with surprises, but many are good ones. If you don't keep watching for them, you'll miss half the excitement. Expect to be thrilled once in a while, and you will be.
When you meet up with challenges, welcome them. They'll leave you wiser, stronger, and more capable than you were the day before. When you make a mistake, be grateful for the things it taught you. Resolve to use that lesson to help you reach your goals.
And always follow the rules. Even the little ones. When you follow the rules, life works. If you think you ever really get by with breaking the rules, you're only fooling yourself.
It's also important to decide exactly what you want. Then keep your mind focused on it, and be prepared to receive it.
But be ready to end up in some new places too. As you grow with the years, you'll be given bigger shoes to fill. So be ready for endings as well as challenging beginnings.
Sometimes we have to be brave enough to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Life isn't just reaching peaks. Part of it is moving from one peak to the next. If you rest too long in between, you might be tempted to quit. Leave the past in the past. Climb the next mountain and enjoy the view.
Dump things that weigh you down emotionally and spiritually. When an old resentment, belief, or attitude becomes heavy, lighten your load. Shed those hurtful attitudes that slow you down and drain your energy.
Remember that your choices will create your successes and your failures. So consider all the pathways ahead, and decide which ones to follow. Then believe in yourself, get up, and get going.
And be sure to take breaks once in a while. They'll give you a renewed commitment to your dreams and a cheerful, healthy perception of the things that matter the most to you.
Most important of all, never give up on yourself. The person that ends up a winner is the one who resolves to win. Give life everything you've got, and life will give its best back to you.
Love always,Grandpa
© Copyright 2004-2009. Inspirational fiction by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Eyes of an Angel
By Laurie Brenner
I used to see a dirty and ragged man sit at the light where I turned onto the freeway on one of the many routes I took to work back when I lived in the city for a while. I couldn't say he was an old man, neither could I say he was young.
He had the look of another place.
It was easy to see that he was without home or without food and without the comforts that so many of us take for granted. And there he would sit and wait upon the kindness of strangers, the bare soles of his feet worn black and hard from wearing no shoes.
Many drivers would speed by him in the hopes that he hadn't seen - that they had seen him. It was if they acknowledged his presence, something was wrong with them, because they gave nothing. If they acted like they hadn't seen him - they could deny he was there.
I know because I pretended that I hadn't seen him too.
He never asked for money. He didn't carry a sign. He just sat at this light, at this median in the road with his head bowed, heavy with thoughts unknown to any but himself.
Sometimes I would drive a different way, because I had nothing to give or I felt guilty because I was being selfish, clinging to the change for my Starbuck's Venti Latte.
And then I couldn't stand it any more. This man, this solitary person, this being that had the look of another place stayed in my soul quietly hovering. It was if something was telling me that I must give what I could to this weary soul.
I made the decision that day to drive this route, and no matter what anyone thought, I could no longer drive by this being without giving something. I dug down deep and laid the change upon the passenger's seat and rushed to greet him, full of myself.
He was not there.
And so, when days passed and I took that route again and again, I made sure I always had change. Sometimes I would come with my hands full of my gift, this token, this toll I would gladly pay knowing that I had made a difference.
I would reach my hand out the window and his would meet mine in mid-air. He would say thank you ever so quietly and humbly and briefly look into my eyes with warm brown eyes.
He had the eyes of a child; no malice lived there.
I would continue driving feeling just a little bit lighter.
One morning, when the sun rose to greet the day, and the cars struggled like so many cattle rushing through the only gate toward pasture, I saw him again. I dug down deep and produced a handful of change and slowed to give it over to his dirty hand. And as I did so, a man behind me laid on his horn as I slowed to stop.
I threw my hand up into the eye of the rearview mirror like a mother waving at an impatient child, letting the horn-blarer know just what I thought. I put on the brakes and ignored the man behind me because he didn't know anything else.
And I reached out to give this stranger my change.
This moment in time, this moment ongoing will be with me always. The man reached out to take my change and he looked into my eyes again.
Only where brown eyes used to be, the blue of a fresh morning sky greeted me with a look that had seen forever. And he smiled.
That smile sailed through my soul like lightning and landed somewhere next to my heart.
I knew that I had looked into the eyes of an angel.
And I've never seen him since.
The Many Faces of God
By Debbie Milam
When your child asks what does God look like, how would you answer?
One glorious late afternoon Michael and his mother sat cuddled together on the porch swing as they welcomed the serenity of dusk. The air was crisp and the sky was ablaze with the extraordinary hues of nature's palate. This was a special time they shared together. On this particular night Michael was filled with wonder and curiosity as he turned to his mother and asked, "Mommy, what does God look like?" His mother looked at him and said, "The faces of God are many my love."
The night I met your father; The day we married and our souls became one; And the morning I held you as a newborn in my arms and gazed upon your angelic face; I knew what God looked liked.
The moment I watched a double rainbow emerge from the violent storm clouds; The daybreak when the morning sky was filled with magnificent shades of magenta, lavender, and sapphire; And the twilight when I witnessed the brilliant sunset illuminate the mountains; I knew what God looked like.
The evening you became very ill and I stayed up comforting you throughout the night; The moments I prayed for your healing; And the dawn when you awoke smiling and healthy; I knew what God looked like.
The day your beautiful sister was entrusted into our family; The moment I watched as you tenderly held her for the first time; And the instant you told her you were her big brother; I knew what God looked like.
The days when our whole family hugged and no one wanted to let go; The twilight when our loved ones joined the Lord in heaven; And finally, the nights when we, as a family, gave thanks for all the blessings in our lives; I knew what God looked like.
Michael interrupted and said rather impatiently, but Mommy you still have not told me what God looks like. His mother smiled and said, "My darling, As our days and nights unfold the precious moments we experience are woven together to form the fabric of our lives, each thread bearing the face of God. In every gift, in every challenge, in every blessing, in every obstacle, in all that is beautiful and all that is changing you can see God's face revealed. By being aware of God's divine presence in our lives, we will always know what God looks like."
Michael and his mother continued to cuddle on the porch swing as they watched day turn to night. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the stars emerged one by one, glistening like diamonds against the deep blue background of the night sky. The heavenly constellations appeared and shooting stars began to race across the vastness of the universe. The air was filled with peace, love, and wonder as Michael turned to his mother and said, "Mommy, now I know what God looks like."
The Secret of Happiness
by Steve Brunkhorst
The old man shuffled slowly into the restaurant. With head tilted, and shoulders bent forward, he leaned on his trusty cane with each unhurried step.
His tattered cloth jacket, patched trousers, worn out shoes, and warm personality made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, large rosy cheeks, and thin lips held in a tight, steady smile.
He stopped, turned with his whole body, and winked at a little girl seated by the door. She flashed a big grin right back at him. A young waitress named Mary watched him shuffle toward a table by the window.
Mary ran over to him, and said, "Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair."
Without saying a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Steadying him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she scooted the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, "Thank you, Miss. And bless you for your kind gestures."
"You're welcome, Sir." She replied. "And my name is Mary. I'll be back in a moment, and if you need anything at all in the mean time, just wave at me!"
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change from his ticket. He left it lay. She helped him up from his chair, and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door.
Holding the door open for him, she said, "Come back and see us, Sir!"
He turned with his whole body, winked a smile, and nodded a thank you. "You are very kind." he said softly.
When Mary went to clean his table, she almost fainted. Under his plate she found a business card and a note scribbled on a napkin. Under the napkin was a one hundred dollar bill.
The note on the napkin read...
"Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you."
The man she had waited on was the owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees had ever seen him in person.
Author's Note: This story is based on actual events experienced by a friend from St. Paul, Minnesota. The note is the exact wording on the napkin that she has kept in her scrap book for fifteen years.
Parable Of The Pencil - Pencil story
The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.
"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."
"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."
"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."
"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."
"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."
"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.
Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.
Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.And
Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.
Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.
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