Stories Of Hope & Inspiration

[FineLinen]

 

[FineLinen]

* *Scroll I – I will form good habits and become their slave.*

* *Scroll II – I will greet this day with love in my heart.*

* *Scroll III – I will persist until I succeed.*

* *Scroll IV – I am nature's greatest miracle.*

* *Scroll V – I will live this day as if it is my last.*

* *Scroll VI – Today I will be master of my emotions.*

* *Scroll VII – I will laugh at the world* (Keep perspective)

* *Scroll VIII – Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.*

* *Scroll IX – I will act now.*

* *Scroll X – I will pray for guidance.* -Og Mandino

 

[FineLinen]

One evening I was going back from a supermarket. As I have approached my car, I noticed that some person came and stood beside me. He was the one that could be considered as a bum. It seemed that he had no car, no home and no job. I expected that he will ask me for money, but he did not do that, he only said: "Your car is very nice“.

After several moments of silence I have replied: "Thanks“, and then the inner voice told me: "Ask him if he needs help“. After a short hesitation I have asked him, if he needs any help. His respond was astonishing, I will never forget those simple three words that I heard from him: "Don‘t we all?”

It was a true discovery to me. I needed help. Although I had money and a place to sleep, but I recognized that I needed help too. Then I have opened my wallet and gave him enough money to get a meal and some shelter for a day.

Suddenly I understood that no matter how much money, achievements, luxury things do we have, we all need help. And on the other hand, no matter how poor you are, how many material problems you have, you still might offer your help to others, you still might be giving. Even it‘s just a nice word, you can give that and it can be priceless to other person.

Maybe that man was just a homeless stranger, but to me he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by the Highest Loving Power personally to me, to open my eyes, to show me that there is one thing, among all other values and achievements, which is very important and irreplaceable for each and every person. Actually, it is a true gift and it is called Giving.

 

[Anthony2019]

I remember an experience I had some years ago when I was walking in town. I had taken some money from an ATM with my card and was intending to carry on with my journey by bus. I wasn't sure why, but I suddenly felt I had to walk in a different direction, down a different street. I turned a corner and a homeless man was sitting down on the pavement right in front of me trying to get my attention. I walked over to him and spoke to him. I dug into my pocket to see if I had some change to give him, but instead I felt as if God was leading me to take him to the nearest cafe to give him some company and offer to buy him some lunch. Which I did. I listened to his story, where he had been sleeping, where he had been travelling day by day, what his hopes were for the future. When we went our own separate ways, I saw his countenance completely change. He walked away from the cafe brighter and happier than when he went in, and it was if he was returning to a world which was not quite as forbidding and hostile. I went to catch the bus and on that 30 minute bus journey I felt as if was if I was bathing in the love of God. Perhaps He was teaching me that when we show care to the ones society would consider to be the "least of these" it is as if we were doing it for Him.

 

[FineLinen]

Dear Anthony: It has been a mite lonely over here at this outpost of C.F. Much thanks for an inspiring testimony.

I have a choice about today

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today and I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can appreciate that I have a place to call home.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

Have a GREAT DAY ... unless you have other plans and please remember, a 'Smile' will make the days go better.

 

[Anthony2019]

Psalm 23 states: "Because the Lord is our shepherd, we lack nothing".
The world is full of people hungry for more and more of the material things it has to offer - wealth, money, fast cars, gadgets, holidays, yet when they have them, they are seldom satisfied and are always striving for more. There is so much pressure put on people by the media and advertising to aspire to bigger and better "things" - things that give temporary pleasure but rarely provide long-term satisfaction.

When God is at the centre of our lives, the smaller and seemingly insignificant details of our lives become cherished and valued by us. I remember the days when I had very little money coming in every month. I could not afford to buy the things I wanted and was struggling to buy the things I actually needed. It made me all the more grateful that I had a warm bed to sleep in at night, that I had comfortable clothes to wear, and that I had good friends who invited me to have meals with them, and healthcare provided whenever I needed it. I did not have the luxury of going out shopping, going to the pub or to restaurants. My idea of a weekend treat was sitting in a coffee shop in the afternoon sunshine, watching the world go by. That single cup of coffee lasted for ages and I enjoyed every single mouthful. I was thankful to God that although I didn't have everything I "wanted", I was still able to take time to enjoy life for what it was.

 

[FineLinen]

Psalm 23 states: "Because the Lord is our shepherd, we lack nothing".
The world is full of people hungry for more and more of the material things it has to offer - wealth, money, fast cars, gadgets, holidays, yet when they have them, they are seldom satisfied and are always striving for more. There is so much pressure put on people by the media and advertising to aspire to bigger and better "things" - things that give temporary pleasure but rarely provide long-term satisfaction.

When God is at the centre of our lives, the smaller and seemingly insignificant details of our lives become cherished and valued by us. I remember the days when I had very little money coming in every month. I could not afford to buy the things I wanted and was struggling to buy the things I actually needed. It made me all the more grateful that I had a warm bed to sleep in at night, that I had comfortable clothes to wear, and that I had good friends who invited me to have meals with them, and healthcare provided whenever I needed it. I did not have the luxury of going out shopping, going to the pub or to restaurants. My idea of a weekend treat was sitting in a coffee shop in the afternoon sunshine, watching the world go by. That single cup of coffee lasted for ages and I enjoyed every single mouthful. I was thankful to God that although I didn't have everything I "wanted", I was still able to take time to enjoy life for what it was.

 

[FineLinen]

The House with the Golden Windows

A little girl lived in a small, very simple, poor house on a hill.

She loved to play in the small garden. As she grew up, she was able to see over the garden fence and across the valley to a wonderful house high on the hill . This house had golden windows, so golden and shining that the little girl would dream of how magic it would be to grow up and live in a house with golden windows instead of an ordinary house like hers.

And although she loved her parents and her family, she yearned to live in such a golden house and dreamed all day about how wonderful and exciting it must feel to live there.

When she got to an age where she gained enough skill and sensibility to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother if she could go for a bike ride outside the gate and down the lane. After pleading with her, her mother finally agreed, insisting that she kept close to the house and didn't wander too far.

The day was beautiful and the little girl knew exactly where she was heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until she got to the gate of the golden house across on the other hill.

As she dismounted her bike and lent it against the gate post, she focused on the path that lead to the house and then on the house itself... And was so disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house that stood derelict.

So sad that she didn't go any further and turned, heart broken as she remounted her bike ... As she glanced up she saw a sight to amaze her... There, across the way on her side of the valley was a little house and its windows glistened golden ... as the sun shone on her little home.

She realized that she had been living in her golden house and all the love and care she found there was what made her home the 'golden house'.

Everything she dreamed was right there in front of her nose!

 

[FineLinen]

Thinking Out of the Box

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.

Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag.

He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.

The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.

Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.

Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles. She said to the loan-shark;

“Oh, how clumsy of me. Never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”

The pebble left in the bag is obviously black, and seeing as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

Moral of the story:

It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation through out of the box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to pick from.

 

[FineLinen]

Struggling will make you stronger

Once upon a time, a man found a butterfly that was starting to hatch from its cocoon. He sat down and watched the butterfly for hours as it struggled to force itself through a tiny hole. Then, it suddenly stopped making progress and looked like it was stuck.

Therefore, the man decided to help the butterfly out. He took a pair of scissors and cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man thought nothing of it, and he sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. However, that never happened. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with small wings and a swollen body.

Despite the man’s kind heart, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small hole were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings to prepare itself for flying once it was free.

 

[FineLinen]

I'm going to keep this short as I want the basics to take the lead in this story. About 7 weeks ago my 20 year partner and companion passed away unexpectedly. In my sorrow I asked her to give me a sign that she was now okay as she had suffered extreme pain and no doctor would help her while she was alive.

So one day I am outside on my deck and a White Admiral Butterfly came to visit me and for the next 3 1/2 hours stayed with me fluttering around me constantly and twice landing on my finger. That in itself was enough of a sign but what happened next astonished me as the butterfly sat on my finger I notice something coming at me from a tree in my yard. it seemed really fast but then again in slow motion too. That's the only way I can describe it. It was a miniature white admiral butterfly that scooped down hit my arm and flew off. Since butterflies are full grown when changing from a caterpillar, this made no sense to me as to why so small (maybe an inch wide).

The combination of both butterflies tells me that my girl is okay and waiting for me when I pass from this Earth. That's about it. I need no other explanation as it was a spiritual experience I will never forget. -Richard Holden-

 

[FineLinen]

Arguing with children can be risky.

In a grade school lesson, a teacher was explaining a little bit about whales.

A little girl in class piped up and said: “I just learned that Jonah in the bible was swallowed by a whale.”

The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was relatively small.

The girl said: "I am sure Jonah was swallowed by a whale."

The teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; that it was physically impossible.

The little girl replied: "My Sunday school teacher told me Jonah was swallowed and she would not lie to me.”

A bit perturbed by this, the teacher proclaimed: "That is a “story” from the bible, it is not factual, and I will not argue with you."

After a little thought, the girl responded: "Well, when I get to heaven, I will ask Jonah".

Now challenged, the teacher spouted: "What if Jonah didn’t go to heaven?"

Not at all daunted, the girl quipped, " . . . . . ok then you ask him."

 

[FineLinen]

Last Wish of a Fireman

Those Phoenix people are OK!

Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead tell your storm how big your GOD is!

In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible.. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true.

She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?" "Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix.

She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, "we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy one, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window. Sixteen firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?"

"Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand," the chief said.

With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing . . "

He closed his eyes one last time.

 

[FineLinen]

"I want to age like sea glass. Smoothed by tides, not broken. I want to ride the waves, go with the flow and feel the impact of the surging tides. When I am caught between the rocks and a hard place, I will rest. And when I am ready, I will catch a wave and let it carry me where I belong. I want to be picked up and held gently by those who delight in my well-earned patina and appreciate the changes I went through to achieve this luster. I want to enjoy the journey and let my preciousness be, not in spite of the impacts, but because of them. I want to age like sea glass.- Bernadette Noll

 

[FineLinen]

May all your Prayers be answered

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to determine whose prayers should be most effective, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food.

The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island and boarded the ship with his wife.

Since none of the other man’s prayers had been answered, he considered him unworthy to receive God's blessings, so he decided to leave the second man on the island.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are a result of my faith and prayers, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so I figured he does not deserve anything."

"You are sorely mistaken, and are in great debt to him.”

“How’s that?” the first man asked.

”It was his great faith that invoked the blessings, and he prayed that all your prayers might be answered."

Are our blessings the fruits of our prayers and work alone, or of those of another praying for us? What (and who) are you praying for?

With obedience come blessings. May all your righteous prayers be answered.

 

[FineLinen]

Her name was Bonnie.

She was 57 years old the day she died. It was her birthday. She was a hard worker who loved gardening in her sprawling country yard. She was a beloved elementary school teacher and volunteer in her community. She loved her family and her baby grandson.

She was a woman of faith and honor. She was the kind of person you could always count on to be there if you needed anything. I know...she was my neighbor.

As a testament to the impact she had on the lives of those she met, the line at the funeral home wound back and forth in serpentine fashion through the room in which she lay, into the reception area, out the door and down the long parking lot. She was loved by countless many.

The verse on her memorial card was a profound expression of the inextricable mix of her love of the beauty in nature and her faith in the afterlife. May we all find hope and comfort in these exquisite words by Juanita DeLong:

My Hereafter

Do not come when I am dead
To sit beside a low green mound,
Or bring the first gay daffodils
Because I love them so,
For I shall not be there.
You cannot find me there.
I will look at you from the eyes of little children;
I will bend to meet you in the swaying boughs of bud-thrilled trees,
And caress you with the passionate sweep of storm-filled winds;
I will give you strength in your upward tread of everlasting hills;
I will cool your body in the flow of the limpid river;
I will warm your work-glorified hands through the glow of the winter fire;
I will soothe you into forgetfulness to the drop,
drop of the rain on the roof;
I will speak to you out of the rhymes of the Masters;
I will dance with you in the lilt of the violin,
And make your heart leap with the bursting cadence of the organ;
I will flood your soul with the flaming radiance of the sunrise;
And bring you peace in the tender rose and gold of the after-sunset.
All these have made me happy,
They are a part of me;
I shall become a part of them.

 

[FineLinen]

The Bridge Keeper

There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks, allowing ships to pass thru freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing the train to cross.

A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place for the trains to cross. One evening the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, when thru the dimming twilight he caught sight of the train lights.

He stepped to the controls and when the train was within a prescribed distance, he turned the bridge into position. Although to his astonishment, he found the locking control was not working. If the bridge was not locked in position it would wobble back and forth at the ends and cause the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. And this would be a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a control lever which he could operate manually to lock the bridge in place. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train crossed.

He could hear the rumble of the train, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on this man's strength. Then, from the direction of his control shack across the bridge, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy, where are you?" His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him.

His first impulse was to cry out to the child, " Run! Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. In the same instant, he almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever in time for the train to pass safely. Either the people on the train or his little son would have to die. It took a moment to make his decision.

The train sped safely and swiftly on its way. No one on board was even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. Neither did they see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked before, to tell his wife how they had lost their son.

As we comprehend what this experience must have meant to this man and how it affected him, we begin to realize what our Father in Heaven must have had to endure when He sacrificed His Son (the most innocent man ever) - to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son was crucified? And how it must affect Him when we speed along thru life with little thought or appreciation for their sacrifice.

 

[FineLinen]

 

[FineLinen]

Inspirational story= GOD

"So whatever is going to happen is going to be good. If we survive, good; if we don't survive, good, because everything is in His hands and He cannot do anything wrong."

Moral=

Develop Trust. This is the trust which one needs to imbibe. and which is capable of transforming your whole life. Any less won't do!

 

[FineLinen]

Begin Each Day Anew

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them -- every day begin the task anew." -Saint Francis de Sales

A Treasured Pearl

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl." -Stephan Hoeller

Find Your Joy

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." -Thich Nhat Hanh

Make Humor an Asset

"Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keep friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment." -Greenville Kleisser