A Little Medicine for today

A dinner speaker was in such a hurry to get to his engagement that when he arrived and sat down at the head table, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten his false teeth. Turning to the man next to him, he said, "I forgot my teeth."

The man said, "No problem."

With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of false teeth. "Try these," he said.

The speaker tried them. "Too loose," he said.

The man then said, "I have another pair... try these."

The speaker tried them and responded, "Too tight."

The man was not taken back at all. He then said, "I have one more pair of false teeth... try them."

The speaker said, "They fit perfectly."

With that he ate his meal and gave his address. After the dinner meeting was over, the speaker went over to thank the man who had helped him.

"I want to thank you for coming to my aid. Where is your office? I've been looking for a good dentist."

The man replied, "I'm not a dentist. I'm the local undertaker."

A matter of choice

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice.

It is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. 

It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.

The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. 

If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips  just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.

Dream

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

 

"We told them so."

"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."

"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

 

They survived

She grew up on a fishing boat south of Seattle. Her father, unable to make enough money to buy a home, raised her within the confines of the small vessel he'd owned since his wife died when Sarah was four. She lived on the decrepit boat; the smell of fish were her scented candles. She knew no other life. Sarah endured the stares of townspeople and jeers from classmates. She desperately wanted to escape but, with competitors driving down charter prices, she knew her dad would never be able to afford a replacement. 

Salmon blood stained her fingers. Fish scales, stuck to her arms. They shimmered iridescent green and blue. The reflected sun sparkled off the small waves in the harbor - a thousand diamonds. Seagulls circled and screamed at the scent of fresh food. She sliced open the belly of yet another Salmon, her eyes widened. Two boats pulled up to the fish plant - a circle of dazzling black-and- white feathers followed them. 

Beyond the returning boats, Sarah saw a storm on the horizon. She dropped her knife. It lodged into the planks of the deck between her feet, vibrated and went still. The boat began to rock as waves grew. Sarah watched the mountain of clouds approach from the south. The undersides black with rage: the tops white with reflected sun. She held the rails to steady herself and rushed below deck. "Dad! Dad, wake up.!" "What?" her father mumbled, shaking off the alcohol. "Dad, there's a big storm coming. We need to get out of here." "Whatever!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. His head bounced off the headboard of his bunk. He cursed, "What the **** are you doing?" 

"Dad, we have to get off the boat. There's a major storm coming." 

Sarah convinced him. Her father staggered to deck, saw the clouds and fired up the engines. "Dad! Dad, what are you doing? "Sarah, if we stay here, this old boat will be kindling - crushed against the wharf or shore. We need to go out to sea. We can ride the waves and survive." Their small boat headed into the storm. A mile from shore, the waves splashed over the bow. Sarah clung to her father, as he screamed, "I'll beat you!" 

Above them, black clouds churned. In front of them, dark waves, crested with white foam, toppled over them. Sarah screamed as the waves made her loose her footing on the slick deck. Her father, one hand on the wheel, reached back with the other and steadied his daughter, before she tumbled over the side and into the angry water. Hours passed. The dark day turned into a darker night. They held each other for comfort, but the seasoned fisherman needed no help. He'd fought many battles; he took control. The wind dimmed; the waves subsided; and the sky brightened. Sarah hugged her father, "You did it, dad." 

They sailed back into the harbor and saw destruction. The wharf was gone. The boats that were tied to it sat on the land, their hulls damaged by the rocks they were forced over. Sarah smiled. Her father's boat was the only one to survive the storm. They were the only ones left. She hugged her father, "You did it, dad! You're a hero!" "I'm not a hero, Sarah." He held her by her arms, "I'm a drunken bum! If not for you, our boat would be on the shore with the rest of them." He stared at the wreckage on shore. "You saved us." "Dad!" Her tears washed the salt spray from her cheeks. "We did it together." 

They were the only boat remaining. Charters picked up. Sarah and her father were the only business in town. They prospered and soon had a real home and a new boat. Life for them was better. They survived.

If

There are many issues in ife that may cause you to stand back and take a hard look at yourself. Some of this reflection may lead you to make some astounding changes in how you perceive life, what you do and say, and how you will behave in the future. There are many behaviors, attitudes and beliefs to consider and here are just a few to reflect upon:

- If you engage in excessive worry, you are engaging a very destructive behavior.

- If you have lost your self-respect you have experienced a huge loss in your life.

- If you find you are a very selfish person, you have a very questionable personality trait.

- The greatest difficulty to overcome is that of fear - is this you?

- If you have experienced failure, do you use excuses to justify your failures?

- If you are prone to gossip, you may want to reexamine your own needs and wants.

- If you are constantly getting yourself into hot water, you may have developed a loose tongue, or an argumentative speech pattern.

- Engaging in self-pity will never get you anywhere in life; if you find yourself living a 'poor-me' life, it is time to revisit your attitudes towards life and what it has to offer.

- If you love to help and are a giving person, you are on the right path of life.

- If you believe that encouragement is what a lot of people need to move forward and you are more than willing to help them, you have an endearing quality to keep.

- One of your most prized possessions is integrity; if this is you, then you should never compromise it.

- If prayeropens your life and cleanses your soul, then you are foremost with God.

- And, if the most important thing in your life is God and not materialistic possessions, you are a true believer and faithful servant.

We can all sit down at one time or another and ask ourselves some very pointed questions and it is this reflection and honesty that brings us closer to the real true valued person of God that we should be.

An Angel Named Johnny

A mother of seven lived far from the town. Their groceries were gone, the car broken down. She knelt by her bed at the break of the day. "Oh God, be with 'Hubby' while he is away. She prayed, "God in heaven, You've promised to give to us, Your own children, provisions to live."

She rose from her knees and started her chores, lighting the stove and sweeping the floors. She tried hard to trust that the Lord would provide, but still the fear lingered--way deep down inside.

Ten miles down the road lived a woodsman named John. He walked with a limp, and one eye was gone. His hair was all matted; his clothes were a mess; and what his shack looked like, one only could guess. He trapped, fished and hunted, and he panned for some gold. His pal was a wolf dog, eleven years old.

One day he went looking for a duck or a goose, but there by the lake he saw a bull moose. He readied his rifle, took aim; then he fired. The moose gave no struggle; he fell, then expired.

The mother, meanwhile, watched her children at play. Oh, what could she give them for supper that day? She crawled down the root cellar, digging around. A few spuds and some carrots were all that she found.

As she walked to the woodshed, her heart leaped with fear. Down the road a man staggered, like he'd had too much beer. His clothes were all tattered; his face was unshaved. He must be a madman, the way he behaved.

With a loud voice he cried, "Please don't be alarmed. I'm here on a mission. I mean you no harm. "My name is Johnny, and this here's my hound."

He then swung a sack from his back to the ground. With a tooth-missing grin he said, "Brought you some meat. For me and old Lobo, it was too much to eat."

With a song in her heart and a tear in her eye, the mother said, "Thank you!" 'Twas a small whispered sigh. The children all clambered around the man then. By the time he had left, it was going on ten. As she knelt by her bed much later that day, she thanked God for sending the "wild man" their way. His appearance denied it, but she knew for sure that God sent an angel named "Johnny" to her.

God loves you-He really does

There are stories that find their way into your heart and stay there forever. This is one that found its way into mine. There was once an elderly woman who lived in a violent, drug-ravaged, crumbling neighborhood in an old city. Her children had died before her. Time had left its mark on her too. She was no longer pretty in the eyes of the world. She had become wrinkled, stooped, thin and hollow-eyed. Her body was now half crippled with arthritis. 

Still, this little old lady continually brought joy to the community around her. Everyone called her "Granny" and she was a loving Grandmother to all. As she moved slowly down the street she would sing hymns and share smiles. She had a kind word for everyone. She gave her gentle laughter as a free gift to all. She offered encouragement, said prayers for, and brought hope to the disheartened. She went about doing good every chance she could. No one who met her left without their heart feeling lighter and their smile shining brighter. Her serenity and tranquility remained a mystery to the neighborhood, though. No one could figure out how someone who had lost and suffered so much could live so beautifully. 

One day a curious little girl ran up to the tiny old woman shuffling along with her walker and called out to her. "How do you do it Granny?", she asked. "How do you love so freely? How do you live so happily? How do you give so much to all of us everyday?" Granny just smiled at her and said, "Because God loves me child! Because He loves me, I love Him and you and everybody else!" 

What a glorious truth she shared. There is no better reason to live and love than that. That is why this story will forever have a home in my heart. May you too make your life a beautiful gift of love, just because "God Loves You!"