something to think about...

Re:something to think about... (Hildegard)

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:12:56 GMT

Dear Sandra,

I've heard this story several times before, but it still brings tears to my eyes!
Thank you for posting it!

Love,
Edda

Re:something to think about... (buttington)

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:53:05 GMT

Sandra that is such a beautiful story! It brought a tear to my eye.
If only we could all feel this child-like Love and compassion for each other.

Jude

Re:something to think about... (sandra67)

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:10:37 GMT

The Finish Line

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.

At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them.

One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said: "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.

Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why?

Because deep down we know this one thing. What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
Diane Berke

Re:something to think about... (lilsparrow)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:59:09 GMT

Yes, Jude . . .
it would behoove us all to remember this . . .

Re:something to think about... (buttington)

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:26:44 GMT

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Re:something to think about... (sandra67)

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:40:15 GMT

>''You only become a victim if you allow yourself to be one''. < true?

Dearest Isabella I think I confused you in what I was trying to say.

I was talking to my breast care nurse and I told her 'I did not want to beome a victim' (or be labeled one I guess?).
She said you won't become a 'victim' if you don't allow yourself to become one.

I didn't mean anything else ,sadly are there many victims in this world but not by their own choice.

In my case it is my own free will if I become one.

I hope this helps ,Love me xxxx

Re:something to think about... (buttington)

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 06:33:56 GMT

"You only remain a victim if you allow yourself to continue being one."

Yes, it's certainly easier to understand!

Jude

Re:something to think about... (Hildegard)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:23:24 GMT

Dear Jude,

I agree with you. The initial vicitimization isn't something one "allows". Remaining a victim is different if it becomes a way of being.

Perhaps this statement ought to be restated,
"You only remain a victim if you allow yourself to continue being one."

Love,
Edda

Re:something to think about... (buttington)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:19:18 GMT

My dear Isabella,
I know exactly why you asked this question. When I first heard this quote I got angry, but I mis-understood it, and understand it a bit better now. It doesn't mean it's our own fault when bad things happen.

Another way to look at it is this. Bad things do happen to us and we can either choose to let them ruin our lives for ever, or we can choose not to let them ruin our lives for ever.
To let them ruin our lives for ever is to become a victim.

I hope you are not hurt by what I said.

Much Love,
Jude

Re:something to think about... (Isabella Bernardo)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:59:00 GMT

>''You only become a victim if you allow yourself to be one''. <

true?

Re:something to think about... (buttington)

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:45:25 GMT

''You only become a victim if you allow yourself to be one''.

This is so true!!!

Re:something to think about... (sandra67)

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:33:41 GMT

I was told this by a very caring lady only a couple of weeks ago.

''You only become a victim if you allow yourself to be one''.

Re:something to think about... (sandra67)

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:28:33 GMT

I think I need to 'think' more before I say
oh well we live and learn thank the Lord!

Re:something to think about... (lilsparrow)

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:59:35 GMT

. . . words from a wise person,
dear Buba . . .

Re:something to think about... (bm)

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:44:33 GMT

Message from slide show (got in e-mail from a friend) :

Re:something to think about... (lilsparrow)

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:42:05 GMT

"Our minds are like crows.

They pick up everything that glitters,

no matter how uncomfortable our nests get

with all that metal in them."

Thomas Merton

Re:something to think about... (Imenuff)

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:37:03 GMT

Received this in an email today and thought it worth sharing.

The Power of Giving
By John Harricharan

It was a really hot summer’s day many years ago. I was on my way to pick up two items at the grocery store. In those days, I was a frequent visitor to the supermarket because there never seemed to be enough money for a whole week’s food-shopping at once.

You see, my young wife, after a tragic battle with cancer, had died just a few months earlier. There was no insurance -- just many expenses and a mountain of bills. I held a part-time job, which barely generated enough money to feed my two young children.

Things were bad -- really bad.

And so it was that day, with a heavy heart and four dollars in my pocket, I was on my way to the supermarket to purchase a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. The children were hungry and I had to get them something to eat. As I came to a red traffic light, I noticed on my right a young man, a young woman and a child on the grass next to the road. The blistering noonday sun beat down on them without mercy.

The man held up a cardboard sign which read, "Will Work for Food." The woman stood next to him. She just stared at the cars stopped at the red light. The child, probably about two years old, sat on the grass holding a one-armed doll. I noticed all this in the thirty seconds it took for the traffic light to change to green.

I wanted so desperately to give them a few dollars, but if I did that, there wouldn’t be enough left to buy the milk and bread. Four dollars will only go so far. As the light changed, I took one last glance at the three of them and sped off feeling both guilty (for not helping them) and sad (because I didn’t have enough money to share with them).

As I kept driving, I couldn’t get the picture of the three of them out of my mind. The sad, haunting eyes of the young man and his family stayed with me for about a mile. I could take it no longer. I felt their pain and had to do something about it. I turned around and drove back to where I had last seen them.

I pulled up close to them and handed the man two of my four dollars. There were tears in his eyes as he thanked me. I smiled and drove on to the supermarket. Perhaps both milk and bread would be on sale, I thought. And what if I only got milk alone, or just the bread? Well, it would have to do.

I pulled into the parking lot, still thinking about the whole incident, yet feeling good about what I had done. As I stepped out of the car, my foot slid on something on the pavement. There by my feet was a twenty-dollar bill. I just couldn’t believe it. I looked all around, picked it up with awe, went into the store and purchased not only bread and milk, but several other items I desperately needed.

I never forgot that incident. It reminded me that the universe was strange and mysterious. It confirmed my belief that you could never out give the universe. I gave away two dollars and got twenty in return. On my way back from the supermarket, I drove by the hungry family and shared five additional dollars with them.

This incident is only one of many that have 20occurred in my life. It seems that the more we give, the more we get. It is, perhaps, one of those universal laws that say, "If you want to receive, you must first give."

There is a little rhyme that goes like this:

"A man there was, and they called him mad,

The more he gave, the more he had."

Most times, we think that we don’t have anything to give. Yet, if we look more closely, we ’ll see that even the little we have could be shared with others. Let us not wait for a time when we think we’ll have lots and then we’ll give. By giving and sharing the little we have, we open up the storehouse of the universe and permit rivers of good to come our way.

Don’t take my word for it. Just honestly try to give and you’ll be surprised at the results. Generally, the returns do not come back from those we give to. It comes back from sources we could hardly imagine. So give your way to riches.

Take a chance on this universal principle. Take a chance on yourself. Universal principles always work.

Sometimes the return from giving happens very quickly as in the true story above. Other times, it takes much longer. But be assured of this: Give and you will receive -- and you’ll receive lots more than you ever gave.

And when you give, don’t do it with a heart of fear, but with a heart full of gratitude. You will be a mazed at how it all works out. As the Jesus said, .Give and it will be given unto you..

Re:something to think about... (bm)

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:12:33 GMT

I must quote Glenys and copy here her post from another thread,
because I like this and think how truth this is:

" I try to take each day at a time but sometimes it seems I am attacked by several days at once"
Namaste
Glenys x

Re:something to think about... (lilsparrow)

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:12:55 GMT

Thank you for smiles and for thoughts . . .
The poem you posted,
dear Edda,
has a flavour very much like the poems you write . . .
also makes me think of the butterfly story that Buba posted recently,
and indeed
I must confess
that I am also a member of the Tizzies club . . .
♥

Re:something to think about... (Hildegard)

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:49:05 GMT

Dear Jude,

thank you for finding this prayer! I can join you and Betty in this "tizzies club".

Joyce Rupp is a very insightful writer who can supply lots of material for reflection, and allow us to laugh at ourselves along the way!

Love,
Edda