A GLASS OF MILK......

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.

She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the nameof the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.

He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.

She read these words.....

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

The Three Keys to Happiness

The Three Keys to Happiness

1. Something to Do. How many times have we felt unhappy with life because we simply had too much idle time? I know it has happened in my own life. When I get bored, I get down, and I only snap out of it when I start to get busy again. The thing is, we have to recognize this pattern and stay busy to keep our mood elevated. Find a hobby. Volunteer your free time. Learn to cook. Coach youth sports. There are endless possibilities for “something to do” if we take the time to look.
2. Something to Love. Friends and family are such an important element to our ultimate happiness. During a traveling phase at my last job I spent a number of lonely nights hundreds of miles away in a hotel room on business. I was in foreign surroundings, working in a job I didn’t particularly like, in an industry I didn’t believe in (credit/financial services). The one source of inspiration to get through those nights was my family. Even though my career situation has since improved, I still think of my wife and kids when I get down and can’t help but smile. If you are single, you may have a best friend that always knows just how to pick you up, or make you laugh when you want to cry. Pets can even be an incredible source of companionship, there to greet you at the end of a long day. I’ve had pets most of my life and marvel at their willingness to love us unconditionally.
3. Something to Hope For. Everyone should have something to hope for. Something that drives them towards a goal. It’s been said that if you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time. Have something to aim for; a dream that you hold close and never let completely out of sight. When people lose hope they get complacent, and complacency often leads to a poor attitude. This self-perpetuating cycle of negativity can lead to serious depression, and ultimately harm cherished relationships. I know, I’ve been in a rut myself and I lost sight of the dreams I once held close. But all hope is never lost, you just may have to work a little harder temporarily to catch up and see those dreams around the next corner again.

“The only difference in a rut and a grave is six feet.” If you find yourself in a rut, stop digging. Start moving in the direction of your dreams and things will begin to improve. If your goal is debt freedom, stop charging to your credit cards and start paying all you can pay on outstanding debts. Do not be overwhelmed by the distance to the finish line. If your goal is to lose weight, do not focus on how far you are from your goal weight. Instead, take it one day, one meal, one bite, one workout at a time and begin to move in the direction of your dreams.

The bottom line is we are responsible for our own happiness. Government programs, promises from elected officials, and pats on the back from bosses may offer temporary mood boosts, but ultimately happiness is a self-induced state of mind. Be responsible for your own happiness.

A friendship lost ...

I remember the time not long ago
When we laughed and shared it all
We were the very best of friends
Or at least that’s what I thought.
I often wonder why friendships end
What happens to sever that tie
How can someone once so close
Just wave you off with a good bye
I must have been lacking
I must have been wrong
I wasn’t the friend to you
That you were to me all along.
I thought I was loyal
I know I was true
But something went wrong
Now there’s nothing to do
A friendship lost
Is a very sad thing
The angels weep instead of sing.

PUSH....

--- A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly the room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do,  and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to Push against the rock with all his might...
 
So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to  sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the  unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!
 
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his  whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement,  the adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing
thoughts into  the weary mind: (He will do it every time)!
 
 'You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't  moved.' Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible  and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged anddisheartened  him.
 
Satan said, 'Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just  the minimum effort; and that will be good enough.'  That's what the weary  man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of Prayer and to
take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
 
'Lord,' he said, 'I have laboured long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong?
Why am I failing?'
 
The Lord responded compassionately, 'My friend, when I asked you to  serve Me  and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock  with all of your strength, which you have done.
 
Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task  was to Push. Now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that  you have failed..
 
But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and  muscled,  your back is massive and brown; your hands are callused and, your legs have become massive and hard.
 
Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that  which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling  was to be Obedient and to Push and to exercise your Faith and Trust in My  Wisdom. That you have done. Now my friend, I  will move the rock.'
 
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He Wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.
 
By all means, exercise the Faith that moves mountains, but know that it is  still God Who moves the Mountain.
 
So!

When everything seems to go wrong...............................Just P.U.S.H.
 
When the job gets you down..........................................Just P.U.S.H.
 
When people don't do as you think they should.............Just P.U.S.H.
 
When your money is 'gone' and the bills are due...........Just P.U.S.H.
 
When people don't understand you ........................Just P.U.S.H.
 
P = Pray
 
U = Until
 
S = Something
 
H = Happens
 
'Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,
anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending!'

Truth of Life !

Truth of Life   Insight into Decision Making:

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the  rest on the operational track.

The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?    

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make........ ......... 

  
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be   made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

'Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right.'  

Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.

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