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Moonpie
Over the last few months I have once again been reminded of two things: God has a sense of humor and God knows how to heal a hurting heart. It all started a few weeks after the death of our beloved dog. At the time I was in mourning and had no intention of adding yet another pet to a house still crowded with 1 dog, 1 cat, and a turtle with a bad attitude. Little was I to know, however, that God had other plans. That very day my cousin came home from her walk carrying a small, sad-eyed bag of bones in her arms. She had rescued the poor, limping puppy after it had almost gotten hit by a car.
I knew that I would have to take this little dog into my home at least while we looked for her owners. I was worried too that she might not be easily accepted by our other dog and cat and the turtle. Instead she quickly and happily took over the entire house. With a curious combination of cuteness and rambunctiousness she made us all laugh and love her at the same time. Her leg quickly healed. She put on weight and soaked up the love and attention we gave her like a sponge. Soon she was sharing my bed, bringing out the playful puppy in our older dog, chewing on my shoes, and touching my soul as well. She showed me something we all should know: the best way to heal is to open your heart and love again.
No one ever claimed this 4 legged angel so she joyfully made her home in our house and in our hearts. We named her "Moonpie" because she was as sweet as the dessert. She was also ornery, full of energy, and more than a handful at times. Still, I thank God for bringing her into our lives. He knew just what we needed and just when we needed it. Thanks to little "Moony" our hearts have been healed and our days are even more full of love. And I am sure too that when we laugh at her antics, God and the angels are laughing with us.
@american
@american
The Greatest Adventure Of All
When I was a little girl I used to love those nights when my Mom would read me a story before bed. I would be warm under my blankets while my Mom's soothing voice would take me on an adventure to another world. As I got older I soon started taking those magical adventures myself. There seemed to be so many books and so little time to read them all. I journeyed along with Bilbo and Frodo in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." I walked excitedly into the closet with the kids in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I traveled into outer space and went on quests with the Knights of the round table. I journeyed to the center of the Earth and swung through the trees with Tarzan. I fought in the battle of Troy and the traveled on the voyages of Ulysses. I went on thousands of great adventures all from the safety of my chair and comfort of my bed.
As I grew into adulthood, however, I came to realize something very important: the greatest adventure of all is the life you live here. Living your life with compassion, kindness, laughter and joy day by day and moment by moment is more exciting than the best book. Putting your heart on the line in the real world takes far more courage than putting your life on the line in some make believe fantasy. Offering hugs, sharing smiles, giving your love and help to others may seem like little things in a book's plot line, but in life they are the things that help to make the world a better, more Heavenly place.
I will always love books and the adventures they bring to the heart and mind, but I will also forever embrace the greatest adventure of all. God put us here in this world to live, to learn, and to love. What greater quest than to do so every single day of our lives? What greater adventure than to become the people God meant for us to be?
@american
A Blessing in Disguise!
The rain poured down on the car stopped by the side of the road. I had made my aunt pull over a few minutes earlier when her tears had made it impossible for her to drive. My own heart ached with pain and my eyes were wet with tears too. It was the worst moment of our lives. I held her in my arms for a long time while the Heavens seemed to cry with us.
We had just come from a specialist office in a big hospital. We had taken my firstborn cousin there to be tested. He was nearing 3 years old and hadn't started to talk yet. He also had displayed behaviors that weren't normal. After a long wait and longer tests the Doctor told us that there was definitely something wrong although he couldn't say what it was. He recommended more tests. We drove away in silence. I could see the hurt in my aunt's eyes as she tried to hold back the coming tears. All she had wanted was a "normal" little boy. Finally as the rain began to fall outside the car our tears began to fall inside it.
We sat there for the longest time crying and feeling powerless and unsure of what to do next. After a while the clouds parted and the sun began to shine again. I looked back at my little cousin in his carseat and he smiled happily back at me. My family knew then that we had to go on no matter what the road ahead of us may hold.
My cousin was later diagnosed with Autism and mental retardation. He was five years old before he finally began to speak in sentences. Although he learned to talk and read we still knew that he would have to be looked after for the rest of his life. As the years went on, though, I realized that my cousin was not only "special" mentally, but also "special" spiritually. Even with all the limitations and frustrations his handicap gave him, he still managed to give his kindness, love, and enthusiasm to everyone around him. He remembered people he met and called them by name. He gave out hugs as easily as the rest of us gave out "hi's".
He went through his days with a ready smile and a simple joy that were contagious. He gave up the role of "eldest child" to his younger "normal" sister, but still helped to look after his younger brother who had been born with an even more severe form of Autism. He became more than just my cousin. He became my friend. He became my helper. He became my teacher in how to live and in how to give. He became my inspiration on how to love and be happy in that love. He and his brother both became beautiful blessings in disguise.
As I look back on the years my cousins and I have spent together and look forward to the times that lie ahead of us, I once again thank God for giving them to me. My first cousin and his younger brother have both done what everyone of us longs to do: they have made this world a better and more beautiful place just by being in it. They have touched countless hearts with their love, laughter, and joy and they will undoubtedly touch countless more.
Many people look upon the mentally handicapped as something less than human. I now see them as something more. They have inside of them a deeper love, joy, and connection to God than the rest of us. And while we take care of them we should also take the time to learn from them as well. They truly are all blessings in disguise and while they sometimes bring us tears of sadness, they more often bring us tears of joy.
@american
Life Mantra - How To Live Your Life!
How to live your life?
A simple question isn't it? But it needs deeper understanding.
I call it GOAL mantra.
Get going
(just start with what ever you wish to do in life..don't wait for the right time or right moment..the right time is now)
Organize
(Set you priorities in life..thumb rule..you can never make everyone happy..don't hurt anyone..but ensure you make your life worth living)
Associate
( with everything you do)
Learn
(learn to be more happy..bold..quick..or anything..life is a process..one must never stop learning)
Everyone has there own way of living it..but GOAL is a general rule that one and all should follow irrespective of your age, gender,social status.
We are all here with assigned work..some love doing it and some love cursing it..your life is what you think of it.
Every minutes is precious make the most of it..make millions of beautiful memories.
Don't die at 25 and get buried at 75..live your life to the maximum..as you are the KING of your life and only you can choose the way you want to live it!
So go on..dare to rule your life!
@american
Water and books are both in crises: water from too much usage, and books from lack of usage thereof.
@american
The Secret Of True Friendship
At each stage of our life, we meet different kinds of people. Some are funny, some teach us lessons in life while others occupy a special space in our hearts. At every stage of life, the one thing that is common for each of us is a "best friend". In our childhood days, the term "best friend" might have meant the person who was always by our side, whether it may be in class or in the dining hall. But as we grow older, our definition of a best friend changes. People in our life come and go...but some people stay. These are the people we should never lose. According to me, a best friend is a person who loves you for who you are and helps you become who you should be.
True friends are those who will never desert you in times when you need them the most. They are the people who bring a smile on your face whenever you think of them. They are the people you first remember during your most happiest and difficult times. They are always there for you and love you when you forget to love yourself.
The best feeling in the whole world is knowing that we have a person for us, who always prays for us, always has us in their thoughts and will always be there for us no matter what...more than wanting for a best friend, the thing that gives us happiness in life is being a best friend to someone.
Friendship may not necessarily be based on age...rather friendship is based on mutual understanding. Even our parents can be our best friends! But the greatest friend we can ever have is God, who is always by our side. To truly understand this, all we need is complete faith in him and trust that whatever he does is for our good and he knows what is right for us. Even if the whole world is against you, the one person who will always be with you is God.
So let us build our faith in God and try to see the good side of everyone!
@american
Be a Giver! Be like God!
We as the humans always want to take without giving. First you have to give before taking something. Why we are unable to maintain relationships? Because we expect a lot and give very little sometimes not at all.
God is the best giver. The greatest quality God possess, is that he always gives, and if he takes something, it is for our progress. God gives us everything but at the right time so we have to wait for that right time to come.
When you see a group of people laughing together, you also start laughing even when you don't know what the matter is. This is called vibrations, what we are receiving at that moment. Vibrations are very important and what type of vibration you are spreading positive or negative are of monumental importance. What you give is what you get. Look carefully whether your think positively, do you think good about others? If yes, then you yourself filling the happiness in your life. Our pleasures and sorrows depends upon the vibrations we are giving out.
Love is the most positive thing in the world. The person full of love is the happiest person. So give love because love is the first thing which gives pleasure to the giver and the receiver.
How can you be loved, when you are not giving. Whatever you expect first give it then expects to receive. “Life’s like an empty box. It doesn’t matter what you get out of it. What really matters is what you put into it.”
My Grandpa was an angel. He dedicated his whole life in the service of others. His work was to take others' stress to solve their problems and give them relief He tried his best throughout his life to spread happiness. He lived for others' sake and when he went from this world there was a smile on his face. It seemed that he was satisfied fulfilling his God given duties. A day before his passing, he was saying tomorrow God is coming so decorate all the stairs, and next day he said final good bye to everybody and slept forever.
His death taught us how to live and how to die.
There are many things to give. Just count your blessings like you can give your smile, you can spread happiness, love, your time, your attention, even if you have ears to listen and hands to serve others, a good advice, a positive attitude which can change someone's life, there is still a lot to give. Giving our things to needy people is the biggest charity because the things which are not used bring negativity so it is better to give them away.
Give less receive less, give more receive more. It is a law of nature. In the bible Luke 6:38 says: “Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
You have to give one tenth of your income, or the pocket money etc to needy people, or you can give blessings, just say God bless you to everyone you meet every day. Still, there is lot to give which I am unaware of.
Try to be a giver without any expectations like God. God gives us life, parents, siblings, God has made air to breath, sun for sunlight, trees for shadow, river for water etc without any expectations. “Love the giver more than the gift.” -Brigham Young.
We can love God by taking care of his things. Grow the trees for our next generation, they will need it very much because of rising pollution, stop the pollution so that the water can remain clean, don't spread the dirt so that people don't get sick, quit smoking so that people can get fresh air to breath etc. “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.”
@american
Every Shade of Skin is Beautiful
Jennifer and I told Sophia that after 1 whole month of going poop on the potty, she could pick out a special prize. She, of course, picked a new doll.
The obsession is real. While we were checking out, the cashier asked Sophia if she was going to a birthday party. We both gave her a blank stare. She then pointed to the doll and asked Sophia if she picked her out for a friend. Sophia continued to stare blankly and I let the cashier know that she was a prize for Sophia being fully potty trained.
The woman gave me a puzzled look and turned to Sophia and asked, 'Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey?' Sophia finally found her voice and said, 'Yes, please!' The cashier replied, 'But she doesn't look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.' I immediately became angry, but before I could say anything, Sophia responded with, 'Yes, she does. She's a doctor like I'm a doctor. And I'm a pretty girl and she's a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?' Thankfully the cashier decided to drop the issue and just answer, 'Oh, that's nice.'
This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren't born with the idea that color matters. Skin comes in different colors just like hair and eyes and every shade is beautiful.
@american
My Identity
Have you ever been asked who you are? What was your answer? For those who are successful they will tell you I am a doctor, engineer, a business man/woman who owns that and that.. they identify themselves with their possessions or achievements but what happens when you don’t have all those things, when you feel like a failure. When you have battled with your identity all your life and it dawned on you that you haven’t accomplished anything.
Some people will describe themselves as No One important or I am ‘Nobody’.
When I read in Bible; Jeremiah 1 vs 5 it says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." God told Jeremiah that he was of importance. He knew Jeremiah from the beginning. He knew who he was and who he was going to become.
He was born and ordained to be a prophet and that shows that every each one of us was born and ordained to be someone.
In Bible Psalms 139 vs 13 – 18, David knew who he was. He knew his origin:
[{13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15: My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16: Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 17: How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18: If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.}]
We sometimes compare ourselves with other people and we fail to understand that God ordained us differently. Some prophets like Jeremiah, David as King, some as artist, some as ministers and so on. God created us in His own image. He knows who we are as a person, He knows our purpose. Today let’s go back to the very roots where we came from and ask God to show us our identity, our Purpose in Him.
Above everything else, know that you are a child of God, a daughter or a son of the king. Knowing this with confidence will phase out all the problems we struggle with identity.
@american
Don't Give up on Loving ...
I used to think love was just one thing, the same thing that everybody looked for. When found, love had the same face, the same laugh, the same deep teary eyed feeling of unspeakable joy. How could I think that love was only one thing, one feeling that never changed? Love changes, it grows deeper and stronger. And, it dawned on me, no one's love ever matched a single other person's love. Everyone's love has a different and unique look, taste, feeling, music, joy and indescribable complexity.
The only thing that is the same about all love is that it all "adds" to the ocean of love. Like attracts more of itself. The world is not complete without your "special addition" of love. Love, in an infinite number of unique ways, reaches out to embrace, help, and cause others to rise up to a greater awareness and joy.
I was headed out the door the other day with my mom. We were going to drive to the local grocery store to pick up a few odds and ends that we had run out of during the week. I shut the door quickly because my dogs were already barking at being left behind in the house. We headed down the hill to my car, climbed inside, and buckled our seat belts. Then I reached into my pocket for the car keys. They weren’t there. I tried my other pockets with the same result. Shaking my head, I walked back up the hill, opened the door, and saw my keys still dangling from the hook where I always hang them.
This, of course, isn’t the only time I have forgotten something recently. In fact, it seems to be happening more and more. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t forget something and then remember it later in the day or misplace something and have to go looking for it. It seems that our aging minds begin to have trouble after a while remembering the million and one things that we need to remember every day to function in our modern world. They say not to worry about it and to take it with a smile. I am doing my best to do so.
I think I will be alright with my forgetful mind too as long as I can keep remembering the important things in life. I don’t mind misplacing my keys as long as I can remember that God loves me. I don’t mind forgetting what I came into a room for as long as I can remember what I am in this life for. I don’t mind being a bit absent-minded as long as I am being loving-hearted.
May you always remember the important things in life: You were created in love. You were created to love. You are called to kindness and made for joy. You can make a difference in this world with every choice you make. You can live your life in God’s light today and forever.
@american