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Everything about life in the USA 🇺🇸 Buy ads: https://telega.io/c/american @Source_Ads ↪️ Feedback : @cobbl
The First Flower Of Spring
I smiled when I saw the first flower of Spring the other day. A lone Blue Bonnet had popped its head through the ground and was looking around on a cool, April morning. I wasn't sure what had made it finally decide to end its long, Winter's sleep. Perhaps it had noticed that the ground around it was no longer frozen. Perhaps it had felt the warmth of the sunshine finally pushing the temperatures into the seventies. Perhaps it had heard the songs of the birds singing that Spring had arrived and it was time for the world to awaken again. Perhaps the roots of the trees had whispered to it that it was now safe to come out and that their own limbs were already budding.
Whatever the reason it was a joy to see the little guy soaking up the light and calling out to its fellow flowers to join in the celebration of life once again. I know that soon it will be joined by other Blue Bonnets, Buttercups, Tulips, Daffodils, and Dandelions. I know that soon the air will be full of Butterflies dancing above them all. I know that soon the meadows will be full of growing grass and the forested hills will be awash in bright, green leaves. I know that soon the mountains of my home will once again be alive with the glory of God's creation.
We too are a part of that creation, but unlike the flowers in the field we have the ability to bloom even when the world around us is cold, dark, and harsh. We have the ability to share our beauty in the face of ugliness, our joy in the face of fear, and our love in the face of hate. We have the ability to make every day feel like the first day of Spring.
May you bloom well then today and always. May you shine your light. May you share your love. May you be truly alive in the glory of God's creation. And may you forever make your Heavenly Father smile.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
The difference between rich and poor
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
An Old Pair Of Shoes
I woke up with a stiff and sore back this morning. This was not unusual since my back has given me problems for years now, but today no amount of stretching or moving would loosen it up. Still, I had 5 dogs waiting patiently by the door to go out for their morning walk, so I slowly bent down, put on their leases, and started to pull my shoes on. When I did, though, I saw that my shoes like my body were showing signs of wear. A split along the seam of a sole let me know that it wouldn't be too long before I would have to replace this pair. I only wished I could replace my back along with them.
Later after walking the dogs, watching the sunrise, eating breakfast, and talking with God I was feeling a lot better on the inside. My back pain had faded too and my smile had returned. It was then that I remembered a letter a friend had sent me recently. Inside of it she had pasted a delightful picture of an old, worn-out pair of work boots sitting on the ground by a porch. Their leather was cracked, their soles were spilt, and their laces were worn, but they still looked great because inside of them someone had planted a beautiful bunch of Impatiens. The flowers had grown tall and strong in spite of their curious container. This picture reminded me again that while my body may feel like a worn out pair of shoes at times, inside of it was a soul that continued to grow everyday in love, joy, peace, happiness, goodness, and oneness with God.
At some point in your life you need to decide who you really are. Are you the body that grows older everyday or are you the soul within it that remains forever young? One day the loving spirit within you will have to step out of its worn out pair of shoes and walk on without them. May it walk lightly along the path of love until it reaches its Heavenly Home. And may it bless everyone it meets along the way.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
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The Most You Can Do
The Summer of my eleventh year was a wonderful time of joy and innocence. My days were spent riding my bike, walking in the bright green woods around my home, swimming in the crystal clear river that ran by my house, playing in fields full of wild flowers, and looking up at the clouds. I wished those lazy, peaceful days would last forever. But then it all changed.
It happened in the middle of the night when I heard my grandmother scream. A fire had started in her room and was rapidly spreading through our house. We all ran outside with only the clothes on our backs. I watched in shock as fire devoured our home. There was nothing left. That night I went from a happy and carefree child to a homeless and scared one. The following days were a blur. I didn't know what the future would hold. All I could feel was fear. Thankfully, good friends took us into their home, fed, and clothed us. One night around their dinner table my Mom thanked them for all they were doing for us. Smiling, her friend said, "Honey, it was the least we could do." Later they began to share old stories and laugh. It was then that I smiled for the first time in days and felt the fear finally fading from my heart.
Looking back on that time thirty five years ago, I now see that it wasn't the least they could do. The least would have been nothing at all. Instead they opened their home and their hearts to us. They shared their food and their kindness. They helped us to start over when we had lost everything. They helped a scared boy to feel safe, loved, and happy again.
The next time you are given an opportunity to help another then don't just do the least you can do. Do the most you can do instead. Give from your heart. Share from your soul. Live a life that makes Heaven smile. God put us here to love each other, to feed each other, to help each other, and to make this world a better place for everyone. That is the most we can do.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
Never Judge Anyone..... Because U Never Know How Their Life Is & What They're Going Through"
A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call asap, changed his clothes & went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy's father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled:
"Why did you take all this time to come? Don't you know that my son's life is in danger? Don't you have any sense of responsibility?"
The doctor smiled & said:
"I am sorry, I wasn't in the hospital & I came as fast as I could after receiving the call...... And now, I wish you'd calm down so that I can do my work"
"Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??" said the father angrily
The doctor smiled again & replied: "I will say what Job said in the Holy Book "From dust we came & to dust we return, blessed be the name of God". Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go & intercede for your son, we will do our best by God's grace"
"Giving advises when we're not concerned is so easy" Murmured the father.
The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy,
"Thank goodness!, your son is saved!" And without waiting for the father's reply he carried on his way running. "If you have any question, ask the nurse!!"
"Why is he so arrogant? He couldn't wait some minutes so that I ask about my son's state" Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.
The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: "His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son's surgery. And now that he saved your son's life, he left running to finish his son's burial."
Moral-Never judge anyone..... because you never know how their life is & what they're going through"
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
Amazing True Story
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn’t hear the band –he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by th! e window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
Fun! :)
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Blessings In Disguise
The rain poured down on the car stopped by the side of the road. I had made my wife 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 our firstborn son 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 wife'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. We looked back at our son in his car seat and he smiled happily at us. We knew then that we had to go on no matter what the road ahead of us may hold.
Our boy 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 boy 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 son. 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 boys 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 born son 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
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
Success
In the eyes of the world I am not seen as much of a success. I have a tiny house not a mansion. I don't wear fancy clothes. I don't own an expensive car, or a plane, or a yacht. My bank account is always empty at the end of the month. I am not a CEO of a corporation. I haven't made a movie, won a Grammy, or sold a million books. I am not famous. My picture has never been on a magazine cover. I have never had my own reality television show. Yet, in spite of all of this there are many times when I do feel like a success.
When my grown up son gives me a hug and says: "I love you Dad", I feel like a success. When my big dog walks over to me, puts his head on my lap, and looks up at me with his adoring brown eyes, I feel like a success. When I share a laugh with the cashier in the grocery store, I feel like a success. When I give my smile to a stranger I am walking by and find my gift returned, I feel like a success. When I send what few dollars I can to a charity and know that I am helping someone in need, I feel like a success. When I get a letter from someone who has been touched by the simple stories I write, I feel like a success. When I remember that God loves me in spite of all my faults and failings, I feel like a success.
Perhaps what this world needs is a redefining of what success really is. Perhaps this world needs to recognize that fame fades, money is soon spent, power never lasts, and material things always turn to dust. Perhaps this world needs to see that the most successful life of all is one where you love God, yourself, and others. Perhaps we all need to realize that a successful life in the eyes of the world isn't always a successful life in the eyes of Heaven.
May you always see the success in your own life. May you always be a success in loving, giving, caring, and sharing. And may you always succeed in making God smile.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ