A Wake Up Call ...

A Wake Up Call
by Catherine Pulsifer

The story below is a true story that happened in September.

During the month of September, a dear friend of mine lost her husband suddenly in an accident. The tragedy was a shock to everyone.

This accident was sudden and certainly unexpected. It drove home the realization that you just don't know when a loved one is no longer going to be with you. We sometimes take our love ones for granted, and we expect that they will be with us forever. However, as we all know, life does not work that way and sometimes we get a wake up call that shocks us and makes us stand back and realize how short life is.

In consoling her, I tried to imagine if I was in her shoes how would I feel. It was impossible to imagine what she was going through. What words do I say to help her?

Sometimes words just can not express our feelings. Sometimes our actions are much more meaningful than words. A hug can sometimes express more than our words will ever express. Sometimes, just being there to listen is more meaningful and helpful to people.

A SECOND WAKE UP CALL,

As I was leaving the funeral parlor, I ran into a Marilyn. (Marilyn has been a true friend to me over the years. She is one of those friends who is with you in the good times and is always by your side in the bad times.She has a sense of humor that makes everyone laugh and she makes everyone feel at ease.) We chit chatted for a few moments, and then she asked me how my job was. So I started talking and talking and talking(am sure she wished she had never asked, ha) I was having a stressful week with my job and I was telling her all the issues and how I was feeling. She listened to me as I was raving about my frustrations, then without saying a word, she took her hands and placed them on my face,and said to me,
"But at least you had a day."

The touch of her hands on my cheeks, the calmness in her voice, and the words she spoke,
"BUT AT LEAST YOU HAD A DAY",
hit me like a ton of bricks. All the frustrations, all the stress that was building up inside of me - came to a complete stop.

Since that day, when I start feeling stressed, I remind myself of Marilyn's words - but at least I had a day! Things could be a lot worse, the stress of the situation always could be worse, but I am alive and I have a lot to be thankful for - so I shall not waste my days with stress and frustrations - Life is too short!

Much To My Surprise

Much To My Surprise
A small change can make a big difference.
by Catherine Pulsifer

A few months ago I saw a book on the Internet, "The One Minute Millionaire". The authors of this book were Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. I knew of Mark Victor Hansen because of his involvement with the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I was curious about what type of book this would be with Mark Victor Hansen as one of the authors. So I ordered the book.

The weeks past and truly I had forgotten that I had ordered it. I arrived home from work and my husband said a package came for me. Upon opening the package I found the book, plus a CD. The book intrigued me. I started reading it and found it was unlike any book I had previously read. The book is actually two books in one. The left hand pages are theory and the right hand pages are a story. I started reading the book together, but the story got my attention.

The story is one where you think nothing else could go wrong, but it does!! Every free minute I had I found myself wanting to read the book. When I wasn't reading the book I found myself thinking about the story and wondering how it would turn out. Well this morning I finished reading the book, the story part of the book. I read a lot of books, and I can honestly say this book is one that inspired me to write about it.

The book not only teaches principles for becoming independent, it truly teaches good values for life. It uses real life situations and analogies that really do make you think.

One analogy I especially like is:
"The wind might cause a kite to rise, but what keeps it up thereis the fact that somebody on the ground has a steady hand. You have tohold steady to your values - your integrity. It's your anchor. You letgo of that…well, it isn't long before your kite comes crashing down."

The title of the book, "The One Minute Millionaire" is intriguing but after reading the book the second title, "The Enlightened Way to Wealth" now makes sense to me. Enlightened being the key word!

To sum it up I would say:
It's not all about money,
it's about helping yourself, helping others and giving back.

I should point out I paid very little for the book, and truly wondered about the quality of what I would receive. I am sure you have heard the quote, "you only get what you pay for!" Well, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE…..what I got was worth far more than I paid for it. I highly recommend this book!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And better yet, I hope it sparks an idea or makes you look at how you live your life.

"A small change can make a big difference."

A Mothers Love

A Mothers Love
By Author Unknown

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75

Well,his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:
No Charge

For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you:
No Charge

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years:
No Charge

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:
No Charge

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:
No Charge

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is:
No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letter she wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

Aseem Kaistha

It's your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude.

The Brotherhood of Man...

KILL THE ENEMY Two countries were at war for the last so many days. Many soldiers had died in both the armies. The border areas were scenes of death and destruction. Each night the soldiers would return to their barracks, some wounded, some disillusioned and some vengeful. Others were dead and never did return. One such night, a wounded soldier, knocked at a lonesome cottage in the sinister darkness. An old woman opened the door. Without any questions,hesitations or semblance of fear she let the young fellow in.He said brusquely, "I have a bullet in my arm. I need help." She said,"Look son, I am all alone here. My son too is in the army, but he is not here. I'll do whatever I can to help you. Sit down by the log fire and make yourself warm. She brought him some hot tea and a few slices of bread. "Eat," she said simply. The young man sipped the tea, looking around uneasily. He wasn't even sure,if he was in his own territory. Should he ask the old woman? If it was enemy territory, she would surely find a way to kill him! Poison him perhaps! He was totally helpless. He had lost a lot of blood. The old lady said, "Shall I help you to take that shirt off, maybe I could look at the wound." The young soldier winced and said, "Nothing you can do; let it be." But he knew that he needed help and soon. An hour later there was another knock at the door. Another young soldier walked in,"Mama!" he called. "Oh! It's you my son. It's been so many days. I'm so happy to have you home." The son saw the other soldier and said,"Mama! Who is that?" She replied, "Sssh! He's just slept. Be careful, lest you wake him up." The boy said tersely, "He's the enemy Mama! You put us all into danger by letting him in." The mother said, "But, he's wounded badly. Look son, enemy or not, you have to help him." The boy spoke some angry words but she stuck to her stand. The heated exchange of words woke up the soldier. In an instant he saw the new entrant and realized that he was at the mercy of the enemy. The woman said, "This is my son, I'm sure together we can do something for you."The old woman motioned to her son and together they unbuttoned the stranger's torn shirt. Against his wishes, the son, upon his mother's insistence, dug out the bullet amidst a continuous flow of blood. He cleaned it up, applied some ointment and bandaged it. "That's the best I can do. You need to see a doctor." "I'll be on my way now,"said the soldier, making an attempt to get up, but not succeeding. The old woman said firmly,"No way. You're not going anywhere. In the morning, you may go if you wish to. But right now, you are under my care. Sleep now!" In the morning after eating a wholesome breakfast of hot porridge, the soldier said to the old woman, "How can I ever thank you?" She replied,"By Killing the enmity; not the enemy." The soldier was unnerved. He didn't know what to say. Finally he said,"I'll try my best," he extended his hand towards the son, but instantaneously changed the hand-shake into an embrace. The soldier said, "We all need someone like your mother, to tell us that it's the enmity that has to be killed, not the enemy. The 'enemy' is also made of flesh and blood like us and some of them have hearts of gold. I promise to try my best. I hope you will too." The soldier left, but that night he understood the meaning of the term 'brotherhood of man.' He knew that only one weapon was needed to kill all enmities. And that weapon was LOVE.

Could I Be A Grand Canyon?

Could I Be A Grand Canyon?

By Jo Ann Brown

As I sat at the Grand Canyon, we were asked to reflect on what the Grand Canyon said to us. I felt the usual minuteness and the presence and love of God, but I also felt some similarities to my own life. I thought that maybe I could have another perspective. Could I be a Grand Canyon?

The Grand Canyon started out at the bottom of an ocean; even the bottom dwellers were above. I am sure that the angels looked into the canyon and saw only the ocean bottom if they even looked that far. However, God saw the beauty that lay ahead for this bottom of the ocean but it would have to withstand many hardships.

One of the first chapters in the life of the canyon was a volcano. I can compare the volcano to "world rocking" events in my own life. Could the lava be my reactions to those events that changed my world? Could the lava be symbolic to anger, bitterness, and lack of forgiveness? As I remember, the ranger spoke of the river pushing up against the lava. I see that river as God's love. The river continued to push against the lava until it broke through. Does my lava hold back love? Will I allow God's loving river to break through my lava dam to flow freely?

The water eroded the rocks and made the beautiful crevices in the canyon. Also within the water, there were many stones that caused the ridges in the rock. Could the stones be patience, integrity, honesty, and kindness? Will I allow those stones to permanently etch upon my own life? Although the stones were small, I am sure it was somewhat "painful" to be etched upon. Will I allow uncomfortable circumstances to etch character into my life? The river brought beauty to the canyon and made it more interesting.

The next step was the meeting of the two earth plates. As I understand it, the two plates met, maybe the lower plate is my selfishness and the higher plate is God's love. The lower plate submitted to the will of the higher plate, which caused the elevation of the canyon. Again, I would imagine that the collision was painful and earth shattering but without the elevation, there would be no Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is such an inspiration to everyone that comes into contact with it. Their lives are permanently changed having been there. Could I be an inspiration to others? The beauty of the canyon lies deep within. They are not mountains that you can readily see from the surface. You can only really appreciate the beauty, as you get closer to the "heart" of the canyon. Isn't it like that with us? Our beauty lies within but you have to be close to our heart to see it.

The ranger also spoke of the river at the base of the canyon. He told us that the settlers originally thought the river to be 6' wide. As they got closer to the river, they saw the enormity. The actual size was closer to 300'. God is that way to me. He is always enormous, but the closer I get, I see it more clearly. When I distance myself, He only appears to be small.

Could I Be A Grand Canyon? In conclusion, the Grand Canyon changes continuously. When it rains, the weaker rocks or dirt fall off into the river. Do we allow the rain to continually help us to grow and change? Isn't it interesting that the weaker portions fall into the river at the bottom never to be seen again? This continually renews the canyon.

I hope you can see the symbolism in the Grand Canyon and the creation of our lives. Can we be a Grand Canyon if we allow God's love and purpose to rush through and withstand volcanoes of life and stone-life lessons? I pray that as I experience life's lessons that I can be an inspiration to others, and that other's lives will have been enriched by knowing me. I pray that I will continue to grow to be a "grand" person formed with life by the hand of God.