Winning for Ourselves.

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.

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle"

Inspiring Story - The Big Rocks in Your Life

A while back I was reading about an expert on subject of time management.

One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."

Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the 'big rocks' in your life?

A project that YOU want to accomplish?

Time with your loved ones?

Your faith, your education, your finances?

A cause?

Teaching or mentoring others?

Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.

Share Love & Touch Other's Hearts.

Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl.
One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery
store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50.

How she wanted that necklace and when she asked her mother
if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty
necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money.

I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home
we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the
necklace. And don't forget that for your birth-day Grandma just
might give you a whole dollar bill, too.

Okay?" Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl neck-lace for her.

Jenny worked on her chores very hard everyday, and sure enough,
her Grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday.
Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls.

How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere -
to kindergarten, bed, and when she went out with her mother to run
errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower -
her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green.

Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up
from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story.
One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have
her tea party outfit,too. Okay?"

"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."

A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse.
Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you
can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons
if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to her father.

"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again
with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."

Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story,

Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling.
"Here, Daddy,"she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her
beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand.

With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he
pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box were real,
genuine, beautiful pearls. He had them all along.

He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give
her the real thing.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up
the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure.
Isn't God good?

Are you holding onto things which God wants you to let go of?
Are you holding onto harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships,
habits and activities which you have become so attached to that it
seems impossible to let go?

Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe
this one thing...................... God will never take away something
without giving you something better in its place.

Remember that the greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch other's hearts.

Motivational Story of 3 Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in a wood. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver, and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree, he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to a shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams, would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenter's, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feedbox that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it held
the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man and He stood and said: "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it carried the King of King's in it's boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of the hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they had prayed for, just not in the way they had imagined.


`Lisa and Jolyn `

The Best is Yet to Come...Keep Your Fork!!!

The sound of Martha's voice on the other end of the telephone always brought a smile to Brother Jim's face. She was not only one of the oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful. Aunt Martie, as all the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope and love wherever she went.

This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to her words.

"Preacher, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you."

"Of course. I'll be there around three, Is that okay?"

As they sat facing each other in the quiet of her small living room, Jim learned the reason for what he sensed in her voice. Martha shared the news that her doctor had just discovered a previously undetected tumor.

"He says I probably have six months to live." Martha's words were certainly serious, yet there was a definite calm about her.

"I'm so sorry to . . . " but before Jim could finish, Martha interrupted.

"Don't be. The Lord has been good. I have lived a long life. I'm ready to go. You know that."

"I know," Jim whispered with a reassuring nod.

"But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want."

The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about Martha's favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared from the five years Jim had been with Central Church.

When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Aunt Martie paused, looked up at Jim with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, "One more thing, preacher. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other."

"A fork?" Jim was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise. "Why do you want to be buried with a fork?"

"I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years," she explained. "I couldn't begin to count them all. But one thing sticks in my mind.

"At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, `You can keep your fork.' And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming!

"It didn't mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don't need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come!

"That's exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral.
Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together. That would be nice.

"But when they walk by my casket and look at my pretty blue dress, I want them to turn to one another and say, `Why the fork?'

"That's what I want you to say. I want you to tell them that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come."


- By Roger William Thomas
from A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Life is Beautiful...

Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of his followers very much because he was very wise and always gave very useful advice. Therefore the king took him along wherever he went.

One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was injured and the wound was getting worse. He asked the follower if that was a bad sign. The follower said, 'Good or bad, hard to say'. In the end, finger of the king was too bad that had to be cut. The king asked the follower again if that was a bad sign. Again, the follower gave the same answer, 'Good or bad, hard to say'. The king became very angry and sent the follower to prison.

One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got excited when he was on the chase of a deer. Deeper and deeper he went inside the jungle. In the end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make things worse, he got captured by the native people lived inside the jungle.

They wanted to sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that the king had one finger short, they released him immediately as he was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for sacrifice. The king managed to get back to his palace after all. And he finally understood the follower's wise quote, 'Good or bad, hard to say'. If he hadn't lost one finger, he could have been killed by the native people.

He ordered to release the follower, and apologized to him. But to the king's amaze, the follower was not mad at him at all. Instead, the follower said, 'It wasn't a bad thing that you locked me up.' Why? Because if the king hadn't locked the follower up, he would have brought the follower along to the jungle. If the native found that the king was not suitable, they would have used the follower. Again, the quote 'Good or bad, hard to say' stands.

The moral of the story is that everything that happens in this world, there is no absolute good or bad. Sometimes good things turned out to be bad things eventually, while bad things become a gain.

Whatever good things that happen to you, enjoy it, but don't have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a surprise in your life.

Whatever bad things that happen to you, don't have to feel too sad or despair, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all. If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier.

Enjoy life!

The Present

In a university commencement address several years ago, Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises, spoke of the relation of work to one's other commitments:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back."

"But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

"How?

-Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

-Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

-Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

-Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

-Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

-Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

-Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

-Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

-Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

-Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

-Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

-Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

-Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

-Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today is a gift: that's why we call it The Present.

- Jennifer