Saturday, 28 May 2022

"Letting go of Resentments"

 



LETTING GO OF RESENTMENTS

A story tells of a merchant in a small town who had identical twin sons. The boys worked for their father in the department store he owned and, when he died, they took over the store.

Everything went well until the day a dollar bill disappeared. One of the brothers had left the bill on the cash register and walked outside with a customer. When he returned, the money was gone.

He asked his brother, "Did you see that dollar bill on the cash register?"

His brother replied that he had not.

But the young man kept probing and questioning. He would not let it alone. "Dollar bills just don't get up and walk away! Surely you must have seen it!"

There was subtle accusation in his voice. Tempers began to rise. Resentment set in. Before long, a deep and bitter chasm divided the young men. They refused to speak.

They finally decided they could no longer work together and a dividing wall was built down the center of the store. For twenty years hostility and bitterness grew, spreading to their families and to the community.

Then one day a man, in an automobile licensed in another state, stopped in front of the store. He walked in and asked the clerk, "How long have you been here?"

The clerk replied that he'd been there all his life.

The customer said, "I must share something with you. Twenty years ago I was riding the rails and came into this town in a boxcar. I hadn't eaten for three days. I came into this store from the back door and saw a dollar bill on the cash register. I put it in my pocket and walked out. All these years I haven't been able to forget that. I know it wasn't much money, but I had to come back and ask your forgiveness."

The stranger was amazed to see tears well up in the eyes of this middle-aged man. "Would you please go next door and tell that same story to the man in the store?" he said.

Then the man was even more amazed to see two middle-aged men, who looked very much alike, embracing each other and weeping together in the front of the store.

After twenty years, the brokenness was mended. The wall of resentment that divided them came down.

It is so often the little things that finally divide people - words spoken in haste; criticisms; accusations; resentments. And once divided, they may never come together again.

The solution, of course, is to let it go. There is really nothing particularly profound about learning to let go of little resentments. But for fulfilling and lasting relationships, letting them go is a must. Refuse to carry around bitterness and you may be surprised at how much energy you have left for building bonds with those you love.

Author Unknown




Saturday, 21 May 2022

" No Admittance " - a story to never give up.

 




NO ADMITTANCE

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the houselights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. And the audience was mesmerized.

Whatever our situation in life and history--however outrageous, however desperate, whatever dry spell of the spirit, whatever dark night of the soul - - God is whispering deep within our beings, "Don't quit. Keep playing. You are not alone, Together we will transform the broken patterns into a masterwork of my creative art. Together, we will mesmerize the world with our song of peace."

Author Unknown


Saturday, 14 May 2022

Life Lessons- add to the list ?

 


Life Lessons - What Could You Add To This List??

·        I've learned that the best teachers are the hands of the elderly.

·        I've learned that when I'm in love, I can't hide it.

·        I've learned that when someone tells me you've brighten up my day, they brighten up mine.

·        I've learned that being kind is more important that having all the reason.

·        I've learned that I can't learn to be wise, but that I must always strive for wisdom.

·        I've learned that I must always accept a present from a child.

·        I've learned that I can always pray for someone when I haven't the strength to help them in another way.

·        I've learned that it doesn't matter how seriously I must face life, I'll always need a friend by my side to act foolishly.

·        I've learned that sometimes everything a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

·        I've learned that I must be glad God didn't give me everything I asked him for.

·        I've learned that money doesn't buy everything.

·        I've learned that the simplest things, everyday, are what make life so wonderful.

·        I've learned that behind the hardest shield there's always someone that needs to be appreciated and loved.

·        I've learned that the Lord didn't make everything in just one day. What does make me think that I can?

·        I've learned that those who ignore reality never change it.

·        I've learned that love and time don't heal all our wounds.

·        I've learned that everyone I greet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

·        I've learned that to live I need to be strong and I'm the strongest one.

·        I've learned that I never lose chances. If I let them go, someone will take them.

·        I've learned that when I hold my sadness, happiness goes and holds someone else.

·        I've learned that I must keep my words soft and sweet. Maybe tomorrow I'll have to chew them and swallow them.

·        I've learned that a smile is the cheapest way to make my appearance better.

·        I've learned that I can't decide how to feel, but I can decide what to do about it.

·        I've learned that we all want to get to the happiness at the top of the mountain, but experience and inner strength are learned as were climbing.

·        I've learned that there are only two situations in which I must give advice: when I'm asked to, and when my life depends on it.

·        I've learned that the real treasures in my life are those that will go to the grave with me.

Author Unknown 




Saturday, 7 May 2022

" Anthem " from Chess - support for Ukraine.


 

Anthem from Chess

https://www.facebook.com/treorchymalechoir/videos/1162158201188522/

 

No man, no madness
Though their sad power may prevail
Can possess, conquer, my country's heart
They rise to fail

She is eternal
Long before nations' lines were drawn
When no flags flew, when no armies stood
My land was born

And you ask me why I love her
Through wars, death, and despair
She is the constant, we, who don't care
And you wonder will I leave her
But how?

I cross over borders but I'm still there now

How can I leave her?
Where would I start?
Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart
My land's only borders lie around my heart



Sunday, 1 May 2022

" I am Thankful "

 We must not become immune to what is happening to the people of Ukraine. This was the home of ordinary people. 



Stop for a moment and Be Thankful for what we have : 



I AM THANKFUL ...

For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, not with someone else.
For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me, and not out at the bars.
For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because that means she is at home, not on the streets.
For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party, because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means that we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.
For the lady behind me in church that sings off key, because it means that I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means that I am alive.

Author Unknown





Forgiveness

  Forgiveness  My father once said, “If they hurt you, forgive them, but never forget what they’ve done.” This has always been a reminder ...