Food for Thought

[ROBERT M.]

A lovely touching piece Marian I felt sad, but happy at the same time.

[Pam]

Marian,
That is so lovely, I have 3 dogs and 10 cats(so far) waiting for me. by the way did you get my email

[mariana44]

I am glad you llike it-it is supposed to be happy-not sad--but I did have a few tears while reading it. !

No Pam, I did not get your email--contact me via PM instead.

[mariana44]

Just had some sad--not entirely unexpected--news from Jill---she had to take Holly to take Holly to the vet today to be put to sleep.

Originally Holly was responding well to painkillers, but over the last week, it was clear that she was getting much worse, and so Jill had to make the final decision as to the best thing for Holly-who was 15 years old.

I know she was only a little dog, but my sister is distraught, and I am really upset for my sister and little Holly.

Just a little silver lining-Jill still has 2 other dogs at home -Sasha who is 6, and Bella who is just 2.

[Pam]

Oh Mariana, I am so sorry. I know how it feels, I have held all 7 of my cats who have had to be put to sleep over the years. I am sure she will find much comfort in her other 2 dogs, but there will always be a part of her heart that is missing. I have 4 cats now and I get constant joy from them. God gave us pure love in our pets and they are a blessing, cant imagine not having a pet to love.

[mariana44]

Thanks Pam--it is so good to have someone who understands how hard it is to lose a beloved pet.

[Marian]

Very sorry to hear the news about your sister's little dog Marian, I'm sure many of us know how hard it is to lose an animal friend.
Marian

[mariana44]

Thanks Marian--I knew you would know how we are feeling.

[john]

Yes, we were sorry to hear about Holly, Marian. Jill must be absolutely heartbroken.

[mariana44]

Thanks John & Lee. Jill knew she had no alternative, but it is still difficult for her.

[Marian]

For all my friends on the forum..

STRESS who determines it?

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it..
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.'
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
And some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.

* Drive carefully.. It's not only cars that can be
"Recalled" by their maker....

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well..
Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way,
You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live..

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp,
some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird
names, and all are different colors, but they all have
to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have a stress free day, and know that someone has thought about you today... I did ..

[mariana44]

That is very clever, Marian.

[Marian]

I've seen some of these before.. but hopefully some of you might not have done..

A four-year-old child, whose next door
neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his
wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old
gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his mother asked him what he had
said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just
helped him cry.'





*********************************************


Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were
discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture
had a different hair color than the other members. One of her
students suggested that he was adopted.
A little girl said, 'I know all about
adoption, I was adopted..'


'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked
another child.


'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew
in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'


*********************************************


On my way home one day, I stopped to
watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a
park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-
base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was
'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered
with a smile.


'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you
don't look very discouraged.'


'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a
puzzled look on his face...


'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't
been up to bat yet.'


*********************************************


Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot
in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.


Jamie was trying out for a part in the
school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being
in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.


On the day the parts were awarded, I went
with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her,
eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he
shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to
me....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'


*********************************************


An eye witness account from New York
City , on a cold day in December,
some years ago: A little boy,
about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the
roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering
with cold.


A lady approached the young boy and said,
'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'


'I was asking God to give me a pair of
shoes,' was the boy's reply.


The lady took him by the hand, went into
the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks
for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water
and a towel. He quickly brought them to her..


She took the little fellow to the back
part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed
his little feet, and dried them with the towel.


By this time, the clerk had returned with
the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes..


She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No
doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'


As she turned to go, the astonished kid
caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears
in his eyes, asked her.


'Are you God's wife?'


*********************************************

[Gray]

Lovely, Marian

[keithgood838]

HOMESPUN PHILOSOPHY

'Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass ...
It's about learning to dance in it.' - Ed Harrod
(Or listening to Matt Monro's version of singin' in it.)

Keith