There are many stories and thoughts on this page,
please scroll to read them all.

You are Love Movie - beautiful, inspiring!

You are the Light Movie - a wonderful, touching online movie

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love others not because of who they are, but because of who you are when you are with them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your
heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the
world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hold to the vision that life is like
an infinity sign,
wrapping around,
what you do,
what you give,
what goes out,
and comes back to you
in magical ways.
~ Mary Ellen "Angel Scribe" ~
www.AngelScribe.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's a strange thing, you have said it thousands of times I am sure... you will never know what you can do until you try. However the sad truth is, that most people never try anything until they know they can do it."
Bob Proctor, Author and Speaker
~~~~~~~~~~~~

To Have Succeeded - Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wisdom of the Ages

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged
us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around
when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with
a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome.
My name is Rose. I'm 87 yrs. old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she
gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.
She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and
have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be
taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!"
she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a
chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next 3 months we would leave
class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this
"time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily
made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the
attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football
banquet.
I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up
to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped
her 3 x 5 cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and
simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey
is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing
because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving
success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a
dream.

When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking
around who are dead and don't even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are 19 yrs. old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one
productive thing, you will turn 20 yrs. old. If I am 87 yrs. old and stay
in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea
is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for
things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our
daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had
begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the
wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all
you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send his peaceful word of advice to
your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it,
God will bring you through it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Potato Chips

A little boy wanted to meet God.
He knew it was a long trip to where God
lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato
chips and a six-pack of root beer
and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks,
he met an old woman. She was sitting in
the park, just staring at some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase.
He was about to take a drink from
his root beer when he noticed that the old lady
looked hungry, so he offered her some chips.

She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.
Her smile was so pretty that the
boy wanted to see it again, so he
offered her a root beer. Again,
she smiled at him. The boy was
delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating
and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized
how tired he was and he got up
to leave; but before he had gone
more than a few steps, he turned
around, ran back to the old woman, and gave
Her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his
own house a short time later, his
mother was surprised by the look
of joy on his face. She asked him,
"What did you do today that made you so
happy?" He replied, "I had lunch
with God." But before his mother could
respond, he added, "You know what?
She's got the most beautiful
smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant
with joy, returned to her home.
Her son was stunned by the look
of peace on her face and he asked,
"Mother, what did you do today
that made you so happy?" She replied,
"I ate potato chips in the park with God."
However, before her son responded,
she added, "You know, he's much
younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power
of a touch, a smile, a kind word,
a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring, all
of which have the potential to turn a
life around. People come into
our lives for a reason, a season, or
a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
Have lunch with God........bring chips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clay Balls

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a
canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.

They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag
out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would

throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it
cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each
contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels
in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him.

He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or
60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves.
Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of
thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and
we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the
outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.

We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy But we have not taken the time to find the
treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get
to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He
sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins
to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown
away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of
clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Growing Old

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old.
I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old.

Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I
explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it,
and let her know.

Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first
time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be.

Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body - the wrinkles,
the baggy eyes, skin spots and bumps, and the sagging butt. And
often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror,
but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade
my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family, for less gray
hair or a flatter belly.

As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of
myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating
that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly
cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant garde on my
patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I
have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before
they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 AM, and sleep until
noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's,
and if I at the same time wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I will
walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body,
and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the
pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is
ust as well forgotten -- and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your
heart not break when you lose a loved one or when a child suffers
or when a beloved pet dies? But broken hearts are what give us
strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken
is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray
and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves
on my face. So many have never laughed and so many have died
before their hair could turn silver.

I can say "no," and mean it ...,. I can say "yes," and mean it. As
you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what
other people think. I don't question myself anymore. And I've even
earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question . . . .

I like being old. It has set me free! I like the person I have
become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here,
I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying
about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the
earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it
melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was
stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my
husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and
more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical,
wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later.
Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's."
More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every
minute...look at it and really see it .. live it and never give it back.
Stop sweating the small stuff.

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.

Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do
love us.

Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are
doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I
hope you all have a blessed day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stress Management

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." Relax; pick them up later after you've
rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!

And then he shared some 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.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if
you die in the middle of it.

* 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 serve as a warning to others.

* Never buy a car you can't push.

* 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. (And they make
beautiful rainbows as they melt on a school radiator!)

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't Forget - Even Humans act as God's Angels to create miracles

Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about the pastor of his church.

He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid
to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not
come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb,so the pastor decided
that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down,
he could then reach up and get the kitten. That's what he did, all the while
checking his progress in the car.He then figured if he went just a little
bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the
kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke.
The tree went "boing!" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air-out
of sight.

The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people
if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten.

So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping," and went on
about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church
members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see
cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her,
"Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"

She replied, "You won't believe this," and then told him how her little girl
had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days
before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl,
"Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it."

She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her
knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this,
but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue
sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her."

Never underestimate the Power of God and His unique sense of humor or His ability to use regular people to create a miracle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pass It On

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but
even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled
up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering
when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to
help for the last hour or so .. was he going to hurt her? He didn't look
safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He
knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car
where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad
enough.

Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning
his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he
had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began
to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only
just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her
aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she
owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already
imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.

Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him.
This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had
given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and
it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she
saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance
they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and
depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into
the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab
a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her
trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas
pumps.

The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought
a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. she had a sweet smile, one that even
being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the
waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain
and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had
so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.

The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but
the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the
waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be.
Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her
eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I
have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to
serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she
got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money
and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she
and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to
be hard..

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her,
she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna
be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An old Cherokee, teaching his grandson about life:

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority, and ego."

He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love,
hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy,
generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight
is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then
asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take
risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant
hurdle."

George Lucas
Film Director and Producer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* THE FIREMAN *

In Phoenix AZ. a 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who
was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled
with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination.

Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his
dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see
to that. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She
took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about
what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and
wish what you would do with your life?"

"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."

Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make
your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix,
Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as
Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might
be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block
on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than
that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday
morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day.

He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out all
the fire calls, the whole nine yards! "And if you'll give us his
sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire
hat-not a toy one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department
on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're
all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his
fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the
waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of
the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in
heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to
go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines,
the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also
videotaped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that
was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived
three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and
the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one
should die alone, began to call the family members to the
hospital.

Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she
called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send
a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made
his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in
five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the
sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce
over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire
department coming to see one of its finest members one more time.
And will you open the window to his room?"

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the
hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open
window. 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room.
With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and
told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy
looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a
fireman now?"

"Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your
hand," the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and
said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the
angels have been singing." He closed his eyes one last time.

{ Author Unknown }

******************************
ATTITUDE

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably
coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally
blind, recently moved to a nursing home. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, the attendant provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old
having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness
is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...
it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it ..

It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the
difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or
get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the
new day and all the happy memories I've stored away ..... just for
this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account ..... you withdraw from what you've put in."

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

We hope you enjoyed these words of wisdom. If you have some to add to our list please send them to EarthAngelCenter@aol.com

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