Ugly

Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and shall we say, love.

The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye, and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot has appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner.

His tail has long age been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, and even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. “That’s one UGLY cat!!”

All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness.

Whenever he spied children, he would come running meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If ever someone picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.

One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor’s huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly’s sad life was almost at an end.

Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. “I must be hurting him terribly,” I thought. Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear.

Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.

At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.

Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly.

Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply.

It was time to give my all to those I cared for. Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be like Ugly.

-by Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Just Five More Minutes

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

“That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.”

The man smiled and said, “OK.”

“My, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play.”

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?
Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today!

-by Author unknown, Source Unknown

It Is...

It's nice to know that you're secured with that someone. That even if the rain is pouring hard and the sky is almost dark, he'll never leave you just so you won't feel alone. Even if his friends had left him (and even if he has to be somewhere else) he'd still stay by your side, just so you won't feel alone.

It's so good to know that you have someone who'll be willing to help you cope up in every frustrations you're having. Every depressing moments, every down moments, every self-worthless-realization moments, he'd be there, not because you want someone to be with you, but because he wants to be with you.

It's great to know when a person appreciates every little thing you do. Even a smile would mean a lot to him, just because you own that smile. And that even if no words are expressed as long as the eyes understand, you'd be able to communicate, just like that.

It's overwhelming when a person tells you that he loves you for who you are. He may not have an answer when you ask him why, but really, he doesn't have to have reasons for loving you.

It's more grateful to know that someone is grateful to have you. We don't choose the people who enter our lives, so it must be luck that you have that person, then you have to be thankful. It may just be coincidence or fate, but whatever the reason is, you have to be thankful in having him the same way he is thankful for having you.

It's a wonderful feeling when you're on the verge of giving up the things you've worked hard for, someone isn't just helping you carry the weight on your shoulders, but he carries it on his own because he'd also be in pain when you are in pain. And then you'll realize, trials would all be worth it as long as you have him, not because he would do things for you, but because you gather all the strength you need, in him and his love.

It's a superb feeling when one is willing to take the risks just so you'll be happy. Unselfishness rule in him just so happiness would take over you.

It's a nice feeling that when you're apart, and days seem to be long, that person misses you. Yes, you might feel bad about not being with each other, but knowing that you feel the same way would drive those blues away, thinking, you'd fight over that feeling because you're looking forward to seeing each other, and that's something to be happy about.

It's a great feeling when he wants to be with you because of the happiness you have when you're together. That even if corny jokes and senseless stories are told, it won't matter as long as you're together.

It's a lovely feeling when someone thinks about your future, with or without him. He cares and he cares enough to think of you and what you'll be someday. But of course, he also wants to be in it someday.

It's a nice feeling when you can be who you really are with that person. No pretentions, no lies, no hypocrisy, because he accepts you for who you are. You can be funny, you can be embarrased, but it won't matter coz it doesn't matter to him. Trust and faith in each other keeps you alive. And it will always do.

It's good to know that you have someone who'll not have the intentions of breaking your heart. Instead, he would be willing to mend it, picking up the broken pieces of your heart that your past love have scattered in the ground. He may not be able to put the pieces back to where they really belong, but you shouldn't mind, because he had repaired that heart of yours, and he fixed it in his own way. He loves you in his own way, not the way your past did. He fixed your heart in a different way, to keep you from feeling the pains of your past heartache and to make you feel, the love, that he's unselfishly giving.

It's a great feeling when that person has every effort to let you feel what he feels for you. Because of the distractions, you may not hear him shout it to the world, but as long as you feel it, his efforts has paid off, big time. And when you feel the same way too... He'd feel as if he's the luckiest person alive.

... when in fact, you're more blessed to have him.

-by Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Do Not...

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.. Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life. Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.... Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly. Do not dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose. Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Have a wonderful day.

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Letting Go Of Regrets To Make Better Choices

Conceptualizing is always the best way to determine each choice that you make. When you do this, you have to visualize the possible outcome or circumstances that might occur if you make that choice.

There are many different possible circumstances to each choice. The best choices are always made when you are being honest to yourself and to others. If you happen to make any other choice, it will surely not flow consistently and in a normal pattern, therefore the results will not be consistent and normal. The determination of these factors is something only you can control at the given moment, and each moment varies in complexity.

We have all made disastrous decisions in our lifetimes and I am sure that there may be some regrets that are attached to those decisions.

You shall not let these past decisions affect you anymore. The energy that is attached to your regrets will encompass any of your future choices and will assure the same type of results. Letting go of such regrets will allow you to move forward by giving yourself a level of self-forgiveness.

The act of self-forgiveness lets you grow forward and even if you affected others with this decisions that you have made, your individual growth and forgiveness will be a positive energy that everyone will notice while in your company.

One will say, "They have changed", and the circumstances of your new, positive, self-appreciating self will only get better in time.

A Prayer of a Dying Child

I woke up one morning and I was 17,
I knew the day had come
The day I prove to everyone how cool I was
The day I accepted death as my destiny

Little did I know I would regret that day
And my family who kept me alive for 17 years
Would be cursed by me for years of never ending pain

Without thinking I lit the cigarette
I knew it had to be done before the day was over
I coughed a little but I was fine

Now as I lay in bed coughing and choking
My family is beside me
My parents and my sister
I whisper in my sister's ear
"Please don't do what I did"
She just nodded her head in silence

Now as my angel holds me in his arms
I know it's time for me to go
I close my eyes and kiss him one last time
It's funny how we resent those who try to help us when we're alive
And how we beg them to save us when we're about to die
All this because of one silly cigarette
All this because someone was dumb enought to say that
Smoking is cool...

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Always Changing

Please excuse me if I'm a little pensive today.

Mark is leaving, and I'm feeling kind of sad.

You probably don't know Mark, but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him. He's been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years, combining exemplary professional skills with a sweet nature and gentle disposition. He's never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does. He just wants to do his job, and to do it superbly well.

And now he's moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity. It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime, and we're genuinely, sincerely pleased for him. But that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague.

Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation, something comes along to alter the recipe. A terrific neighbor moves away. Someone in the family graduates. A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage. The family's principle bread-winner is laid off.

Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines, to a great degree, our peace, happiness and contentment in life.

But how do we do that? Philosophers have considered the question for centuries, and their responses have been varied. According to the author of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, comfort can be found in remembering that "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Kahlil Gibran urged his listeners to "let today embrace the past with remembrance, and the future with longing."

A friend of mine who works for the government is fond of reminding his fellow bureaucrats that "survivability depends upon adaptability." And then there's Chris, the California surf-rat, who once told me that the answer to life's problems can be summed up in four words: "Go with the flow."

"It's like surfing," Chris explained. "You can't organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride 'em where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you're always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get, like, you know, totally tubular. But mostly you just take 'em the way they come. It's not like you're trying to nail Jell-O to a tree, you know?"

I'm not exactly sure, but I think Chris was saying that life is a series of events -- both good and bad. No matter how deft your organizational skills, there will always be life-influencing factors over which you have no control. The truly successful person expects the unexpected, and is prepared to make adjustments should the need arise -- as it almost always does.

That doesn't mean you don't keep trying to make all your dreams come true. It just means that when things come up that aren't exactly in your plan, you work around them -- and then you move on. Of course, some bumps along the road of life are easier to take than others. A rained-out picnic, for example, is easier to cope with than the sudden death of a loved one. But the principle is the same.

"Change, indeed, is painful, yet ever needful," said philosopher Thomas Carlyle. "And if memory have its force and worth, so also has hope."

We're going to miss Mark, just like you'll miss that graduate, that neighbor or that newlywed. But rather than dwell on the sadness of our parting, we'll focus on our hopes for a brighter future -- for him, and for us. And then we'll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen.

Until our plans change -- again.

-by: Joseph Walker, , Source Unknown

Are You Blessed?...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness..........you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation.......you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace....... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married........you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful.....you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you prayed yesterday and today........you are in the minority because you believe God does hear and answer prayers.

If you can read now, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Life Is All About Choices

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life." I reflected on what Michael said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "... the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'." Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!" MORAL OF THE STORY: Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. LIVE IS ABOUT THE LITTLE CHOICES WE MAKE EVERY DAY ! by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

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Life Is Wonderful

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help."

There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were u the one who changed my sign this morning? What did u write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what u said but in a different way."

What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day & I cannot see it."

Do you think the first sign & the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

Be thankful for what you have.

Be creative.

Be innovative.

Think differently and positively.

Invite the people towards good with wisdom.

Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When Life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

Face your past without regret.

Handle your present with confidence.

Prepare for the future without fear.

Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs.

Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve.

Life is wonderful if you know how to live. Each day is as special as you want it to be………MAKE IT GREAT

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

To My Friends Who Are...

To My Friends Who Are........... SINGLE

Love is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you just let it fly, it will come to you when you least expect it. Love can make you happy but often it hurts, but love's only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it. So take your time and choose the best.

To My Friends Who Are............ NOT SO SINGLE

Love isn't about becoming somebody else's" perfect person." It's about finding someone who helps you become the best person you can be.

To My Friends Who Are............ PLAYBOY/GIRL TYPE

Never say "I love you" if you don't care. Never talk about feelings if they aren't there. Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart. Never look in the eye when all you do is lie. The cruellest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall in love when he doesn't intend to catch her fall and it works both ways...

To My Friends Who Are............ MARRIED

Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry" not "where are you', but "I'm right here" not "how could you", but "I understand" not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are."

To My Friends Who Are............ ENGAGED

The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together but how good you are for each other.

To My Friends Who Are............ HEARTBROKEN

Heartbreaks last as long as you want and cut as deep as you allow them to go. The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them.

To My Friends Who Are............ NAIVE

How to be in love: Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.

To My Friends Who Are............ POSSESSIVE

It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.

To My Friends Who Are............ AFRAID TO CONFESS

Love hurts when you break up with someone. It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you. But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.

To My Friends Who Are............ STILL HOLDING ON

A sad thing about life is when you meet someone and fall in love only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it. If he isn't worth it now he's not going to be worth it a year or 10 years from now. Let go.....

-by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

I Would Like To Be...

MOONLIGHT....

In order to enlighten the nights of misunderstood lovers

SILENCE...

In order to silence the voices that turmoil people’s hearts

DAWN...

In order to bring one more day of happiness

LIGHT...

For all those who live their lives in darkness

NIGHT...

In order to cuddle those who strive all day long

LIFE...

So that all those who are dying... may be reborn again

A TEAR...

So insensitive hearts can also cry

A SMILE...

In order to sweeten bitter lips

LOVE...

In order to unite people... and let them know that I am just one of them...

In fact...

I would just like to be a small hummingbird... So I could fly into your home through an open window, surprise you with a hug, and wish you a beautiful day.

- by Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Most Popular Vs The Right Decision

Please read it as it show's our very own Professional Life.

Really a GOOD ONE...

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.

The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make........ ........

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track!

Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

"Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.

-by Author Unknown, Source Unknown

True Love Lost, the Best Pain I've Ever Felt

I met the most beautiful special women in the world completely by chance. I was on a military deployment in Hungary; she is an American English teacher who was there teaching Hungarian high school students American literature and English.

We met early on in our yearlong travel and drifted into love so quickly and decisively I didn't realise the brevity of our relationship. It was as if I had known her and she had known me since we were children and we fit so snugly together like two pieces of a puzzle. It was as if I was waiting for her all of my short 20-year life. If our paths didn't cross there I would be in constant search of her magnificence until we met.

She had been previously married and from that marriage came a wonderful intelligent child who was a 9-year-old at the time. He did nothing but enhance the love that we felt for each other. He was the glue that slid between the minuscule cracks in our puzzle.

The three of us spent everyday and night enjoying our unique and remarkable situation. We spent our days enriched with Hungarian culture and our nights dancing in each other's arms, eyes, and hearts. The mere thought of a gaze into her eyes made me soar into the heavens, I was on top of the world. How, why, was I so lucky to have met her, the one, my Ellen Olenski (character from: The Age of Innocence)! The only woman in the world that could take me beyond my greatest potential as a human was in my life. I could do anything because of her!

The three of us travelled through Hungary together; Pecs, Budapest, Mohacs, Fonyod; and we travelled Europe together; Berlin, Munich, Vienna. We enjoyed the beautiful cities, buildings, and people we met along the way in the fashion they should be enjoyed. We shared these moments with each other, the people who in our lives we loved, adored, and cherished. The people who alter your life in such great positive ways. I was with two of those great people!

Our trip ended, but more great times were to come...

We came home, I to Pennsylvania, and she and her son to Virginia. We shared the love we felt for each other with our family and friends who we missed so much over the course of a year. We told them of our convictions for each other and that we would be together for life. My amazement in who she is and what she has accomplished continued to grow beyond its bounds.

I at 20-years-old was not complete with college and returned along my previous path. She did the same and resumed her position as a High school English teacher. Now we could see each other only on weekends and holidays. Every hour I spent on the four-hour drive to see her was nothing because of the excitement and joy that she brought me. Every penny that I spent when I called her could have been a dollar and I would not have come close to paying the price of hearing her voice. I helped her with her dog, house projects, her son, daily chores, and her parents whenever I could. The simplicity of sitting down to a meal was irreplaceable because of the two people I would sit with.

Time went on...

She was 29, I was 21, and her son was 10. A brief year and a half since the most wonderful day in my life had passed, the day I met her.

Life seemed to be crushing in on her. She felt as if she always had something to prove because of being a young mother with a failed marriage. (These feelings will always be infested in her.) Work became difficult and frustrating for her. She was trying to sell her town house and move to the country. Her son was more than a handful since she was still raising him alone after ten years. Her mother got cancer. She finally admitted to herself that she was a bulimic and had been for five long years. (Something I had no idea or evidence of.)

She knew in her heart that she loved me. She knew that I loved her. Life was hard for her and I could not understand how hard it was even as hard as I tried. She struggled financially and emotionally for years and felt as if she had gone nowhere and still had a mountain ahead of her to climb. She needed to be happy. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was hurt a person she cared so deeply for. I was 21 and she was 29. She had a son who I was only 11 years older than. I had to complete two years of school and hope to get a job near where she lived. I was four hours driving from her. What could I do if she really needed me in an emergency? How could I possibly help her with raising and disciplining her son? I was mature for 21, but I had much to see and learn. I had not experienced enough of life's trials and joys.

She felt as if she could not marry me as we had planned. She thought that she pulled me down and I wouldn't reach the levels and dreams I had hoped for if I stayed with her. She thought I was missing out on "my college years". She thought it would be difficult for me to be in charge of her son because we are so close in age. She thought I should not be forced to hold such a responsibility. She had many personal problems to sift through and solve and saw me as a grain of sand in those gears because I could not physically support her the way she needed. As she put it she didn't want to, "ruin my life," with all of her problems.

She left me very abruptly for the obvious noble reasons. She wanted the best for both of us. In her mind to leave me would be the only way to accomplish this. We never fought and we always enjoyed each other's company, even until the very end.

I will always love and admire her. There will never be a day that I don't think of her and her son and hope that they are happy. I will pray for them always. It is painful, and I don't understand why life stabs and picks and shoots people apart. I am here for both of them forever, and hope that our paths can cross once again.

But in all of my tears, frustration, and pain I thank her, her son, and most importantly I thank God for allowing me both the chance and the ability to love with such intensity and sincerity. I don't know what the future holds, but I am forever better because of her true love.

-by R.J. Misero, Source Unknown

What Are Your Goals, Dreams and Visions?

So many people just exist; they have no goals, desires or aspirations. They may have been ambitious at one time in their life but ran into disappointments, detours and failures. After awhile they chose not to reach for the stars and settled for the mundane.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, Painter, sculptor, architect and poet once said: "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

In most instances, that which lies within each of us is much more than we ever come to know. We give in to mediocre and find ourselves settling for less than we are capable of.

We dared to dream as children and then meet up with real life as adults and relinquish our visions as unreal possibilities. It is a shame we often cease living, learning and achieving and meet a premature demise. We become comfortable in less and determine the work to become more is not worth the effort. The possibility of attaining greatness becomes an unattainable desire of our own decision. We give up on ourselves and our dreams and possibilities. Oh, what greatness goes undiscovered, what possibilities lay covered with fear and lack of ambition.

Perhaps you have run into people who lacked faith in you, and your abilities, putting doubt on any dreams or visions you shared with them. You are not the observation others have of you; you are the thoughts you have, the actions you take. Others are not in control of your dreams and visions; they can not diminish your desires. You alone are in charge of what you do with your life.

Some dreams and visions may be selfish ambition and you'll run into other people's resentments. Some of your achievements may be growth, and others may demonstrate jealousy. Some desires may include a few other people, but benefit many. We should choose our aspirations carefully and determine their merit before we bring them into fruition. For dreams that see mountaintops benefit others, are seen by many, and last through the years.

Many of our achievements are the legacy we leave behind when we depart this earth. But many people never live the legacy they want to leave. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once said, "Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out."

We should always sit goals, and we should desire to continue to achieve and pursue dreams and visions no matter our age. Dreams are not just for the young. Achievements in life should continue until life has ended.

We need to learn to live life to the fullest until our last breath. We should live while we are alive, leaving our demise filled with so many meaningful breaths of living, others will envy the life that we lead, not the things that we accumulated.

No one would attempt to go on a trip without directions or a map, following the roads leading to their destination. So we should not live our life without sitting goals and following our dreams.

Remember you have not reached your destination until you have drawn your last breath. And remember today's actions are the ingredients of which dreams are made. So make your dreams come true by sitting goals and acting on your passions and visions, making them a part of your life and future legacy that will live on. "Things" will be forgotten but you through your achievements can live on forever.

-by Betty King, Source Unknown

What Life Means To Me

I may still be young and naïve but I believe that life is worth everything. For me, it's not just about having a relationship, companionship, good friends or maybe a job that you like, if you are lucky. Some people will settle for things like this because for them, it's by far the best it can get. For me, that's not all you get from this world.

I believe in harps and violin and thunders and lightning. I believe in being in love and not just a mere accord of comfort for two people. I believe in "being in love" with my partner, not just "loving" him.

Life is worth so much. Life is more than spending endless hours in the gym and eating carrot and celery sticks just to seek approval from others. It is not about basing my everyday existence an eternal word of wisdom of long-dead self proclaimed philosophers and saints. My life is not about living somebody else's dreams and beliefs but my own.

Life is so much more than merely pursuing the norms of the society but trying to be a good person in my own accord. It is not about wildly chasing dreams to be superior over others. It's more about long walks down serene green meadows drowned in my own thoughts. It's more about feeling the wind hit my face, as I traverse my bicycle down the lane.

Life is about passion, freedom and love. I will only walk this road once; I might as well make the most of it.

-by Katherine Whellams, Source Unknown

a Divorce Story

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle ofspring-water. When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left. When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked. People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move. A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back. Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a pricet hat was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork. A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving companies pack everything to take to their new home........ . And to spite the ex-wife; they even took the curtain rods!!!!!! -by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

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How to Thank Someone

Thanking somebody is more than a customary gesture... It will earn respect and a feeling of true appreciation from the recipient of your gratitude. They will know they made the right choice, and you will feel less indebted, but equally as grateful.

Steps

- Swallow your pride.

You may be less inclined to thank somebody if you feel as if you deserved whatever they did for you. On the other hand, do you remember being thanked for something that you considered to be routine? It creates satisfaction for the giver of an item or reaction that you are openly admitting that you appreciate their efforts and time.

- Don't overdo it.

Telling somebody thank you for every little thing will lessen the impact of a genuine show of appreciation. Just like, "I love you," use it sparingly, intensely, and not passively or cordially. Getting a person's eye contact is a small gesture to ensure appreciation and truth in giving your thanks.

- Don't forget.

Put yourself in the position of the person who has done the thing worth receiving thanks for. Several times per day, somebody is doing something for you, if it's their job or duty, or just a gift of time and attention, it's something for you. Always remember that. For example, finish your emails with "Thank you for your time and attention" because you genuinely appreciate the fact that somebody has taken the time to read your email and perhaps honor a request or acknowledge some information.

- Put it in writing.

If someone has given you a gift or invited you into their home, take the time out afterward to write a simple thank- you note and send it by old- fashioned snail mail.

- Change your wording.

Try phrases such as, "I appreciate that," "That was nice of you/kind of you," and "I owe you one," preceding "Thank you" or "Thanks."

- Be specific.

Tell the person how what they did or what they gave you will make your life more fulfilling. For example, if someone gave you a digital camera, in addition to saying "thank you," say: "This will be perfect for taking pictures of our new baby. I've been dying to send pictures to our friends by e-mail, and now I finally can."

Tips

Don't use "thank you." Be thankful.

Ask a close friend or family member to tell you the last time somebody thanked them for something, and remember what that means the next time you're out of the house.

Even when you miss an opportunity to thank someone, feel the respect for what that person or those people did for you. Get into the habit of appreciating other people doing things for you.

-by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Tomorrow is Not Promised

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are and who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be: your neighbor, child, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you and at the time they seem painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential strength, will power, or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.

Without these small tests, whether they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere, safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life and the successes and downfalls you experience create who you are, and even the bad experiences can be learned from, In fact, they are probably the poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart...

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again...

Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen, let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high...

Hold your head up because you have every right too. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself... for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either. You can make of your life anything you wish.

Create your own life and then go out and live in it! "Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last... Tomorrow is Not Promised"

-by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

What Goes Around Comes Around

He was tired and aching and on his way home from a long day at work, so 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 old Pontiac was still sputtering as 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. 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, "Pass it on." 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: "This isn't a tip, it's a gift. You don't owe me anything. Somebody once helped me out and if you feel you want to pay me back, don't let this chain of love end with you, pass it on." 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 to closing time. 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 gentle kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything' s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson." There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." -by an Unknown Author, Source Unknown

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The Best Time of my Life

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, "What was the best time of your life?"
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, "Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
"When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.
"When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.
"And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."


-by Joe Kemp, A 5th Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul

She Didn't Have to Say a Word

You have no idea what this has meant to me. All these years I never thought you were even interested in what I had to say," the old man told them.
It's my get away. You heard me mention it before. My favorite restaurant for a good old clog your heart breakfast of eggs, home fries, and bacon. Oh yes. Whole wheat toast to make it healthy.
I find the most incredible people and stories in restaurants. Think about it. It's your family dinner table removed from your kitchen and placed in a public area. Like home, but better. Somebody else is cooking and doing the dishes.
So scattered all around me are families having dinner, friends catching up with the latest news, business meetings and people like me just there to relax. Oh, of course. Great conversation.
Except in the booth across from me. Silence.
When I first sat down there two men sitting together quietly. One man appeared to be in his thirties. He was dressed in some old work clothes and still wearing his baseball cap. The other man I would guess was about 80. He had the most incredible face. The lines and creases gave him character. His white hair was messy from wearing a stocking cap he held on top of the table. He wore one of those red plaid shirt jackets that you might see on a construction worker. Heavy enough to keep you warm while you're moving about, but not too bulky to limit your movement.
But he didn't look like he was going anywhere. Neither was this conversation.
"Boy, I really worked up a hunger today, Pop. All that shoveling and sweeping the snow will do that," the younger man said.
"Yeah, this is somethin'," replied the old man.
Silence followed for the longest time.
Suddenly I heard the young man say, "Here they come," as he pointed toward the doorway.
He almost looked relieved. Somebody who would join in and help get this conversation going.
It appeared to me that the two people who joined them were a mother and teenage grandchild. The woman sat next to the younger man and Pop stood up to let the grandchild slide in place.
"Hello, Dad. Good to see you!" she said as she sat down.
"Yep!" the old man replied.
Silence. Even longer gaps than before.
"I feel real good," the old man said proudly.
"Oh, you look good Dad," the younger man said. Then one by one the others agreed.
Silence.
The waitress approached and took their breakfast orders.
Grandpa excused himself. "Gotta go to the bathroom. It happens a lot when you're old," he said.
As soon as he was out of sight, the younger man said, "God, I don't know what to say to him. We just sit here looking around. He never talks."
"I know what you mean. God what do you say?" the woman added.
"He's old. What do you talk about with an old man?" the kid joined in.
Oh, no. Here I go. I can't just sit here and listen to this. I'm going to say something, swallow hard and wait to see if they tell me it's none of my business.
"Ask him about his childhood," I said as I continued eating.
"What? Pardon me? Were you talking to us, sir?" the woman asked.
"Yes. It's really not my business, I know. But do you realize what he has to offer you? Can you even begin to understand what this man has seen in his lifetime? He most likely has answers to problems you haven't even discovered as problems in your life. He's a gold mine!" I said.
Silence again.
"Look, talk to him about his childhood. Ask him what the snows were like back then. He'll have a million stories to share. He's not talking because no one is asking," I told them.
Just then he came walking around the corner.
"Oh, boy. I feel much better now. You know I haven't been goin' good in a while," the old man told them.
They all turned and looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders. Okay. So old people also talk about the facts of life. And going or not going is a major thing when you're old. You take the good with the bad.
After a long silence the young girl said, "Paw Paw. When you were a kid were the snows this bad?"
"Gees, honey. This is nothing like the snows I had when I was a kid. Did I ever tell you about the snow storm that covered my house?" he asked.
"No, Pop. I don't think I ever heard that one myself," said the younger man.
Now for the next twenty minutes the old man was in his glory. At one point he even stood up to show them how high the one snow drift was. Throughout the entire meal everyone chimed in with more questions. They laughed and he lit up like he was on stage and the play he was acting in was his life story.
Just as I was about to leave I heard the old man say, "You have no idea what this has meant to me. All these years I never thought you were even interested in what I had to say."
"Oh..... well, I guess we just didn't think you wanted to talk," the woman said.
"Well nobody bothered to ask me anything. I just figured I was boring or somethin'. It's been a tough life you know. Ever since Ma Ma died I really had nothing to say." He paused for a moment. I could see him nervously wringing his rough life worn hands together.
"You see, her and I were like a song. I made the music and she...she was the words," he said.
Like tough guys of his time are supposed to do, he held back any visible emotion, sniffled and wiping his eye he said, "No sense talkin' if you ain't got the words."
As I turned to walk away I looked across the table. I saw the young girl wave and smile at me as she put her arm around Paw Paw's shoulders.
She didn't have to say a word.

-by an Unknown Author, Souyrce Unknown

The Window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.


-by Unknown