Still Standing

BEING A MOTHER...

After 17 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to
take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She
said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves
you and would love to spend some time with you.'
* * *
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit
was my MOTHER, who has been alone for 20 years,
but the demands of my work and my two boys had
made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
* * *
That night I called to invite her to go out for
dinner and a movie.
* * *
'What's wrong, aren't you well,' she asked?
* * *
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a
late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign
of bad news.
* * *
'I thought it would be pleasant to spend some
time with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.'
She thought about it for a moment, and then said,
'I would like that very much.'
* * *
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick
her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her
house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous
about our date. She waited in the door. She had curled her hair and was wearing the
dress that she had worn to celebrate her last
birthday on November 19th.
* * *
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an
angel's... 'I told my friends that I was going to go
out with my son, and they were impressed,' she said,
as she got into that new white van. 'They can't wait to hear about our date'.
* * *
We went to a restaurant that, although not
elegant, was very nice and cozy . My mother took my
arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat
down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only
read large print.. Half way through the entries, I
lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at
me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips 'It was I
who used to have to read the menu when you were
small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and
let me return the favor,' I responded.
* * *
During the dinner, we had an agreeable
conversation- -nothing extraordinary but catching up
on recent events of each other's life. We talked so
much that we missed the movie.
* * *
As we arrived at her house later, she said,
'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me
invite you.' I agreed.
* * *
'How was your dinner date ?'
asked my wife when I got home.
'Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,'
I  answered.
* * *
A few days later, my mother died of a massive
heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't
have a chance to do anything for her.
* * *
Some time later, I received an envelope with a
copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place
mother and I had dined.. An attached note said: 'I
paid this bill in advance.. I wasn't sure that I
could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two
plates - one for you and the other for your wife.
You will never know what that night meant for me.
I love you, son.'
* * *
At that moment, I understood the importance of
saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU' and to give our loved
ones the time that they deserve Nothing in life is
more important than your family. Give them the time
they deserve, because these things cannot be put off
till ' some other time.'
* * *
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back
to normal after you've had a baby..... somebody
doesn't know that once you're a mother,
'normal' is  history.
* * *
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by
instinct ... somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
* * *
Somebody said being a mother is boring .....
somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit
Somebody said if you're a'good' mother,
your child will 'turn out good'....
somebody thinks a child comes with
directions and a guarantee.
* * *
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a
mother.... somebody never helped a fourth grader
with his math.
* * *
Somebody said you can't love the second child as
much as you love the first .... somebody doesn't
have two children
* * *
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother
is labor and delivery....
somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the
bus for the first day of kindergarten....
or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
* * *
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her
child gets married....somebody doesn't know that
marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a
mother's heartstrings.
* * *
Somebody said a mother's job is done when
her last child leaves home.....
    somebody never had grandchildren.
                                    * * *
                 Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so
              you don't need to tell her.....
         somebody isn't a mother.

Be Glad Of Life

by Henry Van Dyke

Be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to look up at the stars;

To be satisfied with your possessions;

To dispise nothing in the world except for falsehood and meaness;

And to fear nothing except cowardice;

To be govern by your admirations rather than by your disgusts;

To convet nothing that is your neighbour's except for his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners;

To think seldom of your enemies and often of your friends;

And to spend as much time as you can with body and with spirit;

These are little guideposts of the footpath to peace.

Thought provoking…..

Can I Borrow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the Man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an Hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish.... I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions.....How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often.    The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked. 'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!'He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.. Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.
 

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love..

 

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours, but the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

From my house to yours

From my home to yours - enjoy.

Thanks

 

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. 
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. 
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind. 
Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack if you help them. 
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth. 
Give the world the best you've got anyway. 

Dr. Kent M. Keith
American Author and Inspirational Speaker
© Copyright Kent M. Keith, 1968

"Soar Like an Eagle"

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is
approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly
to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the
wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm.
While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring
above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses
the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds
that bring the storm. When the storms of life come
upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can
rise above them by setting our minds and our belief
toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We
can allow God's power to lift us above them.
   
God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that
bring sickness, tragedy, failure and  disappointment
in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, if we are really honest to ourselves,
it is not the burdens of life that weigh us
down, it is how we handle them.

-Unknown-

 

You and I

By Deanne Laura Pool

 

Relationships are never

easy, and you and I

have had our share

of struggling and troubled

times, but together we

made it.

 

Together, we cared enough

to face our problems;

we loved enough not to

let go…

 

What we have together is even stronger

because of all we’ve been through,

all we’ve struggled with.

I sometimes worry about the future,

but with you by my side

the future seems much brighter ~

the present more precious,

more meaningful.

 

We need the tears to appreciate the laughter;

we must share our problems to realize

how much we truly need each other ~

to give our love the chance to expand,

to strengthen, to endure.

 

We deserve nothing less than a love

that will remain through all aspects

of our lives.

Together, we will face all obstacles

with confidence

because we already know our relationship

can endure even the worst of times,

as long as we love ~ share ~

and stay together.

Try and Try © By David Cook

I have always seen life for what it really is.
Ever since I was a child growing up, hard times are all I know.

I had to sit back and watch my mother work from sunset to sundown.
I had to sit back and watch my mother work herself to her grave.

Nothing ever came easy for her.
She always had a heart and kept a smile on her face.

Life is like a newborn baby struggling to come out of its mother's womb,
life is a struggle true enough, but after all the struggling you have done,

and after all the hell you have been through, there is success.
Life is nothing but a big struggle, but just keep the faith and focus on your goals.

Don't let life beat you or you will be walking around like zombies.
Keep on pushing, keep on trying, life can be whatever you make it to be.

But life can also be a bowl of cherries with whip cream and apple pie.
I say this again; life is what you make of it.

You can achieve or conquer anything it throws at you,
you can't quit or give up, you have got to keep on working,

look higher some way, some how you are going to make it.

http://www.support4change.com/flash/index.htm

might need a box of tissues for this one.......

Love has never been about the genes,
But about beauty, and unforgiving grace.
The wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus
Had nothing in her heart but wrenching joy. Oh, yes, of course, love also is a means,
Serving the survival of the race.
But more, it is a longing that redeems us,
An end itself no ending can destroy.

And so it is with mothers who love children
Not of their flesh, but of their nurturing.
The origin fades, the years of love remain
Vivid in the background of a life.

For Rome, the wolf will always be its kindred,
Ancestor who took fate's offering
And made it hers through sacrifice and pain,
The legacy that would her long days light.

DOMENICO SCARLLATI

This is a thought my husbands head boss said to him to think about:

"we have another 60 years together so dont let 6 months  ruin it"

If you really truely love each other, despite what kind of situation you are at and you think things can never get any better, have a think of this thought and look deep down in your heart and believe. Marriage is sacred and if there is a slightest chance things will work out, grab the opportunity, as you never know... 6 months is nothing if you really both believe you have another 60 years together. Learning and growing is a process that will never end. And in my situation, I cant believe my husband and i overcome so much, we learn from our mistakes and in a way it has made us a better person...