Smiles
Today I smiled, and all at once
Things didn't look so bad.
Today I shared with someone else,
A bit of hope I had.
Today I sang a little song,
And felt my heart grow light,
And walked a happy little mile,
With not a cloud in sight.
Today I worked with what I had
And longed for nothing more,
And what had seemed like only weeds,
Were flowers at my door.
Today I loved a little more
And complained a little less,
And in the giving of myself,
I forgot my weariness.
The Son
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare
works of art.
They had everything in their collection,
from Picasso to Raphael.
They would often sit together and admire
the great works of art.
When the Viet Nam conflict broke out,
the son went to war.
He was very courageous and died in battle
while rescuing another soldier.
The father was notified and grieved
deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there
was a knock at the door.
A young man stood at the door with a large
package in his hands.
He said,"Sir, you don't know me,
but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.
He saved many lives that day,
and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet
struck him in the heart and he died instantly.
He often talked about you, and your love
for art.
The young man held out his package.
"I know this isn't much.
I'm not really a great artist, but I think
your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package.
It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.
He stared in awe at the way the soldier had
captured the personality of his son in the painting.
The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own
eyes welled up with tears.
He thanked the young man and offered to pay him
for the picture.
"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did
for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle.
Every time visitors came to his home he took
them to see the portrait of his son before
he showed them any of the other great works
he had collected.
The man died a few months later.
There was to be a great auction of his paintings.
Many influential people gathered,
excited over seeing the great
paintings and having an opportunity to purchase
one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son.
The auctioneer pounded his gavel.
"We will start the bidding with this picture of the
son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room
shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings.
Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted.
"Will someone bid for this painting?
Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
Another voice shouted angrily.
"We didn't come to see this painting.
We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts.
Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued.
"The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back
of the room.
It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son.
"I'll give $10 for the painting."
Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
"We have $10, who will bid $20?"
"Give it to him for $10.
Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't
someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry.
They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments
for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel.
"Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted.
"Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel.
"I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry.
When I was called to conduct this auction,
I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.
I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.
Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.
Whoever bought that painting would inherit the
entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets every thing!"
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross.
Much like the auctioneer,
His message today is,
"The son, the son, who'll take the son?"
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets
everything.
~A Friend is A Gift from God~
~~Today's Story~~
COLORS
Based on a Native American Legend
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel:
all claimed that they were the best, the most important,
the most useful, the favorite.
GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most important.
I am the sign of life and of hope.
I was chosen for grass, trees, leaves - without me,
all animals would die.
Look over the countryside and you will see that I
am in the majority."
BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the earth,
but consider the sky and the sea.
It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn
up by the clouds from the deep sea.
The sky gives space and peace and serenity.
Without my peace, you would all be nothing."
YELLOW chuckled: "You are all so serious.
I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world.
The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the
stars are yellow.
Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world
starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."
ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength.
I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the
needs of human life.
I carry the most important vitamins.
Think of carrots,pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and pawpaws.
I don't hang around all the time,
but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset,
my beauty is so striking that no one gives another
thought to any of you."
RED could stand it no longer.
He shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you -
I am blood-life's blood!
I am the color of danger and of bravery.
I am willing to fight for a cause.
I bring fire into the blood.
Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon.
I am the
color of passion and of love, the red rose,
the poinsettia and the poppy."
PURPLE rose up to his full height.
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp:
"I am the color of royalty and power.
Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me
for I am the sign of authority and wisdom.
People do not question me - they listen and obey."
Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all
the others, but with just as much determination:
"Think of me. I am the color of silence.
You hardly notice me,
but without me you all become superficial.
I represent thought and reflection, twilight,
and deep water.
You need me for balance and contrast,
for prayer and inner peace."
And so the colors went on boasting,
each convinced of his or her own superiority.
Their quarreling became louder and louder.
Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening -
thunder rolled and boomed.
Rain started to pour down relentlessly the colors
crouched down in fear,
drawing close to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves,
each trying to dominate the rest.
Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose,
unique and different?
Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.
The rain continued :
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch
across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder
that you can all live in peace.
The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."
And so, whenever a good rain washes the world,
and a rainbow appears in the sky,
let us remember to appreciate one another.
What Goes Around Comes Around
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.
One day, while trying to make a living for his family,
he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog.
He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.
There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy,
screaming and struggling to free himself.
Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have
been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the
Scotsman's sparse surroundings.
An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced
himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman.
"You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did,"
the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.
At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door
of the family hovel.
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.
"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal.
Let me take him and give him a good education.
If the lad is anything like his father,
he'll grow to be a man you can be proud of."
And that he did.
In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from
St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London,
and went on to become known throughout the
world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming,
the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken
with pneumonia.
What saved him? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Your Millennium Garden
Plant three rows of peas:
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul.
Plant four rows of squash:
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness.
Plant four rows of lettuce:
Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be happy
Lettuce really love one another.
No garden should be without turnips:
Turnip for service when needed
Turnip to help one another
Turnip the music and dance.
Water freely with patience and cultivate with love.
There is much fruit in your garden
because you reap what you sow.
To conclude our garden we must have thyme:
Thyme for fun
Thyme for rest
Thyme for ourselves.
Pretty nice garden, don't you think?
If I Could
If I could catch a rainbow I would do it just for you and
share with you its beauty on the days you're feeling blue...
If I could build a mountain you could call your very own
a place to find serenity, a place to be alone...
If I could take your troubles, I would toss them in the sea
But all these things I'm finding - are impossible for me.
I cannot build a mountain or catch a rainbow fair
But let me be what I know best -
A friend that's always there.
I call This Page
The Ever Changing page
This Month It Is My Easter Page
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Facts and history of the Canadian 10 Provinces
and 3 Territories
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