Starlight Angel by Dona Gelsinger
Words of Wisdom
"There is never a better measure of what a person is than what he does when he is absolutely free to choose." Wm. Bulger
"If you keep your eyes on the rainbow, you won't mind the rain." G.Zalucki
"The urge toward simplification and order keeps us going and inspires us in the midst of chaos. Chaos is the beginning; simplicity the end." M.C.Escher
Dwell on the past, and you'll lose an eye. Ignore the past, and you'll lose both of them." Old Russian Proverb
"What the Son wishes to forget, the Grandson wishes to remember."Marcus Lee Hansen
A Father's Will
Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his
devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they
traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their
collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others
adorned the walls of their family estate. The widowed elderly man looked on
with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector.
The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his
father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors around the world.
As winter approached, war engulfed their nation, and the
young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, the
elderly man received a telegram that his beloved son was missing in action.
The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see
his son again. Within days his fears were confirmed. The young man had
died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic. Distraught and lonely, the
old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness.
The joy of the season -- a season that he and his son
had so looked forward to in the past -- would visit his house no longer.
On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed
old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only
reminded him that his son was not coming home. He opened the door and was
greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand.
The soldier introduced himself to the old man by saying,
"I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died.
May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you."
As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had
told everyone of his -- and his father's --
love of fine art work. "I'm also an artist," said the soldier,
"and I want to give you this." As the old man began to
unwrap the package, paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son.
Though the world would never consider it a work of genius, the painting
featured the young man's face in striking detail.
Overcome with emotion, the old man thanked the soldier,
promising to hang the portrait above the fireplace. A few hours later,
after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task. True to his
word, the painting went above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of
dollars worth of paintings. And then the old man sat in his chair and
spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given.
During the days and weeks that followed, the man learned
that his son had rescued dozens of wounded soldiers before a bullet
stilled his caring heart. As the stories of his son's gallantry continued to
reach
him, fatherly pride and satisfaction began to ease his grief, as he realized
that, although his son was no longer with him, the boy's life would live on
because of those he had touched. The painting of his son soon became his
most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the priceless pieces for
which museums around the world clamored. He told his neighbors it was the
greatest gift he had ever received.
The following spring, the old man became ill and passed
away. The art world was in anticipation, since, with the old man's passing,
and his only son dead, those paintings would be sold at an auction.
According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned
on
Christmas day, the way he had received his greatest gift.
The day finally arrived and art collectors from around
the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings.
Dreams could be fulfilled this day; greatness could be achieved as some
could say," I have the greatest collection."
The auction began with a painting that was not on any
museum list... It was the painting of the old man's son. The auctioneer asked
for an opening bid, but the room was silent.
"Who will open the bidding with $100?" he asked.
Moments passed as no one spoke. From the back of the room came,
"Who cares about that painting? It's just a picture of his son.
Let's forget it and get on to the good ones."
More voices echoed in agreement. "No, we have to sell
this one first," replied the auctioneer. "Now who will take the son?"
Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. "Will you take
$10 for the painting? That's all I have." "Will anyone go higher?"
called the auctioneer. After more silence he said, "Going once,
going twice... Gone!" The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone
shouted, "Now we can get on with it and bid on these treasures!"
The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that
the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Then someone
spoke up and asked, "What do you mean it's over? We didn't come here for a
portrait of some old man's son! What about all of the other paintings?
There are millions of dollars worth of art work here. We demand an
explanation!" The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple.
According to the will of the
father, whoever takes the son...gets it all."
Just as the art collectors discovered on that day...The
message is still the same...the love of the Father....a Father whose son gave
his life for others...And because of that Father's love...Whoever
takes the Son gets it all.
IF NOAH HAD TO BUILD THE
ARK IN 2000 AD
And the lord spoke to Noah and said, "In six months I'm
going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with
water and all the evil people are destroyed. But I want to
save a few good people, and two of every kind of living thing
on the planet. You are commanded to build an Ark." And in a
flash of lightening, He delivered the specifications for the
Ark. "Okay," said Noah, nervously tumbling with the
blueprints. "Six months, and it starts to rain,"' directed
the Lord. "Please have the Ark completed, or all will be
swimming for a very long time."
Six months passed, the skies clouded up and rain began to
fall. The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard
weeping. And there was no Ark.
"Noah," said the Lord. "Where is the Ark?'
"Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best,
but there were big problems. First, I had to get a
building permit for the Ark construction process, and your
plans didn't meet code. I had to hire an engineer to re-
draw the plans. Then I got in a big fight over whether the
Ark needed a fire sprinkler system. Then my neighbor
objected, claiming I was violating zoning by building the
Ark in my front yard. I had to get a variance from
the City Planning Commission. Then I had problems getting
enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban on cutting
trees to save the spotted owl. I had to convince the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Commission that I needed the wood to save
the owls, but they wouldn't let me catch the owls, so, no
owls. The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike.
I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor
Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or hammer.
Now we have sixteen carpenters going on the boat, but no
owls. Then I started gathering up the animals, and got sued
by an animal rights group. They objected to me taking only
two of each kind. Just when I got the suit dismissed, the
EPA notified me that I couldn't complete the Ark without
filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed
flood plan. They didn't take kindly to the idea that they
had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.
Then the army Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the
proposed flood plan. I sent them a globe. Right now I'm
trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission over how many Croatians I'm supposed
to hire. The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming I'm
trying to avoid paying taxes by leaving the country. And I
just got notice from the state about owing some kind of use
tax. I really don't think I can finish the Ark for at least
another ten years," Noah wailed.
The sky began to clear. The sun began to shine, and a
rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up and smiled.
"You mean you're not going to destroy the earth?" he asked hopefully.
"No," said the Lord sadly. The government already has."
"What I've learned in
Life"
**I've learned that no matter how much I care,
some people just don't care back.
**I've learned that no matter how good a person is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while, and
you must forgive them for that.
**I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping
score.
**I've learned that talking can ease emotional pains.
**I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and
only seconds to destroy it.
**I've learned that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
**I've learned that you can do something in an instant
that will give you a heartache for life.
**I've learned that it's not what you have in your life,
but who you have in your life.
**I've learned that good friends are family members
that we are allowed to choose.
**I've learned that we don't have to change friends if
we understand that friends change.
**I've learned that the people you care most about in
life are taken from you too soon.
**I've learned that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
**I've learned that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are, but we are
responsible for ourselves.
**I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the
best others can do, but to the best you can do.
**I've learned that it's not where I am that is important.
It's where I am going.
**I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there
are always two sides.
**I've learned that it takes a long time to become the
person I want to be.
**I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to
think.
**I've learned that you can keep going long after you
think you cannot.
**I've learned that either you control your attitude, or it
controls you.
**I've learned that heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless
of the consequences.
**I've learned that patience takes alot of practice.
**I've learned that there are people who love you
dearly, but just don't know how to show it.
**I've learned that my best friend and I can do
anything or nothing and have the best time.
**I've learned that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help
you get back up.
**I've learned that there is more of my parents in me
that I thought.
**I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have
the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right
to be cruel.
**I've learned that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want him/her to doesn't mean s/he
doesn't love you with all s/he has.
**I've learned that maturity has more to do with what
types of experiences you've had and what you've
learned from them and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.
**I've learned that you should never tell a child his/her
dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are
more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if
s/he believed it.
**I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven
by someone else. Sometimes you have to learn to
forgive yourself.
**I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is
broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I would like to thank my friends for the inspiration and some of the items that have been included on this page and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.
Dreams midi