The Faith of a Child

[From my email files, a bit of inspiration to brighten your day!]

-----
A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even.. The total had to be exactly perfect.. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.'

'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.

'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?'

'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.

'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'

'I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money..'

'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago .

'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audible.

'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.'

'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers..'

He took her money in one hand and with he other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.

'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?'

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost....one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child.

-----

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Opportunity

The Weeds

June 18, 2010

Weeds always amaze me at their tenacity and adaptability for survival.  Regardless of what chemicals are sprayed on them or how often they are pulled up, they come back and with all their relatives and reinforcements.  They take root in the tiniest of cracks and crevices in some of the strangest locations.  Weeds never miss an opportunity to take root!  This is a valuable lesson to take over into daily living, setting up roots where we can, never giving up and always taking advantage of the opportunities that come our way.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

I Wish You Enough

[from my email files.  I have taken the liberty of adding a custom made graphic that is © by me but do not know the author of the inspirational piece so have marked it as author unknown.]

---- 

Recently I overheard a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'

'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'..

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.

'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'

He began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone...' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

He then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.

Only if you wish, send this to the people you will never forget and remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you. If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE....

To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH.

-----
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Can I Borrow $5

[from my email files]

-----

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

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

MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the woman.

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

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

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

MUM: 'If you must know, I make $20 an hour.'

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

SON: "Mummy, may I please borrow $5?"

The mother 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 woman 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 woman had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $5 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' She asked.

'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the boy

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $5 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The woman 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 mother.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Mummy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow.
I would like to have dinner with you.'

The mother was crushed. She put his arms around her little son, and she 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 $20 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.

-----

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

I Wrote Your Name

[from my email files, image and author unknown; the instructions are send this to everyone you love]

---

I wrote your name on a piece of paper, but by accident I threw it away.
I wrote your name on my hand, but it washed away.
I wrote your name in the sand, but the waves whispered it away.
I wrote your name in my heart, and forever it will stay.

~ author unknown

---
Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Deserata

Deserata

Go placidy amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and agressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism

Be yourself, especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it transcends time and space.

Take kindly to the councel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome disipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labours and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Take care.
Strive to be happy.

Found in Old St. Paul's Church, Baltimore ~ circa. 1692. The author is unknown.

----
Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

World's Oldest Blogger Dies

The world's oldest blogger passed away on July 12, 2008. Olive (Ollie) Rily of Australia and author of the blog The Life of Rily was 108. Eric Shackle, a long time friend, encouraged Ollie to start a blog after he discovered Maria Amelia aged 95 blogging in Spain. Ollie began blogging 15 months earlier and became an inspiration for elderly folks everywhere learning to use computers and the internet. The interesting thing is Ollie never actually worked the computer or posted a blog herself. Instead she retold stories of her life and Mike Rubbo did the actual computer work for her. Eric blogged for her shortly before her death on a temporary blog World's Oldest Blogger when the main blog could not be accessed. It is here where Ollie's last blog entry Settling In was posted on June 26, 2008. On July 10 Eric made an entry to say Olive was seriously ill followed by the final entry on July 12 to say she had passed away. Mike has posted a further entry on the main blog. No further entries will be made but comments will be approved and posted by Mike as soon as possible. If you get a chance do stop by and read this remarkable blog. Olive's main blog can be difficult to access because of the heavy demand right now so you may have to try a few times. What a wonderful legacy she has left for her children and grandchildren!


Garden Gnome
©2006-2008

Do You See the Baby?

If you can't see the baby in the picture, don't give up.
It's really cool when it actually appears.
This is not a joke and ~ NO ~ Nothing is going to jump out at you!

You have to have an open mind.
Don't look for a Baby, and you will see the Baby!

Once you see it you won't see anything else!!!

This is so cool. Do you see the baby?

author unknown, image source unknown
If you know the author or image source, please let me know so I can acknowledge accordingly.

Determination

Determination is one of my personal values so when I saw this blinkie I just knew I had to use it. Just when you think you have life figured out it will through you a curve ball. How you handle that curve ball and your reaction can be either positive or negative. The important thing when life throws you a curve ball is to never give up on yourself! Know that you have the inner strength and determination to get though any of life's curve balls.

The Answer is Always Blowing in the Wind

Blowing In The Wind: Peter, Paul & Mary

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?

How many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?

How many times can a man turn his head
and pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?

How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

Inspiration

Sunset

The Good: Yesterday was totally awesome yet tiring. Much of my day was spent on genealogy, mainly on the ancestry.com website. I've subscribed there for quite some time as it does end up saving me a lot of travel time and leg work. Still seeing the actual records are very important for what I'm doing and ancestry.com doesn't cover everything. I wasn't able to break through the brick wall but I think I was able to knock a few holes in it. With what I found yesterday, leg work will be needed so a genealogy fact finding trip needs to be scheduled. Several important images were downloaded so that was a real bonus.

As with any research, there are certain protocols to follow in genealogy regarding sources and collection of information. I admit to being a stickler about details so have lots of tid bits about my ancestors' lives. I have several strict rules for my genealogy research as I have put considerable time and money into endeavor. I insist on paper copies for all records including family group sheets, photographs, documents, digital images and etc. All paper copies are organized into main lines of research. All paper copies are protected in page protecters then stored in the appropriate binder as I get the pages. All digital images are stored in three locations along with a total back-up of all my records. All digital images are printed. Finally my research database is backed-up each time I use the software. One copy is kept in a safety deposit box.

On the subject of genealogy, a digital camera is almost a must but if you've read my other blogs you will know how important a digital camera is to me. It is always with me in the garden. Digital images help me identify friends, foes, weeds and so much more. In cooking the camera simply captures food porn. I heard that term and for some reason it has stuck. I'm still trying to perfect getting good images of food. Now, in genealogy a digital camera will save countless dollars and for anyone who has not done genealogy before, it is an expensive obsession. A lot of money is spent on traveling, photocopies, and subscriptions. Some libraries will charge as much as a dollar a copy from microfilm. With each document being several pages this can really add up but with a digital camera set correctly you can get a very good image without the cost.