Bring me flowers

I would rather have one small rose
From the garden of a friend
Than to have the choicest flowers
When my stay on Earth must end.

I would rather have one pleasant word
In kindness said to me
Than flattery when my heart is still
And my life on Earth has ceased to be.

I would rather have a loving smile
From friends I know are true
Than tears shed round my casket
When this world I've bid Adieu.

Bring me all your flowers today
Whether pink, white or red:
I'd rather have one blossom now
Than a truckload when I'm dead.

9/11 ~ why never forget? by Maribeth Jordan

10 years later and some say why do we need to remember? Sure it is a painful memory that stirs many negative emotions but with pain and sorrow comes new life. Look at it this way...

A mother goes through pain to give new life.
 Jesus died so that we may have eternal (new) life.
With every death a memory is born and forever lives in our hearts.
Trees and plants give seeds of life each season until death... those seeds grow into trees/plants that continue the beauty life cycle.  With every year that passes we continue to plant our own "seeds" in this world by who we are and the way we live... we pass it on to our children, grandchildren and the cycle continues. I like to call them seeds of character, love, hate, compassion, etc... whatever it is you plant most so will that grow.

We as a nation bonded that day and stood as one. We cried over the hurt and lost, and mourned over the deceased. A national tragedy that nobody saw coming or did we? That tragedy changed us in many ways... tighter security, personal and financial loss, fear, rage, forgiveness, compassion, love, etc... to experience any emotion on a high level changes us to some degree. Regardless of the circumstance we were created with the capacity to remember for the sole purpose of growth.

We remember because we honor... that was someones father, mother, brother, wife, husband, child, friend, sister or brother. Their lives were taken selfishly derived from hatred and we know that people who hate are people who fear. But we must make their death about sacrifice for a greater united front - together we stand... there is strength in numbers. We must remember the ones who died in this terrible event left behind much. They will forever become a part of history that changed a nation. What this day signifies is love... life is short, say goodbye, forgive and share your time with someone who needs it. You never know what a day will bring so for all who died September 11, 2001 you are my hero's for teaching me a lesson on love. A strong reminder from the bible..

1 Corinthians 13

 ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Never forget....

The Thirty Second Quiz

Don't bother getting a pen and paper... just read... if you can't
answer them, just keep going.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last five Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Actress.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They're the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Now here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. Name three teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worth while.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your life aren't the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They're the ones who care.


(Wishing you a BEAUTIFUL day!)

An Hour With Charlie... by Maribeth Jordan

I printed this story last year... thought it was worth a re-print.

What do I think you should do today? Something different from your usual daily routine - it gets your blood pumping, mind thinking, and that's when life changes.

I tried that yesterday when I decided to take my kids to the lake (we never go to the lake). While there, I found a swing bench to sit and watch my kids from a far all the while admiring the beautiful lake, trees and flowers that were all so present around me. This is where I met a man who I will call "Charlie."

Charlie is an elderly man, walks with a cane and talks with a friendly, soft tone. "May I sit and swing with you?" he asks. Of course I replied with a friendly yes. I noticed Charlie seemed tired, he also seemed winded. I asked him if everything was ok. Charlie said everything was just fine now. Not knowing what he meant I continued a conversation with him about life, family and travels. Charlie had the most beautiful wife although he never really recognized it up until a year before she died. Charlie had two children who had both passed away in a car accident. He is a candid man who loved life and the people in it. As I was listening to all the stories; good, bad, funny and sad I couldn't help wondering what it must be like for him to have suffered such loss and still manage a sincere smile with a hearty laugh.

When it was time for Charlie to leave I asked if he comes here often and if I would ever see him again. Charlie replied no, he doesn't come to the lake often. This is where he used to come and sit with his wife about a year before she died. They grew closer than ever just sitting here, looking out over the lake and having some of the best conversations - something he never seemed to make time for in the earlier years. He stated he wanted to have one last memory of her here on earth because he would be seeing her soon. "What do you mean?" I said with a knot in my throat. "I'm dying, and soon," he said. Charlie didn't want to see me upset or feel sorry for him. "It's all part of life," he said. "Dying is something we will all do and that is one thing we all have in common." Charlie proceeded to tell me since his children and wife had passed that death didn't scare him, he actually looked forward to it and the day he would see them again. Charlie proceeded to tell me that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He also said life is too short to waste and that God gave us five senses to make wise use of.. SEE the beauty and recognize it; HEAR the music and glorify in it, TASTE and appreciate the sweetness, TOUCH and feel the warmth and love, SMELL the flowers because it's a scent from God.

I hugged Charlie and thanked him for his time. "Time is the greatest gift we can give someone, and it's free." he said

In that short amount of time I changed a bit. On my way home I took notice of the blue sky, the smell of the freshly cut lawns and the icecream parlor on the side of the road. "Who wants icecream?" I asked, as if I really needed to! Watching the kids drip icecream courtesy of the hot sun was a pleasure.. I used to get annoyed by the mess but now I was just happy to be there "seeing" it. Thank you Charlie...

Rise and Hope: When God Says “No” . . . Pray

Rise and Hope: When God Says “No” . . . Pray: "When nobody is around and when we're able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want ..."

When God Says “No” . . . Pray

When nobody is around and when we're able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want very much by the end of our days to have _________________________ (fill in the blank). However, it may well be that we will die with that desire unfulfilled. Should that occur, it will be one of the hardest things in the world for us to face and accept. David heard the Lord's "no" and quietly accepted it without resentment. That's awfully hard to do. But we find in David's final recorded words a life-sized portrait of a man after God's own heart.
After four decades of service to Israel, King David, old and perhaps stooped by the years, looked for the last time into the faces of his trusted followers. Many of them represented distinct memories in the old man's mind. Those who would carry on his legacy surrounded him, waiting to receive his last words of wisdom and instruction. What would the seventy-year-old king say?
He began with the passion of his heart, pulling back the curtain to reveal his deepest desire—the dreams and plans for building a temple to the Lord (1 Chronicles 28:2). It was a dream that went unfulfilled in his lifetime. "God said to me," David told his people, "'You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood'" (28:3).
Dreams die hard. But in his parting words, David chose to focus on what God had allowed him to do—to reign as king over Israel, to establish his son Solomon over the kingdom, and to pass the dream on to him (28:4–8). Then, in a beautiful prayer, an extemporaneous expression of worship to the Lord God, David praised the greatness of God, thanking Him for His many blessings, and then interceded for the people of Israel and for their new king, Solomon. Take some extra time to read David's prayer slowly and thoughtfully. It's found in 1 Chronicles 29:10–19.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity or bitterness regarding his unfulfilled dream, David praised God with a grateful heart. Praise leaves humanity out of the picture and focuses fully on the exaltation of the living God. The magnifying glass of praise always looks up.

"Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone." (29:10–12)

As David thought of the lavish grace of God that had given the people one good thing after another, his praise then turned to thanksgiving. "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name" (29:13). David acknowledged there was nothing special about his people. Their history was one of wandering and tent-dwelling; their lives were like shifting shadows. Yet, because of God's great goodness they were able to supply all that was needed to build God a temple (29:14–16).
David was surrounded by limitless riches, yet all that wealth never captured his heart. He fought other battles within but never greed. David was not held hostage by materialism. He said, in effect, "Lord, everything we have is Yours—all these beautiful elements we offer for your temple, the place where I live, the throne room—all of it is Yours, everything." To David, God owned it all. Perhaps it was this attitude that allowed the monarch to cope with God's "no" in his life—he was confident that God was in control and that God's plans were best. David held everything loosely.
Next, David prayed for others. He interceded for the people he had ruled for forty years, asking the Lord to remember their offerings for the temple and to draw their hearts toward Him (29:17–18). David also prayed for Solomon: "give to my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple, for which I have made provision" (29:19).
This magnificent prayer contained David's last recorded words; shortly after, he died "full of days, riches and honor" (29:28). What a fitting way to end a life! His death is a fitting reminder that when a man of God dies, nothing of God dies.
Though some dreams remain unfulfilled, a man or woman of God can respond to His "no" with praise, thanksgiving, and intercession . . . because when a dream dies, nothing of God's purposes die.


Article excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, David: A Man of Passion & Destiny (Dallas: Word, 1997), 285–88, 292–93. Copyright © 1997 Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rise and Hope: Nasreddin's Flower Garden

Rise and Hope: Nasreddin's Flower Garden: "A young man named Nasreddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to e..."