Two Traveling Angels.......

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night
in the home of a Wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused to let the
angels stay in the Mansion's' guest room.
Instead the angels were given a small
space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor,
the older angel saw a hole in the
wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older
angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem"

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of
a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the
couple let the angels sleep in their bed where
they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning
the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.
Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income,
lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the
older angel how could you have let this happen?

The first man had everything, yet you helped him,
she accused. The second family had little but was
willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.
"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion,
I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.
Since the owner was so obsessed with greed
and unwilling to share his good fortune,
I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."
"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed,
the angel of death came for his wife
I gave him the cow instead.

Things aren't always what they seem."
Sometimes that is exactly what happens
when things don't turn out the way they should.
If you have faith, you just need to trust that
every out come is always to your advantage.
You just might not know it until some time later...

I will NEVER see an advantage for Laura's death!

SLOW DANCE

This is a poem written by a teenager with cancer. No name was given so I can't credit her/him here.  I picked it up from one of those floating emails that you receive from people who appreciate the message and want to help stamp out the disease.  I am a skeptic when I see emails pertaining to charities. Most are fraud and some are loaded with a virus.  Although this one just asked to forward the email to as many people possible and money will be donated to the American Cancer Society.  The poem is powerful, so I am reprinting it on my blog. By all means, if you wish to make a donation to the American Cancer Society you can do so online: www.cancer.org

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast…

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask, “How are you?”

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You’d better slow down

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,

We’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say, “Hi”

You’d better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

When you run so fast

To get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry

Through your day,

It is like an unopened gift…

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower.

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Birthday Gift

Laura was in the habit of buying me one carnation for special events. She started doing that from the time
she had her own spending money. Sometimes she would give me carnations just because she was happy
I did something for her. I always told her one is just as good as twelve or more. Of course, if she wasn’t
short on cash, she would buy me more than one. Yet, I appreciated every carnation she gave me.

The night before my birthday, I asked Laura to please, if at all possible, to send me one carnation
for my birthday. I asked my angels to help her accomplish the task. I woke up the next morning
and sent the same birthday request out to the universe. I shared my hope for the day with her dad.

We enjoyed our time at the SD zoo and all the while I kept my eye out for carnations.

The day advanced, the zoo closed, and no sign.

We were seated for dinner at 8:30 pm and I realized then that I wasn’t getting my birthday wish. The
waiter came over to welcome us and handed us menus. The second time he came to us he had one carnation
in a vase and placed it on the table.

The tears started and once again I was grateful for the one carnation.

Pure love

On my wedding day (many moons ago) I considered myself one of the luckiest women alive. Then the days my children were born showed me that I was even luckier because I was blessed with two beautiful children. Most parents know nothing in the world can exceed the love and bond that one feels for his or her child. (I say most because my parents never shared this universal feeling toward their children.) I continued to consider myself lucky through the years, even though we as a family suffered through chronic illnesses and the lost of some of our loved ones.

I no longer believe in luck—good or bad. People make choices and have to live with the consequences. Through my life's journey, I have discovered that some people have certain advantages that allow them to escape the worst consequences of their bad decisions, but I wouldn’t call that luck. If I did, I would have to wonder why good luck and bad had not been distributed more evenhandedly, and if I dwelled on that it would be the quickest route to depression and bitterness.

Some days you just need extra help from above

Submitted by BD

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

I never noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin,

which was placed over the face of Jesus,

was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin

was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark,

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb

and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple,

the one whom Jesus loved.

She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb,

and I don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.

The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first.

He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth

lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside.

He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,

while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head

was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin,

you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.

The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant,

and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master,

he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait,

just out of sight, until the master had finished eating,

and the servant would not dare touch that table,

until the master was finished..

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table,

wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard,

and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table.

For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm finished..

"But if the master got up from the table,

and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate,

the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant,

"I'm coming back!"