WHEN YOU SAY GOODBYE TO A PARENT

You are suddenly living in a whole new world. You are no longer ‘the child’ and regardless of

how long you have officially been ‘grown up’ for,

you realize you actually never were until this moment.

The shock of this adjustment will shake your very core.

When you have finally said goodbye to both your

parents, assuming you were lucky enough to have

had two. You are an orphan on this earth and that

never, ever gets easier to take no matter how old

and grey you are yourself and no matter how many

children of your own you have. You see, a part of your

body is physically connected to the people that made

it and also a part of your soul.

When they no longer live,

it is as if you are missing something practical that you

need – like a finger or an arm. Because really, you are.

You are missing your parent and that is something far

more necessary than any limb.

And yet the connection is so strong it carries on somehow,

no-one knows how exactly. But they are there. In some way,

shape or form they are still guiding you if you listen closely

enough. You can hear the words they would choose to say

to you.

You can feel the warmth of their approval, their smile when

a goal is achieved, their all-consuming love filling the air

around you when a baby is born, they haven’t met.

If you watch your children very closely you will see that

they too have a connection with your parents long after

they are gone. They will say things that resonate with you

because it brings so many memories of the parent you are

missing. They will carry on traits, thoughts and sometimes

they will even see them in their dreams. This is not

something we can explain.

Love is a very mystical and wondrous entity. It is far

better to have loved and lost than never to have loved

at all and grief, grief is the price of that love. The deeper

the love the stronger the grief. When you say goodbye

to a parent, do not forget to connect with that little girl

who still lives inside you somewhere.

Take very good care of her, for she, she will be alone

and scared. When you say goodbye to your parents,

you lose an identity, a place in the world. When the

people who put you on this earth are no longer here,

it changes everything. Look after yourself the way they

looked after you and listen out for them when you need

it the most. They never really leave.~

~Donna Ashworth

God Really Loves You

 

The little boy put on his clothes for the cold and then told his father:

"Ok dad, I'm ready"

His Dad, the pastor, said: "Ready for what?"

"Dad, it's time to go outside and distribute our flyers."

Dad replied: "Son, it's very cold outside and it's drizzling."

The child looked surprised at his father and said: "But dad, people need to know about God even on rainy days."

Dad replied, "Son, I'm not going outside in this weather."

With despair, the child said: "Dad, can I go alone? Please!"

His father waited for a moment and then said: "Son, you can go. Here are the flyers, be careful."

"Thank you, dad!"

And with this, the son went out into the rain. The 11-Year-old walked all the streets of the village, handing out the flyers to the people he saw.

After 2 hours of walking in the rain and cold and with his last flyer in his hand, he stopped at a corner to see if he saw someone to give the flyer to, but the streets were totally deserted. Then he turned to the first house he saw, walked to the front door, rang the bell several times, and waited, but no one came out.

Finally, the boy turned to leave... but something stopped him. The child turned back to the door and began to ring the bell and pound on the door strongly with his knuckles. He kept waiting. Finally, the door was opened gently.

A lady came out with a very sad look and gently asked:

"What can I do for you, son?" With radiant eyes and a bright smile, the child said: "Lady, I'm sorry if I upset you, but I just want to tell you that God really loves you and that I came to give you my last flyer, which talks about God and His great love."

The boy then gave her the flyer.

She just said, "Thank you, son, God bless you!"

Well, the next Sunday morning, the pastor was in the pulpit and when the service began he asked:

"Does someone have a testimony or something they want to share?"

Gently, in the back row of the church, an older lady stood up. When she started talking, a radiant and glorious look sprouted from her eyes:

"Nobody in this church knows me. I have never been here, even last Sunday I was not Christian.

My husband died a while ago leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday was a particularly cold and rainy day, and it was so cold and lonely in my heart that I felt I had come to the end of the road and didn't want to live anymore.

I took a chair and a rope and went up to the attic of my house. I tied a noose and the other end of the rope to the rafters of the roof; then I climbed onto the chair and put the rope around my neck.

I then stood on the chair, so alone and heartbroken, I was about to throw myself off the chair when suddenly I heard the loud sound of the door being knocked on.

So I thought: "I'll wait for a minute and whoever it is will go away."

I waited and waited, but the door knocking was getting louder and louder every time. It got so loud that I couldn't ignore it anymore.

So I wondered, who could it be?

No one ever comes to my door or comes to visit me! I released the rope from my neck and went to the door, while the bell was still ringing and the door was still being knocked on.

When I opened the door, I couldn't believe what my eyes saw, in front of my door was the most radiant and angelic child I'd ever seen. His smile, Oh, I can never describe it! The words that came out of his mouth made my heart, which had been dead so long, come back to life, when he said with the VOICE OF A CHERUBIM: "Lady, I just want to tell you that God really loves you."

"When the little angel disappeared between the cold and the rain, I closed my door and read every word of the flyer. Then I went to the attic to remove the chair and rope.

I didn't need them anymore. As you see. Now I am a happy daughter of the King. Since the direction of the boy, when he left, was to this church, I came personally to say thank you to that little angel of God who came just in time to rescue my life from an eternity in hell. And replaced it with eternity in God's presence."

Everyone cried in the church.

The Pastor came down from the pulpit to the first bench, where the little boy was sitting; he took his son in his arms and cried uncontrollably.

Don't let this message die because of tiredness or bad weather; after reading it, pass it on to others.

Remember, God's message can make a big difference in someone's life. Never be afraid to spread the love of God.

.

Can I get an AMEN?

 Three Mugs of Bud

A cowboy, who just moved to Montana from Texas, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud.

He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn.

When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy,

"You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it.

It would taste better if you bought one at a time."

The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers.

One is in Arizona, the other is in Colorado.

When we all left our home in Texas, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together.

So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.

The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar and always drinks the same way.

He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.

One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs.

All the regulars take notice and fall silent.

When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my

condolences on your loss."

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.

"Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains.

"It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking."

“It hasn't affected my brothers though."

If You Are a Woman Without Her Mother

There will never be a day you don’t miss her.
Never a day, where you don’t wish you could hear her voice

Or ask for her advice just one more time.
There will never be a moment that you don’t regret

All the times you screened her call, or missed a visit,

Simply because life was just too busy.
And now you realize busy is fake, it isn’t real.
She was real and she is gone.
And you are alone.
And the feeling of abandonment and loneliness is huge. 

Mind-blowing, no matter how loved or surrounded by family you may be.
None of it is her.
When the woman who brought you into this world

Is no longer here, it is a lonely place.
And you are now she.
You are now the one expected to guide, to discipline,

To love, to handle everything, for everyone. 

And that is a shock.
But you got this.
Because she taught you well.
She made you right and she made you strong

And she filled you with enough love to share around,

Even after she was gone.
So go on.
And make her proud.
And remember, look out for the little girl

Who still lives inside you somewhere,

She misses her Mama very much.
Be kind.

-Donna Ashworth

THE TEACHING OF THE DONKEY

One day a farmer’ s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours, while the farmer tried to find something to do to get him out.

Finally, the farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; that it really wasn't worth pulling the donkey out of the well..

He invited all his neighbors to come help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to throw dirt into the well.

The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly loud. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quieted down after a few shovelfuls of dirt.

The farmer finally looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw... with each shovelful of dirt, the donkey was doing something incredible: It was shaking off the dirt and stepping on top of the dirt.

Very soon everyone saw surprised how the donkey reached the mouth of the well, went over the edge and trotted out...

Life is going to throw dirt at you, all kinds of dirt... the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems is a step up. We can get out of the deepest holes if we don't give up...

Use the land they throw you to get ahead!!!

Remember the 5 rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hate.

2. Free your Mind of distractions.

3. Simplify your life.

4. Give more and expect less.

5. Love more and... shake the dirt, because in this life you have to be a solution, not the problem!

SIX LITTLE STORIES WITH LOTS OF MEANINGS

(1). Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of

prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with

an umbrella. That is faith.

(2). When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because

they know you will catch them. That is trust.

(3). Every night we go to bed without any assurance of

being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to

wake up. That is hope.

(4). We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero

knowledge of the future. That is confidence.

(5). We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and

have children. That is love.

(6). On an old man's shirt was written a sentence I am not

80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.

That is attitude.

Have a happy day and live your life like these six stories.

Remember - Good friends are the rare jewels of life,

difficult to find and impossible to replace!!

Something to think about

What if you were a single parent with a child . You work full time for $14.00 hr. You bring home roughly $800 .00 per paycheck (bi-weekly).

Your bills:

$1, 000 . 00 / rent

$150 .00 / electrical

$250 .00 / car payment

$150 .00 / car insurance

So let’s do the math :

You bring home about

$1,600 .00 a month & your bills average about $1,550.00 (give or take).

You’re making it, but barely.

This doesn't even include groceries, internet, cable, cell phone, etc .

(nor does it include child tax credit, or child support)

Now, it’s a really cold December and you get a power bill for $600 .00

How do you pay that?

To put it simply , you don’t.

Because you can’t.

So your power gets shut off.

But you know what your lease says?

It says you get evicted if your utilities are terminated.

So now you’re in court crying to a judge who doesn’t care, & you have 10 days to get out.

Well you’re in luck, because you found somewhere with 3 days to spare & it’s only $650.00 a month!

But to get in, you must pass a background & credit check. Which you can’t because you just got evicted.

You’ve never been a criminal, but even if you could pass it, you’re looking at $1300 to move in, after paying the deposit & first month’s rent.

Time’s up ....

Landlord shows up at 7am with the police & changed your locks.

So, now you’re living in your car with your 7 year old son & everything you need to get by.

You tried to get a storage unit, but you don’t have a billing address so they won’t sell one to you. So you could only take what would fit in your backseat.

You pay to shower at local truck stops & eat whatever can be cooked in a gas station microwave.Someone sees you & your son living like this & calls C.P.S; guess what happens next ? ? ?

They remove your child from your care.

As if this isn’t devastating enough, you lose your job too. (Because “an employee losing their child reflects poorly on this company .”)

So now, you apply for an apartment with the region where the waiting list is 3-7 years.

Then you go into Wal-Mart to put in an application.

When you get back to your car you see that your back window has been smashed & someone helped themselves to your belongings. Remember that it is December & really cold. Now you have damage to your only shelter.

You call your car insurance, who says your deductible is $1,000.00

~ AND ~ they’re going to increase your monthly rate since you’re now

“ high risk .”

You call the homeless shelter as a last resort & all their beds are full.

I’ll stop here .....

Because I think you get the point .

The people we work with everyday are these people .

WE ARE THESE PEOPLE .

We are all so close to homelessness & don’t even realize it .

All it takes is :

* one unexpected bill~

* one fender bender~

* one lay-off ~

* one house fire , etc.

Instead of talking trash about people who are poor , homeless , or need assistance , why don’t you try being grateful that you’re not in their shoes ...... YET !

This is about staying humble & being kind .

BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

Love God

 

This is one of the kindest things you may ever see..

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4-year-old daughter, Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if

we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it.. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letterbox at the post office. A few days

later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand.. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets

to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her, especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,

God

2022 Kentucky Derby Winner

I do not own the rights to this story, photo and video.

 "Last year, a two-year-old colt finished dead last in his first race. Disappointed, his owners placed him in a “claiming” race where anyone could take the ownership for a fee. An older man purchased the colt after missing the chance to claim another horse he wanted. He said it was his last attempt to find some success in the racing industry.

The colt won by 17 lengths, and his new owner was encouraged. But, in the races that followed, he finished third twice, fourth once, and fifth once. His owner, however, still believed in him.

2022 was the colt's only chance to race in major thoroughbred races, which are limited to three-year-olds. The day before the Kentucky Derby, the field of horses was already full, but then, at the last moment, a famous trainer scratched (withdrew) his horse. The colt took that place in a field of twenty horses, just 30 seconds before the entry deadline. Suddenly, he was in the game. He had a chance.

All the metrics and predictors were against him. Neither his owner, his trainer, nor his jockey had ever been associated with any horse in the Kentucky Derby. His jockey had never even won a major event. They were decidedly outsiders and newbies in an extremely elite arena. On the morning of the race, his odds of winning were set at 80 to 1, the second longest odds in Derby history.

Halfway around the track, the colt was 16 horses back from the lead. He couldn’t even be seen in the field of view of the drone camera flying above the race. He was a nobody, a throw-away, an inconsequential participant.

But then, he made his move.

He began working his way through the crowded pack, finding a few narrow, fleeting opportunities to improve his position. As they headed toward the finish line, he had miraculously moved up to fifth, then fourth, but still, no one had noticed him. Everyone’s attention was firmly focused on the battle between the two famous front-runners.

Only seconds before the finish, he suddenly, almost magically passed the two front-runners. The announcer struggled to identify him and say his name in time. He said, almost in a single breath, “Rich Strike is coming up on the inside ... Oh my goodness! The longest shot has won the Kentucky Derby!”

Where there is life, there is hope.

Anything is possible.

Don’t let anyone count you out.

Persistence and determination beat the odds."

H/T Cyd Cowgill

***************************************

Y’all wanna teach your kids a life lesson in 2 minutes? Show them the replay to the Kentucky Derby Race.

1. Not the best starting position

2. Not the biggest or best horse

3. Only made it into the race on account of another horse having to scratch

4. $30,000 horse against multi million dollar horses

It ain’t always about having the best of everything or being the biggest and favored. It’s about the size of heart and dedication to win and excel in everything you do!

Well done Rich Strike

I do not own the rights to this video.

The Dance

 

Let me start off by saying that I do NOT own the rights to this song or this photo.

The Dance

Looking back on the memory of

The dance we shared 'neath the stars above

For a moment all the world was right

How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end, the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you, I held everything

For a moment wasn't I the king

If I'd only known how the king would fall

Hey, who's to say, you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end, the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

If our lives are better left to chance

Oh, our lives are better left to chance

Oh, our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

So now, my interpretation of this song.  I'm thinking that memories are considered as a dance.  Every time I hear this song, it makes me think of my Grandma and the memories I have of her.  Each memory being like a dance.  My brother and I were adopted at the age 6 (myself) and 5 (my brother).  The very first dance was when her and her work got together and sponsored my brother and I by giving us lots of toys and clothes.  Other dances were feeding horses, filling up tubs with water for the cows, learning to ride horses. Also staying the weekend with her and the best of them all, Christmas.  Many Dances. I really, really miss my Grandma Billie.  Until we meet agian...