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Janet R. James |
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About Me | Best Practices | Resources for Educators | Inspirational and Motivational Gleanings |
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CONTENTS |
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A - Adversity Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters |
- B - |
- C - Compassion Contentment & Love - George Carlin |
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- D - Discouragement |
- E - Effort Encouragement |
- F - Friendship |
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G - Giving: 57 Cents, Mother Theresa |
- H - Happiness |
- I - |
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- J - Jesus |
- K - Kindness |
- L - Life Lessons Love |
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- M - MIracles |
- N - Nothing Will Be Lost |
- O - |
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- P - Perserverance Perspective/ Paradigms Problems |
- Q - |
- R - Refining Riddle |
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- S - Seven Wonders Storms & Trials Stress Management |
- T - Thankful for the Thorns |
- U - |
| - V - | - W - | - X, Y, Z - |
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ADVERSITY/ CARROT, EGG & COFFEE
A carrot, an egg and a cup of coffee... You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she
placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed
ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed
them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?" "Carrots,
eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked
her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After
pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the
mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she
tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean,
mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity .. boiling water . Each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its
thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting
through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee
beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they
had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a
carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I
the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial
hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my
shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff
spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean
actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the
pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If
you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better
and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and
trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How
do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you
happy.
Autobiography In Five Short Chapters
Chapter II
Chapter
III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
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Portia Nelson |
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Communication
Communication is a
process of sharing experience till it becomes a common possession.
Compassion asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said," Nothing, I just helped him cry."
Contentment & Love - George CarlinThe paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. Remember, spend some time with your loved ones because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. |
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Discouragement Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was. "We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile. "Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."
Burning Hut
The
only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited
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Effort born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in "field day" - that's where they have lots of races and other competitive events. Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down - but before I could get a word out, she said "Daddy, I won two of the races!"
I couldn't believe it! And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage." Ah. I knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start...some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, "Daddy, I didn't get a head start... My advantage was I had to try harder!"
ENCOURAGEMENT God’s sign The
pastor's church is called Almighty God Tabernacle. On a Saturday night ............................................................................................................................... |
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FRIENDSHIP
Friends for a Reason Season Lifetime When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that
person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a
need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a
difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you
physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend
and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient
time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship
to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must
realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their
work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is
time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has
come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace
or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it
is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must
build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job
is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have
learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It
is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a
season or a lifetime.
Friendship Promise of God When
you are sad.....I will dry your tears.
AN
IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH
Miracle of a Friend |
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GIVING Carry On Anyway - Mother Theresa People
are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; 57 Cents A sobbing little girl
stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was
"too crowded."
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Happiness The Happiness Bank
The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair
fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in
the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
hung on her window.
"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
just been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room, just wait."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.
"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's
how I arrange my mind.
I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the
difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get
out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account: you withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories.
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less
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Jesus A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?" "Oh, no!" the little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart. Barney's on my underpants."
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KINDNESS Marbles During the waning years of the depression in a small Idahocommunity, I used to stop by Mr. Miller's roadside stand for farm fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used extensively. One day Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the ragged boy next to me. "Hello Barry, how are you today?" "H'l lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas ... sure look good." "They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?" "Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time." "Good. Anything I can help you with?" "Would you like to take some home?" "No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with." "Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?" "All I got's my prize marble here." "I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" "Not zackley ... but almost." "Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble." "Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller." Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps." I left the stand smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering. Several years went by, each more rapid that the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes. Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size... they came to pay their debt." "We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho." With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles. Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. ..........................................................................................................................................................
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LIFE LESSONS
I’ve Learned I've
learned....That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly
person.
LOVE
What does
Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (thats deep) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry" --------------------------------------------------------------------------
family. One little boy in the picture had a different color hair than the other family members. One child suggested that he was adopted and a little girl said, "I know all about adoptions because I was adopted." "What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child. "It means," said the girl, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy."
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MIRACLES Price of A Miracle
A little
girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly
She
poured the change out on the floor and counted it
Three
times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No
Carefully
placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on
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NOTHING WILL BE LOST
1 Corinthians 15:58
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Corinthians+15:58
Dear Father,
Thank you for the assurance that my work for you will never be
lost. The Lord Jesus promised that even a cup of cold water given
in his name will not lose its reward.
May I be zealous, steadfast, and immovable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord and utterly counting on you.
I trust you, Lord, because I believe that my efforts for you are
not in vain. May I always give myself fully to your work, knowing
that anything else I might accomplish in this life will have no
value in eternity.
In the name of your son, my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
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PERSERVERANCE
The Moral of the
story... .................................................................................................................................................. The Blind Men and the Elephant by Geoffrey Saxe: American poet John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887) based the following poem on a fable which was told in India many years ago. It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
The First approached the Elephant,
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
The Third approached the animal,
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
The Sixth no sooner had begun
And so these men of Indostan ............................................................................................... PERSISTENCE
Nothing
in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is
more common PROBLEMS: |
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A Refiner & Purifier of Silver The Silver Smith
There was a group of women in a Bible Study of the book of Malachi. As they
were studying chapter three, they came
That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to
watch him work. She didn't mention anything
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do
you know when the silver is fully refined?"
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A RiddlePaul Harvey RIDDLE:
When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids
got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.
What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?
[Scroll down for answer]
Answer: NOTHING |
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Seven Wonders A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there were
some disagreements, the following
got the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if
she was having trouble with her list.
The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch
2. to taste
3. to see
4. to hear
She hesitated a little, and then added:
5. to feel
6. to laugh
7. and to love."
The room was so full of silence you could have heard a pin drop.
Those things we overlook as simple and "ordinary" are truly wondrous.
The most precious things in life cannot be bought. I hope your life is filled with the world's Seven Wonders.
STORMS & TRIALS Eagles Wings Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. The Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31
STRESS MANAGEMENT |
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Thankful For The Thorns Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birken stocks asshe pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease. During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.
"She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shopclerk's approach startled her. "I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.
"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving "Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop-clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said as she gently tapped her chest.
"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no flowers!"
"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers.That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra. "Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery." "That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.
"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for good things in life and never to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.
"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"
"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."
As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too...fresh."
"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love.
Don't resent the thorns." Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out. "I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute." "Thank you. What do I owe you?" "Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."
It read: My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant." Praise Him for your roses, thank him for your thorns.
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WORDS -- Frank Outlaw |
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