GOD Keeps You Going

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to Judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn,to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and returned, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. That the essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life, can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall.

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches, and better times are sure to come in time.

Aspire to Inspire….Before You Expire

Live Simply. Love Generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly.

And leave the rest to God.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,

Trials keep You Strong,

Sorrows keep You Human

Failures keep You Humble

Success keeps You Growing,

But Only God keeps You Going !

Christmas Stories

Christmas Stories: For the Man Who Hated Christmas
By Nancy W. Gavin

It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. Oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it – overspending and the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma – the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was on the wrestling team at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids – all kids. He so enjoyed coaching little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came.

That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes, and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed a small, white envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done, and that this was his gift from me.

Mike's smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. And that same bright smile lit up succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition – one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The white envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children – ignoring their new toys – would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the small, white envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn’t end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree. And the next morning, I found it was magically joined by three more. Unbeknownst to the others, each of our three children had for the first time placed a white envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down that special envelope.

Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.

Merry Christmas

I can't believe this year is coming to an end. Christmas is coming quickly. I am happy to say that I am done with my Christmas shopping. The dance recital is over and it was amazing. My sweet Sabrina danced beautifully, like an angel to Christmas Cannon.

My dancers performed my piece beautifully. I set a piece on them to I Can Not Find My Way from the Forgotten Carols.

I love Christmas and what it stands for and means to me. I love being able to celebrate the birth of Christ, my LORD and My Saviour. I am so grateful for what he did for me and for all of us.

The feeling that Christmas brings is amazing. I love watching the excitement in the childrens eyes. I hope that everyone has a very Marry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

One Word Answers

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse

2. Where is your significant other? Gone

3. Your hair color? Blonde

4. Your mother? Amazing

5. Your father? Terrific

6. Your favorite thing? hugs

7. Your dream last night? Forgot

8. Your dream/goal? Mother

9. The room you're in? TV

10. Your hobby? Ballet

11. Your fear? loss

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mother

13. Where were you last night? Studio

14. What you're not? Rich

15. One of your wish-list items? Piano

16. Where you grew up? Divorce

17. The last thing you did? ate

18. What are you wearing? pajamas

19. Your TV? sufficient

20. Your pet? dead

21. Your computer? Old

22. Your mood? Exhausted

23. Missing someone? Grandpa

24. Your car? Corolla

25. Something you're not wearing? Socks

26. Favorite store? Online

27. Your summer? short

28. Love someone? Yes

29. Your favorite color? Yellow

30. When is the last time you laughed? Wednesday

31. Last time you cried? today

Harder then it looks, you should try it.