THE OLD DENTED BUCKET

You may well have read this one before but I think it's worth having another look what a great story. Hope you enjoy it. I sure did.

THE OLD DENTED BUCKET

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore . We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out-patients at the clinic.


One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my 8-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw.

Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning."


He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success, no one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face .... I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments .."


For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning."


I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch.. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. "No, thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag.


When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her 5 children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury.

He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was preface with a thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going...

At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch.


He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair." He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind."


I told him he was welcome to come again.


And, on his next trip, he arrived a little after 7 in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen! He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. And I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us.


In the years he came to stay overnight with us, there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden.


Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk 3 miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious.


When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning.


"Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!"


Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But, oh!, if only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear.


I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.


Recently I was visiting a friend, who has a greenhouse, as she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, "If this were my plant, I'd put it in the loveliest container I had!"


My friend changed my mind. "I ran short of pots," she explained, "and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn't mind starting out in this old pail. It's just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden."


She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven.


"Here's an especially beautiful one," God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. "He won't mind starting in this small body."
All this happened long ago - and now, in God's garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand.


The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b)

Shared by Patty B.

THE GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP

by Helen Steiner Rice

Friendship is a priceless gift that
cannot be bought or sold
But its value is far greater than a
mountain made of gold-
For gold is cold and lifeless,
it can neither see nor hear,
And in the time of trouble it is powerless to cheer.
It has no ears to listen, no heart to understand,
It cannot bring you comfort
or reach out a helping hand-
So when you ask God for a gift,
be thankful if He sends
Not diamonds, perls, or riches,
but the love of real true friends.

Shared by Patty B.
Dedicated to all my true friends!

Letting Go

Every place we find must in the end be relingqushed, if it is not to become our prison....life and faith always insist on moving forward; I cannot move forward without leaving something behind...there is no strength greater than that of God to help us to let go of the past, and to escape from its bonds. But that past was in fact the strong support that God gave us to help us to leap forward towards him.



Author: Paul Tournier
From: A Place For You

Shared by Patty B.

No Other Love Like Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something

that no one can explain,

It is made of deep devotion

and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish

and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it

or take that love away.

It is patient and forgiving

when all others are forsaking.

And it never fails or falters

even though the heart is breaking.

It believes beyond believing

when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty

of the rarest, brightest gems.

It is far beyond defining,

it defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret

like the mysteries of creation.

A many-spendored miracle

man cannot understand

And another wondrous evidence

of God's tender guiding hand.

Shared by Patty B.

Taken from "Sunshine of Joy"

by Helen Steiner Rice

Change Your Thinking

It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..


Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wive s and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.


The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.


Days, weeks and months passed.


One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.


As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.


The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'


Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.


If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'

The origin of this letter is unknown
Shared by Patty B.

Orange Sherbert Salad or Dessert

Whip 1/2 pt. whipping cream. Set aside.
Combine 1 cup hot water with 1 6oz. pkg. orange jello. Dissolve well.
Fold in 1 pint orange sherbert, the whipping cream and 1 can drained mandarin oranges.
Chill and then enjoy!
Patty B.

The Easter Story

By Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards
What an awfully sad day it had been for the friends of Jesus! They had stood watching sorrowfully, as Jesus hung on the cross dying. They didn't fully understand why it had to happen.

They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and they remembered how He had healed the sick and made blind people see. They remembered how He had fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish. They even remembered how He had caused dead people to come back to life. He was such a good, kind man; why did He have to die?

Just before the sun was beginning to sink into the west, Joseph, one of Jesus' friends, noticed that Jesus was no longer breathing. He hurriedly went to ask Pilate if he could have the body of Jesus so he could bury Him. When Pilate agreed, Joseph and Nicodemus (another friend) carefully wrapped Jesus' body in clean cloths. Then they took Him to a tomb to bury Him.

The next day, the Pharisees started thinking about Jesus. They were the people that had wanted to kill Jesus. They remembered how He had taught them, saying that He would rise again after three days. They were worried that it might be true! They also thought that Jesus' disciples would remember and might try to steal the body from the tomb just so they could say that Jesus rose again. They went to Pilate, suggesting that the tomb be closed up with a huge stone and that guards be placed all around the tomb.

Just before daylight the next day, the most amazing thing happened! There was a GREAT EARTHQUAKE! An ANGEL from the Lord came down from heaven, moved the gigantic stone away from the door of the tomb and sat on it. The guards began to shake with fear! They fell down to the ground as if they were dead!

Mary and some other women had decided to get up very early in the morning and go to visit the tomb where Jesus was placed. While walking down the road, they were discussing how they were going to get inside the tomb. They had brought along some spices and perfume that they wanted to place on Jesus' body. They knew the huge stone had been placed in the doorway and they had no idea how they were going to move it.

What a SURPRISE they found when they reached the tomb! The stone had already been moved! And . . . there was an ANGEL sitting on the stone! The women were quite afraid, but the angel spoke gently to them:

"Don't be afraid. I know that you have come to see Jesus. He is not here; for he is risen just as he said. Come inside and see the place where he lay."
The women went inside the tomb and found it empty, just as the angel had told them.

The angel spoke to the women one more time:


"Go quickly and tell the other disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead; and he is going into Galilee where you will see him."

The women did just as the angel had told them. They ran quickly from the tomb, with fear and great joy, to tell the good news to the other disciples. But . . . when the women found Peter and their other friends and tried to tell them the good news, . . . no one believed them!
When the women persisted, Peter decided that he needed to find out for himself.
He ran all the way to the tomb.
He went inside.
He saw the cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus, but the body was not there.
He wondered if it could possibly be true. Did Jesus really raise from the dead? Was Jesus really alive?

Two of Jesus' other friends were going on a journey to a village called Emmaus. As they walked and talked, they discussed all the things that had happened over the past few days. A man came along and joined the group. He walked along with them and wanted to join their discussion. Cleopas began telling the man about how Jesus was crucified on the cross. They talked about how the women found the empty tomb.


As they continued their journey, they invited the man to come in with them and have dinner. When they sat down to eat their meal, the man picked up a loaf of bread and broke it in pieces. Then he prayed for the meal and gave the bread to the men. At that very moment they realized that the man was JESUS! They had been talking to Jesus the whole time and didn't even know it!

Then . . . ANOTHER strange thing happened. As soon as they realized who it really was that sat at the table with them . . . Jesus disappeared! They talked about the wonderful time they had talking with Jesus down the road, and they just couldn't help talking about his strange disappearance. They got up from their meal and returned to Jerusalem where they told all the other disciples the good news that Jesus REALLY DID raise from the dead and had talked with them.


As they were talking, Jesus again appeared to them. They were afraid and thought they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus told them not to be afraid. He showed them His hands and feet where He had been nailed to the cross, so they would believe that it was really Him.


When they saw the nail holes in His hands and feet, they finally believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, just like He said He would. They were soooo happy and joyful to have their friend with them again. They were soooo excited that they had to tell EVERYBODY the good news that JESUS IS ALIVE!

Stress and Our Children

Experts estimate that up to 75% of all meidcal disorders are directly influnced by stress. In addition to the link to the development of coronary heart disease and other life-threatening diseases, psycho-social stressors may also cause gastrointestinal problems, including peptic ulcers and ulcerative colitis, skin disorders such as eczema, headaches, hypertension and respiratory aliments such as asthma. Recent research has also identified specific effect of stress: changes in lymphocyte levels, a strong risk factor for cancer; innumoreactivity; and sodium and fluid retention that cause hypertension. The growing suicide rate in the United States and high incidence of depression have also been correlated with stressful life events. Stress also creates many physiological changes and there is a close relation between stress and anxiety.  Anxiety reduces a child's ability to learn and there are several behaviors related to anxiety which interfere with proble-solving ability.

Signs of Stress
Following are symptoms of stress often exhibited by children. Any symptom observed as happening often may indicate need for follow up by a teacher, counselor, parent or physician.

1. Heachaches
2. Stomach problems - diarrhea, constipation, nausea, heartburn
3. Heart pounding
4. Aches and pains
5. Muscle jerks or tics
6. Eating problems - no appetite, constant eating, full feeling without eating.
7. Sleeping problems - unable to fall asleep, wake up in middle of the night, nighmares
8. General feeling of tiredness
9. Shortness of breath
10. Dry mouth or throat
11. Teeth grinding
12. Stuttering
13. Uncontrollable crying or not being able to cry
14. General anxiety, nervous feelings, or tenseness
15. dizziness and weakness
16. Irritable and easily set off
17. Depressed
18. Accident prone
19. Feeling angry in general
20. Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cop - wants to run away
21. Nerous laughter, easily startled, jumpy
22. Bored
23. Feeling rejected all the time
24. Unable to concentrate of inish things
25. Never laugh
26. Does not have friends
27. Does not finish homework

Note: information was taken from "Ready Set R.E.L.A.X." book by Jeffrey s. Allen, M.Ed. and Roger J. Klein, Psy.D.