I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television-and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried those i cared for.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical but because i needed it.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's".. more "I'm sorry's" but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back. :) Stop sweating the small stuff.
Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.
Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who Do love us.
Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with.
And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, as well as spiritually.
Life is too short to let it pass you by. - Source: ANONYMOUS They say the four things you can't recover in life are:
The stone.....after the throw !
The word.....after it's said!
The occassion/ moment.....after it's missed !
The time.....after it's gone !
We only have one shot at this....Life........ and then Puff......it's gone. Love God......Be a blessing.....Make someone's day :))
My beautiful friend Nma sent this to me last night and I thought I'd share it with you too :)) It's a beautiful story....
"There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big “F” at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around.”
His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by hisclassmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”
His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.”
Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class.”
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy’s. His present which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.
Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.” After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her “teacher’s pets.”
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer—the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.
The story doesn’t end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he’d met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.” Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”"
A
boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the
Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get
those?” he asked.
“Then
why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The
Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and
feed his family.
“So
what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.
“I
sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my
wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few
drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”
The
American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You
should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you
catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”
“And
after that?” asked the Mexican.
“With
the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then
a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead
of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the
processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave
this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York!
From
there you could direct your whole enterprise.”
“How
long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty
— perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And
after that?”
“Afterwards?
Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really
interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks
and make millions!”
“Millions?
Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.
“After
that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the coast, sleep
late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife
and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
***
The
moral of the story… Know where you’re going in life — you may already be there.
Set your priorities straight and find
success in a simple life well-lived :))
Ralph Waldo Emerson defined success in a simple life well lived
as:
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of
intelligent people and affection of children; to learn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of
false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in
others; to leave the world a little bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social
condition; to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
I think the Mexican fisherman would have agreed with Emerson.
Hope you are not having any 'Monday blues' like I am having now. What’s
with 'Mondays' that is so arghhhhh!!!!!!!?
Even when we were having our morning
prayer at work, everyone was feeling sleepy, it was a druggy AMENNNNN! And almost
all the faces was like (-_-)
Do you feel like that on Mondays-especially when you have to
wake at 5 am so that you can race to work with the millions of cars on the road
and resume at 7:30am and not get bogged down with ‘meeting up with deadlines’,
making presentations and trying to please an unappreciative boss?
Or Are you
having blues about the way you look or what you weigh or some 'never-ending-sad' situation?
In the words of one of my ‘Oga’, Mr. Izu, your Monday morning blues
won’t solve anything, worrying won’t help, go with the flow; if you can change
the situation, FINE!!! If you can’t, SMILE!!! Tell God about the problem and trust HIM to solve it for you. Don’t go around with a scowl.
Life is healthier that way. You agree with him?
Well, here are some beautiful words to make you (me too)smile and
feel inspired as you go through today and the rest of your week...
Hi Dear, What are you doing right now? I'm watching one of my fave movies of all time 'Because I said so'. Love it!!!!!!! Just wanted to wish you an amazing day and remember that life is too short dancing to the tune of irrelevant things and people.
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