Thursday, June 29, 2006

A Story Of Hope - A Man & The Window

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 wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And 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 color 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 color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, 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 detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks 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 world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside 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 of the things you have that money can't buy.
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

Labels: stories

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tEdDi @ |12:28 pm|
Friday, June 09, 2006

No More "till' some other time"

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the
spark of love. A little while ago I had started to go out with another
woman. It was really my wife's idea. "I know that you love her," she
said one day, taking me by surprise.
"But I love YOU," I protested. "I know, but you also love her."

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three
children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That
night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well?" she asked. My mother is the type of woman
who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign
of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you," I
responded. " Just the two of us."

She thought about it for a moment then said "I would like that very
much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed
to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.

She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to
celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they
were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting". We went to a restaurant that, although not
elegant, was very nice and cozy. my mother took my arm as if she were
the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu to her. Her eyes could only
read large print. Half way through the entree, I lifted my eyes and
saw Mom sitting there staring at me.

A nostalgic smile was on her lips. "It was I who used to have to read
the menu when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time for you to relax and let me return the favor," I
responded.

During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation, nothing
extraordinary - but catching up on recent events of each others lives.
We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said "I'll go out with you again,
but only if you let me invite you". I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice.
Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened
so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I was almost sure
that I couldn't be there but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates -
one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that
night meant to me. I love you."

At that moment I understood the importance of saying, in time: "I LOVE
YOU" and giving our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than God and your family and friends.

Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off
'til "some other time".

Someone once said "I've learned that, regardless of your relationship
with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your
life.

I think this is true with your in-laws, grandchildren, sisters,
brothers and your friends. Anyone that means something to you-you
should spend time with them and let them know how much they mean to you as often as you can.


Please pass this along to your friends and family. Touch
their hearts.
It has touched mine. I am glad that you are my friend.

Labels: stories

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tEdDi @ |11:43 pm|

Beauty Love is Not Love

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

She was not beautiful.
Nothing about her was extraordinary.
Nothing about her made her stand out in a crowd.
She grew up in a family of six.
The eldest, she learnt responsibility at an early age.
As she grew stronger, and brighter,
She instilled a sort of light cheer to whomever she met.

She was not beautiful.
But she made others feel beautiful about themselves.
She meets a rebel boy who thinks he's all man.
Befriending him, she teaches him how to read,
A little boost the man needed to go to college.

They became friends fast and she fell,
Fast in love with her rugged, handsome student.
The "man" then finds himself in a dilemma
He soon found himself in love with a girl.
A girl so beautiful, she turned even the grouchiest men's head.
Her hair was a halo of light around her,
Her eyes the bluest blue of ocean.

Like an angel he tells his tutor
Like a beautiful angel.
The girl swallows a lump at her throat

She was not beautiful
She did not possess the heart of the one she loved
But she did not care.
As long as he was happy,
She would be or so she tried to.

She helped him write the most beautiful letter to his angel
All the time envisioning that it was she herself
Receiving those very letters.
And so the girl helped him choose the right words,
Buy the right gifts for his angel
His angel brought him much joy
And much pain to the girl who cried behind her smiles.
But that never stopped her from giving more
Than she will ever receive.

Then one day, all hell broke loose
The angel he loved left him for another man,
A richer, more successful man.
The boy was stunned
He was so hurt he did not speak for days
The girl went to him
He cried on her shoulder and she cried with him
He hurt and so did she.

Time went by.
And so the wounds heal.
The boy realizes something about his friend/tutor
He never realized before.
How her laughter sounded heavenly
Or how her smiles brightened up the darkest days.
Or simply how beautiful, yes beautiful she looked to him!

Beautiful.
This plain, simple girl was beautiful to him.
And he began to fall.
Fall so in love with this beautiful girl.

On one day, he picked up all his courage to see her.
He walked to her house, nervous ad fidgeting.
Running his thoughts over and over in his head.
He was going to tell her how beautiful she was to him.
He was going to tell her how wonderfully n love he was with her.
He knocked.
No one was home.

The next day he found out,
The beautiful girl he fell in love with had brain aneurysm
That put her into a coma.
The doctors were grim and the family decided to let her go.

One final time he got to see her.
He held her hand.
He stroked her hair,
And he cried for this beautiful girl.
He cried for he will never see her smile
Or hear her speak his name

He cried.
But it was too late.

The beautiful girl was buried and the heavens broke out
In a beautiful spring shower, a cry for their loss.
She was the most beautiful girl in the world.

Look around you.
Aren't there a lot of plain faces?
Take a good look
A real good look or you might miss out
On that beautiful person....

Forever.....

Labels: stories

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tEdDi @ |11:39 pm|

War and Friend

Horror gripped the heart of the World War 1 soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle.

Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire's whizzing over his head,
the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "no man's land"
between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

"You can go," said the lieutenant, "but i don't think it will be worth it.
Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away."

The lieutenant's didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway.
Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder
and bring him back to their company's trench.
As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.

"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded."

"It was worth it, though, sir," said the soldier.

"How do you mean, worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead"

"YES, Sir" the private answered. "But it was worth it because when i got to him, he was still alive and i had the satisfaction of hearing him say,

"JIM........, I KNEW YOU'D COME."




(Take sometime to think about the story then stroll down)







Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing or not, really depends on how u look at it. Take up all your courage and do something your heart tells you to do so that you may not regret not doing it later in your life...

"May each and every one of you be blessed with the company of true friends."
"A true friend is one who walks in, when the rest of the world walks out."

War doesn't determine who's right.
War only determines who's left.

Labels: stories

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tEdDi @ |11:30 pm|