Be Kind

Unselfish and noble actions are the most

radiant pages in the biography of souls.

David Thomas

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,

     forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

Faith is not knowing what the future holds,
but knowing who holds the future!

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.

Outside my window, a new day I see.
And only I can determine what kind of day it will be.
It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay,
Or it can be boring and cold, unhappy and grey.
My own state of mind is the determining key,
For I am only the person I let myself be.
I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help,
Or be selfish and think, just of myself.
I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun,
Or gripe and complain and make it hard on someone.
I can be patient with those who may not understand,
Or belittle and hurt them as much as I can.
But I have faith in myself and believe what I say,
And I personally intend to make the best of each day.

God's Protection

Each of us has a course to follow,
God knows every cross I bare,
God knows the battles brewing,
He protect me with His care.

God has set the course I follow,
He knows how much that I can bare,
God will help me fight my battles,
When I go to Him in prayer.

God has given me the power,
He has set the course we share,
God will keep me in the battles,
He protects me with His care.

God protects me with His Spirit,
He delivers me from care,
God defends me in my valleys,
When I go to Him in prayer.

God rejoices in my worship,
He protects me from all harm,
God has helped me win my battles,
Wrapped securely in His arms.

You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26: 3-4

The Wallet

As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years.
The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline--1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years ago.

It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John" letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed, Hannah.

It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the name Michael, that the owner could be identified. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. "Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?" She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number." She said, as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a few minutes and then she was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you." I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped, "Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was 30 years ago!"

"Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked. "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago," the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter." She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the number. They told me the old lady had passed away some years ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the daughter might be living. I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.

This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that had only three dollars and a letter that was almost 60 years old?
Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told me, "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. "

Even though it was already 10 p.m., I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well," he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television."
I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah.

She was a sweet, silver-haired old timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael."

She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said Softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor."

"Yes," she continued. "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And," she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, "tell him I still love him. You know," she said smiling as tears began to well up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael..."

I thanked Hannah and said goodbye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, "Was the old lady able to help you?" I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet."

I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that bright red lacing. He's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times."

"Who's Mr. Goldstein?" I asked as my hand began to shake.

"He's one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks." I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up.

On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old man."

We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing!"

"This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours?"

I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward."
"No, thank you," I said. "But I have to tell you something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet."

The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that letter?"

"Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is."

He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me," he begged.

"She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her." I said softly.

The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow." He grabbed my hand and said, "You know something, mister, I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her."

"Mr. Goldstein," I said, "Come with me."

We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night-lights lit our way to the day room where Hannah was sitting alone watching the television. The nurse walked over to her.

"Hannah," she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man?"

She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word.

Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's Michael. Do you remember me?"

She gasped, "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!"

He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces.

"See," I said. "See how the Good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be."

About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!"

It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit and stood tall.

They made me their best man. The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple.

A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly 60 years.

Please keep Kevin Hunter and Jeff Bridges and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you."~ Psalm 33:22 ~

Jake, the rancher, went one day
to fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty and
the clouds rolled gray and dense,

As he pounded the last nail in
and gathered tools to go.
The temperature had fallen
and the snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup,
he felt a heavy heart,
from the sound of that ignition,
he knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us do
if we'd have been there.
He humbly bowed his balding head
and sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for the last time,
he softly cursed his luck.
They found him three days later,
frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life
and done his share of roamin'.
But when he saw Heaven,
he was shocked -- it look just like Wyomin'.

Of all the saints in Heaven,
his favorite was St. Peter.
Now, this line, it ain't needed
but it helps with rhyme and meter.

So they set and talked a minute or two,
or maybe it was three,
Nobody was keepin' score --in Heaven time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete,
"that God will answer prayers,
But one time I asked for help,
well He, just plain wasn't there.

Does God answer prayers of some,
and ignores the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square --
I know all men are brothers.

Or does he randomly reply,
without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day,
the weather or the season.

Now I ain't trying to act smart,
it's just the way I feel,
And I was wonderin', could you tell --
what the heck's the deal?

Peter listened very patiently
and when Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition,
and he said, "So, you're the one!

That day your truck,
it wouldn't start,
and you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
with hundreds of us a trying.

A thousand angels rushed to check
the status of your file,
But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard
from you in quite a while

And though all prayers are answered,
and God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
and started a truck in North Dakota.

Poetry By © Bill Jones

When You Least Expect It

Jimmy and I just spent the last several days at the Ride Rank for a Cure Bull Riding School in Derby, Kansas with our son Weston.

Jimmy and Weston had been to this school the previous two years and pretty much knew what to expect, but i had stayed home as i thought there is no place at a bull riding school for this mom!

This being Weston's Senior year and not knowing if we would be welcomed to join him next year, i decided that i would go along and take it all in. When the school began and the instructors began to talk i was simply amazed at the motivation and inspiration that they raidiated through out the building. Each of them have had alot of success inside the arena and should rightly be proud of their accomplishments. What made this so amazing was that these same guys shared that your physical ability can only get you so far and that you need to rely on your faith to get you down the road to success.

I had a plan that when they began speaking and working on drills that i would get my kindle and read a book OR being that close to Wichita i would just go to the mall and pass my time there. I quickly saw that the message being given did not only apply to the riders, but it actually applied to me, the mother who would be sitting in the stands taking video. Needless to say i took in the entire four days of the bull riding school and came home with a renewed spirit and alot more money cause i stayed away from the mall!

I say all this to share with you that sometimes the biggest blessings are received when you least expect it!

For more information or if you would like to donate to Ride Rank for a Cure you can go to http://www.riderankforacure.com/

Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.

~Author Unknown

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Tim 1:7

"People may doubt what you say,
but they will believe what you do."
Lewis Cass Lucian

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other;
let us show the truth by our actions.
1 John 3:18

Thankful
By A. R. Gronos

I'm thankful for all good with which
I've been blessed throughout life.
For hardships, and for heartaches, too,
For failures, trials and strife.
I'm thankful for each little prayer
Someone has said for me;
For loving thoughts, for friendliness,

For all good will I see.
My thanks for hands, with which I could
Scribe someone on life's way;
For all small deeds of kindness
I'm allowed to do each day.
I'm thankful for all happiness,
Each long hour of deep sorrow;
God thus in his great mercy gives
More wisdom for tomorrow.

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead
Just walk beside me and be my friend"
Albert Camus

No one has greater love than to lay down his own life for his friends. John 15:13

Words and Hearts should be handled with care
for words when spoken and hearts when broken
are the hardest things to repair

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Life can only be lived looking forward,
But understood looking backward

Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

"Never take someone for granted.
Hold every person close to your heart.
You might wake up one day and realize you lost a diamond while you were busy collecting stones" ~ Explored ~