I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.
The last class I had to take was Sociology.
The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.
Her last project of the term was called "Smile."
The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.
Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to
McDonald's one crisp March morning.
It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.
We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.
I did not move an inch ... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.
As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.
As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling."
His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.
He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.
I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).
Then I really felt it -- the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.
That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.
I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.
I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue- eyed gentleman's cold hand.
He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you."
I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope."
I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope."
We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.
We are not church goers, but we are believers.
That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.
I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand..
I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it.
Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?"
:: Secret Lady ::
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Sneak Preview of GYSS ...
:: Secret Lady ::
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When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you. You thanked her by crying
all night long.
When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk. You thanked her by running away when she called.
When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love. You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.
When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons. You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.
When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays. You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud.
When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school. You thanked her by screaming, "I'M NOT GOING!"
When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball. You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor's window.
When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream. You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons. You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old she drove ou all day, from soccer to gymnastic to one birthday party after another. You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies. You thanked
her by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows. You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming. You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.
When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp. You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, she came home from work,looking for a hug. You thanked her by
having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car. You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, she was expecting an important call. You thanked her by being
on the phone all night.
When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation. You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus carried your bags. You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone. You thanked her by saying, "It's none of your business."
When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future. You thanked her by saying, "I don't want to be like you."
When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation. You thanked her by
asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.
When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment. You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.
When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future. You
thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther, please!"
When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried and told you how deeply she loved you. You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby. You thanked her by telling her, "Things are different now."
When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday. You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now."
When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her. You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then one day, she quietly died. And everything you never did came crashing
down like thunder on YOUR HEART.
Don't take advantage of her.
:: Secret Lady ::
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I'm very tired... no mood and no strength to write anything.
Just want to summarise:
We(kiat, tian and me) always late to work since monday - our first day of work.
Yesterday, went to meet some frens after work. Actually is pre-farwell for Aven. He's enlisting to ns this coming fri. Give us such a short notice and our gather like so rush also. Once again, can see Jas and Wilson. So long didnt see them, seems like missing lots of juicy story from them... Haha, managed to gossip with them again esp Wilson's status. But still i didnt manage to listen the whole story... only managed to listen till 'TCC' and the story that gal wrote... Went to eat NYDC. As usual, the gals are chit chatting and gossipping but the guys also not too jia lei... managed to 'chit chat' abt their ns stuff. Wonder what will their topic is when they come out from ns. Haha... Went to take some pictures at foutain. Wonder if Niu want to be model isit... haha likes to pose some funny acts. Or he wants to be photographer... Hope not cos his skill is so bad! Always can see his small finger [like flash] beside the photo... Anwyay, all the best to those guys going to ns... [Nanny, dun forget our promise! U muz let me see ur head and ur skin color when u out from ns!!!]Heez....
:: Secret Lady ::
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Lesson One
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An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit
saw the eagle and asked him,"Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure, why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle, and rested. All of a
sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
MANAGEMENT LESSON ONE:-
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high
up.
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Lesson Two
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A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to
the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the
energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.
"They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, found it actually gave him enough
strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after
eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, he was proudly perched at the top of the
tree. Soon he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out
of the tree.
MANAGEMENT LESSON TWO:-
Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
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Lesson Three
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A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird
froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying
there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird
lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was.
The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy,
and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing
and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the
bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
MANAGEMENT LESSON THREE:-
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!
:: Secret Lady ::
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When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They
agreed that it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things --God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff." "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend allyour time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for thethings that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID.
:: Secret Lady ::
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Love is something that is not easily explained
No one word can express it
And no one person feels the same about it
Its waking up in the morning wanting to be with
that one person
And going to bed feeling the same way
Its knowing that you want to spend the rest of
your life with him
And it's a feeling so great that no matter what
anyone says will never be taken away
Its crying every night when the one you love
doesnt love you back
Its feeling that pain in your heart when you lose
that one person.
But to just hear those three little words come from
his mouth
And actually know he means it
Thats the best feeling in the world
To know that someone loves you for you
And wants to be with you forever
Love is hard to find, and even harder to keep
It takes time and effort to keep it going
But you dont mind because you would do
anything in the world to keep it
Its knowing that when you come home youll have
someone to share your day with
Its that last conversation of the night before you
fall asleep
Hes the first one you want when you wake up
The only thing thats on your mind all day, every
day It's knowing that someones always there for you
to cry on
Someones always there for you to talk to about
anything
And wont judge you for that
Its the person you feel the most comfortable with
in the world
And to know that you have that
That you share that special bond with one other
person
Thats the best feeling in the world.
But when you lose that feeling
When you lose the only thing that ever mattered to
you
It seems like life has no purpose, no point at all
You feel like you could just curl up and die
That nothing or no one else matters to you
And the only thing that youve ever wanted is now
gone
And you will do anything to get him back,
Because hes worth it
Youll try and try until one day you realize
That things will never be the same again.
Your love is still there, deep inside of you
So you try your best to just be friends,
And it works for a while
But the feelings are still there
And no matter how hard you try friend will never be
good enough
So you want to forget about him, but thats even
harder
Theres too many memories, to many good times
to just forget
And no matter what you do, hes always there
Everywhere you look, everything you do, every
place you go,
Every song you hear, every guy you see
Reminds you of him
And you hope some day youll be back together
But until then theres nothing you can do
But sit and cry, to go through that pain when he
talks about
Another girl he likes, or how good his life is going
And that pain breaks your heart day after day
Tear after tear, until you have no mores tears to
cry
Until you just get used to that hole in your heart
that wont go away,
That pain that never leaves you
That lonely feeling that stays with you forever
And you may have other guys, but nothing or no
one could ever compare, and you know that.
:: Secret Lady ::
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