"When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for
dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when
she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening
so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely
burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone
noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom,
and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him
that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on
that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my
mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget
what he said: 'Baby, I love burned toast.'
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him
if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and
said, 'Debbie, your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's
real tired.. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!'
You know, life is full of imperfect things......and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook.
What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each
other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is
the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and
lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the
good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet
of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only one who will be able to give
you a relationship where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker! We could
extend this to any relationship in fact - as understanding is the base
of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or
friendship!! "
Hello dear friends,
Tonight I am reaching out to all of you with a promise of prayer. So many of my clients are going through a tough time right now and I've asked them if I could add them to my prayer list. Since becoming a reader on Keen, my list has grown and grown. I believe that through prayer, miracles can happen.
If you would like to be added to my prayer list, just email me and let me know who you are and who or what you would like for me to pray for.
I wish only the best for you all.
Love and Blessings,
Dana
"When I stand before God
at the end of my life,
I would hope that
I would have not a single bit
of talent left and could say,
I used everything You gave me."
Erma Bombeck
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" There was once a wise woman traveling in the mountains who found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and she opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked her if she would give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew that the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. A few days later, he came back to return the stone to the woman who had given it to him. "I've been thinking," he said , " I know how valuable the stone is, but I'm giving it back in the hope that you can give me something much more precious. I want you to give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."
Author Unknown
This is about the best thing I've ever read as an explanation. We all wonder many many many times over WHY?
Sometimes
we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do
this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her
Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her
boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile,
her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a
snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"
To
which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by
themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make
a wonderfully delicious cake! "
God
works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through
such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these
things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to
trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
If you like this, send this on to the people you really care about.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
I hope your day is a piece of cake!
This is a true story and it's worth the read:
Messages from God
This story is about my mother, who was an LPN working on the cardiac floor at Lakeland Regional Hospital in Lakeland, Florida.
She and my Dad had just gone through a divorce and up until that point she had done everything possible to prevent that from happening. She prayed to God to put his hand in the situation and speak to my Dad and show him that the decisions he was making were wrong. She fasted for many days, to the point where she would pass out at work. She prayed and asked God to protect our family from all the negative things that were happening. Well, the divorce ended up happening in spite of all the faith and prayers she had held onto. At the time, she felt like God had deserted her and didn't care. There was no evidence to her that God was around. She said that she even got to the point where she could not pray. She wouldn't go to church.
After some time had passed, she broke down and got on her knees and prayed. She asked God to show her that He cared. She said, " Dear God, I am so far away from the faith the I once had and I don't know what to do. If You care for me and my children, show me. I need a sign that can only come from you. A sign so obvious that cannot be mistaken, because I'm not good at picking up on clues."
About a couple of weeks later, she was at work and they brought in a man from Tampa and assigned him as one of her patients. He wasn't as critical as the others so she spent very little time with him. He stopped her and said,"I need to talk to you." She told him that she would come back as soon as she had some time. Well, @ 3pm her head nurse came by and asked if she wanted to work another shift? She agreed.
She went in to talk to the man who asked to speak with her earlier. He said, "I'm going home tomorrow. There's nothing really wrong with me. God sent me here to tell you that He does care and loves you very much. He wants you to come back to Him." Then, the man asked if he could pray with her. So they prayed. After the prayer, she told him that there was no way that he would be going home the next day because, no one gets released after just one day with heart problems. The next day, the man was released and was told that NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH HIM.
My mother wrote this off as a weird coincidence.
Three weeks later........my mother gets an older lady as a patient. Again, she wasn't in critical condition so she needed less attention. The lady asked to speak to my mom and again, she put her off. The head nurse came around at 3pm like last time and asked her to work another shift.....again she accepted. She went in to check on her patient, and the older lady said, "There's nothing really wrong with me. God sent me here to talk to you. I will be going home tomorrow." Of course, my mom tells her that no one gets released after just one day. That just doesn't happen. The lady said, "God wants me to tell you that He does care and that He loves you very much. He knows what you are going through and He's there for you. He wants you to come back to His loving arms." She and the lady prayed together. The next day, believe it or not.......the lady was released and went home. NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH HER! Again, my mother dismissed it as a weird coincidence.
Two weeks later, she was assigned an elderly man as a patient. He asked to speak with her, but again he wasn't one of her most critical patients so she was busy with other patients. The head nurse came around and asked if she would work another shift and again, she accepted. That evening, she went in to check on the elderly man and he told her that he was going home the next day, and that there was nothing wrong with him. He said, "God has sent me here to speak to you. He says that He does care, and He knows what you're going through and He wants you to come back to Him." The man asked if she would pray with him and they did. The next day, the man went home.....why?.....BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM!
My mother fell to her knees and prayed to God. She says that from that point on, she has never doubted God's love for her. That no matter what has happened in her life, she knows that HE is there for her and He has his hand in all situations.
He is there for you too.
TRUST IN THE LORD AND DO GOOD, AND HE WILL GRANT YOU YOUR HEART'S DESIRE.
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Watch your thoughts…for they become your words.
Watch your words….for they become your actions.
Watch your actions….for they become your habits.
Watch your habits….for they
Become your character.
Watch your character….
For it becomes your destiny.
Do
not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your
feet.
-Anonymous
To be afraid is to have more faith in evil
than in God.
An extremely modest man was in the hopital for a series of tests, the last of which had left his bodily systems extremely upset.
Upon making several false alarm trips to the bathroom,he decided the latest episode was was another and he stayed put.
He suddenly filled his bed with diarrhea and was embarrassed beyond his ability to remain rational.
In a complete loss of composure he jumped out of bed, gathered up the sheets, and threw them out the hospital window.
A drunk was walking by the hospital when the sheets landed on him. He started yelling, cursing, and swinging his arms violently trying to get the unknown things off, and ended up with the soiled sheets in a tangled pile at his feet.
As the drunk stood there, unsteady on his feet, staring down at the sheets, a hospital security guard (barely containing his laughter) who had watched the whole incident walked up and asked, "What the heck is going on here?"
The drunk, still staring down, replied: " I think that I just beat the shit out of a ghost!"
Happy Halloween!
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What's the point, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?
Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle Adversity? ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Don't tell GOD how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big your GOD is!
I have a new delightful friend,
I am most in awe of her.
When we first met I was impressed,
By her bizarre behavior.
That day I had a date with friends,
We met to have some lunch.
Mae had come along with them,
All in all ... a pleasant bunch.
When the menus were presented,
We ordered salads, sandwiches, and soups.
Except for Mae who circumvented,
And said, Ice Cream, please: two scoops.
I was not sure my ears heard right,
And the others were aghast.
Along with heated apple pie,
Mae added, completely unabashed.
We tried to act quite nonchalant,
As if people did this all the time.
But when our orders were brought out,
I did not enjoy mine.
I could not take my eyes off Mae,
As her pie a-la-mode went down.
The other ladies showed dismay,
They ate their lunches silently, and frowned.
Well, the next time I went out to eat,
I called and invited Mae.
My lunch contained white tuna meat,
She ordered a parfait.
I smiled when her dish I viewed,
And she asked if she amused me.
I answered, Yes, you do,
But also you confuse me.
How come you order rich desserts,
When I feel I must be sensible?
She laughed and said, with wanton mirth,
I am tasting all that's possible.
I try to eat the food I need,
And do the things I should.
But life's so short, my friend, indeed,
I hate missing out on something good.
This year I realized how old I was,
She grinned, I've not been this old before.
So, before I die, I've got to try,
Those things for years I had ignored.
I've not smelled all the flowers yet,
There's too many books I have not read.
There's more fudge sundaes to wolf down,
And kites to be flown overhead.
There are many malls I have not shopped,
I've not laughed at all the jokes.
I've missed a lot of Broadway Hits,
And potato chips and cokes.
I want to wade again in water,
And feel ocean spray upon my face.
Sit in a country church once more,
And thank God for It's grace.
I want peanut butter every day,
Spread on my morning toast.
I want un-timed long-distance calls,
To the folks I love the most.
I've not cried at all the movies yet,
Nor walked in the morning rain.
I need to feel wind in my hair,
I want to fall in love again.
So, if I choose to have dessert,
Instead of having dinner.
Then should I die before night fall,
I'd say I died a winner.
Because I missed out on nothing,
I filled my heart's desire.
I had that final chocolate mousse,
Before my life expired.
With that, I called the waitress over,
I've changed my mind, it seems.
I said, I want what she is having,
Only add some more whipped-cream!
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
"Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain.
People are always asking why God allows suffering and pain. If he is a loving and caring God......then he would not want us to suffer..........
This is a good explanation of why God allows pain and
Suffering.
A lady went to a beauty shop to have her hair cut and her nails painted
and trimmed. As the lady began to work, they began to have a good
conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the beautician
said "I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked Sherry who has MS.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't
exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would
there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither
suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of
these things."
Then Sherry thought for a moment, but didn't respond because she didn't
want to start an argument. The beautician just finished her job and the
customer left the shop.
Just after she left the beauty shop, she saw a woman in the street with
long, stringy, dirty hair and not groomed at all. She looked dirty and
unkempt.
Then Sherry turned back and entered the beauty shop again and she said
to the beautician: "You know what? Beauticians do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised beautician. "I am here, and
I am a beautician. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" Sherry exclaimed. "Beauticians don't exist because if they did,
there would be no people with dirty long hair and be very unkempt, like that
woman outside."
"Ah, but beauticians DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to
me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed Sherry. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why
there's so much pain and suffering in the world!"
I know that you have heard this phrase and you've probably seen it on stickers and magnets and such............but until it means something to you...........do you really know what it means?
I talk to so many people each day who are stressed out about their relationships and their careers. When I say to them, "Let go and let God handle it." They seem disbelieving, or untrusting. Can you blame them? Today, I myself learned the meaning of what I have been preaching.
Stress is and has been such a part of my life for several years. I have skin problems, depression problems, insomnia etc....... I spoke with another advisor this afternoon and she emailed me after the call and for the first time..........the advice was for me to release. "LET GO AND LET GOD!"
This is why in THE SECRET, they tell you to focus on what you want, and the release it. Let the universe do it's thing, (or GOD) We're all stressed out about the things that we have no control over anyway, Right???
So starting today, I am going to release my stress by letting God worry about things for me. He has control and can do anything. There's going to be a new me, a happier me!
God Bless!