BLACK or WHITE

Spirit of Evolution

Just Five More Minutes

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

“That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.”

The man smiled and said, “OK.”

“My, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play.”

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?

Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today!

24 Things To Always Remember

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Your presence is a present to the world.
You are unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles.
You will make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Do not put limits on yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal and you prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets.
Do not take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot … goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment.
Life’s treasure are people together.

Realize that it is never too late.
Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
Have hearth and hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a start.

AND DO NOT EVER FORGET ….
FOR EVEN A DAY
HOW VERY SPECIAL YOU ARE !

Dream Big Dreams!

by William Curtis

Every one of us is a mother, father, son or daughter - and we all have dreams - big and small. Unfortunately, too many of us keep these dreams to ourselves because we fear what others might say. My point in writing this is to say it's OK to dream and dream big and talk about your dreams so that others are inspired to dream big too. What a world we would have if everyone did this!

My dad was a dreamer. He told me that one day he was going to have a sailboat. We would go to the boat shows whenever they came to town and climb into them. My father would talk to the sales people and I would be busy pretending to sail the boat. It was fun. Then one day we went to the boat place and took out a sailboat on the ocean, what a thrill! Soon afterwards he bought his first boat and named it "LETSGO" and we sailed and sailed big bays and seas around New England. When I was older I got to be the skipper because he not only told me his dream he showed it to me and let me taste the idea on my own. Now I was inspired to dream big too.

You see dreams can do wonders for you. When you believe in your dreams, they take on a life of their own. Now you start dreaming up things to do to make your inspiration a reality. More dreams , more inspiration, then more dreams and a few more. Then one morning you wake up and the dream has come true.

My dreams have taken me to so many beautiful places; I've been below the surface of the ocean watching the beauty of coral and fish as I swim by. I've flown an airplane with pontoon floats from a lake in northern Maine and another different plane on a flight over the Grand Canyon. I've also ridden under my own wind blown sails. The pictures in my head are priceless and better than any I've taken.

Some of the best times I've had were listening to older people talk about their dreams and what their dreams did for their lives. When I hear some of their dreams it inspires me to think and dream how I might do that too.

I interviewed a man some years ago who was 80-something years young. He was a sturdy man with the hands to match the story he told me. Hands still strong enough to crack the shells of the walnuts he offered me and munched on. He had outlived his wife but still lived in their neat home with bookcases near the fireplace he no doubt built. I asked one question and I didn’t move for hours. His story of leaving home to explore the world and learn a new trade was fascinating to my young mind. But it was after hearing his tale that I realized what he was really saying to me - not as an aspiring journalist but as a person. He told me he dreamed that he would have a great life and he had one, so, I could dream about having a great life and get one too.

Just as my father had said to me earlier, here was another confirmation. I did just what they said to do, because I could do anything I wanted. Therefore, I say dream... dream big dreams about your great life to come. I’m heading out toward my next one, how about you?

Cupcakes and Rootbeer

by Julie A. Manhan

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cupcakes, several cans of root beer and started on his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he saw an elderly woman. She was sitting on a park bench watching the pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed the lady looked hungry so he offered her a cupcake. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him.

Her smile was so wonderful that he wanted to see it again, so he offered a root beer as well. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling without saying a word.

As it began to grow dark, the boy realized how tired he was and wanted to go home. He got up to leave but before he had gone no more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to the old woman, giving her a big hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy arrived home his Mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked, "What has made you so happy today?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." Before his mother could respond he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile in the whole world!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face. He asked, "Mother, what has made you so happy today?" She replied, "I ate cupcakes in the park with God." And before her son could reply, she added, "You know, he is much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring; all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Take no one for granted and embrace all equally with joy!

The Dream

He gently opened his eyes and the warm sun beat upon his face. He lay among the soft caress of the grass and a gentle wind embraced him. His father sat underneath a tree a few feet way beside the babbling brook.

"You are awake," his father smiled.

"I fell asleep dad."

"You did my son."

"I had a dream dad."

His father rose and sat beside him. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It was so real dad. I dreamt of missiles falling from the sky and little kids, even younger than I getting killed and maimed. The world was in a bad state. Millions were poor dad, not even with enough to eat. There were homeless people and destitute. There were huge storms and hurricanes and all types of disasters happening. People were fighting all of the time – over land, possessions, oil and money. Rainforests were dying dad and animals of all types were in danger and the earth was actually heating up! And I dreamt of growing up in this world and I was having happy times and sad times. And I lived a life dad. I did! I had a wife and kids and it was crazy fast you know. Everything went so quickly. And I felt so much. I was scared, full of joy, there was fear and hope. And so many times I felt helpless. And a lot of the time I felt so lonely. Worst of all dad, I didn't know where you were. I kinda knew you were there somewhere and I kept calling out for you. In fact sometimes I gave up hope and told myself that you didn't exist at all. But deep down I had a feeling you were somewhere. As I grew older I stopped searching for you out there and started looking within. Which was strange really but I kinda felt you were a part of me dad just as I was a part of you. It was full on dad and then I just woke up!"

His father looked at him with love in his wise eyes. "That’s some dream son!"

"How long was I asleep dad?"

"Mmmmmm perhaps 5 minutes... not much more."

"Wow! All of that in 5 minutes?"

The son looked knowingly at his dad for awhile.

"Dad that was my first dream."

"I know son... and your last... if you so choose."

"Dad?"

"Yes my son?"

"Did you know I was dreaming?"

"Why yes, of course."

The son reflected on this for a moment.

"So dad, during the bad parts of the dream did you know I was suffering?"

"My son, you may have appeared to be suffering in the dream but were always perfectly safe with me here."

"You could have woken me?"

"I could, but I didn't. You would have woken with a start. It would have been a little frightening for you that way. You gently came out of the dream yourself. You choose to enter the dream state. It is best if you choose to exit."

The son stretched out on the grass.

"Dad?"

"Yes my son."

"I love you."

"I know, my child. We are love."

by Diarmuid Cronin

Growing Good Corn

There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

by Unknown Author

It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.
From the Bible,
Proverbs 11:24-25

The story of St. Valentine

Saint Valentine discovered a unique type of love. A love so exciting, so powerful, so overwhelming!
He lived in Rome during the third century. At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. Emperor Claudius, was never a favorite of the people of Rome and also Saint Valentine. Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. Not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious.Claudius had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel.

Saint Valentine thought it was preposterous! and decided not to support it. Saint Valentine being a Priest, his favorite activity was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, he kept on performing marriage ceremonies secretly. Usually it would be in a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and St.Valentine. They would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers. One night, while performing the wedding ceremony St.Valentine heard the sound of the steps of soldiers. He made the marrying couple run in time but himself was caught. He was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death.

While in prison he tried to stay cheerful and many young people came to the jail to visit him. They gave him flowers to show that they, too, believed in love. One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit him in the cell. At times they would sit and talk for hours. On the day he was to die, he left his friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

It is believed that this note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on February 14, 269 A.D., the day St.Valentine died. Now, every year on this day, people think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love.

Remember that love can't be beaten!

The Young Merman

Once upon a time there was a young merman who lived in a beautiful kingdom deep in the ocean. Ever since he had been born he had always been surrounded by magnificent coral reefs, exotic sea creatures and the breath-taking architecture of the mer-people. Yet he never seemed happy, as he always saw the worst in everything and was critical of those around him. Of course, this made him very unpopular with the other mermen and mermaids, and he often found himself alone, thinking about how awful everything and everyone was.

He did, however, have one friend; the eldest and wisest merman in the kingdom. This old merman had known the young merman’s parents for a very long time, and he knew that the boy had never had any friends because of his negative attitude. The wise merman felt sorry for the boy, and so, when he could, he would take some time to talk to the boy and try to help him.

One morning the boy and the wise merman were taking a gentle swim through the kingdom. The wise merman was admiring what a beautiful morning it was turning out to be, but the boy could only notice that the water was colder than he liked it and that the dolphins were being too playful and noisy.

“But what about the coral?” suggested the old merman. “Aren’t the colours glorious today?”

“I guess,” the boy shrugged. “If you happen to like orange, red and pink.”

The old merman looked at the boy for a moment, before the boy finished, “Which I don’t.”

The old merman sighed, wondering if he would ever be able to think of something to make the boy happy. He wrapped the end of his long, white beard around his finger and then unwrapped it again.

“Well,” he said, “I should be on my way. I have a class to teach”.

“What are teaching today?” asked the boy.

“Today I’ll be teaching about God.”

“God?”

“Yes, God. Have you never heard of God?”

“No. How would I? I’ve never been to any of your lessons.”

“Hmm.” The old merman stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Well, that is a shame. Cheerio then.”

As the old merman began to leave the boy stopped him.

“Hey! Aren’t you going to tell me what it is?”

“What what is?”

“God!”

“Oh, I see. Well, you can find God everywhere really…”

“Everywhere? But that’s impossible…. Isn’t it?”

“No, it’s very possible.”

“Well, what does it look like then?”

“It looks like you, and me, and the dolphins and the coral….”

The boy frowned at the old merman. “So God isn’t really anything at all?”

The wise, old merman smiled at the boy for a brief moment and then turned away to leave.

“You tell me!” he said as he swam away. “Go and find it and then tell me if it isn’t really anything at all!”

~

The young merman swam around the kingdom aimlessly for a while, feeling cross about the nonsense the old merman had been speaking.

“What rubbish,” thought the boy. “God looks like everything? God can’t be very special then!”

Frowning, he looked around him, at the buildings, the mer-people and the shimmering fish. Then he remembered the old merman’s words.

“Fine,” he thought. “I’ll look for it, and then I’ll tell him what I think!”

The boy swam straight up to a dolphin, folded his arms across his chest and stared at it.

“So you’re God, are you?”

The dolphin looked at the boy and grinned. The boy didn’t grin back.

“God has a chunk missing from its fin and has bits of fish caught in its teeth, does it?! How stupid!”

The boy swam off, leaving behind the dolphin who had started to laugh.

The boy was in such a bad mood whilst he was swimming that he swam right into a beautiful mermaid with long, golden hair. She looked cross at first, but her face softened and she smiled at the boy.

“You must be in a rush to get somewhere,” she said gently.

“Not really,” the boy replied.

“Well, just try to be careful then, you wouldn’t want to hurt someone.”

Another frown appeared on the boys face and he swam on.

“Well, she can’t be God, that’s for sure. You wouldn’t want to hurt someone… Who does she think she is?”

The boy swam up to a high cliff which overlooked the entire kingdom. He slumped down onto a rock, feeling very hard-done-by. As he looked down he saw a tiny, brightly coloured fish feeding off of the algae which grew on the rock.

“You can’t be God either,” said the boy glumly. “You’re far too small.”

~

As the evening closed in and the lights of the kingdom began to sparkle in the dark water, the boy sighed. He had been looking for God all day, and all that he had found was a stupid dolphin, a rude mermaid and a small, insignificant fish. The young merman was just about to call it a day and swim home, when he spotted his old friend swimming slowly towards him.

“What are you doing all the way up here?” asked the wise merman. “You’re a long way from the town.”

“Well I was doing what you said and…” the boy replied venomously, but the old merman raised his hand to silence the boy.

“So you’ve been up here all day? Too angry and self absorbed to notice when God is right in front of you?”

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again, suddenly feeling foolish.

“Look,” said the old merman forcefully. And he pointed towards the kingdom; towards the lights spilling from the buildings, and the glittering schools of fish weaving gracefully in and out of the tall towers and low coral houses; towards the beautiful mermaids and mermen rushing to and fro throughout the kingdom and the enormous shadows of whales on the outskirts of the underwater city. From high up on the cliff every individual movement seemed like a cog in the one big movement of the whole kingdom. Each life and action seemed to fit perfectly with everything else.

The boy sat watching the kingdom, which seemed like one united pulse of colour, movement and breath. He had never seen it this way before.

“Do you see God now?” asked the old merman gently.

“Yes,” said the boy, in awe. “I… I never noticed it before. It’s all perfect, isn’t it? Why didn’t I see it before?”

“When you stop thinking about yourself and how you wish the world would be, you start to see how the world really is. And it’s better than anything that you wished for, isn’t it? Because it doesn’t revolve around you and your ideas; you’re just part of the beautiful flow of it all. Doesn’t that feel good to know?”

Just then the boy saw the tiny, coloured fish which he had seen earlier that day. It was casually swimming over the rocks, experiencing every moment as it arrived and not expecting anything at all. The boy suddenly realised how much like the tiny fish he’d like to be.

He laughed. “Yes, it feels wonderful!”

by: Jenni Piech
With a very special thank you to the author, Jenni Piech, for sharing this delightful story with us. Jenni lives in south-east England with her fiance, Tim, and their cat, Cheesecake.

What's Santa real name?

The Man Behind the Story of Santa Claus

St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true!

The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to get presents in first started! It goes like this...

There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.

Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors! One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey. The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the giant waves. They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them. Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them. He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port.

St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352 AD. In 1807, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year.


How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus

In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas became very unpopular.

But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the U.K., he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old childrens stories; in France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'; in Germany, the Christ Child or 'Christ Kind. In the early U.S.A. his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklass' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas Day on 6th December.

St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories. In the new stories and pictures about him, his Bishops robes soon became the hat and coat that he wears today - but as you can see, he went through a few colour changes!!

No one knows how St. Nicholas' traditional white horse became a sledge and pack of reindeer. A picture in a Victorian book show them: and the poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas', written in 1882, by Dr Clement Clarke Moore for his children, describes the eight reindeer and gives them their names. They became really well known in the song 'Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer', written in 1949. Do you know all eight names? Click on Rudolph's nose to find out!
Click my nose to find out more about my friends!

The UK Father Christmas and the American Santa Claus became more and more alike over the years and are now one and the same.

New stories and customs about Santa Claus were written in the 1900s and they still exist today.

Some people say that Santa lives at the North Pole. In Finland, they say that he lives in the north part of their country called Lapland. But everyone agrees that he travels through the sky on a sledge that is pulled by reindeer, that he comes into houses down the chimney at night and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds, in front of the family Christmas tree, or by the fire place.

Most children receive their presents on Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning, but in some countries they get their presents on St. Nicholas Day, December 6th.

Setback or Gift in Disguise

Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field.
One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift.

Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see."

A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!"
The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see."

Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man."
The farmer said, "We'll see."

Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy."
The farmer said, "We'll see."

Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him.
Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man."
The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."

Moral of the story: There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from.

As Fra Giovanni once said:
"Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty, believe me... the gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence."

Age Is A Quality Of Mind

If you left your dreams behind,
If hope is lost.
If you no longer look ahead,
If your ambitious fires are dead –
Then you are old.
But if from life you take the best
And if in life you keep the jest,
If love you hold –
No matter how the years go by,
No matter how the birthdays fly,
You are not old!

Author: Unknown

My Friend ...

A friend is like a flower,
a rose to be exact,
Or maybe like a brand new gate
that never comes unlatched.

A friend is like an owl,
both beautiful and wise.
Or perhaps a friend is like a ghost,
whose spirit never dies.

A friend is like those blades of grass,
you can never mow,
standing straight, tall,
and proud in a perfect little row.

A friend is like a heart,
that goes strong until the end.
Where would we be in this world,
if we didn't have a friend.

说好的幸福呢?

I was looking through the lyrics while listening to this song.
Really 好多感触...

你的回话凌乱着
在这个时刻
我想起喷泉旁的白鸽
甜蜜散落了
情绪莫名的拉扯
我还爱你呢
伴你断断续续唱着歌
假装没事了
时间过了 走了
爱情面临选择
你冷了 倦了 我哭了
离开时的不快乐
你用卡片手写着
有些爱只给到这
真的痛了
怎么了 你累了
说好的 幸福呢
我懂了 不说了
爱淡了 梦远了
开心与不开心一一细数着
你再不舍
那些爱过的感觉都太深刻
我都还记得
你不等了
说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了
放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢
你的回话凌乱着
在这个时刻
我想起喷泉旁的白鸽
甜蜜散落了
情绪莫名的拉扯
我还爱你呢
伴你断断续续唱着歌
假装没事了
时间过了 走了
爱情面临选择
你冷了 倦了 我哭了
离开时的不快乐
你用卡片手写着
有些爱只给到这
真的痛了
怎么了 你累了
说好的 幸福呢
我懂了 不说了
爱淡了 梦远了
开心与不开心一一细数着
你再不舍
那些爱过的感觉都太深刻
我都还记得
你不等了
说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了
放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢
怎么了 你累了
说好的 幸福呢
我懂了 不说了
爱淡了 梦远了
我都还记得
你不等了
说好的 幸福呢
我错了 泪干了
放手了 后悔了
只是回忆的音乐盒还旋转着
要怎么停呢

愛你在傷口

一個傷口復原要多久
一道疤痕會留多久
我不是害怕痛 只怕永久

忘記需要多少次淚流
拒絕不停提醒我
我越想放開卻越緊握

你早已烙印在我胸
那些曾甜蜜的擁有
已經分不清是愛是傷口

傷 像是一個合不攏的口
不管我用多少的溫柔
也是換不回你的昨日我的感動
愛 愛得越深就越不敢吼
你已深深地刺穿我內心深處最深的角落
我痛 不是因爲你傷了我
而是你讓我真正明白 愛你在傷口

沒有你的日子像一個沒有子彈的神槍手
他該靠什麽繼續生活
如果命運總是捉弄
付出的一定有結果
至少我還有你在我心中

傷 像是一個合不攏的口
不管我用多少的溫柔
也是換不回你的昨日我的感動
愛 愛得越深就越不敢吼
你已深深地刺穿我內心深處最深的角落
我痛 不是因爲你傷了我
而是你讓我真正明白 愛你在傷口

愛 愛得越深就越不敢吼
你已深深地刺穿我內心深處最深的角落
我痛 不是因爲你傷了我
而是你讓我真正明白
愛你在傷口

Steps to Happiness

Everybody Knows,
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So,
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others, because no one else is in the contest of "being you".

Then,
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Believe,
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in all history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

by Author Unknown

How To Install Love

Customer Service (CS) Rep. : "Yes, Ma'am, how may I help you today?"

Customer: "Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install LOVE. Can you guide me through the process?"

CS Rep. : "Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?"

Customer: "Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install now. What do I do first?"

CS Rep. : "The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma'am?"

Customer: "Yes I have, but there are several other programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?"

CS Rep. : "What programs are running ma'am?"

Customer: "Let's see, I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW ESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running right now."

CS Rep. : "No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOW-ESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma'am?"

Customer: "I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?"

CS Rep. : "My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have been completely erased."

Customer: "Okay, done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?"

Cs Rep. : "Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?"

Customer: "Yes I do. Is it completely installed?"

Cs Rep. : "Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other HEARTS in order to get the upgrades."

Customer: "Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?"

Cs Rep. : "What does the message say?"

Customer: "It says "ERROR 412 - PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS. What does that mean?"

Cs Rep. : "Don't worry ma'am, that's a common problem. It means that the LOVE program is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in nontechnical terms it means you have to "LOVE" your own machine before it can "LOVE" others."

Customer: "So what should I do?"

Cs Rep. : "Can you pull down the directory called"SELFACCEPTANCE"?"

Customer: "Yes, I have it."

Cs Rep. : " Excellent. You're getting good at this."

Customer: "Thank you."

Cs Rep. : "You're welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the "MYHEART" directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALIZE-WORTH.TXT, and ACKNOWLEDGE-LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete VERBOSE-SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely and permanently gone erased."

Customer: "Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?"

Cs Rep. : "Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded at the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go."

Customer: "Yes?"

Cs Rep. : "LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet. They will share it with other people and then return some similarly sacred modules back to you."

Customer: "I will. Thanks for your help. By the way, what's your name?"

Cs Rep. : " You may call me the Divine Cardiologist, also known as The Great Physician, but most call me God. Many people feel all they need is an annual checkup to stay heart-healthy, but the Manufacturer suggests a schedule of daily maintenance for maximum efficiency. Put another way, keep in touch . . ."

Worry Not Bug

For months I notice the painted rock that sat on Karen's coffee table. The rock was painted and its face had a smile that just made you smile when you looked at it. I examined the rock and painted on the bottom was "why worry". Curious I asked Karen where she got the rock.

She told me that during a very stressful time in her life, a friend that she worked with gave her the rock. Her friend told her that when she looked at this rock, she was to remember not to worry so much. Her friend called it her "worry not bug". There was a poem with the rock, she went and got it and as I read the poem I thought how true it was:

Why Worry by Author Unknown

- 40% will never happen, for anxiety is the result of a tired mind,
- 30% concerns old decisions which cannot be altered,
- 12% centers in criticism, mostly untrue, made by people who feel inferior,
- 10% is related to my health which worsens while I worry,
and only
- 8% is "legitimate," showing that life does have real problems which may be met head-on when I have eliminated senseless worries.

Karen went on to explain that she used to worry about everything and everyone. She now uses the rock as a reminder not to worry about the things she cannot change. She also went on to tell me that when she finds herself worrying, she asks herself what percentage this worry is?. Most of the time she found what she was worrying about was the 40% - things that will never happen.

by: Catherine Pulsifer

只有亲情才是永远不变的

作者： 来源：网络文章

不知从什么时候起，我的手机成了爱情专线，没有一个和别人打电话，哪怕是发短信
的记录。习惯了等待父母的电话，已不知有多久不给家里打电话了。后来手机丢了，
爸爸总是打遍我留下的所有电话，依然找不到我，就会发很大的脾气。这时候，妹
妹就会想起他，我男朋友的电话，因为无论我在哪里，都会和他联系。

突然有一天，他也不知道我在哪里，只留给我妹一个电话。那时候我们已经分
手了。说好的五一长假到我家去玩，也成了泡影。

五一我一个人回了家，没有人送，却只有一个人接，那就是我已患病的爸爸。
妈妈没有问我为什么他没有回来，只是一遍遍地说曾经有一次他在工作中碰伤了手，
缝了几针，怕我担心，都没敢告诉我。妈妈说这些的时候，我总是一个人静静地发
呆。

妈妈问我为什么不和他联系，以前我在家总是抱着手机，不停地发短信。我说
手机丢了，我们失去联系了。妈妈催促我给他打电话，我只说他上班时间不带手机，
收不到，妈妈让我发短信，我也拒绝了。妈妈明白我们两个人两地相思的苦，可是
家里因为爸爸的病花了不少钱，已经再也没钱给我买手机了，而我刚参加工作，工
资少得可伶。

妈妈说多了，我就会生气地说，大不了换个男朋友，妈妈说：“人家一直在等
你，你怎么能说换就换呢？”其实妈妈是怕我辜负了他，妈妈哪里知道，是他在爱
情里放弃了我，我争取过多少次都无济于事，他就那么绝情地离开了我。本来以为，
五一长假换个环境，可以换个心情，可是我错了。当妹妹的男朋友为她买回了胃疼
药，我想起去年那些下雪的日子，他一个人去了山西，我把身上所有的钱给了他，
每天中午不吃饭，以至于现在天天胃疼，常常是半夜疼醒，可是他却早已离开了我。
当妹妹的男朋友一遍遍叮嘱她多吃一些的时候，我想起去年为了怕他肚子疼，我从
来不让他喝凉水。有一次，他喝热水烫到了，后来我总是用勺子一口口地喂他喝。
在我心里，总是怕，怕他照顾不好自己，怕他受委屈，可是我宁愿牺牲了自己。

姐姐已是结婚的人，孩子快一周了，看着他们一家三口，我的心里也是一阵阵
地酸楚。

　　五一长假过后，我疯了一样地逃回石家庄，发誓再也不回家了。上班的第二天，
妈妈打来电话，我心里一阵紧张，我以为爸爸的病情又严重了。原来妹妹的男朋友
给她买了一部手机，妈妈让我回家把妹妹的手机拿来用，我知道妈妈的良苦用心，
可是我只能推脱说工作忙走不开！

上班的第三天，那天特别冷，爸爸告诉我他已在火车上，来给我送手机，让我
下班以后去接他。我赶到火车站，远远地看到爸爸一个人在出站口那里。爸爸冲我
招手，我跑过去，却不知说什么，一股暖流涌遍我的全身。爸爸什么也没说，只是
和我在车站匆匆吃过饭，把手机给了我，就催促我上班了。爸爸要等3点 10分的火
车，然后回家。我不知道爸爸是为了什么，难道拖着病重的身体，一天的周折，就
为了给我送一部手机，就为了成全我和他的爱情吗？爸爸啊！

2点多的时候，石家庄突然刮了很大的风，下了很大的雨，我突然好担心爸爸。
那场雨下了两天，就像我心中的泪流个不止。

晚上，我梦到我哭了，在爸爸的怀里哭了好久好久，我才发现原来只有爸爸的
怀抱可以让我永远地停靠，原来只有亲情才是永远不变的！