Some Good Stuff from the Internet

Product of Hurricane Charley - What don’t you understand?

This blog is a collection of stories emailed me by friends over the last few year. Most are things that touched my heart and many were shared with family and friends. I hope reading them will stir your emotions and cause you to reflect on the mostly warm and wonderful happenings in our lives. They are in no particular order and come from all over the electronic and emotional maps. Share this blogsite, http://hjheartwarm.blogspot.com with others please. I thought the following quote from one who sent me several of the included stories applicable to this blog.

“I believe if you will share these words and testimony out with prayer in faith, you will receive what you need God to do in your and your families' life. So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. May you always walk with Angels ... God Bless You!”

Some of you may think some of these stories a bit too "churchy" or "warm and fuzzy" or maybe a bit too patriotic. That's because they remind me of an America that was a bit more loving, a bit more religiious, a bit more accepting, and indeed, a bit more patriotic than our current nation with its political correct substitute for morality and screaming hatred for all who don't agree with them. My guess is that there are still a lot of those kinds of Americans around.

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A nice email

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, especially in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in ways you may never even know.
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NEW SERENITY PRAYER

Lord grant me . . .

The serenity to accept there are those things I will not know,

The comfort of reasonable beliefs to fill these voids of knowledge,

The courage to change these beliefs when truth so dictates, and

The wisdom to know the difference between belief and truth.

- as modified by HJ, March 1999

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The Yellow shirt

The baggy yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra-large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. It was faded from years of wear, but still in decent shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, rummaging through bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. "You're not taking that old thing, are you?" Mom said when she saw me packing the yellow shirt. "I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!"

"It's just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class,

Mom. Thanks!" I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object.
The yellow shirt became a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned.

The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow
shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois . But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier. That Christmas, mindful of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I patched one elbow, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her "real" gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again.

The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad's to
pick up some furniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt! And so the pattern was set.

On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad's
mattress. I don't know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.

In 1975 my husband and I divorced. With my three children, prepared to
move back to Illinois . As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own. I wondered if I would find a job. I paged through the Bible, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, "So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up."

I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was the
stained yellow shirt. Slowly, it dawned on me. Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? My courage was renewed.

Unpacking in our new home, I knew I had to get the shirt back to
Mother. The next time I visited her, I tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer.

Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I
discovered the yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet. Something new had been added. Embroidered in bright green across the breast pocket were the words "I BELONG TO PAT."

Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an
apostrophe and seven more letters. Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, "I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER." But I didn't stop there. I zig-zagged all the frayed seams, then had a friend mail the shirt in a fancy box to Mom from Arlington, VA. We enclosed an official looking letter from "The Institute for the Destitute," announcing that she was the recipient of an award for good deeds. I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opened the box. But, of course, she never mentioned it.

Two years later, in 1978, I remarried. The day of our wedding, Harold
and I put our car in a friend's garage to avoid practical jokers. After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite, I reached for a pillow in the car to rest my head. It felt lumpy. I unzipped the case and found, wrapped in

wedding paper, the yellow shirt. Inside a pocket was a note: "Read
John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother."

That night I paged through the Bible in a hotel room and found the verses: "I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me."

The shirt was Mother's final gift. She had known for three months that
she had terminal Lou Gehrig's disease. Mother died the following year at age 57.

I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm
glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love-filled game she and I played for 16 years. Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets.
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There's some mighty fine advice in these words about life.

To view “Life’s Little Secrets” written by Jamshed Wadia, scroll down or click on the following link:
http://www.geocities.com/jamshedwadia/equotes1.html

Jamshed said...

Hi ... This is Jamshed Wadia and you had left a comment on my website. I tried emailing a response but the mail kept bouncing back so i thought i should leave my reply as a comment on your blog.

Thanks for your comments on my site. You are most welcome to publish anything from my blog or website onto your website. Do send me a link once you do put it up. Thanks for your interest in my work.

Warm Regards

Jamshed Wadia
------------------------------
From: civics@geocities.com
To: jamshedwadia@hotmail.com
Subject: Yahoo! WebHosting Email
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:41:10 -0800 (PST)

Jamshed:

I want to thank you for the comment added to my blog and which I just read for the first time today. I will most certainly post your work along with an acknowledgment. That blog address is, http://hjheartwarm.blogspot.com . My website, www.hobarb.com is a personal one, certainly not commercial, but there is much about my family and my writing included. There is one section about my wife, Barbara, whom I lost last fall after a long illness. She was a very special person and I miss her terribly.

Thanks once more and blessings for you and yours.

Howard Johnson
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“Life’s Little Secrets” written by Jamshed Wadia

1. Always support a person who is down and out, you will never know what he or she may become when they are out of their problems.

2. Everyone seems to be on my side when things are going right for me.

3. Respect your parents; they are usually the only people who really care about you.

4. Always try to put yourself in other’s shoes and then make your judgments.

5. Relatives are like flies. They only come close when something interests them.

6. Invest in your family. It will always reap you rich dividends.

7. It does not matter what you are at school, it matters what you are at the school reunion.

8. Never say no to any job you never know when that experience will come of use.

9. Learn to take responsibility for your activities, that’s one way of making sure you do the right thing.

10. Don’t be afraid to say you messed up; people appreciate that in a person.

11. Don’t play with people’s feelings it will always haunt you for the rest of your life.

12. Don’t say yes to a job because you liked their office; ask for their balance sheet.

13. Don’t be afraid to say no, you will probably land up lying all your life.

14. People are bound to break your trust once in a while, but hang on; it will be worth it.

15. Learn to do things you don’t like it will make all the things you like doing more enjoyable.

16. Never get caught between two women, it’s a one-way ticket to a nervous breakdown.

17. Keep in touch with all your old pals; you never know when you will need them.

18. Believe in your instinct it’s the only thing you can really believe in.

19. Never try to change a person rather create an environment where the person wants to change for you.

20. Don’t be too rigid about what you want out of life, the world’s most happiest people are the one’s who can be flexible and get the best out of what is in store for them.

21. Compromise to the extent that you do not loose your identity.

22. Learn to change, especially if it means achieving or getting what makes you happy.

23. Don’t waste your time on unhealthy relationships especially if it comes in the path of happiness.

24. Take on only as much as you can handle; don’t try to play God.

25. Always keep your commitment it’s only then that people will take you more seriously.

26. It is important to be honest but you should get your timing right.

27. Don’t displease the people who love you by pleasing people who really don’t care for you.

28. Nothing is more important than your health, that’s the one thing that comes of use when everything else is going wrong.

29. Every experience is worth it if you learn something from it and make the necessary changes in life.

30. You can never please or impress everybody, so don’t try too hard it may not be worth it.

31. Learn to respect the people who disagree with you, and beware of people who always seem to agree with you.

32. Always have a feeling of self worth without it you are slave of circumstances.

33. Benchmark your achievements with your personal potential and not with other people’s achievements.

34. Don’t be afraid to accept your failures, it is only after you recognize them that you stop failing.

35. Don’t hate anyone; they will land up controlling your life.

36. Don’t judge anybody's moral values, you never know when you may act immorally?

37. Don’t expect anyone to advertise your brilliance; you would have to do it yourself.

38. Don’t try to be perfect when you have a time constraint.

39. Be very clear about what you want out of every relationship, sometimes it is necessary to state the facts.

40. Don’t look back if you don’t learn anything new.

41. Relationships are like chemical reactions need to add something regularly to keep it going.

42. Marriage is way to tell the world we are not casual about it.

43. Happiness is something you work at; it does not come naturally.

44. Do a relationship audit once in a while to tell you which you should drop and which you should add or keep.

45. Be true to the moment as these moments make up our lives.

46. No place is safer than your mother’s arms.

47. Don’t waste you time on people who don’t make an effort to understand you, they are never worth it.

48. Don’t be too affected by other people’s judgments, most successful people were written off by many.

49. Most of life’s realities can be found in music.

50. Don’t expect anybody to solve your problems for you and if somebody does question their intensions.

51. Don’t try using logic in human related issues.

52. A man who has control over his emotions will always be a winner in the professional world.

53. In order to be a good leader you need to lie with conviction.

54. Be passionate about what ever you do and success is assured.

55. No decision is ever final; there are always ways to back track and move in the right direction.

56. The best way to beat loneliness is to be there for another lonely person.

57. If you can’t change the world then change with the world.

58. When short-term prospects seem bleak think long term.

59. Leadership is nothing but knowing what your followers want.

60. Don’t try to be everything to everybody because some roles you play may be diametrically opposite to each other.

61. There is nothing like an unconditional relationship, you have to abide to some terms and conditions to make things work.

62. Consistency in thought and action are a must for a balanced life.

63. Trust is a lifeline for any relationship.

64. Don’t expect any one to heed to your advice when it has not worked for you.

65. Tragedy and hardship usually change people for the better.

66. Sometimes trying too hard inhibits your natural talents.

67. A mother cares most for her most difficult child.

68. Success is relative; you got to decide early in life what is your definition of success and work at it.

69. It’s ok to be a diplomat but we must remember diplomats never get a chance to run nations.

70. Don’t be afraid of making tough decisions the mature will always react in a positive way.

71. Freedom is not being independent but having the choice of people you want to dependent on.

72. Know your limitations; don’t give others a chance to point it out to you.

73. Sometimes we forget the simple things in life, which are the things, which make us happy.

74. Don’t feel that nobody understands you would be amazed the kind of problems others have in their lives.

75. Don’t choose ego over happiness, give in, even if it means proving you’re self-wrong.

76. TV just makes us believe that the whole world is full of perfect and beautiful people.

77. Never do anything for anybody as an obligation your insincerity will show through in some way or the other.

78. Don’t ever dampen anyone’s enthusiasm; it’s like squeezing the life out of someone.

79. The amount of trouble a situation brings in your life depends on the amount of importance you give it.

80. There is something definitely wrong in the way we are living our lives; there is more misery than ever before.

81. When you think you reached rock bottom always remember the darkest hour of the night is dawn.

82. Stay away from negativity in life. Always spread love and happiness a lot of people out there are hungry for it.

83. Worrying endless about a problem is like carrying your luggage on your head while sitting in the train.

84. Remember the law of averages if its not happened, it may never happen in the future.

85. Love your neighbors; you never know when you may run out of sugar or coffee.

86. Remember that even if you win the rat race you are still a rat.

87. Don’t wait till the age of 40 to ask your self what is the purpose of your life.

88. Make a difference in someone’s life; it will make the world of difference in yours.

89. If your work makes you ignore your family life, it is time to slow down.

90. The best thing about your life falling into pieces is that you can pick and choose the pieces you need to collect to build your life again.

91. It’s good to dream, but if you cannot convert those dreams into realities its high time you come down to realities.

92. Family, work, friends are like compartments of a train a problem in any area can derail your train of life.

93. Don’t ever let your ego get in the way of expressing your true feelings; you may miss an opportunity of a lifetime.

94. People who think you know in and out will always surprise you; nobody can ever be completely predictable so stop assuming things.

95. Keep a small part of you to yourself it will come to use when you are lost and lonely.

96. Don’t ever look further if you find someone who loves you for the right reasons.

97. Don’t be afraid to settle for something, which is not exactly the way you want; you possibly end up loving it.

98. Always be ready to give a person the benefit of the doubt in tight situations it will make you a better and happier person.

99. If you ever want to know if you really love a person you need
Answer these questions.

Who do you think of when you wake up in the morning?
Who do you think of when you go to sleep at night?
Who can you count on, when in difficulty?
Who do you share your deepest darkest secrets with?
Who is your best friend?
Who is the person whose actions hurt you the most?

100. To be completely in love you need to feel it deep within your heart and soul, and if you do it would withstand any storm it may face.

101. An ‘ I love you’ at a happy moment is more genuine than when someone says it when they are down and out.

102. Confrontation is always the best solution to resolving a problem, escaping from it makes it worse.

103. Lust truly does not make business sense you are giving in to some moments of pleasure for a lifetime feeling of guilt.

104. Be what you are all the time; It will help you by not bringing unrealistic expectations from others.

105. Experience is the best teacher no book can ever substitute that; so don’t ever shun an opportunity to learn something new.

106. Each and every one of us must learn how to motivate and push ourselves so that we don’t become victims of bad circumstances.

107. Don’t ever take up a job you don’t like because of the money they offer you; you will probably land up paying much more to the doctors & shrinks for the stress it will cause you.

108. Don’t panic when everyone around you is doing better than you but wait your turn to success. By panicking you will probably end up making a decision you regret for the rest of your life.

109. Change is an inevitable fact of life; don’t waste your energy fighting it; rather use it to work in your favour.

110. Let go of your inhibitions in life, push your self if you need to, you will never need alcohol to get you high.

111. Its ok to do things without any particular reason sometimes but don’t make it your life’s philosophy.

112. There just one secret to looking good and that is to know how to carry yourself well.

113. Blow your own trumpet but don’t ever go out of true.

114. Everybody misses school and college days, we all miss doing nothing and not feeling guilty about it.

115. To dismantle a system successfully you need to use the system to reach to the top.

116. Don’t question each and every system you encounter you will end up a cynical person.

117. Knowing yourself and knowing what you want out of life is the biggest victory you will ever have, rest of the problems are all peanuts.

118. If you ever approach your boss with a problem make sure you do that with some solutions in mind. It’s easy to be a part of the problem rather than providing solutions.

119. People always want to hear the things they expect to hear and hence if you want to say something new you got to camouflage it with the expected to get better results.

120. Everybody needs to make one commitment in life and that is to make his or her life count.

121. The first lesson to learn when dealing with people is to never slot people in your mind.

122. Thank people who challenge you and write you off that possible may be the trigger point to your road to success.

123. Work you hate doing + Long work hours = Stress = Health related problems = Inability to work efficiency = More stress and cycle goes on it.

124. Don’t be in job where you need to compromise your beliefs and principles everyday just to keep your job. It will destroy the fabric of your life. There are ways out of such situations if you only believe it is possible.

125. Your job as a leader will not be to do your subordinates work but remove obstacles which inhibit and affect their efficiency.

126. When happy and self – sufficient make sure it’s not at the expense of someone else’s happiness.

127. My success is dedicated to all the people who did not believe in me, did not consider me good enough, who didn’t think I had a chance cause if it wasn’t for them I would have nobody to prove wrong.

128. Be happy you have problems because your problems are your reasons to succeed.

129. The person who screams and shouts in an argument is usually the one in the wrong.

130. There is just one thing that can be an obstacle to your success and that is a lack of commitment.

131. Never go to sleep angry and upset, resolve the problem before going to bed then the next day will truly be a new beginning.

132. Life is strange. All your childhood and teen life you do all the things that are needed to attract your soul mate, only to learn latter in life that your soul mate likes nothing else but who you actually are.

133. A man’s true test as a good human being comes when he is rich and successful.

134. You are happy man if you can wake up and know who you are; what you like doing best and where you belong.

135. You are definitely not a looser if you don't have much to do on a Saturday night and it's not necessary that you should be at the best of the parties on New years night.

136. Sometime feeling Broke or Rich has got little to do with how much money you have in your Wallet.

137. At the end of the day we must remember that each of our parents have the done the maximum they are capable of for their children, It doesn't matter how much more or less than anyone else's parents.

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A SPECIAL GROCERY LIST

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"

Louise replied, "Yes sir." "O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said:

"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store.

The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it.. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs."

THE POWER OF PRAYER: When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. Just stop right now, and say a prayer of thanks for your own good fortune. Then please send this to all your friends and relatives.

I believe if you will send this testimony out with prayer in faith, you will receive what you need God to do in your and your families' life. So dear heart, trust God to heal the sick ,provide food for the hungry, clothes and shelter for those that don't have as we do. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. May you always walk with Angels ... God Bless You!
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IRAQ - PLEASE READ IT ALL. DON'T MISS THE LAST LINE!

Did You Know?

Just in case you might think of Iraq as "only"an oil-rich nation, ruled by an evil dictator for 30 years, whether it has been supporting terrorists or may not be very important, here are a few important regarding the important history and roles that this nation has played down through history.

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq. (It sure doesn't look much like Paradise on earth today thanks to Saddam)

2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon which is in Iraq destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq!

13. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (That's good news to know that JESUS has been in Iraq too as the 4th person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq. (where are the "wise" men today?)

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

The name Iraq, means country with deep roots. Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible. Here's why.

* Eden was in Iraq--Genesis 2:10-14

* Adam &Eve were created in Iraq--Genesis 2:7-8

* Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq--Genesis 3:1-6

* Nimrod established Babylon &Tower of Babel was built in Iraq Genesis 10:8-97; 11:1-4

* The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq-- Genesis 11:5-11

* Abraham came from a city in Iraq--Genesis 11:31; Acts 7:2-4

* Isaac's bride came from Iraq--Genesis 24:3-4; 10

* Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq--Genesis 27:42-45; 31:38

* The first world Empire was in Iraq--Daniel 1:1-2; 2:36-38

* The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq--Jonah 3

* The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq--Esther

* The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq-Nahum

* The book or Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq--Revelation 17 &18

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated in it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages... The following verse is from the Quran, (the Islamic Bible)

Quran (9:11) -- For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.

(Note the verse number...) Hmmmmmmm?! God Bless you all Amen !
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VICTIMS PRECAUTIONS This is not a new message but it is one that should be reviewed regularly!!!

We can now add to the list of victims the retired 77 yr. old TCU professor from Ft Worth whose body was found last week in Oklahoma--and the 11 yr.old in Sarasota, FL. Because of these recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know.

After reading this, forward it to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,

DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM

Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse.

RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.

RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby.----

This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry.
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The "LITTLE" Things

After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space. At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive...... and all the stories were just:

As you might know, the head of the company got in late that day because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One went back to answer the telephone

One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. - That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am - stuck in traffic - miss an elevator - turn back to answer a ringing telephone all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

Pass this on to someone else, if you'd like. There is NO LUCK attached.

If you delete this, it's okay:

God's Love Is Not Dependent On E-Mail
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A GLASS OF MILK

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk He drank it slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words.....

"Paid in full with one glass of milk" (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."

There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?

Now you have two choices. You can send this page on and spread a positive message. Or ignore it and pretend it never touched your heart

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.....
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Dear Loved Ones-this is a sweet and touching story. Life is precious! My Love to You, Deb (Mom to you, Jeff and David)

A DAD'S STORY
On July 22nd I was in route to Washington , DC for a business trip. It was all so very ordinary, until we landed in Denver for a plane change. As I collected my belongings from the overhead bin, an announcement was made for Mr. Lloyd Glenn to see the United Customer Service Representative immediately.

I thought nothing of it until I reached the door to leave the plane and I heard a gentleman asking every male if he were Mr. Glenn. At this point I knew something was wrong and my heart sunk. When I got off the plane a solemn-faced young man came toward me and said, "Mr. Glenn, there is an emergency at your home. I do not know what the emergency is, or who is involved, but I will take you to the phone so you can call the hospital."

My heart was now pounding, but the will to be calm took over. Woodenly, I followed this stranger to the distant telephone where I called the number he gave me for the Mission Hospital . My call was put through to the trauma center where I learned that my three-year-old son had been trapped underneath the automatic garage door for several minutes, and that when my wife had found him he was dead. CPR had been performed by a neighbor, who is a doctor, and the paramedics had continued the treatment as Brian was transported to the hospital.

By the time of my call, Brian was revived and they believed he would live, but they did not know how much damage had been done to his brain, nor to his heart. They explained that the door had completely closed on his little sternum right over his heart. He had been severely crushed. After speaking with the medical staff, my wife sounded worried but not hysterical, and I took comfort in her calmness.

The return flight seemed to last forever, but finally I arrived at the hospital six hours after the garage door had come down. When I walked into the intensive care unit, nothing could have prepared me to see my little son laying so still on a great big bed with tubes and monitors everywhere. He was on a respirator. I glanced at my wife who stood and tried to give me a reassuring smile. It all seemed like a terrible dream. I was filled-in with the details and given a guarded prognosis. Brian was going to live, and the preliminary tests indicated that his heart was OK, two miracles in and of themselves. But only time would tell if his brain received any damage.

Throughout the seemingly endless hours, my wife was calm. She felt that Brian would eventually be all right. I hung on to her words and faith like a lifeline. All that night and the next day Brian remained unconscious. It seemed like forever since I had left for my business trip the day before. Finally at two o'clock that afternoon, our son regained consciousness and sat up uttering the most beautiful words I have ever heard spoken. He said, "Daddy hold me" and he reached for me with his little arms.

[TEAR BREAK...smile] By the next day he was pronounced as having no neurological or physical deficits, and the story of his miraculous survival spread throughout the hospital. You cannot imagine, we took Brian home, we felt a unique reverence for the life and love of our Heavenly Father that comes to those who brush death so closely.

In the days that followed there was a special spirit about our home. Our two older children were much closer to their little brother. My wife and I were much closer to each other, and all of us were very close as a whole family. Life took on a less stressful pace. Perspective seemed to be more focused, and balance much easier to gain and maintain. We felt deeply blessed. Our gratitude was truly profound.

The story is not over (smile)! Almost a month later to the day of the accident, Brian awoke from his afternoon nap and said, "Sit down Mommy. I have something to tell you." At this time in his life, Brian usually spoke in small phrases, so to say a large sentence surprised my wife. She sat down with him on his bed, and he began his sacred and remarkable story.

"Do you remember when I got stuck under the garage door? Well, it was so heavy and it hurt really bad I called to you, but you couldn't hear me. I started to cry, but then it hurt too bad. And then the 'birdies' came."

"The birdies?" my wife asked puzzled.

"Yes," he replied. "The birdies made a whooshing sound and flew into the garage. They took care of me."

"They did?"

"Yes," he said. "One of the birdies came and got you. She came to tell you "I got stuck under the door."

A sweet reverent feeling filled the room. The spirit was so strong and yet lighter than air. My wife realized that a three-year-old had no concept of death and spirits, so he was referring to the beings who came to him from beyond as "birdies" because they were up in the air like birds that fly.

"What did the birdies look like?" she asked.

Brian answered, "They were so beautiful. They were dressed in white, all white. Some of them had green and white. But some of them had on just white."

"Did they say anything?"

"Yes," he answered. "They told me the baby would be all right."

"The baby?" my wife asked confused.

Brian answered. "The baby laying on the garage floor." He went on, "You came out and opened the garage door and ran to the baby. You told the baby to stay and not leave."

My wife nearly collapsed upon hearing this, for she had indeed gone and knelt beside Brian's body and seeing his crushed chest whispered, "Don't leave us Brian, please stay if you can." As she listened to Brian telling her the words she had spoken, she realized that the spirit had left His body and was looking down from above on this little lifeless form. "Then what happened?" she asked.

"We went on a trip," he said, "far, far away." He grew agitated trying to say the things he didn't seem to have the words for. My wife tried to calm and comfort him, and let him know it would be okay. He struggled with wanting to tell something that obviously was very important to him, but finding the words was difficult. "We flew so fast up in the air. They're so pretty Mommy," he added. "And there are lots and lots of birdies."

My wife was stunned. Into her mind the sweet comforting spirit enveloped her more soundly, but with an urgency she had never before known. Brian went on to tell her that the "birdies" had told him that he had to come back and tell everyone about the "birdies." He said they brought him back to the house and that a big fire truck, and an ambulance were there. A man was bringing the baby out on a white bed and he tried to tell the man that the baby would be okay.

The story went on for an hour. He taught us that "birdies" were always with us, but we don't see them because we look with our eyes and we don't hear them because we listen with our ears. But they are always there, you can only see them in here (he put his hand over his heart). They whisper the things to help us to do what is right because they love us so much. Brian continued, stating, "I have a plan, Mommy. You have a plan. Daddy has a plan. Everyone has a plan. We must all live our plan and keep our promises. The birdies help us to do that cause they love us so much."

In the weeks that followed, he often came to us and told all, or part of it, again and again. Always the story remained the same. The details were never changed or out of order. A few times he added further bits of information and clarified the message he had already delivered. It never ceased to amaze us how he could tell such detail and speak beyond his ability when he talked about his birdies. Everywhere he went, he told strangers about the "birdies" Surprisingly, no one ever looked at him strangely when he did this. Rather, they always got a softened look on their face and smiled.

Needless to say, we have not been the same ever since that day, and I pray we never will be. You have just been sent an Angel to watch over you. Some people come into our lives and quickly go...Some people become friends and stay a while...leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts .. and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend!! Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present! Live and savor every moment...this is not a dress rehearsal!

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