A Creed to Live By

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life,  for without them, life is meaningless. Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life. Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us each together. Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings. Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going. Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. Don't be afraid to learn.  Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily. Don't use time or words carelessly.  Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way. Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today is a gift: that's why we call it The Present.  By Nancye Sims "Steep your life in God -reality, God initiative, God provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." Matthew 6:33 The Message

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep. If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for just one more. If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice raised in praise, I’d record each word and action, and daily play back each phrase. If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare a minute or two to stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming you would KNOW I do. If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away. For surely there's always tomorrow to repair an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything alright. There will always be another day to say our "I love you's," And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do's?" But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget, Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight. So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day, That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish. So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear, Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay". And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today. ~Author Unknown~ Suggested Bible reading - Ecclesiastes chapter 3

Lessons from an Oyster

There once was an oyster  Whose story I tell,  Who found that some sand  Had got into his shell.  It was only a grain,  but it gave him great pain.  For oysters have feelings  Although they're so plain.  Now, did he berate  the harsh workings of fate  That had brought him  To such a deplorable state?  Did he curse at the government,  Cry for election,  And claim that the sea should  Have given him protection?  "No,' he said to himself  As he lay on a shell,  Since I cannot remove it,  I shall try to improve it. Now the years have rolled around,  As the years always do,  And he came to his ultimate  Destiny stew.  And the small grain of sand  That had bothered him so  Was a beautiful pearl  All richly aglow. Now the tale has a moral,  for isn't it grand  What an oyster can do  With a morsel of sand?  What couldn't we do  If we'd only begin  With some of the things  That get under our skin.  Author Unknown "God's Kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it." (Matthew 13:45,46 The Message)