What We Learn From The Plight Of Jake

Jake's old farm truck

An Old Cowboy Poem - Life Lesson -

Jake, the rancher, went one day
To fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty
And the clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded the last staples in
And gathered tools to go,
The temperature had fallen,
And snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup,
He felt a heavy heart.
From the sound of that ignition
He knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us
Would do if we were there.
He humbly bowed his balding head
And sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key the last time,
He softly cursed his luck
They found him three days later,
Frozen stiff in that old truck.
Now Jake had been around in life
And done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked --
It looked just like Wyoming !

Of all the saints in Heaven,
His favorite was St. Peter .
So they sat and talked a minute or two,
Or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping' score --
In Heaven, time is free..

'I've always heard,' Jake said to Pete ,
'that God will answer prayers,
But the one time I asked for help,
Well, he just wasn't there.'

'Does God answer prayers of some,
And ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square --
I know all men are brothers.'

'Or does he randomly reply,
Without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day,
The weather or the season.'

'Now I ain't trying to act smart,
It's just the way I feel.
And I was wondering', could you tell me
What the heck's the deal?!'
Peter listened very patiently
And when Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition,
And he said, 'So, you're the one!!'

That day your truck, it wouldn't start,
And you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
With hundreds of us trying.'

'A thousand angels rushed,
To check the status of your file,
But you know, Jake , we hadn't heard
From you in quite a while.'

'And though all prayers are answered,
And God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
And started a truck in Minnesota '

IT'S BEST TO KEEP IN TOUCH!!

Always stay sweet and treat others as you would like to be treated.   XXXOOOXXOOX

That Sun Just Keeps On Shining

I tried!!  That's all I can or will say.  I was unable to help the young man and knew deep down I couldn't, but nevertheless felt I had to try.  This morning when I awoke, pillows were stretched out on the sofa and a quilt thrown over them as if someone was sleeping there and my son's X Box was missing!!! One of my boys said I had used bad judgment, to which I replied, "If there is anyone in this world who has never used bad judgment, they can tell me that!!"
Anyway, even though it hurt me to do it, I had to track him down with the help of our local police, not just to retrieve my son's X Box, but to also let him know this is not how you treat people who have helped and befriended you!!!  At least not me!!  I tried the best I could and expected the same from him and I had to let him know!!  You DO NOT treat other people like this, illness or no!!!!  There are consequences to every action, good or bad and you should choose your actions carefully..  They were unable to help him at day treatment, I was unable to help him.  I had no intention of pressing charges against him, although I was urged to by both police and day treatment staff.  The only way he will get the help he so desperately needs is for the state to take over and force him to go to a hospital for treatment.  I was trying to make the right decision when it was taken out of my hands (thank you, Lord, that I did not have to be the one).   He lied about everything and did so until the police handcuffed him and he finally admitted taking the game console.  It was hidden behind some iron gates on the university grounds and he was planning on selling it when game stores or pawn shops opened.  They had to run his ID some way and, of all things, he had a felony warrant in a neighboring state.  So, it was taken completely out of my hands.  They had to take him to jail for extradition.

The whole ordeal has been a little unsettling, but if nothing any worse than that ever happens, I guess I am in pretty good shape!  The sun will still come up in the morning shooting rays of sparkling light ... the earth will keep right on rotating ... roll with the punches ... if you should trip and fall, get right back up and keep on going, one day at a time!!  I do not feel I failed ... I do not recognize failures, only learning experiences.  I learn something new every day and have found the saying "you never get too old to learn" to be true!!!!!

You know by now I just gotta' say it ... be sweet!!!

Hot Chocolate Lessons

This has been around the web because I received this in an e mail from my daughter, whose friend sent it to her. On the chance it has not reached you, it is a perfectly wonderful message to share on New Years' Day.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were discussing their lives at a class reunion. They decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired, who was always an inspiration to them.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work, lives, and relationships. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups. Some cups were porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He invited each to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor shared his thoughts.

“Notice that all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What each of you really wanted was hot chocolate. You did not want the cup…but you consciously went for the best cups, and soon you began to eye on another’s cups.

Now friends, please consider this….Life is the hot chocolate…your job, money, and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor does it change, the quality of life you are living. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

Always remember this…God brews the hot chocolate, but He does not choose the cup. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.”

Live simply…love generously….care deeply….speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

And remember…the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Enjoy your hot chocolate!