Inspirational Stories - Life

If You Can...

If you can start the day without caffeine, if you can get along without pep pills, if you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, if you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles...

If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it, if you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time, if you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, though no fault of yours, something goes wrong...

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, if you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him/her, if you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend...

If you can face the world without lies and deceit, if you can conquer tension without medical help, if you can relax without liquor, if you can sleep without the aid of drugs...

If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics...

Then, my friend, you are ALMOST as good as your dog.

The Important Things Life Teaches You...

~ 1 ~ Most Important Question

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'. "I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

God's Embroidery

When I was a little boy, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. I told her that it looked like a mess from where I was. As from the underside I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat. She would smile at me, look down and gently say, "My son, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side."

I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear Mother's voice say, "Son, come and sit on my knee." This I did only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy.

Then Mother would say to me, "My son, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a pre-drawn plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing.

"Many times through the years I have looked up to my Heavenly Father and said, "Father, what are You doing?" He has answered, "I am embroidering your life." I say, "But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can't they all be bright?" The Father seems to tell me, "My child, you go about your business of doing My business, and one day I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee and you will see the plan from My side."

Author Unknown

I Have Learned

• I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night"..... Age 6
• I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either. Age 7
• I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9
• I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. Age 12
• I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14
• I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15
• I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24
• I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures. Age 26
• I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there. Age 29
• I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. Age 39
• I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. Age 42
• I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note. Age 44
• I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others. Age 46
• I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. Age 47
• I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. Age 48
• I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours. Age 49
• I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. Age 50
• I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Age 52
• I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills. Age 52
• I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. Age 53
• I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Age 58
• I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage. Age 61
• I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. Age 62
• I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. Age 64
• I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. Age 65
• I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision. Age 66
• I've learned that everyone can use a prayer. Age 72
• I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several. Age 75
• I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. Age 82
• I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. Age 85
• I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. Age 92

Attitude

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching