57 cents

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it "was too crowded." "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by  the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School. For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. But the story does not end there!

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividend.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds"

A true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD, CAN DO WITH 57 cents.

Along with this story is St. Theresa’s Prayer. “Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward."

May today there be peace within you.  May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be.... May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.... May you be content knowing you are a child of God.... Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, It is there for each and every one of you....

You Never Lose By Loving. You Always Lose By Holding Back.

You know, love is just like someone waiting for a bus.   

When the bus comes, you look at it and you say to yourself   "eeee...so full....cannot sit down"."I'll wait for the next one".   So you let the bus go and waited for the second bus.   Then the second bus came, you looked at it you say,   "eeee...this bus is so old...so shabby!"

So you let the bus go and again, decided to wait for the next bus.

After a while another bus came, it's not crowded, not old but you said,   "eeee... not air-conditioned ...better wait for the next one".   So again you let the bus go and decided to wait for the next bus.   Then the sky started to get dark as it is getting late.   You panicked and jumped immediately inside the next bus.   It is not until much later that you found out that you had boarded the wrong bus!  So you wasted your time and money waiting for what you want!   Even if an air-conditioned bus comes, you can't ensure that the air-conditioned bus won't  break down or whether or not the air-conditioner will be too cold for you. 

So people... wanting to get what you want is not wrong.   But it wouldn't hurt to give other people a chance, right?  If you find that the "bus" doesn't suit you just press the red button and get off the bus!   (as simple as that!)

.. Hey who said life is fair??? 

The best thing to do is be observant and open while you scrutinize the bus.   If it doesn't suit you, get off.    But you must always have an extra something which you could use for the next bus that comes. 

But wait........ I'm sure you have this experience before.  You saw a bus coming (the bus you want, of course) you flagged it but the driver acted as if he did not see you and zoomed pass you!  It just wasn't meant for you! 

The bottom line is, being loved is like waiting for a bus you want.   Getting on the bus and appreciating the bus by giving it a chance depends totally on you.   If you haven't made any choice, WALK!  Walking is like being out of love.  The good side of it is you can still choose any bus you want... the rest who couldn't afford another ride would just have to be content with the bus they rode on, ugly or not. 

One more thing.... sometimes it better to choose a bus you are already familiar with rather than gamble with a bus that is unfamiliar to you.   But then again, life wouldn't be complete without the risks involved. 

BUT THERE'S ONE BUS THAT I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT - THE BUS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR.......IT WILL JUST STOP ON ITS OWN AND WILL ASK YOU TO COME INSIDE AND TAKE A FREE RIDE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE...

1000 Mirrors

Our life is actually a reflection of our thoughts and actions. 

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. 

A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.   When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house.   He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. 

He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly.  As he left the House, he thought to himself, " This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often." 

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one,  decided to visit the house.  He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking  dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. 

As he left, he thought to himself, " That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again." 

ALL THE FACES IN THE WORLD ARE MIRRORS.   JUST OBSERVE WHAT KIND OF REFLECTIONS DO YOU SEE IN THE FACES OF THE PEOPLE YOU MEET?

The Thing I value most

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.   

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.   

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. 

"Jack, did you hear me?"  "Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.   

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.  "I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.    "You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said   "He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.   

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.   

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.   

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly. 

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.   "The box is gone," he said  "What box?" Mom asked.  

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was  'the thing I value most ,'" Jack said.   

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. 

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."   

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. 

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.   

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.  

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:   

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."   

"The thing he valued most was...my time"   

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.  

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.    "Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"   

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"