Transformation - Turn In Your Favor

There are many things that can hold you back. Yet there's always a way to turn them around, into forces that move you forward.
If you ever find yourself feeling envious, take that envy and turn it into inspiration. The envy will do nothing for you, but the inspiration can make an enormous positive difference.
When despair comes upon you, transform it into strength. When you've experienced a defeat, redirect its energy into commitment.
Take the pain of humiliation and let it spur you to build a real, lasting confidence. When you've experienced disappointment, turn it into wisdom.
Transform your most irritating frustrations into rock solid discipline. Change your negative anger into positive determination.
There's never any need to be tossed around by the fickle winds of fate. For you can take what life gives you, and turn it in your favor.
****Ralph Marston
http://team-bannronn.biz

A Mother's Tale

God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers.

****Jewish proverb

Three sons left home, started careers and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts that they were able to give their elderly mother for her seventieth birthday. The first said, "I built a big house for Mom."The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot will recite it."

Soon thereafter, Mom sent out letters of thanks:

She wrote to the first son, "Milton, the house you built is not practical. I live in only one room, but I have to heat, cool, and clean the whole house."

She wrote to the second son, "Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"

She wrote the third son, "Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious."

I did all I could to make my husband wealthy, but his wealth became my nightmare (2)

When my mother died, my husband felt very sad. Our acquaintances in the U.S did not even know whose mother actually died. We had to come to Nigeria for the burial. But on the day of the burial, the most shocking thing happened. My mother-in-law was conspicuously absent. My friends and family could not believe it.
Some people even said they sighted her in her shop early that morning, gorgeously dressed and attending to customers. They were therefore surprised that she did not show up at the burial.
Later, a friend of mine, who my mother-in-law did not know, went to her shop and met her discussing with her very close friend. After listening to their discussion, she came home to tell me that I should be careful with my mother-in-law. She quoted her as saying that she did not come for my mother’s burial because she could not pretend to be saddened by her death. She was even quoted as saying that now that my mother was dead, my husband follows her to heaven and continues to make her his mother.
That statement meant so much to me, so two days later, I went to a pastor and complained to her. She prayed and revealed that my mother-in-law and some others in her group were responsible for my mother’s death. I would not have believed her, but for the fact that I had not said anything before she told me that. She went on to say that if I were not careful, I would soon die like my mother. She said the woman was very wicked and that she was ready to do anything to make sure that her son obeyed her only.
I left the woman’s place, partially convinced that what she had said was true. But I decided to behave as if I never heard it since there was no way I could confirm it. But I was shocked when my elder sister also came and said the same thing. She said the circumstances that surrounded my mother’s death made an aunt of mine to go in search of spiritual help. She said my mother just shouted from her sleep that she had headache, and she died a few minutes later.
My sister said she was there with my aunt when the spiritualist told her that my mother-in-law was responsible for our mother’s death. I pretended as if I had never heard a similar story. I told God that since I was a Christian, He should never allow any evil to befall me in the course of fighting for my right.
My sister advised me to divorce my husband since I had only two children for him. She said it was better for me to do so early so that I could find another husband in good time. But I was not ready to marry two husbands. I told her to only pray for me.
Although my husband saw his mother, I went back to the U.S. without seeing her. I made efforts to see her, but I could not. We had barely spent a month in the US when my husband said he was going to Europe. He said he would call me as soon as he got a line. But instead of Europe, he travelled to Lagos. I would not have known about it if a cousin of mine had not called me to say that she saw my husband and had thought that we came to Nigeria together before my younger sister told her that I was not around.
When I heard that my husband was in Nigeria and not Europe, I knew something was fishing. So, I travelled secretly to Lagos. This time, I picked a cab from the airport and headed straight home, without even alerting my close friend who had brought me home the first time. When I got home, my husband was not there and everywhere was very quiet.
I did not even see the security man, so I made for my room upstairs. What I saw almost made me to faint. Unknown to me, my husband had come for the christening of a set of twins another woman had for him. This was apart from the one he threw a party for earlier. My mother-in-law was there, sitting with her on the bed and helping her to take care of one of the twins. That baby almost dropped from her hand when she looked up and saw that it was me.
I did not know whether to faint or die outright. All that had happened was too much for me to bear. And I could no longer cry to my mother. The next thing my mother-in-law did was to put the baby on the bed and made to leave the room. I almost pulled her back forcibly when she reached the door, but for the grace of God.
I decided that I was not going to fight, but quietly drive my point home. So, I turned to Iya Ibeji (the mother of the twins) and told her that she should please leave my room and go to wherever she came from. But she also proved stubborn. She said she belonged there. I told her to look at the wedding pictures on the wall and look at me again, for her to know I am the legally married wife. She did so, hissed and started to pack her things. Although I was glad she did that, I told myself that if I were in her shoes, I would not have moved an inch.
She had a driver, so she called him and within 30 minutes, they were all out of the premises. Immediately they left, my mother-in-law came and started shouting at me. She said there was no way a woman would come to her son’s house to control him; that his son could marry as many wives as he wanted. I told her that she wanted to ruin his life like she ruined those of others. She grabbed me and said since I had started to abuse her; I should cap it with beating her up. It was her children that came and separated us.
My husband, knowing what had happened, refused to pick his calls or come home. I later learnt that he had gone with the woman to one of our houses in Lagos. When I complained to my sister, she said I should leave them alone so that they would not kill me. But I felt that if I did as my sister advised, it would amount to wasting all the efforts I have invested in my husband. I was not ready to let another woman have the last laugh. But when I started falling ill and my husband did not show his face still, I had to think twice.
One of our tenants called me and told me that I should seek spiritual help to my problem. She said my mother-in-law would make the house so hot for me that I would pack out in a hurry. She said I should allow her to do whatever she liked with her son instead of exposing myself to danger.
Most of my friends have also been saying that the source of my husband’s sudden wealth is questionable and I should be careful with him. I have been back in the U.S for the past six months. I am torn between keeping my marriage by staying neck-deep in trouble and leaving my husband and enjoying peace. He has called to beg me, but he says he does not have the guts to face me, which is why he has not joined me in the U.S.

What should I do?

Readers’ responses will be published.

The one resolution, which was in my mind long before it took the form of a resolution, is the keynote of my life. It is this, always to regard as mere impertinences of fate the handicaps, which were placed upon my life almost at the beginning. I resolved that they should not crush or dwarf my soul, but rather be made to blossom, like Aaron's rod, with flowers.

****Helen Keller (1880-1968) American Writer

Advice To Strengthen Your Life

• Think about getting rich:friendships are priceless, time is invaluable, health is wealth, and love is a treasure.
• Create a nest egg of beautiful memories that you can dip into from time to time to ease any sorrows.
• Have the kind of remembrances that raise you up with their worth and keep you there with their wonder.
• Always have a secret supply of hopes on hand to help you plan your tomorrows.Remember that when you invest in your dreams it is impossible to overpay.
• Give away smiles, and watch them come back to you a hundred times over.
  Stuff your pockets with kindness and optimism;there is nothing more precious in the world.

CHEST PAIN

What is chest pain?
Chest pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen. This part of the body has the outer cage made up of the muscles, nerves, skin, bones and cartilage, and the protected soft, inner parts consisting the heart with its wrappings and major blood vessels, the lungs with its wrappings and air pipes, the oesophagus and the biggest blood vessels (Aorta, pulmonary artery and accompanying veins). Something going wrong in any of these body parts can cause chest pain.

***In children, chest pain is most often not caused by problems with the heart.

Causes of Chest Pain Not related to the HEART:

Chest wall pain:

• Bad posture
• Unusual exercise
• Repetitive action, anxiety or rapid breathing
• Inflammation of the ribs/ cartilage and joints
• Trauma Herpes zooster

Lungs:

• Infections /inflammations
• Blood clot to the lungs
• Damage to / ballooning of great vessels [aortic aneurism]

Digestive system:

• Ulcer of the stomach,
• Acid reflux from the stomach,
• Gas (indigestion)Gall stones

Sudden pain or discomfort in the chest can be a frightening experience not just for the person concerned but also for family, friend and work colleagues. Even though causes vary from life threatening ones like heart attack to mildly inconvenient things like indigestion, chest pain should never be taken casually. This is especially true in people who have diabetes, hypertension or other risk factors for heart disease, including over weight.Early presentation at the clinic for proper evaluation just might save a life, so do not hesitate to call for help if you think you or someone might be having a heart attack.

Remember;

With Heart Attack every minute counts.

Have a blessed life.

Wounded, But Still Fighting

That's a hero. Someone who's been wounded - even badly wounded - and they still keep fighting. That's what spiritual heroes do, too. You may be one of them. Or you may be in a position to rise to be one right now.
There's no greater example of this wounded but fighting kind of warrior than the great Apostle Paul. Listen to his powerful personal testimony, recorded for us in II Corinthians 4, beginning with verse 8, our word for today from the Word of God. He says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." He continues his testimony in chapter 6 with this report: "As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger ... dying, yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything."
I read this and ask myself, "So what's your excuse, Ola?" Paul had been wounded over and over again - deeply wounded, but he's still in there fighting just like Jesus. Just like so many of His followers over the years who've been bloodied, but unbowed.
Sadly, some of us get wounded and we don't respond like, in Paul's words, "good soldiers of Jesus Christ" (II Timothy 2:1). It's all too easy to respond to being hit with self-pity and self-centeredness. It's the "poor me" thing, which simply focuses you on your wounds, letting them define who you are and even how you treat others. Some respond with bitterness and anger and stinky attitudes. Others get wounded and they start shutting down or giving up.
But a spiritual warrior realizes that the fight is more important than his feelings; the cause is more important than my condition. It could be that your wounds have made you start to give up the fight. Don't do it. Keep fighting for your marriage, keep fighting for that child of yours, keep fighting for the hard hearts you've been praying for, keep fighting for that ministry, that church, that calling from God. You serve a Savior who was attacked, brutalized and crushed, and yet He refused to turn back until He'd won the battle for your soul. Yes, you're wounded, but keep fighting. One day the battle will be over. You'll be home, and you will be rewarded by the King of all kings.

****Thanks to Olaitan for the above inspiration.

"The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."

*** Jack London

The Power of Love

The spiritual power of love is something that we hear about, but have we had the opportunity to really understand its meaning? Sometimes this can become confusing, as we mistake spiritual love for other forms.
Spiritual love is not a sentimental cloying where our need is to possess. It isn't the chemistry of lust or pheromones that cause us to act on instinct. Spiritual love is a combination of the heart and mind, unselfishly acting on the behalf of another. I emphasize "unselfishly" here, because there is no room for a hidden agenda with spiritual love.
Spiritual love has as its primary intention, the well-being of that which it is directed towards. It is far less important what one receives from the love object, than what one is able to give. It is a more detached love, more objective than what we normally experience in our daily relationships. Although we can put plenty of "heart" into it, we lose nothing by giving it away. We needn't have the love returned, no one is under any obligation, etc.
So, why does this have such power? Perhaps it is because this is the purest form of energy we can project as spiritual beings. Being free from attachment or expectation, yet full of caring and compassion, there is a healing power inherent in it which is capable of deep transformation for both the sender and the recipient.
Also, we are told that this is the creative energy which brought us into being from our Source. This is the functional nature of the Divine. It certainly makes sense, as this is the good stuff which can breathe new life into a soul who is going under for the last time.
The greatest saints, masters and teachers of our history are known primarily for their expression of this intangible, yet powerful quality. From their expression of spiritual love, sprang miracles.
Recently, someone wrote to me and said that common sense told her that we could not bless others. I disagree. Through the power of this golden energy, we shower those around us with the most magnificent blessings the human spirit can imagine. This is the truest power there is.
PURE LOVE

"Pure love is a willingness to give without a thought of receiving anything in return."

Cartoon of the day

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A Powerful Story

This is a powerful story, especially today.

"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred.
When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks. He blurted out the tragedy.
"A boy, a big boy...called me a freak."
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. "You might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a tenderness in her heart.
The boy's father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be done? "I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured" the doctor decided. Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.
Two years went by. Then,"You are going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret" said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.
"But I must know!" he urged his father."Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him."
"I do not believe you could,"said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."
The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come... one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal .... that the mother had no outer ears.
"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut, " he whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"

Please note:

Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart.

Real treasure lies not in what can be seen, but what cannot be seen.

Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what is done but not known.

Author Unknown

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THE 5 FINGERS OF PRAYER.

• Your Thumb is nearest to you.

So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty".

• The next finger is the Pointing finger.

Pray for those who teach,instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

• The next finger is the Tallest finger.

It reminds us of our leaders.Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.They need God's guidance.

• The fourth finger is our Ring finger.

Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.They need your prayers day and night.You cannot pray too much for them.

• And lastly comes our Little finger.

The smallest finger of all. Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

***Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight; Just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.

***Should you find yourself stuck in traffic; don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

***Should you have a bad day at work;Think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.

***Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

***Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for $15.00 to feed her family.

***Should your car break down, leaving You miles away from assistance, Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

***Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

***Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering; what is life all about, what is my purpose? Be thankful,there are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

***Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness,ignorance, smallness or insecurities;Remember, things could be worse.You could be them!!!

***Should you decide to send this to a friend; You might brighten some one's day!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut way all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.'
"I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them. 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude to life. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz.

I did all I could to make my husband wealthy, but his wealth became my nightmare

My husband was the first man in my life and we loved each other dearly even before we got married. I come from a fairly rich family, so my father could afford to send me to the United States of America for further learning after my first degree. My husband finished from the same university I attended a year before me, and he was about rounding off his national youth service when I was leaving for the US. It was a tough decision for me to take because I was not sure I would still have him when I returned to Nigeria.
I finally made up my mind to go, but not until my people had agreed to a wedding date. I was to come back after four months for the wedding. We agreed that my father would arrange my husband’s trip to the US too, so that we would not stay apart, and that he did in a record time.
The wedding was a big one. His people had nothing, so we had to shoulder the responsibility of making it successful. I was responsible for everything his nuclear family used on that day, and they were grateful.
After the wedding, we travelled together to the U.S. I waited till I had finished my master’s programme before I got pregnant. All through that time, my husband remained the calm and loving guy I had met and married. Then suddenly, God answered our prayers and everything changed for better. My husband met some of his schoolmates in the U.S and before I knew it, money started rolling in from everywhere.
I was happy, that at last, he was going to bail out his entire family from poverty. I also felt happy that I was instrumental to his breakthrough. He took very good care of my baby and me and also went home regularly to see his people. His job would not allow for him to just sit back in the U.S. He travelled a lot to England and other countries.
I had another child for him two years after the first one, and I did not suspect that he had changed from the man that I knew. Three years after his status changed, a friend of mine called me and said I must take the next flight to Nigeria to see what my husband was doing behind my back. I did not take her serious at first. But when she said she would pay my fare to Nigeria, I knew she meant business.
She told me to come on a particular day, and said I must not let my husband or even my people know that I had plans to come to Nigeria.
I took my children to a friend’s place so that I would be able to go to Nigeria as advised by my friend. She was at the airport the day I arrived Nigeria to take me straight to our house in Lagos. I asked her what the matter was. She said she had thought she should not tell me what it was until we got there, but on a second thought, she felt that if she did not, I could faint by the time I saw what was happening. She told me that they were having a naming ceremony in our house in Lagos and that my mother-in-law sold Ankara to her friends and hired a band.
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I was dumbfounded. However, I promised my friend that I would just walk in like a guest and leave them to their conscience. But when I got there, I could not. I went straight into our bedroom and found the mother of the baby there changing her clothes in the presence of some of her friends. My friend was following me to prevent me from doing anything rash, but she was not close enough. I grabbed the woman and dragged her out of the room, cursing on top of my voice as I did so.
My husband came and started begging. He prostrated and said I should not put him to shame, but I told him that the U.S police would soon come after him. I demanded that he sent the woman and her people out of the house immediately. When he was not doing so, I ran to the kitchen and took a knife. Immediately, he sent them and the baby out.
When the fight was over, I sat down on the bed and cried. My friend could not leave me alone because she did not know what could happen next. It was very difficult for me to bear such, but my husband was so remorseful that I did not know what to do. I had thought it was the end of our relationship but he begged that he did not know what went over him.
I was to spend only one week in Nigeria, so two days after that incident, I went to my parents’ house to let them know I was around and to tell my mother what happened despite the fact that my husband begged me not to. I felt that if I did not tell her, I would be doing myself more harm. She screamed when I told her what happened and told me to tell my husband to see her.
My husband respected my parents very much, so he went to see her immediately. I was there also. My mother talked to him like her son and he started crying. He said he did not really understand how all that happened and that it was as if he was under a spell.
On that note, we both left for the U.S. All attempts to see my mother-in-law proved abortive. My friend said it could be that she could not face me after all that happened that day. When we got back to the US, my husband kept to his promise to be a good husband. He refused to see the woman again and only sent money for the upkeep of her baby. But his mother was not happy. She called him one day and started saying all sorts of things on the phone. She did not know that I was the one that had picked the receiver, so she started saying that he was not meant for one woman only, that he was going to marry the woman that bore him a son whether he liked it or not. She said she knew that my parents and I had charmed him and that before long, he would see her handiwork. She said any mother that did not want her to reap the fruit of her labour in respect of her son would die untimely. She said she knew that my husband had made my mother his mother, and that she would make sure that she corrected that.
That day, I just dropped the phone without letting her know that she had been talking to the wrong person. I wondered how the woman could change so much overnight. The same woman that almost cursed herself as she prayed for me the day my father got my husband a visa. The woman who promised to fight tooth and nail to make sure I reaped the fruit of my labour. I was crying when my husband came in. He asked what happened and I told him. He said she was just being a woman and that I should not mind her. But deep down in me, I knew I was in for real trouble.
Two months after that, we heard the shocking news that my beloved mother had died.

Watch out for the concluding part of this intriguing story.

"To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity."
***Donald A. Adams

The Dead Woman Who Flagged Down a Motorist to Save her Baby.

One afternoon, a couple was traveling on the road when all of a sudden at a far distance they saw a woman in the middle of the road asking them to stop.The wife told her husband to keep on driving because it might be too dangerous, but the husband decided to pass by slowly so he wouldn't stay with the doubt on his mind of what might have happened and the chances of anyone being hurt. As they got closer, they noticed a woman with cuts and bruises on her face as well as on her arms. They then decide to stop and see if they could be of any help. The cut and bruised woman was begging for help telling them that she had been in a car accident and that her husband and son, a new born baby, were still inside the car which was in a deep ditch. She told them that the husband was already dead but that her baby seemed to still be alive. The husband that was traveling decided to get down and try to rescue the baby and he asked the hurt woman to stay with his wife inside the their car. When he got down he noticed two people in the front seats of the car but he didn't pay any importance to it and took out the baby quickly and got up to take the baby to it's mother. When he got up, he didn't see the mother anywhere so he asked his wife where she had gone. She told him that the woman followed him back to the crashed car. When the man decided to go look for the woman, he noticed that clearly the two people in the front seats were dead; a woman and a man with both their seat belts on. When he looked closer, he noticed that it was the exact same woman that was begging them for help in the beginning. Do you think that it was a miracle of God? The Baby now lives with family members and he will live to tell the story.

****
If you believe in the Almighty and that miracles like these can truly happen, send this to your friends. If you don't send it, nothing will happen, only that some people won't be able to know of the greatness of the Lord.

"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. "
**Henry Ford (1863-1947) American Industrialist

"The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part. The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well. "

** Baron de Coubertin, The Olympic Creed

When You Divorce Me, Carry Me Out in Your Arms Prt 3

I felt it was easier to carry her. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. I said to her, it seems not difficult to carry you now. She was picking her dresses. I was waiting to carry her out. She tried quite a few but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I smiled. But I suddenly realized that it was because she was thinner that I could carry her more easily, not because I was stronger. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart. Again, I felt a sense of pain. Subconsciously I reached out a hand to touch her head. Our son came in at the moment. Dad, it's time to carry mum out. He said. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had been an essential part of his life. She gestured our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face because I was afraid I would change my mind at the last minute. I held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, as if we came back to our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. She said, actually I hope you will hold me in your arms until we are old. I held her tightly and said, both you and I didn't notice that our life lacked intimacy. I jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my decision. I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door. I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I won't divorce. I'm serious. She looked at me, astonished. Then she touched my forehead. You got no fever. She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I can only say sorry to you, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of life, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I understand that since I carried her into the home, she gave birth to our child, I am supposed to hold her until I am old. So I have to say sorry to you. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove to the office. When I passed the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet for my wife, which was her favorite. The sales girl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until we are old. That was what he thought... he returned home with the hope of giving his wife the flowers, as he came through the driveway, there were cars, there was his and her family at his house, his heart beating fast, as he was about to walk through the door, a stretcher with a body wrapped in white was coming out, he sobbed his heart out as he realized it was his wife and that when he carried her out of the house in his arms that morning it was the last time. He thought of all the time he'd wasted, the pain he caused his wife during her last days, not realizing he had given the virus to her, he realized then that he neglected a thing so beautiful and wonderful, a treasure he should have preserved, but it was too late, the damage had already been done, all the things he could have done differently, all the things he could have said, all the times they could have done things to make their love grow, all the sweet memories they should have built.........nothing could turn back the clock. Reality hit, he was a selfish self absorbent fool, a womanizer with no morals who brought shame and death to his home because of greed and lack of respect for women and in this case particularly his wife, and the sad reality of his wife dying and the inevitability of him too dying leaving their son and AIDS orphan hit home.

Married: Don't take your marriage for granted. Remember the vows u made before God. Fights with all that u have. God bless.

Single but wish to get married: Know your ideal partner & not settle for less coz u'll end-up in the divorce court.