�Who Says You Can�t Teach an Old Dog a New Trick or Two�

This little gem was passed on to me by one of the “Your Second Fifty” writers. I have read this before in a slightly altered version – BUT – we can never have enough hope for humanity!

Enjoy! 

The Price of a Miracle

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.                                               

She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.                                                                 

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to the drug store, with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.                                                

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing… She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!                                                                   

“And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked. “Can you see, I’m talking to my brother from Chicago, whom I haven’t seen in ages,” he said without waiting for a reply to his question.                         

“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back. “He’s really, really sick …….. and I want to buy a miracle.”                                                                  

“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.                                 

“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”                                                                    

“We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.                            

“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.”                                

The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man.  He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”   

“I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up.  “I just know he’s  really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation… But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”                                       

“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago                        

“One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered, barely audibly. “And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.”    

“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.”                            

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand, he grasped her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.  Let’s see if I have the miracle you need.”        

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed, free of charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well…                        

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.                                                    

“That surgery,” her Mom whispered, “was a real miracle.  I wonder how much it would have cost?”                                                                                                                                   

Tess smiled.  She knew exactly how much a miracle cost….one dollar and eleven cents….plus the faith of a little child.                                                                                             

Take a small piece of paper – hold it up in front of you.

There will be a right side and a left side.

Tear it in half and throw away the left side so all you have left is the right side.

IMPOSSIBLE – why, because you now have a new left side.

In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin yang is used to describe how polar or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. e.g. dark and light, female and male, low and high, cold and hot. That being said generally Taoist philosophy discounts good/bad distinctions as superficial labels, preferring to focus on the idea of balance. (Wikipedia)

However for this example I would like you to remain focused on the logic that contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent and refrain from the semantics that allow us to become distracted from the obvious truth.  

Ok now consider yourself – and what you have been taught about good and bad.

Now go get a chainsaw and cut away your bad half. (KIDDING)

But you get my point if you had a bad side and you got rid of it you will only have a new bad side. Hmmmm.

So does that mean you will always be bad – well if bad was a part of you then the answer would be yes. BUT that’s where the truth comes into play. YOU ARE NOT BAD NOR ARE YOU GOOD – you’re just what you are – a PERFECT creation of you.

That being said, it now comes down to choice and external interpretation. What is good and what is bad and what you base you choice upon.

We all can choose to be good or bad – BUT IT’S NOT US THAT IS GOOD OR BAD – it is the action we take based upon our choice that was determined to be good or bad, based upon what we’ve been taught to be good or bad from the men who wrote the religious texts or those who interpret the religious texts or from the modern day law makers who now make the modern day form of government and YES – who are in control and determine what is good or bad.

Here is an example of bad and good (EXTREME EXAMPLE)

I’m sitting in a restaurant and I take out a gun and shot three people behind the counter. I’m a bad person?

I’m a soldier in Afghanistan and I shoot three armed Taliban threatening to harm a group of women. I’m a good person?

After I shoot the three restaurant workers it becomes clear that they were homegrown terrorists and that they had plans to bomb a school in Vancouver. I’m a good person?

After I shoot the three armed Taliban soldiers it becomes clear they are young boys and they were only serving because if they didn’t their families would be killed by the extremist leaders. I’m a bad person?

The point being – I’M STILL THE SAME PERSON – what made my choice good or bad was your interpretation of my actions in each example – because the result was the same.

We’ve been fed a lot of information over the course of our lives based upon the interpretation of those in power as to what’s good or bad and it’s now time for these teachings to be seriously challenged. Why, because many of these teachings are no longer applicable in today’s world and the original intent has become redundant, unproductive and in many cases down right dangerous.   

The time is now for us to reclaim our own conscience, to trust ourselves and to base our choices not on what’s going to be the most rewarding externally (money, heaven, and/or the acceptance of others) but what is going to create the most peace internally. We were all created equal. We don’t need to follow to understand and to know. It is within us all. We don’t need to allow guilt and shame to determine our choices. We can base our choices upon our internal peace. We must overcome controlling and manipulating forms of control if we ever hope to find self-love and internal peace and we must remember that we were all created perfect – as perfect as we can possibly be.

A young student from a prestigious university was taking a walk with one of his professors. This was no ordinary professor, this was the professor commonly called “The Students’ Friend,” because of the kindness, patience and compassion he showed to his students. As they walked along the student noticed a pair of old shoes, which he believed belonged to a poor man working in the fields nearby.

The student turned to the professor, saying: “Let’s play a trick on the worker: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and watch to see how he reacts.”

“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the others. In fact I’m sure you’ll attain greater pleasure by placing a coin into each shoe. Once you have we’ll hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him.”

The student placed a coin in each shoe and then along with the professor hide in the bushes. Soon the poor man finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. After pulling on his coat he slipped his foot into one of the shoes; feeling something hard, he stopped, stooped down and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder graced his face. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around, but no one was to be seen. He slid the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; to his surprise he found the other coin. Feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to the heavens and uttered aloud a passionate thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without food and how this timely gift from an unknown hand would save them all from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, his eyes filling with tears. “Now,” said the professor, “is your pleasure not greater than had you played your intended trick?”

The youth replied, “You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget.”

“It is indeed more blessed to give than to receive.”

Author Unknown

A great little story that reflects a belief I’ve had for some years now – heaven is not a destination – but – a state of being and that we are one with our higher power – in other words, at least from my understanding, there is no thrown of judgment or condemnation. 

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith.

That was the day I first saw Tommy. My eyes and my mind both blinked. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches below his shoulders. It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long.. I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it isn’t what’s on your head but what’s in it that counts; but on that day I was unprepared and my emotions flipped.  I immediately filed Tommy under “S” for strange… Very strange.

Tommy turned out to be the “atheist in residence” in my Theology of Faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times a serious pain in the back pew.

When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, “Do you think I’ll ever find God?”

I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. “No!” I said very emphatically.

“Why not,” he responded, “I thought that was the product you were pushing.”

I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then I called out, “Tommy!  I don’t think you’ll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you! “He shrugged a little and left my class and my life.

I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever line — He will find you! At least I thought it was clever.

Later I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was duly grateful.

Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy.

But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe. “Tommy, I’ve thought about you so often; I hear you are sick,” I blurted out.

“Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It’s a matter of weeks.”

“Can you talk about it, Tom?” I asked.

“Sure, what would you like to know?” he replied.

“What’s it like to be only twenty-four and dying?

“Well, it could be worse.

“Like what?

“Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life..

I began to look through my mental file cabinet under “S” where I had filed Tommy as strange. (It seems as though everybody I try to reject by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)

“But what I really came to see you about,” Tom said, “is something you said to me on the last day of class.”(He remembered!) He continued, “I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, ‘No!’ which surprised me Then you said, ‘But He will find you.’ I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time.

(My clever line. He thought about that a lot!)

“But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that’s when I got serious about locating God.. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging  fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out.

In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying.  And then you quit.

“Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit. I decided that I didn’t really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that.

I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable. I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said: ‘The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.’”

“So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. “Dad.”

Yes, what?” he asked without lowering the newspaper. “Dad, I would like to talk with you.”

“Well, talk.”

“I mean. It’s really important.”

The newspaper came down three slow inches. “What is it?”

“Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that.  ”Tom smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him.” The newspaper fluttered to the floor.

Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me.”

“It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years.

“I was only sorry about one thing — that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to.

“Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn’t come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop, ‘C’mon, jump through. C’mon, I’ll give you three days, three weeks.’”

“Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But the important thing is that He was there. He found me! You were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for Him.” 

“Tommy,” I practically gasped, “I think you are saying something very important and much more universal than you realize. To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know, the Apostle John said that.

He said: ‘God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him. ‘Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now. Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn’t be half as effective as if you were to tell it.

“Oooh. I was ready for you, but I don’t know if I’m ready for your class.”

“Tom, think about it. If and when you are ready, give me a call.”

In a few days Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date.

However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more important than the one with me and my class.

Before he died, we talked one last time.

“I’m not going to make it to your class,” he said. 

“I know, Tom.”

“Will you tell them for me? Will you … tell the whole world for me?”

I will, Tom. I’ll tell them. I’ll do my best.”

So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story, thank you for listening.

If this story means anything to you, please pass it on to a friend or two.

It is a true story and is not enhanced for publicity purposes.

With thanks, Rev. John Powell, Professor, Loyola

University, Chicago

I find it interesting to look back upon the evolution of religion and to see how man has interpreted God’s will and intent.

The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.

The Vedas are among the oldest sacred texts. The Samhitas date to roughly 1500–1000 BCE, and the “circum-Vedic” texts, as well as the redaction of the Samhitas, date to c. 1000-500 BCE, resulting in a Vedic period.

VEDIC WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS…

God says, ‘Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.’

1. Pray.

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.    

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a good Book with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19 Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait until it’s time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good ‘Thank you.’

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33 Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

Below is a little story that challenges my humanity – would I have this courage to do the same?

The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.

“Leave me alone,” he growled… To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling — her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“No,” he answered sarcastically. “I’ve just come from dining with the president. Now go away.”

The woman’s smile became even broader.

Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. “What are you doing, lady?” the man asked angrily. “I said to leave me alone.

Just then a policeman came up. “Is there any problem, ma’am?” he asked.

“No problem here, officer,” the woman answered. “I’m just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?”

The officer scratched his head. “That’s old Jack. He’s been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?”

“See that cafeteria over there?” she asked. “I’m going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile.”

“Are you crazy, lady?” the homeless man resisted. “I don’t want to go in there!” Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.

“Let me go, officer. I didn’t d o anything.”

“This is a good deal for you, Jack,” the officer answered. “Don’t blow it.”

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. “What’s going on here, officer?” he asked. “What is all this, is this man in trouble?”

“This lady brought this man in here to be fed,” the policeman answered.

“Not in here!” the manager replied angrily. “Having a person like that here is bad for business.”

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. “See, lady. I told you so. Now if you’ll let me go. I didn’t want to come here in the first place.”

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. “Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?”

“Of course I am,” the manager answered impatiently. “They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.”

“And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?”

“What business is that of yours?”

I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.”

“Oh.”

The woman smiled again. “I thought that might make a difference.”

She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh. “Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?”

“No thanks, ma’am,” the officer replied. “I’m on duty.”

“Then perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?”

“Yes ma’am that would be very nice.”

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. “I’ll get your coffee for you right away, officer.”

The officer watched him walk away… “You certainly put him in his place,” he said.

“That was not my intent… Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this.”

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.

“Jack, do you remember me?”

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. “I think so — I mean you do look familiar.”

“I’m a little older perhaps,” she said. “Maybe I’ve even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry.”

“Ma’am?” the officer said questioningly. He couldn’t believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

“I was just out of college,” the woman began. “I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn’t find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat.”

Jack lit up with a smile. “Now I remember,” he said. “I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.”

“I know,” the woman continued. “Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right.”

“So you started your own business?” Old Jack said.

“I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that prospered.” She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. “When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He’s the personnel director of my company. I’ll go talk to him now and I’m certain he’ll find something for you to do around the office.”

She smiled. “I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you.”

There were tears in the old man’s eyes. “How can I ever thank you?” he asked.

“Don’t thank me,” the woman answered. “What goes around comes around.”

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. “Thank you for your help officer,” she said.

“On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,” he answered. “Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget, and thank you for the coffee.”

The act of honesty is only difficult when we believe we have something to lose.

The Emperor’s Seed

Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It has come time for me to step down and to choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.” The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring to me, and the one I choose will be the next emperor of the kingdom!”

There was one boy named Ling who was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept going home and checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn’t have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey nice try.”

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the emperor. “Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!”

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. “The emperor knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!”

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!” Ling couldn’t believe it. Ling couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!”

Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A salesman was driving down an old country road gazing off into the hills when he accidentally drove off the road and into the ditch. Fortunately he wasn’t injured, but his car was now stuck. Realizing that he would not be able to free his car himself, he walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

When he arrived at the farm he was greeted by an old farmer. “Good day sir, may I help you?” the farmer said. “Yes please,” began the salesman. “I was driving down the road and unfortunately I drove into the ditch and now I’m stuck.” “No problem old Fred will pull you out of there,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing over by the barn. The salesman took one look at the frail old mule and replied “Are you sure?” “Oh ya, old Fred can do the job.” With nothing to lose the salesman replied, “OK let’s give it a shot.”

The two men and the mule walked back to the salesman’s car. Once they arrived the farmer hitched up old Fred to the car. Then with a snap of the reins, he shouted, “Pull, Ted! Pull, Pat! Pull, Sue! Pull, Fred!”

Upon that command old Fred pulled the salesman’s car out of the ditch.

The salesman was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and then asked, “Why did you call out all of those other names before you called out Fred?”

The farmer grinned and said, “Well ya see old Fred is nearly blind and so long as he believes he’s a part of a team, he isn’t going to set any limits on himself.”

To often in life we set limits on ourselves based upon what we’ve heard or been taught to accept. In many cases we hold on to our limits by clinging on to our human capabilities, rather than trusting in our infinite spiritual potential. Why we make these choices are individual, but far to often we are unwilling to face the responsibility of accepting our greatness, preferring to fall back into the comfort zone known as fate, for fear of walking the road less traveled.

We are never too old to offer a kind word, share our wisdom and brighten the lives of others. No matter what age you are – you are of great value – to someone. The following story was sent to me from a lovely lady I met in Saudi Arabia. She opened my eyes to a self destructive behavior that had harmed me for years. Her approach was not to one up me, or put me down, but to help me become the best person I could be. I will always be grateful of  her wisdom, honesty and kindness. Thank you Gladys!

The Rose   

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze.

‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked.

She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’

‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. 

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘ We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..’

She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

Today at the gym one of my sons mentioned a friend of his had 3 weeks left to live, he has terminal cancer. I said “maybe you need to tell your friend that his time left in human form is not solely dependent upon a doctor’s guestimation, but more so, on his choice, whether to let go of his human form or to stay, summon his inner strength to overcome his ailment and then seek to find out what greater task he has been spared for?”

It can be a hard thing for people believe that they have some choice as to when their life will come to an end, but it’s my experience that we do. I have witnessed numerous people overcome medical predictions of certain death and gone on to live for years — but I have also witnessed many follow their doctor’s predictions to a “T” and bid adieu.

I guess believing you have a choice is like having faith – if you have it you have a chance – if you don’t – YOU DON’T. I don’t know about you but I like the thought of having a choice!

Below is a story from my book – sometimes we just have to reprogram the computer.

The following text has been taken from the book “Your Second Fifty” www.ysfshopping.com

I’ve been blessed with a number of truly amazing experiences in my life; however, none more impressive or enlightening than the one that happened about twelve years ago in Nashville, Tennessee.

Five years after my sons’ eventful summer of singing on the Victoria causeway, they found themselves signing a major label recording contract with Polydor Records in Nashville. While living in Nashville we would take the opportunity to, once a month, sing at the children’s hospital.

During one of those visits after the boys had performed, I asked the hospital’s PR representative if there were any shut-ins and could we possibly go to their room and sing them a song or two.  After checking she said that there were indeed a couple of kids we could visit. After singing to the two children we were walking down the hall on our way out of the hospital, and I noticed a little girl about three or four years old lying in a bed.

I asked the nurse if we could sing for her and she said she didn’t think it was a good idea because the little girl only had a couple of weeks left to live. I have said before I didn’t always have my emotions in check, so I proceeded to say with a somewhat challenging tone, “Well, ask the mom?” The nurse refused, and my voice began to rise as I said, “If she only has two weeks left why do you want to prevent her from experiencing something so positive and uplifting?” Just then the doctor walked by and asked what the problem was?  I explained that I thought that the nurse should ask the mother if the boys could sing for her daughter.  The doctor responded by saying, “Let me ask.” Thankfully, the mother invited us in. The boys introduced themselves to this frail little girl and proceeded to sing a song on their album that Garth Brooks had written: “When God Made You.” Everyone broke into tears. Then the boys sang a little ditty that Clint (one of the triplets) and I had written called: “With a Little Smile.” Then everyone was back to smiling. As we were leaving the room, I realized I had one of the boy’s CD’s with me, so I went back and asked her if she would like it. She nodded and I gave it to her. I then told her that we were going out on the road to sing but if she was there when we got back in four weeks, I would give her the boy’s other CD.

When we got back off of the road, I had the record label book us another show at the hospital. After the show we walked down to her ward to see if she was still there, CD in hand.  We had just opened the doors to the ward and the head nurse came over to us and said, “She’s been asking for that CD every day since you guys left.”

She had made it past the two weeks, so I came up with another idea. I told her that in two months the boys would be doing a show with Toby Keith in downtown Nashville and that if she could get strong enough to leave the hospital, I would get her front row tickets to the concert. Two months later she was sitting front row. After that show we headed out to Las Vegas and didn’t get back until November. When we returned to Nashville, we had the record label again schedule a show at the hospital, and after the show we went straight to her ward. When we got there the nurse we spoke to said she was gone. Our hearts all dropped, and she then realized what she had said and corrected herself saying, “No, no she’s gone home.”

After that we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and then to Branson, Missouri, and then spent five years touring the world.  We never saw that little girl again, but we learned a very valuable lesson – she believed, when others didn’t, and she survived. She is a miracle.

Everyday we are all witnesses to miracles, some small some incredible. I’ve learned to accept them for what they are and not try to intellectualize them away.  Now I work at accepting life as it unfolds each day. I’ve taken my turn at playing God in my life, (challenging others to do things my way, because I knew what was best for them) but to be honest I didn’t do a very good job of it. So from here on out, I think I’ll just try and follow my higher power’s queue and respect others to make their own best decisions and choices.