Spiritual Processes - beautiful

What a beautifully inspiring message. Thank you Marianne

Learning to dance in the Rain

Learning to Dance in the Rain

The Power of Gratitude

The date was July 16, 2008. It was late in the afternoon and I was sitting in my hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky. I was scheduled to speak that evening for the Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA). I was a little "down in the dumps." I hadn't gotten to exercise lately because of my traveling schedule and recently I'd experienced some mild bouts of vertigo (that inner ear condition that can cause the room to start spinning.) You got it...speaking and "spinning" are not good partners! My keynote presentation was scheduled for 7:00 P.M., but I had been invited to show up at 6:00 to see a performance they said I'd enjoy. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.

They introduced the young musician. Welcome...Mr. Patrick Henry Hughes. He was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair, and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason, however, I knew that I was seeing something special. There was this aura about him that I really can't explain and the smile...his smile was magic! About ten minutes into Patrick's performance, someone came on the stage and said..."I'd like to share a seven-minute video titled, The Patrick Henry Hughes story." And the lights went dim. Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes, and a tightening of the joints which left him crippled for life. However, as a child, he was fitted with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. His mom said, "I could hit any note on the piano, and within one or two tries, he'd get it." By his second birthday, he was playing requests (You Are My Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). His father was ecstatic. "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together." Today, Patrick is a junior at the University of Louisville. His father attends classes with him and he's made nearly all A's, with the exception of 3 B's. He's also a part of the 214-member marching band. You read it right...the marching band! He's a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father do it together. They attend all the band practices and the half-time performance in front of thousands. His father rolls and rotates his son around the field to the cheers of Patrick's fans. In order to attend Patrick's classes and every band practice, his father works the graveyard shift at UPS. Patrick said..."My dad's my hero." But even more than his unbelievable musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that touched my soul. On stage, between songs, he would talk to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, "God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability...the musical gifts I have...the great opportunity to meet new people." When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes. It gave me giant goose bumps! My life was ready to meet Patrick Henry Hughes. I needed a hero, and I found one for the ages. If I live to be a hundred, I'll never forget that night, that smile, that music, but most importantly, that wonderful "attitude of gratitude." I returned to Chicago and shared Patrick's story with my wife, my friends, and our team at Simple Truths. About two weeks later, I received a letter from a friend. He said, "Mac, here is a quote from Vivian Greene that I think you'll love!" "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain!" I thought...that's it! We all face adversity in our life. However, it's not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or, can we, with gratitude...learn how to dance in the rain? It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word...gratitude, can change your attitude, and thus your life, forever. Sarah Breathnach said it best... "When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present...we experience heaven on earth."

Les Brown's Success Story - Your life is powered by you

This is the inspiring story of how Les Brown, a completely unknown speaker with no books or national recognition, manifested his dream… even after being told no by the “gatekeeper” of his dream.
If you ever wondered how Les Brown got started, you’ll wonder no more after watching this motivating video. You’ll also realize there’s more than one way to make your dreams come true — even when, and especially when — there seems to be obstacles in the way!
- See more at: http://www.videosmotivational.com/best-clips/success/les-browns-success-story-your-life-is-powered-by-you/?fsid=ad947a6f77741276a14bad3e1e218486#video

This is the inspiring story of how Les Brown, a completely unknown speaker with no books or national recognition, manifested his dream… even after being told no by the “gatekeeper” of his dream.

LAUGHTER is an instant vacation

You know, sometimes life just gets too serious...too busy...and too complicated. We don't mean for it to happen, but we wake up one morning to discover the fun has slipped away. A few years ago a health study determined there are 3 main reasons people can't cope in life:     1. They live in the past.     2. They have a low self-esteem.     3. They can't laugh at themselves. In fact, the study indicated that we need approximately 12 laughs a day to stay healthy!

I heard a story not long ago about a guy who sent flowers to his friend who was opening a new restaurant. When he arrived at the grand opening, he looked for his flowers. Well, when he found them, he saw that he had sent a white wreath that said, "May you rest in peace." He panicked, of course, and called the florist who said, "Bob, I'm not worried about you because as we speak, there's a guy being buried who got a dozen roses that said, "Good luck in your new location!"

Ah yes...life throws us curve balls when we least expect it! And sometimes, just to stay sane, we need to sit back and laugh!

1.	Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your children.
	Sam Levenson
2.	If you look like your passport photo, you're too ill to travel.
	Will Kommen
3.	My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.
	Dave Barry
4.	My doctor is wonderful. Once, when I couldn't afford an operation, he touched up the x-rays.
	Joey Bishop
5.	Last night I dreamed I ate a ten-pound marshmallow. When I woke up, my pillow was gone.
	Tommy Cooper
6.	I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on.
	Roseanne Barr
7.	If you love something, set it free. Unless it's chocolate. Never release chocolate.
	Renee Duvall
8.	The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for 30 years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.
	Calvin Trillin
9.	I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her.
	Rodney Dangerfield
10.	My husband wanted one of those big-screen TVs for his birthday. So I just moved his chair closer to the one we have already.
	Wendy Liebman
11.	I have an aunt who married so late in life that Medicare picked up 80 percent of the honeymoon.
	Don Reber
12.	My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn't need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle.
	Henny Youngman
13.	Inside me there's a thin person struggling to get out, but I can usually sedate him with four or five cupcakes.
	Bob Thaves
14.	I have enough money to last me the rest of my life—unless I buy something.
	Jackie Mason

Restore your faith in Humanity

Once a month, go to a random drive-thru restaurant and pay for however many tickets have been entered by the time you get to the window.  Don't stick around after you've paid.

Ode to our Teachers

Teachers are mentors and role models to their pupils. They influence young minds and inculcate sound social and moral values through word and deed, within and outside the classroom. They must impart to pupils learning skills, thinking skills and life skills to cope with the future; an attitude of continuous learning and improvement; and a sense of commitment.

LIFE

Do you know people that just seem to be happier in general? Do you say to yourself, "I want to be more like them"? Often, the happiest people in the world don’t have the best of everything…they just make the best of everything!

Not giving up

This is a Very Inspirational video of a Runner Named Derek Redmond who seriously Injured himself during an Olympic Race. Despite the Agonising Pain and Distortion he Kept on Running. As he was Limping on the Track an Older man Ran Down and Broke though security to Support him, it was his Father. " if you Never Give up in Life you Cant Fail "

Look at yourself after watching this clip

Gratitude - beautiful... worth watching

Breathtakingly beautiful and most inspiring....I am thankful for God's immeasurable blessings.
I just watched an inspiring video about gratitude that I just had to share with you today. It really made me think about all of the wonderful things we have to be grateful for.  
 

Religious Liberty

Thought you might find this interesting.  Worth watcing all 11 minutes.

The following link is a homily from St John the Evangelist parish in St. John,
Indiana.  The priest, Fr. Maletta,  happens to be a lawyer - the parish is
middle class, northern Indiana, blue collar, likely democratic.  It is
incredibly clear, direct, and created a fire of activity - it doesn't take long.

What I have learned in life

Right on Time - the McKameys

I love this song. It reminds me that God may not move when I want but He will move right on time.

When He was on the Cross, I was on His mind

I was on His mind ... I still am ... and He carries me in His heart and holds me in His nail scared hands! Thank You, precious Lord Jesus .. Christ .. Messiah .. Son of God, Son of man ...

Dad - Happy Fathers Day

Dads have a unique and important role in their children's lives. Celebrate your Dad this Father's Day by sharing what he means in your life!

Sinner saved by Grace

yes - salvation is all of grace - all of God - all a free gift. Salvation is received not achieved. I was saved by Jesus' dying not my doing - not my deeds but His death

In the Garden of Thought by Dodinsky

This inspiring video will lift your spirit, soothe your soul, and help you feel calm amidst the chaos. 

The GRATITUDE dance

There are no weekend box office charts for online videos. But if there were, at the top of nearly every list right now might well be a four-and-a-half-minute video called "Dancing." In just a month since its online release, it has been viewed by more than ten million people. After 14 months of traveling in 42 countries, it's the story of a guy named Matt doing the gratitude dance with a cast of thousands around the globe ... from the streets of Mumbai to a rock formation in Ireland to a tulip field in Netherlands!

To a Child, Love is Spelled T-I-M-E

To a Child, Love is Spelled T-I-M-E

What a Child Really Needs From You

In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes that sat near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dim searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here. It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was a photo of her he hoped to rediscover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness.

Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son's childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children's old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head. Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten. Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son's simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different? Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son's journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den. Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son's was tattered and the name "Jimmy" had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use. As he opened his journal, the old man's eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words: Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn't catch a thing. With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy's journal and found the boy's entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read: Went fishing with my Dad. Best day of my life.

What does it mean to be Human?

As our moral sensibilities seem to drift further and further apart, we must ask ourselves, "What does it mean to be human?" For, as Ravi Zacharias, Christian thinker, writer, and speaker, reminds us, upon this definition all else hinges.

Over the past two decades, The Veritas Forum has been hosting vibrant discussions on life's hardest questions and engaging the world's leading colleges and universities with Christian perspectives and the relevance of Jesus.

Why Catholics are right

Yes, Catholics are right. According to Michael Coren anyways. He says he wants to set the record straight: there is apparently little worse in modern, Western society than being a devout Roman Catholic. And he's tired of apologizing for his faith. Michael Coren sits down with Steve Paikin.

Ignite your Catholic Faith

The desire for God.  We all desire a sense of security and peace.

The empty Pickle Jar

Life is made up of good stuff, ugly stuff and everything in between.  But the package is basically very good.   Watch the Video Clip and enjoy.

This is how winners are made

There is one thing I’ve learned in life and it’s this…
The things you truly want in life are NEVER just handed to you for free,
they must be earned.
Most of the time to build yourself up, you need to break yourself apart.
And it’s right there that life looks down to the depths of your soul and says…
You Want It…Prove it!

What it takes to be number One - Vince Lombardi

Lombardi! Perhaps no single word in the English language communicates such strong visions of excellence, discipline, commitment and, of course, winning.

The Lombardi philosophy transcends football. His powerful words capture the fundamentals of success—in any sport, any business or any life.

Just watch this inspiring 3-minute movie. You'll also hear live audio excerpts of Lombardi, giving his most famous speech...What It Takes To Be Number One.

Ignite your faith - Does God really exist

Is there really a God? How do we know that God exists? In this C4: Ignite Your Catholic Faith video, Bishop Don Hying speaks to all of us who are wondering if God is real. Based upon the Catechism of the Catholic Church (31).

What happens to Bread and Wine - Corpus Christi

People line up at Mass for a small cracker or a piece of bread and a sip of wine. Why? When you get down to it, isn't it just bread and wine? Bishop Don Hying shares the mystery of the Eucharist with us, and what makes it a truly Holy Communion. Based upon the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1373).

Insight into Decision Making

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.

The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?    

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make........ .........

. .

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be   made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

'Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right.'  

Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.