Praying Hands
There are hands that help and comfort,
Hands that plan and teach,
Hands that rest and hands that strive
For a goal just out of reach,
Hands that grasp and hands that give,
Hands that work and play,
Friendly hands and loving hands
That soothe life's cares away.
But praying hands are dearest,
In the sight of God above
For in their sweet and earnest clasp
Are reverence and love.
No hands can do an unkind act Nor cause another care
Nor sin against Our Father's love
When they are clasped in prayer.
Author Unknown

Gracious God, Safeguard all whom we love in the sanctuary of your love. Thank you for being with me through all my yesterdays. I trust you to hold all my tomorrows in your hand. Amen

I BELIEVE IN EASTER
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns.

One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her.

Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.

Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying, "My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?"

Beverly said, "Why yes I do."

Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about Easter?"

Beverly said, "Well, it's all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up." Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Phillips said, "Beverly, don't call Edith into the office quite yet. I believe there is another delivery taking place in the waiting room.

After being called back in the doctor's office, Edith sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?"

Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, I'm the doctor and you're the patient." With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very long."

Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I'm going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter Forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!"

Dr. Phillips thought to himself, "What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!" Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips. Christmas came and the office was closed through January 3rd. On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up. Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she would have to be moving her story to the hospital and said, "Will, I'm very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about Easter."

Well, they did just that and women began to come in and share that room with Edith. Many women were saved. Everybody on that floor from staff to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse.

Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she was a "religious nut". She had been a nurse in an army hospital. She had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She had been married three times, she was hard, cold, and did everything by the book.

One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were sick. Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot. When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you."

Phyllis Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won't work. I'm not interested."

Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family."

Phyllis Cross said, "Then you will never die because that will never happen," and curtly walked out of the room.

Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I'm praying for you."

One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith's room like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the bed and Edith said, "I'm so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special day."

Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, 'Do you believe in Easter?' but you have never asked me."

Edith said, "Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked.."

Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?"

Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first time Phyllis Cross did not walk out of a hospital room, she was carried out on the wings of angels.

Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you know what day it is?" Phyllis Cross said, "Why Edith, it's Good Friday."

Edith said, "Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter Phyllis!"

Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did some of her duties and then went down to the flower shop and got some Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her some Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter.

When she walked into Edith's room, Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith's hand, she realized Edith was dead.

Her left hand was on John 14: "In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4, " And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down here cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!"

Phyllis Cross left Edith's body, walked out of the room, and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. "Do you believe in Easter?"
Author Unknown

All people smile in the same language.
Author Unknown

Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
John 14:19-21

The Sorrow of the Dogwood
Many years ago, a dogwood tree grew on a hill outside Jerusalem. In those days, the dogwood tree was as tall and mighty as an oak, and this tree was the tallest of all the dogwoods, and extremely proud of its strength.

"Something wonderful is going to happen to me," it said to anyone who would listen. "I'll probably become the mast that holds the big sail on a grand ship, or the main timber supporting a great house."

Unfortunately, the huge old dogwood was cut down to become the cross to which Jesus was nailed. The tree was horrified. All its dreams of glory were smashed, and it groaned in agony as two boards from its trunk were nailed together.

Jesus took pity on the tree, even as he carried it to Calvary. "You will never be put to such use again," he told it. "From this day on, your shape will change, even as will the world. You will become slender and sway easily with the breeze. And instead of acorns you will bear white flowers in the shape of a cross, with dark red bloodstains at the side of each petal to show the world how you have suffered. Last of all, the center of your flowers will be marked as though with a crown of thorns, to remind people forevermore, that you and I spent our last moments together."
Author Unknown

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8

Thank you for your blessing, Lord.
Thank you for sending your Son when we needed him.
Thank you for helping us to find the peace that no one else can give.
Thank you for the knowledge that comes from knowing He died so we might live!
Thank you for Christ’s resurrection, so in Him we may live again.
Thank you for the promise that through peace and love, He walks among us still.
Thank you for your Angels, Lord.
Help me to realize when someone needs me.
Amen

When God Created Mothers
When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable, Run on black coffee and leftovers, Have a lap that disappears when she stands up, A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair, And six pairs of hands. The angel shook her head slowly and said. "Six pairs of hands -- no way." "It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord. "It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word"

"Lord," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "Come to bed. Tomorrow...." "I can't," said the Lord, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine-year old to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

"But tough!" said the Lord excitedly. "You can imagine what this mother can do or endure." "Can it think?" "Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

"What is it for?"

It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride."

"You are a genius, " said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. " I didn't put it there."
Author Unknown

"Stay" is a charming word in a friend’s vocabulary.
Amos Bronson Alcott

O God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier,
we thank you that we may be together
to hear your word of life and hope.
We are all equal before you.
You know our life in its deepest recesses.
You have not forgotten us;
you love us, and again and again you fill the empty hands
which we stretch out towards you.
Through the suffering and death of your Son Jesus Christ,
you took our darkness and fear upon yourself
in order that we might know light and joy.
Author Unknown

Women
Women have strengths that amaze men. They carry children, they carry hardships, they carry burdens...but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous... women wait by the phone for a "safe at home call" from a friend or child after a snowy drive home. Woman friends keep secrets you told them years ago and never bring it up again...Women have special qualities about them.

They volunteer for good causes. They are pink ladies in hospitals; they bring food to shut ins. They are childcare workers, executives, attorneys, stay at home moms, biker babes and your neighbors. They wear suits, they wear jeans, and they wear uniforms. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up for injustice. They are in the front row at PTA meetings. They vote for the person that will do the best job for family issues. They walk and talk the extra mile to get their children in the right schools and for getting their family the right health care.

They write to the editor, their congressmen and to "the powers that be" for things that make for a better life. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution...

They can wipe a tear, cover a cut and pat you on the back at the same time. They eat a little so their family can have more. They rush to school to pick up a sick child. They stick a love note in their husband's lunch box. They do without new shoes so that their children can have them. They go to meetings and are chaperones on class trips. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They don't make excuses for defending their family or friends. They give a friend some money in times of trouble. They love unconditionally...They are loyal, honest, and forgiving. They are smart; knowing that knowledge IS power. But they still know how to use their softer side to make a point...

Their world consists of goodness, love and caring. Women want to be the best for their family, their friends and themselves. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They get teary eyed when others do great things. They save their anger for the unjust and the insincere. They tell people that need to be told to straighten up their act. They lend a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and a voice to make suggestions...

They are happy when they hear about a birth or a new marriage. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They have so much sorrow at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think that there is not any strength left. They can control situations that seem uncontrollable. They can round up energy when they are tired. They can stay up a little longer to talk to someone that needs a friend. They will rush to be by your side when they are lonely. They will give up their favorite TV show to help with homework or read a bedtime story...

A woman's touch can cure any ailment. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. She can make a romantic evening unforgettable. She can bring out the best in her husband, children and friends. They don't mind standing in the shadows. They are not there to push, but to Gently encourage. They are cheerleaders, teachers, loves and important in many peoples daily lives. They can whisper a kind word, scream a loud cheer and laugh away a fear. They can mend your broken spirit and give you back your self-esteem. They can knit a family back together after a break or a loss...Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes. They live in homes, apartments, cabins and trailers. They drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. They have hearts that forgive and forget an injustice. They have hearts that remember a kindness. They have hearts that beat with loyalty and love. The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin. They can cry and laugh at the same time. They can be sad and hopeful at the same time...Women do more than just give birth. They bring joy and hope. They teach us to dream and make goals. They give compassion and ideals. They climb into a person’s life and make everything better again. They give moral support to their family and friends. And all they want back is a hug, a smile and for you to do the same to people you come in contact with. Women are leaders, but don't want followers. They want people to grow into the best person they can be. They want to touch you in a way that will make you share your goodness with others. One touch can turn a bad day into a better one. One extra minute of her time will make a child feel special. One more kiss or hug will make her husband feel loved. Women have a lot to say and a lot to give...After God made Adam, He made Eve.
Author Unknown

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:6-11

Dear Father, I know You love me just as I am. Help me to be accepting of my loved ones just as they are. Help me to remember to tell people when I appreciate them and when I am grateful for their service. O Lord, You have brought me to this new day and further opportunity. Help me to work with You so that it may be a good day with good things done. Fill me with Your boundless love, so that I may pass it on to those who come across my path. Today let me make someone’s day happier by doing a kindness they do not expect nor ask for. Amen

A Mother's Prayer
Lord, I need your help today.
I want to care for those you've sent into my life,
To help them grow in body, mind, and spirit,
To help them develop the special gifts you've given them.
But I also want to free them
To follow their own paths
And bring their loving wisdom
To the world.
Help me to embrace them without clutching,
To support them without suffocating,
To correct them without crushing.
And help me to live joyfully and playfully
Myself so they can see your life in me
And find their way to you.
Author Unknown

The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it in turn will look sourly at you; laugh at it, and with it, and it is a folly, kind companion.
William Makepeace Thackeray

No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1 Corinthians 12:3b –13

Dear Lord, Breathe Your love deeply into my being. Live in me and energize me that I may not only touch life, but be touched by it. Remind me Lord, that your gifts to me are meant to be shared in love, with others. Cleanse my heart by the Holy Spirit. Renew my spirit, so I will hear your whispers and You can be seen in my every action and heard in my every word. Amen

Legacy of an Adopted Child
Once there were two women who never knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star. The other became your sun.
The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality; the other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim.
One gave you emotions; the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile; the other dried your tears.
One sought for you a home that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.
And now you ask me through your tears
The age-old question unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment. Which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of love.
Author Unknown

To the women on my journey:
Who showed me the ways to go and ways not to go
Whose strength and compassion held up a torch of light and beckoned me to follow,
Whose weakness and ignorance darkened the path and encouraged me to turn another way.

To the women on my journey:
Who showed me how to live and how not to live,
Whose grace, success and gratitude lifted me into the fullness of surrender to God,
Whose bitterness, envy and wasted gifts warned me away from the emptiness of self-will.

To the women on my journey:
Who showed me what I am and what I am not.
Whose love, encouragement and confidence held me tenderly and nudged me gently,
Whose judgment, disappointment and lack of faith called me to deeper levels of commitment and resolve.

To the women on my journey:
Who taught me love by means of both darkness and light.
To these women I say bless you and thank you from the depths of my heart, for I have been
Healed and set free through your joy and through your sacrifice.
Author Unknown

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:37-39

Unconditional Love
When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you.
You thanked her by crying all night long.

When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk.
You thanked her by running away when she called.

When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love.
You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.

When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons
You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.

When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays.
You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud

When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school.
You thanked her by screaming, "I'M NOT GOING!"

When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball.
You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor's window.

When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream.
You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.

When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons.
You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.

When you were 10 years old she drove you all day, from soccer to
gymnastics to one birthday party after another.
You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.

When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked her by asking to sit in a different row.

When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.

When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.

When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.

When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.

When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car.
You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.

When you were 17, she was expecting an important call.
You thanked her by being on the phone all night.

When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.

When you were 19, she paid for your college tuition, drove
you to campus, and carried your bags.
You thanked her by saying good-bye outside the dorm so
you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.

When you were 20, she asked whether you were seeing anyone.
You thanked her by saying, "It's none of your business."

When you were 21, she suggested certain careers for your future.
You thanked her by saying, "I don't want to be like you."

When you were 22, she hugged you at your college graduation.
You thanked her by asking whether she could pay for a trip to Europe.

When you were 23, she gave you furniture for your first apartment.
You thanked her by telling your friends it was ugly.

When you were 24, she met your fiance and asked about your plans for the future.
You thanked her by glaring and growling, "Muuhh-ther, please!"

When you were 25, she helped to pay for your wedding, and she cried
and told you how deeply she loved you.
You thanked her by moving halfway across the country.

When you were 30, she called with some advice on the baby.
You thanked her by telling her, "Things are different now."

When you were 40, she called to remind you of a relative's birthday.
You thanked her by saying you were "really busy right now."

When you were 50, she fell ill and needed you to take care of her.
You thanked her by reading about the burden parents become to their children.

And then, one day, she quietly died. And everything you never did
came crashing down like thunder, especially your heart.
Never forget to love her more than ever, and remember her unconditional love and pass it on.
Author Unknown

Oh God, as your love is unconditional, thank you for life’s daily challenges to teach me to give unconditional love in return. Thank you for your grace to teach me compassion and to make me whole. Help me to love others as you love me and to remember that each moment is an opportunity for love. Give me the power to turn every negative situation into one where your light shines through. Thank you for your love for me. Amen

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
John 13:34, 35

Mothers of Disabled Children
Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.

This year, nearly one hundred thousand women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how these mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth: son, patron saint, Matthew."

"Forest, Marjorie: daughter, patron saint, Cecelia."

"Rudledge, Carrie: twins, patron saint . . . give her Gerard. He’s used to profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a blind child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She’s so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a child with a handicap to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel"

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it."

"But, Lord, I don’t think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps. "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can’t separate herself from the child occasionally, she’ll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says ‘Momma’ for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations.

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my word as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised in midair.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
Erma Bombeck

Nature is the living, visible garment of God.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Why are saints, saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful; patient when it was difficult to be patient; and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, and kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quiet simple and always will be.
Author Unknown

Angel in Uniform
This is a family story my father told me about his mother, my grandmother.

In 1949, my father had just returned home from the war. On every American highway you could see the soldiers in uniform hitchhiking home to their families, as was the custom at that time in America.

Sadly, the thrill of his reunion with his family was soon overshadowed. My grandmother became very ill and had to be hospitalized. It was her kidneys, and the doctors told my father that she needed a blood transfusion immediately or she would not live through the night. The problem was that Grandmother's blood type was AB-, a very rare type even today, but even harder to get then because there were no blood banks or air flights to ship blood. All the family members were typed, but not one member was a match. So the doctors gave the family no hope; my grandmother was dying.

My father left the hospital in tears to gather up all the family members, so that everyone would get a chance to tell Grandmother good-bye. As my father was driving down the highway, he passed a soldier in uniform hitchhiking home to his family. Deep in grief, my father had no inclination at that moment to do a good deed. Yet it was almost as if something outside himself pulled him to a stop, and he waited as the stranger climbed into the car.

My father was too upset to even ask the soldier his name, but the soldier noticed my father's tears right away and inquired about them. Through his tears, my father told this stranger that his mother was lying in a hospital dying because the doctors had been unable to locate her blood type, AB-, and if they did not locate her blood type before nightfall, she would surely die.

It got very quiet in the car. Then this unidentified soldier extended his hand out to my father, palm up. Resting in the palm of his hand were the dog tags from around his neck. The blood type on the tags was AB-. The soldier told my father to turn the car around and get him to the hospital.

My grandmother lived until 1996, 47 years later, and to this day no one in the family knows this soldier's name. But my father has often wondered, was he a soldier or an angel in uniform?
Author Unknown

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20

Dear Lord, Help me to clean up the garden of my life. Lead me away from the clamor of the crowd, from my busyness, my frantic activity. Teach me how, for this moment, this hour, this day, to rest in the peace of your presence. Help me to plant a new seed in my life and to become a fresh flower. May I become a warm sunshine to those in my life and to myself. Amen

If You Come Across an Angel

Every day, in the world around us,
real-life angels are doing the things they do...
and bringing more smiles to the world around them.

Real-life angels build bridges instead of walls.
They don't play hide-and-seek with the truth,
they do whatever they can to help you.

Real-life angels understand difficulties
and always give the benefit of the doubt.
They don't hold others up to the standards
they can't live by themselves.

Real-life angels are what "inner beauty" is all about.
Real-life angels don't hold things against you;
the only thing they hold...is you.
They take your hand in theirs
when you could use a little reassurance.

They walk beside you when you could do with
a little guidance and direction in your life.
And they support you in your attempts to do what is right.
Real-life angels multiply your smiles
and add to you integrity.

They make you feel like,
"Hey, I really am somebody who matters."
Then they quietly prove to you how beautiful
and true that feeling really is.

If you come across an angel like this,
you are one of the luckiest people of all.
If someone in your life
is wonderfully like an angel to you,
it's important to let them know.
It's the nicest compliment you could ever give
in all the days of your life
and in all the years that you live.
~Author Unknown~

O God, help me to touch someone today with my eyes, my words,
my smile, my voice, my laughter, Your word. Change my life, so I can make a difference. Let my actions bring someone closer to you. Help me to make Christmas last all year. Help me to use my gifts for Jesus.

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