This morning when I wakened,

And saw the sun above,

I softly said, “Good morning, Lord,

Bless everyone I love.”

And, right away I thought of you,

And said a loving prayer,

That He would bless you specially,

And keep you free from care.

I thought of all the happiness

A day could hold in store.

I wished it all for you because

No one deserves it more.

[Rec’d. from Stuart Purcell]

=============================

GOD WORKS IN WONDERFUL WAYS

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small,

uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue

him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but

none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out

of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store

his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging

for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames,

the smoke rolling up to the sky.

The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned

with grief and anger.

“God, how could you do this to me!” he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound

of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to

rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary

man of his rescuers.

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

=============================

Life is tough, but I’m tougher.

Opportunities are never lost; someone will take the

ones you miss.

When you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I wish I could have told those I cared about that I love them

one more time before they passed away.

One should keep his words both soft and tender, because

tomorrow he may have to eat them.

A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

When your newly born child holds your little finger in his little fist,

you’re hooked for life.

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the

happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.

It is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is

requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

The less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

=============================

MEMORIES

A little house with three bedrooms and one car on the street,

A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat.

In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone,

And no need for recording things, someone was always home.

We only had a living room where we would congregate,

Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate.

We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine,

When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine.

We only had one TV set, and channels maybe two,

But always there was one of them with something worth the view.

For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip,

And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton’s onion dip.

Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook,

And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker’s book.

The snacks were even healthy with the best ingredients,

No labels with a hundred things that make not a bit of sense.

Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play,

We all did things together — even go to church to pray.

When we did our weekend trips depending on the weather,

No one stayed at home because we liked to be together.

Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own,

But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone.

Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star,

And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car.

Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season,

Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason.

Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know,

Have real action playing ball — and no game video.

Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend,

And didn’t need insurance or a lawyer to defend?

The way that he took care of you or what he had to do,

Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you.

Remember going to the store and shopping casually,

And when you went to pay for it you used your own money?

Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount,

Remember when the cashier person had to really count?

Remember when we breathed the air; it smelled so fresh

and clean, And chemicals were not used on the grass to

keep it green.

The milkman used to go from door to door,

And it was just a few cents more than going to the store.

There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door,

Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store.

The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent;

There were not loads of mail addressed to “present occupant.”

Remember when the words “I do” meant that you really did,

And not just temporarily ’til someone blows their lid.

T’was no such thing as “no one’s fault; we just made a mistake,”

There was a time when married life was built on give and take.

There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take,

And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make.

They didn’t look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile;

They were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some style.

One time the music that you played whenever you would jive,

Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five.

The record player had a post to keep them all in line,

And then the records would drop down and play one at a time.

Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today,

And always we were striving, trying for a better way.

And every year that passed us by brought new and greater things,

We now can even program phones with music or with rings.

Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun,

How can you explain a game, just kick the can and run?

And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes,

And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes?

This life seemed so much easier and slower in so many ways,

I love the new technology but I sure miss those days.

So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same,

But I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane.

HAVE A NICE DAY !

=============================

Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet

moments,

worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.

=============================