by Inspiration | Nov 11, 2024 | Attitude, Archives
Excess and Excuses It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the… Excess and Excuses It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the south of us, the United States, also falls into this category. As a writer, I’ve been blessed that my work has touched so many lives in so many corners of the world. I receive many letters. An enormous amount of them come from places where it isn’t as good as we have it here. Yet these letters are filled with hope and optimism. Terror and fear are daily occurrences in countries like Africa, India and Papua New Guinea [PNG] just to name a few. Yet when I read the letters from people living in these and many more places, their passion is overwhelming. You also have great respect for their rich, individual heritages. You look at Papua New Guinea and discover it has over 800 languages. Each province has more than 20 different languages. Not all of them have the same dialect. The only language that they all can speak and understand is called “Pidgin English.” 800 languages means that
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by Inspiration | Nov 10, 2024 | Attitude, Archives
Heaven and Hell A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.” The… Heaven and Hell A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.” The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.” They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round
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by Inspiration | Nov 9, 2024 | Inspiration, Archives
Gratitude for the Little Things After the September 11 attack, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers… Gratitude for the Little Things After the September 11 attack, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space. At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive… and all the stories were just about the little things. The head of a company survived that day because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring doughnuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One of them missed his bus. One spilt food on her clothes and had to take time to change. One’s car wouldn’t start. One went back in to answer the telephone. One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have. One couldn’t get a taxi. The one that struck me most was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his
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by Inspiration | Nov 8, 2024 | Parenting, Archives
Mean Moms Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: ‘I loved you… Mean Moms Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: ‘I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home. I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep. I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes. I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren’t perfect. I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart. But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I’m glad I won them, because in the end, you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that
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by Inspiration | Nov 7, 2024 | Marriage, Archives
The Prodigal Couple A wife joined her husband in the bedroom. Their children were asleep. He was busy reading the newspaper. She looked at him. “My love, there’s something I… The Prodigal Couple A wife joined her husband in the bedroom. Their children were asleep. He was busy reading the newspaper. She looked at him. “My love, there’s something I need to confess” she began to speak. “What is it?” he asked without looking at her, his face still glued to the newspaper. “I have been unfaithful,” she said. He looked at her with fiery eyes. He slapped her. For the first time in their marriage, he slapped her. “How could you woman?! Seventeen years of marriage, four children and this is what you do to me? You cheat on me? How can you stoop so low?” he shouted. He got up from the bed. He started pacing as he continued shouting, “You are the one who always tells me to keep off women. Out of respect, I keep females at a distance and you on the other hand do this?” He was about to pounce on her and beat her. The sting of unfaithfulness enraged him. A knock was heard on the door. Their firstborn, Maria, a fourteen-year-old girl walked into their bedroom. “Mom, dad; is everything OK?” Maria
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