Hickory's Inspirational Archive

WHAT I'VE LEARNED
I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night".......
Age 6

I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 7

I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9

I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 12

I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
Age 14

I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15

I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
Age 24

I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.
Age 26

I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.
Age 29

I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 39

I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.
Age 42

I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.
Age 44

I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
Age 46

I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 47

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
Age 48

I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.
Age 49

I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
Age 50

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
Age 52

I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
Age 52

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
Age 53

I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
Age 58

I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage.
Age 61

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 62

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 64

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others,
your work, meeting new people and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
Age 65

I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
Age 66

I've learned that everyone can use a prayer.
Age 72

I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several.
Age 75

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
Age 82

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -
holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
Age 85

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
Age 92

Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?
-Norma
---------

Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't You
just keep the ones You have now?
-Jane
---------

Who draws the lines around the countries?
-Nan
---------

I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay?
-Neil
---------

What does it mean You are a Jealous God? I thought You had everything.
-Jane
---------

Did you really mean "do unto others as they do unto you"? Because if you
did, then I'm going to fix my brother!
-Darla
---------

Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.
-Joyce
---------

It rained for our whole vacation and is my father mad! He said some things about You that people are not supposed to say, but I hope You will not hurt him anyway.
-Your friend (but I am not going to tell you who I am).
---------

Why is Sunday school on Sunday? I thought it was supposed to be our day of rest.
-Tom L.
---------

Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before, You can look it up.
-Bruce
---------

My brother is a rat. You should give him a tail. Ha ha.
-Danny
---------

Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother.
-Larry
---------

I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big, but not with so much hair all over.
-Sam
---------

I think the stapler is one of your goodest inventions.
-Ruth M.
---------

I bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world.
There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.
-Nan
---------

If You watch me in church Sunday, I'll show You my new shoes.
-Mickey D.
---------

We read Thomas Edison made light. But in school they said You did it. So I bet he stoled your idea.
-Sincerely, Donna

True Love

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes
penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell.

With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting -7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.

I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:
A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and her pale green suit she was
like spring time come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.

Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I spoke to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.

"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.

"I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test".

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are."

Food for thought ...
even if not completely scientific, still thought-provoking!

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100
people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would
look something like the following. There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans

52 would be female
48 would be male

70 would be non-white
30 would be white

70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian

89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth
All 6 would be from the United States

80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective,
the need for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly
apparent.

Phillip M Harter, MD, FACEP
Stanford University, School of Medicine

Contributed by
Kevin Botini

IF A DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER

You would learn stuff like.....

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure
ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest--practice obedience..

Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

Take naps and stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.

When your happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and
pout... run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something your not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them
gently.

Contributed by
Yaa Yaa the Clown
You may E-mail Yaa Yaa at kechew@aol.com or you may visit her award winning website at http://members.aol.com/kechew/

To Achieve Your Dreams Remember Your ABC'S

Avoid negative sources, people, places, things, and habits
Believe in yourself
Consider things from every angle
Don't give up and don't give in
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come
Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them, and enjoy their riches
Give more than you planned to
Hang on to your dreams
Ignore those who try to discourage you
Just do it
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier
Love yourself first and most
Make it happen
Never lie, cheat, or steal, always strike a fair deal
Open your eyes and see things how they really are
Practice makes perfect
Quitters never win, and winners never quit
Read, learn, and study about everything important in your life
Stop procrastinating
Take control of your own destiny
Understand yourself in order to better understand others
Visualize it
Want it more than anything
Xcellerate your thoughts
You are unique of all God's creation's nothing can replace YOU
Zero in on your target and go for it

Contributed by "Yaa Yaa"
You may E-mail YaaYaa at kechew@aol.com

Ice Cream Is Good For The Soul

Last week I took my children to a restaurant.
My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good.
God is great. Thank You for the food, and I would even
thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert.
And Liberty and justice for all. Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman
remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know
how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream. Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong?
Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him
that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him,
an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said,
"I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."
"Really?" my son asked.
"Cross my heart." Then in a theatrical whisper he added,
indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing,
"Too bad she never asks God for ice cream.
A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal.
My son stared at his for a moment and then did something
I will remember the rest of my life.
He picked up his sundae and without a word walked over and placed it
in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her,
"Here, this is for you.
Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good already."

Contributed by
"Yo Yo" you may
or E-mail YoYo at yoyo@integrityonline.com

An Angel wrote

Many people will walk in and out or your life,
but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

To handle yourself, use your head,
To handle others, use your heart.

Anger is only one letter short of danger.

If someone betrays you once, it's his fault.
If he betrays you twice, it's your fault.

Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.

God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into it's nest.

He who loses money, loses much;
He who loses a friend, loses more;
He who loses faith, loses all.

Beautiful young people are acts of nature,
but beautiful old people are works of art.

Learn from the mistakes of others.
You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

The tongue weighs practically nothing, but so few people can hold it.

Contributed by
"Yaa Yaa" you may
visit Yaa Yaa on the WWW at http://members.aol.com/kechew/
or E-mail her at KECHEW@aol.com

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with
$86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it
deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!!

Each of us has such a bank. It's name is TIME. Every morning, it credits
you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of
this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no
balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's
deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing
against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposit.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value on ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won
a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you
shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with.
And, remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift; that's why it's called the present!!

Contributed by
"Duffer's Circus Wagon" you may
e-mail Duffer at 4duffer@cheerful.com

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