The Contact Lens, the Prayer, and the Ant

Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff.

In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her Contact lens. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below Her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there.
Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff.

She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"
Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it!

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why you want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what you want me to do, I'll carry it for you."

I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and It's awfully heavy. But, if you want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

guardianangel.com

The Father's Eyes

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn't want to.

But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him.

When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a "walk-on." Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roste because he always puts his heart and soul into every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed.The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.

This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in the game.It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big play off game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?" The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.

Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon."Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today," said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. "All right," he said."You can go in."

Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.

The fans broke loose. His teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you've never heard! Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that the young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"

He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

blogspot.com

Friendship of Three Generations

Got a text message from Tita Tess. "Malou are you available this Saturday?" I immediately replied "Yes! I'm available around 9am till 11am." She replied "Ok call Dra. Silva and ask her availability. We meet in her house." That's the usual conversation we have every time we want to do some bonding. I did some reminiscing how did I met this two wonderful women in my life. Well, my loving boss Tita Portia was the angel who introduce me to Tita Tes and Dra. Silva. We have one thing in common....all of us are counselors of Care and Share Center. Its a counseling center who caters pregnancy problems through phone or face to face counseling. They are one of my mentors. Tita Tes and Dra. Silva are volunteer counselors every Monday. Thats why we called ourselves the Monday Group. Tita Tes is an architect with a caliber on her field while Dra. Silva is a Gynecologist whom I called the real lover of LIFE when it comes to her profession.Tita Portia, Tita Tes, Dra. Silva,and the counselors of Care & Share, I bow to these women for their simplicity and humbleness as they continue their journey in the prime of their lives. I have a different special bonding with my loving Tita Portia and time will come I will write something that will be only meant for her.Dra. Silva is on her 70's, Tita Tes is on her 50's....come to think of it...I am 38. How do you think our minds will arrive on the same length of understanding with each other? Oh yes, we have disagreements and different views in life. We even argue in many different things but....were still together and love each other.The secret?.....GOD is the center of our lives and RESPECT. Yes we respect each others opinion, we share some pains in life, we listen to each other, we cry if we want to cry and we laughed about anything that can make us laugh even the little things, and one last thing....we love to eat! hahaha! The picture was taken just last month. We had a food trip at Dulcenea at Tomas Morato. Whats new with us? Well that will be personal thing for the three of us.One thing for sure there will be more bondings to come. : )

Poems for LIFE

July 29, 2009

Dear Pro-Life Philippines,

Good Evening, I am John Walter Juat, currently a second year student in UP Diliman taking up BA Psychology. I was notified by one of my friends to check out your site, and i just wanted to share my poems with you. I would want to spread my message to as many as possible since i feel that there is a very important need to defend the dignity of human life especially during these times wherein there are threats from everywhere, and the true meaning of life is being degraded (by the RH bill, by the impression of media, by the indecent billboards along the high ways, and so much more)

I really hope you appreciate reading these poems, and i hope to publish it either in the newspaper or at the very least the website. Pls help me out. Thank you very much and i hope to hear from you soon!

God bless, and i hope that many people will visit your site, since I find it very useful. More power.

~John Walter B. Juat




Save the Family!
By: John Juat

Every eye has the right to see
The world in all its splendor and beauty
So here I stand firm and cry my decree
“Let us all help save the family!”

There is so much corruption and filth in this earth
The dignity of human life is losing its worth
All these artificial means to prevent birth
It doesn’t make sense, it’s nothing but dirt

I don’t know why people don’t understand
The sweetness of our Lord’s command
A child in a mother’s womb, touched by His hand
Is meant to be with Him someday in the Promised Land!

Many are deprived of the right to live
Because people give what they shouldn’t give
And they do what shouldn’t be done
To kill an innocent life, thus, is something hard to forgive

If only people would respect and value the family
Then there would be peace in our community
Everyone would be living in harmony
There would be progress in our society

Let us not support at all the RH bill
For it is against the Lord’s ever-good will
With all its lies it could quickly fill
The world with much confusion and fear

It states that contraceptives are ESSENTIAL medicine
As for the demon it is; as for men it is a grave sin
Let us make sure that this bill does not win!
For something like this, it should go straight to the bin!

Let us all be concerned about this particular issue
And tell the people of what is right and true
The authorities can stop it if they only knew
So…let us spread our message to all and not a few

Every eye has the right to see
The world in all its splendor and beauty
So here I stand firm and cry my decree
“Let us all help save the family!”


Buhayin Niyo Ako… Mahalin Niyo Ako
John B. Juat


Ano ba talaga ang balak ninyo?
Karapatan ko ang mabuhay sa mundo!
Inay, itay, pakinggan niyo ako
Nais ko ay maging isang tao!

Hindi ko naman nais ang maging pasaway
Ayaw ko rin ang maraming kaaway
Kung ang pagmamahal niyo ay sadyang tunay
Pagbigyan niyo ako; hayaan niyo akong mabuhay

Maraming tao ang hindi napagbigyan
Sana… ibigay sa akin ang mga karapatan
Ama, ina, isama niyo ako sa inyong tahanan
Kung saan mararanasan ang pagmamahalan

Ako ay pinili ng Poong Maykapal
Kahit hindi pa isinilang, ako na ay may dangal
Sige na, ipakita sa akin ang inyong pagmamahal
At palakihin ako na may dunong at moral

Pakinggan ninyo ang aking sigaw
Ang puso ko naman ay hindi maalingasaw
Ang kagandahan ng mundo, nais ko matanaw
Pati na rin sa baybayin ay magtampisaw

Pakinggan ninyo ako, aking magulang
Gusto ko harapin ang buhay na may lakas at tapang
Gusto ko lumaking maging mabuti at magalang
Kahit mahihirap, sana ako’y pagbigyan na lang

Mahal na magulang, ako’y hindi pahirap
Ako’y musmos na may magandang hinaharap
Totoo, upang palakihin ako, kailangan niyo magsikap
Subalit buhayin niyo ako at aabutin ko ang alapaap!

Ang buhay ko ba ay isa lamang pamahiin?
Kailan kaya, kailan kaya ako diringgin?
Mula sa panaginip, gisingin mo ako, gisingin
Ang tanging hiling ko ngayon ay ako’y mahalin!!!

Intindihin ninyo na ako’y may diwa’t puso
May kakayahan ako maging mabuting tao
Buhayin ninyo ako...buhayin ninyo ako
Mahalin ninyo ako…mahalin ninyo ako

Mahal na magulang, huwag na kayong magdusa
Gawin ninyo akong dahilan ng inyong ligaya
Ako’y magiging mabuti, huwag kayo mag-alala
Bigyan ako ng pagkakataon, susundin ko ang inyong panata

Pakinggan ninyo ako sa inyong puso
At maririnig ninyo ang sigaw ko
Tuparin sana ang hiling ko at ako’y mabuhay sa mundo
Alang-alang sa pagmamahal ni Kristo


Tula ng Buhay
Gawa ni: John B. Juat



Ang buhay ay regalo ng magulang ko
Dahil sila ay nagmahalang totoo
Kay saya nila nung pinanganak ako
Umiyak sa tuwa si lola at lolo

Ako rin ay binigyan ng karapatan
Mag-aral mabuti sa silid-aralan
Maglaro at magkaroon ng kaibigan
Pati tumira sa magandang tahanan

Kahit ano pa man ang sadya ng buhay
Kaya kong harapin ang lahat ng bagay
Dahil sa mga payo na ibinigay
Ng aking mahal na si nanay at tatay

Isa pang importanteng tinuro sa’kin
Ang Diyos ay dapat buong pusong ibigin
At ang kanyang Banal na Utos ay sundin
Upang kapayapaan ay mapa-sa’tin

Ako’y dumaan sa hirap at ginhawa
Minsan ako’y umiyak, minsa’y nagsaya
Lahat ng ito ay bigay ng Diyos Ama
Upang ako’y lumaki na may panata

Kahit laganap ang kasamaan ngayon
Andyaan kahit saan ka man lumingon
Kaya kong harapin ang anumang hamon
Basta’t ako’y malapit sa Panginoon

Ang buhay ay regalo lamang sa atin
Wala tayong karapatan na bawiin
Sa takdang panahon, tayo rin ay kukunin
Kaya ang buhay ay alagaan natin

The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer
My friends.I recieved this email rather cleverly done.
This is in two parts,
the prayer without the open and close parenthesis and
GOD with (this one)in response.
It is very, very good.

**********

Our Father Who Art In Heaven. (Yes?)
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying. (But -- you called ME!)
Called you? No, I didn't call you. I'm praying.
Our Father who art in Heaven. (There -- you did it again!)
Did what? (Called ME. You said, "Our Father who art in Heaven"
Well, here I am. What's on your mind? )
But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know,
just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer.
It makes me feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty. (Well, all right. Go on.)
Okay, Hallowed be thy name . (Hold it right there.
What do you mean by that?)
By what? (By "Hallowed be thy name"?)
It means, it means . . good grief, I don't know what it means.
How in the world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer.
By the way, what does it mean? (It means honored, holy, wonderful.)
Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before.
Thanks. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
( Do you really mean that?) Sure, why not? (What are you doing about it?)
Doing? Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control, of everything down here like you have up there.
We're kinda in a mess down here you know. (Yes, I know; but, have I got
control of you?)
Well, I go to church. (That isn't what I asked you. What about your
bad temper? You've really got a problem there,
you know. And then there's the way you spend your
money --all on yourself.And what about the kind of
books y ou read ? )
Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me!
I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at church!
(Excuse ME. I thought you were praying for my will to be done.If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like you -- for example ..)
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups.Now that you mention it,
I could probably name some others.So could I haven't t hought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things.
I would like to, you know, be really free.
(Good. Now we're getting somewhere.We'll work together -- You and ME.
I'm proud of You.)
Look, Lord, if you don't mind,< B>
I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does.
Give us this day, our daily bread. (You need to cut out the bread.
You're overweight as it is.)
Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I was doing my religious duty,
and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.
( Praying is a dangerous thing. You just might get what you ask for.
Remember,you called ME -- and here I am. It's too late to stop now.
Keep praying. ( . pause . . ) Well, go on.)
I'm scared to. (Scared? Of what?)
I know what you'll say. (Try ME. )
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us..
(What about Ann?) See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up!
Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories.
She never paid back the money she owes me.
I've sworn to get even with her! (But -- your prayer -- What about your prayer?)
I didn't -- mean it. (Well, at least you're honest. But, it's quite a load carrying
around all that bitternessand resentment isn't it?)
Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her. Boy, have I got some plans for her. She'll wish she had never bee n born. (No, you won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. You know how unhappy you are -- Well, I can change that. )
You can? How? (Forgive Ann. Then, I'll forgive you; And the hate and the sin,
will be Ann's problem -- not yours. You will have settled the problem as far as you are concerned. )
Oh, you know, you're right. You always are. And more than I want revenge,
I want to be right with You . . (sigh). All right all right . . I forgive her.
(There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?)
Hmmmm.. Well, not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty great!
You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight.
I haven't been getting much rest, you know. (Yeah, I know. But, yo u're not
through with your pr ayer are you? Go on. )
Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. (Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you can be tempted. )
What do you mean by that? (You know what I mean. )
Yeah. I know. Okay. (Go ahead. Finish your prayer.)
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever..
Amen.
(Do you know what would bring me glory -- What would really make me happy? ) No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now.
I've really made a mess of things. I want to truly follow you.
I can see now how great that would be. So, tell me . .
How do I make you happy?
(You Just did it)

Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one would pop up.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire, and soon the pots came to boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her grandmother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The grandmother then asked the granddaughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the grandmother asked the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma then asked,

"What does it mean, grandmother?"

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter.

Author Unknown
spiritualshortstories.com

I received this email from someone who has a strong outlook in life....I am sharing this for all of you. Hope it will give you inspiration to value life and also your love ones and friends. : )





Mouse Story ...
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.

"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, " Mr. Mouse , I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me.
I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse , but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse . I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap-- alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

SEND THIS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.
REMEMBER:
EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend .