MEANINGFULS

   There once was a great Master who lived at the top of the world, where the sun never set and the darkness of limitation did not exist. And in silence did he dwell upon the Holy Ground of the Eternal Now with his companion Angel forever at his side. All knowledge was his, for the Master existed in all things and all things existed within the Master. The vibration of his Being blended in harmony with that of his companion Angel and together they sent forth the melody of the Father's Song as an Eternal Blessing to the All and to the One......and All was well.
   But it came to pass that the Master had a doubtful thought, and he questioned within himself: 'How can I know, that which I know? How can I be myself if I am one with all things?'
   And his Being ceased to vibrate in harmony with his Angel and with the Causeless Cause. It was in that moment that the Master fell asleep and into the deep abyss of dreams, but his companion Angel remained upon Holy Ground and lovingly whispered into the Master's ear: "Fear not, for I am forever here to watch over you my beloved brother, while you visit the Land of Dreams to experience all that you know."
   And so for countless lifetimes did the Master live in the world of dreams, unremembering of his power or his knowledge that was contained within the harmony of love. Life after life was spent in the pursuit of that which he no longer possessed and upon all paths did he tread... ...the abused, the abuser, the powerful and the downtrodden. He came to know the misery of sickness, the loneliness of the unloved, and the anger of the slain. But he felt as well the joy of human touch, the innocence of love and the wonder hidden within the seed of his own quest. And in every life, his Angel stood near calling unto him: "Come Home, come Home."
   And in every life did the Master listen to his Angel and in every experience did he take yet another step up and out of the abyss of dreams. The Ages passed as the lessons were learned but always could the Angel's voice be heard, ever urging the Master to press on.
   And then, at last, came the moment of the Master's awakening, the return to the Holy Ground of the Eternal Now, to his companion Angel and to the Causeless Cause. There was great joy within the Heavens upon his return, and the Master spoke unto his Angel: "So long has it been, so far have I traveled, but now I know that which I know."
   But the Angel replied: "My brother, you slept for but a moment; your eyes scarcely closed." To which the Master answered: "Aye, and in that single breath, I lived a thousand lifetimes and felt the All that I have forever known."
   And again the vibration of his Being blended in harmony with that of his companion Angel, but the Eternal Blessing sent forth to the All and to the One increased a thousand fold.....and All was well.

When an oyster discovers a grain of sand inside its shell, it begins to cover this grain making it less irritating. With time, what was once a grain of sand becomes transformed into a beautiful pearl. To the oyster, the irritation has become something more tolerable and easier to live with.
A long time ago, a man appeared and began teaching about a God of love and forgiveness rather than one of wrath and condemnation. His message of love threatened the pious and his teaching was later distorted by man's interpreting his words into something more acceptable.
Jesus became this world's grain of sand. What he taught was a source of irritation to believers of the Old Testament god. He was tortured and crucified because of his message of love and forgiveness rather than of fear and retribution.
After his death the world still could not see comfort in his words and changed this grain of sand into what it now claims to be a beautiful pearl. Salvation could only be achieved by obedience of laws yet who in this world could demand obedience and destroy life for disobeying? Can this be beautiful?
The human form is but a container. It is a cover up, a masquerade costume, something we have put on to present to the world what we want the world to see. We declare, "This is who I am - this is what I am." What is displayed is our chosen presentation and yet the costume - elaborate as it might be - is not the eternal Truth that exists within.
The real treasure is the grain of sand. The pearl is the result of our desire to transform boring purity into something believed more attractive. The grain of sand is Who we all are as One Eternal spirit. Only the Immortal remains Forever Perfect and beautiful without the slightest possibility to improve.

User Service Rep: Yes, Ma'am, how can I help you today?
User: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install love. Can you guide me through the process?
Technician: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
User: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install now. What do I do first?
Technician: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma'am?
User: Yes I have, but there are several other programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?
Technician: What programs are running ma'am?
User: Let's see, I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW-ESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running right now.
Technician: No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOW-ESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma'am?
User: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Technician: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have been completely erased.
User: Okay, done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?
Technician: Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?
User: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?
Technician: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other HEART's in order to get the upgrades.
User: Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?
Technician: What does the message say?
User: It says "ERROR 412 - PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS. What does that mean?"
Technician: Don't worry ma'am, that's a common problem. It means that the LOVE program is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in non-technical terms it means you have to "LOVE" your own machine before it can "LOVE" others.
User: So what should I do?
Technician: Can you pull down the directory called "SELF-ACCEPTANCE"?
User: Yes, I have it.
Technician: Excellent. You're getting good at this.
User: Thank you.
Technician: You're welcome.
Click on the following files and then copy them to the "MYHEART" directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALIZE-WORTH.TXT, and ACKNOWLEDGE-LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete VERBOSE-SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty our recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
User: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?
Technician: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded at the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go.
User: Yes?
Technician: LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet. They will in turn share it with other people and they will return some similarly cool modules back to you.
User: I will. Thanks for your help. By the way, what's your name?
Technician: You can call me the Divine Cardiologist, also known as The Great Physician, but most call me God. Most people feel all they need is an annual check-up to stay heart-healthy, but the manufacturer (Me) suggests a schedule of daily maintenance for maximum efficiency. Put another way, keep in touch.

   When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
   Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
   The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
   Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Invite your friends to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
   One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

When the "storms of life"
Gather darkly ahead,
I think of these words
I awhile ago read.

And I say to myself
As "threatening clouds" hover,
Don't "fold up your wings"
And "run for cover."

But like the eagle,
"Spread wide your wings"
And "soar far above"
The troubles life brings.

For the eagle knows
That the higher he flies,
The more tranquil and brighter
Become the skies.

And there is nothing in life
God ever asks us to bear
That we can't soar above
"On the wings of prayer."

And in looking back over
The "storm we passed through,"
We'll find we gained strength
And new courage, too.

For in facing "life's storms"
With an eagle's wings,
We can fly far above
Earth's small, petty things.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

"Storms Bring Out the Eagles,
But the Little Birds Take Cover"
~ Anon ~

"Who would attempt to fly
with the tiny wings of a sparrow
when the mighty wings of an eagle
has been given him?"
~ A Course in Miracles ~

GOD AND I

God and I in space alone
And nobody else in view.
"And where are the people, O Lord," I said,
"The earth below and the sky o'er head
And the dead whom I once knew?"

"That was a dream," God smiled and said,
"A dream that seemed to be true.
There are no people, living or dead,
There was no earth, and no sky o'er head,
There was only Myself - in you."

"Why do I feel no fear," I asked,
"Meeting you this way?
For I have sinned, I know full well -
And there is heaven and there is hell,
And is this the judgment day?"

"Nay, they were but dreams,"
The Great God said, "dreams that have ceased to be.
There are no such things as fear or sin,
There is no you - you have never been!
There is nothing at all but Me.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

STREAM OF LIFE

"The same stream of Life that runs through my veins,
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measure.
It is the same Life that shoots with joy through the dust of the earth
into numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same Life that is rocked in the ocean of Life and death
in ebb and flow and dancing in my blood, this moment."
K. Tagore

HELP

One evening I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of the "Don't want to be bothered" times.
    "I hope he doesn't ask me for money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop and he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very nice car," he said. He was ragged but had an air of dignity around him.
    I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
    He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, 'ask him if he needs any help.' I was sure that he would say yes, but I held true to the inner voice.
    "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke three words that shook me.
    "Don't we all?" he said.
    I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help.
    I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.
    You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.
    Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
    Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."
    Don't We All?

ASKING

I asked for Strength.........
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.........
And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And God gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted.........
But I received everything I needed!
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“When you pray, does God talk to you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard Him - which could mean one of two things:
A) I’m doing everything right or B) He doesn’t know where to start.”
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You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
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Those who say they know,
Don't know.
Those who say they don't know,
They know.
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What do the dyslexic and agnostic have in common?
They both lie awake wondering if there is a dog.
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It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown
– and fewer still to ignore someone completely.
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If you don’t succeed you will never be spoiled by success.
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If every cloud has a silver lining, does every silver lining have a cloud?
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Every absurdity has a champion who will defend it.
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Mortality: soul decay
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Free speech carries with it the freedom not to listen.
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“Let not our hearts be busy inns
That have no room for thee;
But cradles of the living Christ
And His nativity.”
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Go inside.....God would like to talk to you.
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If you fall down 10 times,
Stand up 11.
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A sword sometimes misses it's mark - a bouquet never.
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A true friend walks in when everyone else leaves.

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