Our thoughts and
prayers go out to the emergency personnel, their families and
the innocent victims who suffered a tragic loss on September 11th.
No words can express the grief in our hearts or our appreciation for your
sacrifice.
Please take a moment to visit these sites in support of the FDNY and the
citizens
of New York.
http://www.redcross.org/ American Red
Cross
http://www.iaff.org International Association
of Fire Fighters
http://www.firehouse.com/ FireHouse
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/fdny/html/home2.html FDNY Online
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this
difficult time.
THE WOODEN BOWL
A frail old man went to live with his son,
daughter-in-law, and four-year grandson.
The old man's hands trembled, his
eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.
The family ate together at the table. But the elderly
grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made
eating difficult.
Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he
grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with
the mess. We must do something about Grandfather,
" said the son. I've had enough of his
spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while
the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his
food was served in a wooden bowl.
When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction,
sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the
only words the couple had for him were sharp
admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One
evening before supper, the father noticed his son
playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as
sweetly, the boy responded,
"Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to
eat your food when I grow up."
The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were
speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.
Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand
and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every
meal with the family. And for some reason,
neither husband nor wife seemed to
care any longer when a fork was dropped,
milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter
what happens how bad it seems today,
life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a
person by the way he/she handles three things:
a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas
tree lights.
I've learned that:
-regardless of your relationship with your parents,
you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
- making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
-life sometimes gives you a second chance.
-you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on
both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
-if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you
focus on your family, your friends, the needs of
others, your work and doing the very best you can,
happiness will find you.
-whenever I decide something with an open heart,
I usually make the right decision.
-even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
-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.
-I still have a lot to learn.
-you should pass this on to everyone you care about.
I just did. Sometimes they just need a little something to make
them smile.
People will forget what you said . . . people will forget
what you did.......
but people will never forget how you made them
feel.