Bamboo

One Day I Decided To Quit

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my
relationship, my
Spirituality... I wanted to quit my life. I went to
the woods to
have one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you
give me one good
reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me...

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the
bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took
very good care
of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The
fern quickly grew
from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing
came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the
bamboo. In the
second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again,
nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit
on the bamboo."
He said.

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo
seed. But I
would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing
from the bamboo
seed. I would not quit." He said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the
earth.
Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and
insignificant...But
just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet
tall. It had
spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made
it strong and
gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give
any of my
creations a challenge it could not handle." He said to
me.

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have
been struggling,
  you have actually been growing roots?"

"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on
you."

"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The
bamboo had a
different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make
the forest 
beautiful."

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise
high"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as
you can."

I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope
these words can
help you see that God will never give up on you.

Two Angels

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a
wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the  mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold
basement.  As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a 
hole in the wall and repaired it.  When the younger angel asked why, the older
angel replied,  "Things aren't always what they  seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very
hospitable farmer and his wife.  After sharing what little food they had, the
couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's
rest.  When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer  
and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income,
lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let  this happen?

  The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second
family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we
 stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in 
that hole in the wall.  Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and
unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for
his wife.  I gave him the cow instead.

  Things aren't always what they seem."

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Life Lessons: 

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way
they should.  If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is
always to your advantage. You just might not know it until   some time later . .

Remember the Duck?

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.

He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a

little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse,

he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.

He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the

wood pile, only to see his sister watching!

Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes."

Sally said, "Grand ma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the

kitchen."

Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the

dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and

Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally

just

smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he

wanted to

help."

She whispered again to Johnny, "Remember the duck?"

So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's ... he

finally couldn't stand it any longer.

He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know.

You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But

because

I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let

Sally

make a slave of you."

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Life Lessons:

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done...and the devil keeps

throwing it up in your face (lying, debt, fear, hatred, anger,

unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.)... whatever it is.... You need to know

that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.....

He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and

that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil

make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not

only forgives you, but He forgets.....It is by God's grace and mercy that we

are saved.

Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this

with a friend and always remember: God is at the window!...

DEATH......................What a wonderful way to explain it!!!

A sick man turned to his doctor, 
as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, 
"Doctor, I am afraid to die. 
Tell me what lies on the other side." 

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know." 

"You don't know? 
You're a Christian man, you do not know what is on the other side?" 

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; 
on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, 
a dog sprang into the room 
and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. 

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, 
"Did you notice my dog? 
He's never been in this room before. 
He didn't know what was inside. 
He knew nothing except that his master was here, 
and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. 
I know little of what is on the other side of death, 
but I do know one thing... 
I know my Master is there and that is enough." 

My BestFriend

Somewhere in Milaor, Camarines Sur, there lived

 a fourth grader boy who

 would follow this route to school everyday:  He has

 to cross the rugged

 plains and cross the dangerous highway where

 vehicles are recklessly

 driving to and from.  Once passed this highway, the

 boy would take a short

 cut by passing by the Church every morning just to

 say Hi to God, and

 faithfully say his, "Magandang umaga po" in Bicol

 dialect.  He was

 faithfully being watched by a Priest who was happy

 to find innocence so

 uplifting in the morning,  

    "Kamusta Andoy!  Papasok ka na?" "Opo padre ... "

 he would flash his

 innocent grin, the priest would be touched.  He was

so concerned that one

 day he talked to Andoy,

    "From school...", he advised "Do not cross the

 highway, you can pass

 through the Church and I can accompany you to the

 other side of the road

 ... that way I can see that you are home safe ...."

    "Thank you father ..."

    "Why don't you go home ... do you stay in this

 church right

 afterschool?"  

    "I just want to say "Hi" to my friend, God," and

 the priest would leave

 the boy to spend time beside the altar, talking by

 himself, but he was

 hiding behind the altar to listen to what this boy

 has to say

 to his heavenly FATHER.

   "You know my math exam was pretty bad today,   but

 I did not cheat -

 although my seatmate is bullying me for notes ... I

 ate one cracker and

 drank my water, Itay had a bad season and all I can

 eat is this

 cracker.  Thank you for this!  I saw a poor kitten

 who was hungry and I

know how  he feels so I gave my last cracker to him

 ... funny but I am not

 that hungry ... Look, this is my last pair of

 slippers ... I may

 have to walk barefooted next week ... you see this

 is about to be broken

 ... but it  is okay ... at least I am still going to

 school ... some says

 we will have  a hard season this month, some of my

 classmates have

 already stopped going to school ... please help them

 get to school again,

 please God? ... Oh, you know, Inay had hit me again,

 it is painful, but I

 know this pain will pass away, at least I still have

 a mother ... God, you

 want to see my bruises? I know you can heal them ...

 here... here and ....

 oh ... blood ... I guess you knew about this one

 huh?  Please don't be mad

 at Inay, she is just tired and she worries for the

 food in our table and my

 schooling that is why she hits us ... Oh, I think I

 am in love ... there's

 this pretty girl in my class, her name is Anita ...

 do you think she will

 like me? Anyway, at least I know you will always

 like me, I don't have to

 be anybody just to please you, you are my very best

 friend!  Hey your

 birthday is two days from now!!!  Aren't you

 excited?  I am! wait till you

 see, I have  a gift for you .... but it is a

 surprise!  I hope you will like it!  Oooops, I have

 to go ..." then he

 stood up and calls out, "Padre, padre, I am finished

 talking to my friend

 ... you can accompany me to the other side of the

 road now"

    This routine happens everyday.  Andoy never

 fails.  Father Agaton shares

 this every Sunday to the people in his church

 because he has not seen a

 very pure faith and trust in God, a very positive

 look

 at negative situations.

    One Christmas day, Father Agaton was sick so he

 could not make it in the

 Church, he was sent to the hospital.  The Church was

 left to 4 manangs who

 would chant the rosary in 1000 miles per hour, would

 not smile and would always find fault in what you

 do, they are also very

 well versed in cursing if you irritate them!  They

 were kneeling, saying

 their kilometric rosary when Andoy, coming from his

 Christmas party,

 playfully dashed in, "Hello God!!!!! I "

   P----!!!!! (a curse) Bata ka!!!! Alam mo nang may

 nagdadasal!!!!!

 Alis!!!!!"

    Poor Andoy was so terrified, "where's Father

 Agaton?  He is supposed to

help me cross the street .... and to be able to

cross the street I will

 have to pass by the back door of this church ... not

 only that, I have to

 greet Jesus-it is His birthday, I have a gift right

 here ...." just as he

 was about to get the gift out of his shirt, the

 manang pulled his shirt and

 threw him out of the church.  "Susmaryosep!!! (does

 a sign of the cross

 fervently) Alis kang bata ka, kung hindi matatamaan

 ka!!! So the boy had no

 choice but to cross the dangerous side of the road

 in front of the church.

    He crossed.  A fast moving bus came in.  There

 was a blind curve.  The

 boy was protecting his gift inside his shirt, so he

 was not looking. There

 was so little time.  Andoy died on the spot.  A lot

 of

 people crowded the poor boy, the body of a lifeless

 young boy ...Suddenly,

 out of nowhere a tall man in pure white shirt and

 pants, a face so mild and

 gentle, but with eyes full of tears... He came and

 carried the boy in His

 arms, He was crying. Curious bystanders nudged the

 man in white, and asked,

 "excuse me sir, are you related to this child?  Do

 you know this child?"

   The man in white, His face mourning and in agony,

 lifted up and answered,

 "He was my bestfriend ... " was all he said.  He

 took the badly wrapped

 gift in the bloody  chest of the lifeless boy, and

 placed it near His

 heart.  He stood up and carried the boy away and

 they both disappeared in

 sight. The crowd

 was curious ...

    On Christmas Eve, Father Agaton learned of the

 shocking news.  He

 visited the house, and wanted to verify about the

 man in white.  He

 consulted the parents of Andoy. "How did you know

 that your son

 died?"

    "A man in white brought him here." sobbed the

 mother.

    "What did he say?"

    The father answered, "He did not say anything.

 He was mourning. We do

 not know him and yet he was very lonely at our son's

 death, as if he knew

 our son very well.  But there was something peaceful

 and

 unexplainable about him.  He gave me my son, and

 then he smiled peacefully.

 He rubbed my son's hair away from his face and

 kissed him on his forehead,

 then he whispered something ..."

    "What did he say?" "He said to my boy ..." the

 father began, "Thank you

 for the gift ... I will see you soon ... you will be

 with me ..." and the

 father of the boy continued, "and you know for a

 while, it felt so

 wonderful... I cried, but I do not know why .... all

 I know is I cried in

 tears of joy ... I could not explain it father, but

 when that man left,

 something peaceful came over me, I felt a deep sense

 of love inside...  I

 could not explain the joy in my heart, I knew my boy

 is in heaven now ...

 but ... tell me father, who is this man that my son

 talks  to everyday  in

 your church, you should know because you are always

 there... except on the

 time of his death ..."

    Father Agaton suddenly felt the tears welling in

 his eyes, with

 trembling knees, he murmurred," ... He was talking

 to no one .... but ....

 GOD...."

Adam

Once upon a time , there was this 20 years old boy called Adam who was his mothers only son.

She was always worried about him and can’t go to sleep until he goes back home 
but he was [always late]!
Everyday he hangs out with his friends until the dawn although his mom calls him to be reassured but he never answers her calls.

The next day Adam told his mother that he is going on a camping trip with his friend for 3 days 
“take care of yourself Adam & take your mobile with you and please answer my calls” she said 
“don’t call me that much! My friends make fun of me because of all your calls I’m not a kid anymore mum” he replied nervously.. & then he left. 

When Adam arrived he and his friends said that they will switch their mobiles off in order to avoid the annoying calls from their parents and in that way they’ll have so much more fun.
Two days passed  and in the third day, one of Adam’s friend called Ryan switched on his mobile to text his girlfriend but he found over 50 text message from his father and sister to come back home and one of the texts was from his mother written on it “please son come back if you can, I want to see you”.  He called his mother to ask her what’s happening but she didn’t answer then he called his father he answered with a voice filled of sorrow and pain. 
What happened dad! He asked. Then Ryan found out that his mother died. He was shocked threw his mobile on the ground & began to cry bitterly. His mom died without telling her that he loves her or asking her to forgive him. 

Adam was shocked and remembered his mother and what he did to her. 
He returned home immediately and found his mother sleeping on the sofa next to the telephone waiting a call from him. 
He looked at her carefully, he noticed for the first time her white hair and the wrinkles in her face then he cried and hugged her and kissed her hands “forgive me mom I’m sorry I will never leave you alone again. I promise ” he said while crying. 

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Life Lessons:

Remember to love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are also growing old. 

When YOU Thought I Wasn't Looking

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my
first painting on
the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint
another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I
learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking , I saw you make my
favorite cake
for me and I learned that the little things can be the
special things
in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a
prayer, and I
knew there is a God I could always talk to and I
learned to trust in
God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a
meal and take it
to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all
have to help take
care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of
your time and
money to help people who had nothing and I learned
that those who have
something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care
of our house
and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care
of what we are
given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you
handled your
responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I
learned that I
would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come
from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you
cared and I wanted
to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of
life's lessons
that I need to know to be a good and productive person
when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and
wanted to say,
"Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I
wasn't looking."

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Life Lessons:

AND THINK NO ONE EVER SEES. LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT.

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher
or friend)
influence the life of a child. How will you touch the
life of someone today?
When we get serious about drawing upon God's power,
remarkable
things will happen.