I found a penny today Just laying on the ground, But it's not just a penny This little coin I've found. Found pennies come from heaven That's what my Grandpa told me, He said Angels toss them down Oh, how I loved that story. He said when an Angel misses you They toss a penny down, Sometimes just to cheer you up To make a smile out of your frown. So don't pass by that penny When you're feeling blue, It may be a penny from heaven That an Angel's tossed to you. An Angel is now watching over you. Be an Angel to someone today.
Two years ago I lent my best friend money to buy a car. He was paying me back
weekly until we had a falling out last summer. I was debating what I should do
about it. Everybody told me that I must get my money back. One night I went into
the chapel at my job looking for some guidance. The epistle was open to the next
day's gospel and said the following based on Luke 6, 27-38:
"When a man takes what is yours, do not demand it back. Do to others what
you would have them do to you...If you lend to those from who you expect
repayment, what merit is there for you? Love your enemy and do good;
Lend without expecting repayment. Then will your recompense will be great."
This was a very hard pill to swallow but I tried my hardest not to be bitter
at my friend. One day I went to Atlantic City with my parents and I was looking
for a favorite slot machime of mine. The attendant told me that it was taken out
the week before. I then remembered that the last time I was there my friend
happened to win a few dollars on another machine. It was the only time that he
had ever won and he was pretty excited. I found that machine and deposited 3
coins and on the 3rd spin I thought about him and I felt a powerful force come
over me. When I looked up I saw Red, White and Blue sevens on the 3rd payout
line. I soon realized that I had won the jackpot! After getting my picture taken
and all the excitement, I went to my room, found the Bible and closed my eyes.
When I opened it up my finger was on Ezekiel 45:23 and I read about 7 days, 7
bulocks and 7 rams. Several weeks later my girlfriend showed me her daily Bible
and I turned to the reading for my birthday. It contained Ezekiel 45. Finally,
my friends birthday was coming up and I was thinking about sending him a card.
While I was in Virginia Beach with the Magical Mystery Bus Tour from NY, I
looked in the A.R.E. bookstore and saw only one Birthday postcard. It said
"Rejoice with those who rejoice." Romans 12:15.
I decided to buy the card. My friends name is Roman.
On a recent Friday I was having dinner with a friend who told me that she had been a good samaritan that day. She had found a set of keys at the bus stop and recognized the girl in a accompanying family picture. On Monday she was going to find the girl, since they attended the same college, and return the keys. I got a feeling that we should act right away, and not wait. She knew the name of the girl but nothing else. Even though the odds were heavily against us, I thought of many recent instances when little miracles happened against even bigger odds. First we called information. Since the girl had children in the picture we figured the phone might not even be in her name. In addition, we had no idea which city in Westchester she lived in. Soon I got a recording that the phone number was unlisted. This was a good sign because it meant that one, and ony one match was found. When I called back I told the operator the situation and she told me to hang on the line. Soon afterwards she told me to hang up and that the girl would call back right away, which she did. The directions she gave us to her house were so confusing that I stopped writing them down. I knew that I would find her, even though I had never been in her city before. We drove right to her house as if we were being guided and we gave her the keys, which she was very appreciative of. I felt like a Good Samaritan. The following weekend my friend went on a bus trip to Washington D.C. When she returned, she told me that a man had gotten very ill on the trip and she spent most of her time helping him. I was very taken by her sacrifice & compassion, wondering if I would do the same. That week I learned the true meaning of a Good Samaritan.
Recently my parents & I were deciding where we were going to have lunch. I wanted to go to a specific German restaurant, but I kept that to myself. They were in the mood for Italian and a place with ambience. After some discussion amongst themselves, they came up with the German restaurant. Since this place didn't have any ambience and obviously wasn't Italian, I was a bit surprised. However, it fit right in with the coincidences that have been happening at an increasing rate lately. When we got there, we had the whole place to ourselves and the waitress was quite friendly. At the end of our meal she left the check at our table. I waited for her to pick it up again but she never did. My parents started walking to the car and I walked over to the desk where the waitress was standing and gave her my credit card. As I was filling out the slip, she noticed my rosary ring, which has ten beads for the Hail Mary & one cross for the Our Father. I told her that most people have never heard of a rosary ring and that I use it to say a prayer called the Divine Mercy, which is usually done on rosary beads. She immediately reached down & pulled up the Divine Mercy prayer booklet. I asked her if she says the prayer every day at 3 o'clock, the time Jesus reportedly died on the cross. She told me that she had stopped saying it recently because she was fighting with God over the death of her son, who had recently died in a car accident. She also said she was going to start saying the prayer again because she just got a sign from God. When I asked her what the sign was, she said "Meeting you."
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!". There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Dang boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day came, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others. Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. Your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.
Quote from Jerry Bridges
David Matthew Pollock
As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years. The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline--1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years ago. It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner.
It was a "Dear John" letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed,Hannah. It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the name Michael, that the owner could be identified. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope.
"Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?" She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number." She said, as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story & would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a while & then she was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with with you."
I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped, "Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was 30 years ago!" "Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked. "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago," the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter." She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the number.
They told me the old lady had passed away some years ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the daughter might be living. I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home. This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that had only three dollars and a letter that was almost 60 years old? Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told me, "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. " Even though it was already 10pm, I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well," he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television." I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home.
The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet, silver- haired old timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter.
The second she saw the powder blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael." She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor. Yes," she continued. "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful man. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And," she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, "tell him I still love him. You know,"she said smiling as tears began to well up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael..."
I thanked Hannah and said goodbye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, "Was the old lady able to help you?" I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet."
I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that bright red lacing. He's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times."
"Who's Mr. Goldstein?" I asked as my hand began to shake. "He's one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks." I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on.
I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up. On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old man." We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing!"
"This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours?", the nurse said. I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward."
"No, thank you," I said. "But I have to tell you something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet." The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that letter?" "Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is." He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me," he begged.
"She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her." I said softly. The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow." He grabbed my hand and said,"You know something, mister, I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her. "
"Mr. Goldstein," I said, "Come with me." We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night- lights lit our way to the day room where Hannah was sitting alone watching the television. The nurse walked over to her.
"Hannah," she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man?" She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word. Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's Michael. Do you remember me?"
She gasped, "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!" He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces. "See," I said. "See how the Good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be."
About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!" It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit & stood tall. They made me their best man. The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple. A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly 60 years.
Consciousness is synonymous with the mind and with thought, so that the differences between one dimension and another lie only in how the mind perceives those realities to be. The fundamental truth is that your mind is the controller of your outer reality. When you are living with a third dimensional mind-set you see yourself as separate from the environment in which you live. Even if you believe yourself to be a spiritual being, you still see yourself as chained by circumstances, outside of your control, which compels you to reside in this dimension until you can some how free yourself from this. What you have failed to understand is that it is only your own thoughts which are controlling and holding you in this third dimension.
Every time you open a newspaper and read about violence you are adding energy to those negative events because you are thinking about them. Every time you turn on the news to hear what's going on in your world, you are adding your energy to those negative situations in the same way. Every time you surf the internet to read about conspiracies you are adding your energy to these negative activities. This is because whatever you focus your mind upon and think about is manifested into your reality. Your thoughts join all the other thoughts that are of like-mind and the more of you that are thinking and focusing on the same things, then of course those are going to be created right in front of you. And the thought forms or mind-set to which you are contributing are fear, aggression, distrust, enmity and hatred.
Currently, a tiny percentage of the six billion people who reside on Earth have managed to break their addiction to violent thought. They have accepted responsibility for how they think by making an active choice to change their focus of attention. But in order to do this they have stopped reading newspapers and watching television news. When they watch a video or a film they actively choose only those that are uplifting. When they find that they are watching something that is depressing or promoting hatred and violence they switch off or leave that environment. They are discerning in their entertainment. They are also discerning in their choice of people in whose company they choose to be. These people have much wisdom to share with you but they cannot do so until you all show willingness to support yourselves and clean up your thought forms. It is time for some personal discipline.
It is time to stop focusing on violence. It is time to stop focusing on control. Stop thinking about what the government is doing and about earth changes which might or might not happen. Stop watching despair and terror. It is time to begin to listen to harmony and look at beauty. Every single one of you can do this. It is not hard. All it takes is discipline and commitment. Just imagine how it would be if six billion people focused their attention on beauty, harmony and joy! What kind of world would those thoughts produce?
Change that world by changing how you think. Set your intention to think about harmony and joy. Sit in your gardens, or beside a lake or a stream, or the ocean if it is nearby, or sit in a forest, but look at the beauty around you. Focus on that. Relax in your homes listening to light and uplifting harmonies. Put the chatter of talk-back radio and voyeuristic television programmes away from your consciousness. Focus on your own beauty and project that out into your world. Eventually, when there are enough of you focusing on joy and harmony, all the time, then those energies become the dominant force and propel you all into the higher dimensions. Living in any dimension is simply a matter of thought. It is the collective thought that produces the frequency band of that dimension. If you want to experience a different dimension you have to uplift your thought into that frequency. Do you now see what you must do?
Get the ball rolling. Take responsibility for your thoughts. Lift yourself into a more beautiful and positive mind-set. Focus your attention on harmony and joy and watch your world change. It all now rests upon your own thoughts!
Get your own Free Home Page