Warm and Fuzzy Page


 


I have received a lot of articles that I wanted to put up on this page, a lot of them came from my friend Suz. Many of these are thought provoking and enjoyable to read!
 


The The Shoes

My alarm went off -- it was Sunday again;
I was tired -- it was my one day to sleep in.
But the guilt I'd have felt the rest of the day
Would have been too much, so I'd go; I'd pray.
I showered and shaved, adjusted suit and tie,
Got there and swung into a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in humble prayer
Before I closed my eyes,
I saw that the shoe of the man next to me
Was touching my own and I sighed.
With plenty of room on either side, I thought,
"Why do our soles have to touch?"
It bothered me so; he was glued to my shoe,
But it didn't seem to bother him much.

Then the prayer began: "Heavenly Father," someone said--
But I thought, "Does this man with the shoes have no pride?"
They were dusty, worn, scratched end to end.
What's worse, there were holes on the side!

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.
The shoe man said a quiet "amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer,
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best when
walking through that door?
"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought,
Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer ended and songs of praise began.
The shoe man was loud, sounding proud as he sang.
He lifted the rafters; his hands raised high;
The Lord surely heard his voice from the sky.

Then the offering was passed; what I threw in was steep.
The shoe man reached into his pockets, so deep,
And I tried to see what he pulled out to put in,
Then I heard a soft "clink," as when silver hits tin.

The sermon bored me to tears--And no lie--
It was the same for the shoe man,
For tears fell from his eyes.
At the end of the service, as is custom here,
We must greet the visitors and show them good cheer.

But I was moved inside to want to meet this man,
So after the closing, I shook his hand.

He was old, his skin dark, his hair a mess.
I thanked him for coming, for being our guest,
He said, "My name's Charlie, glad to meet you, my friend,"
And there were tears in his eyes--but he had a wide grin.

"Let me explain," he said, wiping his eyes.
"I've been coming for months,
and you're the first to say, Hi.

I know I don't look like all the rest,
But I always try to look my best."
"I polish my shoes before my long walk,
But by the time I get here they're as dirty as chalk."

My heart fell to my knees, but I held back my tears,
He continued, "And I must apologize for sitting so near."
"But I know when I get here, I must look a sight.
And I thought . . if I touched you, our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment knowing anything I
said would pale in comparison,
so I spoke from my heart not my head.

"Oh, you've touched me," I said.
"And taught me, in part,
That the best of a man is what's in his heart."

The rest, I thought, this man will never know. . .
How thankful I am that he touched my soul!

You might be best friends one year,
pretty good friends the next year,
don't talk that often the next year,
don't want to talk at all the year after that.

So, I just wanted to say,
even if I never talk to you again in my life,
you are special to me and you have made a
difference in my life,
I respect you and truly cherish you.
 
 
 

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote:

 " Many people will walk in and out of your life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

To handle yourself, use your head;
To handle others, use your heart.

 Anger is only one letter short of danger.

If someone betrays you once, it is his fault;
 If he betrays you twice, it is your fault.

Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.

He who loses money, loses much;
He, who loses a friend, loses much more;
He, who loses faith, loses all.

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
But beautiful old people are works of art.

Learn from the mistakes of others.
You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

Friends, you and me....
You brought another friend....
And then there were 3....

We started our group....
Our circle of friends....
And like that circle....
There is no beginning or end....

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why they call it the present. "

Whisper or Brick


 


 A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood
 street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for
kids darting out from between cars and saw something. As his car passed,
 no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!
He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where
 the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid
 and pushed him up against a parked car shouting,"What was that all about
 and who are
 you?
 Just what the hell are you doing?" "That' s a new car and that brick you
 threw is going to cost a lot of money.
 Why did you do that?"
 "Please, mister, please. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do"
 pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would
 stop..." Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around
 the parked car.
 "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his
 wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the
 executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair?
 He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
 Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling
 lump
 in
 his throat.
 He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his
 handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that
 everything was going to be okay.
 "Thank you and God bless you," the grateful child said! The man then
 watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their
 home.
 It was a long walk back to his Jaguar....a long, slow walk.
 He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that
 someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.
 God whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart.
 Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw a "brick"
 at you.
 It's your choice:
 Listen to the Whisper.........or wait for the Brick.
 
 

Do You Appreciate Life???


 






 I walked into the grocery store not particularly
interested in buying* groceries.* I wasn't hungry.
 The pain of losing my husband of 37 years was still
 too raw.* And this grocery store held so many sweet
 memories.
 Rudy often came with me and almost every time
 he'd pretend to go off and look for something special.
 I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking
 down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his
 hands. Rudy knew I loved yellow roses.* With a heart
 filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items
and leave, but even grocery shopping was different
 since Rudy had passed on.* Shopping for one took time,
a little more thought than it had for two.
 Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect
 small steak and remembered how Rudy had loved his
 steak.
 Suddenly a woman came beside me.* She was blond,
 slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched
 as she picked up a large pack of T-bones, dropped them
in her basket, hesitated, and then put them back.* She
 turned to go and once again* reached for the pack of
 steaks.
 She saw me watching her and she smiled. "My
 husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices,
 I don't know."
 I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her
 pale blue eyes.* "My husband passed away eight
 days ago," I told her.* Glancing at the package
 in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my
 voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment
 you have* together."
 She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes
 as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled
 away.
 I turned and pushed my cart across the length
 of the store to the dairy products. There I stood,
 trying to decide which size milk I should* buy. A
 quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream
 section near the front of the store. If nothing else,
 I could always fix myself an ice cream cone. I
 placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down
 the aisle toward the front.
 I saw first the green suit, then recognized the
 pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried
a package. On her face was the brightest smile I had
 ever seen. I would swear a soft halo encircled her
 blond hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes
 holding mine. As she came closer, I saw what she held
 and tears began misting in my eyes.
 "These are for you," she said and placed three
beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. "When
 you go through the line, they will know these are paid
 for." She leaned* over and placed a gentle kiss on my
 cheek, then smiled again.
 I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the
 roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as
 she walked away as tears clouded my vision.* I looked
 down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green
 tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How
 did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I
 wasn't alone.
 "Oh, Rudy, you haven't forgotten me, have you?** I
 whispered, with tears in my eyes. He was still with
 me, and she was his angel.
 Everyday be thankful for what you have and who
 you are.
 [Please read all of this, it is really nice]

If You Appreciate Life

 Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when
 the alarm rings,thank you, Lord, that I can hear.
 There are many who are deaf.

 Even though I keep my eyes closed against the
 morning light as long as possible, thank you, Lord,
 that I can see.
 Many are blind.

 Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising,
 thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise.
 There are many who are bedridden.

 Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when
 socks are lost, toast is* burned and tempers are
 short, my children are so loud, thank you, Lord, for
 my family.
 There are many who are lonely.

 Even though our breakfast table never looks like the
 pictures in magazines and the menu is at times
 unbalanced, thank you,Lord, for the food we have.
 There are many who are hungry.

 Even though the routine of my job often is monotonous,
 thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work.
 There are many who have no job.

 Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to
 day and wish my circumstances were not so modest,
 thank you, Lord, for life.
 
 

A Friend

 A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits
 need a lift.
 A friend is someone to treasure. For friendship is
 a gift.
 A friend is someone who fills our lives with
 Beauty, Joy and Grace
 And makes the world we live in a better and happier
 place.


 
 

Mud Puddles and Dandelions
 

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of
weeds that are
going  to
take over my yard.
My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff
you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see
a smelly, dirty
person
who probably wants money and I look away.
My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile
back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune
and don't have
much rhythm
so I sit self-consciously and listen.
My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out
the words. If they
don't
know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against
it. I feel it
messing up my
hair and pulling me back when I walk.
My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly
with it, until they
fall to
the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this,
give me that.
My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my
friends. Please keep
the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go
to Heaven yet. I
would miss my
Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy
shoes and dirty
carpets.
My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to
cross and worms to
play
with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn
from?  No wonder God
loves
the little children!!

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may
look back and
realize they
were the big things."

Just a reminder about the important things in life.

I wish you mud puddles and dandelions!
 
 


 
 

Christmas with Louise

 As a joke, my brother used to hang a pair of panty hose over his
 fireplace
 before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them .What
 they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every
 Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings were overflowed, his
 poor
pantyhose hung sadly empty. One year I decided to make his dream come
true.

 I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. They
 don't sell those  things at Walmart.I had to go to an adult bookstore
 downtown. If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go. You'll
only
 confuse yourself. I was there an hour saying things like, "What does
 this
 do?" "You're kidding me!" and Who would buy that?" Finally, I made it to
 the
 inflatable doll section. I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll
 that
 could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car
 pool
 lane during rush hour.

 Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love dolls come in many different
models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do
 things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I settled for
'Lovable
Louise." She was at the bottom of the price scale. To call Louise a
took a huge leap of imagination.

 On Christmas Eve, with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to
 life. My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee
 morning hours, long after Santa had come and gone, I filled the dangling
 pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom. I also ate
 some cookies and  drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby
 tray.
 I
 went home, and giggled for a couple of hours. The next morning my
 brother
 called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that
had
 made him VERY happy but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start
 to
 walk away, then come back and bark some more.  We all agreed that Louise
 should remain in her panty hose so the rest ofthe family could admire
 her
 when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner. My grandmother
 noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. "What the hell is
 that?"
 she asked.  My brother quickly explained, "It's a doll." "Who would play
with something like that?" Granny snapped. I had several people in mind,
 but
 kept my mouth shut. "Where are her clothes?" Granny continued. "Boy,
 that
 turkey sure smells nice, Gran," Jay said , trying to steer her into the
 dining room.  But Granny was relentless. "Why doesn't she have any
 teeth?"
 Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no
 one
 wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, Hang on Granny! Hang
 on!"

 My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me
 and
 said, " Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?" I told him she was
 Jay's
 friend.  A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the
 mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It
 was
then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home.

 The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died,
who
 was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise
 that
 sounded a lot like my father in the bathroom in the morning.
 Then she lurched from the panty hose, flew around the room twice, and
 fell
 in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed. I passed cranberry
 sauce
 through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and
 began administering mouth to mouth resuscitation. My brother fell back
 over
his chair and wet his pants and Granny threw down her napkin, stomped
 out
 of
 the room, and sat in the car. It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and
 remember.

 Later in my brother's garage,we conducted a thorough examination to
 decided
 the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered
 from
 a hot ember to the back of her right thigh. Fortunately, thanks to a
 wonder
 drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect
 health. Louise went on to star in several bachelor party movies. I think
 Grandpa still calls her whenever he can get out of the house.
 
 



Written by George Carlin
considering his usual way of acting and his words, this is something special :)

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings

but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less
time.

We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more

experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little,
drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too
little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the
street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies
than ever, but we

communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small
character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but
broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to
quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the
stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can
choose either to share this

insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going
to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because
that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the
only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most
of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep
inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will
not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to
share the precious thoughts in your mind.
 
 


If I knew

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.
There will always be another day
to say "I love you,"

And certainly there's another chance to say our
"Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret
the day,
That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'! ll have no regrets about today.