See the Trees

By William Lambert
I lived in Alabama on a half-acre lot blessed huge oak trees that were 40 feet in diameter. They were HUGE! The house was laid out such that every bedroom faced the backyard. Each bedroom had a large picture window. The view was breathtaking. I enjoyed just looking at the trees. In the fall I would identify a particular leaf that was falling and watched it for what seemed liked 5 minutes before it fell to earth.
One day I invited this married couple over to enjoy the view from the bedroom window. I took them into the bedroom and excitedly pointed to the trees out of the window and exclaimed, "just look"!
After about 20 seconds there was no comment from the couple. I however, noticed a big frown on the woman's face.
I said, "What's wrong". She was reluctant to reply.
I insisted and again said, "What's wrong?"
She relented and said, "Don't you see those fingerprints on the glass?"
I turned and looked and there were what seemed to be fifty or more fingerprints on the glass. I ran for the Windex to clean the glass. The lady "Oh, I didn't mean for you to clean it now."
The morale here is this. That lady never saw the trees. Even when I tried to point them out, She missed it! I didn't see the fingerprints. I was looking through the glass not at it.
When the fingerprints were pointed out to me, I saw them and removed them. The lady never saw the trees. She focused on the fingerprints and she never got passed them.
Life is much like that. There are things in life that are good and things that are bad. You choose which things you want to focus on. I focus on the trees.
What are you focusing on?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Lambert has made teaching his life submitted this story for our MDI subscribers. With a Master's degree in Education, from Memphis State University, He is a former teacher in the Memphis City Schools System, where he won the prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award. He has published articles in the education and training arena. Some of the articles are: Liven up the Lecture Method, What You Say Is What You Get, Micro Videotaping and The Madison Avenue Approach (to Teaching). You can reach Mr. Lambert at http://us.mc303.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=wlambert7@comcast.net or visit his website http://www.motivateme.com/

sunday morning

Sunday morning, am at home, didn’t go to church. Gone are those days when parents will force one to church. Not that I am losing my religion but I think I will not be deceiving no one but myself if I go to church and my mind is not really there. Come to think of it, is it by going to church that one is really serving the lord, at least I said my prayers this morning and listen to some heart touching sermon from Joyce Meyer on TBN. I will feel more fulfilled if I spend my Sunday doing some good for mankind like making a donation to a orphanage home or something to help someone, then I will really know I am fulfilling my Christian duty.

daily food for thought

Because I know you're like me and always looking for things thatcan inspire and motivate you, I knew you'd be interested in aprogram I'm sponsoring called "My Daily Insights."
Every day we feature a short motivational/inspirational quotethat provides something positive to focus on that day. Here'san example of a Daily Insight:
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
That's it. Short and simple. Less than 30 seconds to read andinternalize. But, oh how powerful in helping us to keep eachday and each challenge in perspective.
Every Friday we feature an inspirational story that takes just afew minutes (or less) to read. At the end of this email I'veincluded an example. I know you'll be touched by "A Red Marble,"and that's just an example of what we run every Friday.
Even though I know you'll find it priceless, we are offering this valuable service at no-charge. Even better, the dailymessages are AD-FREE! And just so you know, we won't sell, rent,loan or otherwise distribute your name or email address. And ifyou ever decide you want to stop receiving it for any reason, there's a link in each day's message that will automatically remove you from the program with no hassles.
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I know you'll enjoy it.
ejegreh ewoma chrisewomachris@yahoo.com

A Red Marble
During the waning years of the depression in a small southeasternIdaho community, I used to stop by Mr. Miller's roadside stand forfarm fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and moneywere still extremely scarce and bartering was used, extensively.
One particular day Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes forme. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, raggedbut clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked greenpeas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display offresh green peas.
I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering thepeas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr.Miller and the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"Hello Mr. Miller, Fine, thank you. Just admiring those peas...sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Mother?"
"Fine. Getting stronger all the time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Just admiring those peas."
"Would you like to take some home?"
"No, Sir. I don't have anything to pay for them with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I have is my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it."
"Here it is. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sortof go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"
"Not exactly...but, almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next tripthis way let me look at that red marble."
"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.With a smile she said: "There are two other boys like him in ourcommunity, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim justloves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes orwhatever."
"When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do,he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them homewith a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one,perhaps."
I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with the man. Ashort time later I moved to Utah but I never forgot the story ofthis man, the boys and their bartering.
Several years went by each more rapid than the previous one. Justrecently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idahocommunity and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died.They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friendswanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon our arrival at themortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceasedand to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an armyuniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and whiteshirts...very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller,standing smiling and composed, by her husband's casket. Each ofthe young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke brieflywith her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyesfollowed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly andplaced his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket.Each left the mortuary, awkwardly, wiping his eyes. Our turn cameto meet Mrs. Miller.
I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me aboutthe marbles. Eyes glistening she took my hand and led me to thecasket. "Those three young men, that just left, were the boys Itold you about. They just told me how they appreciated the thingsJim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change hismind about color or size...they came to pay their debt.
"We've never had a great deal of wealth of this world," sheconfided, but, right now, Jim would consider himself the richestman in Idaho."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of herdeceased husband. Resting underneath were three, magnificentlyshiny, red marbles.
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.
Author Unknown
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loving

Happiness comes when you are with the one you love
Joy comes when you think of the one you love
Understanding comes with knowing the one you love
Contentment comes with dreaming of the one you love
Hope comes with trusting the one you love
Faith comes with loving the one you love
All these sum up to true love

where are all the good news

At times one really feel frustrated watching news on tv, it seems as they are no good news, just bad and negative news. For the past week CNN had reported the bush fire in Australia, to the plane crash in New York to the president of Venezuela, Chavez trying to monopolize power to himself. Well we all know that good news travel faster than bad news and as a friend of mine said when we were discussing about this yesterday good news is no news. We don’t feel drawn to good news, but when it is a tragedy all the world stand still to listen.What I think is that news station should put forth programmer that airing positive news like development, election victory like the one in Ghana. Time should be devoted to bring positive news on air so that they can help bring create a positive atmosphere

the reward of persistence

man woke up early in order to have his morning devotion (prayer) in the (Church). He got dressed set on his way to the Lord's house (church). On his way to the church, the man fell and his clothes got dirty. He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes, and was, again, on his way to the Lord's house. On his way to the church, he fell again and at the same=2 0spot! He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home. At home he, once again, changed his clothes and was on his way to the Lord's house (church). On his way to the house of God (church), he met a man holding a lamp. He asked the man of his identity and the man replied 'I saw you fall twice on your way to the house of God, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way. The first man thanked him profusely and the two were on their way to the house of God. Once at the house of God, the first man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray with him. The second man refused. The first man asked him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same. The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray. The man replied, 'I am Satan'. The man was shocked at this reply. Satan went on to explain, 'I saw you on your way to the house of God and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the house of God, God forgave all of your sins. I made you fall a second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to Church. Because of that, God forgave all the sins of the people of your household.. I was afraid if I made you fall one more time, then God will forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached the house of God safely. ' So do not let Satan benefit from his actions. Do not put off the good you intended to do as you never know how much reward you might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good. For your righteousness can save your family and nation at large. Do this and see the victory of the Lord.

as a man thinketh

Do you believe that you are what you think, that as you thought is that is how you are. And you can also change yourself by changing the way you think.
I read this book AS A MAN THINKETH by James Allen and it’s a real eye opener on our thinking process. It’s a book that I will advise everyone to read and I bet you will enjoy this book as well as be inspired. This book had helped me to realize that our thinking process had an effect on our life and can determine the life we live. It determines our happiness, our success, our health, wealth. Our thinking process is more powerful than we think and if directed properly, we can live a fulfilled, healthy, rich and wealthy life, and we can help change the world we live in.
The book throw more light on the aphorism “as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is”.
The book shows that what we have in our heart manifest in our outward behavior. A man who doeth evil has evil thought in his heart and the man who has evil thought will seek to do evil. The hearth is like a field, whatever is sowed and cultivated in this field, that’s what you reap, a man who harbors thought of negativity will always attract to himself negative things, while the man who harbor positive thought will attract positive things to himself..

You can get this book from any bookshop or you can download it for free on the net,