KEEPERS .....

I received this today from friends of ours & thought it well-worth sharing:

Keepers

I grew up in the 40's/50's/60's with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a Name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... While we have it.. it's best we love it... And care for it.... And fix it when it's broken..... And heal it when it's sick.

This is true... For marriage.... And old cars.... And children with bad report cards..... Dogs and cats with bad hips.... And aging parents.... And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.... And so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thinks I am a 'keeper', so I've sent it to the people I think of in the same way.. Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are 'keepers' in your life. Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Keep them close

Author unknown

Music: 'May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You' - Jim Reeves

Our condition IS terminal ...........

The wonderful celebration of Thanksgiving has recently been observed in the US. We would be well-advised to take time out to recognise all our blessings here in Australia also!

Every day people are told that their condition is terminal. When they hear this, a lot of them say, " Things I've taken for granted, like my health, my family and my friends, have suddenly become all-important to me. Trivialities no longer matter."

If you've been grouchy lately, maybe this will help you to SEE THINGS in PERSPECTIVE:

• If you woke up this morning, you're ahead of the 1,000,000 people who didn't survive the week.

• If you can sit down, read the paper & drink a cup of coffee, you're better off than the 500,000,000 men, women & children around the world who are presently experiencing the horrors of war, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture & the pangs of starvation.

• If you can attend church without threat, you've a freedom envied by 2 billion others who've never been inside one.

• If you have food, clothes and a roof over your head, you're richer than 75% of the earth's inhabitants. (Actually a garbage disposal eats better than they do!)

• If you've money in the bank, you're among the world's top 8%.

• If you've got a Bible, you're better off than the 1.5 billion people who've never even seen one.

• If you can read this, you're ahead of one-third of the people on the planet who are illiterate.

If you've fallen into the trap of expecting much but appreciating little, it's time you remembered, repented & gained a little perspective!

Note: I keep this on my refrigerator to remind me!!