Quote from Forum Archives on January 25, 2003, 1:23 pm

Posted by: bigguyhereagain <bigguyhereagain@...>

<>< A Message From Heaven ><>

 

When tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
We didn't get to say.

 

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;
But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and
called my name,
And took me by the hand,
And said my place was ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

 

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye,
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.
I had so much to live for,
So much yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

 

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

 

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.

 

And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

 

But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and
smiled at me,
From His great golden throne,
He said "This is eternity,
And all I've promised you."

 

Today for life on earth is past,
But here it starts anew.
I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day's the same way
There's no longing for the past.

 

But you have been so faithful,
So trusting and so true.
Thought there were times
you did some things,
You knew you shouldn't do.
But you have been forgiven
And now at last you're free.
So won't you take my hand
And share my life with me?

 

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.

 

<><  <><   <><   <><   <><   <><   <><   <><   <><

 

<>< A Date With The Other Woman ><>

 

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the
spark of love. A little while ago I started to go out with another woman. It
was really my wife's idea.

 

"I know you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise.

 

"But I love YOU!" I protested.

 

"I know, but you also love her."

 

The other woman my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a
widow for 19 years. The demands of my work and my three children had made it
possible to visit her only occasionally. That night, I called to invite her
to go out for dinner and a movie.

 

"What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is the type of woman who
suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad
news.

 

"I thought it would be pleasant to pass some time with you," I responded.
"Just the two of us."

 

She thought about it for a moment, then said, "I would like that very much."

 

That Friday, after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.
When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous
about our date. She waited in the doorway with her coat on. She had curled
her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last
wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an
angel's.

 

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were
impressed," she said, as she got into the car.  "They can't wait to hear
about our meeting."

 

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy.
My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

 

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large
print. Halfway through the entree, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting
there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

 

"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said.

 

"Then it's time you relaxed and let me return the favor," I responded.

 

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing
extraordinary - just catching up on recent events of each other's lives. We
talked so much that we missed the movie.

 

As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but
only if you let me invite you." I agreed and kissed her good night.

 

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home.

 

"Very nice. Much nicer than I could have imagined," I answered.

 

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so
suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.

 

Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt
from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: "I paid
this bill in advance. I was almost sure that I couldn't be there, but,
never-the-less, I paid for two plates --one for you and the other for your
wife. You will never know what that night meant to me. I love you."

 

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying, "I LOVE YOU" in time,
and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.  Nothing in life is
more important than God and your family. Give them the time they deserve,
because these things cannot always be put off to "some other time."

 

><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><> ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>  ><>

 

When The Wind Blows

 

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic sea coast.  He constantly
advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms
along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the
Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

 

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady
stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age,
approached the farmer.

 

"Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

 

"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

 

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer,desperate for help, hired him.
The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the
farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

 

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.  Jumping out of bed,
the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's
sleeping quarters.

 

He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up!  A storm is coming!  Tie things
down before they blow away!"

 

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No Sir.  I told you, I
can sleep when the wind blows."

 

Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the
spot.  Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

 

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered
with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops,
and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.  Everything
was tied down.  Nothing could blow away.

 

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed
to also sleep while the wind blew.

 

Moral of the story: When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear.  Can you
sleep when the wind blows through your life?  The hired hand in the story
was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.

 

We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly
in the Word of God.

 

Have a Blessed Day
Dave and Barbara

 

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