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Sugar Bush's 'Squirrel Bytes'TM
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When you
know not where to turn, stay still, just where you are. There
is something yet to learn. Be careful lest you jar the
threads that fate is weaving in a pattern you can't see. Be
passive. Trust the Hand that works the looms of
destiny. Though it is your wish to set things right and put
things straight, choose the wiser way. Have faith. With
patience watch and wait. There's a purpose in it all as Time
will surely prove...and when you least expect it, you will see the
mountain move.
-author unknown |
"To laugh
often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest
critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate
beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed
social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because
you lived. This is to have succeeded."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that's slipping
fast, That you helped a single brother of the many that you
passed? Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or
said? Does the man whose hopes were fading now with courage
look ahead? Did you waste the day or lose it, was it well or poorly
spent? Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of
discontent? As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that
God will say, "You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did
today?" -
author unknown |
A game of
cards or even dice, is just a lot of fun As long as
there is not too much that might be lost or won, As long as
friendliness prevails and people only play To share the
happiness of life and pass the time away. But when
there is no fooling, and the future is at stake It is a sin
to gamble and a serious mistake. Because a
hard-earned income and a noble family name Are so much
more important than the outcome of a game. And so when
cards are shuffled or the fingers fling the dice It all
depends on what is fun and what may be the price.
-author unknown |
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Every life
needs a worthy goal. Recently, a striking sentence appeared
in a popular magazine: "If you get what you want, will you
want what you have." One of the hard facts of life is that
some of the things we seek prove disappointing even though they
seem attractive from a distance. Wealth quickly loses its
glitter, great power can become a stifling burden and the
thundering applause of the moment dies quickly into silence.
Remember the pathetic lines of the poet, "I have spent a lifetime
seeking things I have spurned when I have found them." No
wonder so many runners go to pieces at the end. They have
been running without a reason.
-author unknown |
********************************** "May this encourage you
always." Don't
spend major time with minor people. If there are
people in your life who continually disappoint you, break
promises, stomp on your dreams, too judgmental, have different
values and don't have your back during difficult times...that is
not a friend.
To have a friend, be a friend. Sometimes in life, as you
grow, your friends will either grow or go.
When I think of any of my successes, I am thankful to GOD from whom
all blessings flow, and to my family and friends who
enrich my life.
Over the years my phone book has changed because I changed
for the better. At first you think you're going to be alone, but
after a while new people show up in your life who make
your life so much sweeter and easier to endure.
Remember what your elders used to say, "Birds of a feather flock
together. If you're an eagle, don't hang around
chickens: Chickens Can't Fly!"
I love the Lord and thank Him for all he does in my life;
therefore, I'm passing this on. Yes, I do love Jesus. He is
my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and
every day. Without Him, I would be nothing.
Without Him, I am nothing but with Him I can do all things. Phil
4:13
Be Positive - Be Progressive - Take the time to make a positive
difference in someone's life.
Walk by faith, Not by
sight!!! ---author
unknown |
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When all
else fails...eat chocolate... |
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If you want to live your life, You gotta drive the train! |
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Train of Life Some folks ride the train of life Looking out the rear, Watching miles of life roll by, And marking every year. They sit in sad remembrance, Of wasted days gone by, And curse their life for what it was, And hang their head and cry. But I don't concern myself with that, I took a different vent, I look forward to what life holds, And not what has been spent. So strap me to the engine, As securely as I can be, I want to be out on the front, To see what I can see. I want to feel the winds of change, Blowing in my face, I want to see what life unfolds, As I move from place to place. I want to see what's coming up, Not looking at the past, Life's too short for yesterdays, It moves along too fast. So if the ride gets bumpy, While you are looking back, Go up front, and you may find, Your life has jumped the track. It's all right to remember, That's part of history, But up front's where it's happening, There's so much mystery. The enjoyment of living, Is not where we have been, It's looking ever forward, To another year and ten. It's searching all the byways, Never should you refrain, For if you want to live your life, You gotta drive the train! ~author unknown~
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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 parked cars and
slowed down when he thought he 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 backed the Jag back
to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry
driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid
and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was
that all about and who are you? Just what the heck 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 it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please,
mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He
pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With
tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to
a spot just around a 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." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned 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 hurriedly lifted the handicapped
boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief
and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him
everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you,"
the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the
man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down
the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage
was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the
dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this
message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to
throw a brick at you to get your attention!" God whispers in our
souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time
to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen
or not. |
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STORY OF
A CAB RIDE Twenty years ago, I drove
a cab for a living. Early one morning I was dispatched to a
building at 2:30 a.m. When I arrived, the building was
dark except for a single light in a ground
floor window. Under these circumstances,
many drivers would just honk once or twice,wait a minute, then
drive away. But, I had seen too many impoverished people
who depended on taxis as their only means of
transportation. Unless a situation smelled of
danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be
someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked
to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly
voice. I could hear something being dragged across the
floor. After a long pause, the
door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was
wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it,
like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon
suitcase. The apartment looked as if
no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered
with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or
utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled
with photos and glassware. "Would you carry my bag
out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then
returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly
toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my
kindness. "It's nothing", I told
her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my
mother treated". "Oh, you're such a good boy", she
said. When we got in the cab,
she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through
downtown?" "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a
hospice". I looked in the rear-view
mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left,"
she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long." I quietly
reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like
me to take?" I asked. For the next two hours, we
drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had
once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the
neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were
newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse
that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a
girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular
building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying
nothing. As the first hint of sun
was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,"I'm tired. Let's go
now." We drove in silence to the
address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small
convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two
orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They
were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have
been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase
to the door. The woman was already seated in a
wheelchair. "How much do I owe you?"
she asked, reaching into her purse.
"Nothing," I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered.
"There are other passengers," I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto
me tightly.
"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank
you."
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind
me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I
didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly
lost in thought. For the rest of that day,
I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry
driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had
refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven
away? On a quick review, I don't
think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're
conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in
what others may consider a small one. God won't ask:
God won't ask what kind of car you drove; He'll ask how many people
you drove who didn't have transportation.
God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many
people you welcomed into your home.
God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask
how many you helped to clothe.
God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you
compromised your character to obtain it.
God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed
your job to the best of your ability.
God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people
to whom you were a friend.
God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you
treated your neighbors.
God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the
content of your character.
God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll
lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates
of Hell.
-author unknown |
Positive Mental Attitude We
can all learn a lesson from this great old
girl. The
92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably
coifed and
makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved
to a
nursing home today. Her
husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move
necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the
nursing
home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was
ready. As
she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that
had
been hung on her window. "I
love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old
having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just
wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.
"Happiness is
something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or
not
doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I
arrange
my mind. I
already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every
morning
when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed
recounting the
difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work,
or
get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that
do. Each
day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the
new
day and all the happy memories I've stored away ...just for this
time in
my life. Old
age is like a bank account ...you withdraw from what you've put
in. So,
my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the
bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am
still
depositing. Remember the five simple rules to be
happy: 1.
Free your heart from hatred. 2.
Free your mind from worries. 3.
Live simply. 4.
Give more. 5. Expect
less." |
Sugar Bush says, "If you'd
like to contribute a short excerpt or clip to be added to
'Squirrel Bytes', please EMAIL IT TO ME and be sure to put all of
your information and the name of the author (if you
know). I encourage all of you to help me, Sugar Bush
Squirrel, to help others with words of inspiration,
advice and solutions to everyday problems they could be
experiencing. This
is your forum to share your favorite little poems and short
excerpts, which have brought you enjoyment or
moments of help during your lifetime." |
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