First Christmas in Heaven

Christmas
In Heaven


I see the countless Christmas trees
around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,
reflecting on the snow

The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs
that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare
with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you,
the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description,
to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift,
from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory
of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious
than pure gold.
It was always most important
in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other,
as my Father said to do.
For I can't count the blessing or love
He has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and
wipe away that tear.
Remember, I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.

We must grow in love and in order to do this we must go on loving and loving and tgiving and giving until it hurts -- the way Jesus did. Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.
-Mother Teresa

Love has nothing to do with what you are expected to get. It's what you are expected to give.

This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrafice for our sins... And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
- 1 John 4:10, 16

Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no cmmandemtn greater than these.
-Mark 12:30-31

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
-John 15:7-8

Love is Patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered , it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. it always proects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres. Love never fails.
-1 Corinthians 13

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
- Ephesians 2:8-9

Mind how you pray. Make real business of it. Let it never be a dead formality.
- Charles Spurgeon

Prayer doesn't change God, but it changes him who prays.
- Soren Kierkegaard

The less i pray the harder it gets, the more i pray the better it goes.
- Martin Luther

When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
- Matthew 6:7

Be Joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Do not conform any loner to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
-Romans 12:2

As he thinketh in his heart, so he is
- Proverbs 23

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
- James 1:22

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.




GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.




GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing up is mandatory; growing old is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.






THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

BMOC

Congrats Josh!!! <3 you!!

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindnes, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. To these i commit my day. If i succeed, I will give thinaks, If i fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will lay my head on my pillow and rest.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....one old love

she can imagine

going back to..

and one who reminds

her how far she has come...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....enough money within her

control to move out and

rent a place of her own

even if she never wants

to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

...something perfect to wear if the employer

or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

...a youth she's content

to leave behind...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....a past juicy enough that

she's looking forward to

retelling it in her old age...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....a set of screwdrivers,

cordless drill, and a black

lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

...one friend who always makes

her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....a good piece of furniture

not previously owned by anyone

else in her family..

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....eight matching plates, wine

glasses with stems, and a recipe

for a meal that will make her

guests feel honored..

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

....a feeling of control over

her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.

...how to fall in love without

losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

...how to quit a job,

and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

and how to change a tire!!!!!!!

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

....when to try harder... and

when to walk away...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

....that she can't change the

length of her calves, the width

of her hips, or the nature of her

parents...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

....that her childhood may not

! have been perfect...but its

over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW....

....what she would and wouldn't

do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

...how to live alone... even if

she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

....whom she can trust,

whom she can't,

and why she shouldn't

take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

....where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table..

or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she can and can't

accomplish in a day..

a month...and a year...

Heaven.

If heaven was an hour, it'd be twilight
When the fireflies start dancin on the lawn
And supper's on the stove and Mamma's laughin'
And everybody's workin' day is done

If heaven was a town, it'd be my town
On a summer day in 1985
And everything I wanted was out there waiting
And everyone I loved was still alive

Don't cry a tear for me now baby
There comes a time we must all say goodbye
And if that's what heavens made of
You know I aint afraid to die

If heaven was a pie, it'd be cherry
Cool and sweet and heavy on your tongue
And just one bite would satisfy your hunger
And there'd always be enough for everyone

If heaven was a train, it'd be a fast one
To take this weary traveler 'round the bend
And if heaven was a tear, it'd be my last one
And you'd be in my arms again


Dearest Grandma,

Moments in time, each day passes by
Thoughts of you Grandma with tears in my eyes.
My mind floods with memories like a river runs wild
It long ago started when I was a child.

You cuddled me tightly right from the start
And as I grew older, drew me close to your heart.
Weekends with you, watching you bake
Breakfast at sunrise, later some cake.

Knitting, crocheting, on your couch we sat,
Laughing and giggling and making small chat.
You're a treasure of gold sent to me from above
And your gift to me is the father I love.

Your strength and your faith in times of distress
Are like rose petals bound in a book, neatly pressed.
Grandma, I love you and on that Great Day
I'll see you again and have much to say.

I'll hug you, I'll kiss you, I'll take you by the hand.
We'll both stand with Jesus upon His Right Hand.
We'll sing once again, we'll laugh and we'll smile,
But until that day, I'll miss you for a while.

But I know that you, in the Garden now stand
With Jesus our Lord, holding His Precious hand.

What i really mean....

I AM A CHRISTIAN ~
by Maya Angelou ~

When I say..."I'm a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."
I'm whispering "I was lost." Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I'm a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say..."I'm a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on

When I say..."I'm a Christian" I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need GOD to clean my mess.

When I say..."I'm a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say..."I am a Christian"I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches which is why I seek His name

When I say..."I'm a Christian" I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received GOD'S good grace, somehow.

"Imagine"...

“IMAGINE”

Imagine with me for one moment
that we stood at the gates,you and I
and our hearts started beating within us
as those gates suddenly swung open wide.
Can you feel the excitement around us,
do you see all the things that I see?
All the saints on their feet and they're cheering
with a welcome for you and for me.

See the tables, they're set for a banquet
with the finest of linen and gold.
In the air there's a sense of rejoicing
and this feeling will never grow old.
Is that Paul who is coming to greet us,
saying "Beloved, you've finished the race!
You have fought the good fight and been faithful,
now come rest in his love and his Grace."

Have you noticed the beautiful music
and the angels all gathered around?
Have you noticed that on all of these faces,
There isn't a tear to be found?
Do you feel what I feel at this moment?
All my fears have begun to subside.
And there's nothing that can be compared
to the peace that I'm feeling inside.

Wherever I look there is beauty
and all of saints know my name.
Now, because all my sins are forgiven,
I can face them without any shame.
And then suddenly... a hush falls upon them
and they slowly start moving aside.
Do you see what I see in the distance?
It is moving toward us, a beautiful light!

I watch as the light moves in closer,
now my joy I can hardly contain.
It is JESUS! He is walking right to me,
and He is calling to me by my name!
As His eyes look directly at mine,
with his arms he is motioning "come".
But I fall to my knees and I tremble
for my body is suddenly numb.

So he smiles and then gently he lifts me
and he holds me up close to his heart.
Now my mind looks for something to tell him
but my heart doesn't know where to start.
And before I can utter one word,
I hear his voice speaking into my ear.
He says "I've waited so long for this moment.
Now my child you are finally here!"

So I struggle to say "Jesus Thank you.
It is only because of you that I'm here".
But again, in his arms as he holds me,
I feel the warmth of his voice by my ear.
He says "Daughter, I knew you would make it.
That is why I've prepared you a place."
As I stand to my feet and I face him,
he is gently caressing my face.

There are no words to express what I'm feeling
and there's nothing worth giving this up.
Yet, I can sum it all up in a moment,
with a word that we both know as "LOVE"

Love Quotes from Movies....

Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some time, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me
--Runaway Bride


Don't forget. I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy...asking him to love her."
--Notting Hill

* * * * * * * * *

He was like an angel, you know? I never knew life could be like that. He was the one thing I followed through in my life, the one thing I didn't give up on. I was good at loving him.
-- The Untamed Heart
* * * * * * * * *

I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate it, I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it that you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
--Ten Things I Hate About You"
* * * * * * * * *
"Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever.. and you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you."
- Meet Joe Black
* * * * * * * * *
"Do you ever put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like. Everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but you just keep going."
- Practical Magic

* * * * * * * * *
That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they'd call them something else
-Sixteen Candles

* * * * * * * * *

Remember my sentimental friend, you will be judged not by how much you love, but by how much you are loved.
-Wizard of Oz

* * * * * * * * *

School is still the same.. there's still that one guy that you get up and go to school for in the morning. The one with the mysterious confidence that every girl falls for. Those years of school wouldn't have been the same without him. I wouldn't have been the same without him
- Never Been kissed

* * * * * * * * *
You are what I never knew I always wanted
-Fools Rush In

* * * * * * * * *

When they ask me what I liked best, I'll tell them it was you." - City Of Angels

* * * * * * * * *

I wonder how many people never get the one they want, but end up with the one they're supposed to have
-Fried Green Tomatoes

* * * * * * * * *

If you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just... passes you by...
-My Best friend's Wedding

* * * * * * * * *

Dont say we aren't right for each other, the way i see it is.. we aren't right for anyone else
--the cutting edge

* * * * * * * * *Sometimes I wish I had never met you. Because then I could go to sleep at night not knowing there was someone like you out there.
-Good Will Hunting

* * * * * * * * *
There Are Millions Of People In This world, But In The end It All Comes Down To One
-Crazy/Beautiful

* * * * * * * * *

You spend all your time looking for love yet you feel nothing even when its staring you in the face I will love again but You will spend all your life knowing you turned your back on love and that makes you a hypocrite
-Cruel Intentions

* * * * * * * * *

I always thought that there was this one perfect person for everybody in the world, you know, and when you found that person the rest of the world kind of magically faded away, and, you know, the two of you would just be inside this kind of protective bubble, but there is no bubble, I mean if there is you have to make it, I just think life is more than a series of moments, you know, we can make choices, and we can choose to protect the people we love, and that's what makes us who we are and those are the real memories
-Forces of Nature

*************

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.
-- Captain Corelli's Mandolin
**************

If I tell you I love you, can I keep you forever?-- Casper

************

A dream is a wish your heart makes.-- Cinderella

***********
There are only four questions of value in life.What is sacred?Of what is the spirit made of?What is worth living for?What is worth dying for?The answer to each is the same. Only love.
-- Don Juan Demarco

**************

When you love someone,And you love them with your heart,It never disappears,When you're apart.And when you love someoneAnd you've done all you can do,You set them free,And if that love was true...When you love someoneIt will all come back to you.
-- Forget Paris

**************

It doesn't matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other.
-- Good Will Hunting

***************

You're not perfect sport, and let me save you the suspense, this girl you met, she isn't perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other.
-- Good Will Hunting

*************
When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
-- When Harry Met Sally

*****************

I love that you get cold when it is 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle in your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.-- When Harry Met Sally

*********************

Zeta is...

If it is really anything at all.. Zeta is not entirely a flower, national convetions, monogrammed rings, worn out songs, by-laws, membership standards, or a golden pin....
And it is not entirely an institution, a creed, a legacy, an obligation, or a way of life.

If you're going to insist that it is osmething... Zeta is moving in for the first time and slowly learning that even the most beautiful people have fat thighs and use mothwash and wear last year's coat.

It is long, tired eternities of black coffee and exam snacks when you can't still remember the Renaissance archtects or the mossy taproot systems.

It is feeling proud of the achievements of your sisters.

It is sitting on the swing and listening with helplessness because she's lost and she's lonely and it seems the whole world just fell into ugly little pieces.

It is studying for that big exam while a special friend types your ten page research paper.

And Zeta is coming in very late one night and closing the door to tell someone who's seen you through the hardest years of your life that you're happy now and you are getting married.

And Zeta is, I suppose a kind of evaluation.
You grow up inside the elegant halls and perhaps you learn more of this grizzly, ungraceful circus we call life than if you had lived somewhere else.

You learn that a football player is sometimes just hsoulder pads, and that skinny arms hide a great man.

You learn that no matter where you come from, or who took you there, you've still got to find one small acre that belongs to you, by yourself.

You learn that no matter where you come from, or who took you there, you've still got to find one small acre that belongs to you, by yourself.

You learn to wait because change is slow and change isn't always right.

You learn that there's still a lot left to believe in and a whole lot more to hope for.

And if you're very smart or very lucky, you learn that no matter how big or how messy the world beocmes , what is precious and what is permanent is always the same.

You learn that a friend means taking popcorn breaks with her to help each other through long nighters.

And in the very end, Zeta can only be a better way to spend the four years that we call college...

-Kimberly Yankee

"After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, and you learn that love doesnt mean learning and company doesnt mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses arent contracts and presents arent promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child, and you learn to build your roads on today because tomorrows ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure...that you really are strong."

This Everyday Love....

Frank Sinatra - The Best Is Yet To Come Lyrics

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plumb
You came along and everything started to hum
Still it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come
The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine

You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine
Wait till the warm-up is underway
Wait till out lips have met
Wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet
The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine
Come the day that your mine
I'm gonna teach you to fly
We've only tasted the wine
We're gonna drain that cup dry
Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround
You think you've flown before, but you ain't left the ground
Wait till you're locked in my embrace
Wait till I hold you near
Wait till you see that sunshine place
There ain't nothin' like it here
The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine


RASCAL FLATTS - This Everyday Love Lyrics

Can't get enough of this everyday love
Can't get enough of this everyday love

Each morning the sun shines through my window
Lands on the face of a dream come true
I shuffle to the kitchen for my coffee
And catch up on the front page morning news
Then she walks up behind me and throws her arms around my neck
Just another normal thing I've come to expect


[Chorus]
It's ordinary plain and simple
Typical, this everyday love
Same ol', same ol' keeping it new
(Same ol'/This everyday love)
Emotional, so familiar
Nothing about it too peculiar
Oh, but I can't get enough
Of this everyday love


Every afternoon I make a phone call
Listen to the voice that warms my heart
I drag myself through a few more hours
Then head on home to try and beat the dark
Her smile will be right there when I step through that door
And it will be that way tomorrow, just like everyday before

[Repeat Chorus]

Wouldn't change one single thing about it
No, it's run-of-the-mill, still I can't live without it


Frank Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon Lyrics
Fly me to the moon
Let me play amoung the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On jupiter and mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby kiss me

Fill my heart with song and
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you.
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and Adore

In other words, please be true !!!!
In other words
In other wordsss, I love you !!!

<3 you Jage

100 Ways to Brighten People Days

What Would Happen If Everyone Would Think More About Being Kind to others and Brightening their Days...

1. Call an old friend, just to say hi.
2. Hold a door open for a stranger.
3. Invite someone to lunch.
4. Compliment someone on his or her appearance.
5. Ask a coworker for their opinion on a project.
6. Bring cookies to work.
7. Let someone cut in during rush hour traffic.
8. Leave a waitress or waiter a big tip.
9. Tell a cashier to have a nice day.
10. Call your parents.
11. Let someone know you miss them.
12. Treat someone to a movie.
13. Let a person know you really appreciate them.
14. Visit a retirement center.
15. Take a child to the zoo.
16. Fill up your spouse's car with gas.
17. Surprise someone with a small gift.
18. Leave a thank-you note for the cleaning staff at work.
19. Write a letter to a distant relative.
20. Tell someone you thought about them the other day.
21. Put a dime in a stranger's parking meter before the time expires.
22. Bake a cake for a neighbor.
23. Send someone flowers to where they work.
24. Invite a friend to tea.
25. Recommend a good book to someone.
26. Donate clothing to a charity.
27. Offer an elderly person a ride to where they need to go.
28. Bag your own groceries at the checkout counter.
29. Give blood.
30. Offer free baby-sitting to a friend who's really busy or just needs a break.
31. Help your neighbor rake leaves or shovel snow.
32. Offer your seat to someone when there aren't any left.
33. Help someone with a heavy load.
34. Ask to see a store's manager and comment on the great service.
35. Give your place in line at the grocery store to someone who has only a few items.
36. Hug someone in your family for no reason.
37. Wave to a child in the car next to you.
38. Send a thank-you note to your doctor.
39. Repeat something nice you heard about someone else.
40. Leave a joke on someone's answering machine.
41. Be a mentor or coach to someone.
42. Forgive a loan.
43. Fill up the copier machine with paper after you're done using it.
44. Tell someone you believe in them.
45. Share your umbrella on a rainy day.
46. Welcome new neighbors with flowers or a plant.
47. Offer to watch a friend's home while they're away.
48. Ask someone if they need you to pick up anything while you're out shopping.
49. Ask a child to play a board game, and let them win.
50. Ask an elderly person to tell you about the good old days.
51. During bad weather, plan an indoor picnic with the family.
52. Buy someone a goldfish and bowl.
53. Compliment someone on their cooking and politely ask for a second helping.
54. Dance with someone who hasn't been asked.
55. Tell someone you mentioned them in your prayers.
56. Give children's clothes to another family when your kids outgrow them.
57. Deliver extra vegetables from your garden to the whole neighborhood.
58. Call your spouse just to say, I love you.
59. Call someone's attention to a rainbow or beautiful sunset.
60. Invite someone to go bowling.
61. Figure out someone's half-birthday by adding 182 days, and surprise them with a cake.
62. Ask someone about their children.
63. Tell someone which quality you like most about them.
64. Brush the snow off of the car next to yours.
65. Return your shopping cart to the front of the store.
66. Encourage someone's dream, no matter how big or small it is.
67. Pay for a stranger's cup of coffee without them knowing it.
68. Leave a love letter where your partner will find it.
69. Ask an older person for their advice.
70. Offer to take care of someone's pet while they're away.
71. Tell a child you're proud of them.
72. Visit a sick person, or send them a care package.
73. Join a Big Brother or Sister program.
74. Leave a piece of candy on a coworker's desk.
75. Bring your child to work with you for the afternoon.
76. Give someone a recording of their favorite music.
77. Email a friend some information about a topic they are especially interested in.
78. Give someone a homemade gift.
79. Write a poem for someone.
80. Bake some cookies for your local fire or police department.
81. Organize a neighborhood cleanup and have a barbecue afterwards.
82. Help a child build a birdhouse or similar project.
83. Check in on an old person, just to see if they're okay.
84. Ask for the recipe after you eat over at someone's house.
85. Personally welcome a new employee at work and offer to take them out for lunch.
86. While in a car, ask everyone to buckle up because they are important to you.
87. Let someone else eat the last slice of cake or pizza.
88. Stop and buy a drink from a kid's lemonade stand.
89. Forgive someone when they apologize.
90. Wave to someone looking for a parking space when you're about to leave a shopping center.
91. Send a copy of an old photograph to a childhood friend.
92. Leave a pint of your spouse's favorite flavor of ice cream in the freezer with a bow on it.
93 Do a household chore that is usually done by someone else in the family.
94. Be especially happy for someone when they tell you their good news.
95. Compliment a coworker on their role in a successful project.
96. Give your spouse a spontaneous back rub at the end of the day.
97. Serve someone in your family breakfast in bed.
98. Ask someone if they've lost weight.
99. Make a donation to a charity in someone's honor.
100. Take a child to a ballgame.

With a Smile and A Song

-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

With a smile and a song
Life is just a bright sunny day
Your cares fade away
And your heart is young

With a smile and a song
All the world seems to waken anew
Rejoicing with you
As the song is sung

There's no use in grumbling
When the raindrops come tumbling
Remember, you're the one
Who can fill the world with sunshine

When you smile and you sing
Everything is in tune and it's spring
And life flows along
With a smile and a song

My Sister...<3

Time Will Never Change the Love We Share as Sisters

Time has changed our secrets
and the pigtails in our hair;
It has changed the silly arguments
and the giggles that we shared.
It has changed our childish happiness
to grown-up make-believe,
And leaving us with little else,
it has slowly changed
our dreams....

Time has come along and changed
the essence of our world;
Then finally and silently,
it has changed the little girls.
But having taken away the dreams
and the simple things we shared before.
Time has led us to the lasting things
we need each other for...

Memories of moments
that were made for us to share,
The crazy laughter
that's somehow always there,
The hidden corners of our lives
only we will ever know,
And the love that becomes deeper
and sweeter as it grows.

Time changes many things
and some dreams come apart,
But nothing can reach or change
the love for you
that lives within my heart.

For My Parents I <3 U!!

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me and
I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer,
and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick,
and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing
and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and
I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good
and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes and
I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good
and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked at you and wanted to say,
"Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'"

Instructions For Life

Instructions For Life

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully
2. Memorize your favorite poem
3. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want
4. When you say, “I love you”, mean it.
5. When you say, “I’m Sorry”, look the person in the eye
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married
7. Believe in love at first sight.
8. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.
9. Love deeply & passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name-calling.
11. Don’t judge people by their relatives.
12. Talk slowly but think quickly.
13. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
15. Say, “Bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.
16. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
17. Remember the three R’s: Respect for others, Respect for self, Respect for your actions
18. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
19. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
21. Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
22. Spend some time alone.
23. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
24. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
25. Read more books and watch less TV.
26. Live a good, honorable life. When you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
27. Trust in God but lock your car.
28. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil and harmonious home.
29. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
30. Read between the lines
31. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immorality.
32. Be gentle with the earth
33. Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.
34. Never interrupt when you are being flattered
35. Mind your own business.
36. Don’t trust a man/woman who doesn’t close his/her eyes when you kiss.
37. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
38. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.
39. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
40. Learn the rules, and then break some.
41. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
42. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
43. Remember that your character is your destiny.
44. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

What Love Means

What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got werebroader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend overand paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for herall the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."Rebecca- age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts onshaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most ofyour French fries without making them give you any of theirs."Chrissy -age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and shetakes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste isOK."Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. MyMommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start witha friend who you hate,"Nikka - age 6

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then hewears it everyday."Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who ! are still friends even after they know each other so well."Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared.I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving andsmiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all herold clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn'tthink it's gross."Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it.But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of thecontest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighborwas an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife Uponseeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother askedwhat he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

IF - By Rudyard Kipling

If ~By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

"smile... get your smile on... you know you wanna smile..."

-KennySmile by Bobby Caldwell

Smile, though your heart is breaking
Smile, even though it's aching

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your pain and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow,
You'll find the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Allthough tears maybe ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use in crying You'll find that life is still worth while
If you'll just smile..

That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile what's the use in crying
You'll find that life is still worth while
If you'll just smile...

In A Few Weeks..

In a few weeks...


A year has past and now we stand on the brink of returning to a world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything yet nothing being the same. In a few weeks we will reluctantly give our hugs and, fighting the tears, say goodbye to the people who were once just names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before we ever left. We will leave our best friends to return to our best friends. We will go back to places we came from and go back to the same things we did last summer and every summer before. We will come into town on that same familiar road, and even thought it has been months, it will seem like only yesterday.


As you walk into your old bedroom, every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your life has changed and the person you have become. You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold highest now, no one at home will completely understand. Who will you call first? Where are you going to work? Who will be at the party Saturday night? What has everyone been up to? Who from school will you keep in touch with? How long before you actually start missing people bargaining in without calling or knocking? Who will get breadsticks with you at three in the morning? How long until you adjust to sleeping in a room by yourself, or how long before you realize your three best friends aren't in the bed next to your room?


Then you realize how much things have changed, you realize the hardest part of college is balancing the two completely different worlds you now live in, trying desperately to hold on to everything all the while trying to figure out what you have to leave behind. In the matter of one day's traveling time, we will leave our world of living next door to our best friends, walking across campus to eat, instant messenger, 8:00 classes, and perpetual procrastination to a world that will seem foreign to us despite the fact that we have lived in it for nineteen years.


But it is different now... We now know the meaning of true friendship. We know whom we have kept in touch with over the past year and whom we hold dearest to our hearts. We've left our high school worlds to deal with the real world. We have had our hearts broken, we've fell in love, we've helped our best friends through the toughest times of their lives, something their even best friends at home couldn't be there for. We've stayed up all night just to be there for a friend. We've partied the night away, doing stupid stuff, but we were always there for each other afterwards. There have been times when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we know our families or friends needed us most, and there are times when we know we have made a difference.


A few weeks from now we will leave. A few weeks from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes. No more going next door to do nothing for hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random emails and phone calls will bring us to laughter and tears this summer. We will take our memories and dreams and put them away for now, saving them for our return to this world.


A few weeks from now from now we will arrive. A few weeks from now from now we will unpack our bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end. We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone calls have brought us laughter and tears over the past year. We will unpack old memories and dreams that have been put away for the past year.


A few weeks from now we will dig deep inside to find the strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each other close. And somehow, in someway, we will find our place between these two worlds. In a few weeks.... are you ready?

A Promise...

Promise me you'll never change,

and that we'll always be this close.

Promise we won't ever let too much time go by

without saying, "Hey! How ya been?" or let

stupid little things come between us.

Promise we'll still be laughing and busting

each other like always.

Promise we won't grow old and boring, that fifty

years from now we'll still be calling each other up

to share some insane detail of our day that no one else

would appreciate but you and me.

Promise we'll always stay as tight as

just-out-of-the-dryer-jeans, and that we will

always be the best of friends...!

<3>

IM GOING TO JUMP OUT OF THE WINDOW...... MY SISTER IS ENGAGED....!!!!

Zeta

I AM CURRENTLY A NEW MEMBER OF THE BEST SORORITY ON CAMPUS... ZETA TAU ALPHA!!! THEY ARE KEEPING ME BUSY THIS WEEK AND THESE GIRLS ARE AMAZING THAT I AM MEETING SO I AM ENJOYING EVERY SECOND OF IT!!

ZETA LOVE

Doing it all over again

While break ends my emotions are mixed.... while i feel it was cut short and rushed here at home, I miss my dorm and my friends and my schedule back at school. Bloomington awaits me and im anxious to get back.

I had an excellent Christmas ( thank you to all who helped with that). Santa was very good to me, and my parents didnt do so bad either :) Visiting family in Georgia was relaxful, Seeing my sister again was great, and being with my family was perfect. After being on your own you miss doing the crosswords at night....eating a scrumptious homecooked meal..... walking in the next room and seeing the people that love you... and not having any requirements for the day just enjoying every moment given to you. I will always remember overtaking my parents in Password and my favorite man out there taking me to Chicago for a shopping day to celebrate my birthday!!. I will now return to IU a year older and prepared for whatever those bloomington prof. throw at me.

Unluckily I am one out of 2000 girls returning to Iu early to go through a painful process of recruitment. The up side is at the end of this week I will know where i will be living and finaly find my niche in a school of 38,000 kids. Bad news is I hold 70 something interviews in a matter of three days by girls being constantly judging in my future. I know that everything will work out for the better in the long run and i will love sorority life.

So After such a pleasant vacation I am ready to return to my home away from home... 1101 North Fee Lane..... Indiana Unversity@!!!