Thoughts for a day for a year.

Dear God, Could I Have an Ice-cream? A mother took her six-year-old son to the restaurant. As they prepared to have their meal he asked if he could say grace. 
 He bowed his head and said,” God is good. God is great.  Thank you for the food, and I would thank you even more if I am allowed ice cream for dessert. Amen!" 
   He was heard by those around and there were many smiles and silent laughter. One woman though was rather indignant. "That is what is wrong with this world, children do not have a clue about how we should pray. We have come to a sorry pass when we are letting children pray for ice-cream." Hearing this, the young lad burst into tears and asked his mother, “Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" 
  His mother assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him. A gentleman approached the table.  He winked at the lad and said, 
  "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." 
  "Really?...

Castles in the Sky. Today a tale about spiders.  Spiders are usually born on the lower branches of bushes or trees. Some for one reason or another decide to stay right there in the lower branches when old enough they leave the web of their parents and move over to another corner and build their own web. There in the safety, they catch the odd fly and have enough on which to live, not fat but enough for them to survive. Others decide to climb to the higher branches and build their webs on the exposed branches of the trees and bushes. These are the webs that get torn and battered by wind and rain. They are also the webs that are up where most of the flies are, so the captures they make are more frequent. In turn, these spiders eat better, are stronger and bigger.  One day one such spider met a very small young spider on the branch of a bush. The young spider looked at the big one in awe. The large spider asked the youngster what he was looking at. “Your size,” said...

A Foot Has No Nose There is a thought-provoking tale of a mother and her son. The mother called her son and sent him down to the main road a short distance from his home. She instructed him to take with him a bucket and to collect some dry cow dung on his way, this would be used to make a fire. He was to invite a group of seasonal workers to share a meal he would cook for them. The thought of making an open fire outside at midday, cooking in a large three-legged pot in that intense heat, was sufficient to upset even an angel. The son did not manage to conceal his feelings from his mother and, after serving the group, she called him to the veranda where she usually sat sewing and knitting. Looking straight into the eyes of her son she said "Tsholofelo, why did you sulk when I requested you to prepare a meal for those poor destitute people?" Despite his attempt to deny her allegation, or to make any excuses for his behaviour, his mother, gave him a firm look, and said ...

Wealthy Disciples There was a wise sage who had many followers. Some of these disciples questioned the master about how it was that he allowed rich people to become his followers. They saw this as a contradiction.  It intrigued them that the Master who lived so simply would not condemn these wealthy followers. So, they asked him about it. "It is rare but not impossible for someone to be rich and holy," he said one day. "How?" asked his followers. "When money has the effect on his heart that the shadow of that bamboo has on the courtyard." The disciples turned to watch the bamboo's shadow sweep the courtyard without stirring a single particle of dust. Until we have found the ability to move through life without causing a stir or harm it is wise to keep our counsel.  True riches are not the wealth we have but what we do with them.

Puppies for Sale There was a sign in the window of the pet store that read "Puppies for Sale."  A young boy entered the store to inquire about the cost of the puppies. The store owner replied, "Anywhere from £20 to £40." The boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have £3," he said. "Can I please look at them?" The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The store owner explained that the vet had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The boy became excited. "That is the puppy that I want to buy." The store owner said, "No, you don't w...

Hope The lady wondered whether to dye her hair black or blonde? Her friend said to let it grow natural. She replied, "I am not yet ready to embrace being grey as yet." Two oncologists, talking about a test they had both been involved in, hoping to help people beat dreaded cancer. One complained bitterly, "You know, Bob, I just don't understand it. We used the same drugs, the same dosage, the same schedule and the same entry criteria. Yet I got a twenty-two per cent response rate and you got a seventy-four per cent.  That's unheard of for metastatic cancer. How do you do it?" His colleague replied, "We're both using Etoposide, Platinum, Oncovin and Hydroxyurea.  You call yours EPOH. I tell my patients I'm giving them, Hydroxyurea, Oncovin Platinum and Hydroxyurea.  I call it “HOPE.” Auburn, Blonde or Grey?  Real beauty comes from the inner being and is seen by all it shines from the face and the eyes. 

The Carpenter An elderly carpenter was ready to retire, h e would miss the wages he earned each week, but he wanted to spend more time with his wife. They would manage on his pension; it might be a more frugal existence, but he was ready to retire.  The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal  favour . The carpenter agreed, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.  

 When he had finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house, my gift to you." 

 The carpenter was shocked!  

 What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.  
 
 So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often pu...

Good Corn There was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the county fair where it most often won the top award. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked. "Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from a field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn." He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbour's corn also improves.  Those who ...

Some Things Take Longer A very famous person in Scottish history is Robert the Bruce.  There is a well-known tale of him and a spider in a cave. He had just suffered a defeat at the hands of the English and was hiding in the cave. He was thinking it was all over and that he should just retreat and go home. While he sat there he saw this spider trying to make a web. It tried and it tried until eventually it managed to begin, from then on it got easier. Robert thought if this spider can do it so can I. I will do what needs to be done.  There was a tree that grew in the churchyard of my last church. One Sunday I Took the children out of the service to show them this tree, a tree they had passed many, many times and hardly taken the time to notice.  At some distant time, a bird had dropped a seed and it had lodged in the crack in a stone. As the years had passed the tree had grown and grown until it had split the rock in...

The King and His Successor. The king was growing old and wondered how to select his successor for training. He announced a competition. Every boy was to collect a seed from the palace and the boy who grew the best plant would succeed. They all collected their seeds and went home. Each boy prepared his pot and planted his seed and began watering. Soon there was much talk about leaves and shoots appearing and who was managing to grow the biggest plant. Shaun had taken great care of his seed and how he had planted it. But nothing was growing. On the day when all the pots were to be brought to the palace, his was still empty.  His mother told him to take his pot as it was and show it to the king. On the way to the palace, he saw so many beautiful plants and he had nothing. He wondered why he was bothering to go. As they all stood before the king, he wandered among them until he came to Shaun. Here is the winner he declared. They all looked amazed. The King then said tha...

The Lazy Donkey He was a poor man, but he did own a donkey, that is a very lazy donkey, even although it has always been treated kindly by its owner. It is well looked after but still; it is very lazy. it will do anything to avoid having to do any work. The owner earned a living by transporting salt from the mine to the town. One day he loaded the donkey with the bags of salt. On the way along the edge of the river the donkey slipped and fell into the river. Of course, the salt began to dissolve in the water and the load became lighter. The donkey thinks this is marvellous. The next journey carrying the bags of salt the donkey does not slip but he makes sure that he ends up in the water, again lightening his load. This happens a number of times and the owner thinks that he has to find a solution to this problem, this is costing him money. The next day he loads two sacks onto the back of the donkey weighing almost the exact same weight but this time not ...

Making Mistakes An elderly lady returned to the car park with her trolley laden with groceries. As she arrived at her car, she found four males in the act of leaving with her car. She let go of her shopping trolley and drew out of the trolley a large heavy bag, proceeding to scream at the top of her lungs, I have heavyweights in this bag and a spray, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car.” The four men did not wait for a second. They got out and ran. The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping into the car and got into the driver’s seat. She was so shaken that she could not get the ignition key into the car. She tried and tried to no avail. It was only then she wondered why there was a football, a Frisbee and a twelve pack of beer on the front seat. A few minutes later she found her own car five spaces further on in the car park. She loaded her messages into her car and drove straight to the police station to report her mistake. The police...

Depends How You See Life   While walking one day I came to a large fallen tree which became a difficulty to overcome. Having struggled over I watched as two young deer ran towards the same obstacle, they took it in their stride.  There is a lovely story of the new convert to a religion. He was sitting at the side of a track very interestedly reading his holy book while waiting for his companion, and every now and then would exclaim, “Alleluia, Praise the Lord, Amen” and on as he read. A passing walker heard him and came and asked what he was reading. He answered,” I am reading how God parted the Red Sea and let the Israelites go through, now that is a miracle!” The rather skeptical walker explained “Do not believe everything the Bible tells you. The truth of the matter is that that body of water was only really six inches deep, so it was not a miracle.” The man nodded in disappointment but kept on reading as the sceptic was walking away feeli...

Love Is (2) "Love is when you tell a boy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day." Noelle - age 7 "During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my dad waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore," Cindy - age 8 "My mum loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6 "Love is when Mum gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5 "Love is when Mum sees Dad smelly and sweaty and still says he is more handsome than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7 "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old 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 "You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it....

Love Is Over the years I have had discussions with young people and students about what they mean when they speak about love? The answers I found interesting and worthy of thought I took note of. I also found some others while doing some further research.  Over the next two dates of this daily thought let me share one or two that are well worth pondering.    "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So, my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."  Karen - age 9 When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."  Billy- age 8 "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on deodorant and they go out and are happy to just sit and smell each other." Karl - age 5 "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of...

Wonders it can work. Easy to give it costs not a thing  and can give so much. It fills the life of the receiver. The giver nothing loses.  Just a moment takes. Yet lingers in the thoughts for years. The richest person. Gets richer when it is given.  The poorest get no poorer By giving to the rich.  In the home, it brings the greatest joy At work it brings goodwill. To the weary a little rest. The person feeling low is filled with cheer. It is like a touch of sunshine on a gloomy day.  Reaching even the most sad. It does all this and even more. Not just once, but on and on. It cannot be bought. The beggar cannot claim it. Nor the thief in the dead of night. The owner cannot give on loan. It has no value due or worth. There are those who know not how to give. The ones who need it most. So as the day goes slowly on. Give one of yours. Today my plea is simple. Just give a smile to all yo...

The Old Man and His Brolly I remember very clearly walking one day.  Butterflies and bees were out and about and the buds on the trees beginning to open. The sounds of birds as they get back to a life of some normality and begin to seek partners and to build nests. The woodpeckers were tapping wildly seeking a mate, trying hard to prove their worth as a father. I thought of my father frequently said to me, “Stop chattering and just listen and let nature give you some answers.” I was reminded of the story of the old man taking his daily walk.       With bent shoulders, he set out each day to walk his few miles. On the days when it rained, he carried his furled umbrella, seldom if ever bothering to unfurl it, preferring to feel the rain on his balding head.  He came to a place in the road where there were a number of rocky steps which he climbed with determination and care. At the top of the steps, there was a carved pot with a cut ba...

A Few More Questions On another day I asked three questions leaving you to answer them.  Here are a few more. Make no real attempt to answer them unless of course, you know the answers instantly. I am sure the answers could be found by searching online, unlike my questions of before. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of Miss England contest. 4. Name ten winners the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last six Academy Award winners. 6. Name the last four second placed premier league teams. How did you do? The point is, very few of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. In spite of their success, they are mainly forgotten. Now here are another six...

The Pencil and its Maker. The Pencil Maker finished making another pencil and looked at it with a sense of pride. He was about to place it in the box with the others but stopped for a moment.  Then he spoke to the pencil,  
 "There are five things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be." 
 
 "One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand. Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil. Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside. And Five: On every surface, you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write." 
 
 The pencil understood and promised to rememb...

A Comma or a Full Stop. How simple it is to become fully engrossed in what it is we are doing, to the exclusion of everything else. When I am painting, everything I see, is a possible painting or an abstract. When I am writing I frequently lie awake thinking words. I recently wrote a book reflecting on my time as a minister of religion.  I did paint in those days but not nearly as often as now. I did a great deal of writing in those days. Notes for sermons. Talks to be given in prisons and various other places. At one time I even produced the manuscript of a book which I sent off to publishers. One suggested some changes and they would publish it. I never did get around to making the changes and the script has lain on the back shelf of my bookcase for all the later years spent teaching. I then dragged it out and returned to it and once again my head was full of words and thoughts. I never seem to be able to take time off. I am either actually writing or I am thinking...

Give a Little Thought A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a collecting tin by his feet. He held up a sign which read, "Please help me I am blind." There were only a few coins in the tin, some spare change dropped in by people as they hurried past. A man was walking past. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the tin. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked past would see the new words. Soon the tin began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money. The boy could not understand why but he was relieved it was happening. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the person who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote, “To...