The Positive Thinking Thread,Post your Quotes,Good Deeds,Life Stories etc

Whistling Pete

The American flag, fireworks, friends, picnics, chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, parades, bands and celebrations are all part of the Fourth of July. That early summer holiday, we pause to honor a time in our history with cheers, bangs, pops and whistles. This day was given to us by the blood and foresight of generations past, and it is full of promises that we must keep for the future. A happy day, at least for most of us.

"Hi," was my greeting to one of our midafternoon customers at the fireworks booth. "Are you looking for any particular display of fireworks"?

"Yes," came the reply of the fortyish-year-old man who stood on the other side of the wooden booth. "I need a firecracker."

This was my third year selling fireworks for the Chaparral High School Band Booster Club, and I took pride in my knowledge of these "treats" for the eyes and ears. Thanks to my son, I know what every one of these does or at least what it was designed to do.

"Would you like to see one of our packaged displays; or the ones here on the counter that can be bought separately"?

"Just one," returned the gentleman as he avoided eye contact.

"Well, let me see. We have some small fountains and some large ones. Perhaps you'd like a smoke ball or a whistler."

"Just one firecracker," persisted the man. "I want it to pop is all."

"How old is the child"? I responded as if he'd told me it was for a child, but I didn't know that. Not for sure.

"It doesn't matter," returned a voice that now became more determined with a man's resolve to find just the right firecracker.

It was clear to me that this child was special. That the Fourth of July was special. But I found it hard to believe that just one firecracker could remedy whatever it was that came between this father and child.

I smiled. "Well, here's just the thing," I said as I held up a party popper. "This makes one pop and sprinkles a little confetti."

"That won't do. It can't make a mess."

"Is this for the evening? Maybe a little fountain that sprinkles would be the best choice."

"No. Just a pop or a whistle."

The man allowed his voice to shake for the first time as he brushed the back of his hand up the side of his whiskered face and across his left eye. "I . . . I want this for my son's grave and I don't want it to make a mess in the mausoleum."

If one heart could touch another, this gentle, sad man had truly touched mine. He was right, the age didn't matter; neither did all the parades, fireworks, hot dogs or celebrations. All of the Fourths of July that had ever been or ever would be didn't matter to him or to his son. All that mattered was this man's need to give someone he'd loved and lost a shared moment of declaration.

'"This is what you want." I gulped as I held up a Whistling Pete. "It whistles quite loudly, but it's what I'd get."

"Thanks," said the unnamed man as he edged a smile at me through watery eyes. "I'll take it."

I could have just given the Whistling Pete to this lonely man, but knew that it was a gift from a father to his son. His need prevailed over my selfish desire.

"They're fifty cents."

Two quarters dropped into the palm of my hand.

The man in a chambray shirt turned his back as he approached his sun-bleached burgundy Oldsmobile. He turned his head toward me and smiled gently as he clutched one Whistling Pete up by his face. He opened the car door and was gone.

If God was anywhere on July 4, 1995, he surely had one hand on the shoulder of this father as he knelt at the crypt of his son. Before the tears and silence that so gently fell in that mausoleum, one Whistling Pete sounded loudly and boldly on that day in July, and I know that it was heard in heaven.

--Kathie Harrington

 

Love Notes

From the time each of my children started school, I packed their lunches. And in each lunch I packed, I included a note. Often written on a napkin, the note might be a thank you for a special moment, a reminder of something we were happily anticipating, or a bit of encouragement for an upcoming test or sporting event.

In early grade school, they loved their notes. They commented on them after school, and when I went back to teaching, they even put notes in my lunches. But as kids grow older, they become self-conscious, and by the time he reached high school, my older son, Marc, informed me he no longer needed my daily missives. Informing him that they had been written as much for me as for him, and that he no longer needed to read them, but I still needed to write them, I continued the tradition until the day he graduated.

Six years after high school graduation, Marc called and asked if he could move home for a couple of months. He had spent those years well, graduating Phi Beta Kappa magna cum laude from college, completing two congressional internships in Washington, D.C., winning the Jesse Marvin Unruh Fellowship to the California State Legislature, and finally, becoming a legislative assistant in Sacramento. Other than short vacation visits, however, he had lived away from home. With his younger sister leaving for college, I was especially thrilled to have Marc coming home.

A couple weeks after Marc arrived home to rest, regroup and write for a while, he was back at work. He had been recruited to do campaign work. Since I was still making lunch every day for his younger brother, I packed one for Marc, too. Imagine my surprise when I got a call from my 24-year-old son, complaining about his lunch.

"Did I do something wrong? Aren't I still your kid? Don't you love me any more, Mom"? were just a few of the queries he threw at me as I laughingly asked him what was wrong.

"My note, Mom," he answered. "Where's my note"?

This year, my youngest son will be a senior in high school. He, too, has now announced that he is too old for notes. But like his older brother and sister before him, he will receive those notes till the day he graduates, and in whatever lunches I pack for him afterwards.

--Antoinette Kuritz

 

Jessie's Glove

I do a lot of management training each year for the Circle K Corporation, a national chain of convenience stores. Among the topics we address in our seminars is the retention of quality employees, a real challenge to managers when you consider the pay scale in the service industry. During these discussions, I ask the participants, "What has caused you to stay long enough to become a manager"? Some time back, a new manager took the question and slowly, with her voice almost breaking, said, "It was a $19 baseball glove."

Cynthia told the group that she originally took a Circle K clerk job as an interim position while she looked for something better. On her second or third day behind the counter, she received a phone call from her nine-year-old son, Jessie. He needed a baseball glove for Little League. She explained that as a single mother, money was very tight, and her first check would have to go for paying bills. Perhaps she could buy his baseball glove with her second or third check.

When Cynthia arrived for work the next morning, Patricia, the store manager, asked her to come to the small room in back of the store that served as an office. Cynthia wondered if she had done something wrong or left some part of her job incomplete from the day before. She was concerned and confused.

Patricia handed her a box. "I overheard you talking to your son yesterday," she said, "and I know that it is hard to explain things to kids. This is a baseball glove for Jessie, because he may not understand how important he is, even though you have to pay bills before you can buy gloves. You know we can't pay good people like you as much as we would like to, but we do care, and I want you to know you are important to us."

The thoughtfulness, empathy and love of this convenience store manager demonstrates vividly that people remember more how much an employer cares than how much the employer pays. An important lesson for the price of a Little League baseball glove.

--Rick Phillips

 

Subject: Out of the Mouths of Babes


Slow down for three minutes to read this.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined. See what you think:
_____
_____



"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."

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 on shaving cologne and
they go out 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 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 she takes a sip before
giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."

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.
My Mommy 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 (Wow!)
_____
_____



"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who
you hate,"

Nikka - age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
_____
_____


"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears 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 and smiling.

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 Brad Pitt."

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 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." (what an image)

Karen - age 7
_____
_____



"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 the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard,
climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy
said,

"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

 

crowy, very good I'M emailing alot of the good post to family and friends ,this will be a good one, thanks

 

A Guy Named Bill

His name was Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, blue jeans and no shoes. In the entire time I knew him, I never once saw Bill wear a pair of shoes. Rain, sleet or snow, Bill was barefoot. This was literally his wardrobe for his whole four years of college.

He was brilliant and looked like he was always pondering the esoteric. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus was a church full of well-dressed, middle-class people. They wanted to develop a ministry to the college students, but they were not sure how to go about it.

One day, Bill decided to worship there. He walked into the church, complete with his wild hair, T-shirt, blue jeans and bare feet. The church was completely packed, and the service had already begun. Bill started down the aisle to find a place to sit. By now, the people were looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything.

As Bill moved closer and closer to the pulpit, he realized there were no empty seats. So he squatted and sat down on the carpet right up front. (Although such behavior would have been perfectly acceptable at the college fellowship, this was a scenario this particular congregation had never witnessed before!) By now, the people seemed uptight, and the tension in the air was thickening.

Right about the time Bill took his “seat,” a deacon began slowly making his way down the aisle from the back of the sanctuary. The deacon was in his eighties, had silver gray hair, a three-piece suit and a pocket watch. He was a godly man: very elegant, dignified and courtly. He walked with a cane and, as he neared the boy, church members thought, “You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and background to understand some college kid on the floor”?

It took a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church was utterly silent except for the clicking of his cane. You couldn’t even hear anyone breathing. All eyes were on the deacon.

But then they saw the elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he sat down on the floor next to Bill and worshipped with him. Everyone in the congregation choked up with emotion. When the minister gained control, he told the people, “What I am about to preach, you will never remember. What you’ve just seen, you will never forget.”

--Rebecca Manley Pippert

 

dolphin2, all thoses are great storys

 

The Sun

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone--
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance--
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love--
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed--
or have you too
turned from this world--

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?



- Mary Oliver

 

Daffodils


I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.



Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never - ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out - did the sparkling waves in glee.
A poet could not be but gay.
In such a jocund company;
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought;



For often when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

 

Man, this is awesome... I try to remeber the days, as posted by dolphin2, of children, i want to ressign from adulthood, even though i am only 17... i want to go back to the time... im almost crying... i miss my childhood... man... i... wow... i just realized... i spend all my time waitng to be free from childhood and parents, but now know, it is the best years of our lives... it was simple... anything was possible... life was fair... im sorry... i cant write anymore

 

EDITED

 

What an excellent thread! So many inspiring stories. My excerpts are just a few quotes from an old email that has probably done the rounds a few times. So if you haven't seen them before...

The positive side of life...

Living on earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

Birthdays are good for you: the more you have, the longer you live.

Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

Dont cry because its over, smile because it happened.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Have an awesome day, and know that someone who thinks you're great has thought about you today.

 

bellarine,
welcome and glad you like it.

 

The Wishing Star


by Sarah Poet

"Stars are made for wishing on"
My very best friend told me
So I gazed upon an October night's sky
And I picked the brightest star I could see

I named my star Karen
A very special name
Now that this star had a title
She was all mine to claim

I thought about what I wanted
Something that I could wish for
But as I thought about my wish I realized
Into this process should go much more

Karen should know my thoughts
Behind each and every wish
So before I made my wish that night
I told to Karen this

I could wish for money
Because my family is very poor
However to be rich, money is not a necessity
A person needs so very much more

I could wish for that special boy to like me
And say those three little words
But love is a much more sacred link
That comes on a path with thousands of curves

I could wish to be famous
To be someone other than myself
But self worth is measured by much more than
Having the most trophies on your shelf

Instead I want to be rich in spirit
Sound in soul and mind
I wish that when I see the pot at the end of the rainbow
Character is what I will find

Instead I wish for understanding
And courage in matters of love
I pray I'll meet the special someone
And through tough times we will rise above

Most of all I wish for the ability to know and like
Who I am and what I have become to be
And I ask that you help me realize
That I am special even if that's not what I always see

I thanked Karen for listening to
My wishes and my dreams
And there she is shinning bright
No matter how dark it seems

Karen listens to all I say
Even though she live in a world so far
But no matter where either of us end up living
She will always be my wishing star
Six FREE things you can do with this po

 

The Wishing Star


by Sarah Poet

"Stars are made for wishing on"
My very best friend told me
So I gazed upon an October night's sky
And I picked the brightest star I could see

I named my star Karen
A very special name
Now that this star had a title
She was all mine to claim

I thought about what I wanted
Something that I could wish for
But as I thought about my wish I realized
Into this process should go much more

Karen should know my thoughts
Behind each and every wish
So before I made my wish that night
I told to Karen this

I could wish for money
Because my family is very poor
However to be rich, money is not a necessity
A person needs so very much more

I could wish for that special boy to like me
And say those three little words
But love is a much more sacred link
That comes on a path with thousands of curves

I could wish to be famous
To be someone other than myself
But self worth is measured by much more than
Having the most trophies on your shelf

Instead I want to be rich in spirit
Sound in soul and mind
I wish that when I see the pot at the end of the rainbow
Character is what I will find

Instead I wish for understanding
And courage in matters of love
I pray I'll meet the special someone
And through tough times we will rise above

Most of all I wish for the ability to know and like
Who I am and what I have become to be
And I ask that you help me realize
That I am special even if that's not what I always see

I thanked Karen for listening to
My wishes and my dreams
And there she is shinning bright
No matter how dark it seems

Karen listens to all I say
Even though she live in a world so far
But no matter where either of us end up living
She will always be my wishing star

 

sorry about double posting was trying to edit my post.

 

you can delete the second post when editing

 

how do u edit. I tried but as u see no go

 

click the pencil and paper in the top right hand corner

 

thanks for the help.