So I’m eight months pregnant, and wait tables every Friday night at a Santa Monica, California, restaurant. Since I started showing, my customers have asked nice questions about my pregnancy. I recently decided to take maternity leave because waiting tables is taking its toll on my pregnant body. My last […]
Strangers with Amazing Hearts Read More »
A famous Methodist evangelist named Peter Cartwright was known for his uncompromising preaching. However, one day when the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, “Old rough and ready,” came to Cartwright’s church, the elders warned the pastor not to offend the President. In those days, the President had great
The man slowly looked up. This was a
woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She
looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was
that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.
‘Leave me alone,’ he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued
standing. She was smiling — her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.
‘Are you hungry?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he answered sarcastically. ‘I’ve
just come from dining with the president. Now go away.’ The woman’s smile
became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
‘What are you doing, lady?’ the man
asked angrily. ‘I said to leave me alone.’
Just then a policeman came up. ‘Is
there any problem, ma’am?’ he asked.
‘No problem here, officer,’ the woman
answered. ‘I’m just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?’
Life has its coincidences, but many times we are protected by our heavenly guardians, and we don’t even know it. Angie and Andy Linkhart would agree. They recently moved to the Kansas City area, and bought a brand new house in a brand new development. The young couple was thrilled
Angels usually do their work anonymously Read More »
The moment he reached his little paw through the age
bars at the humane society, I was a goner. I wasn’t looking for another
cat – I already had two – but was just stopping by to give the animals some
attention. When the shelter volunteer, apparently knowing a sucker when
she saw one, asked if I would like to hold him, there was no longer any
doubt. He came home with me that day.
He was a gorgeous cat, a five-month-old blue-point Siamese
with eyes like blue laser beams: thus, his name. Right from the
beginning, it was obvious that Laser was an exceptional cat. He loved
everyone – the other cats, visitors to the house, even the dog who later joined
the household.
I first heard about animal-assisted therapy several months
after we adopted Laser. While most of what I heard was about dogs, it
occurred to me that Laser would be perfect for this type of work. I
signed up for the training class, and, after completing the preliminary requirements,
Laser and I passed the test to become registered Delta Society Pet Partners.
While he had always been a little lovebug at home, Laser
found his true calling when we began to go on visits. Whether it was with
sick kids at the children’s hospital, seniors with Alzheimer’s disea se, or
teens in a psychiatric unit, Laser always knew just what to do. He curled
up on laps or beside bed-bound patients and happily snuggled close. He
never tried to get up until I moved him to the next person. People often
commented that they’d never seen a cat so calm and friendly. Even people who
didn’t like cats liked him!
One young man, who had been badly burned in a fire,
smiled for the first time since his accident when Laser nestled under his lap
blanket. A little boy, tired and lethargic from terminal leukemia,
rallied to smile, hug Laser and kiss his head, and then talked endlessly about
Laser after the visits. Several geriatric patients with dementia, who
were agitated and uncommunicative prior to Laser’s appearance, calmed down and
became talkative with each other and the staff after a visit from my therapeutic
feline partner. It has been our hospice visits, though, that I consider
the most challenging and rewarding of all our Pet Partner experiences.
Laser, The Therapist Read More »
His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright He became a Christian while attending college. Across the
‘n Gholfstok in my hande beteken nie veel nie. ‘n Gholfstok in Ernie Els se hande beteken ‘n paar miljoen rand. Dit hang af in wie se hande dit is ……… ‘n Stok in my hande kan gebruik word vir selfverdediging. ‘n Stok in Moses se hande het die
While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. “That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide. “He’s a fine looking boy” the man said.
Vowed Not to Make the same Mistake Read More »
After you read this you will have a better understanding of what
it means to compromise.
Some years ago when I was a pastor, I walked into my church
office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my desk
containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous saint who
knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper
that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began eating
the first brownie as I read the following story:
Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to
watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about
the movie on the internet, he denied their request.
‘Aw dad, why not?’ they complained. ‘It’s rated PG-13, and we’re
both older than thirteen!’
Dad replied: ‘Because that movie contains nudity and portrays
immorality, which is something that God hates, as being normal and acceptable
behavior.’
My parents were divorced when I was 2 years old. I
stayed with my mom and didn’t know what it meant to have a two parent home when
I was little. Although my dad was a decent enough weekend dad, that was all he
was. My mom worked her tail off raising me as a single mom, and made it so I
never knew how broke we were or how tough she had it.
My world changed drastically when I was 8. My mom
met and fell in love with someone named Jim, and of course she and I were a
package deal. When they married, we moved a couple hours away to
friends, family, school — all I had known.
Jim had been previously married and had two
daughters, both of whom were grown with kids of their own. I didn’t know what
to expect or how we all would fit together — what this man, already a
grandfather, would do with a boy, 8 years old.
