Dear friends , let us love one another , for love comes from God . Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God . Galatians 2 : 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live , but Christ lives in me . The life I now live in the body , I live by faith in the Son of God , who loved me and gave himself for me . 1 John 3 : 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us , that we should be called children of God ! And that is what we are ! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him . Romans 8 : 37 - 39 No , in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us . For I am convinced that neither death nor life , neither angels nor demons , neither the present nor the future , nor any powers , neither height nor depth , nor anything else in all creation , will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord . C . S . Lewis I was walking around in a store , when I saw a Cashier hand this little boy some money back . The boy couldn 't have been more than 5 or 6 years old . The Cashier said , " I 'm sorry , but you don 't have enough money to buy this doll . " Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him : " Granny , are you sure I don 't have enough money ? " The old lady replied : " You know that you don 't have enough money to buy this doll , my dear . " Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around . She left quickly . The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand . Finally , I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to . " It 's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas . She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her . " I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all , and not to worry . But he replied to me sadly . " No , Santa Claus can 't bring it to her where she is now . I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there . " His eyes were so sad while saying this , " My Sister has gone to be with God . Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too , so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister . " My heart nearly stopped . The little boy looked up at me and said : " I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet . I need her to wait until I come back from the mall . " Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing . He then told me , " I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won 't forget me . I love my mommy and I wish she doesn 't have to leave me , but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister . " Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes , very quietly . I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy , " Suppose we check again , just in case you do have enough money for the doll ? " " OK " he said , " I hope I do have enough . " I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it . There was enough for the doll and even somecomments She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room . She said : ' How is my little boy ? Is he going to be all right ? When can I see him ? ' The surgeon said , ' I 'm sorry . We did all we could , but your boy didn 't make it . ' Sally said , ' Why do little children get cancer ? Doesn 't God care any more ? Where were you God , when my son needed you ? ' The surgeon asked , ' Would you like some time alone with your son ? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes , before he 's transported to the university . ' Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said goodbye to her son . She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair . ' Would you like a lock of his hair ? ' the nurse asked . Sally nodded yes . The nurse cut a lock of the boy 's hair , put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally . The mother said , ' It was Jimmy 's idea to donate his body to the University for study . He said it might help somebody else . ' I said no at first , but Jimmy said , ' Mom , I won 't be using it after I die . Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom . ' She went on , ' My Jimmy had a heart of gold . Always thinking of someone else . Always wanting to help others if he could . ' Sally walked out of Children 's Mercy Hospital for the last time , after spending most of the last six months there . She put the bag with Jimmy 's belongings on the seat beside her in the car . The drive home was difficult . It was even harder to enter the empty house . She carried Jimmy 's belongings , and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son 's room . She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them . She lay down across his bed and , hugging his pillow , cried herself to sleep . It was around midnight when Sally awoke . Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter . The letter said : Dear Mom , I know you 're going to miss me but don 't think that I will ever forget you , or stop loving you , just because I 'm not around to say ' I Love You ' . I will always love you , Mom , 0 One day a man was having a conversation with God when his whole life flashed before his eyes as a series of footsteps on the sands of time . He saw that there were two pairs of footprints , but during the most difficult periods of his life there were only one set of footprints . He asked God , " You said you will be with me throughout this journey , but why have you deserted me during the most critical times of my life ? ? " to which God answered , " Son , I did not desert you , I was always with you . You see only one set of footprints because during those difficult times in your life , I was carrying you " 0 Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family . The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion 's guest room . Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement . As they made their bed on the hard floor , the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it . When the younger angel asked why , the older angel replied , " Things aren 't always what they seem " . The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor , but very hospitable farmer and his wife . After sharing what little food they had , the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night 's rest . When the sun came up the next morning , the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears . Their only cow , whose milk had been their sole income , lay dead in the field . The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel " how could you have let this happen ? The first man had everything , yet you helped him . The second family had little but was willing to share everything , and you let their cow die . " " Things aren 't always what they seem , " the older angel replied . " When we stayed in the basement of the mansion , I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall . Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune , I sealed the wall so he wouldn 't find it . " " Then last night as we slept in the farmer 's bed , the angel of death came for his wife . I gave the angel of death the cow instead . Things aren 't always what they seem . " Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don 't turn out the way they should . If you have faith , you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage . You might not know it until some time later . 0 It was the day before Thanksgiving - - the first one my three children and I would be spending without their father , who had left several months before . Now the two older children were very sick with the flu , and the eldest had just been prescribed bed rest for a week . It was a cool , gray day outside , and a light rain was falling . I grew wearier as I scurried around , trying to care for each child : thermometers , juice , diapers . And I was fast running out of liquids for the children . But when I checked my purse , all I found was about $ 2 . 50 - - and this was supposed to last me until the end of the month . That 's when I heard the phone ring . It was the secretary from our former church , and she told me that they had been thinking about us and had something to give us from the congregation . I told her that I was going out to pick up some more juice and soup for the children , and I would drop by the church on my way to the market . I arrived at the church just before lunch . The church secretary met me at the door and handed me a special gift envelope . " We think of you and the kids often , " she said , " and you are in our hearts and prayers . We love you . " When I opened the envelope , I found two grocery certificates inside . Each was worth $ 20 . I was so touched and moved , I broke down and cried . " Thank you very much , " I said , as we hugged each other . " Please give our love and thanks to the church . " Then I drove to a store near our home and purchased some much - needed items for the children . At the check - out counter I had a little over $ 14 . 00 worth of groceries , and I handed the cashier one of the gift certificates . She took it , then turned her back for what seemed like a very long time . I thought something might be wrong . Finally I said , " This gift certificate is a real blessing . Our former church gave it to my family , knowing I 'm a single parent trying to make ends meet . " The cashier then turned around , with tears in her loving eyes , and replied , " Honey , that 's wonderful ! Do you have a turkey ? " " No . It ' comments Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff . She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this , her first rock climb . As she rested there , the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens . " Great " , she thought . " Here I am on a rock ledge , hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff , and now my sight is blurry . " She looked and looked , hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge . But it just wasn 't there . She felt the panic rising in her , so she began praying . She prayed for calm , and she prayed that she may find her contact lens . When she got to the top , a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens , but it was not to be found . Although she was calm now that she was at the top , she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains . She thought of the bible verse , " The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth . " She thought , " Lord , You can see all these mountains . You know every stone and leaf , and You know exactly where my contact lens is . Please help me . " Later , when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff , they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff . One of them shouted out , " Hey , you guys ! Anybody lose a contact lens ? " Well , that would be startling enough . But you know why the climber saw it ? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock , carrying it ! The story doesn 't end there . Brenda 's father is a cartoonist . When she told him the incredible story of the ant , the prayer , and the contact lens , he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption , " Lord , I don 't know why You want me to carry this thing . I can 't eat it , and it 's awfully heavy . But if this is what You want me to do , I 'll carry it for You . " I think it would do us good to say , " God , I don 't know why You want me to carry this load . I can see no good in it and it 's awfully heavy . But , if You want me to carry it , I wil0 The story began when I was a child . I was born of a poor family . We often lack of food . When it is time for eating , mother often gave me her portion of rice . As she put her rice into my bowl , she would say , " Eat this rice , son . I 'm not hungry " - - Mother 's First Lie . When I grew up , my persevering mother spent her spare time fishing in a river near our house . She hoped from the fishes she got , she could gave me some nutritious food for my growth . After fishing , she would cook a fresh fish soup , which raised my appetite . While I was eating the soup , mother would sit beside me and eat the flesh from the bone . My heart was touched when I saw it . I then gave the other fish to her . But she would immediately refused and said , " Eat this fish , son . I don 't really like fish . " - - Mother 's Second Lie . When I was in Junior High School , to fund my study , mother went to the tailor to bring some clothing to sew at night . It gave her some money to cover our needs . During midnight , as I woke up from my sleep , I often saw my mother still awoke , supported by a little candlelight and continued sewing . I said , " Mother , go to sleep , it 's late , tomorrow morning you still have to go for work . " Mother smiled and said , " Go to sleep , dear . I 'm not tired . " - - Mother 's Third Lie . Happy Mother DayAt my final term exam , mother asked for leave from her work to accompany me . My mother waited for me under the heat of the sun for hours . When the bell finally rang , mother rushed to me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared . The very thick tea was not as thick as my mother 's love , which was much thicker . Seeing my mother covering with perspiration , I immediately gave her my glass and asked her to drink too . Mother said , " Drink , my son . I 'm not thirsty ! " - - Mother 's Fourth Lie . After the death of my father because of illness , my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent . Holding on to her former job , she had to fund for our needs alone . Our family 's life was more dificult ; not a day without suffering . Seeing our family 's condition 0 A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away . As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing . He asked her what was wrong and she replied , " I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother . But I only have seventy - five cents , and a rose costs two dollars . " The man smiled and said , " Come on in with me . I 'll buy you a rose . " He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother 's flowers . As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home . She said , " Yes , please ! You can take me to my mother . " She directed him to a cemetery , where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave . The man returned to the flower shop , canceled the wire order , picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother 's house . My Mother taught me LOGIC . . . " If you fall off that swing and break your neck , you can 't go to the store with me . " My Mother taught me MEDICINE . . . " If you don 't stop crossing your eyes , they 're going to freeze that way . " My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD . . . " If you don 't pass your spelling test , you 'll never get a good job ! " My Mother taught me ESP . . . " Put your sweater on ; don 't you think that I know when you 're cold ? " My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE . . . " What were you thinking ? Answer me when I talk to you . . . Don 't talk back to me ! " My Mother taught me HUMOR . . . " When that lawn mower cuts off your toes , don 't come running to me . " My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT . . . " If you don 't eat your vegetables , you 'll never grow up . " My mother taught me ABOUT SEX . . . " How do you think you got here ? " My mother taught me about GENETICS . . . " You are just like your father ! " My mother taught me about my ROOTS . . . " Do you think you were born in a barn ? " My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE . . . " When you get to be my age , you will understand . " My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION . . . " Just wait until your father gets home . " My mother taught me about RECEIVING . . . " You are going to get it when we get home . " And my all time favorite thing - JUSTICE " One day you will have kids , and I hope they turn out just likeYOU . Then you 'll see what it 's like . " I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult . I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 - year - old again . I want to go to McDonald 's and think that it 's a four - star restaurant . I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks . I want to think M & Ms are better than money because you can eat them . I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer 's day . I want to return to a time when life was simple ; when all you knew were colors , multiplication tables , and nursery rhymes , but that didn 't bother you because you didn 't know what you didn 't know and you didn 't care . All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset . I want to think the world is fair ; that everyone is honest and good . I want to believe that anything is possible . I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again . I want to live simple again . I don 't want my day to consist of computer crashes , mountains of paperwork , depressing news , how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank , doctor bills , gossip , illness , and loss of loved ones . I want to believe in the power of smiles , hugs , a kind word , truth , justice , peace , dreams , the imagination , mankind , and making angels in the snow . So . . . here 's my checkbook and my car keys , my credit card bills and my 401K statements . I am officially resigning from adulthood . And , if you want to discuss this further , you 'll have to catch me first , cause . . . " Tag ! You 're it ! " We Sometimes Long For A Child 's Life . 0 One day , when I was a freshman in high school , I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school . His name was Kyle . It looked like he was carrying all of his books . I thought to myself , " Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday ? He must really be a nerd . " I had quite a weekend planned ( parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon ) , so I shrugged my shoulders and went on . As I was walking , I saw a bunch of kids running toward him . They ran at him , knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt . His glasses went flying , and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him . He looked up and I said , " Those guys are jerks . They really should get lives . " He looked at me and said , " Hey thanks ! " There was a big smile on his face . It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude . I helped him pick up his books , and asked him where he lived . As it turned out , he lived near me , so I asked him why I had never seen him before . He said he had gone to private school before now . I would have never hung out with a private school kid before . We talked all the way home , and I carried some of his books . He turned out to be a pretty cool kid . I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends . He said yes . We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle , the more I liked him , and my friends thought the same of him . Monday morning came , and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again . I stopped him and said , " Boy , you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday ! " He just laughed and handed me half of the books . Over the next four years , Kyle and I became best friends . When we were seniors , we began to think about college . Kyle decided on Georgetown , and I was going to Duke . I knew that we would always be friends , that the miles would never be a problem . He was going to be a doctor , and I was going for business on a football scholarship . Kyle was valedictorian of our class . I teased him all the time 0 A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge . The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter , " Sweetheart , please hold daddy 's hand so that you don 't fall into the river . " The little girl said , " No , Dad . You hold my hand . " " What is the difference ? " Asked the puzzled father . " There is a big difference , " replied the little girl . " If I hold your hand and something happens to me , chances are that I may let your hand go . " " But if you hold my hand , I know for sure that no matter what happens , you will never let my hand go . " In any relationship , the essence of trust is not in its bind , but in its bond . So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours . A man asked his father - in - law , " Many people praised you for a successful marriage . Could you please share with me your secret ? " The father - in - law answered in a smile , " Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong . Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses , she could not find a better husband than you . " We all look forward to being loved and respected . Many people are afraid of losing face . Generally , when a person makes a mistake , he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at . This is the start of a war . We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person , the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves . If we forgive the others , others will ignore our mistake too . One day , a young boy asked his Mom . " Why are you crying ? " " Because I 'm a woman " she told him . " I don 't understand , " he said . His Mom just hugged him and said , " And you never will , but that 's okay . " Later , the little boy asked his father , " Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason ? " " All women cry for no reason " was all his Dad could say . The little boy grew up and became a man , still wondering why women cry . Finally , he put in a call to God . When God got back to him , he asked , " God , why do women cry so easily ? " God answered , " When I made woman , I decided she had to be special . I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world , but her arms gentle enough to give comfort . " " I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come , even from her own children . " " I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends , even when everyone else gives up , through sickness and fatigue , without complaining . " " I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances , even when her child has hurt her badly . She has the very special power to make a child 's boo - boo feel better and to quell a teenager 's anxieties and fears . " " I gave her strength to care for her husband , despite faults , and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart . " " I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly . " " For all of this hard work , I also gave her a tear to shed . It is her 's to use whenever needed and is her only weakness . " " When you see her cry , tell her how much you love her and all she does for everyone . And even though she may still cry , you will have made her heart feel good . " " She is special ! " A child was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage . They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes . When the boy was around two years old , one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open . He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard . His wife , preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter . The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle . Fascinated by its colour , he drank it all . It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages . When the child collapsed , the mother hurried him to the hospital , where he died . The mother was stunned . She was terrified how to face her husband . When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child , he looked at his wife and uttered just five words . . . . The husband just said " I am with you Darling " The husband 's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behaviour . The child is dead . He can never be brought back to life . There is no point in finding fault with the mother . Besides , if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away , this would not have happened . No one is to be blamed . She had also lost her only child . What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband . That is what he gave her . If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective , there would be much fewer problems in the world . Take off all your envies , jealousies , unforgiveness , selfishness , and fears . And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think . Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or whom to blame , whether in a relationship , in a job or with the people we know . Until we decide to change , we miss out some warmth in human relationship . A long time ago in China , a girl named Sui Lin got married and went to live with her husband and mother - in - law . In a very short time , Sui Lin found that she couldn 't get along with her mother - in - law at all . Their personalities were very different , and Sui Lin was angered by many of her mother - in - law 's habits . In addition , she criticized Sui Lin constantly . Days passed and weeks passed . Sui Lin and her mother - in - law never stopped arguing and fighting . But what made the situation even worse was that , according to ancient Chinese tradition , Sui Lin had to bow to her mother - in - law and obey her every wish . All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Sui Lin 's poor husband great distress . Finally , Sui Lin could not stand her mother - in - law 's bad temper and dictatorship any longer , and she decided to do something about it . Sui Lin went to see her father 's good friend , Mr . Huang , who sold herbs . She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all . Mr . Huang thought for a while , and finally said , " Sui Lin , I will help you solve your problem , but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you . " Sui Lin said , " Yes , Mr . Huang , I will do whatever you tell me to do . " Mr . Huang went into the back room , and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs . He told Sui Lin , " You can 't use a quick - acting poison to get rid of your mother - in - law , because that would cause people to become suspicious . Therefore , I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body . Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving in order to make sure that nobody suspect you when she dies . You must be very careful to act very friendly towards her . Don 't argue with her . Obey her every wish , and treat her like a queen . " Sui Lin was so happy . She thanked Mr . Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother - in - law . Weeks went by and months went by , and every other day , Sui Lin served the specially tr0 A young man was getting ready to graduate from a college . For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer 's showroom . Knowing that his father could well afford it , he told him all he wanted . As graduation day approached , the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car . Finally , on the morning of his graduation , his father called him into his private study . His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son , and told him how much he loved him . He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box . Curious , but somewhat disappointed , the young man opened the box and found a lovely , leather - bound Bible , with the young man 's name embossed in gold . Feeling very angry , he raised his voice to his father and said " With all your money , you give me a bible ? " and stormed out of the house , leaving the bible . Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business . He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family . But he realized his father was very old , and thought perhaps he should go to him . He had not seen him since that graduation day . Before he could make arrangements , he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away , and willed all his possessions to him . He needed to come home immediately and take care of things . When he arrived at his father 's house , sudden sadness and regret filled his heart . He began to search through his father 's important papers and saw the still new bible , just as he had left it years ago . With tears , he opened the bible and began to turn the pages . And as he did , a car key dropped from the back of the bible . It had a tag with the dealer 's name , the same dealer who had the sport car he had desired . On the tag was the date of his graduation , and the words PAID IN FULL . How many times do we miss our blessings and answers to our prayers because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected ? Two friends were walking through the desert . During some point of the journey , they had an argument . One friend slapped the other one in the face . The one who got slapped was hurt , but without saying anything , he wrote in the sand : Today my best friend slapped me in the face . They kept on walking , until they found an oasis , where they decided to take a bath . The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning , but his friend saved him . After he recovered from the near drowning , he wrote on a stone : Today my best friend saved my life . His friend who had slapped him and saved him asked , " After I hurt you , you wrote in the sand , and now , your write on a stone . Why ? " The other friend replied , " When someone hurts us , we should write it down in the sand , where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away . But when someone does something good for us , we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it . Let us learn to write our hurts in the sand and to carve our blessing in stone . 0 After having reached the peak of his career , a man felt an urge to repay back to his mother for all that she had done for him . So he asked her , " Mother , what can I give you ? What can I do for you ? I sincerely want to repay you for all the sacrifies you have made for me and for all the love you have showered upon me . " She looked surprised and said , " Why do you think about it . It was my duty , so I did it . You don 't have to repay me . Even if you want to , there is no way a man can ever repay his mother . " Despite her continuous refusal to ask for anything , he continued to persist . To put an end to the discussion , She said , " All right . If you must , then tonight you sleep on my bed with me , just as you used to when you were a baby . " He said , " That 's a strange thing to ask for , but if it pleases you , I will . " As soon as he fell asleep , the mother got up and brought a bucket of water . She poured a mug full of water on his side . Feeling disturbed of wetness under him , In his sleep he moved away to the other side of the bed . As he settled down , his mother poured another mug of water on the other side . In his slumber , he tried to find space towards the foot of the bed . Sometime later , he woke up feeling that this part of the bed too was damp . He got up and saw his mother , with the mug in her hand . He asked angrily , " What are you doing , mother ? Why don 't you let me sleep ? How do you expect me to sleep on a wet bed ? " She said , " I slept with you when you wetted the bed in the night . I changed your nappy and moved you to the dry part of the bed , while I slept on the wet side . You wanted to repay me . Can you sleep here even for one night with me on a damp bed ? If you can , I 'll take it that you have repaid me . " How true it is that of all the debts in the world , the one that can never be repaid is the one you owed to your mother . You can never repay the love , the care and the time your mother gave you to bring you up . You are a part of her flesh and blood . Don 't forget this , because she never ever forgets it . A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam . He called his parents from San Francisco . " Mom and Dad , I 'm coming home , but I 've a favor to ask . I have a friend I 'd like to bring home with me . " " Sure , " they replied , " we 'd love to meet him . " " There 's something you should know , " the son continued , " he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting . He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg . He has nowhere else to go , and I want him to come and live with us . " " I 'm sorry to hear that , son . Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live . " " No , Mom and Dad , I want him to live with us . " " Son , " said the father , " you don 't know what you 're asking . Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us . We have our own lives to live , and we can 't let something like this interfere with our lives . I think you should just come home and forget about this guy . He 'll find a way to live on his own . " At that point , the son hung up the phone . The parents heard nothing more from him . A few days later , however , they received a call from the San Francisco police . Their son had died after falling from a building , they were told . The police believed it was suicide . The grief - stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son . They recognized him , but to their horror they also discovered something they didn 't know , their son had only one arm and one leg . The parents in this story are like many of us . We find it easy to love those who are good - looking or fun to have around , but we don 't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable . We would rather stay away from people who aren 't as healthy , beautiful , or smart as we are . Thankfully , God who won 't treat us that way . God loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into our eternal home , regardless of how messed up we are . It is not easy to be separated from our loved ones after we have taken care of them for so many years . We have loved and cherished them the moment they were born . We have nourished them and kept them safe and sound physically and spiritually . And the thoughts of separation pricks our hearts and wear us out . But the fact is that our children are growing up . Whether we like it or not , our children have learnt how to kick , how to turn , how to crawl , how to sit , how to stretch out their hands and feet , and in a blink of our eyes , they have learnt how to stand up and get ready to walk and run . Time waits for nobody . The bird is ready to fly . . . We are worried how they will fare without our leadership , advice and guidance . Will they be ready to face the rising challenges ? Can they readily cultivate more friendships and more help groups ? Will they stay focused in seeking , finding and achieving all their goals ? Will they succumb to the trials and temptations of the world ? Our minds plagued with deterring thoughts but we finally decide to let them go . The bird is ready to fly . . . Poor old man , let loose of your hands and let them free . Let them fly . Let them soar on high . Let them chase after their visions with their youthful and energetic spirit . Let them take charge , face and conquer every single battle that come along their ways . Let them go . . . Let them fly . . . May God help us take good care of them . Amen and Amen . Children 's SpeechWhen you speak to your children , their speech is so simple yet so sincere . They look at you intently yearning for your attention . They touch you , hold you , and caress you to tell you how much you mean to them . They wait attentively for you to speak without interrupting unnecessarily . They speak sweetly , softly yet audibly to you . But you . . . Where have your attention and care to these children gone after all these years ? Children 's LaughterWhen you play and joke with your children , they never fail to laugh heartily ; they laugh and laugh without reserve , and they never fail to make you laugh even when you try to control yourself not to . Their laughter disperses all your toils and troubles . But you . . . Where have your laughter to these children gone after all these years ? Children 's ObedienceWhen you bring your children everywhere , they never fail to look up to you . They wouldn 't let go of your hands even as you try to . They follow closely to you until they are sleepy and tired . Then they urge you to carry and yearn for your hug as you continue your journey . Your children teach you patience and obedience . But you . . . Where have you lost your patience and obedience after all these years ? Children 's GrowthWhen you see your children grow , they never give up in their struggles . They fall often but they never fail to stand up . They make mistakes often but they never fail to make amend and try to perfect their skills . But you become even more judgemental ; you hinder , you obstruct and you make their way even more difficult . But you . . How have you progressed after all these years ? And so . . . As I teach and as I learn all these years , I perceive that I am only a child teaching another child the way of the adult . And so I pray . . . Oh God , Teach me how to live as an adult that Our children may know your way of an adult through me . Amen . Ideal Love God had made Eve for Adam as his ideal companion . Eve was to assist and to complement Adam 's life on earth . Together they worked hard and did wonders to their world and the world at large . As they multiplied , love traveled and ideally brought glad tidings to the world . Sinful Love But all is lost in the split of a second . They sinned against the Almighty God by breaking His law . And to that end , they lost their loving care for one another . Though they gained much in knowledge , but all their inclinations and desires is none other than sinning against God and all His creation . Selfish Love And so we become so selfish . We love our kind . We love our group , our clan and association . We love our race . We love those of same interests and concerns . We love OUR VERY OWN WORLD . Heaven knows how selfish is our love . We are blessed with so many friends during our childhood years . We have fewer friends as we go to schools and colleges . Yet more friends are lost as we compete and strife for " excellence " in the working world . We only mean to love our own self . We desire to possess love at the expense of others . As long as we are happy and satisfied , we can inflict upon others severe harms and pains . If others stand in our way , we will have no mercy and never fail to intimidate and hassle them until they are not within sight . We are so ill will and ferocious towards others even if they watch us from afar . We are ready to pounce on them given the opportunity . How deep is our hatred toward others after all these years . Sacrificial Love If you are watchful , you will notice that everyone is beautiful on the inside and outside . It is on you to be the judge whether someone is a good person to love or not . Being a bad judge doesn 't make you an " interesting " individual ; it just makes you evil . Everyone can have if they choose to love . Love is what you do and how you treat people , and that is what we will always need to work on ! It is hard to love but it is possible to learn to love everyone no matter how much pain they have ca0