How does a swan say:

"Thank you for rescuing me?"

While rescuing injured birds the swan wrapped his neck around the rescuer's neck.
Usually swans are very territorial and don't like human company, but Richard Wiese experiences a moving and wonderful moment during a rescue operation executed with several of his friends from a Foundation aiding and rescuing injured birds in England. This is how he describes this moment: "I lifted him, gently pressed on his chest so that he felt confident and safe. After a few moments the swan stopped resisting and literally wrapped himself around my neck. I could feel his heart beating besides mine.
I wanted to shut my eyes in order to enjoy this moment completely - It's really a wonderful feeling when you sense a true connection and mutual trust- when an animal realizes you mean him no harm.


"Rescuing one animal may not change the world, but for that animal, their world is changed forever!" - Unknown

The Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted Her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. There's one more thing,' she said excitedly...What's that?' came the Pastor's reply? 'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my Right hand.' The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked.

Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor. The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming... like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork... the best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled. During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about The fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Potential within us

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamsonfrom A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

GRANDMA'S HANDS



Grandma, some ninety-plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shrivelled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbours, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.

I will never look at my hands the same way again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of Grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

Gordon B. Hinkley- A leader worth emulating

A leader worth emulating
by Mark Stoddard
Journal Publications

I’d like to keep this on a professional level, so my apologies in advance to those wanting something more spiritual and to those who think I’ve gone all religious on them.

Professionally, I’ve watched, up close and personal, many leaders perform. I’ve been with giants of industry, and leaders of nations as they’ve addressed those they lead. I’ve sat with Saudi sheiks and princes; Supreme Soviets; councils of ministers, city councils and a gathering of the USSR’s top 50 business leaders.

When President Ronald Reagan drove home his point about the national economic recovery, I was five feet away. But in all of those meetings and of all of those speakers, one stands head and shoulders above the rest as a true leader of men and women.

On March 16, 2002 I sat at a banquet table and listened as the President’s Club of BYU-Idaho was favored to hear from Gordon B. Hinckley, the head of the board of trustees for that school and the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I’ve never heard a man or a woman so totally in command of his topic and so totally confident in what he was saying. Yet, he wasn’t bombastic or dictatorial in his content or his demeanor.

President Hinckley is not a tall man, yet he seemed to tower over the room. His enthusiasm and vigor as a speaker belied his age. The man is nearly 92 years old, yet he strode to the podium and stood erect and spoke for between 15 and 20 minutes to a captivated audience. They might have been captivated just because of his title, but it was his unflinching dynamics that cemented the relationship with the audience.

President Hinckley spoke without notes and constantly showed what a good leader is all about. He never bragged of himself, never pointed to his accomplishments.

At one point he leaned across the podium and said in a lower voice, “I want to let you in on a secret...” He told of one night a few years ago that he was “pondering the situation of Ricks College. It struck me that it will never be a great school so long as it is a ‘college.’” He went on to say that he discussed this with his counselors and then the Council of the Twelve apostles of the church. Together they decided. Then he pointed out how he discussed the matter with the president of Ricks College and how they arrived at the course they needed to take.

It was never “I” but always “we” – a great lesson in leadership for everyone.

Normally, the church leader keeps an even tone in his speeches with occasionally an increased tone for emphasis – never the jingoism of a Jesse Jackson or the grand eloquence of a Jerry Falwell. But on this evening, for the first time, I heard him raise his voice and nearly shout. Not for a second, for quite a time.

He wasn’t excoriating people, but praising them for their diligence and faith.

President Hinckley pointed out that the church builds more than 400 buildings a year in more than 160 countries, that it funds a huge seminary and institute program the world over. He pointed out that the church he leads is led financially by the faith of the contributors who pay a full tithing and then some.

He grew very quiet as he said, “It is a great and worrisome thing to manage tithing funds.” Again, a great mark of leadership seldom seen – humility and the distinct feeling that he sees himself less as a leader and more as a servant and steward to the God he professes and to the 11-12 million people who see him as a great leader.

As I mentioned, his voice rose in volume as he said, “Never has there been a greater season upon the face of the earth. The growth of the church is at an unimaginable scale. These are exciting times. We couldn’t retreat if we wanted to do so.”

He then quoted from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caeser” when Brutus said, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.”

President Hinckley went on to praise the Olympics and said, with a ringing voice, “The people of the world came to Salt Lake City with suspicion and left with appreciation and gratitude.”

In the world of leaders I’ve seen, leaders like Hinckley are rare in deed. He’s a dynamic leader filled with appreciation and trust in the people he serves. Love or hate his philosophies and one still can’t deny a fact – he’s a leader worth emulating.

my comment: It's been 7 years since he passed away- I still miss him
Steve Taff

The Circle of Life

My dear girl, the day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don't interrupt to say: "You said the same thing a minute ago"... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep.

When I don't want to take a bath, don't be mad and don't embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl?

When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don't look at me that way ... remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life's issues every day... the day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through.

If I occasionally lose track of what we're talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can't, don't be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you.

And when my old, tired legs don't let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. When those days come, don't feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I'll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I've always had for you, I just want to say, I love you ... my darling daughter.

Original text in Spanish and photo by Guillermo Peña.
Translation to English by Sergio Cadena

follow your instincts

I am sharing the following story, because Sunday in church a young woman gave a talk in which she shared a tearful story of something that happened to her. One evening, she had the thought come into her head to call to go visit a close friend who had been going through some tough times in her life. She did not follow the prompting, and that night her friend ended her life. In her talk, she pointed out that a call or visit may not have changed the outcome, but she feels that at least she could have provided some confort to her friend in need.

A Simple Gesture

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend. They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mothers sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more, you saved my life."

-John W. Schlatter
From Chicken Soup for the Soul