A Story Of Sorrow

by: Author Unknown,

The mall was over-crowded, shoppers rushed from store to store

Nobody paid attention as she crouched there on the floor.

She didn't look in trouble and she didn't seem afraid

Apparently she stopped to rest, she did not need my aid.

A little girl of 8 or 9 and cute as she could be

I wondered, should I stop and ask if she needs help from me?

I wondered if her mother had just left her there alone

I thought, as I walked by her, in my haste to get back home.

As I left the mall I could not get her off my mind

Did that little girl need help? Was I just acting blind?

It bothered me so much, I had to go back in the mall

I have to get this settled in my mind once and for all.

The mall began to close, I heard some chain doors coming down

But as I looked the little girl was no where to be found.

Is it my imagination that again is running wild

Thinking I had lost my chance to help this poor lost child.

I guess she must be fine or she would still be sitting here

I get way too emotional at Christmas time each year.

I had to leave and get back home where it is safe and warm

The weather forecast for that night -- a chilling winter storm.

Late that night it happened as the weather station said

Frigid cold and heavy snow while I was snug in bed.

In the morning I awoke to winter's nasty caper

The only place I'd go that day was out to get the paper.

Cozy in my kitchen with my news and cup of tea

But as I saw the front page, it just devasted me.

On the front page down below, a little headline read"

At the local shopping mall a little girl found dead".

It was 4 A.M. this morning when police received the call

The caller said "A little girl was dead behind the mall".

It was the chilling elements that brought her close to death

As she lay down she fell asleep and breathed her final breath.

I could not read the rest of it as I began to weep

While I slept safe a little girl had frozen in her sleep.

Many years have passed me now, but it still haunts my dreams

Was the little girl they found the same one I had seen?

I can't forget that little girl no matter how I try

But now when someone seems in need I never pass them by.

The lesson I have learned from this was difficult but true.

The last chance that someone may have could very well be you.

The Rose

by: Author Unknown,

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom and also the thorns. And he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?" Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was ready to bloom, it died.
So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose.
The Creator-like qualities planted in us at birth grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.
Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others.
This is the characteristic of love, to look at a person, and knowing their faults, recognize the nobility in their soul, and help them realize that they can overcome their faults. If we show them the rose, they will conquer the thorns. Then will they blossom, blooming forth thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold as it is given to them.
Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for each other; only then can we bloom in our own garden.

Starfish

by: Author Unknown,

A man was walking down the beach at sunset. As, he walked along, he saw another man in the distance. He noticed this man kept leaning down, picking up something and throwing it out into the water, again and again. As, he approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach. He was throwing them back into the water, one by one. Puzzled, he approached the man and said, "Good Evening. I was wondering what you are doing." "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If, I don't throw them back into the ocean, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen." "But, there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possible get to all of them. And, don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?" The man bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and threw it back into the ocean. With a smile he replied, "Made a difference to that one !!!" Just remember, no matter how small the deed it really does makes a difference

Power of One, The

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

One song can spark a moment

One flower can wake the dream

One tree can start a forest

One bird can herald spring

One smile begins a friendship

One handclasp lifts a soul

One star can guide a ship at sea

One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation

One sunbeam lights a room

One candle wipes out darkness

One laugh will conquer gloom

One step must start each journey

One word must start a prayer

One hope will raise our spirits

One touch can show you care

One voice can speak with wisdom

One heart can know what is true

One Life can make a difference

Eagle and the Wolf, The

by: Author Unknown,

There is a great battle that rages inside me.
One side is the soaring eagle. Everything the eagle stands for is good and true and beautiful, and it soars above the clouds. Even though it dips down into the valleys, it lays its eggs on the mountaintops.
The other side of me is the howling wolf. And that raging, howling wolf represents the worst that's in me. He eats upon my downfalls and justifies himself by his presence in the pack.
Who wins this great battle?
The one I feed.

Changing the World

by: Author Unknown,

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

Build a Better World

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Build a better world said God

And I asked how?

The world is such a vast place and so complicated now

I am small and useless

What can I do?God in all His wisdom said, "Just build a better you."