To let go doesn't mean to stop caring;
It means I can't do it for
someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off....
It's the realization that I can't
control another....
To let go is not to enable,
but to allow learning from natural
consequences.
To let go is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my
hands.
To let go is not to try and change or blame another,
I can only change
myself.
To let go is not to care for,
but to care about.
To let go is not to fix,
but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to
allow others to affect their own outcomes.
To let go is not to be protective,
It is to permit another to face
reality.
To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue,but to search
out my own
shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day
as it comes and cherish the moment.
To let go is not to criticize and regulate anyone,
but to try to become
what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.
To let go is to fear less and love more.
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A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning conversation. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time." "It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 73 Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles." |
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I've learned...
that you can do something in an instant that will give
you heartache for life.
I've learned...
that it's taking me a long time to become the person I
want to be.
I've learned...
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned...
that you can keep going long after you can't.
I've learned...
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we
feel.
I've learned...
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned...
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at
first,
the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its
place.
I've learned...
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when
it needs
to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned...
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned...
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and
have the best time.
I've learned...
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when
you're down
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned...
that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be
angry,
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I've learned...
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the
longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I've learned...
that just because someone doesn't love you the way you
want them to
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I've learned...
that maturity has more to do with what types of
experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them and less to do with how
many
birthdays you've celebrated.
I've learned...
that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt
you
every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned...
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned...
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world
doesn't stop for your grief.
I've learned...
that our background and circumstances may have influenced
who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned...
that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they
don't love each other
. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they
do.
I've learned...
that we don't have to change friends if we understand that
friends change.
I've learned...
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It
could change your life forever.
I've learned...
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see
something totally different. Same goes for hearing.
I've learned...
that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by
people who don't even know you.
I've learned...
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a
friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.
I've learned...
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent
human being.
I've learned...
that the people you care about most in life are taken from
you too soon.
|
They spent a day and a night at the farm of a very poor family. When they returned from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "Very good, Dad!" "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Yeah!" "And what did you learn?" The son replied: "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek with no end. We have imported lamps in the garden; they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard; they have a whole horizon." When the little boy finished speaking, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks Dad, for showing me how poor we are." |
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|
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness--not godliness. Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh. Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window. Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk. Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys. Love is present through the trials. Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive. Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood. Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart. Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection. Now I glory in God's perfection of my child. As a mother, there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love. |
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I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel." No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester, we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three-by-five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed, she cleared her throat and began: ~We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. ~There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success: You have to laugh and find humor every day. ~You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! ~There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. ~Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." ~She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out In our daily lives. At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. |
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~To my husband for the endless hours that he spent watching television while I feverishly worked at trying to build a website that would be a pleasure to others. He encouraged me and has been my greatest supporter. ~To my sons, Brad and Mike, who told me of a whole new world waiting for my discovery on the internet. Both of them patiently listened to my unending questions. For being my computer mentors, thank you. I appreciate you and am so proud to be your Mom. Thank you for giving me that gentle nudge in the right direction. ~To my brother, Curt, who encouraged me to consider creating a website of my own. Because of him I began to learn the HTML codes and basic web design. Through it all, Curt has been an avid supporter. Thank you for your' patience, Curt. ~To my sisters, Goldie and Linda, who have provided many wonderful things on my website. They brings sunshine to my life everyday. I appreciate my sisters. Thank you both! ~To my internet friends, you know who you are. In my struggle to learn so much in such a short period of time, you have inspired, communicated, and cheered me on. You have really "been there" to lend a hand, lend an ear, and provide solutions to various problems along the way. You have shared your resources, time, and interests with me. You have given me your humor, good will, and encouragement...when I needed it most. What else can I say...except... Thank you my dear friends! ~Thank you is not said enough to those who need to hear it. I am grateful to all of you for lighting up my life in such a special way. God bless you. ~~I SINCERELY THANK YOU!~~ Wanda Lee |
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"Thanks for the animations on this site!"
Copyright © 2009 Lee's Sign Post
["Letting Go With Love": Autor unknown]
["The Older I
Get" Forwarded: Cathy Chavez]
["What I've Learned" Forwarded: Peps to Mikey's Funnies]
["How Rich"
Writing Forwarded: Anita G. to Dear Abby]
["Love In The Home" from Mikey's Funnies]
["The Challenge"
Forwarded: Goldie Bias]
