Inspiring Stories of Love, Healing, & Empowerment
Inspirations
October 2003
Issue Number 18
Welcome to Inspirations! Global Community For All sends out this e-zine filled with short, inspiring stories of love, healing, and empowerment once every three months. We share these wonderfully inspiring stories to encourage and inspire each other to be the best we can be each day of our lives. Thanks for joining us, and may these words inspire us to ever deepen our commitment to love, heal, and empower; to open to divine guidance; and to choose what's best for all.
A Big Miracle for Her Little Brother–Author Unknown
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully three times. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of
voice, interrupting a discussion with his brother who had come to visit.
"I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in
ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess
answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and
I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his
head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a
miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help
you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay
for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it
costs."
The pharmacist's well-dressed brother was moved by this little girl's plea.
He stooped down and asked, "What kind of a miracle does your brother
need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just
know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy
can't pay for it, so I want to use my money".
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly.
"And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and
eleven cents–the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten
and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and
meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in
neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge, and it wasn't long
until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them
to this place. "That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real
miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and
eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.
A miracle is not the suspension of
natural law, but the operation of a higher law
Stuck in the Traffic Jams of Life–Nancy Smeltzer
Traffic jams... I just hate them. Yet, if you're living in a city of much size, they're a fact of life. I don't know about you, but if I have something to do, I have no problem waiting to do it for quite a while as the clock ticks endlessly. If my mind is not being entertained, however, deadly boredom sets in and indignation about my lot in life rises. "Why should I have to wait. I have important things to do!" is along the lines of my train of thought during those times.
I have a friend, however, who is one of the calmest people that I know. Vera uses meditation as an integral part of her life. For her, the daily time spent with her thoughts is a placid pool surrounded by the turmoil of living. If she gets stuck having to wait, she uses the time as a chance to observe passersby and take in their presence without reacting to it. She breathes in and exhales, her life essence mixing with her surroundings. She's been practicing this skill for many years, and it seems to serve her well.
I, however, have a restless soul that could stand quite a bit of calming. The thought of sitting peacefully and not thinking about anything is a skill that definitely does not come to me naturally. Knowing that, Vera gave me a present once of a small book which was a little over 2x2 inches. It lives in my purse, ready for me to pull it out.
The title is "BELIEVING IN OURSELVES, A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN." I love the title as I grew up in the era where I was assured that my life would be complete only when a Prince Charming whisked me away. Little did I know that he'd have bad breath and a temper, and I'd be much better off learning how to fend for myself.
So now, when I'm forced to sit and wait, I can randomly open the book. Each page contains one or two pithy quotes on which to ponder. One of my recent flips fell open to a saying by Sonja Friedman, which said that "Don't accept that others know you better than yourself." I found these words to be immediately powerful, as they suggested that there is a depth in myself from which I could draw peace.
Plumbing the depths of human experience is what I find myself doing more and more these days. I've found that there is a wealth of sources out there from which I can draw inspiration. What has been enlightening for me is that there's so much within my own self that can be a source of strength. Now I just need to remember this the next time I find myself stuck in one of life's many traffic jams.
Enjoy
the little things, for one day you may look back and realize that they were
the big things.
Humanity's War–Hyland Brooke
There is a war raging about our Mother Earth; a war that can't be fought or won by the killing of human flesh or slandering the personal beliefs of others. It is a Holy War, a battle between the will of the tyrant and the will of the people. But most importantly, it is a battle that must be fought from within one's own being.
This war is multi-dimensional by trait, and unseen by the naked eye, for it lives on the inner workings of the mind, soul, and spirit, manifested through the hearts of mankind. The position that you take at this time is very important for the welfare of our precious planet, as well as the balance of all existence as we know it.
We can no longer fight cruelty with unjust thoughts or hatred with reactive violence. It is our task to liberate our spirits through actualization of our wills. We, as the people of Earth, cannot comprehend one experience without the understanding of its opposite; light and dark, sad and happy, death and birth, hate and love. It is by this understanding that the duality of mankind can be healed with the uniting of all wills toward loving interactions. Strength of will comes from the ability to unite all of our realms of duality.
Producing:
Joy through forgiveness,
Self-esteem through understanding,
Peace through strength, and
Love through endurance.
Our earthly battles cannot be fought only on the physical plane of existence. Instead, we must fight our battles within our own personal conflicts reaching towards the creation of perfect love and perfect trust throughout our being. United we stand; divided we fall. If you fall, I fall, for we all come from the same Spirit. It is the duality of human consciousness that we battle.
There is no room for destructive prejudices, only the will to understand our differences. This link of understanding must permeate us through these personal challenges that are before us now, becoming our Shield of Truth everlasting. For in this battle only truth will prevail. I ask you, Where is the LOVE? Where do you stand, really? The time is now; the place. . . . within us all.
All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light of a single candle.
Thanks for sharing in these inspiring stories with us. We wish you lots of love, inspiration, and all the very best in the months ahead.
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