We Are Blessed

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ' This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed." How is it that there is no work going on here? ' I asked.
"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments".
"How does one acknowledge God's blessings? " I asked..
"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord. "
"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.
"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy. "
"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."
"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. "
"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation . You are ahead of 700 million people in the world.."
"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."
"If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare."
"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair......."
Ok, what now? How can I start?
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

Unprecedented

A seven year old boy was at the center of a courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.
The boy had a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible.
The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her.
When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.
After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.
After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Blue Bombers, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

And another one:
In the case of a tornado in the Winnipeg area, please head directly to Bomber Stadium.
Chances of a touchdown there are extremely unlikely!

Contentment

Can you be any more contended than this ? No worries. Just feed me, pat me and give me some attention and I am one happy puppy.

What's Next

This really has been a tough fall. My little dog, Diego, is now recuperating after having a tumor removed from his shoulder yesterday. Interesting difference between people medicine and animal medicine. Like no waiting times. I found the lump on his shoulder while giving him a bath. It looked pretty gross so took him to the vet.
The diagnosis given right away. The surgery done moments later and now he is getting back to his playful self.

Be Careful Little Mouth

In reading Scripture today, I was reminded of a little song my Mother used to sing to us as little kids. Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear and be careful little mouth what you say.
Out of the abundance of a man's heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) A man cannot claim his heart is kind if his words are unkind. He cannot claim his heart embraces heavens values if his mouth speaks the values of the world. The heart is a reservoir and the mouth is a faucet. When the faucet is turned on, whatever is in the reservoir will come out. I guess that's why the apostle Paul writes "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt. (Colossians 4:6)
Elsewhere he says "Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:9)
Pretty sobering thoughts when I stop to think of all the clients and customers that I meet with every day and then ponder, What is coming out of my reservoir?