Worms

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his
Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars.
The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following
results:
The first worm in alcohol - Dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead.
Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead.
Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive!
So the Minister asked the congregation - What can you learn from this
demonstration?
All was quiet until a little old woman in the back slowly raised her
hand and said,
"I guess as long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have
worms!"


Source: from Munachi E. Ezeogu

Not Our Fruit Alone

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island. The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruits. The other man's parcel of land remained barren. After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing. Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?" "My blessings are mine alone,since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything." "You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings." "Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?" "He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.


Sent by Mario Barbieto

Baptism By Immersion

At one point in his life Ray had considered joining the Baptist Church. For those of you who don't know, the Baptists practice total body immersion to baptize a person.

Luckily he even knew a minister in that faith, having dated his daughter, and so asked him if he would consider performing the service. The minister paused a minute or two, gave Ray a long thoughtful look and said, "Ray, if you're serious about this, a dipping just won't do it for you. We'll have to find a place to anchor you overnight."


Source: from Munachi e. Ezeogu

Potato Chips

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I"ve ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate corn chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."


Sent by P. Jesus Briones

How True, How True!

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask for your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that we have riciduled the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism. We have exploited the poor and call it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!"


Sent by Gina Tina

Golf Balls and Beer

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I am glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."


Sent by P. Jesus Briones

Twenty Dollar Bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "what if I do this." And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled, and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a valuable lesson here. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or whom we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special - don't EVER forget it.


Sent by Dorie Sevilla

Breach of Contract

Two brothers went treat-or-tricking and collected some eggs. The elder said to his younger brother, "I will give you one dollar if you let me break three eggs on your head." The little boy knew it was going to to be a painful experience, but because he needed the dollar he agreed. The bigger boy then went on to break an egg on his brother's head. His brother took it with an "Ouch!" Then he broke the second egg on his little brother's head. This time it really hurt and his little brother cried out in pain. But the young lad was determined to get his dollar. So he braced himself for the third and last egg, but his senior brother walked away laughing. "Come on, bring on the third egg," said the little boy. "Nope!" said the bigger brother, "I don't wanna lose my dollar."

One could dismiss the story as kids playing pranks, but there is something more serious going on here. It is called breach of contract. We are talking about the sense of responsibility, the recognition that every priviledge we enjoy comes with a price tag.


Source: from Munachi E. Ezeogu

How Do I Get To Heaven?

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the Church, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked my children in my Sunday School class. "No!" the children answered. "If I cleaned the Church everyday, mowed the yard, and kept everything neatly and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, the answer was, "No!" "Well,then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again. Again, they all answered, "No!" "Well," I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?" A five-year-old boy shouted, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!"


Sent by Terri Zaccardo

Religious Catering

The elderly priest, speaking to the younger priest, said, "It was a good idea to replace the first four pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked. The front of the Church fills first."

The young priest nodded and the old one continued, "And you told me a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to Church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock 'n roll gospel choir. We are packed to the balcony."

"Thank you, Father," answered the young priest. "I am pleased you are open to the new ideas of youth." "Well," said the elderly priest, "I am afraid you've gone too far with the drive-thru Confessional. "But Father," protested the young priest. "My confessions have nearly doubled since I began that!" "I know, my son," replied the old man. "But that flashing neon sign, 'Toot 'n Tell or Go to Hell," can't stay on the Church roof!


Sent by Lynn Falduto

New and Old Man

There was once an old member of a religious community who was grouchy and hard to get along with.

One time he attended a retreat which proved very effective. To show that he was thoroughly renewed after the fruitful retreat, he posted a sign ooutside his door which read: "Here lives a NEW MAN, the old man died and is buried.

But after a couple of months, his old traits started surfacing again. So somebody wrote below the sign on his door: "On the third day, the old man rose from the dead!"


Source: from Bel San Luis, SVD

Love Is Sacrifice

It was a sunny day in April. My father and my sister were shouting to me, "Pam, where are you?"

I was sleeping. Anyway I was going to getup early in the morning. My sister shouted again. "Pam, where are you?"

I got up quite lazily. My father and my sister were ready to go swimming. They loved swimming. But I hated it. I truly hated the salt water getting inside my nose. Yuck! But my sister and my father loved it all the more. And they loved to take me with them. Just to see my face when they jumped into the water.

I soon got dressed and went down to the car. My father and my sister were there waiting for me. And they were grinning happily.

I guess they were happier troubling me than going to the sea.

It was a long journey. But I had a book with me. So I had no problem. But my father and sister were shouting and jumping. They were singing all kinds of stupid songs. But I did not care. I just loved to see them happy.

Anyway after a journey of two hours, my father and my sister were happy to see the sea. They changed quickly to swimming suits. I simply sat there and put the sunshade. My father and sister played in the sea.

My father cried, "Why don't you join us?" I cried back. "No, I am OK here." My father said it was OK and suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to bring the food packet.

I offered to bring it down from the car.

My father said, "The car is parked very far away and it is heavy. You won't it be able to manage it." He added, "Take care of your sister", and went away.

I was happy under the umbrella. How beautiful the sky is! Nature is so beautiful! The chirping of birds, the trees swaying in gentle breeze... It was all so beautiful, I thought.

Suddenly I heard a cry. "Pam please help me!"

It was my sister crying. I cried aloud, "What happened?"

She shouted "Shark, Shark!"

I sank back. I thought, shark! I can't believe it. Shark got my sister. No, it is not possible. It can't be possible. My sister interrupted me, "Pam, do something, or I will die". May be I could do something. I saw a stick. I picked it up and swam to her. Water gushed into my nose. I felt choked and suffocated. It can't happen. I want to save my sister. At last I reached her.

The shark had got my sister's feet. It was pulling my sister down into the water. I will do something. I beat the shark with all my strength. The shark did not leave my sister. Instead it grabbed her more tightly. My father came just then. He was shocked. He stood like a stone.

I did not lose hope. I remembered reading somewhere that the sensitive part of the shark was its nose. That did it. It let loose my sister's leg and bit my hand. I started hitting its nose again and again with all my might. At last it left me and swam back. I took my unconscious sister and came back to the store. My father was waiting, stunned. I gave my sister to him and fell unconscious.

When I woke up I was in the hospital. My father was there. I asked him, "How is she?"

"She is fine." I felt relieved.

"And mother?" I asked. He said that she was with my sister.

I tried to move my hand. It was painful.

My father said, "Pam, you don't know how brave and valiant you are. You almost sacrificed your life for your sister."

I said to him, "No, never tell thanks. Love is sacrifice and sacrifice is love." We both smiled.

Source: from Chithra Venugopal, XII
Kochi: Cardinal H S School, Thrikkakara

The Hit and Run Case

A very successful lawyer parked his brand-new Lexus in front of his office, ready to show it off to his colleagues. As he got out, a truck passed too close and completely tore the door off of the driver's side. The counselor immediately grabbed his cell phone, dialed 911, and within minutes a policeman pulled up. Before the officer had a chance to ask any questions, the lawyer started screaming hysterically. His Lexus, which he had just picked up the day before, was now completely ruined and would never be the same, no matter what the body shop did to it.

When the lawyer finally wound down from his ranting and raving, the officer shook his head in disgust and disbelief. "I can't believe how materialistic you lawyers are," he said. "You are so focused on your possessions that you don't notice anything else."

"How can you say such a thing?" asked the lawyer.

The cop replied, "Don't you know that your left arm is missing from the elbow down? It must have been torn off when the truck hit you."

"Ahhh" screamed the lawyer. Where's my Rolex?"


Sent by Antonio Manzo

The Cross

A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear." The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish." The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he did as he was told. Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against the wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined.



Sent by Dr. Cheyenne Go

Climbing Mountains

One day a man, feeling tired and disheartened by life's countless trials an d hardships, prayed and complained to God. "Lord, why do I have so many mountains and hills to climb in life?" he asked. And God answered: "For you to have a better view, my child."


Source: from Jerry Orbos, SVD

Scars In Life

Some years ago on a hot summer day in South Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirts as he went.

He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.

Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars,too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.


Sent by Gina Tina

Cab Driver

A cab driver reaches the Pearly Gates and annoucnes his presence to St. Peter, who looks him up in his Big Book. Upon reading the entry for the cabby, St. Peter invites him to grab a silk robe and a golden staff and to proceed into Heaven.

A preacher is next in line behind the cabby and has been watching these proceedings with interest. He announces himself to St. Peter. Upon scanning the preacher's entry in the Big Book, St. Peter furrows his brow and says, "Okay, we'll let you in, but take that cloth robe and wooden staff."

The preacher is astonished and replies, "But I am a man of the cloth. You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely, I rate higher than a cabby."

St. Peter responded matter-of-factly: "Here we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabby drove his taxi, people prayed."


Source: from Munachi E. Ezeogu

New Pastor

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, "Genesis 3:10." Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked."


Sent by Lynn Falduto

Prayer Works

A young boy and his doting grandmother were walking along the seashore when a huge wave appeared out of nowhere, sweeping the child out to sea. The horrified woman fell to her knees, raised her eyes to the heavens and begged the Lord to return her beloved grandson. Lo, another wave reared up and deposited the stunend child on the sand before her. The grandmother looked the boy over carefully. He was fine. But still she stared up angrily toward the heavens. "When we came," she snapped indignantly, "he had a a hat!"


Source: from Munachi E. Ezeogu

New Parrot

A woman wanted a pet to keep her company at home while her husband was off at work and the children were in school. After some research, she decided a parrot would fit her needs nicely. It wouldn't be as much work as a dog or a cat, and it would be very interesting to hear it speak, but unfortunately they were quite expensive.

One day on a shopping trip she spotted a large, beautifully colored parrot and asked the owner of the store for the price of the bird. The owner said he let it go for
$50. Delighted that such a rare and beautiful bird wasn't more expensive, she agreed to buy it.

Before accepting her money, the owner said, "I should tell you first that this bird used to live in a brothel. Sometimes it says some pretty...well, embarassing stuff." The woman was so attracted to the bird and the excellent price that she decide to buy it anyway.

When she got home she placed the bird's cage in her living room and waited patiently for it to say something. The bird studied his new surroundings, and his new owner, and finally said, "New house, new madam." The woman was a little taken at the implication of what she had just heard, but after a few minutes decided that it wasn't really all that bad.

When her two teenage daughters came in from school, the bird looked them over and said, "New house, new madam, new girls!" After their initial surprise was over, the girls joined their mother in laughter.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m. the woman's husband came home from work. The bird looked at him, the mother, and the girls and said, "New house, new madam, new girls - Hi Sam!


Sent by Dorie Sevilla

Heaven Can Wait

On their way to get married, a young couple is involved in a fatal accident. The couple finds themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven.

While waiting, they begin to wonder; Could they possibly get married in Heaven?

When St.Peter shows up, they asked him. St. Peter says, "I don't know, this is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out," and he leaves. The couple sat and waited for an answer...for a couple of months...and they discussed if they were allowed to get married in Heaven, Should they get married, what with the eternal aspect of it all. "What if it doesn't work?" they wondered, 'Are we stuck together forever?"

After yet another month, St. Peter finally returns, looking somewhat bedraggled.

"Yes," he informs the couple, "you can get married in Heaven."

"Great!" said the couple, "But we were just wondering, what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in heaven?"

St. Peter, red-faced, slams his clipboard onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple.

"Oh come on!" St. Peter shouts, "It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have any idea how long it'll take me to find a lawyer!"


Sent by Lynn Falduto

To See In The Dark

A boy and his father are walking through a large forest. To cross to the other side, they have to pass through a long dark tunnel. the boy hesitates at the entrance.

"Father," the boy says, "how can I walk inthere when it is so dark? I will not see where I am going. We have neither candles nor torches to light our way."

The father calmly tells his son, "Once inside, close your eyes for several minutes to give them a chance to get accustomed to the dark. When you open them again, I assure you that you will be able to see the way through the tunnel."

the boy does what his father has told him. After closing his eyes for sometime, he is able to see inside the tunnel. Though it is very dark, he and his father are able to cross safely to the other side.

"Son," the father tells him, "if you don't have anything with which to light the darkness, use darkness to see in the dark."

FAITH is that darkness...


Source: from Bro. Andrew Maria, NMHC

True Friend

Horror gripped the heart of the World War 1 soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "no man's land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

"You can go," said the lieutenant, "but i don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away." The lieutenant's advice didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company's trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.

"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded." "It was worth it, though, sir," said the soldier. "What do you mean; worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead" "YES, Sir" the private answered. "But it was worth it because when i got to him, he was still alive and i had the satisfaction of hearing him say, "JIM........, I KNEW YOU'D COME."


Source: http://www.inspirationallane.com/InspirationalShortStories.htm

Eagles In A Storm

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.


Source: http://www.indianchild.com/eagles_in_a_storm.htm

Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!


Source: http://www.indianchild.com/inspiring_stories.htm

Unconditional Love

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.


Source: http://www.indianchild.com/inspiring_stories.htm