There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

 He was given a slingshot

 to play with out in the woods.

 He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.

 Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

 As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

 Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in

 the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!

 In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his

 Sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

 After lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the dishes'

 But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the

 kitchen.'

 Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?'

 So Johnny did the dishes.

 Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children

wanted to go fishing

 and Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.'

 Sally just smiled and said, 'well that's all right because Johnny told

 me he wanted to help?

 She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?' So Sally went fishing and

 Johnny stayed to help.

 After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he

 Finally couldn't stand it any longer.

  He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck

 Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You

 see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but

 because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you

 would let Sally make a slave of you.'

Thought for the day

 and every day thereafter:

  Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done...? And the devil

 keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad

 habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to

 know that:

 God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

  He has seen your whole life... He wants you to know that He loves you

 and that you are forgiven. He's just

 wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

 The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness;

 He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

sent to me by friend my Emmanuel Inengite

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Here are some true stories that happened to real people and were told from the first person...

Enjoy)

-Today, my mom has been blind for 15 years. She lost her vision in the same car accident that took my dad’s life. I am 18 years old now. She has raised me as a single mom since I was 3, without her vision. And yes, she did a heck of a job!

-Today, I met the prettiest woman on a plane. Assuming I wouldn’t see her again after we made our connections, I told her how pretty I thought she was. She gave me the most sincere smile and said, “Nobody has said that to me in 10 years.” It turns out we’re both in our mid-30’s, never married, no kids, and we live about 5 miles away from each other. We have a date set for next Saturday after we return home.

-Today, my mom received the surgery she needed to remove a malignant tumor. My family has been struggling without medical insurance since my dad lost his job last year. My sister and I have been openly discussing my mom’s medical dilemma on Facebook. Last week, a friend of a friend, who’s a veteran cancer treatment surgeon who owns his own practice, saw our comments on Facebook and volunteered to help my mother for free.

-Today, I’m a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 4. At 17 I got pregnant with twins. When my boyfriend and friends found out I wasn’t going to abort them, they turned a cold shoulder to me. But I pressed forward, worked full-time while attending school, graduated high school and college, and met a guy in one of my classes who has loved my children like his own for the last 50 years.

-Today, as I was sleeping, I woke up to my daughter calling my name. I was sleeping in a sofa chair in her hospital room. I opened my eyes to her beautiful smile. My daughter has been in a coma for 98 days.

-Today, on our 10th wedding anniversary, she handed me a suicide note she wrote when she was 22. It was dated the exact day we met each other. And she said, “For all these years I didn’t want you to know how foolish and unstable I was back when we met. But even though you didn’t know, you saved me. Thank you.”

-Today, at 8AM this morning, after four months of lifelessness in her hospital bed, we took my mom off life support. And her heart continued beating on its own. And she continued breathing on her own. Then this evening, when I squeezed her hand three times, she squeezed back three times.

-Today, the homeless man who used to sleep near my condo showed up at my door wearing the business suit I gave him nearly 10 years ago. He said, “I have a home, a job, and a family now. 10 years ago I wore this business suit to all my job interviews. Thank you.”

-Today, when I opened my store at 5AM there was an envelope sitting on the floor by the door. In the envelope was $600 and a note that said, “Five years ago, I broke into your store at night and stole $300 worth of food. I’m sorry. I was desperate. Here’s the money with 100% interest.” Interestingly, I never reported the incident to the cops because I assumed that whoever stole the food really needed it.

You wanna miracle?Be the miracle!)

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Sometimes relationships flounder because we don't convey enough genuine love-or perhaps we don't convey it in quite the right ways. In our zeal to help loved ones improve, maybe we focus too much on how we think they should change instead of communicating sincere acceptance and appreciation for who they are. Just as plants thrive in a warm and nurturing environment, people thrive when they feel accepted and appreciated. And very often they need that more than they need advice.

One son felt that whatever he did, it was never enough to please his father. When he moved away from home and took a job in another town, he finally explained to his dad, "Our relationship isn't about productivity. You're my dad. Sometimes I need praise more than a push and approval more than advice. Constantly trying to make me better just makes me feel worse. It's not enough that you love me. I need you to appreciate me."1
His dad meant well-he wanted his son to reach his full potential, to be the best he could possibly be, with minimal risk of failure. But our loved ones are so much more than productivity projects. They don't need better efficiency models-they need our love and care, our acceptance and appreciation, our best efforts to cherish their unique individuality.
Sometimes it's not easy, but it becomes easier as we truly open our hearts. As we do, we open doors to more trusting relationships. People will often stop resisting change and improvement when they feel valued, when the relationship is built on acceptance and appreciation. For example, a patient, accepting grandma often gets farther with a struggling child than a frustrated parent who condemns and finds fault. The grandmother is not blind to the child's problems, but her wise counsel and occasional correction are more likely to be accepted because the child knows heis accepted.
Warmth and nurturing kindness will bring out the best not only in ourselves but also in those we love.
1. In Michael Josephson, "Needing Approval More Than Advice," What Will Matter, October 31, 2011,http://whatwillmatter.com/2011/10/needing-approval-more-than-advice.

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Loved ones are like violin, the music may stop playing but the strings remain. Losing a well beloved person is indeed a sorrow that may not be easily softened in the heart and often brings unforgettable memories thereby adding more pains to the sorrow but our Savior gave us the assurance that “death is swallowed up in victory”.

I felt terribly sad when the news of my brother’s death came to me, in fact it was like thunders bolt that is lightening with all the forces it can ever carry and it almost destroyed the fabrics of my heart. I felt so devastated feeling as if I’m in an endless pit of pain looking for help but could not find any. I felt like asking God “WHY”I said no because I promised myself never to ask such question no matter any situation I found myself.

Within this moment of inexpressible pain of losing a loved one, as I lay on my bed pondering on the mysteries of this life and its inevitable gift-death, at that lonely yet unseeingly serene moment of meditation, I heard the still small voice whispers to my troubled heart “all is well, weep not, your brother will be saved and you can still see, embrace and kiss him but that will be after this life.
We live in a world where “pain and death comes unsolicited making the man absolutely astounded…” death is a universal heritage that comes at any age. It is an inevitable gift to man. Therefore we only have to accept the inevitable of this life.

You should know that though full of strife, but wonderful is this life its safe-haven is untenable, its arms are unsociable. But on the other side of this life lies the grandeur of happiness to rise offered by the Great King Emmanuel with the gospel as an enamel.

I give to you those same words given to me by the Still Small Voice “all is well, weep not, your (father) will be save and you can still see, embrace and kiss him but that will be after this life”.I know it’s sad and painful but don’t let that sadness mar your sweet experience and joyful life as a missionary.

I bear you my witness that death is not the end of man’s existence it’s like opening a new a page after you are done with one. I have often took solace on the exclamation of Paul “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” for I know that because our Savior rose from death on the third day of His burial, “death is swallowed up in victory”...

I know it’s hard to subjugate such sad feelings, mostly for the fact that you will not be there to at least give a mortality last respect or farewell greetings. Take heart; continue to do your best. God alone knows why such thing happened at such a time.

If you will remember, I have told you before that the Atonement is my favorite gospel topic because in it I gained the needed strength to survive this life greatest peril-death. “If Christ be not risen said Paul, our preaching (missionary work) is vain and our faith is also vain. President Joseph F. Smith said “that those from whom we have to part here. We will meet again and see as they are. We will meet the same identical being that we associated with here in the flesh”.

I’m very grateful for the sublime act of the Savior with which He conquered death, dispelling the devastating sorrow that gnaws at those who has lost loved ones and brought to man the hope of a glorious resurrection. As I “mourn” with you in this time of great loss, I pray that the Still-Small Voice whispers to your heart as it has done to many others, even to mine, the most joy that comes from the Atonement.

In my prayers I wish I could send you some warming rays to make your day a little brighter. I wish I could send some magic to make your heart a little lighter. But I can only send this cheerful message that God lives. He is our Father. He sent us to this probationary state to be tested and tried and to face death as an inevitable thing. He loves you as He loves every one of His children and will continue to love you. He sent His “Only Beloved Son” to come to earth to be humiliated, bruised, reviled, ridiculed, and ultimately to conquer death, that though we will die- it is only momentary – we will rise again never to die again.

At that time I will never text you that I lost my brother some weeks ago and you will never say “I lost my father” anymore. I know that the Atonement is not a fiction. It is real. I add my testimony to those given by ancient and modern day Prophets and Apostles that He lives! Sited on the right hand of God. For how long or short I don’t know but I know that a day will come when all shall rise from the grave and when that day comes death will no more be a problem to man.

Even at this time am enshrouded by my brother’s loss. Nevertheless, I have to carry on what I have covenanted to do which is to “mourn with those that mourn” study the Atonement again and again, ponder it deeply in your heart and also the purpose of life and I promise you will gain understanding and strength to bear this irreparable loss.

Mortality would be such a great calamity should we not pertain our lives according to the Lords way. The Lord knows that is why He said “thou shall live together in love, insomuch that thou shall weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection and on the other hand, “blessed are the dead that die in the Lord” for they “shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them”.

Despite all this promises, we do not seek for death to come but we know it must inevitably come. I don’t have a full understanding of what the Savior went through to  offer us this most expensive gift of resurrection, neither can I fathom an atom of it but I know it is true and is for you, for me and for everybody that has lived, living, and would ever live on this earth.

Finally, and once more again I say all is well, weep not, your father will be saved and you can still see, embrace, and kiss him but that will be after this life.

 Yours friend,

  Elisha

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If it’s true, as Shakespeare wrote, that “parting is such sweet sorrow,”1 then perhaps we could say that reuniting is the sweetest joy. While saying goodbye can be heart-wrenching at times, reconnecting with loved ones we haven’t seen in a while can be among life’s greatest moments.

For this reason, airports can be the happiest and the saddest of places-full of goodbyes and hellos that bring a tear to the eye and a lump to the throat. Soldiers returning from active service are joyously embraced. Loved ones away for a season are welcomed into open arms. And weary travelers are almost instantly rejuvenated by the sight of their family or friends. It matters not if they've been away for a few days or a few years-welcome-homes are moments to cherish.

In reality, we are continually saying goodbye and hello. And because life is short, we must make the most of each homecoming. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, we can be constantly looking forward to such homecomings, even if they seem to be “a great way off.”2

One grandmother will never forget the day her daughter’s family, who lived across the country, knocked on her door for a surprise visit. She didn't know they were coming, but she could not have been more thrilled to see them. They were home! She welcomed them into her loving arms; she prepared their favorite foods; she made sure they were warm and comfortable and happy. She could not stop hugging them-especially the grandchildren. It had been too long since she was able to hold them close, so she did not let an opportunity pass to wrap her arms around them. The family felt like they belonged-like they had never been away. They were welcomed home.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone, prodigal or not, could return home and find kind words, warm hearts, and a loving embrace? Is it possible that all those away from home could someday, somehow find the open arms of welcome- homes?

1. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act 2, scene 2, lines 199-200.

2. Luke 15:20.

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