Cookies in a Bag

A woman was waiting for her flight at the airport. She bought a bag of cookies, found a place to drop and took out her book. She started to read and suddenly noticed that a man, sitting beside her, grabbed a cookie from her bag. She just tried to ignore this.

So she munched cookies and at the same time watched how shameless cookie thief was diminishing her stocks. She thought to herself:'If I wasn‘t such a nice person, I would blacken his eye“.

When only one cookie was left, she looked with interest and wondered what he would do. He smiled, took the last cookie and broke it in half. She thought: „This guy is so rude, he didn‘t even show any gratitude!”

After her flight was called, the woman gathered her baggage and headed to gate. She took her seat in the plane, and started to look for her book, which was almost complete. As she reached her baggage, she gasped with surprise, as there was an unopened bag of cookies. A dreadful thought crossed her mind: „If my cookie bag is here, the other one was his and he just tried to share. She realized that she was the rude one, but it was too late to apologize.

Always give people a chance, you just might be the one who'll need forgiveness.

A Dish of Ice Cream

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip. And she began to sob. You see, she'd judged this little boy initially, not realizing he had her in mind the whole time.

An Officer with a Heart of Gold

A Dollar General store in Tarrant, Alabama called in the police after a woman was caught trying to steal a dozen eggs. Officer William Stacy arrived on the scene, but decided that the woman didn't need to leave in handcuffs.

Instead, Officer Stacy heard the woman out. She had her young children in the car and said she was only shoplifting to feed them.

Tarrant Police Chief Dennis Reno said Officer Stacy talked with Dollar General, who decided not to arrest the woman. Stacy decided to buy the eggs and make the woman an offer.

"He said, ‘If I give you these eggs, will you promise that you won't shoplift anymore?' He knew that she was telling the truth and that's the reason he went in and bought the eggs," said Reno. 

Officer Stacy gave the woman her eggs and chatted with her when the woman asked if she could give Stacy a hug. 

Before You Judge...

A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call asap, changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block.  He found the boy’s father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor.
On seeing him, the father yelled, “Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?”
The doctor smiled and said, “I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came as fast as I could after receiving the call and now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work”.
“Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies while waiting for doctor than what will you do??” said the father angrily.  The doctor smiled again and replied, “We will do our best by God’s grace and you should also pray for your son’s healthy life”.
“Giving advises when we’re not concerned is so easy” Murmured the father.
The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, “Thank goodness! your son is saved!” And without waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running by saying, “If you have any questions, ask the nurse”.
“Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so that I ask about my son’s state” Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.  The nurse answered, tears coming down her face, “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was at the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery.  And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial.”

Moral: Never judge anyone because you never know how their life is and what they’re going through.

An Attitude of Gratitude

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her,’ Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

 Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

 This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

 Life Is a Gift Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

 Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

 Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

 Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who died too young.

 Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

 Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.

 Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet. And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job. But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us is without sin and we all answer to one MAKER. God bless you

Unknown source

Nails In The Fence

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say ‘I'm sorry,' the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.

- Source Unknown

Homeless Man?

It was a cold winter's day that Sabbath. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church.

As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face. He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them, his toes stuck out.

I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church. We all fellow shipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped, but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later church began. We all waited for the preacher to take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to the church opened.

In came the homeless man, walking down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit where he took off his hat and coat.

My heart sank.

There stood our preacher...he was the "homeless man." No one said a word.

The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand. "Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today."

Then he started singing the words to this song. "If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or song, if I can show somebody that he's traveling wrong, then my living shall not be in vain."

IS YOUR LIVING IN VAIN?

~ Author Unknown ~