Story of the Day

[odhiambo]

This was shared by one of our members tqualey, at another forum.


An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey . He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard.

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love,
Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Pop,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried.
Love,
Vinnie

At 4 a.m. the next mornin g, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Pop,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love you,
Vinnie 

[odhiambo]

A Muslim man in Egypt killed his
wife because she was reading the
Bible and then buried her with
their infant baby and an 8-year
old daughter. The girls were
buried alive! He then reported to
the police that an uncle killed the
kids. 15 days later, another family
member died.

When they went to
bury him, they found the 2 little
girls under the sand -ALIVE!

The older girl was
asked how she had survived and
she said: "A man wearing shiny
white clothes, with bleeding
wounds in his hands, came every
day to feed us.He woke up my
mom so she could nurse my
siste"!
 She was interviewed on Egyptian national
TV, by availed Muslim woman news anchor. who  said on public
TV: "This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does
things like this!"
 
Wow!
I know I am preaching to the converted but Jesus  is alive and near you!

I do not know when this miracle took place. I came across it yesterday in my book of daily meditation and the author gave the date as 23 April 2008.
Imagine not to have heard of such a miracle when it occurred  in a Muslim country.
Did anyone here hear about it at the time?

[Brigid]

That is an amazing story and one I haven't heard either.

[Shin]

It's truly inspiring!

[odhiambo]

Missed Blessings

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many
months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom,
and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all
he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs
that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his
graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father
told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how
much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and
found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name
embossed in gold. Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said
"with all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the
house. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in
business.  He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized
his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He
had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make
arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed
away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come
home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his
father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began
to search through his father's important papers and saw the still
gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago.  With tears, he
opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.  His father had
carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, "And if ye, being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your
Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?" As he
read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible.  It
had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports
car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the
words PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because
we can't see past our own desires?

Author Unknown

[odhiambo]

A Trick


A young man, a student in one of our universities, was one day taking
a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students' friend,
from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.

As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes,
which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a
field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's work.

The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a
trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those
bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them."

"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never amuse
ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give
yourself a much greater pleasure by means of the poor man. Put a coin
into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the
discovery affects him."

The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes
close by.

The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the
path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat
he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard,
he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin.

Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon
the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then
looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now
put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe;
but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.

His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven
and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his
wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom the
timely bounty, from some unknown hand, would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with
tears. "Now," said the professor, "are you not much better pleased
than if you had played your intended trick?"

The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never
forget. I feel now the truth of those words, which I never understood
before: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive."

 Author Unknown

[Shin]

There certainly is quite a difference between secretly playing tricks on people, and secretly doing good for people. 

[Patricia]

Good story, Odhiambo!

[odhiambo]

Good story, Odhiambo!

Hi Patricia,
Welcome back.
Credit goes to the Unknown Author.

[odhiambo]

An Irish tale

A farmer named Paddy had a car accident. He was hit by a truck owned by the Eversweet Company.
In court, the Eversweet Company's hot-shot solicitor was questioning Paddy.

'Didn't you say to the police at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine?' asked the solicitor.
Paddy responded: 'Well, I'll tell you what happened. I'd just loaded my fav'rit cow, Bessie, into da... '

'I didn't ask for any details', the solicitor interrupted. 'Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?'

Paddy said, 'Well, I'd just got Bessie into da trailer and I was drivin' down da road.... '

The solicitor interrupted again and said, 'Your Honour, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the police on the scene that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question. '

By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Paddy's answer and said to the solicitor: 'I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favourite cow, Bessie'.
Paddy thanked the Judge and proceeded. 'Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my fav'rit cow, into de trailer and was drivin' her down de road when this huge Eversweet truck and trailer came tundering tru a stop sign and hit me trailer right in da side. I was trown into one ditch and Bessie was trown into da udder.  I was hurt, very bad like, and didn't want to move. However, I could hear old Bessie moanin' and groanin'. I knew she was in terrible pain just by her groans.

Shortly after da accident, a policeman on a motorbike turned up. He could hear Bessie moanin' and groanin' too, so he went over to her. After he looked at her, and saw her condition, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.

Den da policeman came across de road, gun still in hand, looked at me, and said, 'How are you feelin'?'

'Now wot  would you say?'
 

[Shin]

 

[Brigid]

 

[George]

 

[Brigid]

   I even got a chuckle out of it when I looked at the story again!

[odhiambo]

MOM'S EMPTY CHAIR

 
A woman's daughter had asked the parish priest
to come and pray with her mother.
When the priest arrived,
he found the woman lying in bed with her head
propped up on two pillows.

  An empty chair sat beside her bed.
The priest assumed that the woman
had been informed of his visit...
'I guess you were expecting me, he said.

'No, who are you?' said the mother.
The priest told her his name and then remarked,
'I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew
I was going to show up..'

'Oh yeah, the chair,' said the bedridden woman
'Would you mind closing the door?'
Puzzled, the priest shut the door.
'I have never told anyone this,
not even my daughter,' said the woman.

  'But all of my life I have never
known how to pray.
At church I used to hear the priest talk about prayer,
but it went right over my head...'

I abandoned any attempt at prayer,'
the old woman continued, '
until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me,
' Prayer is just a simple matter
of having a conversation with Jesus.
Here is what I suggest..
'Sit down in a chair;
place an empty chair in front of you,
and in faith see Jesus on the chair.

It's not spooky because he promised,
'I will be with you always'..
'Then just speak to him in the same way
you're doing with me right now...'

'So, I tried it and I've liked it so much
that I do it a couple of hours every day.
I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking
to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown
or send me off to the funny farm.'

The priest was deeply moved by the story and
encouraged the old woman to continue on the journey.
Then he prayed with her, anointed her with oil,
and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called
to tell the priest that her mama
had died that afternoon.
Did she die in peace?' he asked.

Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock,
she called me over to her bedside,
told me she loved me and kissed me on the cheek.
When I got back from the store an hour later,
I found her.

But there was something strange about her death.
Apparently, just before Mom died,
she leaned over and rested her head on the chair
beside the bed. What do you make of that?'

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,
'I wish we could all go like that.'

[Shin]

That's a really sweet story odhiambo!