Hmm ... Interesting!

While I was at uni doing my accounting degree, I would often have classes in the science building. One in particular was near the forensic science area, and while waiting to go into the room we could see posters of the forensic science issues. My friend and I got to thinking about the CSI shows that are on and then thought how boring it would be if you did a forensic accounting show.

I hadn't thought much about it for a while, but then today I saw a job advertising for a Forensic Accountant!

I can imagine the show now. It would be like one of those airport shows or motor way patrol. And yes, I still think it would be boring.

Cute!!

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in f ront 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.

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 cups of coffee from under the table and poured the liquid 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 torecognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, Children, health, friends, and favourite 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, house, and 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."

"So... 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 coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm 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 cups of coffee with a friend."

-Author Unknown

Hope

Do not undermine your worth by

Comparing yourself with others.

It is because we are different

That each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what

Other people deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.
Do not take for granted the things

Closest to your heart.

Cling to them as you would your life,

For without them, life is meaningless.
Do not let your life slip through your fingers

By living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,

You live all the days of your life.
Do not give up when you

Still have something to give.

Nothing is really over until the

Moment you stop trying.

It is a fragile thread that

Binds us to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks.

It is by taking chances

That we learn how to be brave.
Do not shut love out of your life by

Saying it is impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive

Love is to give love;

The fastest way to lose love

Is to hold it too tightly;
In addition, the best way to keep

Love is to give it wings.

Do not dismiss your dreams.

To be without dreams

Is to be without hope;

To be without hope

Is to be without purpose.
Do not run through life

So fast that you forget

Not only where you have been,

But also where you are going.

Life is not a race,

But a journey to be savored

Each step of the way.

- Author Unknown

CARROT, EGG, COFFEE BEAN?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked. "What's the point,mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting in the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water."Which are you?" she asked her daughter.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?How do you handle adversity?

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?

- Author Unkown

I AM A CHRISTIAN

When I say... "I am a Christian
"I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin.
" I'm whispering "I was lost,"
Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say.. "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but,
God believes I am worth it.

When I say.. "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
who received God's good grace, somehow.

Author ~Maya Angelou~

Fill Me!

Tears filled my eyes, my body trembled. My heart was heavy - longing. I looked up at the stars from the depths of my heart and I cried out to God, Lord! I Love you! I want more of You. Please give me more of You."

"There's no room left for me. Not understanding, I cried out again, pleading, "Lord, Please fill me." He gently said, "There's just no more room for me. You have all you can hold." My heart sank and I cried, "Lord, I don't understand, I NEED more of You, Please!"

Then the Lord showed me a big glass vase, a pile of handkerchiefs and a pitcher of oil. He said, "This vase is your heart and I am the Oil." He picked up a handful of handkerchiefs and put them into the vase. He said, "These are your family, these are your cares, your worries, the things that consume your heart and the things you tend to put before Me: family, home, income, entertainment, friends, bills, every anxiety, worry and fear.

Tears fell as I saw the vase FULL. Then the Lord picked up the Oil and poured it into the vase. As He put it down, I saw that the pitcher was Still Full. He said, "you see--- Your heart is already Full. There's so little room for Me. These are all the things that fill and weight your heart, leaving no room for me." My sweet child, give me ALL your cares. That is Why I died. Give me ALL your heart and I will fill you with MYSELF. You want so much more of Me -- then leave room for Me" To be Full of God, is to Surrender ALL.

- Shanna Martinez "Handrails"

Have Fun in Life

Have fun in life
Make it all worthwhile
Have fun in life
Maybe crack a smile

Stop and smell the roses while the roses are in bloom
But promise me you'll honestly have fun in what you do


- Mercy Me

These are the lyrics for a bonus track on Mercy Me's album "Coming Up To Breathe".
It seems to take forever to come around after the last song finishes, but the way they sing it is hilarious. It's well worth the wait. So if you have the CD, don't stop it when "I would Die for You" finishes. Let it run and wait for the song.

Thought for the Day

God speaks to us in many ways,
Altering our lives, our plans and days,
And His blessings come in many guises
That He alone in love devises.

- Helen Steiner Rice

I Love Butterflies

My favorite butterfly is the Ulyssis like this one. It's from Far North Queensland.

Today's Thought

Nothing in life that is worthy
is ever too hard to achieve
If you have the courage to try it
and you have the faith to believe.

-Helen Steiner Rice

The way I was made ...

And I want to live like there's no tomorrow
I want to dance like no one's around.
I want to sing like nobody's listening.
Before I lay my body down
I want to give like I have plenty.
I want to love like I'm not afraid.
I want to be the man I was meant to be.
I want to be the way I was made.

Made in Your likeness, made with Your hands.
Made to discover who You are and who I am
In all I've forgotten help me to find.
All that You've promised let it be in my life.

-Chris Tomlin

Don't you just hate ...

Don't you hate seeing someone but can't remember their name?

Or you see someone somewhere and think "I'm sure I've seen that person before", but can't figure out who they are, where you saw them or how you know them.

That keeps happening to me. I'm great at remembering faces, but to get me to remember their name or where I've seen them is practically impossible. I may eventually figure it out - as soon as I get home, or 2 days later when it doesn't matter.

It's happening with our new receptionist at work. Not forgetting her name, but trying to figure out where I've seen her. It's been a week, and I still can't figure it out.

A Strange Feeling

Have you ever felt like there was something wrong but you don't know exactly what?

Like your body is trying to tell you that there's something not quite right, but if you were to go to a doctor, you wouldn't be able to give them an exact location of pain or discomfort, just an overall sense of something being out of wack.

That worries you and so you start thinking of all sorts of things that could be wrong, which probably aren't whatever it is if there really is anything wrong at all.


Another example is when you feel like there's something big about to happen somewhere, somehow, but you have no idea what that thing is, when or where it will happen. And you don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.


Hmmm ...

Precious Thoughts

Whether we are here on earth
Or the vast unknown above,
It simply is impossible
To go beyond God's love.

-Helen Steiner Rice