My brother gave me a YouTube link this morning, saying I have to watch it because it’s the best video he’s ever seen. I was intrigued by his intro, so I watched the clip. Guess what, it sent goosebumps all over my body! This story has become so popular and is all over the Internet so I’m sure most of you might have come across this months ago, but it only just reached me now, and I felt compelled to post it here to share it with those who haven’t seen it yet.

It’s a story about an exceptional lion raised by two young Australian men, John Rendall and Ace Berg. They bought the lion cub from a store, they saw it was cramped and lonely in his cage, so they decided to bring the poor little guy home. They raised him as a pet, named him Christian, and it was the start of an amazing friendship and loyalty among the three. But when Christian grew bigger, they didn’t have a choice but to release him back into the wild. So they enlisted the help of George Adamson, the known “Father Of Lions“ and after some time, though it wasn’t easy, they were able to release Christian successfully into the wild.

After a year, Christian got accustomed to life in the wild and was even leader of their pride. John and Ace decided to visit him again, and despite warnings from George, that Christian might not recognize them anymore, they went ahead and sought their beloved lion. So what happened, you ask? Well, if you don’t know… you go find out for yourself by watching the video.

It’s such a heartwarming story about friendship, and how even a vicious animal like a lion is capable of love and affection. I have to admit, I was nearly moved to tears when I watched the video. If you haven’t heard of Christian, The Lion… you have to watch the video, and while you’re at it, you can watch the whole documentary dedicated to him too. It’s definitely worth the watch.

Copyright©2008angel

At an airport I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane’s departure and standing near the door, he said to his daughter, “I love you, I wish you enough.”

She said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.” They kissed good-bye and she left.

He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?” “Yes, I have,” I replied.

Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.

“Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?” I asked.

“I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral, ” he said.

“When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough.’ May I ask what that means?”

He began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.

“When we said ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them,” he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Good-bye.”

He then began to sob and walked away.

Author Unknown

When I was a little child, my mother embroidered a great deal. I can remember the time when, as I was sitting at her feet and looking up at her, I asked her what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. I remarked that it looked like a mess from where I was. As, from the underside, I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat.

She looked down, smiling at me, and gently said, “My child, you go and play for now, and when I am finished, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side.” I wondered why she used some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my point of view.

Later, after some time had passed, as I was playing, I heard my Mother calling for me to come and sit on her knee. I went to her, and as I settled into the comfort and security of her lap, my mother said, “My child, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize there was a plan on the top, a design that I was following. Now look at it from my side, and you will see what I was doing.” Then, when she showed me her completed work, I was surprised and thrilled to see a landscape scene full of beautiful flowers adorned by the radiant glow of a magnificent sunset.

Many times, I have looked up to my Heavenly Father and asked, “Father, what are You doing?” He has answered, “I am embroidering your life.” I say, “But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can’t they all be bright?” My Father gently says, “My child, you go and do My will for now, and one day, I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee, and then you will see the plan from My side.”

Author Unknown

A boy promised the girl he loved dearly…

Boy: Nothing can take me away from you too long…

But one day, he had an accident and died. The girl was so miserable that she took her own life. An angel in heaven told the boy the sad news. Suddenly, the boy attacked the angel. He was sentenced to hell. There, he found the girl crying.

He hugged her and said: “Remember what I told you? Nothing can take me away from you too long… Not even heaven and angels.”

Our dad is an important part of our life. Aside from the fact that he was responsible for our birth, he’s someone that we look up to. But sometimes he doesn’t get the respect and love he deserves from us. A father is an individual that serves as a pillar of strength in the home. Sometimes, we take him for granted, sometimes we disrespect him… but the love of a father to a child is so pure and unconditional, and we should return that love to him, not just during special times, but everyday in our lives.

I don’t say I love you to my dad as much as I should have, but I say it every time I get the chance. There have been times in my life when we disagree, argue, and had a lot of misunderstandings… but ultimately, he’s my father, and I love him dearly. I thank God for him everyday.

Since Today is Father’s Day, in honor of the celebration and for all the dads around the world, I thought I’d compile previous posts in my blog that talk about fatherhood or stories about fathers. Check them out! Remember your own dad, and reach out to him if you can!

1. Father Forgets
2. A Strand Of Pearls
3. One Hour Of Time
4. What It Means To Be Poor
5. I Love You, Daddy
6. The Golden Gift
7. Dad’s Gift
8. What Would You Do?
9. The Empty Chair
10. Pancakes

Copyright©2008angel

Imagine going to heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you the calendar of His plan for your earthly life. It begins with the day you are born. Once you received Christ as Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of each week of your life.

On many of the days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire “Father, are those my footprints on the calendar every day and is the second set of prints when you joined me?”

He answers, “No, My precious Child. The consistent footprints on your calendar are Mine. The second set of footprints are when you joined Me.”

“Where were You going, Father?”

“To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you’d follow.”

“But, Father, where are my footprints all those times?”

He answers, “Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits while I was still going forward, hoping you’d join Me. Sometimes, you departed from My path and chose your own calendar instead. Other times, your footprints can even be seen on another person’s calendar because you thought you liked their plan better. At other times, you simply stopped because you would not let go of something you could not take to the next day.”

“Father, what are those golden treasure boxes on certain days?”

“Blessings, My Child, I had for you along the way. Those that are open are those you received. Those still closed were days you did not walk with Me.”

“But, Father, we ended up OK even if I didn’t walk with You every day, didn’t we?”

He holds you close and smiles, “Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you.”

Author Unknown 

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.

She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”

He said….. “Then I thank you from my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.

He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.

She read these words…..

“Paid in full with one glass of milk”

(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands.”

Author Unknown

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with Light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.

The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down; his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night, the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: “you have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t moved.” Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and the he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

“Why kill myself over this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough.” And that is what he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. Now I, My friend, will now move the rock.”

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong … just P.U.S.H.!
When the job gets you down … just P.U.S.H.!
When people don’t react the way you think they should… just P.U.S.H.!
When your money looks “gone” and the bills are due…just P.U.S.H!
When people just don’t understand you … just P.U.S.H.!

P= Pray
U= Until
S= Something
H= Happens

Author Unknown

I remember back when I was younger, I used to fantasize about my first kiss. I’ve always imagined what it would be like, what it would actually FEEL like.

Then one night, it happened. It started off with a hug. I was so close to him. I could smell his perfume… I could hear his heartbeat… I could feel his warm breath on my skin. It felt so good to be wrapped in his arms like that. Without letting go, he kissed me on the cheek. It was a feathery light kiss. But it sent shivers down my spine. It was incredible.

Then slowly, gently… he tilted my chin and he leaned his face forward. I knew right then that he was really going to kiss me. My heart was pounding hard against my chest! I’ve fantasized about this kiss for ages, and now it’s actually going to happen! I felt a jumble of emotions going on inside me. I was nervous, and worried, and excited all at the same time! Well actually, I was more worried about the technicalities of the kiss. The truth was I didn’t know how to kiss. Yeah, I’ve seen it on TV and in the movies, but you know… I mean, this was the real thing. There’s this amazing guy in front of me, about to kiss me. What if I made a fool of myself? My mind was a wreck.

But I really didn’t have enough time to even pay attention to my thoughts because his lips were already less than an inch away from mine! And even then, I don’t think I would have had the strength to stop him. So I gave in. I let him kiss me. And I kissed him back. And then everything seemed to stand still. All of a sudden, it felt like we were the only people in the world. It was all I could feel, the softness of his lips, his skin under my hands. The kiss was breathtaking. Exhilarating. It was the most magical moment of my life.

I was only aware of his presence, how he was holding me and touching me… and telling me those 3 heartwarming words that sealed the kiss for me: “I love you”. I love the way he said it, slow and dragging… barely a whisper. It made me feel delicate… and special.

That kiss turned out to be everything I dreamed it would be. Even better. Way better. In the end, it really didn’t matter that I wasn’t an expert in kissing… because the important thing is, I care about him. And I guess, in one way or another, the kiss told him how I felt. And it did the same for me. I really am thankful that it was him. He gave me one of the most memorable moments a girl could ever have. My very first kiss. I will always be glad that I got to share that experience with him. It definitely was… a dream come true.

That cool night in March, a million other teenagers were probably having their first kiss too… but I’m one of the lucky few… because I got to share my first KISS with my first LOVE. And that’s one beautiful memory I get to keep for the rest of my life.

(P.S. I wrote this post 5 years ago, and I only just found it yesterday. Wow, time flies so fast, I can’t believe it’s been five years.)

Copyright©2008angel

A store that sells husbands has just opened where a woman may go to choose a husband from among many men. The store is composed of 6 floors, and the men increase in positive attributes as the shopper ascends the flights.

There is, however, a catch. As you open the door to any floor you may choose a man from that floor, but if you go up a floor, you cannot go back down except to exit the building.

So a woman goes to the shopping center to find a husband.

On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs.

The woman reads the sign and says to herself, “Well, that’s better than my last boyfriend, but I wonder what’s further up?”

So up she goes.

The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids.

The woman remarks to herself, “That’s great, but I wonder what’s further up?” And up she goes again.

The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids and are extremely good looking.

“Hmm, better” she says. “But I wonder what’s upstairs?”

The fourth floor sign reads: Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking and help with the housework.

“Wow!” exclaims the woman, “very tempting. BUT, there must be more further up!” And again she heads up another flight.

The fifth floor sign reads: Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking, help with the housework and have a strong romantic streak.

“Oh, mercy me! But just think… what must be awaiting me further on?” So up to the sixth floor she goes.

The sixth floor sign reads: Floor 6 - You a re visitor 3,456,789,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at The Husband Store and have a nice day!

Author Unknown 

Six year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.

He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.

He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn’t know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big tears welled up in Brandon’s eyes. All he’d wanted to do was something good, but he’d made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him.

Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process.

That’s how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can’t stand our job, or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can’t think of anything else to do. That’s when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

Author Unknown 

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 of 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 door, he saw many crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall. “I’d like that one, Lord,” he whispered. And 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.