Hot Chocolate

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:

“Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.

While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

The cup that you 're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups.

And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this:

Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups.

They are just tools to hold and contain life.

The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality
of life you have.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything.

They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. And enjoy your hot chocolate!!”


ya'll take care…. Ric

Beverly Underwood

Today, I pay my final respects to the memory of Beverly. Today, I remember with gratitude her life and I give thanks to God for those things she did to make our world a better place.
When I think about Beverly and the times I was around her, a couple of things come to mind.
The first is honesty. She was as honest as the day is long. She didn’t hide her feelings.
And I remember how she loved life. She loved people. She always made me feel special, and I think she had a way of making everyone she was with feel that way.
I know God blessed me when He sent her my way, for a few hours or a few days, here and there over the years. To just be around her for a little while was uplifting….energizing…she was going to make you smile.
I know she faced special health challenges these last few years. She knew her share of hardship, struggle and uncertainty. She tried her best to keep going in spite of all she endured. She always was filled with hope, hope for the best. She had a cheerful confidence that life would bring good things. She had an abounding optimism. She demonstrated great strength and courage. Today I say goodbye to a gallant lady. She never gave up and never gave in. Strong. Brave.
She always carried herself with a decency and attention to small kindnesses that also defined a good life. When I remember Beverly, I will think of a woman characterized by sweetness and the sincerity of a good Christian woman. All in all, I remember a lady, a good lady and a good person.
I’ll share with you a great quote I came across;
"One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been."
And in Beverly’s evening, her light burned bright with open and wise prescriptions for us all. Today, as we take her to rest, as we seek to measure her life, it is clear how truly splendid Beverly’s day has been.

I would like to share with you a reading about death. The popular passage comes from a sermon on death written by Scott Holland, delivered in St. Paul's Cathedral on 15 May 1910

Death is nothing at all. It doesn’t count.
I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no air of sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for our family. Let my name be ever the household word that is always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without a ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well with my soul. Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Canon Henry Scott-Holland, 1847-1918, Canon of St Paul's Cathedral

____
I believe that. Ric

(I was going to close here, but on second thought, decided to add another of my favorite poems.
May you be blessed by it.)


WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME


When tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;

But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me by the hand,

And said my place was ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much left yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me,
From His great golden throne,

He said, "This is eternity,
And all I've promised you.
Today your life on earth is past,
But here life starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day's the same way
There's no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful,
So trusting and so true.
Though there were times
You did some things
You knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven
And now at last you're free.
So won't you come and take my hand
And share my life with me?"

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.

Author Unknown

Are you feeling lucky?

Is hard work really necessary?

We see in the media:

-politicians and beauty queens who get by on a smile and a wink

-lottery winners who turn a lifetime of lousy jobs into one big payday

-sports stars who are born with skills we could never hope to acquire

-Hollywood celebrities with the talent of being in the right place at the right time

-Failed CEOs with $40 million buyouts

It really seems (at least if we believe the media) that who you know and whether you get 'picked' are the two keys to success. Luck!

The thing about luck is this:

We're already lucky.

We're insanely lucky that we weren't born during the black plague or in a country with no freedom.

We're lucky that we've got access to wonderful tools and terrific opportunities.

If we set that luck aside, though, something interesting shows up. Delete the exceptions--the people who are hit by a bus or win the lottery, the people who luck out in a big way, and we're left with everyone else. And for everyone else, effort is directly related to success. Not all the time, but as much as you would expect. Smarter, harder working, better informed and better liked people do better than other people, most of the time.

Effort takes many forms.

Showing up, certainly.

Knowing stuff (being smart might be luck of the draw, but knowing stuff is the result of effort).

Being kind when it's more fun not to.

Paying forward when there's no hope of tangible reward.

Doing the right thing.

You've heard these things a hundred times before, of course, but I guess it's easier to bet on luck. I think we've been tricked by the stories of lucky people on the top of the heap. We see the folks who manage to skate by, or who get so much more than we think they deserve, and it's easy to forget that:

a. these guys are the exceptions
and
b. there's nothing you can do about it anyway.

While luck may be appealing, you don’t get to choose luck.

But you can choose effort. If you want to stand out, you will have to do more. Suggestions?

Exercise or get on a diet. Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, etc.) Send thank you notes. Learn new computer skills. Volunteer. Teach someone something you have learned. Spend time, make time, for being with the people you love. Spend less, save more.If you somehow pulled this off, then six months from now, you would be the fittest, best rested, most intelligent, best funded and motivated person in your office or your field. You would know how to do things other people don't, you'd have a wider network and you'd be more focused.

Or, then again, you can do like me and just hold out to win the lottery.

I am hoping for Good Luck! Good luck to you too! Ric