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It is a mystery why we fall in love.
It is a mystery how it happens.
It is a mystery when it comes.
It is a mystery why some loves grow and it is a mystery why some loves fail.
You can analyze this mystery and look for reasons and causes,
but you will never do any more than take the life out of the experience.
Love is more than the sum of the interestsand attractions and commonalities that two people share.
And just as life itself is a gift that comes and goes in its time, the coming of love must be taken as an unfathomable gift that cannot be questioned in its ways.

Kent Nerburn

WHAT IS LOVE?

Love is a slow kiss goodnight
It is anticipation.

Love is an imperfection in yourself not bothering you.
It is acceptance.

Love is passing up an opportunity because the time isn't right yet.
It is patience.

Love is a back massage that starts above the hairline and ends
around the innersoles.
It is exploration.

Love is not having to say, "Let's make love", because you know
what the other person wants.
It is understanding.

Love is being given an honest chance to say no when you
thought you were committed.
It is consideration.

Love is saying the perfect phrase to make a solemn embrace
dissolve into giggles.
It is humor.

Love is being told, "Stop and I'll kill you".
It is desire.

Love is reviewing the damage to your living room and realizing
personal effects are strewn in a clockwise pattern from the front
door to the bedroom.
It is abandonment.

Love is seeing what your lover really looks like for the first time.
It is truth.

Love is knowing what time it is and not caring.
It is joy.

Love is the arms around you tightening their embrace.
It is ecstacy.

Love is telling a person, if you have to leave, you will let them sleep, and
being told they would rather be awakened.
It is tenderness.

Love is waking up to find the subject of the dream you were having asleep
on your shoulder.
It is where fantasy meets reality.

Love is being there to wake your lover........slowly.
It is sensuousness.

Love is belatedly knowing why you bought a king size bed three years ago.
It is practicality.

Love is two people only taking up a third of a king size bed.
It is closeness.

Love is knowing you gave the extra set of keys to the right person.
It is trust.

Love is saying goodbye and knowing you will be back by mutual consent.
It is faith.

Love is stretching your arms and discovering the real meaning of the word
"sore".
It is a lesson in human fraility.

Love is opening your medicine cabinet and finding your tooth- paste turned
into a pretzel.
It is adaptation.

Love is sitting at the window, looking out, and remembering who you were
with the night before.
It is reflection.

Love is hearing the weather forcast for a winter storm, and wishing you could
spend it in bed with your lover.
It is loneliness.

Love is stories that will never be told.
It is personal.

Love is a slow kiss goodnight.

Answer Honestly!!!!
Do NOT read ahead!!!! It will ruin it.

Questions first...

1. You are walking to your boy/girlfriend's house.
There are two roads to get there.
One is a straight path to take you there quickly, but is very plain and
boring.
The other is significantly longer but is full of wonderful sights and
interesting things.
Which one do you take to get to your significant other's house, short or
long?

2. On the way you see 2 rose bushes.
One is full of red roses, the other full of white.
You decide to pick 20 roses for your boy/girlfriend, of any color
combination.
What number of white and red do you pick?
(you can pick all of one or any combo of the two)

3. You finally get to their house. A family member answers the door.
You can have them get your boy/girlfriend or go get them yourself.
Which do you do?

4. You go up to you boy/girlfriend's room, but nobody is there.
You decide to leave the roses.
Do you leave them by the windowsill or on the bed?

5. Later, it's time for bed.
You and your boy/girlfriend go to sleep in separate rooms.
In the morning when its time to wake up you go in their room and check
on them.
When you arrive, are they awake or asleep?

6. Now it's time to go back home.
Do you take the short, plain road or the longer, more interesting road?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW THE ANSWERS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. The road represents your attitude towards falling in love. If
you take the short road, you fall in love quickly and easily. If
you take the long road, you take your time and do not fall in love as
easily.

2. The number of red roses represents how much you give in a
relationship, while the number of white represents what you expect
in return.

For example, if you chose 18 red and 2 white, you give 90% and
expect 10% in return.

3. This question represents your attitude towards handling
relationship problems.
If you asked the family member to get your significant other, then
you like to avoid problems and hope that they will solve themselves.
If you went to get them yourself, then you are a more direct person
and like to work out problems immediately.

4. The placement of roses determines how much you like to see your
boy/girlfriend. Placing them on the bed means you like to see them
a lot, while placing them on the windowsill means that you are all
right with not seeing them as much.

5. This is representative of your attitude towards their personality.
If you find them asleep, you love your boy/girlfriend the way they
are.
If you find them awake, you expect them to change for you.

6. The road to home tells how long you stay in love with someone.
If you chose the short road, you fall out of love easily. If you
chose the longer one, you will tend to stay in love for a long time.

He loved her very much. He wanted this Valentine's day to be special, So
he had ordered a bottle of her favorite liquor imported from France and it
had arrived in time for the occasion. On his way home, he stopped at the
local florist. He had planned to have a bouquet made with her favorite
flower, white anemones. But to his dismay, he found that the florist had sold all her flowers and had only a few sterns of feathery ferns left for decoration. In a moment of inspiration, he had the answer. He asked the florist to make a bouquet using the flask of liquor instead of flowers and what she producedwas magnificent well beyond his expectations. He added a card, and
proceeded home. When he arrived, his wife was beautiful in her most elegant gown, and it was apparent that she had spent much of the day preparing a romantic candlelight dinner for the two of them. He presented her with his gift, and she opened the card to read, "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder."
With a tear in her eye, she whispered to him lovingly, "Yes, and with fronds like these, who needs anemones."

We sit and we type, and we stare at our screens
We all have to wonder, what this possibly means.
With our mouse we roam, through the rooms in a maze
Looking for something or someone, as we sit in a daze.
We chat with each other, we type all our woes
Small groups we do form, and gang up on our foes.
We wait for somebody, to type out our name
We want recognition, but it is always the same.
We give kisses and hugs, and sometimes flirt
In IMs we chat deeply, and reveal why we hurt.
We do form friendships-but-why we don't know
But some of these friendships, will florish and grow.
Why is it on screen, we can be so bold
Telling our secrets, that have never been told.
Why it we share, the thoughts in our mind
With those we can't see, as though we were blind.
The answer is simple, it is as clear as a bell
We all have our problems, and need someone to tell.
We can't tell real people, but tell someone we must
So we turn to the 'puter, and to those we can trust.
Even though it is crazy, the truth still remains
They are Friends Without Faces, and odd little names.

It's getting harder to speak without offending someone. The following
are some helpful offerings:

1. Involuntarily leisured
(unemployed)

2. Differently interesting or charm-free
(boring)

3. Differently evolved
(of animals)

4. Uniquely proficient
(incompetent)

5. Electorally slighted
(of a losing political candidate)

6. Pharmacological preference
(addiction)

7. Previously enjoyed sound bite
(a cliche)

8. Contributions
(tax payments)

9. Nontraditional shopper
(a looter or shoplifter)

10. Terminally inconvenienced

The old man turned to me and asked:
"How many friends have you?"
Why 10 or 20 friends have I,
And named off just a few ~
<@>
He rose quite slow with effort
And sadly shook his head
" A lucky child you are
To have so many friends," he said,
But think of what you're saying
There is so much you do not know
A friend is just not someone
To whom you say "Hello"
<@>
A friend's a tender shoulder
On which to softly cry
A well to pour your troubles down
And raise your spirits high
<@>
A friend is a hand to pull you up
>From darkness and despair...
When all your other "so called" friends
Have helped to put you there
<@>
A true friend is an ally
Who can't be moved or bought
A voice to keep your name alive
When others have forgot
<@>
But most of all a friend is a heart
A strong and sturdy wall
For from the hearts of friends
There comes the greatest love of all!!!
<@>
So think of what I've spoken
For every word is true
And answer once again my child
How many friends have you??
<@>
And then he stood and faced me
Awaiting my reply
Softly I answered
"If lucky......one have I"
"You!!!!"

---

A lways be honest..
B e there when they need you..
C heer them on..
D on't look for their faults..
E very chance you get, call!
F orgive them..
G et together often..
H ave faith in them..
I nclude them..
J ust listen..
K now their dreams..
L ove them unconditionally..
M ake them feel special..
N ever forget them..
O ffer to help..
P raise them honestly..
Q uietly disagree..
R escue them often..
S ay you're sorry..
T alk frequently..
U se good judgment..
V ote for them!
W ish them good luck!
X -ray yourself first..
Y our words count..
Z ip your mouth when told a secret..

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew,but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words ofthe book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss
Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shippedoverseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding.
Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'llbe wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.
I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:
A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, andin her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing arose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.
"Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40,she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.
The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet sodeep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and held my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious,
something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'mLieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this isabout, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit
who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat.
And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.

Does the first letter of your name describe your personality?

(A) You are not particularly romantic, but you are interested in action.
You mean business. With you, what you see is what you get. You have no
patience for flirting and can't be bothered with someone who is trying
to be coy, cute, demure, and subtly enticing. You are an up-front
person. When it comes to sex, it's action that counts, not obscure
hints. Your mate's physical attractiveness is important to you. You find
the chase and challenge of the "hunt" invigorating. You are passionate
and sexual, as well as being much more adventurous than you appear;
however, you do not go around advertising these qualities. Your physical
needs are your primary concern.

(B) You give off vibes of lazy sensuality. You enjoy being romanced,
wined, and dined. You are very happy to receive gifts as an expression
of the affection of your lover. You want to be pampered and know how to
pamper your mate. You are private in your expression of endearments, and
particular when it comes to lovemaking. You will hold off until
everything meets with your approval. You can control your appetite and
abstain from sex if need be. You require new sensations and experiences.
You are willing to experiment.

(C) You are a very social individual, and it is important to you to have
a relationship. You require closeness and togetherness. You must be able
to talk to your sex partner-before, during, and after. You want the
object of your affection to be socially acceptable and good-looking. You
see your lover as a friend and companion. You are very sexual and
sensual, needing someone to appreciate and almost worship you. When this
cannot be achieved, you have the ability to go for long periods without
sexual activity. You are an expert at controlling your desires and doing
without.

(D) Once you get it into your head that you want someone, you move full
steam ahead in pursuit. You do not give up your quest easily. You are
nurturing and caring. If someone has a problem, this turns you on. You
are highly sexual, passionate, loyal, and intense in your involvement's,
sometimes possessive and jealous. Sex to you is a pleasure to be
enjoyed. You are stimulated by the eccentric and unusual, having a free
and open attitude.

(E) Your greatest need is to talk. If your date is not a good listener,
you have trouble relating. A person must be intellectually stimulating
or you are not interested sexually. You need a friend for a lover and a
companion for a bedmate. You hate disharmony and disruption, but you do
enjoy a good argument once in a while-it seems to stir things up. You
flirt a lot, for the challenge is more important than the sexual act for
you. But once you give your heart away, you are uncompromisingly loyal.
When you don't have a good lover to fall asleep with, you will fall
asleep with a good book. (Sometimes, in fact, you prefer a good book.)

(F) You are idealistic and romantic, putting your lover on a pedestal.
You look for the very best mate you can find. You are a flirt, yet once
committed, you are very loyal. You are sensuous, sexual, and privately
passionate. Publicly, you can be showy, extravagant, and gallant. You
are born romantic. Dramatic love scenes are a favorite fantasy pastime.
You can be a very generous lover.

(G) You are fastidious, seeking perfection within yourself and your
lover. You respond to a lover who is your intellectual equal or
superior, and one who can enhance your status. You are sensuous and know
how to reach the peak of erotic stimulation, because you work at it
meticulously. You can be extremely active sexually-that is, when you
find the time. Your duties and responsibilities take precedence over
everything else. You may have difficulty getting emotionally close to a
lover, but no trouble getting close sexually.

(H) You seek a mate who can enhance your reputation and your earning
ability. You will be very generous to your lover once you have attained
a commitment. Your gifts are actually an investment in your partner.
Before the commitment, though, you tend to be frugal in your spending
and dating habits, and equally cautious in your sexual involvement's.
You are a sensual and patient lover.

(I) You have a great need to be loved, appreciated... even worshipped.
You enjoy luxury, sensuality, and pleasures of the flesh. You look for
lovers who know what they are doing. You are not interested in an
amateur, unless that amateur wants a tutor. You are fussy and exacting
about having your desires satisfied. You are willing to experiment and
try new modes of sexual expression. You bore easily and thus require
sexual adventure and change. You are more sensual than sexual, but you
are sometimes downright lustful.

(J) You are blessed with a great deal of physical energy. When used for
love-making, there is nothing to stop you, except maybe the stamina of
your partner.(you could have danced all night.) You respond to the
thrill of the chase and the challenge of the mating game. You can carry
on great romances in your head. At heart you are a roamer and need to
set out on your own every so often. You will carry on long-distance
relationships with ease. You are idealistic and need to believe in love.
The sex act seems to satisfy a need to be nurtured deep within.

(K) You are secretive, self-contained, and shy. You are very sexy,
sensual, and passionate, but you do not let on to this. Only in intimate
privacy will this part of your nature reveal itself. When it gets down
to the itty-gritty, you are an expert. You know all the little tricks of
the trade, can play any role or any game, and take your love life very
seriously. You don't fool around. You have the patience to wait for the
right person to come along.

(L) You can be very romantic, attached to the glamour of love. Having a
partner is of paramount importance to you. You are free in your
expression of love and are willing to take chances, try new sexual
experiences and partners, provided it's all in good taste. Brains turn
you on. You must feel that your partner is intellectually stimulating,
otherwise you will find it difficult to sustain the relationship. You
require loving, cuddling, wining, and dining to know that you're being
appreciated.

(M) You are emotional and intense. When involved in a relationship, you
throw your entire being into it. Nothing stops you; there are no holds
barred. You are all-consuming and crave someone who is equally
passionate and intense. You believe in total sexual freedom. You are
willing to try anything and everything. Your supply of sexual energy is
inexhaustible. You also enjoy mothering your mate.

(N) You may appear innocent, unassuming, and shy; but we know that
appearances can lie. When it comes to sex, you are no novice but
something of a skilled technician. You can easily go to extremes,
though, running the gamut from insatiability to boredom with the whole
idea of sex. You can be highly critical of you mate, seeking perfection
in both of you. It is not easy to find someone who can meet your
standards. You have difficulty expressing emotions and drawing close to
lovers.

(O) You are very interested in sexual activities yet secretive and shy
about your desires. You can re-channel much of your sexual energy into
making money and/or seeking power. You can easily have extended periods
of celibacy. You are a passionate, compassionate, sexual lover,
requiring the same qualities from your mate. Sex is serious business;
thus you demand intensity, diversity, and are willing to try anything or
anyone. Sometimes your passions turn to possessiveness, which must be
kept in check.

(P) You are very conscious of social proprieties. You wouldn't think of
doing anything that might harm your image or reputation. Appearances
count. Therefore, you require a good-looking partner. You also require
an intelligent partner. Oddly enough, you may view your partner as your
enemy...a good fight stimulates those sex vibes. You are relatively free
of sexual hang-ups. You are willing to experiment and try new ways of
doing things. You are very social and sensual; you enjoy flirting and
need a good deal of physical gratification.

(Q) You require constant activity and stimulation. You have tremendous
physical energy. It is not easy for a partner to keep up with you,
sexually or otherwise. You are an enthusiastic lover and tend to be
attracted to people of there ethnic groups. You need romance, hearts and
flowers, and lots of conversation to turn you on and keep you going.

(R) You are a no-nonsense, action-oriented individual. You need someone
who can keep pace with you and who is your intellectual equal-the
smarter the better. You are turned on more quickly by a great mind than
by a great body. However, physical attractiveness is very important to
you. You have to be proud of your partner. You are privately very sexy,
but you do not show this outwardly. If your new lover is not all great
in bed, you are willing to serve as teacher. Sex is important; you can
be a very demanding playmate.

(S) For you, it is business before pleasure. If you are in any way
bothered by career, business, or money concerns, you find it very hard
to relax and get into the mood. You can be romantically idealistic to a
fault and are capable of much sensuality. But you never lose control of
your emotions. You are very careful and cautious before you give your
heart away-and your body, for that matter. Once you make the
commitment,
though, you stick like glue.

(T) You are very sensitive, private, and sexually passive; you like a
partner who takes the lead. You get turned on by music, soft lights, and
romantic thoughts. You fantasize and tend to fall in and out of love.
When in love, you are romantic, idealistic, mushy, and extremely
changeable. You enjoy having your senses and your feelings stimulated,
titillated, and teased. You are a great flirt. You can make your
relationships fit your dreams, all in your own head.

(U) You are enthusiastic and idealistic when in love. When not in love,
you are in love with love, always looking for someone to adore. You see
romance as a challenge. You are a roamer and need adventure,
excitement,
and freedom. You deal in potential relationships. You enjoy giving gifts
and enjoy seeing your mate look good. Your sex drive is strong and you
desire instant gratification. You are willing to put your partner's
pleasures above your own.

(V) You are individualistic, and you need freedom, space, and
excitement. You wait until you know someone well before committing
yourself. Knowing someone means psyching him out. You feel a need to get
into his head to see what makes him tick. You are attracted to eccentric
types. Often there is an age difference between you and your lover. You
respond to danger, thrills, and suspense. The gay scene turns you on,
eventhough you yourself may not be a participant.

(W) You are very proud, determined, and you refuse to take no for an
answer when pursuing love. Your ego is at stake. You are romantic,
idealistic, and often in love with love itself, not seeing your partner
as he or she really is. You feel deeply and throw all of yourself into
your relationships. Nothing is too good for your lover. You enjoy
playing love games.

(X) You need constant stimulation because you bore quickly. You can
handle more than one relationship at a time with ease. You can't shut
off your mind. You talk while you make love. You can have the greatest
love affairs, all by yourself, in your own head.

(Y) You are sexual, sensual, and very independent. If you can't have it
your way, you will forgo the whole thing. You want to control your
relationships, which doesn't always work out too well. You respond to
physical stimulation, enjoy necking and spending hours just touching,
feeling, and exploring. However, if you can spend your time making
money, you will give up the pleasures of the flesh for the moment. You
need to prove to yourself and your partner what a great lover you are.
You want feedback on your performance. You are an open, stimulating,
romantic bedmate.

(Z) You are very romantic, idealistic, and somehow you believe that to
love means to suffer. You wind up serving your mate or attracting people
who have unusual troubles. You see yourself as your lover's savior. You
are sincere, passionate, lustful, and dreamy. You can't help falling in
love. You fantasize and get turned on by movies and magazines. You do
not tell others of this secret life, nor of your sexual fantasies. You
are easily aroused sexually

Unraveling

Meditation is simply unraveling.
The fabric of our minds, thought, dissolves naturally.
Barriers fall when we become quiet.
That is all of our task, our only job,
To allow everything to settle,
To allow the events of our lives to unwind within.
It is a seemingly endless and therefore hopeless task,
But in reality we naturally flow toward resolution, toward peace.

There are many ways to view this process.
One is entropy: as the universe runs down, so do our minds empty.
We will know peace through waiting
And there are no right or wrong answers, only process.
The Way lies within each of us
In the resolution of confusions, fears, anger, loneliness.
The busy noise from within will subside when we are still.
There is a silence within, but we cannot hear it.
Listen for it.
You will know it when you hear it.

If you wish, you may argue with any idea.
Listen and you will hear that you are not arguing.
The argument argues: you are only an observer.
You do not fight nor resist.
Only the fight fights, and the resistance resists.
When you accept these forces as apart from yourself,
Not acting in your best interest.
You may watch your thoughts as we watch a child,
Accepting and loving the helpless blundering
That is as ancient as humanity,
As basic as the fall of mankind,
Yet resolution, forgiveness, and love
Are as natural as the wind and the rain and moonlight.

Be still and allow all things to be exactly as they are.
It is through acceptance that the soul is what remains
When the illusions are allowed to dissolve of their own accord.
Only the truth will remain,
Inexpressibly beautiful,
Hopeless to communicate,
Ecstasy to be trusted,
Fellows to be loved,
No explanations to be offered
In simple reality.

John MacEnulty

A good message........

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with
$86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes
whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What
would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!
Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it
credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost,
whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries
over no balance.
It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each
night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's
deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no
drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's
deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness
and success!
The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a
pre-mature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer with kids to
feed.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to
meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an
accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND, ask the person who won a
silver
medal in the Olympics.
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you
shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.
And remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow a mystery.
Today is a gift...that's why it's called the present!

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good
mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask
him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be
twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had
followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters
followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the
employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry
and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of
the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and
say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be
in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be
in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a
victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept
their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose
the positive side of life." "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose howyou react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life." I reflected on what Jerry said.
Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never
supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one
morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While
trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off
the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was
found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18
hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from
the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he
was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins.
Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what
had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked
the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I
remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could
choose to die. I chose to live. "Weren't you scared? Did you lose
consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me
into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the
doctors and nurses, I got really scared..
In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man. " I knew I needed to take
action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big, burly
nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was
allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses
stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and
yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to
live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." Jerry lived thanks to
the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I
learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.

I dream of you
before I lay my head
down to sleep.
I love you and, yet,
I do not love you.
I am fearful that
we will never meet
and that I shall live
my life with out you.
But still, I love you.
And when you come to me
in my dreams
you brush my cheek
with your soft tender hand
and gently press your lips
agaist mine.
And then I awaken
And you will be gone once more.
And, yet, I shall still love you,
you my love,
my dream love,
I shalt never forget.
And I will dream of you
once again.

Best Friend
by ~ Snowflowers ~

Together we are one.
Together we are best of friends,
and there is nothing to stop
or too ever come in between us.

We are unstoppable
and will take nothing from no one,
even though there are times we disagree on things we would do
anything for one another, no matter what it takes.

Together we are lovers
and more than just friends.
Together we can do anything
we put our minds to,

and together we can always hold on,
no matter how hard it is.
Together we can reach out a hand to one another to tell each other
the simple words of "I love you honey, I really do........."