LOVELIGHT

Magazine

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Vol. 2, no. 2***February 2005

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Managing Editors: Adamaria Francis and Richard Francis. Contributors to this issue: Maureen Dwyer, Christine Finer, Tom Gustin, Brian and Jennifer Mansfield, Ty Scharrer, and Geoffrey Stoermer

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LOVELIGHT MAGAZINE: WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT

Lovelight magazine is free to all. It will come in the form of an ezine (emagazine) to your inboxscreen about the first of every month, after you subscribe. It is written to bring a little sunshine into your life. We hope to create each and every edition to bring you at least a few smiles, laughs, or chuckles, in the "Humor Therapy" section. But life, as we know, is not all laughs. So, we hope also to share with you some pleasant thoughts-- and maybe even some valuable life-lessons.

Lovelight wants to promote the message of universalism, sister/brotherhood, peace, harmony, and understanding among people. We would also love to aid you personally to overcome any problems that you might have. If you are working on any religious, psychological, or spiritual problems, we encourage you to write to us. Lovelight refuses to promote any particular religion, but we do want to present "miniparables" to help you grow-- emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. So, if you come across any particularly good, wise, deep, meaningful, or touching stories, and if they are not copyrighted, and if they are fairly short, please feel free to share them with the efamily. Also, short humor is welcome, as are practical tips that can make life easier, better, or safer. We also welcome short pieces on personal philosophies and spirituality, especially those that emphasize the value of compassion and other forms of Love. We reserve the right to make whatever changes that we deem necessary or desirable before inclusion in Lovelight magazine.

Your email name/address will not be shared. Please share, send, or copy, this magazine. Share it with all your friends, and all others. Also, if they are inclined, please have them send us their ema and request a personal subscription.

Love and Joy,

The Editors

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Peace without Joy?, by Tom Gustin

During April, 2004, a great gift was presented. I shared hours of enjoyable and quite instructive conversation, for six days. Later, I experienced hugely varying waves of overwhelming feelings while I strolled among masses of people.

My feelings included loving compassion, and still do. I wish to share a couple with you.

The “great gift” was an expansion of awareness, by emersion in a new environment. The underlying purpose was to discover more about the self by being with others. This is, of course, what takes place anytime that two or more people share time together. Nothing prepared me for the experience.

When asked about the trip, I usually share my strongest feelings. They usually first elicit, “everybody in the United States needs to spend a week in Bangalore India. We would learn to appreciate how great we have it in the States.” It would probably quite permanently terminate self-pity-- talk that describes how "bad things are" here, how we don’t have what we need, how we can’t get "enough" food, money, or "stuff," etc. As a result, we would also probably become a much more earth-friendly society, sharing what we have with others, helping all others for the sake of all, conserving precious resources, and generally becoming more peace-filled and joy-filled people. Perhaps sometime in the not-too-distant future, we might grow this way. The greatest immediate result of such an experience could be the great blessing peacefully known by the termination of greed, both of the individual and society.

A sad feeling arose from the realization that some Indian people with “some” financial resources are now exhibiting symptoms of being infected with the “greed” bug. This becomes evident by reading their newspapers, listening to their tv shows, and talking with them in person. The order of priority of purchases was: 1) Refrigerator, 2) Air Conditioner, and 3) Television. All are things we take for granted. It is very difficult to talk about greed while simultaneously being aware of the extremely poor state of the general populace. While discussing the dangers of greed, an enlightened student among us reminded: It is their current lesson to experience the results of greed, firsthand. This is to promote their spiritual growth. They appreciated concern for their future, and warnings of becoming trapped. Yet they realized that they would not learn without their own experiences.

Keep in mind that everyone has an entirely unique perspective on the Universe and that cultural experiences and biases are entirely different for everyone. Offered here are a couple of thoughts about the state of fellow students of life in India: They seem to be living examples of “very peaceful people lacking joy.” This is not an indictment. The statement is about the differences between how we externally manifest life. During high-energy discussions, there was no sense of ill will or negative feelings. Not once did I ever feel threatened. And in spite of the abysmal poverty in which they lived, there was no sense of expressed frustration. There seemed to be simple acceptance, a quiet form of resignation, and a ubiquitous determination to go on with life as it is.

My temporary Indian friends were so peaceful. Their whole beings exuded peacefulness. It was a great experience, especially when compared with spending hours in Chicago's O’Hare Airport, or any other large gathering.

While telling jokes, they laughed and manage to break out of their shells, almost uncontrollably at times. And some of them seemed almost ashamed for having laughed out loud. But the "therapy" was necessary and beneficial to all. Still, when they were back out in the streets with the people, their laughter was noticeably missing.

Friends in India have, perhaps, attained their peace at a “great cost.” Some Indian teachers hold that the greatest enemy to our peace of mind is desire, and therefore teach the necessity of avoiding all desire. The Way teaches, by contrast, that only personal, selfish desire creates misery. The Indians seem to have conquered aggressiveness through extreme avoidance of desire. As a result, they have become very submissive. This near-total submission is demonstrated by their yielding to their environment without effort or desire to improve their material status.

Perhaps three great lessons for the Indians, as a society, are: 1) The re-education of the people to learn to care for themselves; 2) to develop the exercise of their individual free wills; and 3) the growth of love-based assertiveness in order to advance, enough to make a decent living.

To our dear friends in India: Please continue your fine spiritual growth, yet remain balanced. The polar opposite from where you are now is greed; and that is extremely unbalanced, as exemplified by your many friends in the States.

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Giggles, Smiles, Snorts, and Hearty Laughs: Humortherapy

Jesus: A Being for All People!

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There are 3 good arguments that Jesus was African:

1. He called everyone "brother".

2. He liked Gospel.

3. He couldn't get a fair trial.

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There are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:

 1. He went into His Father's business.

2. He lived at home until he was 33.

3. He was sure that his Mother was a virgin and his mother was sure that he was God.

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There are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:

 1. He talked with his hands.

2. He had wine with every meal.

3. He used olive oil.

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There are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian:

 1. He never cut his hair.

2. He walked around barefoot all the time.

3. He started a new religion.

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There are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Irish:

 1. He never got married.

2. He was always telling stories.

3. He loved green pastures.

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 But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a woman:

 1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food.

2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it.

3. And even when he was dead, He had to get up because there was more work to do.

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A Hell of an Email!

After being snowbound last winter, a Seattle man departed for his vacation in Miami Beach. There, he was to meet his wife. They were looking forward to the pleasant weather.

Unfortunately there was a mixup at the boarding gate. He was told that he would have to wait for a later flight. He was told that the airline was not responsible for the problem.

Upon arrival at the hotel the next day, he discovered that Miami Beach was having a heat wave, and it's weather was almost as uncomfortably hot as Seattle's was cold. The desk clerk gave him a message that his wife would arrive as planned.

He could hardly wait to get to the pool area to cool off. He quickly, carelessly sent his wife a little email. But due to his haste, he made an error in the e-mail address.

His message, instead, arrived at the home of an elderly preacher's wife whose even older husband had died only the day before. When the grieving widow opened her e-mail she took one look at the monitor, and fell to the floor.

Her family rushed to her room where they saw this message on the computer screen,

"Dearest wife, Departed yesterday, as you know. Just now got checked in. Some confusion at the gate. Appeal was denied. Received confirmation of your arrival tomorrow. Your loving husband. P.S. Things are not as we thought. You're going to be surprised at how hot it is down here."

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Fresh, funny pun-ishments!

Some of these are very old, but others are actually new!

1. A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.***2. What's the definition of a will? It's a dead giveaway.***3. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.***4. A backward poet writes inverse.***5. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.***6. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you A-flat minor.***7. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.***8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blown apart.***9. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.***10. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.***11. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.***12. When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.***13. Acupuncture is a jab well done.

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Some cute stuff about human beings and their quirks!:)

1. Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out"?***2. Who was the first one who thought that the white thing that came from the back of a hen looked edible?***3. Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp which no human being could eat?***4. Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?***5. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?***6. Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?***7. Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if he is going to do his job anyway?***8. Why does goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!***9. What do you call male ballerinas?***10. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?***11. Why is it that when someone tells you that there are over a trillion trillion stars in the universe, you believe him, but if he tells you there is wet paint somewhere, you have to touch it to make sure?

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Life After Death, sent in by Ty Scharrer

Three friends from the local area were asked "When you're in your casket, and friends and others are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?"

Bob said: "I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader, and a great family man."

Richard commented: "I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and servant of God who made a huge difference in people's lives."

Gator said: "I'd like them to say, 'Look, he's moving!'"

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Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity, sent in by Chris Finer

1. At lunchtime, sit in your car with sunglasses on and point a hair Dryer at passing cars. See whether they slow down.***2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.***3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask whether they want fries with that.***4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "In."***5. Put decaf in the coffeemaker for three weeks. Once everyone has gotten over her caffeine-addiction, switch to espresso.***6. In the "memo" field of all your checks, write, "For sexual favors."***7. Finish all your sentences with, "…in accordance with the prophecy."***8. Dont use any punctuation***9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.***10. Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.***11. Sing along at the opera.***12. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.***13. When the money comes out of the atm, scream, "I won!, I Won!"***
14. Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

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Education Pays!

Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could
have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen
nuggets.

"We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the cute but dull teenage girl at the counter.
"You don't?" I replied.

 "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the
reply.

"So I can't order a half-dozen nuggets, but I can order six?"

"That's right."

So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

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The paragraph above doesn't amaze me because of what happened a
couple of months ago. I was checking out at the local Foodland with just a few
items.  The lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I
picked up one of those dividers that they keep by the cash register.  I
placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the checkout girl had scanned my items, she picked up the divider, looking it over for the barcode.  Not finding it, she said to me "Do you know how much this is?" 

I said, "I've changed my mind.  I don't think I'll buy that today."

She said "OK" and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue!

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A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When asked what she was doing, she said that she was shopping on the inet.  They kept asking for a credit card number.  So, she was using the atm "thingy".

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I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car.
Do you need some help?" I asked.

     She replied, "I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenient store) would have a battery to fit this?"

     "Hmmm, I don't know.  Do you have an alarm too?" I asked.

     "No, just this remote thingy," she answered.  She handed it and the car keys to me.

     As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, "Why don't you
drive over there and check about the batteries? It's a long walk."

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Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day, she was typing. She turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out of typing paper.  What do I do?"

"Just use copier machine paper," the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five "blank" copies.

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I was in a car dealership a while ago, when a large motor home was towed into the garage. The front of the vehicle was in dire need of repair.  The whole thing looked like an extra in "Twister." I asked the manager what had happened. He told me that the driver had set the cruise control and then had gone to the back of the vehicle to make a sandwich.

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IDIOTS AND ELECTRONICS 

My neighbor works in the operations department in the central office of a large bank.  Employees in the field call him when they have problems with their computers. One night he got a call from a woman in one of the branch banks who had this question: "I've got smoke coming from the back of my terminal. Do you guys have a fire downtown?"

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Police in Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine.
The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought that the suspect wasn't telling the truth.
Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.

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Some Good (serious) Advice, sent in by Maureen Dwyer

Please read this, and make a copy for your files, in case you need to refer to it someday.
1. The next time that you order checks, have only your initials (instead of first and last names put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, he will not know whether you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know.

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on  the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four digits.  The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home number. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS number printed on your checks.  (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine.  Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc You will know what you had in your wallet, and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad.

We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name,  address, Social Security number, and credit cards. Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thief(ves) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, and received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.  But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know: A. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately.

But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them. B. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc. were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all (I didn't even think to do this): Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away. This weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers that you always need to contact about your wallet, etc.: a.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; b.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742; c.) Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289; d.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):  1-800-269-0271.

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Parable of the Bridge:

Two brothers, the older John and younger Mark, who lived on adjoining farms, fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming, sharing machinery, labor, and goods.

It began with a small misunderstanding, grew into a major difference, and finally exploded into bitter words, and weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days' work," he said.

"Yes," said John. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek. That's my younger brother's, Mark's, place. Last week there was a meadow between us. He bulldozed a huge trench there. Now there is a creek between us. He did this to spite me. But I can do even more! See that pile of lumber curing by the barn? I want you to build me a fence. Make it an eight-foot fence. I don't want to have to look at his damn' place anymore."

The carpenter said, "I understand. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger!"

John had to go to town for supplies. So he helped the carpenter get the materials ready, and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day. About sunset when John returned, he had just finished.

John's eyes opened wide. His jaw dropped. There was no fence there. It was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! It was of the very finest craftsmanship, and even had handrails. Mark was running across it, his hand outstretched.

"What a beautiful guy you are!" he cried, tears running down his face, his smile gleaming in the setting sun. "Imagine building this bridge after all I've said and done."

The two brothers met in the middle of the bridge, hugging and sobbing softly on each other's shoulder. A few minutes later, they turned to see the carpenter pick up his toolbox. Silently, they watched, smiling together, wiping tears of joy from their faces, as he walked into the sunset.

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Oddball and weird facts, sent in by Ty Scharrer

Here are some strange findings:

Earth and Solar Anomalies: Ten Most Puzzling Artifacts
The Bible tells us that God created Adam and Eve just a few thousand years ago, by some fundamentalist interpretations. Science informs us that this is mere fiction, and that human beings are a few million years old. Civilization is just tens of thousands of years old. Could it be, however, that conventional science is just as mistaken as the Bible stories? There is a great deal of archeological evidence that the history of life on earth might be far different than what current geological and anthropological texts tell us. Consider these astonishing finds:

1. Over the last few decades, miners in South Africa have been digging up mysterious metal spheres. Origin unknown, these spheres measure approximately an inch or so in diameter, and some are etched with three parallel grooves running around the equator. Two types of spheres have been found: one is composed of a solid bluish metal with flecks of white; the other is hollowed out and filled with a spongy white substance. The kicker is that the rock in which they were found is Precambrian - and dated to 2.8 billion years ago! Who made them, and for what purpose, is unknown.

2. In 1938, an archeological expedition led by Dr. Chi Pu Tei into the Baian-Kara-Ula mountains of China made an astonishing discovery in some caves that had apparently been occupied by some ancient culture. Buried in the dust of ages on the cave floor were hundreds of stone disks. Measuring about nine inches in diameter, each had a circle cut into the center and was etched with a spiral groove, making it look for all the world like some ancient phonograph record some 10,000 to 12,000 years old. The spiral groove, it turns out, is actually composed of tiny hieroglyphics that tell the incredible story of spaceships from some distant world that crash-landed in the mountains. The ships were piloted by people who called themselves the Dropa, and the remains of whose descendents, possibly, were found in the cave.

3. Beginning in the 1930's, the father of Dr. Javier Cabrera, Cultural Anthropologist for Ica, Peru, discovered many hundreds of ceremonial burial stones in the tombs of the ancient Incas. Dr. Cabrera, carrying on his father's work, has collected more than 1100 of these andesite stones, which are estimated to be between 500 and 1,500 years old and have become known collectively as the Ica Stones. The stones bear etchings, many of which are sexually graphic (which was common to the culture), some picture idols and others depict such practices as open-heart surgery and brain transplants. The most astonishing etchings, however, clearly represent dinosaurs - brontosaurs, triceratops, stegosaurus and pterosaurs. While skeptics consider the Ica Stones a hoax, their authenticity has neither been proved nor disproved.

4. A perplexing artifact was recovered by sponge-divers from a shipwreck in 1900 off the coast of Antikythera, a small island that lies northwest of Crete. The divers brought up from the wreck a great many marble and bronze statues that had apparently been the ship's cargo. Among the findings was a hunk of corroded bronze that contained some kind of mechanism composed of many gears and wheels. Writing on the case indicated that it was made in 80 BCE, and many experts at first thought it was an astrolabe, an astronomer's tool. An x-ray of the mechanism, however, revealed it to be far more complex, containing a sophisticated system of differential gears. Gearing of this complexity was not known to exist until 1575! It is still unknown who constructed this amazing instrument 2,000 years ago or how the technology was lost.

5. Today, batteries can be found in any grocery, drug, convenience, or department store. Well, here's a battery that's 2,000 years old! Known as the Baghdad Battery, this curiosity was found in the ruins of a Parthian village believed to date back to between 248 BCE and 226 CE. The device consists of a 5-1/2-inch high clay vessel inside of which was a copper cylinder held in place by asphalt, and inside of that was an oxidized iron rod. Experts who examined it concluded that the device needed only to be filled with an acid or alkaline liquid to produce an electric charge. It is believed that this ancient battery might have been used for electroplating objects with gold. If so, how was this technology lost, and the battery not rediscovered for another 1,800 years?

6. While mineral hunting in the mountains of California near Olancha during the winter of 1961, Wallace Lane, Virginia Maxey and Mike Mikesell found a rock, among many others, that they thought was a geode-- a good addition to their gem shop. Upon cutting it open, however, Mikesell found an object inside that seemed to be made of white porcelain. In the center was a shaft of shiny metal. Experts estimated that it should have taken about 500,000 years for this fossil-encrusted nodule to form, yet the object inside was obviously of sophisticated human manufacture. Further investigation revealed that the porcelain was surrounded by a hexagonal casing, and an x-ray revealed a tiny spring at one end. Some who have examined the evidence say it looks very much like a modern-day spark plug. How did it get inside a 500,000-year-old rock?

7. There are artifacts belonging to ancient Egyptian and Central American cultures that look amazingly like modern-day aircraft. The Egyptian artifact, found in a tomb at Saqquara, Egypt in 1898, is a six-inch wooden object that strongly resembles a model airplane, with fuselage, wings and tail. Experts believe the object is so aerodynamic that it is actually able to glide. The small object discovered in Central America, and estimated to be 1,000 years old, is made of gold and could easily be mistaken for a model of a delta-wing aircraft-- or even the Space Shuttle. It even features what looks like a pilot's seat.

8. Workmen hacking and burning their way through the dense jungle of Costa Rica to clear an area for banana plantations in the 1930's stumbled upon some incredible objects-- dozens of perfectly spherical stones. They varied in size from as small as a tennis ball to an astonishing 8 feet in diameter and weighing 16 tons! Although the great stone spheres are clearly human-made, it is unknown who made them, for what purpose and, most puzzling, how they achieved such spherical precision.

9. Fossils, as we learned in grade school, appear in rocks that were formed tens of thousands of years ago. Yet there are a number of fossils that just don't make geological or historical sense. A fossil of a human handprint, for example, was found in limestone estimated to be 110 million years old. What appears to be a fossilized human finger found in the Canadian Arctic also dates back 100 to 110 million years ago. And what appears to be the fossil of a human footprint, possibly wearing a sandal, was found near Delta, Utah in a shale deposit estimated to be 300 million to 600 million years old.

10. Humans were not even around 65 million years ago, never mind people who could work metal. So then how does science explain semi-ovoid metallic tubes dug out of 65-million-year-old Cretaceous chalk in France? In 1885, a block of coal was broken open to find a metal cube obviously worked by intelligent hands. In 1912, employees at an electric plant broke apart a large chunk of coal out of which fell an iron pot! A nail was found embedded in a sandstone block from the Mesozoic Era. And there are many, many more such anomalies. What are we to make of these finds? There are several possibilities: Intelligent humans date back much, much further than we realize.
Other intelligent beings and civilizations existed on earth long before our recorded history.
   Our dating methods are completely inaccurate. And/or stone, coal and fossils form much more rapidly than we now estimate. In any case, these examples - and there are many more - should prompt any curious and open-minded thinker to reexamine and rethink the true history of life on earth.

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Unfolding the Rose: Inspirational Story

A young student of the Way was walking with an older master in the garden one day.  Feeling a bit insecure about what Love had for him to do, he asked the master for some advice.  The master, without a word, walked up to a rose bush and picked one of its tightly closed buds.  He then handed it to the student.  

     "Open it," said the master gently, almost whispering, "without tearing any petals."

     The student was amazed and aghast.  He looked deeply into the master's eyes, in total disbelief.  What could an ordinary rosebud possibly have to do with the design of his lifequest, his lifedesign?  But he had great respect for this master.  So, he proceeded, with clumsy hands, to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact.   It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was.  

     Noticing his frustration, the sage said,
"It is only a tiny rosebud.  Nature and Mind have designed it with delicacy, intricacy, and perfect beauty.  I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands.  The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to  poor, ignorant, weak people such as I.  Only the cosmic Mind can open this beautiful flower.  In my uncertain hand, the sweet rose only dies.  If I have not the knowing to open this simple flower then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life?  So I must trust.  I find guidance in the same Mind that unfolds the flower."  Here, his voice became even softer, but became thunder in the student's ears:  "The same Power that cares for the little flowers also holds you and me in Its infinite Mind.  We must learn simply to trust.  When we trust perfectly, we can relax perfectly.  For you and I live within that sweet, tender Mind each moment of each day.  We must look to It for perfect guidance each step of the Way.  The pathway that lies before you, the great Lovemind already knows.  Trust It to unfold the moments just as It unfolds the rose."

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 A Special Person

It takes centuries to find a special person,  a thousand years to appreciate her, ten thousand years to love her, and then a million years to come fully to know and enjoy her.

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Now is the only time!

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another.  Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation, or when we retire. But the truth is: There is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.

It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the Way.  So, treasure every moment that you have; and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special.  And remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting…

Until your car or home is paid off.

Until you get a new car or home.

Until your kids leave the house.

Until you go back to school.

Until you finish school.

Until you lose ten pounds.

Until you gain ten pounds

Until you get married.

Until you get a divorce.

Until you have kids.

Until you retire.

Until summer..

Until spring.

Until winter.

Until fall.

Until you die.

There is no better time than right now to be happy. So, do what you need to do to find, create, happiness. Don't let what others think ruin your chances for happiness. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, and, dance like no one's watching!

*******

The Dachund and the Leopard: Thinking Better than Force

A man went on safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet dachshund along for company.
One day, the dachshund started chasing butterflies, and, before long, he discovered that he was lost. So, wandering about, he noticed a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch. Then Brother Dog noticed some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settled down to chew on the bones with his
back to the approaching cat. Just as Sister Leopard was about to leap, the dachshund exclaimed loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more
around here?"

Hearing this, the leopard halted her attack in mid-stride, as a look of terror came over her, and she slinked away into the trees. "Whew," said the leopard. "That was close.
That dachshund nearly had me."

Meanwhile, sneaky Brother Monkey had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree.  He figured that he could put his knowledge of the real situation to good use.  He wanted to trade it for protection from Sister Leopard, who scared the daylights out of him. So, off he went, heading for Sister Leopard.

Brother Dog saw Brother Monkey heading after Sister Leopard with great speed.  He figured that something must have been up.  Brother Monkey soon caught up with Sister Leopard, spilled the beans and struck a deal for himself with her.

Sister Leopard was furious at being made a fool of.  She said, "Here, Brother Monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine."

Now Brother Dachshund saw Sister Leopard coming with the monkey on her back.  He thought, "What am I going to do now?"

But instead of running, the dog sat down with his back to his attackers, pretending that he hadn't seen them yet. And just when they got close enough to hear, Brother Dachshund said, "Where's that monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard."  Monkey and leopard both screamed, and ran away in different directions.

***

Next time it seems that there's no way out, try thinking outside the box!:)  And be sure to keep the Love going in your heart!

*******

Parable of Lovemind Within Everyone

On the wall was a big target.  On a nearby table were many darts. People were told to draw a picture of someone whom they disliked.  Then, they would throw darts at  the person's picture.

Carol drew  a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend.  Bob drew a  picture of his little brother.  Jane drew a picture of a former friend.

The people began  throwing darts. Some threw their darts with such force  that their targets were shredding.  Within a half hour, it was all over.  Faces had grown ugly with scowls and grimaces, and the hatred in the room was palpable.  

A man began to remove the faces from the target.
Underneath  them was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room, as  each viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His gentle face, and His tender eyes were pierced. Someone quoted, very quietly, "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." (Matthew 25:40)

No other words were necessary;  the tear-filled eyes focused only on the picture of the mutilated, sad Christ.

 ***

This might be the world's easiest, or most difficult test.  Do you forgive all?  Or are you still throwing darts?  Behind the "mask" of each ego is the sweet, pure Lovemind (Christ).  But you can change, starting right this moment!

*******  

Nutsabout Bananas, sent in by Geoffrey Stoermer

After  Reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a  banana in the same way again!

Containing three natural sugars -  sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an  instant and sustained boost of energy. Research has proven that  just two bananas provide enough  energy for a strenuous 90-minute  workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's  leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us  keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of  illnesses, making it a "must" for our daily  diet.
***
Depression: According to a recent survey, among people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of amino acid that  the body converts into serotonin, a brain-chemical (neurotransmitter). This is known to help you relax, improve your mood, and
generally make you feel happier.

pms: The vitamin B6 bananas contain regulates blood glucose levels, which can  affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the  production of hemoglobin, and so, help with anemia.

Blood Pressure: Bananas are extremely high in potassium, making them an effective way to combat high blood pressure.  So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a  Twickenham (Middlesex, England) school were helped
through their exams this year by  eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain  power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist  learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: Bananas are high in fiber.  Including them in your diet can help restore
normal bowel action, helping  to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers:  One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake,  sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the  honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and  re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect  in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for  soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals  helps to keep blood
sugar levels up, and avoid morning  sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try  rubbing the
affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find  it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves:  Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight: Studies at the  Institute of  Psychology in Austria found that pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort foods, such as chocolate and potato chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two to three hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food  against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It  is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in chronic  cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity, and reduces irritation by coating  the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures  see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and  emotional temperature of expectant mothers. For example, pregnant women  eat bananas to ensure that their babies are born with a cooler temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD  sufferers because
they contain the natural mood enhancer  tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up  smoking. The B6 and B12 that they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium  found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine  withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize  the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain, and regulates your body's water  balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing  our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a  high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The  New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet  can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
***
So, a banana  really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple,  it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the  phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins  and minerals. It is also rich in potassium, and is one of the best value  foods around. So maybe it's time to change that well-known phrase so that we  say, "A  banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

*******

Parable of Trust, in Life and Death

A sick man said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

     Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."  He was holding the handle of the door.  From the other side came sounds of scratching and whining.  As he opened the door,
a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of
gladness and ebullient, uninhibited, abandoned affection.  The doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was
inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here.  When the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know nothing of what is on the other side of death, but I do know that my Master is there."
***
May today there be peace within you. May you trust the Lovemind deep within.  Know that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  Friends such as you are true "angels" of Love in our lives.

******* 

More Puntification

Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers
to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding,
subtracting, or changing one letter, and supplying a new
definition.

Here are this year's winners:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money.***2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life on earth as a hillbilly.***3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer shows few signs of breaking down.***4. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting sex.***5. Costration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.***6. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.***7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.***8. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.***9. Hipatitis: Terminal "coolness."***10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease.***11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.***12. Decafalon (n.): The event of getting through the day
consuming only things that are good for you.***13. Glibido: All talk and no action.***14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.***15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.***16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning, and cannot be cast out.***17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a
worm in the fruit you're eating.

*******.

Know Thyself: A Popquiz, sent in by Tom Gustin

Instructions: Quickly fill in the blanks with the first answers that “pop into your head.” Don’t edit your thoughts. Don’t search for the “right answers” because there are none. Don’t speculate about the intention of the questions. Just have fun! (Please use a separate sheet for your answers.) When you are finished, and if you wish, please return your answers to the email address: YIT@erinet.com.

Thank you very much!

1) Who are you?***2) Where are you?***3) Are you happy?***4) Are you in charge of your own life?***5) What makes you most upset?***6) Are you doing what you think you should be doing in your life?***7) Why are you here?***8) Do you wish for a little more peace & quiet in your life?***9) Do you wonder if there is more to life?***10) Do you feel good?

*******

Go for the spiritual platinum, anyway!

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.***If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.***If you are honest, people may cheat you.  Be honest anyway.***If you find happiness, people might be envious.  Be happy anyway.***The good you do today might be forgotten tomorrow.  Do good anyway.***Give the world the best you have, and it might never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

***

In the final analysis, it is all between you and God (the Lovemind in your Unconscious).  For this life is all about Love. It never was between you and them, anyway.

*******

How We Learned Our Most Valuable Lessons through Living!

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids from 1940-1980 probably shouldn't have survived.

Some of our toys were covered with bright lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. And when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. We had to learn that it was wrong, and dangerous, to put certain things in our mouths, that everything is not for eating. We had to develop discipline, and learn which bottles not to open! We also learned that, although people can and do get hurt, caution can prevent accidents.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it. But we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We learned to balance activity with calorie-intake.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We learned that sharing with friends was fun! We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out that we forgot the brakes! After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We learned caution in planning, and in implementation.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day. This was okay, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. We learned independence. No one was able to reach us all day. We had no cell phones. We learned to function as individuals!

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no ninety-nine channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cellphones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We developed interpersonal and communications skills because we had to.

We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We were forced to learn that real life could hurt. But you went back to play again; you did not give up! We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones and teeth. We learned that real life can be dangerous, if you are careless, and this taught us reasonable caution. But there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents? Through these little adventures, we were forced to learn courage. We had fights and got black and blue, and learned to get over it. We were forced to learn toughness, and forgiveness. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls. We were forced to learn creativity and imagination. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home. We knocked on the door, or rang the bell. Or, we just walked in and talked to them. We learned that home was a place for visiting and loving our friends. We learned the warmth of true human contact, which you cannot learn through the use of impersonal keyboards and screens.

Little League had tryouts, and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment. Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade, and were held back to repeat the same grade. We had to learn to keep trying until true success was achieved.

Horrors! Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent's bailing us out if we broke a law was unthinkable! They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!

These past generations have produced the best risktakers, problemsolvers, decisionmakers, creative artists/poets, and inventors in the history of our planet. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all!

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PHOTO ALBUM

Great news! Our dear members of the efamily, Jennifer and Brian Mansfield, just had a beautiful little girl! Her name is Elizabeth Anne. She was born December 18, 2004 at 3:11 pm. Here is her picture!:)