| Welcome to part of Melbourne, Australia. | |||||||||||||||||
| Come inside and look around. | Dance Like No One's Watching | ||||||||||||||||
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This property was reserved by the Devlin's from Australia. |
Dance Like No One's Watching We convince ourselves that life will be better after we geet married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more contentwhen 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, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The truth is, therre's 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. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, 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 oon... So stop waiting intil you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the hoouse, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Ffriday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until Spring, until Summer, until Autumn, until Winter, until youu are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that... there is no better time right now to be happy...happiness is a journey, not a destination. "Work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching." Author unknown. | ||||||||||||||||
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Please read this letter. All Good Things Written by: Sister Helen P. Mrosla He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary�s School in Morris, Minn. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, but had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness delightful. Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for misbehaving - �Thank you for correcting me, Sister!� I didn�t know what to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing it many times a day. One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too often, and then I made a novice-teacher�s mistake. I looked at Mark and said, �If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!� It wasn�t ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out, �Mark is talking again.� I hadn�t asked any of the students to help me watch Mark, but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to act on it. I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to my desk, very deliberately opened by drawer and took out a roll of masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark�s desk, tore off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the front of the room. As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me. That did it!! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark�s desk, removed the tape, and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were, �Thank you for correcting me, Sister.� At the end of the year, I was asked to teach junior-high math. The years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again. He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to listen carefully to my instruction in the �new math,� he did not talk as much in ninth grade as he had in third. One Friday, things just didn�t feel right. We had worked hard on a new concept all week, and I sensed that the students were frowning, frustrated with themselves, and edgy with one another. I had to stop this crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then I told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed me the papers. Charlie smiled. Mark said, �Thank you for teaching me, Sister. Have a good weekend.� That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. �Really?� I heard whispered. �I never knew that meant anything to anyone!� �I didn�t know others liked me so much.� No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn�t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again. That group of students moved on. Several years later, after I returned from vacation, my parents met me at the airport. As we were driving home, Mother asked me the usual questions about the trip- the weather, my experiences in general. There was a lull in the conversation. Mother gave Dad a side-ways glance and simply said, �Dad?� My father cleared his throat as he usually did before something important. �The Eklunds called last night,� he began. �Really?� I said. �I haven�t heard from them in years. I wonder how Mark is.� Dad responded quietly. �Mark was killed in Vietnam,� he said. �The funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could attend.� To this day I can still point to the exact spot on I-494 where Dad told me about Mark. I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. Mark looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment was, Mark I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you would talk to me. The church was packed with Mark�s friends. Chuck�s sister sang �The Battle Hymn of the Republic.� Why did it have to rain on the day of the funeral? It was difficult enough at the graveside. The pastor said the usual prayers, and the bugler played taps. One by one those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and sprinkled it with holy water. I was the last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to me. �Were you Mark�s math teacher?� he asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the coffin. �Mark talked about you a lot,� he said. After the funeral, most of Mark�s former classmates headed to Chuck�s farmhouse for lunch. Mark�s mother and father were there, obviously waiting for me. �We want to show you something,� his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. �They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.� Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which I had listed all the good things each of Mark�s classmates had said about him. �Thank you so much for doing that,� Mark�s mother said. �As you can see, Mark treasured it.� Mark�s classmates started to gather around us. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, �I still have my list. It�s in the top drawer of my desk at home.� Chuck�s wife said, �Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.� �I have mine too,� Marilyn said. �It�s in my diary.� Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. �I carry this with me at all times,� Vicki said without batting an eyelash. �I think we all saved our lists.� That�s when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. THE END This letter is an example of how encouragement and the simple compliment can change peoples lives and make a lasting impression. I want to encourage you to compliment the people you love and care about. I want to encourage you to be open and sensitive with your communication. We often tend to forget the importance of showing our affections and love. Sometimes the smallest of things, could mean the most to another. We must remember that life will end one day. Have you done your best for the ones that you love? Have you told them that you love them? Tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late. The rewards for loving should be enjoyed. | |||||||||||||||||
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