Wait For The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?
Just what the heck are you doing?
That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.
Why did you do it?"
The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded.
"I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.
"It's my brother," he said.
"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick






Raul V. Pelagio

EAGLES IN A STORM

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?
The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

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Dear friend,
I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you ,
even as your soul is getting along well . - 3 JOHN 1:2

God bless you exceedingly and abundantly !

Raul Pelagio

Ruth- Another Touching Story worth reading

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter.
She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again.
There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.
She read the letter:

Dear Ruth:
I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table.. 'Why would the Lord want to visit me?
I'm nobody special... I don't have anything to offer.'
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets..
'Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.'
She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.
Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.'
She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.
A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday..
Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.
'Hey lady, can you help us,lady?'
Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway.
A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.
'Look lady, I ain't got a job, you know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda
hungry and, well, if you could help us. Lady, we'd really appreciate it.'
Ruth looked at them both.
They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.
'Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.'

'Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.'
The man put his arm around the woman's
shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.
As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.

'Sir, wait!'
The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them.
'Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest.'
She handed the man her grocery bag.
'Thank you lady.
Thank you very much!'
'Yes, thank you!'
It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering
'You know, I've got another coat at home.
Here, why don't you take this one.'
Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders.
Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.

'Thank you lady!
Thank you very much!'
Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front
door, and worried too.

The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.
'That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day.'

Dear Ruth:

It was so good to see you again.
Thank you for the lovely meal.
And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat..

Love Always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

Random Act of Kindness

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes, I walked to the
door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a
frail, elderly voice. I could hear something
being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened.
A small woman in her 90's stood before me.
She was wearing a print dress and a
pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it,
like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase.
The apartment looked as if no one had
lived in it for years. All the furniture was
covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls,
no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.
In the corner was a cardboard box
filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab,
then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers
the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address
and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said.
I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror.
Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have
any family left,' she continued in a soft voice...
'The doctor says I don't have very long.'
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city.
She showed me the building where she had once
worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse
that had once been a ballroom where she had gone
dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front
of a particular building or corner, and
would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon,
she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home,
with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to
the door. The woman was already seated in a
wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked,
reaching into her purse.

'Nothing', I said.

'You have to make a living', she answered.

'There are other passengers', I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.
She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.
Thank you.' she said.

I squeezed her hand, and
then walked into the dim morning light.
Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound
of the closing of a life!

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.
I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that
day I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,
or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked
once, then driven away?

On a quick review,
I don't think that I have done anything
more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve
around great moments.


But great moments often catch us
unaware... beautifully wrapped in what others
may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID.
BUT,
THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL!

Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we are here,
we might as well dance.
So lend a hand to a stranger... Help a person in need...
Have patience... Treasure your family....
Cherish your friends... Respect people...
Give (of yourself) and... Be giving...
Forgive.... Love.... Trust...
AND
Thank God for being alive!

Raul V. Pelagio