Friends and Tequila

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Strangers are friends we have not met yet.

As a teenager I worked my summers as a car hop at the small neighborhood root beer stand. It was here that I met a girl that I took an instantly liking to because of her friendly and giving nature. I wondered how she talked so easily with some of the strangers we waited on. She told me that her father taught her "a stranger is a friend you have not met yet". She welcomed everyone as if they were a long lost friend. So to all of my "friends" I have not met yet, I wanted to send these words of encouragement adapted from ones I received from my friend Shelly:

Tequila and Salt

This should probably be taped
to your bathroom mirror
where you can read it every day.
You may not realize it,
but it's 100% true.

1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to
be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't like you.

5. Every night before someone goes to sleep
they think about YOU.

6. You mean the world to them.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.

10. When you think the world
has turned its back on you
take another look.

11. Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.
(Compliments take more thought to give than insults do.)

So...........
If you are a loving friend,
send this to everyone,
including the one that sent it to you.
If you get it back, then they really do love you.

And always remember....
when life hands you Lemons,
ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!

Good friends are like stars...
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.

"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though
Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway"

I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truck load when I'm gone.

Life is not just happiness
And easy roads my friend
Life is full of stress
And trials around each bend

But friends I meet along the way
Have made the load much lighter
Because of friends like you
The darkest days are brighter.

So when I bow my head in prayer
I take an extra minute
To thank my heavenly father
For life and YOU within it!

Poem by Judy Sheldon-Walker

Wordless Wednesday - Roses

Think Before it's Too Late

Feathers on the Wind

I read a story once that compared gossip to feathers. Once feathers are caught up on the wind and tossed to and fro, they cannot be captured nor can we stop them from traveling. Once words have been said they are gone; not that they do not exist, but they are not within our control. We cannot stop them, nor can we remove the imprint they have made upon those who have heard them. Have you ever sent an email only to wish you had worded it differently? Once you have pressed "send" you are forever attached to those words. Choose carefully. Let your words be instruments of peace, love and instruction; not discord, pain, and destruction.

Particularly hurt over a verbal attack awhile back, I penned:

Piercing, stabbing, the blows kept coming
Could he hear her heart loudly drumming?
Faster, more furious, the words were pelting
Her careful poise was surely melting

How could she stop her emotions from showing
When her tears were overflowing?
His face contorted now in rage
She just wanted to turn the page

To see ahead to the stories end
And know if life would be right again.
by Judy Sheldon-Walker

Clever Comebacks or Emotional Growth?

Long ago I used to think I was clever when I could come up with the fast comeback to put someone in their place. In fact I thought I really had it "together" when I told my then boyfriend to "check himself or be by himself". Cute and clever put downs were part of my repertoire. It was after I dusted myself off after a particularly painful break up and reflected upon how I behaved that I realized that hurting someone is not conducive to emotional growth or maintaining a healthy relationship. After all a relationship of one can be lonely, but sometimes a relationship of two can be even lonelier.

The Rule of Three

This was posted in my church bulletin and if the author's name was there, I'd be more than happy to share that too. The words are too wise to keep to myself.

THE RULE OF THREE

Three things to govern:
Temper, Tongue, Conduct
Three things to cultivate:
Courage, Affection, Gentleness
Three things to commend:
Thrift, Industry, Promptness
Three things to despise:
Cruelty, Arrogance, Ingratitude
Three things to wish for:
Dignity, Intellectual Power, Gracefulness
Three things to give:
Alms to the needy, Comfort to the sad,
Appreciation to the worthy.

I would love to know who wrote these wise words so if you know, please advise.

Thanks and God bless!

Wordless Wednesday - Red Roses