The Years Have Left Their Imprint... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UnSubscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net ================ *~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny, inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here... bcrsystems@earthlink.net I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!! AND For Facebook Users: Please Friend Me / Like Me here... http://tinyurl.com/cma6all AND For Google Plus Users: You can find me here... Shangy Bigham https://plus.google.com/106648555948034085752/posts AND Please Share This email with All Your Friends And Family! ^~^ May God SUPER BLESS You As You Do! THANK YOU! :) -<>- * NOTE: An easy way to adjust the size of print in email or any page is to hold down the Ctrl tab while moving the scroll button on the mouse. You can also use the keyboard to change the font size in your web browser or emails. Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the + key for larger text or the - key for smaller text! ================ >-->In The 'Shangy' News: Yesterday, Yahoo was having some sort of difficulty. I wasn't sure if the problem was me or them so sent 3 copies of the EXTRA out to make sure it was received properly. Sorry if you received all 3 as I eventually did when Yahoo finally got around to sending them out to the group. -<>- >HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press :) This flaming hot new page is from our friend Linda. It is Europe's largest tropical Holiday World. You can stroll along the sandy beach by the Tropical Sea, join an expedition through the Tropical Rainforest, or relax in the Tropical Sauna & Spa Complex! Find out why it never closes - it's open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day! _ /_'. _ _ \ / '-. < ``-.;),--'` '--.-->From Heartwarmers: ,"=-. / _),`'". ( /a( ), ) ) C = = ?/ ( )) (_ o-< ) ( `-' \; ( \_ ( | \ ) )| \_/} \ \ \(_;/-|_) )/) `._,--/ / / `!__!! ( (_o)) ---`-._, )--- ------( / |---- | ( | :__/|\_; \ |/ )(\_ /_)--` gpyy \_! >MOTHER'S DAY OUT OF CONTROL by Joseph Walker West Virginian Anna Jarvis is universally credited with coming up with the idea for an American Mother's Day in 1908. What isn't as widely remembered is that nine years after the first official Mother's Day in this country, Anna Jarvis became the nation's most publicly outspoken opponent of -- what else? -- Mother's Day. This is roughly akin to Santa dissing Christmas, or Punxsutawney Phil being a conscientious objector to Groundhog Day. This is Henry Ford urging the automobubbling public to park their Model T's, or Wilbur and Orville Wright coming back from Kitty Hawk and saying, "Never mind. They'll just start charging people extra to check their luggage." By all accounts (i.e., Wikipedia), Jarvis led a six-year campaign that eventually led to President Woodrow Wilson making Mother's Day an official national holiday in 1914. Her concept was a day to honor mothers in general -- and her own mother in particular -- in quiet, intimate and deeply personal ways. Within a few years, however, the commercialization of Mother's Day soured Jarvis on the whole idea. She hated Mother's Day greeting cards, which she felt were the lazy person's way out of writing a personal, heart-felt letter. She protested -- literally -- the growing influence of florists and jewelers on the holiday. In 1948, the same year that she died, records show that she was actually arrested while protesting against Mother's Day commercialization. It was as if the Easter Bunny had been jailed for protesting the coloring of Easter eggs. Jarvis' fight against Mother's Day lasted four times longer than her fight to make it a national holiday, and consumed whatever fortune she had accumulated in life. To her dying day she is reported to have said that she regretted the creation of Mother's Day because "it became so out of control." I know. In an era that features "Bad Girls Club," "Desperate Housewives" and "Girls Gone Wild," it is difficult to put the words "Mother's Day celebration" and "out of control" in the same sentence. But let's just assume for a second that Jarvis was on to something. Let's assume that the estimated $2.6 billion Americans will spend this year on Mother's Day flowers and the $1.53 billion they will spend on other miscellaneous Mother's Day gifts and the $68 million they will spend on greeting cards is... well... you know... out of control. Is there a better, more under control way to honor mothers on Mother's Day? A few months after my mother died, I spent a few evenings with my father sorting through some of Mom's things. It had taken him that long to reach the point where he felt he was ready to face the feelings and emotions that surely would come. We smiled a lot and we both shed a few tears as we made our way through a box of precious things that Mom, for one reason or another, had decided to hang on to. Among the keepsakes and souvenirs within that box were a dozen or so Mother's Day cards from her children and grandchildren. Keep in mind that Mom had eight children and 54 grandchildren -- she had received hundreds of Mother's Day cards through the years. But for some reason, she chose to save these particular cards. After examining them, it became clear why they were treasured. It had nothing to do with the design or intrinsic value of the card itself. In every case there was a hand-written message -- sometimes in childish scrawl, sometimes in careful adult script -- that expressed profound feelings. There were no cards that just said, "Love, Kathy" or "Love ya, Mom!" or even "Happy Mother's Day!" The cards she cherished were cards that explained, in the giver's own hand and words, why SHE was cherished. So, OK -- I'm not fully on board with Anna Jarvis. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy the Mother's Day flowers and gifts. Heaven knows, the economy needs that multi-billion dollar jolt right about now. But don't let your money do your talking for you. Don't assume the mother you honor will know how you feel by the simple fact of your gift. Tell her, in your own words, why you love her. Your message doesn't have to be long and flowery -- it just has to come from your heart. Write it. Speak it. Text it. Pray it. But for heaven's sake, share it. Those words, expressing those tender emotions, are what makes Mother's Day so sweet. And not quite so out of control. -- Joseph Walker =========================================================== >-->From Our Friend LouiseAu :) Legendary coach John Wooden led UCLA to national prominence in college basketball. A reporter once asked him how he managed to keep his cool under the great pressure of coaching college basketball. Wooden reached into his pocket and took out a wooden cross. "When the pressure is on I hold that cross in my hand," he explained. "Not as a good luck charm. I just hold it there to remind me that there is something more important than basketball." A poem that he penned a few years before his passing was printed in the memorial service program and reads as follows: >The Years Have Left Their Imprint The years have left their imprint On my hands and on my face. Erect no longer is my walk And slower is my pace. But there is no fear within my heart Because I'm growing old I only wish I had more time To better serve my Lord. When I've gone to Him in prayer He has brought me inner peace And soon my cares and worries And other problems cease. He has helped in so many ways, He has never let me down, Why should I fear the future When soon I could be near His crown. Though I know down here my time is short There is endless time up there And He will forgive and keep me Forever in His loving care. May I not waste an hour That's left to glorify the Name Of the One Who died, that we might live And for our sins, took all the blame. Coach John R. Wooden 1910-2010 --- ...Beautiful! Thank You LouiseAu! I looked this up and here is the video of him reciting this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-FyRMpo824 Here's More: 15 of Coach Wooden’s best, most inspirational maxims. http://tinyurl.com/htc6kva =========================================================== >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: . : . . : | : . . | | | , \ | | / . ,-'"""`-. . "- / __ __ \ -" |==| I |==| - --- | _`--^--'_ | --- - |'`. ,'`| _- \ "---" / -_ . `-.___,-' . / | | \ .' | | | `. : | : . : . >IF GOD SHOULD GO ON STRIKE How is it that God above Has never gone on strike Because he was not treated fair In things He didn't like. If only once He'd given up, And said, 'That's it, I'm through! I've had enough of those on earth, So this is what I'll do; I'll give my orders to the sun - 'Cut off the heat supply!' And to the moon - 'Give no more Light, and run the ocean dry.' Then just to make things really tough And put the pressures on, 'Turn off the vital oxygen Till every breath is gone!' You know, He would be justified If fairness was the game. For no one has been abused Or met with more disdain Than God, any yet He carries on Supplying you and me With all the favors of His grace And everything for free. Men say they want a better deal And so on strike they go. But what a deal we've given To God to whom all things we owe. We don't care whom we hurt To gain the things we like. But what a mess we'd all be in If God should go on strike!! -<>- __,,,__ ,-""-,-" "-,-""-, /,-' , .-'-.7.-'-. , '-,\ \( / _ _ \ )/ '-, { (0) (0) } ,-' / > .---. < \ |/ .-' \___/ '-. \| {, / ,_ _, \ ,} \ {, \ / ,} / ',\. '---' ./,' _.-""""""-._ _.-""""""-._ .' `._.` '. _/_ _ \ .'` `\ | | \ / | | | ; | / |_| | \ ;'---' _ ___ _ _ ___ ; '. ; | | / \| || || _| _ ; `-\ | |_ | | || |/ /| _| .' `, `\ |___|\___/ \__/ |___| | \ \ _ _ \ | jgs `\ | | | /` _/ ,-""-. .'`\ | | | /`-,-'` .-""-, / `\.' `\ \___/ /` './` \ ; .--. \ '\ /' / .--. ; | ( \ |, '\ /' | / ) | \ ; } ;\ /; ` { ; / `;\ \ _.-' \ / `-._ / /;` \ \__.' _.-' Y `-._ '.__// '.___,.-' `-.,___.' >Forever in my Heart "I can't believe it. These blooms have lasted so long this year," my wife said. "I hadn't really thought about it, but you are right. As much as I love Lilacs, they come and go so fast," I said. It has been incredibly exciting this year here in my back yard. Our Lilac tree has produced the most blooms I have ever seen. The scent is so wonderful that I spend a lot of time just standing on our small deck breathing it all in. Many of the branches are hollow and cracked leaving me to believe it has seen many Springs. A few winters ago one of the biggest branches crashed to the ground under the weight of melting snow. It broke my heart. I guess I wasn't expecting much from the old thing this year. But it is magnificent! Since we have been experiencing so much rain lately the flowers have become heavier. The once tall bush seems to be under a lot of pressure. I can relate to that. There are big gaps because the branches are lower. Sadly, today I noticed the first bunch of flowers turning brown. It won't be long until they are all gone. But here's what I've learned from it. Some people are like fragrant flowers. They come into our lives ever so briefly and leave behind a scent that remains embedded in our being. They brighten our day by just having had contact with them even if for a moment. If kindness would have scent it would remind us of them. Like when I smell pine, all the best Christmas memories rush through my mind. When I smell roses I think of romantic, moon filled evenings. Some people, having given so much to you, remain a part of who you are forever. You cannot possibly go through a day without thinking about them. Their beautiful spirit gently nudges your heart each time you hear their name. The very thought of them stirs within your soul like the sweet fragrance of a thousand roses. Loved ones who have passed on, having given their lives to you, having stayed in bloom through a life time of eternal Spring, are like these Lilacs. Although my heart is saddened having discovered that they are dying, I will not remember them that way. I will forever see a thousand blooms each time I think of them. In the coldest, darkest days of the winter of my life, the memory of them will get me through it all. Even the slightest fragrance, a wisp of "almost there again," will bring a smile to my face and my heart will pound remembering the love. Oh, God thank you not only for the beauty of the people you bring into my life, but for the lingering fragrance and everlasting memories of ever having loved them at all. Loving them and believing in You, means I will have "Spring Forever in my heart." Bob Perks, Copyright © 2006 -- from 'I Believe In You' (Bob@BobPerks.com ) -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment: Christ's Life!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/jesuslife.html Dreamy Ladies!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/dreamy.html The 23rd Psalm!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/psalm23.html When God Paints!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/gpaints.html My Precious Child!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mychild.html Who Is This Jesus?- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/jesus.html Life Is...!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/lifeis.html Jesus Laughing Art!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/Jesusart.html Playing With Words!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/wordplay.html Akiane Child Prodigy!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/prodigy.html Stainless VS Gold!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/stainlesscar.html Tianmen Mountain!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/tianmenmountain.html New York At Night!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/newyork.html Wieliczka Salt Mine!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/saltmine.html Willis (Sears) Tower!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/willist.html -<>- >Please Visit These Links to Get New Traffic For Shangrala :) Fun Pages http://www.funpageexchange.com/go.php?uid=3559 -<>- >From AFA: #BoycottTarget growing: 750,000 sign the pledge https://www.afa.net/action-alerts/sign-the-boycott-target-pledge/ -<>- >From Our Friend Melody :) Mangianza incredibile in 50 cm d" acqua! https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kI4j1edfSSY INCREDIBILE, nient'altro da aggiungere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1WTIBQ5aAg&nohtml5=False --- ...Wow! Thanks Melody! -<>- An amazing display of strength and agility by these gymnasts in this performance at the at CCTV Spring Festival Gala. I was hooked from the beginning of this performance but was blown away by the strength and agility it took the guy to play the song about half way through the video. Simply incredible to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YuxLuAe7R_k An acrobatic fire and ice dance performance at the at 2013 CCTV Spring Festival Gala that is entertaining to watch. The strength, skill, and agility of these two performers is truly incredible. I like the visual effects that accompany the performance as well as I think it adds to the whole Fire and Ice Dance theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vCiWeaE3WAk --- ...Awesome! Thanks LouiseA! -<>- >From Our Friend Linda :) 10 top toxins in your home http://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/top-10-toxins-in-your-home/ A sweet old lady is asked to say Grace at a gathering of "Seniors at Home" and their caregivers, and she brought down the house about 90 seconds into her prayer. Enjoy! http://stg.do/9i0c --- ...Teehee! Thanks Linda! Visit Melissa's Online Store You can get anything you want (except for Melissa ) at the online store http://pdhomes.net/mall/babylissa/mySTORES/ISELL4.html ========================================================== |||||||||||||| = \ , = | _= ___/ / _\ (o)\ | | \ _ \ | |/ (____) \__/ / | / / ___) / \ \ _) ) \ \ / ( \/ \ \_________/ |\_________________,_ ) \/ \ / | ==== _______)__) \/ \ / __/___ ====_/ \/ \ / (O____)\\_(_/ (O_ ____) (O____) by tod@m-net.arbornet.org >This is For Her Story Editor: by the Michigan Father Joyce Schowalter where December. 2011. Michigan. Times are tough, especially in small areas. I drove to a blighted part of the city with boarded-up homes. We were five months behind on electric payments and I'd been calling to delay the shut-off for one more week. Twice they delayed payment. At the zeroth hour I pulled up to the building, preceded by a black woman driving a rusted, crumbling beater that shuddered to a stop. I walked in behind her, cash in hand, and waited in line. My children bounced on chairs nearby. Two women behind bulletproof acrylic windows took money. But only one line moved. Delaying the other was a long conversation from a young white mother with a baby on her hip. She wore pajamas and a sweater, was good-natured and laughing. "Well, so..." she said, "you know how it is. I mean, they just sit there in a pile, right? I don't know where they go. I don't know, I probably lost it." The woman behind the two-inch thick bulletproof Plexiglas nodded, unspeaking. Her nameplate said "Ella". The young patron continued," I mean, I GUESS the payment plan is good. But that's... how much again??" "Fifty dollars," the woman behind the Plexiglas prompted. The young mother said, "Yeah... fifty. Dollars, I mean. And if we miss that today then what? Fifty?" Ella confirmed, "Yes, fifty. The payment plan we arranged." "Boy, how could it be so much?" A long pause. "So what happens if we don't have the...?" Ella: "Fifty dollars. Well, that's when the account needs to be discontinued." The woman with the baby on her hip looked at the floor during the whole conversation. Talking in a low voice, but in a silent room of people waiting. She talked as though every second she talked was another second the power stayed on. As though somehow in this circular conversation the situation would resolve itself. Momentarily irritated one woman was taking so much time, I then felt some shame. I'd just wait calmly. Clearly the young woman with the baby was just buying time. Seconds. Moments. Avoiding the inevitable: her power would be shut off in the morning. Slowly the line crawled. My children became more animated and impatient. The woman with the baby kept talking. Then the woman in front of me went up to the counter -- the woman who drove the rusted beater. She handed the teller a check. "This is for her," and pointed at the young mother with the baby. The woman who wrote the check left. She bee-lined to her beater and drove off. The two tellers looked at one another confused. One said to the young mother, "Well, I guess, Merry Christmas." The woman with the baby looked at the floor, "I don't think she pointed at me. I don't know her." "She paid your electric bill," said a teller. "Next!" And the people in line who'd been staring blankly burst out in a joyous murmur. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From CupO'Cheer: ,,,,, \ e e\ C _\/ |\\, )\_) \_ / _/|/_ _// ,'\ ~ /'-,_/ \ / \_/ / / , | \_._,-" ( < _' | \ \ ', -',-~.-' _/ ) | |// | ' ' ) | | | | ._., - |.,_ // _\-' )___|__|_ '-._ b'ger /____\__\ >CALLED AND COMMISSIONED Ever see an elderly person looking bewildered in a shopping complex and wish there was a manager close by to help him? Ever spot someone in tears in your office and wish you had a counselor on staff? Ever know a neighbor whose life was so obviously out of control that you wished your preacher could share a couple of the insights with her that you heard in last Sunday's sermon? From this point forward, consider yourself commissioned to do something in all these and similar situations. There aren't store managers enough for all the frightened little children or bewildered elderly people who get into distress in a mall or shopping center. There aren't enough counselors to match with people who are in pain over bad news or strained relationships. And there aren't enough ordained clergy to go around for all the people who need to find meaning in their spiritual lives. But where did we get the idea that it takes a professional to help someone? Professionals built the Titanic, while the ark was built by amateurs. I know, for example, what the term "ordained clergy" means. But I'm not so sure you can find either the term or the concept in your Bible. Yes, Scripture talks about people with special gifts and ministries. But one of the texts that refers to such persons says their job is to use their abilities to equip the rest of us to be helpers - the biblical term is "work of ministry" - to one another (Ephesians 4:12). The idea of leaving God's work in the hands of a few talented professionals just isn't biblical or practical. It turns faith into Sunday performances done by a few for the critique of the many. What became of the idea that every believer is a priest? That all of us are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God? God surely needs more evangelists and musicians, pastors and deacons. But he needs more people who can make frustrated customers feel valued for their business or frightened patients feel cared for as persons. He longs for more school teachers and bank presidents, janitors and celebrities, teens and senior citizens who take the command to love their neighbors as themselves seriously. God's call is sometimes to a new role in a new place. It is more often for us to find Christ-focused significance for our old tasks in familiar places for the sake of people we already know. "Don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you," Paul wrote. "Live and obey and love and believe right there" (1 Corinthians 7:17 MSG). Until you are sure God has told you otherwise, consider yourself called and commissioned for the sake of the people and places you will encounter today. as seen in the Fax of Life -<>- .--..-""""-..--. ///`/////////\`\\\ ||/ |///""\\\| \|| ## ( 6. 6 ) ## /_\ \ _. / /_\ _`) (`_ /` '--' `\ / _,,_ \ / /` `\ \ /\_/ / 6 6\ \_/\ \ \/\ Y /\/ / \ \/ `'U` \/ / \( \ / )/ |\_/ \_/| / ____ \ \ ( || ) / (__)||(__) | || | |__||__| jgs |==||==| /~`//~`/ / // / `""` `"` >A CHILDLIKE AMAZEMENT (By Steve Troxel, God's Daily Word Ministries, www.gdwm.org) [Edited] Matthew 18:3 "And He said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" When my daughter was four years old, we read about young Samuel. While discussing this story, my daughter showed me the excited faith God calls us to maintain. Perhaps her faith could teach us all... As a young boy, Samuel was ministering with an old priest named Eli. One night God called to Samuel, but Samuel thought it was Eli's voice. Eli said he didn't call and told Samuel to go back to bed. After God called a few more times, Samuel realized who was calling and answered: "Speak, for Your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10). God then gave Samuel a message - but the message was all about Eli. My daughter asked, "Why did God speak to Samuel if the message was really to Eli?" We talked about how we must be ready and willing to hear God. I said Eli may have had some problems or distractions in his life which kept him from hearing God, so God spoke His message through a child. I said little kids (like her) can often hear God better than older people (like me). "But, I don't hear God talk to me," she said, with a little disappointment in her voice. I explained how God doesn't usually speak so we can hear Him with our ears; rather, His Spirit speaks to our heart and we hear Him as we listen to our heart. Her little eyes widened, "Like today when I was going to sit on one of the baby toys - Jesus told my heart I was too big and shouldn't do it so I listened to what He said." I encouraged her that this is exactly how God speaks to us, we just need to learn how to listen and then obey. My daughter thought for a moment and then slowly shook her head in amazement: "Wow! That's sooooo cool!!" Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Word never becomes just an interesting collection of stories. You created us, loved us, and we one day will be Home with You for all eternity - and Father, that's sooooo cool!! Help us to come into Your presence with a thankful and loving heart. Strengthen our faith every day and allow us to continually look on You and Your wonders with a childlike amazement. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Have a Christ Centered Day! -<>- _________________ |'-========OoO===='-. | ||'-.____'-.'-.____'-. | || | | | | '-| | | | | Oof! This thing's heavy! '-|______|__|______| '-.--./**).--.-' .' .' /__\ // \\ `- `- >QUOTES ON GIVING God looks not to the quantity of the gift but to the quality of the giver. When it comes to generosity, some people stop at nothing. One reason we have so many pennies in the church contribution is because no other coin is smaller. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. The most sensitive nerve in the body is the one leading to the pocketbook. What you give—LIVES Liberalism is now being recognized in the churches - but not in the collection plates. Some try to cheat the Lord and call it economy. Give God what is right . . . not what is left. The Widow’s mite was the widow’s might. -<>- ____________________ | | | PSYCHIATRIC | | HELP | |____________________| || ,-..'``. || || (,-..'`. ) || || )-c - `)\ || ,.,._.-.,_,.,-||,.(`.-- ,`',.-,_,||.-.,.,-,._. ___||____,`,'--._______|| |`._||______`'__________|| | || __ || | || |.-' ,|- || _,_,,..-,_| || ._)) `|- ||,.,_,_.-.,_ . `._||__________________|| ____ . . . . . <.____`> .SSt . . . . . _.()`'()`' . >STOP CONDEMNING YOURSELF! Written by Bob & Debby Gass '...There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.' Romans 8:1 NLT The word for you today is - stop condemning yourself! God says, 'I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins' (Isaiah 43:25 NKJV). When God says He forgets your sin and you insist on remembering it, it's like saying your standards are higher than His. That's akin to idolatry! The Bible says, '...God in Christ forgave you' (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV). In the Old Testament when someone sinned they brought a lamb to the priest and he would shed its blood on the altar as payment for their sin. Once that was done the record was expunged and the issue was settled. You say, 'But I don't feel forgiven.' Forgiveness comes by faith, not feelings. As long as you live by feelings Satan has a weapon he can use against you at every turn. You say, 'But what I did was so wrong.' As long as you truly repent whatever you have done can be pardoned. You say, 'But Satan keeps bringing it up.' That's because he is called the 'accuser' (Revelation 12:10). But notice how you overcome Satan the accuser: 'They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...' (v11). Next time Satan accuses you, say, 'I'm glad you brought that up.' Then tell him what the blood of Jesus has accomplished on your behalf. If you do that, he will flee. Learn from your failure, grow stronger through it, use it to bless others, move on with your life and stop condemning yourself! SoulFood: Rev 10-14, Matt 24:26-35, Ps 116:12-19, Pr 8:10-13 as seen in The Word For Today -<>- . . \'.____.'/ __'-. .-'__ .--. '_i:'oo':i_'---...____...----i"""-.-'.-"\\ /._ _.\ : / '._ ;/ ;'-._ ( o o ) '-.__.' '. '. '-." '-.__.-' _.--. '-.: : '-' / ; _..--, / ; : '-._.-' ; ; : : : ` .' '-._.' : / \ : / ____....--\ : '._\ :""""" '. !. : : |: : 'www'| \ '| | || | : | | : | || | .' ! | | .' !| | /__I | | /__I.' ! .' ! /__I /__I fsc >WHY JOHNNY LINGO PAID EIGHT COWS FOR HIS WIFE When I sailed to Kiniwata, an island in the Pacific, I took along a notebook. After I got back it was filled with descriptions of flora and fauna, native customs and costumes. But the only note that still interests me is the one that says: "Johnny Lingo gave eight cows to Sarita's father." And I don't need to have it in writing. I'm reminded of it every time I see a woman belittling her husband or a wife withering under her husband's scorn. I want to say to them, "You should know why Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for his wife." Johnny Lingo wasn't exactly his name. But that's what Shenkin, the manager of the guest house on Kiniwata, called him. Shenkin was from Chicago and had a habit of Americanizing the names of the islanders. But Johnny was mentioned by many people in many connections. If I wanted to spend a few days on the neighboring island of Nurabandi, Johnny Lingo could put me up. If I wanted to fish, he could show me where the biting was best. If it was pearls I sought, he would bring me the best buys. The people of Kiniwata all spoke highly of Johnny Lingo. Yet when they spoke they smiled, and the smiles were slightly mocking. "Get Johnny Lingo to help you find what you want and let him do the bargaining," advised Shenkin. "Johnny knows how to make a deal." "Johnny Lingo!" A boy seated nearby hooted the name and rocked with laughter. "What goes on?" I demanded. "Everybody tells me to get in touch with Johnny Lingo and then breaks up. Let me in on the joke." "Oh, the people like to laugh," Shenkin said, shrugging. "Johnny's the brightest, the strongest young man in the islands. And for his age, the richest." "But, if he's all you say, what is there to laugh about?" "Only one thing. Five months ago, at fall festival, Johnny came to Kiniwata and found himself a wife. He paid her father eight cows!" I knew enough about island customs to be impressed. Two or three cows would buy a fair-to-middling wife, four or five a highly satisfactory one. "Good grief!" I said. "Eight cows!" She must have beauty that takes your breath away. "She's not ugly," he conceded, and smiled a little. "But the kindest could only call Sarita plain. Sam Karoo, her father, was afraid she'd be left on his hands." "But then he got eight cows for her? Isn't that extraordinary?" "Never been paid before." "Yet you call his wife plain?" "I said it would be kindness to call her plain. She was skinny. She walked with her shoulders hunched and her head ducked. She was scared of her own shadow." "Well," I said, "I guess there's just no accounting for love." "True enough," agreed the man. "And that's why the villagers grin when they talk about Johnny. They get special satisfaction from the fact that the islands' sharpest trader was bested by dull old Sam Karoo." "But how?" "No one knows and everyone wonders. All the cousins were urging Sam to ask for three cows and hold out for two until he was sure Johnny'd pay only one. Then Johnny came to Sam Karoo and said, 'Father of Sarita, I offer eight cows for your daughter.'" "Eight cows," I murmured. "I'd like to meet this Johnny Lingo." I wanted fish. I wanted pearls. So the next afternoon I beached my boat at Nurabandi. And I noticed as I asked directions to Johnny's house that his name brought no sly smile to the lips of his fellow Nurabandians. And when I met the slim, serious young man, when he welcomed me with grace to his home, I was glad that from his own people he had respect unmingled with mockery. We sat in his house and talked. Then he asked, "You come here from Kiniwata?" "Yes." "They speak of me there?" "They say there's nothing that you can't help me get." He smiled gently. "My wife is from Kiniwata." "Yes, I know." "They speak of her?" "A little." "What do they say?" "Why, just....." The question caught me off balance. "They told me you were married at festival time." "Nothing more?" The curve of his eyebrows told me he knew there had to be more. "They also say the marriage settlement was eight cows." I paused. "They wonder why." "They ask that?" His eyes lighted with pleasure. "Everyone in Kiniwata knows about the eight cows?" I nodded. "And in Nurabandi everyone knows it too." His chest expanded with satisfaction. "Always and forever, when they speak of marriage settlements, it will be remembered that Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for Sarita." So that's the answer, I thought: vanity. And then I saw her. I watched her enter the room to place flowers on the table. She stood still a moment to smile at the young man beside me. Then she went swiftly out again. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. The lift of her shoulders, the tilt of her chin, the sparkle of her eyes all spelled a pride to which no one could deny her the right. I turned back to Johnny Lingo and found him looking at me. "You admire her?" he murmured. "She ... she's glorious. But she's not Sarita from Kiniwata," I said. "There's only one Sarita. Perhaps she does not look the way they say she looked in Kiniwata." "She doesn't. I heard she was homely. They all make fun of you because you let yourself be cheated by Sam Karoo." "You think eight cows were too many?" A smile slid over his lips. "No. But how can she be so different?" "Do you ever think," he asked, "what it must mean to a woman to know that her husband has settled on the lowest price for which she can be bought? And then later, when the women talk, they boast of what their husbands paid for them. One says four cows, another maybe six. How does she feel, the woman who was sold for one or two? This could not happen to my Sarita." "Then you did this just to make your wife happy?" "I wanted Sarita to be happy, yes. But I wanted more than that. You say she is different. This is true. Many things can change a woman. Things that happen inside, things that happen outside. But the thing that matters most is what she thinks about herself. In Kiniwata, Sarita believed she was worth nothing. Now she knows she is worth more than any woman in the islands." "Then you wanted--" "I wanted to marry Sarita. I loved her and no other woman." "But--" I was close to understanding. "But," he finished softly, "I wanted an eight-cow wife." Condensed from WOMAN'S DAY magazine fiction feature - Nov. 1965 By Patricia McGerr Courtesy of http://www.mountainwings.com -<>- To SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE CUP O'CHEER in the subject line to cheer316@sc.rr.com. ============================================================= >-->From Our Friend Cloie :) \_/ --(_)-- . / \ /_\ |Q| .-----' '-----. __ /____[SCHOOL]___\ ())) | [] .-.-. [] | (((()) ..|____|_|_|____|..................................)(... ldb >MY WISH (SIGN OF THE TIMES) A teacher was at home, and after dinner she started checking the homework done by her students. Her husband was strolling around with his smart phone, playing his favorite game ‘Candy Crush Saga’. When reading the last note, tears rolled silently down the wife’s face. Her husband saw this and asked, “Why are you crying dear? What happened?”; Wife: “Yesterday I gave homework to my students, to write something on the topic of ‘My Wish.'”; Husband: “OK, but why are you crying?”; Wife: “Today, the last note made me cry. Husband curiously: “What’s written in the note that makes you cry?”; Wife: “Listen: ‘My wish is to become a smart phone. My parents love their smart phones very much. They care about their smart phones so much that sometimes they forget to care about me. When my father comes home from the office tired, he has time for his smart phone, but not for me. When my parents are doing some important work and the smart phone starts ringing, within a single ring they answer the phone. But not me...even if I am crying. They play games on their smart phones, not with me. When they are talking to someone on their smart phones, they never listen to me, even if I am telling them something important. So, my wish is to become a smart phone.'”; After listening to the note, the husband got emotional and asked his wife, “Who wrote this?”; Wife: “Our son.”; Nowadays, we can watch videos, play games, update statuses, upload photos, and so much more from just about anywhere — all from a phone (or similar device) that fits easily into a pocket or purse. Having all of this access is great. Trouble is, with a virtual world at our fingertips, it becomes easy to be distracted from the real world in front of us. And oftentimes, we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Or, more importantly, what we’re missing out on while we’re doing. --- ...so Sad but true! Thanks for this bit of wisdom Cloie! ========================================================== >-->From Kidwarmers: RECIPE FOR A HIPPOPOTAMUS SANDWICH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -by Shel Silverstein A hippo sandwich is easy to make. All you do is simply take One slice of bread _.---.) One slice of cake, (^--^)_.-" `, Some mayonnaise, ) ee ( | One onion ring, (_.__._) / One hippopotamus, `----', ,' One piece of string, jgs )_|--')_| A dash of pepper-- ""' ""' That ought to do it, And now comes the problem... Biting into it! >THE FUNNIEST THINGS KIDS SAY Having gone hungry as a child in a Florida orphanage, Roger still does not like wasting food. His granddaughter, Madison, 5, wanted an apple and Roger knew her new tooth was hurting her a little. He explained that if she got the apple she would have to finish it. Roger watched as Madison, with much difficulty, bit at the fruit at various angles trying to finish it. Within 5 minutes the red apple was all white and down to about the size of a lemon. Madi walked up, held out what was left and said, "Papa, I can't eat no more. I got it down to the bone." -- Roger Dean Kiser of Georgia Alyssa, 5, was puzzled when her mother, Kathryn, told her they were going to dye Easter eggs. Alyssa asked, "How are we going to kill the eggs?" Kathryn said they were going to color them. Alyssa asked, "How are we going to kill them with color?" -- Donna Moller (Grammy) of Katy, Texas _()_ )( _..-''''''-.._ .' . ' ` . `. .' . . `. .-. : . ...... . : : : . .' ) ( `. . : `. @: . : < > : . : .-----. `.: . :--`--'--: . :.' `. .---:: . : .--. *: . :: _ : .'.' `:. . : :__. : . .' : '.`: : : : -. : `._ `.______.' _.' '`._ .' ' jgs `. `'' .' ``-......-'' `. ``` .' `---' `-----' Lisa was reading a book to Nolan, 4, and little sister Chloe, 1, when he asked what God's mother's name was. Lisa told him that God doesn't have a mother. He answered, "Yes, he does. She gave Cinderella a beautiful dress for the ball." (The fairy god-mother gave her the dress and he heard "God's mother!") -- Lisa Billingsley of Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Max, 6, went bowling with his mother. He was all eyes and ears, and remarked about the loud noise when the balls knocked down the pins. A few days later, it rained, accompanied by thunder. After a few claps of the loud thunder, Max asked, "Is that the angels bowling?" -- Sandi Pound (grandmother of Max) of Lehigh, Florida Caylie 8, was spending the night with her Aunt Laura on spring break. Her Aunt Laura was pointing out the night lights in her house to Caylie. She said here is one in the bedroom, one in the hall, one in the kitchen, and one in the bathroom. Caylie added, "And one in your ear!" Aunt Laura had a Bluetooth cell phone in her ear! -- Harold and Elizabeth Wiese (grandparents of Caylie) of Quitman, Texas _ // // _______________//__ .(______________//___). | / | |. . . . . . . / . . .| \ . . . . . ./. . . . / | / ___ | _.---._ |::......./../...\.:| _.-~ ~-._ |::::/::\::/:\::::::| _.-~ ~-._ |::::\::/::::::X:/::| _.-~ ~---.;:::::::/::\::/:::::| _.-~ ~\::::::n::::::::::| .-~ _.;::/::::a::::::::/ :-._ _.-~ ./::::::::d:::::::| `-._~-._ _..__.-~ _.-~|::/::::::::::::::| / ~-._~-._ / .__..--~----.YWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWP' \_____(_;-._\. _.-~_/ ~).. . \ /(_____ \`--...--~_.-~______..-+_______) .(_________/`--...--~/ _/ /\ /-._ \_ (___./_..-~__.....__..-~./ `-._~-._ ~\--------~ .-~_..__.-~ _.-~ ~-._~-._ ~---------' / .__..--~ ~-._\. _.-~_/ \`--...--~_.-~ `--...--~ Christine's 5-year-old grandson wanted chips with his sandwich but Christine told him to eat half his sandwich and then he could have chips. "Please, could I have just one chip, Grandma?" he asked. "Not until half your sandwich is gone; then you can have chips," Christine repeated. "But, then my tummy might not have room for chips, Grandma..." He sniffled, lowered his head, and softly said, "You're breaking my little heart, Grandma!" -- Christine Smith of Atoka, Oklahoma Here's two more from Christine. Her 21-year-old granddaughter asked her, "Grandma, did they make hair dye when you were my age?" Talk about making Christine feel old! She's not even 60! Chris named her daughter after her sister which was fine until her daughter grew up; then they had two "Aunt Vina's!" They solved this problem by addressing Chris' sister as "Auntie V" and her daughter then became the only "Aunt Vina." Chris' granddaughter, Airianna, 8, asked Chris to write her name and address in her new address book. Chris wrote she asked, "Grandma, if Aunt Vina is named after Aunt T.V. does that mean she's named after a television?" === === === === ___===____________oooo___________oooo____________===___ |___===___________________________________________===___| === | /O O\ | === dwb || || jrb === || || === ( | _ | ) || ( ) || _ || _/_-_\_ || \ ooooO /___|___\ Ooooo == ((( )|____^____|( ))) / \ (|)MMMMM| |#####(|) |MILK| (_)MMMM/ \####(_) |____| --------------------------------------------------------------------- __ ____ ___ __ ___ ___ ( )(_ _) ( \ / \( _)/ __) )( )( ) ) )( () )) _)\__ \ (__) (__) (___/ \__/(___)(___/ ____ _ _ ___ ___ __ ___ _ _ __ __ __ ___ _ (_ _)( )( )( _) ( ,) / \( \( \/ ) / _) / \ / \( \ / \ )( )__( ) _) ) ,\( () )) ) )\ / ( (/\( () )( () )) ) )\_/ (__) (_)(_)(___) (___/ \__/(___/(__/ \__/ \__/ \__/(___/ (_) Dawn's dad and daughter, Katelyn have a tradition of eating two Oreo cookies as a treat in the afternoon. They had emptied the package and Katelyn, 11 months, was playing with it. In the morning, they gave her to Dawn's dad (he is her babysitter). Katelyn had her bottle and banana. She went back to sleep for a while. When she woke up, she was very fussy because she wanted something. Dawn's dad couldn't figure out what it was. He put her down and said "Katelyn, I don't know what you want. I wish you could tell me what you want." She walked over to where she had left the Oreo package and gave it to her Papa. He gave her an Oreo and she was happy. -- Dawn of New Mexico Dalton, 6, and his dad were in the kitchen preparing to have a snack. Dad asked Dalton to hand him a container of yogurt. When Dalton produced cherry flavored yogurt, his dad, said, "I don't really like cherry. How about bringing me a different flavor?" Dalton turned to his dad and said, "Suck it up! Get over it! Be a man! That's what you always tell me!" -- Dennis Smith (PawPaw) of Oak Ridge, North Carolina Alieta recently went to Disney World with a family group that included their two little granddaughters. It was the first visit for Katie, 4, and Joanna, 2. Katie is in her second year of preschool and she loves her teacher. Alieta sat beside Katie on the plane. As they were waiting at the gate for take off, Katie kept looking out the window and asking, "When will we go? When will we take off?" Alieta kept answering, "Pretty soon. Any time now..." Finally, Katie looked at Alieta and said, "Maybe he's waiting for everyone to stop talking!" Alieta laughed because she could just picture Katie's preschool teacher saying that! -- Alieta Graft of Noble County, Indiana At Kendall's school all the substitute teachers are mother volunteers. One of the teachers approached Kendall's mother about being a substitute. When her mother (India ) explained that was what Gramsey (a retired teacher after 25 years) did, Kendall replied, "She can't be a substitute. Gramsey doesn't know enough." -- Rebecca Hayes of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Brent and Rochelle Schlemmer made a CD of their singing for Diane, Brent's mother. Diane was listening to it with Ogden, 6, and Alton, 5. The boys informed Diane that they were playing instruments in one of the songs -- Alton on tambourine and Ogden on bongos. "Sometimes we sing, too," Alton said. "But we can't sing the bad word. Momma says we have to sing 'kick your butt' but Joe (a family friend) sings (whisper) 'kick your ask.'" "Ask?" Diane repeated. "Yes," Alton whispered. "That's the bad word!" -- Diane Schlemmer (grandmother of Ogden and Alton) of LaGrange, Indiana __ \ `-. __ ) \ .-' `-._.--' | / _/ | ___ __-'. . | ' `---<___/|/| | _ o ) | \ / , | \ `, ) \ \-`-._| `-/ /---'>_/_\ '-`-__`-. '" " "" -Joshua Bell- Alyssa, 5, was aware of the last presidential election and its candidates. She consistently referred to Barack Obama as "Rocky Obama." -- Donna Moller (Grammy) of Katy, Texas Here's another story from Donna. Julia, 3, is terribly sad she won't be able to go to school like her 5-year-old sister, Alyssa. The day before Alyssa's kindergarten orientation, Julia had a teary meltdown because she couldn't go to school. When her mother, Kathryn, patiently explained that she wasn't old enough to go since she was only 3, Julia sobbed harder and said, "I've been 3 long enough!" Ginny, who is 27, told her friend Amy about the time when she was in the second grade and on the first day of school they all told what they did over the summer. When it was Ginny's turn, she told that she had been to Spain, Portugal, Australia, and a bunch of other places. The teacher told her she could not have been all of those places, so she went home and told her mama what the teacher said to her. Her mother said, "Ginny, you were at EPCOT!" -- Amy of Brunswick of Georgia Note: You are welcomed to use, copy and share these stories, but please reference http://www.funnykids.com as the source. ========================================================== . |\ /| \ / | \ .'. | \ '.|_(())))) ((((/.( ,))) _/ ((((_( )/ \\ \__/-) /\__ \_\(\ .'\ \ '. )\ \\\ ___..' o \ \.' / \ \\\ ''---. \_\ / '.\\\ . ' , '--.'\_ /. .| \-'---- O - \/O'. (_/ \ \| ) ' . ' |O O \___ /.'.__.'._.' | O|_O O/ /.'. .'. | |O |O O/) / O '._.' '.| |_O|_O'/ / O | ||/ / /'._________.'| \ )_/ /''.-.-.-.-.-.-| '. \ '.____________.' \ _\ |/ /mrf __'\\ __(,\_\_ _______ ____ __ ____(_'--_)__ >-->A LITTLE BITTY LIE A little bitty this and a little bitty that could be the problems which got you where you're at. A little bitty lie from something then so small could become a burden standing six feet tall. A little bitty portion of little bitty this could become the hardest lesson on your list. A little bitty time that we just do or die could become our nightmares we wished would say goodbye. A little bitty lie that lives within our minds can become a problem found at later times. So don't let your lying to be all that you do thinking little bitty won't come back and haunt you. ©By Bill Pearce Mar 3, 2012 --- ...We will do well to remember what Jesus said: John 8: [44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Jesus says the devil is the father of lies - so why would you want to engage in his works? >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->FULL LENGTH - FREE On line AUDIO MP3 Christian Foundational Class http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -->This is for all you who love food and DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? 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