butterfly hope

 This page is for inspirational poems and affirmations. We invite you to submit any peoms or affirmations that have helped you in your journey. If you know the author, please include that with you submission. If you are the author, allow us to give you credit for your work. Submit your entries to inspiration@butterflyhope.com.

                                     Wooden Bowl 

-   

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the  Wooden Bowl

tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year  - old grandson.

The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and

failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.

When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth..

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
 'We must do something about father,' said the son.

'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.

There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped  a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.

He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded,

'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.
 ' The four-year-old smiled and  went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless.

Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.

Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done..

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and  gently  led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason,

neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens,

how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:

a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents,

you'll miss them when they're gone from your life..

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.

You need to be able to throw something back

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you

But,  if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, 

your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you
I've learned that whenever I decide  something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.
People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

The Butterfly

By: Author Unknown

A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared,
he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to
force its body through the little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had
gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided
to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily.

Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled
wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at
any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the
body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never
able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the
restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get
hrough the small opening of the cocoon are God's way of forcing fluid
rom the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready
for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If God allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles, that
would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

Not only that, we could never fly.

The Starfish Story

                                    

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                                       The Mayonnaise Jar
 
 When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
 When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
 
 A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
 front of him.
 When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large
  empty mayonnaise jar. The professor proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
 
 He then asked the students
 If the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.
 
 The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open
 areas between the golf balls.
 
 He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
 They agreed it was.
 
 The professor next picked up a box of sand, and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
 He asked once more if the jar was full.
 The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'
 
 The professor then produced
 Two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively Filling the Empty space between the sand.

 The students laughed.
 
 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
 'I want you to recognize that
 This jar represents your life.
 The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children,
 health, Friends, and Favorite passions -- Things that if everything
 else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
 
 The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and
 car.
 
 The sand is everything else --
 The small stuff.
 
 'If you put the sand into the jar first,'
 He continued,
 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
 The same goes for life.
 
 If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
 you will never have room for the things that are
 Important to you.
 
 So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
 Play with your children.  Take time to get medical checkups.
 Take your partner out to dinner.  Play another 18 rounds of golf.
  There will always be time to clean the house
 and fix the disposal.
 
 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter.
 Set your priorities.
 The rest is just sand.'
 
 One of the students raised her hand
 and inquired what the coffee represented.
 
 The professor smiled, and said 'I'm glad you asked'.
 
 “It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
 there's always room for A couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

This is another great web message to view!

 http://pixiesplace.com/trainride/

 Please view the following web site for great inspiration:

http://wonderofitall.com/

 Published 03/20/08 

TO WANT; TO HAVE

            By John Klopfer

To want; to love, to live

but to never have

this is the plight of many

to be born only to live…..

live and no more

live with no meaning or cause

lo live with no meaning is …

not  to live; and

not living; is to simply die

to inhale; but not to breath

to exist; to die

to listen, but to never hear

to speak, but never be heard

cry with no comfort

freedom bound in bondage

peace that isn’t true

this is the plight of many

to have, to waste

ability that will never be used

thoughts that will never be spoken

to exist, to die

freedom only in bondage

cry with no comfort

to live, to live, to love

to want, to have

this is the plight of so few

to live with cause and meaning

to live; and more

to enjoy being alive, to live

to celebrate yourself, your life

to be at peace

to be joyously alive

to want to LIVE!

this is the plight of so few

Published 03/10/08

                                                 A Glimpse of Hell

                                                    By Lori Bari

I'm falling apart, barely breathing; I can't believe what I am seeing. So much despair, they're all screaming. A glimpse of hell!

Darkness surrounds me as I continue to fall. I cry for help but there's no one at all. It's so frightening, my soul is bleeding. A Glimpse of Hell, but I'm still believing!  I know if I continue to pray, out of hell I will stay.

They're so in pain, can't stop the screaming. I'm getting closer. I reach out to stop my fall, but all I hear is their piercing call. A glimpse of hell.

No peace to be found, we're all under the ground. He's got us for now, but I know that God has the power!

I feel the fire, am blinded by pain; they're all going insane! He whips me and the monsters arrive- now I realize I'm no longer alive. A glimpse of hell! 

Get me out, I don't belong here. Satan is near, he's all I can feel. All that I've done runs before me- a long and endless story. A Glimpse of Hell.

I hear the shouts, without a doubt- A glimpse of hell.

As I pray for salvation, His presence I know. He's flying above me, His light white as snow. He holds out His hands and pulls me from the sands of Hell. I'm still blind, I still can't see, yet I know I'm with our Being.

All at once I'm filled with love. Knowledge of all. With peace I'm flooded. A glimpse of hell. My faith achieved salvation. All I hear now are His tolling bells.

 Attitude

Author unknown

 There was once a woman who woke up one morning

looked in the mirror and noticed she had only three hairs on her head

Well she said I think I'll braid my hair today?  

So she did and had a wonderful day

The next day she woke up

looked in the mirror and saw that she only had two hairs on her head

HMM she said

I think I will part my hair down the middle today?

So she did and had a grand day

The next day she woke up

looked in the mirror and saw that she only had one hair on her head

Well she said

today I am going to wear my hair in a pony tail

So she did and has a fun fun day

The next she woke up

looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head

YEA she exclaimed

I don't have to fix my hair today

Attitude is everything

Be kinder than necessary

for everyone you meet is fighting some type of battle

Live simply ~ Love generously

Care deeply ~ Speak kindly

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass

Its about learning to dance in the rain

Submitted by Diane Turk- Clermont, Florida 2/29/08