Army/Military Wife

The good Lord was creating a model for military spouses and was into his sixth day of over-time when an angel appeared. She said, Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one. What’s wrong with the standard model?

The Lord replied, Have you seen the specs on this order? They need to be completely independent, possess the qualities of both father and mother, be a perfect host/hostess to four or 40 with an hour’s notice, run on black coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully, even if they are pregnant and have the flu; and they must be willing to move to a new location 10 times in 17 years. And, oh yes, they must have six pairs of hands.

The angel shook her head. Six pairs of hands? No way.

The Lord continued, Don’t worry, we will make other military spouses to help them. And we will give them an unusually strong heart so it can swell with pride in their spouse’s achievements, sustain the pain of separations, beat soundly when it is over-worked and tired, and be large enough to say, ‘I don’t understand’, when they don’t, and say, ‘I love you’ , regardless.

Lord, said the angel, touching his arm gently, Go to bed and get some rest. You can finish this tomorrow.

I can’t stop now, said the Lord. I am so close to creating something unique. Already this model heals themselves when they are sick, can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave good-bye to their spouses from a pier, a runway or a depot, and understand why it’s important that they leave.

The angel circled the model for military spouses, looked at it closely and sighed, It looks fine, but it’s too soft.

They might look soft, replied the Lord, but they have the strength of a lion. You would not believe what they can endure.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran a finger across the cheek of the Lord’s creation. There’s a leak, she announced. Something is wrong with the construction. I am not surprised that it has cracked, you are trying to put too much into this model.

The Lord appeared offended at the angel’s lack of confidence. What you see is not a leak, he said. It’s a tear.

“A tear? What is it there for? asked the angel.

The Lord replied, It’s for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness, pride, and a dedication to all the values that they and their spouses hold dear.

You are a genius! exclaimed the angel.

The Lord looked puzzled and replied, I didn’t put it there.

Memory Bank

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud woman, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window.

“I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away just for this time in my life”

She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you draw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.

I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

Death-What A Wonderful Way To Explain It

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to

Leave the examination room and said,

‘Doctor, I am afraid to die.

Tell me what lies on the other side.’

Very quietly, the doctor said, ‘I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know? You’re, a Christian man,

and don’t know what’s on the other side?’

The doctor was holding the handle of the door;

On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,

And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room

And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said,

‘Did you notice my dog?

He’s never been in this room before.

He didn’t know what was inside.

He knew nothing except that his master was here,

And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear..

I know little of what is on the other side of death,

But I do know one thing…

I know my Master is there and that is enough.’