A Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.

She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said..... "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Year's later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the nameof the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.

He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.

She read these words.....

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed)

Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

Author Unknown

Shared by Corinne Mustafa

This 'n That...11/22 - 11/27/10

This 'n That...11/22 - 11/27/10

"Don't forget that appreciation is always appreciated."

"If you can't be content with what you receive,
be thankful for all that you have escaped."

"Use your imagination, not to scare yourself to death,

but to inspire yourself to live."

- Adele Brookman

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The Victor

Poet: C.W. Longenecker

If you think you are beaten, you are.

If you think you dare not, you don’t

If you like to win but think you can’t,

It’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a fellow’s will

It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are.

You’ve got to think high to rise.

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win the prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But sooner or later, the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can.

Shared by Corinne Mustafa

 

Cream Cheese

No this is not an advertisement for Philadelphia Cream Cheese in spite of the wonder food that it is. It is good on bagels. It is good in a salsa dip. It is good as a dollop in soup. Let us not forget the wonder of cheesecake be it plain, topped with strawberries or another fruit, chocolate or marble…it is the ultimate elegant dessert. It is cool and smooth and slides down easily with a sure sense of gourmet enjoyment.

What I am talking about here is the word Philadelphia. You know, the same as the famous Pennsylvania city…also known as the “City of Brotherly Love.” However, because this is a website for women perhaps we should discuss “Sisterly Love” instead.

What would cream cheese and sisterly love have in common? Well that is a stretch at best. It only came to my mind because of the name of the Philadelphia brand and the meaning of the word. And since we are women at the least we could call it “siblingly” love…to love as a sibling would whether that sibling be a male or a female. So let’s follow the idea of the blessings of cream cheese.

It is a smooth ingredient that enhances enjoyment of so many different foods. Just as love in our interactions helps the medicine go down so to speak. When we love we act differently and medicine is more palatable. Though it may be necessary the brunt of it is dulled by the creamy ingredient of love.






The Bible gives a lovely description of love and what it could be in 1Corinthians 13…the love chapter.


If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.



Love never gives up.


Love cares more for others than for self.


Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.


Love doesn't strut,


Doesn't have a swelled head,


Doesn't force itself on others,


Isn't always "me first,"


Doesn't fly off the handle,


Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,


Doesn't revel when others grovel,


Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,


Puts up with anything,


Trusts God always,


Always looks for the best,


Never looks back,


But keeps going to the end.


8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.


11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.


12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!


But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (The Message)


So here we have it on sisterly love…Philadelphia…






Love cares more for others than for self.

When a sister is in need share some cream cheese and jelly on a bagel…and some coming alongside


Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Your sister only needs what you are able to give

Love doesn't strut,

Your sister needs a shoulder not someone who boasts about their own accomplishments.


Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others


Again there is no need to hold yourself up as a role model when all she needs is a sympathetic ear.

Isn't always "me first,"


A true practitioner of love will never try to put herself before her sister at a time of need.
Doesn't fly off the handle,

There will be no loss of patience no matter how unreasonable a needy sister is when she is going through a difficult time.
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
There will be no reminders to your sister of past failures.


Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Obvious!


Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
As your love manifests to your hurting sister you will be glad when she sees the truth about her situation and starts to improve.


Puts up with anything,

In coming alongside there may be annoyances but a true sister is willing to put up with any inconvenience


Trusts God always,

Who else can we really, truly trust?


Always looks for the best,

This is totally needed so that love can triumph>


Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Once the course is set it is forward to the end.


Sisterly love is the cheese cake of relationships. It is the thing that enhances the interaction of our relationships with everyone but especially with other women. As we come alongside we should be the ingredient in the troubled heat of a hot salsa dip that blends and dims the fire of a problem time to something that is tasty and easily handled.


Written by Corinne Mustafa

Earthly Friends and Divine FRIEND

More Than A Friend

I am your friend

on a beautiful journey

our friendship like a small vessel

carries us over the waves of our caring

our many roles to each other

reverse as the tides

kindred as

sibling - teacher - helper - parent - friend

but we know we are so very much more

precious pilgrimage of our hearts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meeting A Friend

Days and weeks and years have passed

And you have become so dear

I wait and wait till we can meet

We do and I’m filled with cheer.

We laugh and play like little girls

And do what we desire

It’s so much fun to be with you

That is something I require.

But best of all is what I see

And feel whenever you’re around

Is how blessed I am to have a friend

In whom I see godliness abound

And I know that God has given me

A friend as great as you

To have and love and be free with

A gift of God so true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ultimate Friend

                                                        

 Thinking of what friendship isWhat I hold to my heart

Qualities that I look for

Truthfulness,

Caring,

Dependability,

Help,

Patience,

Steadfastness,

Sweetness,

Humor,

Affability,

Goodness,

Love,

Just,

Compassionate,

Faithful.

Many on the list

are found in my dearest friends

Truthfulness

to say what I need to hear

Caring

enough to do just that

Dependable

knowing I can call them any time

Help

when ever I am needing it

Patience

with my many flaws

Steadfastness

to beliefs of right and wrong

Sweetness

that touches my heart with joy

Humor

which I can count on for a giggle

Affability

that shows me I am a friend

Goodness

seen in how they treat me and others

Love

of others seen in their good works

Just

and fair in thought and word and deed

Compassionate

enough to help those in need

and

Faithfulness

even when I don’t deserve it

I can think of so many friends

Who possess so many of these qualities

I have been blessed in those who I can call

My friend.

But the very best Friend of all

The One who is never far from me

Possesses all of these and more

Omnipresent

Omnipotent

Eternal

Breath of life

Lover of my soul

Keeper of my heart

Protector of my life

Spring of living water

Endless peace of mind

My point of light

Abbah, Father, Daddy

Perfect, ultimate Friend forever.

My God!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friend for Life

Faithful to my every need

Righteous and dependable

Inability to ever cause me harm

Eternal so I never am alone

Naturally for me not against

Dependable beyond my greatest need

GOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

©Corinne H. Mustafa

~~~~~~~~~~~

Stumbling Stones or......building blocks?

Who has not been in the woods and become aware of the babbling music coming from a brook as it bubbles over the rocks making little currents. Added to the song of birds, the buzzing of bees, and the wind blowing through the trees you have a beautiful melody to listen to.  Sometimes the harmony is broken by a torrential rain storm that is punctuated by thunder, lightening, and winds that are no longer friendly.  We run for cover thinking that this is an abuse to our right to a peaceful day in the woods.

Life is like this. When our stream of living seems to be without any impediments such as boulders to scale or rocks to climb we feel happy. We think that no challenge is a good thing. Then we tend to forget that it is in the valleys and in the storms that God blesses us with new understandings and personal growth.

The result is that we emerge and our life song is closer to the harmony that God planned for us from all eternity.  If our personal rocks are removed the strean of our lives would not have a melody that is as sweet as it could be.

Think of this when your life seems fraught with pebbles. Remember to listen for the song of your brook as it flows over what you think to be stumbling stones.  They just might turn out to be the building blocks of your life.



Growing Up and Growing Older

Some people
No matter
   how old they get
Never loose
   their beauty...
They Just move
   it from their
        FACES
            into their
                HEARTS.
                            
                        Martin Buxbaum
                          1912-1991

Martin David Buxbaum was best known for being

the editor of Marriott's monthly publication "Table Talk."

After retiring from Mariott he wrote 11 books

and was a well known photographer, artist and humorist.

Growing Up and Growing Older

Don’t look at me and be filled with pity
Wondering how I got to be such an old biddy
With wrinkles, spots and all that old age stuff
Hands that are bumpy, knarled and so rough
I once was young and considered quite pretty
I laughed and joked and was thought of as quite witty
I had such energy you would hardly believe it
Seeing me here in my rocker where I sit
But mind you, Child, this lesson you should keep…
Beauty living in the heart is more than just skin deep.



        I have earned my wrinkles and this thin white hair
        Using a cane whenever I go anywhere
       Take heed I am just ahead of you on the road
       You too will end up carrying a big load
       I loved to shop, meet and greet and to dance
      Would do these things whenever I got the chance
      You will not believe how fast the time will go
      Enjoy your youth; learn what you need to know
      But mind you, Young Woman, this lesson you should keep…
      Beauty living in the heart is more than just skin deep.

     
          Seems like yesterday I was a child and then a young woman
          I played in the fields, had friends, skipped off to school
          I wed my love, bore my children, hard work was my rule
         Remember you are always the same age inside,
         Is the lesson you must keep…and
         Beauty living in the heart is more than just skin deep.

Corinne H. Mustafa

10/8/09