We are all on a journey to our final destiny, passing through this trodden and trampled path on earth. The road we take bears footprints etched by throngs of people who traveled before us. We do not have to follow these footsteps. Individually, we have distinct paths to take, leaving our exclusive imprints behind.

The Holy Spirit has given each one of us a map. It was drawn in our minds for direction in life. A small seed of faith has been planted in our hearts for strength and endurance. By the grace of the Holy Spirit we become sons of God.

We have to study the map carefully, acquire a keen sight of the road signs, and know wisely the many markers standing in every twist and turn. We must nurture the seed of faith; shower it with love and prayers. It is our tree of life. Like a good tree, it will grow tall and provide us with shade for rest, and fruits we can eat for energy and vigor along the journey.

As we move on, we see different kinds of seeds scattered freely everywhere. They were sown by the enemy to trick us. They grow to become trees that bear fruits which can destroy us if we eat them.

The day of our death ends the days of our physical voyage. Not everybody will go to heaven. The ones who will make it are those who will stop and read the signs placed by God along the way. They will undoubtedly reach the magnificent door to His Kingdom alive, conscious, and well. The way to the Kingdom of God is hard to fine - but the pathways to doom are plenty and easy with all their gates wide open for everyone.

I was lost, tired and weary traveling in my life. For 40 years my life was lived in a wayward circular pattern that led me nowhere. I was disobedient and unmindful of the existence of God. I was cradled by darkness, lured by material wealth and worldly pleasures. I was an insignificant soul within the blinded flock of the evil ones. I lost my map of life and neglected the seed of faith. The prince of darkness was assured that I would belong to its kingdom when my time comes.

One day my youngest son Carlo was born. I held him tightly in my arms and we moved on the path of our lives together. I walked with him hand in hand with gladness in my heart. Circumstances amazingly turned promising and delightful as he was growing up. We walked together playfully and with so much laughter along the road toward our destiny. He obeyed me dutifully as a good son.

Slowly, because of him I returned to my faith and learned how to be a real father to my sons. I found inner peace in al the goodness I saw around me. We were never wanting, never at need of anything. I became eager for a beautiful life ahead. My son pulled me out of the fence of darkness, his light illuminated my darkend path.

My intentions to flee darkness became obvious to the sentries guarding the gate of sin. I could not merely change my mind and escape easily. The guardians of darkness wouldn’t let me go. What about the material possessions and the pleasures of the flesh they invested in me? Isn’t even a small sin an alliance with the devil? These sins cost my soul and the devil would never settle for less. They sounded the alarm and called out for their big boss. From the fiery recess of the pit where the most evil one dwells, I became a significant one trying to run away and must be stopped immediately. More lures, promises, and temptations were thrown my way. I could have grabbed the irresistibly good and attractive offer if I were alone. However my son’s tug and pull were much stronger and I rejected them.

When the tricksters ran out of tricks on their sleeves, the destruction of the course of strength that enabled me to refuse the devil’s offer ensued. My son was my source of strength and he was destroyed.

By the time he was 11 years old, the time he showed puzzling health concerns, we seemed to have reached the dead end of a good road. Beyond us was a wide rushing river with numerous scattered boulders. We could see at the far end of the shore how we would proceed.

We paused for a while and looked around for a sign. “This Way,” as the arrow pointed toward the river and over the boulders. We looked at our life maps to see if there was another way around, a safer one for both of us. But there was none. We were bound to cross the dangerous gap where the arrow was pointing. We had no choice, we had to crossover, and that was out destiny together.

I screamed aloud in protest knowing the dangers ahead, but my spirited son convinced me without fear that we could do it. His faith and courage gave me the strength to go through the obstacles ahead.

For three long years we wrestled the hurdle together, helping each other quickly reduce the distance between us and the shore of his cure. The obstacles were the battery of treatments he would undergo.

As we moved on, the rocks became slippery and the river ran treacherously beneath us. I thought of going back but destiny afforded me no opportunity to turn back. My son persisted, suffered silently, and accepted his fate. I almost lost my courage to continue, if not for his faith radiating most of the time. We clasped hands many times, we embraced, and we carried each other as we struggled on. I carried him on my shoulders by providing all his needs, doctors, hospitals, and medications. He carried me over by his hope and his optimism despite telling signs of his condition. He urged me to be brave and tough by faith through prayers.

“Life is temporary Dad,” he reminded me. “Now it’s clear to me what we were talking about before. In a hundred years, all of us will surely die. Even the babies being born today in this hospital will be gone! We really have nothing to fret about; all things we see around us are temporary.”

That was a time when were lining up for one of his chemotherapy treatments. The aisles of the clinics were jampacked with many patients, young and old.

“True…” I said. “even the presidents of nations, the most famous people, the powerful, the richest, and the strongest will all disappear from the face of the earth in a hundred years, no one is exempted. The world will be inhabited by new people unknown to us by then. It is nothing compared to the tens of billions of years of the universe that have already passed. It is sure to come like a flick of a finger, leaving us wondering where all those years have gone. But despite that, son, there is really nothing to fret or fear about because we have been promised an afterlife, the continuity of our mortal existence in an everlasting life in the warmth of heaven.”

We met some people also crossing the same obstacles. There was the grease people, the sick Muslim boy, and the abandoned vegetable boy. We tried to help them too even as we struggled on our way. There were good people who went out of their way to help us. We experienced joys and victories as we conquered both small and big obstacles.

Then the moment for our final jump on the shore arrived. The gap to the other side was perilously wide. The hard rocks echoed the frightening roar of water beneath. One must have a great purpose to live, or fear death greatly to make it through the crevice. I exerted my best effort and made it unharmed to the other side. I turned around to my son and beckoned him to jump as strongly as he could. My arms were stretched wide open to receive him. He stood there for a while with a wide contented smile on his face.

“Dah, go forth, the door to his Kingdom is easier to reach now; this is the end of the line for me. I am very happy; I have completed my mission. You are my mission, my short life with you. Remember our pledge, we promised to be always together? I will be with you always.”

After those words and with his smile still planted on his face I saw him get transformed into a happy old man. He seemed to have enjoyed the fullness of his life. He leapt into the sparkling water, his body immediately consumed by the rushing bubbles. He accepted the last pain to end all his pain. He succumbed to the disease; but death freed his spirit from his pained and ruined body. My son died bravely, full of faith up to his last dying breath.

My heart had not yet even felt the full impact of my sorrows when suddenly, from the same spot on the water, showers and mists burst forth, creating a colorful rainbow in the process. I saw a beautiful shining figure shoot out of the water and stand on it. A pure white image of an angel held my boy at his side. Soon after, thick white smoke fizzled out from his middle. It formed and solidified into a bust of another angel, obstructing my view of my son’s entire body. Only my son’s hairless head remained in my view. They all moved towards me in slow motion with smiles on their faces. Unmistakably, I could also see victory in those smiles. After sometime, those angels ascended and disappeared into the thick white clouds with Carlo.

Into the water, I could have jumped to save my son. It really didn’t matter at all to me if we both perished together. But up there into the clouds, I was miserably helpless without any means to fly and follow him. As I stretched my arm up as if I were in the act of flight, suddenly I felt something solid in my palm. It was an image of an Angel curved in candle wax. A sculpture crafted in Heaven; an enticing work of art. In my mind I heard whispers urging me to move on, to shout along the way and to show the candle image of the angel to the people who made it through the same obstacles: “Move on, make haste, the door to the Kingdom of God is just around the corner.”

The pictures in this book are actual shots of this image holding my son. I did not imagine it; divine hands fashioned it in heaven. The close up shot of the Angel’s face at the center of the image is a true and accurate picture of the original. It is not a face of a man living on earth but a picture of someone existing way up there in heaven. These are not pictures manipulated or enhanced on the computer. Rather, they are pictures of actual preserved candle image.

This book is for those who would like to be blessed. People who will own this book will hopefully see a wonderful work of art and read a true story that will inspire them. I pray that they will be like the blessed men and women who have encountered an Angel face to face.

May the Lord, our Mighty God, take good care of my son in happy and blissful company of His angels.

I give you great honor and glory O Lord for your loving care and divine guidance to me and my family.

The challenges the universe sends us can seem unbearable at times: a job we don’t want to spend another day at, a broken heart that feels as if it will never heal, or a long and painful illness. And then, there are the challenges that can be just as scary because we are being called to step up to the plate in ways that we may think we are not yet ready for: overcoming our fears in order to realize a lifelong dream, leaving behind a situation or people in our life that we may have outgrown, or moving across the world for our dream job or life partner.

At such times, it can feel as if the world is testing us and that life is asking more of us than we think we can give. We may feel uncomfortable, frightened, and unsure of what to do. However, life isn’t so much going against us as it is encouraging us to grow. During these periods, we can grow stronger by putting one foot in front of the other, as we work through our challenges. We may be asked to let go of old safety measures, shift old patterns of behavior, or step into the abyss of the unknown. When we do rise to the occasion, we end up better off for having made that journey. Not only do we end up learning and growing, but we inevitably become more compassionate to the challenges of others and wiser in the ways of the world. Our faith in the universe also grows because, ultimately, we can’t help but realize how much we are supported and taken care of at all times. When we are in the midst of a growing period, it is not easy to see our reward, but it is there, waiting for us to grow big enough to reach it.

Reprinted from DailyOM- Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. Register for free at www.dailyom.com.

“Turn that TV off and get these beds made up.” He only said it once. I could hear his footsteps above my head as my hero Popeye saved his sweetheart Olive from the horrible Brutus once again. “Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk…” I loved the way that skinny character laughed. My giggles were soon the only sounds I could hear and my bed lay crumpled and unmade.

Daddy decided to take us girls to Shoppingtown Dewitt later that afternoon. He handed each of my sisters a crisp new $20 bill, just for being good. My sisters didn’t seem to notice the door of the car as it closed with me still inside. He simply said, “Vonnie, I need you to stay with me today.” I sat alone in that big back seat and watched my sisters smiling faces disappear into Dey Brothers Department Store as we pulled away from the curb. I felt so left out.

Later that night Daddy called my older sister Donnarae to his knee. With a little squeeze and a wet kiss on her cheek, he proudly said, “I’ve got the most beautiful four daughters in the whole world.” The daughter adored walked away a princess while I wore the face of deep sorrow. I knew I had disappointed him that morning. Just knowing that was my punishment.

The very next day, I couldn’t wait to get out of bed so I could smooth the covers and fluff the pillows. With every wrinkle smoothed and every corner tucked, I waited in anticipation for a glimpse of his face as he passed my room. All he did was wink. YES! I’m back in his good graces! On top of The Ferris Wheel of daughterdum! Daddy winked at me. He was proud of me, and that was everything to me.

He was a good man and a great Dad. Nearly fifty years later, I’m grateful for the lessons he taught me. I’m grateful for the woman I have become because of him. And of course, I always make my bed as soon as my feet hit the carpet!

Yvonne Conte, Motivational Humorist
Humor Advantage, Inc.
4736 Onondaga Blvd., Ste. 231
Syracuse, NY 13219
Yvonne Conte Website
Voice: 315.487.3771
Fax: 315.487.5633
E-mail Yvonne here

Let go of the negatives and the what ifs? why not? and what next?
See in your mind the beauty of life in the line of positive thinking
Control the only thing that you can control … your thoughts
Is that all? Oh my gosh, so simple

Practice each day and attract away
Live each day with the love and positive to all
You must do the work to see each day as the gift of “God”
If you don’t like the word God, then use “the energy of the universe”

Find the words that uplift and lead to amazing attractive properties in your life
The Laws of Nature: Like attracts like, energy is neither created nor destroyed
Live the law of positive attraction in your life and set the tone of your day
Put a smile on your face and goodness and joy in your heart to all

Goodness and joy to all!
Love
Dr Rob

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning  thanks.”
–St Ambrose

When someone does something nice for you, be sure to give thanks, and do it promptly.

“Nine-tenths of wisdom of appreciation. Go find someone’s hand and squeeze it, while there is still time.”
–Dale Dauten

Don’t take TIME or LIFE for granted. Young or old, no one knows how long we have on this earth. Let people know how you feel, and your appreciation for them.

“ The applause of a single human being is of great consequence.”
–Samuel Johnson

It means more than you know to people to get a kind word or a comment of appreciation. Verbalize and don’t assume.

“ Most of us swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about, need only a bit of praise or encouragement—and we will make the goal.”
–Jerome Fleishman

Each of us have troubles that no one knows or even cares about. If we give praise and encouragement, it may just be the thing that helps someone over a mountain of problems.

“ If you don t think every day is a great day, try going without one.”
–Jim Evans

Self explanatory.

We conclude with the great OG MANDINO. This one says a mouthful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all …

“ Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you’ll finally be able to move forward to the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.”

T.A. Smith
www.Smile-Therapy.com
Contact me via E-mail

Back when we were children, this experience of pure delight didn’t have to come from a heightened, heady event in order for us to feel like our day had been made; and it can be that way for us again - if we are willing to remember and reconnect with that part of ourselves that knows how to be in the flow of fun. You can begin this process by reminiscing on what was fun for you as a child. Think about what caused you to giggle in delight or wriggle in pleasure or burst into endless laughter that you couldn’t sit up straight no matter how much you wanted to. Try to spend a few moments with each memory, and really feel what it was like to be in those experiences – allowing that feeling of pure fun to wash over you. It lives, in you – that feeling. It can’t be bottled, manufactured, or sold. You just have to call it back up in order to experience it again.

Pure fun happens when we are fully engaged with ourselves and our world in each moment. It is the spontaneous delight that bubbles out of us when we let go long enough to bring it through; it is the experience of natural, organic pleasure that springs up from our bellies, through our souls, up through our faces, and down to our toes. We’ve naturally known how to have pure fun since we were babies and the flicker of lights caused us to jump to attention from the sheer enjoyment of being able to see. Approach your life today with the knowledge that pure fun isn’t something that is given or done to you; rather, it is something that you allow yourself to experience.

Reprinted from DailyOM- Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. Register for free at www.dailyom.com.

Be The Change:
Follow StoryCorps’s guidelines here to interview someone — an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or a familiar face from the neighborhood. [Read more]

-From DailyGood.org