Only A Dad

by Edgar A. Guest

Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.

Source: Internet

My Son

This is great. Take a moment to read it; it will make your day!

The ending will surprise you.

Take my Son.....

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art..

When the Vietnamconflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas,

There was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands..

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father

Opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence...

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything!

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

Please send this to ten people and back to the one who sent it to you.

God Bless.

If I don't get this back, I will know you really didn't read it. I got this from someone and thought the last part was really a good thought..

Too bad that the person who sent it to me did not know 10 people who would admit to knowing the Lord.

LIVE EACH DAY AS YOUR LAST, one day it will be.

Source: Email

You've Touched My Life

You've touched my life with tenderness
And filled my cup with love.
We've shared our dreams
beyond the stars above.

You took my hand as I grew old
and lead me when I was blind
You showed me that you really cared
Great love is hard to find.

You touched my heart and I touched yours
A little each and every day
And we both found happiness
All along the way.

Just like a rose
So precious and rare
Is our never ending love
The two of us share.

Source: Internet

Old Age Quotes

Gray hair is God's graffiti. ~ Bill Cosby

Old age is no place for sissies. ~ Bette Davis

Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. ~ Satchel Paige

Just remember, once you're over the hill, you begin to pick up speed. ~ Charles Schulz

It's not what you accomplish in life that matters; It's what you overcome.

Good friends help you find things when you have lost them... your smile, your hope and your courage. D. Zantamata

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. ~ Mark Twain

"If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."- Ronald Reagan

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

"Don't worry about senility," my grandfather used to say. "When it hits you, you won't know it." ~ Bill Cosby

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~ Mark Twain

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be the fool.
-William Shakespeare

How Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord Ps33:12

"We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves."

Inside every seventy year old is a thirty five year old asking, "What happened?" ~ Ann Landers

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. ~ Lucille Ball

My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty, and it was the law. ~ Jerry Seinfeld

It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like. ~ Jackie Mason

Put cotton in your ears and pebbles in your shoes.
Pull on rubber gloves. Smear Vaseline over your glasses, and there you have it: instant old age.
Malcolm Cowley

Source: Internet

Little Things..,

Little stones make big mountains,
Little steps can cover miles,
Little acts of loving-kindness
Give the world it's biggest smiles...

Little words can soothe big troubles
Little hugs can dry big tears,
Little candles light the darkness,
Little memories last for years...

Little dreams can lead to greatness,
Little victories to success
It's the little things in life
That bring the greatest happiness...

When I think about all the little things,
warm thoughts of my friends come to mind
and all the joy that friendship brings,
always and forever sharing it with you.

(author unknown)

Sharing

When we share laughter,
There's twice the fun;
When we share success,
We've surpassed what we've done.

When we share problems,
There's half the pain;
When we share tears,
A rainbow follows rain.

When we share dreams,
They become more real;
When we share secrets,
It's our hearts we reveal.

If we share a smile,
That's when our love shows;
If we share a hug,
That's when our love grows.

If we share with someone
On whom we depend,
That person is always
Family or friend.

And what draws us closer
And makes us all care,
Is not what we have,
But the things we share

~ Jill Wolf ~

Source:Internet

More Great Thoughts

I'm not fat. I've just reached Maximum Density!!

A facelift?? No thank you. I don't want people to look at my face and see a blank road. I want them to know that I've traveled many roads, and some of them haven't been paved.

Come said the wind to the leaves one day, Come o're the meadows and we will play.
Put on your dresses scarlet and gold, For summer is gone and the days grow cold.

Pumpkins in the cornfields, Gold among the brown, Leaves of rust and scarlet, Trembling slowly down.

Birds that travel southward, Lovely time to play, Nothing is as pleasant, As an autumn day!

I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents....

I just blew you some kisses and they should arrive soon!!

May your joys be as deep as the ocean and your sorrows as light as its foam!

The truth hurts---especially on the bathroom scales.

I'll never forget my grandparents saying..."If I'd known grandchildren were going to be so much fun, I'd have had them first."

Grandpa's are for stories about things of long ago. Grandma's are for caring about all the things you know... Grandma's are for rocking you and singing you to sleep, Grandpa's are for giving you nice memories to keep... Grandma's are for knowing all the things you're dreaming of... But, most importantly of all, Grandparents are for love.

Once upon a time in their marriage, my Dad did something really stupid. My Mom chewed him out for it. He apologized, they made up. However, from time to time, my mom mentions what he had done. "Honey," my Dad finally said one day, "why do you keep bringing that up? I thought your policy was 'forgive and forget." "It is," she said. "I just don't want you to forget what I've forgiven and forgotten!"

First you listen to your heart, then you listen to your head and then you listen to what your wife will tell you to do.

Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ~ Steve Maraboli

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love." --- Washington Irving

Be strong enough to stand alone, be yourself enough to stand apart, but be wise enough to stand together when the time comes. - Mark Amend

"It takes far less courage to cling to the past than it does to face the future"
- Sandra Brown

My grand kids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~ Gene Perret

It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong. - Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes holding on is a sign of weakness. Sometimes letting go is a sign of strength. - unknown

Normal people ask "How can that happen?" Heroes ask "How can I help?" - Unknown

There comes a time in your life when everything shifts and changes. Changes make you stronger even when right now, it's the most painful thing you've ever gone through. J. Twilight

Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyways. - John Wayne

Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about. - Unknown

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place" - Unknown

Never tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon - Unknown

Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will. - Dr. Robert Anthony

Believe you can and you're halfway there.- Theodore Roosevelt

Don't let your pride or lack of courage stand in the way of saying you're sorry.

From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, I survived. - Fr. Craig Scott

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. - Unknown

A diamond is merely a lump of coal that did well under pressure.

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. - Stanley Horowitz

"There is a harmony In autumn, and a lustre in its sky, Which through the summer is not heard or seen, As if it could not be, as if it had not been!" - Percy B. Shelley

Source: Internet