A Story of Healing

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine told me one of the sweetest stories I've heard in a long time. An old man at a local farm who was involved in the story shared it with her, and I decided it was worth sharing with all of you.

The old man works at the farm, giving pony rides to young kids. He's a very amiable guy, talking with the kids, playing and singing with them. He makes the rides fun.
One couple brought their little boy over for a pony ride. The little boy was about six or seven years old. The old man helped him onto the pony, talking to him the whole time. He asked him his name and other questions, but the boy didn't respond. The man kept talking to him anyway.
At one point the man started singing to the little boy and encouraged the boy to sing with him. After a few minutes the little boy did. He started interacting with this old man, singing and playing with him.
The parents were absolutely dumbfounded. When the man looked over at them they were literally just staring at him and their son with shock on their faces. Confused, the man went back to his job, still playing with the little boy. When the ride was over he helped the little boy down then went and talked to the parents.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
They shook their heads, "No. Nothing's wrong. Was he just singing with you?"
"Yes. Why?"
"He doesn't talk," they answered, still in awe. "He's never spoken a word in his life."
The old man felt chills run up his spine.
He told this story to my friend a week later and was still in awe over the whole experience. Horse and pony rides, he claims, are really good for people who are disabled. Somehow the animals help people heal.

I thought this story was absolutely amazing, but I'm sure it's not the only one out there. If any of you have stories of healing or amazing growth, whether they involve animals or not, we would love to hear them! Feel free to share your stories with us.

~Julianne

A Friend in Good Times and Bad

It seems that every where we go today there is bad news. The economy is crashing, our government is mixed up, many people are out of jobs, etc. A lot of people are feeling discouraged and hopeless. I was talking to a friend about it one day and said "It's a good thing we have prayer or it would be hard to get up in the morning". She told me that it sometimes seemed like her prayers were falling on deaf ears. I ran across this little poem and thought it was fitting for the times that we are living in. It has a wonderful message of hope and faith that God is always there for us if we will trust in him and let him guide our way. I hope you enjoy it!

Conviction

I've heard it said that God shuts His eyes

To misery and human woe.

That He is deaf before the cries

Of all His children here below.

And though at times it does appear

That evil triumphs over good.

How little faith if I should fear

To trust Him when He said I could.

It may be true a kindly deed

Puts not a penny in my purse.

And yet by every code and creed,

It never made me any worse.

And if some dreams do not come true.

And if some plans may turn out wrong,

Each new day holds a joy or two,

That I may purchase for a song.

I do not have to give account

For disappointments and for tears,

But I must pay in like amount,

For shallow mind and wasted years.

The doubter scoffs, the cynic smiles,

But what is that to me.

When my companion through the miles,

Is such a one as HE.

How many times I've called His Name

And found Him by my side.

Forgiving all, absolving blame

That others have denied.

So let them say God does not care,

I know it is not true,

For there is no one anywhere,

Who can do what God can do!

Grace E Easley

-Elizabeth

Attitude is Everything!

I work at an offfice supply store in my community. One of my duties as a Cashier is to greet every customer that comes into the store. A few weeks ago, a woman coming into the store caught my eye. The reason I noticed her was because she had perfect posture. She walked with her head held high and her back very straight.

She was wearing a sleeveless summer dress that hung to her knees. As she walked into the store, I was amazed to see that she didn't have legs below her knees. She was walking on artificial limbs. I thought it was wonderful that she was walking so well, and that she didn't feel like she had to cover up her mechanical legs. She cheerfully said hello, after I greeted her, and went on with her shopping.

I wondered what had happened in her life that caused her not to have legs. I thought about the strength it must have taken to overcome her disability and learn how to walk using prosthesis. As I was thinking about her, she walked up to the counter where I work and carefully set her items down. As she did, I noticed that she wasn't only missing her legs, but she was also missing all of her fingers on her right hand. All she had was a small stub where her thumb should have been. I asked her how she was doing. She cheerfully said " I am fine, thanks! How are you?"

I continued with the transaction and was amazed at how unaffected she seemed to be by her disability. She took her credit card out, navigated through the pin pad and picked up her bag, all of the time using only her little thumb and the stub where her fingers should have been. She did this just as easily as if all of her fingers were there. I found it interesting that her disabilities seemed to disappear throughout the transaction because she was such a beautiful person with an amazing attitude.

A few days later I had a man come through my line that was the complete opposite of that beautiful woman. He didn't have any apparent disabilites; all of his limbs were intact. His handicap was of a different kind. He was hateful and mean! He did everything he could to antagonize and upset me. I found myself feeling sorry for him even though he was being very unkind to me. I realized after comparing him to the beautiful woman that he had a much worse disability than she did, because he had been poisoned by hatefulness.

Interacting with these two people taught me a good life lesson. I learned that even though sometimes bad things happen to good people, they are not the deciding factor. We determine the outcome of each circumstance and how it will affect us and the people around us. Attitude truly is everything!

-Elizabeth