Ray’s Daily
November 10, 2020
Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.
Margaret Mead
One of the the positive surprises that I have found living in my senior community has been just how special so many of my fellow residents are. What I especially appreciate is there good hearts and their willingness to share their wisdom. Those that can also go out of their way to help others. Yep. Our community thrives because it is made up of so many caring individuals.
Here is a story that I found worth reading, I hope you will too.
I recently heard someone say, ‘What you do for others you do also for yourself.’ I was confused at first, because it almost made me feel selfish. I mean, I love doing things for other people, but my wife told me recently that I always put others first. She was saying that was one of my faults. I needed a little more ‘me’ in my efforts to change the world.
I visit people in nursing homes, retirement and senior centres. I love to spend time with older folks. It’s like mining for gold. They have been down the road ahead of me and I want to know what they have learned so that I make the right choices.
A speaker at a conference I attended many years ago asked, ‘Where do you think the most valued real estate is in the world.’
Hands went up and offered big city names, resorts in development and exotic locations around the world.
‘Nice try,’ he said. ‘The most valuable real estate are the cemeteries. Buried there are dreams that might have changed the world, perhaps cures for major diseases that were never developed and people who could have made a difference in your life but never took the chance. What happened? No one listened.’
I listen, I encourage, but I don’t realize the value of what I do or understand the impact. It was during a recent visit to a new facility that I realized that my efforts made a difference in the lives of those I met.
‘How are you today?’ I heard someone ask. I turned around and scanned the room to see who was speaking. ‘I heard the voice of an angel!’ I said smiling. ‘Where are you?’
Then I heard a faint laugh in the corner. ‘Oh, there you are. I am so lucky to find you today,’ I said. She was seated on an old Victorian looking couch. It reminded me of the furniture in my mother’s living room. We could only sit on it when company came. So, I jumped at the opportunity to sit next to this wonderful woman. Her hair was white and neatly brushed with an occasional wave gently reflecting the light from the nearby window. Her hands crossed on her lap resting on top of a knitted pink blanket that covered her legs. Two practical looking walking shoes peeked out at the bottom and a wooden cane was placed within her reach nearby.
‘It’s good to see you,’ she said. ‘I love when you come to visit.’ I was a bit surprised to hear her say that. I had never been here before. Maybe she was transferred her from another place and she remembered me.
‘It’s good to see you, too,’ I said.
‘You always brighten my day,’ she added.
I sat quietly for a moment trying desperately to remember if we had met before. I really love to remember names. It makes people feel good when you remember. Then I asked, ‘When was the last time I saw you?’
She turned her head away for a moment and then looking back at me, she said, ‘Oh, we’ve never met, you and I. But I know you by heart.’
How curious. We never met, but she knows me by heart. It must have been the look on my face that caused her to explain further. ‘There is something about people like you. You are the ones who carry the world on your back. When you walk in a room you make us smile. When you touch my hand I can feel the warmth in your heart. People like you bring flowers, music and sunshine. Even when you bring nothing at all, you leave so much behind’
I was humbled and at a loss for words. ‘My, I thank you for saying that,’ I said. ‘When you said, I know you by heart, I naturally felt like I must have met you before.’
‘I know you by heart, because I always did the same thing. I always put others first,’ she said.
There it was again. ‘Putting others first.’
Then I shared, ‘I heard someone say – what you do for others you do also for yourself.’
‘I am living proof of that,’ she said. ‘You see, after all that time, after all that caring it all came back to me. People like you now visit me and I know you by heart.’
Written by Bob Perks
~~~
A kind word is like a spring day.
Russian Proverb
~~~
One day in third grade.
“Who would like to do the first problem, addition?” No one raises their hand. The teacher calls on Tommy and with some help, he finally gets it right.
“Who would like to do the second problem, subtraction?” Students hide their faces. She calls on Mark, who gets the problem, but there is some suspicion his girlfriend, Lisa, may have whispered the answer to him.
“Who would like to do the third problem, division?” A low, collective groan can be heard as everyone looks at nothing in particular. The teacher calls on Suzy, who struggles, but eventually gets it right.
“Who would like to do the last problem, multiplication?”
Johnny’s hand shoots up, surprising everyone in the room. The teacher finally gained her composure in the stunned silence. “Why the enthusiasm, Johnny?”
“The Bible says to go fourth and multiply!”
~~~
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like and do what you’d rather not.
Mark Twain
~~~
Two fellows stopped into an English pub for a drink. They called the proprietor over and asked him to settle an argument. “Are there two pints in a quart or four?” asked one.
“There be two pints in a quart,” confirmed the proprietor.
They moved back along the bar and soon the barmaid asked for their order. “Two pints please, miss. And the bartender offered to buy them for us.”
The barmaid doubted that her boss would be so generous, so one of the fellows called out to the proprietor at the other end of the bar, “You did say two pints, didn’t you?”
“That’s right,” he called back. “Two pints.”
~~~
Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.
Grace Hansen
~~~
SIGNS YOU’RE AT A WEDDING IN TENNESSEE
* The rehearsal dinner is held at Hooters.
* Instead of “friends of the bride or friends of the groom?”, ushers ask “Ford or Chevy?”
* Bridesmaids wear pink tube tops and the groomsmen wear Travis Tritt t-shirts.
* Phrase “I Do” is replaced by “I Heard That!”
* Tender rendition of “The Wedding Song” is replaced by “Rocky Top” and performed by Boxcar Willie.
* When the minister asks, “Who Giveth This Woman To Be Married…” some guy in the back stands up and hollers “Earnhardt!”
* Reception conversation includes the phrase, “Been to Dollywood lately, Earl?”
* Snack trays and beverages at reception include vienna sausages (smoked, of course), nacho cheese Doritos and grandma’s own moonshine.
* Plans for the Honeymoon evening include tickets to the Monster Truck Show.
* The sign in front of the church reads: No Shirt…No Shoes…No Problem!
~~~
Remember that as a teenager you are in the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.
~~~
The room was full of pregnant women and their partners, and the Lamaze class was in full swing. The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe properly, along with informing the men how to give the necessary assurances at this stage of the plan.
The teacher then announced, “Ladies, exercise is good for you. Walking is especially beneficial. And, gentlemen, it wouldn’t hurt you to take the time to go walking with your partner!”
The room really got quiet. Finally, a man in the middle of the group raised his hand.
“Yes?” replied the teacher.
“Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?”
~~~
The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those who got there first.
~~~
A police officer stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. “But officer,” the man began, “I can explain.”
“Quiet!” snapped the officer. “I’m going to let you spend the night in jail until the chief gets back.”
“But, officer, I just wanted to say,”
“And I said be quiet! You’re going to jail!”
A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, “Lucky for you, the chief’s at his daughter’s wedding. He’ll be in a good mood when he gets back.”
“Don’t count on it,” answered the guy in the cell. “I’m the groom.”
~~~
~~~
“When people cared about each other, they always found a way to make it work.”
Nicholas Sparks
~~~
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than twenty years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.
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