Inspirational Stories #95 - New A - Z by Graduates...

The Alphabet:
A – ACCEPT	Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.
B – BREAK AWAY	Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.
C – CREATE	Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.
D – DECIDE	Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.
E – EXPLORE	Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself.
F – FORGIVE	Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
G – GROW	Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.
H – HOPE	Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.
I – IGNORE	Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.
J – JOURNEY	Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, an you’ll grow.
K – KNOW	Know that no matter how bad things seem, they’ll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.
L – LOVE	Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there’s room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there’s room for endless happiness.
M – MANAGE	Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you’ll suffer less stress and worry. Then you’ll be able to focus on the important things in life.
N – NOTICE	Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.
O – OPEN	Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there’s still much to be thankful for.
P – PLAY	Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.
Q – QUESTION	Ask many questions, because you’re here to learn.
R – RELAX	Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.
S – SHARE	Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.
T – TRY	Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish.
U – USE	Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that’s wasted has no value. Talent that’s used bill bring unexpected rewards.
V – VALUE	Value the friends and family members who’ve supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.
W – WORK	Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.
X – X-RAY	Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you’ll see the goodness and beauty within.
Y – YIELD	Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you’ll find success at the end of the road.
Z – ZOOM	Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.

Inspirational Stories #94 - The Grass Cutting Days

The pastor called me to come forward. I walked to the pulpit confident and proud. I looked out at my family. Some wore somber expressions. Others had faces still damp with tears. Then I gazed down at the shiny black coffin crowned with yellow flowers.

My father, Charlie Lyons, was gone. It was my turn at his funeral earlier this year to pay tribute to the man who taught me so much growing up on the North side. How do you sum up a lifetime in 10 minutes?

I flashed to Dad holding the handlebar and jogging alongside my bike until I felt ready to ride on my own. I saw him pulling up to my broken-down car at night, doing a quick fix and trailing me home. I thought of the hug we shared at my wedding.

Then, I started talking about a special moment I draw from now. Dad was always full of advice, but one of the biggest lessons he taught me one summer was about having a strong work ethic. When my brother and I were growing up, we mowed yards during the summer to earn pocket change. Dad was our salesman. He pitched our service to neighbors and offered a price they could not refuse. My brother and I got $10 per yard. Some yards were a half-acre. I later found out our friends were charging $20 or more for the same amount of work.

Every time we headed out to mow lawns, Dad was there to watch. I used to wonder why he came with us. He stood supervising our work in the sticky Florida heat when he could have been inside relaxing with air conditioning and an icy drink.

Inspirational Stories #93 - Attitude – One of Life’s Choice

My wife, Tere, and I purchased a new car in December. Even though we

had tickets to fly from California to Houston to visit her family for Christmas, we decided to drive to Texas to break in the new car. We packed the car and took off for a wonderful week with Grandma.

We had a wonderful time and stay to the last possible minute visiting with Grandma. On the return trip we needed to get home in a hurry, so we drove straight through — one person driving while the other one slept. After driving in a hard rain for several hours, we arrived home late at night. We were tired and ready for a hot shower and a soft bed. I had the feeling that no matter how tired we were, we should unpack the car that night, but all Tere wanted was the hot shower and soft bed, so we decided to wait and unload the car in the morning.