30 Jan, 2006
A Carpenter’s House (author unknown)
Posted by julie @ 11:03 pm
Shelved under Lessons in Life
 
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.

He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
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30 Jan, 2006
Don’t Quit
Posted by julie @ 10:26 pm
Shelved under Bits and Pieces, Lessons in Life
When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit.

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30 Jan, 2006
A Simple Prayer
Posted by julie @ 10:00 pm
Shelved under Prayers

Grant, O God, thy protection,
and in protection, strength,
and in strength, understanding,
and in understanding, knowledge,
and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice,
and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it,
and in that love, the love of all existences,
and in the love of all existences, the love of God,
God and all goodness.

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10 Jan, 2006
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
Posted by julie @ 4:05 pm
Shelved under Movies

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

My family watched this heart-warming movie last Saturday night. Even my 3-year old daughter stayed awake to finish the film.

The movie itself is magical. The characters are lovable. It is a movie that shows how selfishness, greed and hunger for power rubs off any thought of concern for others as long as your “agenda” is fulfilled. It also shows redemption by acknowledging mistakes and false judgments/decisions and doing something about it to fix the mess created.

It is easy not to believe in the stories that younger siblings tell to older ones because they feel superior and smarter. Sibling squabbles happen but in the end, being a family and working together is given importance. Lucy and her sister Susan are so well-mannered you would want young girls to behave the same way they do. Peter is protective of his siblings which is an endearing character.

The White Witch who rules Narnia with an iron fist was cunning and comes in a form that can be trusted. She knows how to feed the hunger for power of young Edmund. Aslan is so enchanting, his voice is so deep and so is his wisdom. The beavers are full of fun. The scene where Father Christmas arrived was not given a longer sequence (its in the book). The print version is even more engaging, playing on the reader’s imagination and thoughts.

There are some similarities with the Lord of the Rings trilogy but then, its ok. They are both magical and enchanting stories and films.

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