Don't stop thinking!

Leaving the City of Regret
===========================
I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and
yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was
going to be unpleasant, and I knew in advance that no real good
would come of it. I''m talking about my annual "Guilt Trip."
I got tickets to fly there on Wish I Had airlines.
It was an extremely short flight.
I got my baggage, which I could not check. I chose to carry it
myself all the way. It was weighted down with a thousand
memories of what might have been.
No one greeted me as I entered the terminal to the Regret City
International Airport. I say international because people from
all over the world come to this dismal town.
As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they
would be hosting the year''s most important event, the Annual
Pity Party. I wasn''t going to miss that great social occasion.
Many of the town''s leading citizens would be there.
First, there would be the Done family, you know,
Should Have,
Would Have
and Could Have.
Then came the I Had family.
You probably know ol'' Wish and his clan.
Of course, the Opportunities would be present, Missed and Lost.
The biggest family would be the Yesterday''s. There are far too
many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad story
to share.
Then Shattered Dreams would surely make an appearance. And It''s
Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how
things had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly
applauded by Don''t Blame Me and I Couldn''t Help It.
Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing
party knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing so.
And, as usual, I became very depressed.
But as I thought about all of the stories of failures brought
back from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and
subsequent "pity party" could be cancelled by ME!
I started to truly realize that I did not have to be there.
I didn''t have to be depressed. One thing kept going through my
mind, I CAN''T CHANGE YESTERDAY, BUT I DO HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE
TODAY A WONDERFUL DAY.
I can be happy, joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as
encouraging. Knowing this, I left the City of Regret
immediately and left no forwarding address.
Am I sorry for mistakes I''ve made in the past? YES!
But there is no physical way to undo them.
So, if you''re planning a trip back to the City of Regret, please
cancel all your reservations now.
Instead, take a trip to a place called, Starting Again. I liked
it so much that I have now taken up permanent residence there.
My neighbors, the I Forgive Myselfs and the New Starts are so
very helpful. By the way, you don''t have to carry around heavy
baggage because the load is lifted from your shoulders upon arrival.
God bless you in finding this great town. If you can find it,
it''s in your own heart.
Please look me up. I live on I Can Do It street.
by Larry Harp
One Step Closer

Desiderata
GO placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with other, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all ari***y and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy .

LOVE EVERYONE AS THEY ARE
This story is about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I''m coming home, but I''ve a favor to ask. I have a friend, I''d like to bring home with me."
"Sure," they replied, "we''d love to meet him."
"There''s something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
"I''m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "you don''t know what you''re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden to us. We have our own lives to live, and we can''t let something like this, interfere with our lives. I think you should just come on home and forget about this guy. He''ll find a way to live on his own."
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing
more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn''t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are not unlike many of us. We find it easy to
love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don''t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren''t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
Love everyone as they are!

Skater Boy
He was a boy, she was a girl
(Can I make it anymore obvious?)
He was a punk,she did ballet
(What more can I say?)
He wanted her, she''d never tell
Secretly she wanted him as well.
But all of her friends stuck up their noses
They had a problem with his baggy clothes.
He was a skater boy, she said: "see you later boy"
He wasn''t good enough for her.
She had a pretty face, but her head was up in space
She needed to come back down to earth.
....... Five years from now, she sits at home
She''s all alone
She turns on TV
(Can you guess who she sees?)
Skater boy''s rocking up MTV.
She calls up her friends,they already know
And they''ve all got tickets to see his show.
She tags along and stands in the crowd,
looks up at the man that she turned down.
He was a skater boy,she said: "see you later boy"
He wasn''t good enough for her
Now he''s a super star, slaming on his guitar
( Does your pretty face see what he''s worth?)
......."Sorry girl but you missed out .
Well tuff luck that boy''s mine now.
We are more than just good friends"
This is how the story ends.
"It''s too bad that you couldn''t see the man that boy could be.
There is more that meets the eye
I see the soul that is inside"
" He''s just a boy, and i''m just a girl
can I make it anymore obvious?
We are in love, haven''t you heard how we rock each other''s world? "
"I''m with the skater boy, I said: see you later boy
I''ll be back stage after the show
I''ll be at the studio, singing the song we wrote about a girl you used to know ........"

TELL LAURA I LOVE HER
Laura and Tommy were lovers, he wanted to give her everything: Flowers, presents and most of all, a wedding ring.
He saw a sign for a stock car race, a thousand dollar prize it read.
He couldn''t get Laura on the phone; so to her mother Tommy said:
"Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her,
Tell Laura I may be late, I''ve something to do, that cannot wait."
He drove his car to the racing grounds,
He was the youngest driver there;
The crowed roared as they started the race,
''Round the track they drove at a deadly pace!
No one knows what happened that day,
How his car overturned in flames,
But as they pulled him from the twisted wreck,
With his dying breath, they heard him say:
"Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her,
Tell Laura not to cry, my love for her will never die!"
Now in the chapel Laura prays her Tommy who passed away;
It was just for Laura he lived and died,
Alone in the chapel she can hear him cry:
..... "Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her,
Tell Laura not to cry, my love for her will never die!"........

DON''T CRY JONI
Joni was the girl who lived next door
I''ve known her I guess 10 years or more
Joni wrote me a note one day
And this is what she had to say :
" Jimmy please say you''ll wait for me
I''ll grow up someday you''ll see
Saving all my kisses just for you
Signed with love
forever true "
Slowly I read her note once more
Then I went over to the house next door
Her tear drops fell like rain that day
When I told Joni what I had to say
" Joni, Joni please don''t cry
You''ll forget me by and by
You''re just fifteen
I''m twenty two
And Joni I just can''t wait for you "
Soon I left our little home town
Got me a job and tried to settle down
But these words kept haunting my memory
The words that Joni said to me :
" Jimmy please say you''ll wait for me
I''ll grow up some day you''ll see
Saving all my kisses just for you
Signed with love
forever true "
I packed my clothes
And I caught a plane
I had to see Joni
I had to explain how my heart was filled with her memory
And ask my Joni if she''d marry me
I ran all the way to the house next door
But things weren''t like they were before
My tear drops fell like rain that day
When I heard what Joni had to say
" Jimmy, Jimmy please don''t cry
You''ll forget me by and by
It''s been five years since you''ve been gone
Jimmy I married your best friend John "