Norine's Notes

Inspirational

~~~An Interview With God~~~

I dreamed I had an interview with God. "Come in," God said. "So you would like to interview Me?"

"If you have the time," I said.  God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; "What questions do you have in mind to ask Me?"

"What surprises You most about mankind?"

God answered: "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money, and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor for the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they never lived."

God's hands took mine and we were silent for a while and then I asked; "As a parent, what are some of life's lessons You want your children to learn?"

And God replied with a smile: "To learn that they cannot make anyone love them.  What they can do is let themselves be loved.  To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.  To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis!

"To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.  To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and then it takes many years to heal them.

"To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.

"To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.

"To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.

"To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different.

"To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them and likes them anyway!

"To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for a while, enjoying the moment.  I thanked Him for all His time and for all that He has done for me and my family, and He replied, "Anytime, I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer."

~~~Slow Down ~~~

Slow down; God is still in heaven.

You are not responsible for doing it all yourself, right now.  Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past.  Rest there.  Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.  Set your own pace.  When someone is pushing you, it's OK to tell them they're pushing.  Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, your neighbor mow.  Taste your food.  God gives it to delight as well as to nourish.  Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set.  They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.  Quit planning how you're going to use what you know, learn, or possess. God's gifts just are; be grateful and their purpose will be clear.  When you talk with someone, don't think about what you'll say next.  Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.  Talk and play with children. It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.

Create a place in your home, at your work, in your heart, where you can go for quiet and recollection.

You deserve it.  Allow yourself time to be lazy and unproductive. Rest isn't luxury; it's a necessity.  Listen to the wind blow.  It carries a message of yesterday, tomorrow, and now.  NOW counts.

Rest on your laurels.

They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.  Talk slower.  Talk less.  Don't talk.  Communication isn't measured by words.  Give yourself permission to be late sometimes.  Life is for living, not scheduling.  Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song.  Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.  Take time just to think.  Action is good and necessary, but it's fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.  Make time for play - the things you like to do.  Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.  Watch and listen to the night sky.  It speaks.  Listen to the words you speak, especially in prayer.  Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders.  There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.  Divide big jobs into little jobs.  If God took six days to create the universe, can you hope to do any better?  When you find yourself rushing and anxious, stop.  Ask yourself "WHY?" you are rushing and anxious.  The reasons may improve your self-understanding.  Take time to read. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.  Direct your life with purposeful choices, not with speed and efficiency.  The best musician is one who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.  Take a day off alone; make a retreat.  You can learn from monks and hermits without becoming one.  Pet a furry friend.  You will give and get the gift of now.

Work with your hands.

It frees the mind.  Take time to wonder.  Without wonder, life is merely existence.  Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.  Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, the invitations.  Less really can be more.  Let go.  Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do - but often it is the best.  Take a walk-but don't go anywhere.  If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.

Count your friends.

If you have one, you are lucky.  If you have more, you are blessed.  Bless them in return.  Count your blessings - one at a time and slowly.

 ~Author Unknown~

~~~Keep Your Fork~~~

 A woman diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three months to live asked her priest to come to her house to discuss her final wishes.  She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, and what scriptures to read, and which outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Then she said, "One more thing.  I want to be buried with a fork in my hand."  The priest was surprised.  The woman explained, "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, "Keep your fork."  It was my favorite time because I knew something better was coming, like a velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie – something wonderful.  So, I want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and wonder, "What's with the fork?"  Then I want you to tell them.  "Keep your fork, because the best is yet to come."  The priest's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he bid the woman goodbye.  He realized she had a better grasp of heaven than he did, and knew something better was coming.

At the funeral, when people asked him why she was holding a fork, the priest told them of the conversation he had with the woman before she died.  He said he could not stop thinking about the fork, and knew they would probably not be able to stop thinking about it either.  He was right.

Keep your fork.  The best is yet to come.

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Last modified: 03/25/05