HIT: Poem, story on living life to the fullest, Part 2

[Julie Purdy <purdyj@LINK75.ORG>]

Here's the second part of my HIT on a poem or story to share at a memorial
service for a teacher.

I had a few people suggest using something from Tuesdays with Morrie.

A Parable of Immortality

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
And starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength,
And I stand and watch
Until at last she hangs like of speck of white cloud
Just where the sun and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, "There she goes!"

Gone where?
Gone from my sight ñ that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
As she was when she left my side
And just as able to bear her load of living freight
To the places of destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
"There she goes!"
There are other eyes watching her coming
And other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
"Here she comes!"
___________________________________________
> THE JAR OF TIME
>>
>> An expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of
>> business people. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered
>> overachievers, he said, "OK, time for a quiz."
>>
>> Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on
>the
>> table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks
>and
>> carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was
>> filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, " Is
>this
>> jar full?"
>>
>> Everyone in the audience said, "Yes."
>>
>> Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a
>bucket
>> of gravel.  Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing the
>> pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big
>> rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
>>
>> By this time they were on to him.  "Probably not," one of them
>answered. "
>> Good" he replied.  He reached under the table and brought out a bucket
>of
>> sand.  He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces
>left
>> between the rocks and the gravel.  Once more he asked the question, " Is
>> this jar full?"
>>
>> "No!" the group replied. Once again he said, "Good."
>>
>> Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar
>> was filled to the brim. Then he looked up and asked, " What is the point
>> of this illustration?"
>>
>> One eager person raised a hand and said, " The point is, no matter how
>> full your schedule is, if you really work hard, you can always fit some
>> more things into it."
>>
>> "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this
>> illustration teaches us is 'If you don't put the big rocks in first,
>> you'll never get them in at all'. What are the BIG ROCKS in your life? A
>> project that YOU want to accomplish?  Time with your loved ones? Your
>> faith, your education, your finances? Remember to put these big rocks in
>> first or you will never get them in at all."
>>
>> So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short
>story,
>> ask yourself this question...What are the BIG ROCKS in my life ?  Then
>put
>> those in your jar first....
_______________________________________________________
THE TANDEM BICYCLE

At first I sat in front, Jesus in the rear.
I couldn't see him, but I knew He was there.
I could feel his help when the road got steep.
Then one day, Jesus changed seats with me.
Suddenly everything went topsy-turvy.

When I was in control, the ride was predictable, even boring.
But when Jesus took over, it got wild!
I could hardly hold on.
"This is madness!" I cried out.
But Jesus just smiled and said "Pedal!"

And so I learned to shut up and pedal ñ
And trust my bike companion.
Oh, there are still times when I get scared
and I'm ready to give up.
But then, Jesus turns around
touches my hand,
smiles,
and says,
"Pedal!"
__________________________________________
Counting Time
    We live in deed, not years;
    In thoughts, not breaths,
    In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
    He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts
the best.
            (Val Keller, 1984)
    She lives in simplicity, not glory;
    In renewal, not judgement.
    A single tear, brings joy.
    She confers love who yearns the most, feels the deepest,
acts the
purest.
            (JCroft, 1990)
____________________________________________
I have one suggestion from Ashleigh Brilliant - who writes "Potshots"

 "Before I knew the best part of my life had come, it had gone."
__________________________________________________
The Beatles song, In My Life.
________________________________

No title.....just these words by an unknown author

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift upifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

        -- Anonymous
__________________________________

HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE

I was walking down life's highway  a long time ago.
One day I saw a sign that read, "HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE".
As I got a little closer, the door came open wide,
And when I came to myself I was standing inside.

I saw a host  of ANGELS.  They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said, "My Child, shop with care".
Everything a human needed was in that grocery store.
And all you couldn't carry, you could  come back the next day for more.

First, I got some PATIENCE:  LOVE was in the same row.
Further down was UNDERSTANDING: you need that everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of WISDOM, a bag or two of FAITH.
I just couldn't  miss the HOLY GHOST, for  it was all over the place.

I stopped to  get some STRENGTH, And COURAGE to help me run this race.
By then my basket was getting full, But I remembered I needed some GRACE.
I didn't forget SALVATION, for SALVATION was free,
So I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.
Then I started up to the counter to pay  my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything to do the MASTER'S will.
As I went up the aisle, I saw PRAYER:  And I just had to put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run into sin.

PEACE  AND JOY were plentiful; they were last on the shelf.
SONG and PRAISE were hanging near, so I just helped myself.

Then I said to the angel, "Now, how much do I owe?"
He smiled and said, "Just take them everywhere you go."
Again, I smiled and said, "How much  do I really owe?"
He smiled again and said,
"MY CHILD, GOD PAID YOUR BILL A  LONG, LONG TIME AGO."
____________________________________________

There's still more to come!  Thanks again to all!

Julie Purdy
Mt. Ararat Middle School
Brunswick, Maine
purdyj@link75.org

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