A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, βLord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.β
The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the Holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, βYou have seen Hell.β
They went to the next room and opened the door.
It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy Man said, βI don't understand.β
βIt is simple,β said the Lord. βIt requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.β
βRemember this, when Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you.β
HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!
An Easter Poem
On the Third Day β by Margaret Wideyke
As pale streaks of coral open The closed, dark, nighttime skies, Two women trudge the dusty road That leads to the place where He lies.
Bring burial spices, they enter, Subdued by all that happened before. As they near the tomb they remember The rock that blocks the door.
But when they reach the site, The rock stands at one side, And within, an angel dressed in white Speaks of their Lord who was crucified.
βThis is the place where they laid Him, But He is not here. He is not dead. Carry the word to His friends: He has risen as He said.β
Joyful, astonished, afraid to believe, For a moment, they stand paralyzed. Then they rush to report what the angel said As the glorious sun is on the rise.
Happy Easter Happy Trails Blessings Old German Shepherd Old Dogs One day an old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.
The old German Shepherd thinks, “Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!”
Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, “Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?”
Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees.
“Whew!,” says the panther, “That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!”
Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes.
The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.
The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, “Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!”
Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, “What am I going to do now?” But, instead of running, the old dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old dog says… “Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!”
Moral of this story…
Don't mess with the old dogs.
Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery.
B.S. and brilliance only come with age and experience.
Easter is a reminder that even in our darkest hours, there is a light waiting to shine bright. Embrace that inner brilliance and let it guide your path forward.