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"I Believe in you!" A message of Hope...stories from the road. By Bob Perks ************************************************ Hello, my Friend! Friday? What happened to Wednesday? I owe you one. I received a few responses to my last message and found one particularly powerful. I share it below in "Comments" Aslo note the very special link at the bottom of "comments" Love always and all ways, Bob and Marianne ************************************************ Perks Pearl of Wisdom "I can be what I choose to be when I choose to see what God sees in me." Bob Perks ************************************************ Appreciate what I do? Here's how you can help me: This link will take you to my web page for more information, shopping, and ways you can help. I humbly thank you in advance... Love always and all ways, Bob and Marianne Perks http://www.BobPerks.com ******************************************** All stories copyright 2007 Bob Perks Today's message: "The right to be happy" by Bob Perks Do we have the right to be happy? Is happy a God given gift that every human being has the right to or is happy a goal that only a select few pursue? I have been watching people and situations around me. I consider myself to be the luckiest man in the world. I get paid to tell people that they are important. My profession consists of writing inspirational stories, designing and presenting speeches and training sessions that build up, magnify, and enhance the human spirit. I work when I want and for whom I want. I answer to no one except myself and my wife. I am happy. But do I deserve to be? Life itself tries to impose standards on us. The spirit inside says do what you love. The world says that's Ok as long as you have things to show for it. Your spirit says I don't need things to be happy. But when we head out into the world, our success is measured by the car we drive, the clothes we wear, the address of our home and the title on our office door. So many times in our pursuit of happiness we live beyond our means to appear to be successful and happy. We are often in careers that we hate. We are surrounded by other phonies all pretending to be happy. Every once in awhile we read a story about the banker who gave up the six figure income to herd cattle and we envy him or her. Our spirit inside our heart sighs for a moment wishing we could do the same. Then we pick up the paper the next day and read the obituary of CEO John Smith, who died of a massive heart attack at 54. How sad we think. You know he worked hard to put that company right where he is, no I mean right where IT is today. But he had a hefty life insurance plan. His family will be taken care of...financially. That will make them happy. We do need to work hard to be happy. It's hard to find happiness in the slow pace of life doing exactly what you were created to do. Or find happiness working hard seven days a week in a business that never seems like work because you love it so and it's yours all yours. It's hard to be happy waking up with a smile every day. It's hard to be happy knowing you can stop to see the sunset just because there's more orange and yellow in that one. How happy can one be having the home you can truly afford, although it's not as big as your friends, the car with reasonable payments, the vacation camping this year because you don't need to take out a loan to go to the tropics just to say you did? You do have the right to want the better things in life. There is nothing wrong with things as long as they are not the goal. There is nothing wrong with millions as long as it is not the reason. Success is measured not in dollars and things. Success is doing what you are best at doing and loving it so much that you would do it for nothing. But actually get paid to do it. We are born. We work. We buy. We die. But are we happy? If tomorrow you could choose a career, would it be what you are doing today? If not then what is stopping you? Do you have the right to be happy? At what cost? Whose standards? What are you doing today to change things? I'd like to know just how happy you are. On a scale of one to ten how happy are you? Write me. Keep it brief, please. I have a sunset to watch and birds that are feeding in my yard. Oh yes, I have two five year old puppies waiting to play with me, too. perksblog@hotmail.com "I believe in you!" Bob I encourage you to share my stories but I do ask that you keep my name and contact information with my work. ********************************************* Comments: Have a comment about today's story? please write to "2 believe @ comcast .net" (spaces were placed between words in email address for security) RE: "Another Day to..." Dear Bob, I just had to write to you in response to today's story. I can really identify with Lynette. In April I went into the doctor thinking I had a kidney stone. X-rays revealed what looked like a relatively small mass in my abdomen. Surgery was to take about 4 hours. Instead I woke up in ICU after 7 hours of surgery in which they removed just about every thing they could. They left my liver intact but my bladder is now 1/4 of the size it should be. I began bleeding heavily almost immediately and went through three units of blood. I had no blood pressure for 7 minutes. The doctors concluded that I have ovarian cancer, stage 3 something or other and told my husband and kids the deck is stacked against me. I can honestly say it has never occurred to me to ask "Why me?" My response to that question has always been "Why not me?" One of the first things I did was to thank God that I was alive. I also asked for the courage to face whatever my future holds. This doesn't mean I don't get down sometimes. I am currently under going chemo therapy. Test results indicate the chemo is doing its job. I only have one treatment left. Dealing with the side affects is harder than I thought it would be but I am blessed to have a husband and two grown kids who encourage me and love me. I plan on being one of the 20% of women who are cured by the chemo. During my first chemo treatment, there was a woman there who had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her cancer has already metastasized to her lungs. She has a husband and 10 year old son. She wants to live. When I saw her again at my last treatment her sister-in-law advised us that her condition has worsened and they are now working with hospice. My spirit goes out to her and I try to pray for her regularly. One of the things my diagnosis has done for me is made me curious about the after life. For some reason I no longer fear death like I used to. Its still a little scary but I am thinking that is pretty normal. Like Lynette, I am truly grateful for each day. My husband and I try to combine some fun things the night before chemo (we have to travel to Iowa City which is a 5 hour drive) like going out to dinner and browsing the book store. This time we are heading out a couple of days earlier to a bed and breakfast in the Amana Colonies to do some early Christmas shopping and to celebrate my last chemo treatment. We are, I think, also celebrating life. My other "reward" is going down to Kansas City for a week long visit with my two kids in September. Grown or not, this has been difficult and frightening for them also. I think I notice life more now. I have always loved nature and I find great comfort and peace surrounded by it even if it is just listening to the birds in our backyard and watching the doves at the feeder. I am less willing to put off something for tomorrow that I could enjoy or do today. I have always "talked" to God throughout my day. It helps me stay grounded more as I feel his presence every day. My apologies for the length of this e-mail. Once I got started the words just began flowing and I knew it felt important to share with you. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Take care. In peace and caring, Hannah hi Bob &Marianne what a wonderful story, what a wonderful person this lady is. God will surely Bless her for her attitude about all she has been thru. may I tell you of a Blessing that has come to me? it is in the form of my bro. & his wife and her bro. they saw that my home was in bad shape and with my permission redone my whole house, at their cost, about all I could handle was the price of a new linoleum for my kitchen. God will Bless them for what they have done, and I am going to rejoice when it happens. these are the salt of the earth. when ask about it they say " the bible says take care of the widows & orphans. I'm so proud to know such people. had they been doing this for someone else I still would be proud to know them. I still would brag about my wonderful family and their generosity. do I need to mention they are all 3 church leaders? Blessings to you and Marianne. Nancy God bless her, Bob, She grasps that 'attitude is everything'! I believe in you! Sami Bob: You never cease to amaze me. I look forward to your emails. Day by day I continue to grieve and miss my Beloved Kathleen. I know that God will see me through it all. I am blessed by my children & grandchildren. Please continue to remember me in your prayers as I will you. God Bless, Your Friend In Christ Jim Jim also shared this must see video with me: http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9e7c4b40cf5a13cea6ca If this link doesn't work, copy and paste it into your browser. I absolutely loved it, so will you. "I Wish You enough!" © 2001 Bob Perks I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye." |
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August28, 2007 - "What one thing did you learn today?" >> |
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