Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear.  “Information, please” I said into the  mouthpiece just above my head.

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.  “Information.”

“I hurt my finger..” I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.

“Nobody’s home but me,” I blubbered.

“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.

“No,”  I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”"Can you open the icebox?” she asked.

I said I could.

“Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice..

After that, I called “Information Please” for everything.. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math.

She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called  Information Please,” and told her the sad story.. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?”She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, ” Wayne , always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.”

Somehow I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone, “Information Please.”

“Information,” said in the now familiar voice.

“How do I spell fix?”  I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much.

“Information Please” belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me..

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information Please.”

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.?

“Information.” I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying,”Could you please tell me how to spell fix?”

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.”I laughed, “So it’s really you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?”

I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your call meant to me.  I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.”?I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

“Please do”, she said. “Just ask for Sally.”Three months later I was back in Seattle .. A different voice answered,  “Information.”

I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said.”Yes, a very old friend,” I answered.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,”She said. “Sally had been working part time   the last few years  because she was sick.  She died five weeks ago.”
Before I could hang up, she said, ” Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?” ”

Yes.” I answered.

“Well, Sally left a message for you.  She wrote it down in case you called.  Let me read it to you.”
The note said  “Tell him there are other worlds to sing in.  He’ll know what I mean.”I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.?

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others..  Whose life have you touched today?

‘Don’t forget your sisters,’ she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. ‘They’ll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.’

‘Remember that ‘sisters’ means ALL the women. your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. ‘You’ll need other women. Women always do.’ What a funny piece of advice!’ the young woman thought. Haven’t I just gotten married? Haven’t I just joined the couple-world? I’m now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!’

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I’ve learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

• Time passes.
• Life happens.
• Distance separates.
• Children grow up.
• Jobs come and go.
• Love waxes and wanes.
• Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do.
• Hearts break.
• Parents die.
• Colleagues forget favors.
• Careers end.

BUT………

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.  When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.  Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you….Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: all bless our life!  The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful.

Author Unknown

If you’d like to have a hard copy of a similar presentation click here: God’s Pharmacy

I found the answer in my room…the fan said, “Be cool.”

The roof said, “Aim high.”

The window said, “See the world!”

The clock said, “Every minute is precious”.

“The mirror said, “Reflect before you act”.

“The calendar said, “Be up to date.”

The door said, “Push hard for your goals.”

The floor said, “Kneel down and pray”…

Please untie the knots

that are in my mind,

my heart and my life.

Remove the have nots,

The can nots and the do nots

That I have in my mind.

Erase the will nots,

may nots,

might nots that may find

A home in my heart.

Release me from the could nots,

would nots and

should nots that obstruct my life.

And most of all,

Dear God,

I ask that you remove from my mind,

My heart and my life all of the  ‘am nots’

That I have allowed to hold me back,

Especially the thought

That I am not good enough.

Amen

Recently she was interviewed by Chicke Fitzgerald.    Listen to the interview here: My Decade with Diana

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end!

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.  The last class I had to take was Sociology.   The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.   Her last project of the term was called, ‘Smile.’   The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.   I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake,

Literally..
Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one crisp March morning.   It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.   We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then   Even my husband did.   I did not move an inch. An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.   As I turned around I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.   As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was smiling’.  His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance.   He said, ‘Good day’ as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.   The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation..  I held my tears as I stood there with them.   The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.   He said, ‘Coffee is all Miss’ because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).   Then I really felt it – the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.  That is when I noticed all eyes in the  Restaurant were set on me, judging   My every action.I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray..   I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.   He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Thank you.’   I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.’   I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son.

When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, ‘That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.’   We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.   We are not church goers, but we are believers.   That day showed me the pure Light of God’s sweet love.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.   I turned in ‘my project’ and the instructor read it.   Then she looked up at me and said, ‘Can I share this?’   I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.   She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.  In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s, my son,the instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.   I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:

UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to
LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS -  NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

Unconditional Acceptance  should be the attitude in your office every day, all day.  You are the “only”  hope in many peoples lives.

Linda

See what happens.

Just over 5 minutes.  Link.

We are working on a similar program and will be announcing it later this year. Let us know if you are interested.