Beanie Books

Recipe for a Happy New Year Take twelve fine, full-grown months. See that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor, and hate. Cleanse them completely from every clinging spite. Pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness. See that these months are freed from all the past. Have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time.  Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts.  Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time . Into each day, put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution.  Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprink

The story behind the carol, "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day" -- Author unknown Tragedy struck the home of America's most popular poet.  On July 9, 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's wife, Fanny, was near an open window sealing locks of her daughter's hair in a packet, using hot sealing wax.  It was never known whether a spark from a match or the sealing wax was the cause, but suddenly her dress caught fire and engulfed her with flames.  Her husband, sleeping in the next room, was awakened by her screams.  He desperately tried to put out the fire and save his wife. He was severely burned on his face and hands. She, tragically burned, slipped into a coma the next day and died.  His grievous burns would not even allow him to attend her funeral.  He seemed to lock the anguish within his soul.  Because he continued to work at his craft, only his family knew of his personal suffering.  They could see it in his eyes and observe his long periods of silenc

Christmas story Author Unknown In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone. The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two.  Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds. He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries. Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either. If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana, at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress. I loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job. The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck. The kids stayed, crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince wh

Old man and rotten bananas Once there was a poor old man who lived in a small town. One day a stranger appeared on his doorstep and requested him for drinking water. After drinking the water the stranger said that he was very pleased with the way he served a thirsty stranger, so in return he is reward him with a bunch of Bananas. He said it is a rare breed and very tasty. Old man was very fond of Bananas. He took it in and placed it inside a cupboard. He was very happy and thought of eating one fruit out of the bunch. Suddenly he noticed a rotten Banana in the bunch. He decided that he will eat that Banana first and from tomorrow he will start eating the good ones. He ate the rotten Banana and closed the cupboard. Next day he opened the cupboard and noticed that again a Banana was rotted. He decided again to eat that one for the day, so that he can start eating good ones from the next day. This went on and even when there were only two Bananas with one being rotten, he could n

Helpless love Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island. The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty. Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realized it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope . Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?” “No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.” A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”

Most important part of your body My mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer. When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy. ”She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.” Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer. So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.” She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.” Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.” Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying.

Heavenly Father, Help Us HEAVENLY FATHER, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children. Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester. Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares. Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last

Rules from God Wake Up!  Decide to make it a good day. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it" Psalms 118:24. Dress Up!  The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks in to the heart" I Samuel 16:7. Listen Up!  Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his mouth protects his life…" Proverbs 13:3. Stand Up!  For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything. "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all…" Galatians 6:9-10. Look Up!  To the Lord. "I have the strength for everything throug

God will save me!                                                                   A flood was threatening a small town and everyone was leaving for safety except one man who said, "God will save me. I have faith." As the water level rose, a Jeep came to rescue him, the man refused, saying "God will save me. I have faith." As the water level rose further, he went up to the second story, and a boat came to help him. Again he refused to go, Belying, "God will save me. I have faith." The water kept rising and the man climbed on to the roof. A helicopter came to rescue him, but he said, "God will save me. I have faith." Well, finally he drowned. When he reached his Maker he angrily questioned, "I had complete faith in you. Why did you ignore my prayers and let me drown?" The Lord replied, "Who do you think sent you the jeep, the boat, and the helicopter?" The only way to overcome the fatalistic attitude is to accept responsi

The little wave The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air - until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.  "My God, this terrible", the wave says. "Look what's going to happen to me!" Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him: "Why do you look so sad?" The first wave says: "You don't understand! We're all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn't it terrible?" The second wave says: "No, you don't understand. You're not a wave, you're part of the ocean." ―  Morrie Schwartz Be sure to click here or  here for another inspirational story .

Lunch with God A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Sandwich & Orange juice and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to drink his orange juice when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Sandwich. The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him orange juice. Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to

How heavy is this glass of water Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?” Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds. She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.” A

Value of hard work - The bruised hands One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision. The director discovered from the CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.  The director asked, 'Did you obtain any scholarships in school?', the youth answered 'none'  The director asked, 'Was it your father who paid for your school fees?'. The youth answered, 'My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees'.  The director asked, 'Where did your mother work?' The youth answered, 'My mother worked as a clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect'.  The di

  GETTING OLDER      A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office. "Is it true," she wanted to know, “that the  "medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?" "'Yes, I'm afraid so,"' the doctor told her. There was a moment of silence before  the senior lady replied, "I'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'.."      ~~~~~~~~~~ An older gentleman was   on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son. "Yes, Dad, what is it?" "Don't be nervous, son; do your best, and just remember, if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife...."    (I LOVE IT!)    ~~~~~~~~~~    Aging: Eventually you