Beanie Books

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes This story is about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others? He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk! When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, “What a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it...

Homeless Man Preaches It was a cold winter Sunday, and the church parking lot was filling up quickly. As Jake got out of his car, he noticed an area where fellow parishioners were whispering and pointing among themselves. As Jake got closer to the area, he saw a man leaning against the church’s wall, apparently asleep, or drunk. The man wore a long trench coat that was in tatters. His hat was pulled down low concealing his face. His shoes were past well-worn with holes where his toes poked through. Jake assumed he was another street person, so he walked past him and entered the church. A group had gathered in the back of the church discussing the man leaning against the church wall. Several people snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to check on his condition. Then the opening cords of the entrance song began to play. After the celebrant proclaimed the Gospel, the doors of the church clanged open. The street person entered lurching down the center aisle with h...

Needed - Men and Women of Character Source Unknown The world needs  men and women. . . who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a strong will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take risks; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small affairs as in greater; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it;" who are true to their friends through good and bad, in adversity as well as in prosperity; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say "no" with emphasis, although all the res t of the world says "yes."  Apple Seeds Clic...

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God," "u" and "i" dance." God, you and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my...

Live and Work Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so that he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, the Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy. Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family. The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely. Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad. However, the family st...

A Short Story on Self Confidence There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy. Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said. After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.” He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time.” Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come. The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world! “I can erase my money worries in an instant!” he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in h...

Don’t Quit – Keep Going By Edgar A. Guest. 1921 When Things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and debts are high, And you want to Smile but have to sigh. When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won if he’d stuck it out, Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, You might succeed with another blow. Often the struggler has given up, When he might captured the victor’s cup. And he learned too late, when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown, Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar, So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit, It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit. Inspirational Stories ...

Believe in Yourself There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren’t the way you had hoped they would be. That’s when you have to tell yourself that things will get better. There are times when people disappoint you and let you down. But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself. There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them. Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are. So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be. Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you. Keep Believing in Y...

Life’s New Direction     Often we are like the young woman who wanted to point her life in a new direction. She went into a church, took paper and pen, and proceeded to write down a long list of things she was going to do to change her life. She signed the paper, placed it on the altar and then sat down to wait for God’s approval.     After a time, the voice of God spoke to her inner heart: "You are going about this all wrong. Tear up what you have written."     Reluctantly, the young woman followed God’s instruction. Then she heard the voice of God speak to her listening heart, "Take a blank sheet of paper and sign your name to it at the bottom. Place it on the altar and I’ll fill it in. Anonymous Appleseeds       Click here for another inspirational post about believing in yourself. .

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 f...

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 ...

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 convinc...

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.”...