When I was very little, all the Grandmas that I knew walked around this world in ugly grandma shoes.
You know the ones I speak of, those clunky black heeled kind. They just looked so very awful that it weighed upon my mind.
For I knew, when I grew old, I'd have to wear those shoes. I'd think of that, from time to time. It seemed like such bad news.
I never was a rebel, wore saddle shoes to school. Next came ballerinas, then the sandals, pretty cool.
Then came spikes with pointed toes, then platforms, very tall. As each new fashion came along, I wore them, one and all.
But always, in the distance, looming in my future, there
was that awful pair of ugly shoes, the kind that Grandmas wear.
I eventually got married, and then became a Mom.
My kids grew up and left, and then their children came along.
I knew I was a Grandma, and the time was drawing near,
when those clunky, black, old lace up shoes was what I'd have to wear.
How would I do my gardening or take my morning hike?
I couldn't even think about how I would ride my bike!
But fashions kept evolving, and one day I realized,
that the shape of things to come was changing, right before my eyes.
And now, when I go shopping, what I see fills me with glee,
for, in my jeans and Reeboks, I'm as comfy as can be.
And I look at all these teenage girls, and there, upon their feet,
are clunky, black, old Grandma shoes, and they really think they're neat.
Author Unknown
The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
"Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard.
And you will be old before you reach the end of it…
But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young mother was happy, and she would not
believe that anything could be better than these years.
So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for
them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams;
and the sun shown on them, and the young mother cried,
"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark,
and the children shook with fear and cold,
and the mother drew them close and covered them
with her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary,
and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children,
"A little patience and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top
they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."
And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said,
"This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude
in the face of darkness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I've given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth,
clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled,
and the mother said, "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light."
And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory,
and it guided them beyond the darkness.
And that night the mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."
And the days went on, and the weeks and the months
and the years, and the mother grew old
and she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong,
and walked with courage.
And when the way was rough, they lifted her,
for she was light as a feather;
and at last they came to a hill, and beyond
they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.
And mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey.
And now I know the end is better than the beginning,
for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."
And the children said, "You will always walk with us, mother,
even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone,
and the gates closed after her. And they said,
"We cannot see her but she is with us still.
A mother like ours is more than a memory.
She is a living presence……"
Author Unknown
Can you match the Mothers with their Children?
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1. Bathsheba
2. Elizabeth
3. Eunice
4. Eve
5. Hagar
6. Hannah
7. Leah
8. Mary
9. Naomi
10. Rachel
11. Rahab
12. Rebekah
13. Ruth
14. Sarah
15. Tamar
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A. Boaz
B. Cain & Abel
C. Isaac
D. Ishmael
E. Jacob & Esau
F. Jesus
G. John the Baptist
H. Joseph & Benjamin
I. Mahlon & Chilion
J. Obed
K. Perez & Zerah
L. Reuben
M. Samuel
N. Solomon
O. Timothy
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Answers
OK BIBLICAL SCHOLARS, FOLKS WHO NEED TO TEAR THEIR HAIR OUT, AND THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO DO. HERE IS A PUZZLE FOR YOU...
There are thirty books of the Bible hidden in the paragraph below - not all 66 books of the Bible, just 30. See if you can uncover them. Here are some hints...
- 13 of them are from the NEW Testament
- 17 are from the OLD Testament
- The letters are all in order (none written backwards)
- Some of the books may have one or more spaces between letters (like he brews beer at home all the time)
I found 28 books, then had the hardest time finding the final two (from the Old Testament!). Go for it...
There are thirty books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing in his johnboat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, the books are all right there in plain view hidden from sight. Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind that punctuation and spaces in the middle of the names are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus. There really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found!
Answers in Alphabetical Order
Answers in Order of Appearance
The Last Resort Answers
A teacher asked her third grade pupils to write about how they spent their spring break holiday.
One child wrote:
"We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live here in a big brick house, but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Arizona. Now they live in a place with a lot of other retarded people.
They live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on big tricycles and wear name tags because they don't know who they are anymore. They go to a building called a wrecked center, but they must have got it fixed, because it is all right now. They play games and do exercises there, but they don't do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but they jump up and down in it with their hats on. I guess they don't know how to swim.
At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out. Then they go cruising in their golf carts. My Grandma used to bake cookies and stuff, but I guess she forgot how. Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And they eat the same thing every night: 'Early Birds'. Some of the people can't get past the man in the doll house to go out. So, the ones who do get out bring food back to the wrecked center and call it pot luck.
My Grandma says Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out so they can visit their grandchildren."
Author Unknown
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