This beautiful story has a simple, yet important message. I hope as many people as possible give it a read. I know I am happy I read it, as it gave me a few things to think about in my own life. Sometimes it is the simplest of stories that make us ponder the most.

     One day, a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test.  They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin.  The professor handed out the exams with the text facing down, as usual.  Once he handed them all out, he asked the students to turn over the papers.

     To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions – just a black dot in the center of the sheet of paper.  The professor, seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, told them the following:  “I want you to write about what you see there”.  The students, confused, got started on the inexplicable task.

     At the end of the class, the professor took all the exams, and started reading each one of them out loud, in front of all the students.  All of them, with no exception defined the black dot, trying to explain its position in the center of the sheet.  After all had been read, the classroom silent, the professor started to explain:  “I’m not going to grade you on this, I just wanted to give you something to think about.  No one wrote about the white part of the paper.  Everyone focused on the black dot – and the same happens in our lives.  We have a white piece of paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots.  Our life is a gift given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate – nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see every day… However, we insist on focusing only on the dark spot – the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend.  The dark spots are very small when compared to everything we have in our lives, but they’re the ones that pollute our mind.”

     Take your eyes away from the black dots in your life.  Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you.  Be happy and live a life filled with love!

Author unknown – shared by Barb Trask and put in the Muse three years ago, but worth repeating.
 
Blessings and enjoy the summer,
Lisa Beretz, 518-330-9277
 

1.  Old people are easy to spot at sporting events during the playing of the National Anthem.  Old People remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment.
They know the words and believe in them.
2.  Old People remember World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy, and Hitler.
3.  They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, The Cold War, the Jet Age and the Moon landing.
They remember the 50 plus Peace-keeping Missions from 1945 to 2005, not to mention Vietnam.
4.  If you bump into an Old Person on the sidewalk he will apologize.  If you pass an Old Person on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady.  Old People trust strangers and are courtly to women.
5.  Old People hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.
6.  Old People get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and they don’t like any filth or dirty language on TV or in movies.
7.  Old People have moral courage and personal integrity.  They seldom brag unless it’s about their children or grandchildren.
8.  It’s Old People who remove their hats while eating in a restaurant in respect for the ladies and guests.
9.  It’s the Old People who know our great country is protected, not by politicians, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country.
10. This country needs Old People with their work ethic, sense of responsibility, pride in their country and decent values.

We need them now more than ever.
Thank God for Old People!!
 
I found this on Facebook and I don’t know who wrote it, but I’m sure there are many of us that wished it had been us.  Happy Independence Day!!  
Blessings and enjoy the summer,
Lisa Beretz, 518-330-9277