Notes of Inspiration
(updated 2/16/05)

* * * * * * *

This was written by a Hospice of Metro Denver physician ....

I just had one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and wanted
to share it with my family and dearest friends: I was driving home from a
meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on

Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die - I
barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I
would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to
wait for the tow truck.  It wouldn't even turn over.   

Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the "quickie
mart" building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas
pump, so I got out to see if she was okay.  When I got there, it looked more
like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young
woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes.  She
dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to
her.  It was a nickel. At that moment, everything came into focus for
me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3
kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.  I
asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept
saying "I don't want my kids to see me crying," so we stood on the
other side of the pump from her car.  She said she was driving to
California and that things were very hard for her right now.

So I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her back away from me a
little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, "He heard you, and He sent me."
I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so
she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling walked to
the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift
certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee.  She gave the food to
the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the
pump eating fries and talking a little.

She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City.  Her boyfriend
left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet.  She
knew she wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation
had finally called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5
years They lived in California and said she could come live with them
and try to get on her feet there.  So she packed up everything she
owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for
Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.
I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for
safety on the road.  As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So,
are you like an angel or something?" This definitely made me cry.  I
said, "Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God
uses regular people."

It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle.  And of course, you
guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home
with no problem. I'll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I
suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong.
Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the
flutter of their wings...

Psalms 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

*******

Subject:That's God!

 It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain  in
almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk.
The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season
 that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through.  Every day, my husband and his brothers would 
go about the arduous  process of
trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a
 truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water.
But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn't see some rain
soon...we would lose everything.

It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and  witnessed
 the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was in the kitchen  making
lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year-old son,
 Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn't walking with the usual carefree
abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back.
He was obviously walking with a great effort ... trying to be as still  as  possible.
Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again,
toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that  whatever
task he had been doing was completed.

Moments later, however! , he was once again walking in that slow  purposeful
 stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walk  carefully
 to the woods, run back to the house. Finally I couldn't take it any  longer
 and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very
 careful not to be seen...as he was obviously doing important work and didn't
need his Mommy checking up on him).
 He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very
 careful not to spill the water he held in them . maybe two or three
tablespoons  were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods.
 Branches and thorns slapped his little face, but he did not try to avoid
them. He had a much higher purpose.  As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most 
amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost
 screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was
 dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him...he didn't even  move
 as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously
 suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great
 effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.
 When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and
I hid  behind a tree. I followed him back to the house to a spigot to which
we  had shut off the water. Billy opened it all the way up and a small
trickle  began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip, drip slowly fill up
his makeshift "cup," as the sun beat down on his little back. And it came
clear to me: The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the
week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not
wasting water. The reason he didn't ask me to help him.
 It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When
he  stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little
eyes just filled with tears. "I'm not wasting," was all he said.

As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from
the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I
stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have
ever  known working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down
my  face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other
drops...and  more drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself,
was weeping with pride.

Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence.
That miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And
I  can't argue with that... I'm not going to try. All I can say is that the rain  that
came that day saved our farm...just like the actions of one little boy saved  another.
 I don't know if anyone will read this...but I had to send it out. To  honor
the memory of my beautiful Billy, who was taken from me much to soon...

But not before showing me the true face of God, in a little, sunburned body
THAT'S GOD ~*

 Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden you feel like
doing something nice for someone you care for. THAT'S GOD. .. He talks
to you through the Holy Spirit.
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you
to  talk to. .... . THAT'S GOD .. . He wants you to talk to Him.
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Have you ever been thinking about somebody that you haven't seen in a  long
 time and then next thing you know you see them or receive a phone!
Call  from them. . . THAT'S GOD ... there is no such thing as coincidence.
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn't even ask
for, like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared, or a
 coupon to a department store where you had just seen something you wanted,
>> but couldn't afford. .... THAT'S GOD. .. He knows the desires of your heart.
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it is going
to get better, but now you look back on it. . . THAT'S GOD. . ...... He
 passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day.
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> In all that we do, we should totally give HIM thanks and our blessings will
continue to multiply

>> NOW THAT'S GOD!!!!!!!!
>> Don't tell GOD how big your storm is
>> Tell the storm how big your GOD is!

*******

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves  learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all that attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a statement.

“Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son Shay cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children  do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. I believe when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself and it comes in the way people treat that child. Then, he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, “Do you think they will let me play? “ Shay's father knew that the boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his  teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and  said, We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on  our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth  inning. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put  on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on  base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a  few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown  the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that  would have ended the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone  started yelling, Shay, run to first, run to first. Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, run to second, run to second! By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had  been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran  towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, “run to third!”

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, Shay Run  home! Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered  as the hero for hitting a grand slam  and winning the game for his team. That day said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan  into this world.

 *******

 15 Things You Probably Never Knew or Thought About  

 1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.
2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. If not for you, someone may not be living.
8. You are special and unique.
9. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.
13. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
14. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know.
15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

*******

A Minute

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time... to live and love.

*******

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

      When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar . . . and the coffee:

      A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large
and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then
asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

      So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into
the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was
full. They agreed it was.

      The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

      The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

      "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things - your God, family, your children, your health, your
friends, and your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was
lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.  The pebbles are
the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The
sand is everything else - the small stuff.

      "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no
room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.
      If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will
never have room for the things that are important. Pay attention to the
things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take
time to get medical checkups. Take your wife/husband/kids out to dinner.
Maybe even play another 18. There's always time to clean the house and fix
the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really
matter.

      Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

      One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented.

      The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you
that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a cup of
coffee with a friend."

*****

I Asked God.

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I  asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own! ,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might  enjoy life.
God said, No.

I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.


I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said.. .Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

*******

A Story Worth Telling!!!

However I've also had my share of what I call "musically challenged" pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.

Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.

Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play some day." But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in. 

Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching! 

Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. "Miss Hondorf ... . . I've just got to play!" he insisted. I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. 

The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my "curtain closer."

Well the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed. Then, Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an egg-beater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?" Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next.

His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. ... .. from allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent!! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause. Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it? "

Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf . . .. remember I told you my mom was sick? Well actually she had cancer and passed away this morning. And well . . .. she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play.. I wanted to make it special."

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil. No, I've never had a prodigy but that night I became a prodigy. . . of Robby's!!! He was the teacher and I was the pupil. For it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and, maybe, even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.

Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995.

God's Plan?

At a  fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled  children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a  speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son,  Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand  things as other children do.
  
  Where is God's plan reflected in my son?"   The audience was stilled by the query.
 
  The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when  God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to  realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child."
 
  Then, he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew  were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me  play?"
 
 Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could  play.

 The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none,  he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six  runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our  team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." In the  bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was  still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in  the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his  father waved to him from the stands.

 In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away  their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.  Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the  ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a  few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able  to make contact.
 
 The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground  ball to the pitcher.

 The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown  the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that  would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first."  Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball.
 
  He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had  been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's  head.
 
 Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously  circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were  screaming, "Shay! Run home!" Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning  the game for his team. "That day," said the father softly with tears  now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world.

God's Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the
black box
And all your joys in the gold."
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I stored.
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be."!
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me."

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count  your blessings
The black is for you to let go."

Returning the Favor

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby boy.  He dropped his tools and ran to the boy. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself.  Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life. "No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?"  the nobleman asked.

 "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.  "I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy.  If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of."  And that he did. Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

 Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.  His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.