ARE YOU GREATFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR CHALLENGES - A MountainWings Moment - By : Ted Janusz

Are You Grateful for All of Your Challenges?
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Author and professional speaker Zig Ziglar has said that he has been grateful for all of his challenges, because without them,he would not be the person who he is today. ( I SAY THE SAME THING!)

When I read that, I thought to myself rather cynically, "That's fine, Mr. Ziglar. But what about the rest of us who struggle and struggle, with no end in sight? Sure, I would be happy to put up with these challenges if I knew they would have a fairy-tale ending like yours did!"

Please let me tell you my story . . .

MISTAKE #1

I had been working for a company that had experienced a number of reorganizations and managerial changes. I was so frustrated in my position, I thought "Anything has to be better than this!" And I left at the first opportunity.

MISTAKE #2

I was wrong. Like so many "rebound relationships," I found this new job was even worse than the first! I begged for an opportunity to come back to my former company. They agreed to give me an interview. At the same time, I had wanted to attend a conference and I knew that this second company would not give me
the time off. Since I knew that I would likely be returning to my company in just a matter of days, I quit.

The problem became, after I came back and interviewed, I didn't get my old job back.

Now things were really challenging. No job. A daughter attending a private university and a wife with a life-threatening disease. Since I quit, I couldn't even apply for unemployment compensation. I had no money, just a lot of sleepless nights.

THE TURNING POINT

I had a lunch with a someone I once worked with, told him my predicament and casually mentioned that I was thinking of starting my own business. He listened and asked, "How much money do you need to get started?" I hadn't been asking for any money.

Not only did he save me from foreclosure, we have developed a fabulous friendship that would not have occurred otherwise. After all, not everything can be measured in dollars and cents.

Fast forward several years . . .

My friend is now working for a large multinational corporation in town. I would like to work there also, but I figured in this economy, they must get 1,000 applications for each new position. Where would I even start to apply?

"It's very simple," my friend told me. "Here's all you need to do . . ."

I then found out that my former boss from the first company I mentioned above also works there. He put in a good word for me with the hiring manager with whom I met with yesterday afternoon. This could be for my "dream job."

Morals of my story:

Your prayers may not be answered today, this week, this month or even this year.

They may be answered in ways you don't even expect.

Even if you were the one who made mistakes, God will put people into your life to help you.

Keep moving forward.

~A MountainWings Original by Ted Janusz, Hilliard, Ohio~

QUOTE - WITH US

With Us
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If nothing changes with us,
then nothing changes.

~William McDowell~

ONE WISH - A MountainWIngs Moment - By James Bonner

One Wish . . .
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Recently I was talking to my brother about the one wish God granted King Solomon in the Bible.

God told Solomon that he could have anything he wanted just by asking, but he had only ONE wish.

My brother and I discussed with each other what that one wish would be if we were allowed one.

Everything we came up with had some problem.

We knew that money and power were not the thing to ask for because the rich fill the office of psychiatrists and many take pills every day for depression.  Money just wasn't the answer.

We knew that revenge upon someone for something they did was not a good choice because what goes around comes around.

So we started thinking about higher things like knowledge and wisdom.

We thought about it.

We had studied religion, science, business and health all of our lives and there was a list of things that we knew we should be doing but weren't.  We needed greater discipline more than greater knowledge and wisdom.

I said, "Maybe what we need is the ability to program ourselves like computers to do those things that we know are right."  When we thought about this request it brought to mind a robot, for it does only what it is programmed to do but it has no will to do otherwise and experiences neither pain nor joy.

Then we discussed spiritual gifts.

"What about the gift of prophecy?" I asked.  This would help people know what path to take in life.  Then we thought, if a man could see the future of anyone's life without error, that man would have no privacy.  Everywhere he went people would be trying to find him, even at three in morning his phone would ring with
people asking the question, "Can you see if my child is coming back home tonight?"

Even the ability to raise the dead has problems.  Imagine if any corpse you prayed over would miraculously resuscitate to life. Anytime someone died people would call you or hunt you down for you to come and bring their loved one back to them.

Or what about just the ability to heal the sick without fail? If you had this, your peace would be lost to lines miles long from one hospital to the next waiting on a touch from you.

The answer to one simple wish contains a lot of information about the asker.  It tells a lot about where you are and where you are going.  After we discussed it long enough, we realized we had already been blessed with everything we needed.  That which we didn't have, we had the ability to get.

The revelation that came to us was that what people really want the most is that which they spend most of their time trying to get.

If you only had one wish, what would you ask for?

What do you spend most of your time trying to get now?


~A MountainWings Original by James Bronner~

CHINESE FORTUNE COOKIES

Craig - Now is the time to call loved ones at a distance, Share your news

Michelle - Avoid Unchallenging Occupations- they will waste your great talents.

Daniel- Dont underestimate yourself. Your Social skills are needed by others at this time.

STILL, EVEN MORE BEARDED DRAGON PICS

so, yes, as with anything new thats alive and has breath, we take allot of pics of it because we want to capture its essence for future thought, and to remember.

so, heres some MORE Bearded Dragon pics. ENJOY! MICHELLE

Craig and one of the Bearded Dragons

Craig and a Beardie Dragon Lizard

thats Little Girls Nose in this shot, shes trying to lick this lizard like she does the toads outside in the back yard...lol

TREATED OUT TO THE OLDEST BAR IN OKLAHOMA - EISCHENS

joan and max, are some of my dearest friends here in OK.
i really like joan, she and i get along, think allot alike, have some of the same life experiences.
we both happen to be married to men who LOVE model trains. which is another common thing we have together.
of course craig and max get along great, they as well have allot in common.

one day, joan was telling em about this place here in Oklahoma that has as she said "the best chicken in the world."

and she wanted (or they, she and max) wanted to take craig and myself out to try it.

now, im no chicken lover. seriously. not one of my favorite foods, so i was skeptical, but we went anyway.

Eishens is in a tiny little town in Oklahoma...id have never even known it existed and would have never thought to go there if i hadnt been invited.

so we decided on a saturday early afternoon timeframe to get there, because i heard they get full really fast.
i wasnt sure WHY...

but we make it.

and we waited in line about 15-20 minutes before we decided to see if there was any tables available. the place was..PACKED!
we found one...and took our seats.
and ordered our dinners.
we each had a whole chicken.
complimentary bread, and onions, and pickles...butter, and dill slices.

and our drinks.
and we waited for our chicken to arrive.

while we waited we talked.

we decided, joan and myself, to go look in the gift shop. this place is so famous they have an entire gift shop devoted to the sale of items with the EISCHENS name on it..lol

i found a t-shirt in my size..in YELLOW! got one in purple for craig, and a yellow one for myself, naturally Daniel wanted some stuff too.

we went back to the table, and a few minutes later our chicken arrived...
looked like fried chicken to me.

i had also ordered a side of fried okra...i dint know how much i was gonna get...lol

daniel got a Barbeque sandwich...it was HUGE!

i took my 1st bite, and let me tell you...for someone whos NOT a fan of chicken (kn the bone, i ate every last bit of that chicken away! IT WAS THE BEST CHICKEN I HAVE EVER HAD...EVER!

it was so good, my kid liked it too! and hes not a chicken on the bone kinda kid. but he liked it enough he wanted some.
it is seriously, THAT good.

heres a shot of craig taking his 1st bite.

on the way out i wanted to make sure i got a shot of me with my shirt on and the EISCHENS sign.

and of course a pic with me and joan, cause shes just THAT awesome.

it was at this time a few young ladies were about to enter the place and noted my shirt, asked me about where i got it, i explained they sold them in every color you can think of...and one girl told me she was a budding actress and was in a pilot episode of some reality tv show, waiting for it to get picked up by a sponser.
not sure the story is true or not.
but it was cool, none the less. i got a pic with her in case she was for real..lol

then her friend wanted to be in the pic with me, cause im famous in my own head..LOL

i seriously, dont know a stranger in this world..lol

i wanted to tell max, and joan..THANK YOU for such a great time, and such a memorable event in our lives!
we owe you the same courtesy..next time Eischens on us.!!!

EVEN MORE BEARDED DRAGON PICTURES

some more pics of our BEARDIES. ENJOY! MICHELLE

MORE BEARDED DRAGONS PICS

i took some more pics the second day of our newest family members. ENJOY! MICHELLE