Welcome!
My full name is Mary Ellen Hannan.
I have lived in Iowa all my life. Born on a farm near Athelston, IA. My Dad was a farmhand all his life. My Mother was a homemaker and she loved childern. I am the next-to-the youngest of 8 childern.
I am married to a wonderful man. I have 2 children. A daughter, 22 and a son 18. They are both very intelligent, with totally opposite personallities. My daughter is in her third year of college to be a CPA & my son resently obtained a GED! They both have full time jobs. I am a housekeeping supervisor. My husband is retired and does odd jobs, so occationally we all cross paths. LOL! We have 5 dogs, three cats and a Iguana.
My interests are my family & friends, my church family, knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, needlepoint, crafts, internet business, internet marketing, collecting recipes and books.
I found this wonderful community!
I would like to share the following with my friends:
Clay Balls
A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found
a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone
had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.
They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the
bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would
throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he
could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and
it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each
contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of
jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him.
He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of
the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of
thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of
thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves,
and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the
outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or
stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find
the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to
get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the
way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant
gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown
away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of
clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with each of you.
Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.
Subject: John Wayne
Most of you know John Wayne and Dr Robert Schuller. You may
not know what happened to him before he died. This is that
story! Dr.Robert Schuller's teenage daughter, Cindy, was in a
motorcycle accident
and had to have her leg amputated. John Wayne was a big fan of Robert
Schuller. He heard Dr. Schuller say on one of his programs
that his daughter had been in an accident and had to have her leg
amputated.JohnWayne wrote a note to her saying:
Dear Cindy:
Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you will be all right.
Signed,
John Wayne
The note was delivered to her and she decided she wanted to write
John Wayne a note in reply.
She wrote:
Dear Mr. Wayne:
I got your note. Thanks for writing to me. I like you very
much. I am going to be all right because Jesus is going to help me. Mr.
Wayne , do you know Jesus? I sure hope you know Jesus, Mr. Wayne,
because I cannot imagine Heaven being complete without John Wayne being
there. I hope, if you don't know Jesus, that you will give your
heart to Jesus right now. See you in Heaven. And she signed
her name.
She had just put that letter in an envelope, sealed it, and
written across the front of it "John Wayne" when a visitor came into
her room to see her. He said to her: What are you doing?
She said: I just wrote a letter to John Wayne, but I don't
know how to get it to him. He said: That's funny, I am going to have
dinner with John Wayne tonight at the Newport Club down at Newport
Beach . Give it to me and I will give it to him. She gave him the letter
and he
put it in his coat pocket.
There were twelve of them that night sitting around the table for
dinner. They were laughing and cutting up and the guy happened to
reach in his pocket and felt that letter and remembered. John Wayne
was seated at the end of the table and the guy took the letter out
and said: Hey, Duke, I was in Schuller's daughter's room today and
she wrote you a letter and wanted me to give it to you. Here it is.
They passed it down to John Wayne and he opened it. They kept on
laughing and cutting up and someone happened to look Wayne. He was
crying. One of them said: Hey, Duke, what is the matter? He said (and
can't you hear him saying it),
" I want to read you this letter." He read the letter. Then
he began to weep. He folded it, put it in his pocket, and he pointed
to the man who delivered it to him and said: "You go tell that little
girl that right now, in this restaurant, right here, John
Wayne gives his heart to Jesus Christ and I will see her in heaven."
Three weeks later, John Wayne died.
You never know how your witness to another will effect their
eternity!
To everything there is a season and a time to
every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
HIT BY GOD'S LOVE You can't tag me back! You have to tag
someone else! Consider yourself hit by THE LOVE OF GOD! TAG EVERYONE
YOU KNOW
BEFORE THEY CAN TAG YOU. TAG SOMEONE TODAY,
EXCEPT THE PER SON THAT HIT YOU.
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT TO YOU BECAUSE YOU MEAN SOMETHING TO SOMEBODY.
SMILE, GOD LOVES YOU
RED MARBLES
Babs Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy,
delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket
of freshly picked green peas.
I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green
peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the
peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and
the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. Sure look
good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?"
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it."
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go
for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way
let me look at that red marble."
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a
smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all
three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them
for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red
marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and
he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange
one, perhaps."
I left the stand smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time
later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the
boys, and their bartering.
Several years went by, each more rapid that the previous one. Just recently
I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while
I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing
that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany
them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives
of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and
the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... all very
professional looking.
They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's
casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke
briefly with her and moved on to the casket.
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man
stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the
casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the
story she had told me about the marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took
my hand and led me to the casket.
"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about.! They
just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at
last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size ... they came
to pay their debt."
"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided,
"but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased
husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.
Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take
our breath.
Today ... I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ..... A fresh pot of coffee
you didn't make yourself... An unexpected phone call from an old friend. .
. Green stoplights on your way to work The fastest line at the grocery
store. A good sing-along song on the radio. Your keys right where you left
them.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, An hour to appreciate
them, A day to love them, But an entire life to forget them.
A GLASS OF MILK
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way
through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his
nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked
hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and
then asked, How much do I owe you?"
You don't owe me anything, " she replied. "Mother has taught us never to
accept pay for a kindness."
He said .. "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but
his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and
quit.
Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local
doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they
called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name
of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at
once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her
life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was wo n.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for
approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill
was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take
the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something
caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words
"Paid i n full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You,
God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters
comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone
you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at
least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't
that what life is all about?
Now you have two choices.
1. You can send this page on and spread a positive message.
2. Or ignore it and pretend it never touched your heart.
THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation (Rom 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are!?
Please Keep This Bell Ringing...!
Courtesy of SparkleTags.com