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| "Sing as though no one can hear you." |
“Sing as though no one can hear you.”
I came across this plaque while rummaging through picture frames and other plaques at a local Goodwill store. When I saw it, I was reminded of an incident that happened to me a few years ago.
It was a nice spring morning and I had come to work very early to get caught up. The sun was up, so I decided to go outside with my cup of coffee. In just a few minutes, I thought I heard someone singing, but couldn’t see anyone. I looked behind the building and saw a very old black man coming down the street. He was all bent over, walking with a limp and digging his cane into the pavement as he moved slowly toward me. Even though each step seemed to be painful, this old man was singing as loud as he possibly could. As he approached me, I greeted him with a “Good Morning” and I will never forget what this man said to me. He looked me square in the eye and said, “Sometimes you just gotta’ sing.”
At that very moment, a feeling of peace and comfort came over me and I immediately knew that the problems of my day were not going to be so bad. I was face-to-face with a man who had probably worked very hard, raised a family and now that he was crippled and old, had very little of anything, in the material sense.
We talked for a while and he said to me, “Ya’ know, I was led to church at a very early age and I really didn’t understand it. But the longer I stayed and the more I read, it came to me.” I replied, “Yeah, you started reading the words in red.” He grinned and said, “Yeah, that’s right.” The little old man, who was really a giant, continued his journey down the street, singing at the top of his voice.
So, the next time you feel down, just look up and start singing. It might make you feel better and it just might make someone else have a better day. It could even be contagious.
“Dance as though no one is watching.”
We should consider it our duty to take care of our minds and our bodies, so if you secretly sashay across your living room when you're home alone or cha-cha with your significant other, you're in luck. Dancing is not only an excellent way to let loose and have fun, but it also provides some terrific benefits for your health. It will reduce stress, improve strength, increase muscle tone and increase energy.
Medical experts say that dancing can actually help manage weight, decrease blood pressure and lower the risk of coronary heart disease. Dancing not only provides a unique form of exercise, but also allows us to engage in a social activity that can reduce depression and the feeling of loneliness.
Learning to dance requires us to memorize the different steps, thus providing mental challenges that are crucial to brain health. So go ahead, use the muscles you probably don’t know you even have and dance.
“Live life as though heaven was on earth.”
We should take the time to instill in our children the moral attributes we were taught as children. Remember, there will come a time when our children will have very little time for us. When a friend wants to share a concern with us, we should, at least, take the time to listen. We must stop judging others by their nationality or the color of their skin.
We are all God’s children and we must make every effort to find the good in everyone we meet. It is only the contents of a person’s heart that really matters.
Heaven is a place of love and peace. There are no wars, no hate, no prejudices and no violence. How would it be to live in a world like that?
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