There comes a point in your life when you realize:

who matters,

who never did,

who won’t anymore…

and who always will.

So, don’t worry about people from your past,

there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.

Give these flowers to everyone you don’t want to lose in 2008,

including me, if that’s what is in your heart.

Try to collect 12; it’s not easy!

Submitted by Rachel D. from Wilmore, KY

Of all the friends I’ve ever met,
You’re the one I won’t forget.

And if I die
Before you do
I’ll go to heaven
And wait for you

I’ll give the angels
Back their wings
And risk the loss
Of everything

Just to prove
My friendship is true
I’m thankful to have
Family and Friends like you!

PLEASE SEND THIS TO ALL YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS AND ALSO SEND IT BACK TO THE PERSON WHO SENT IT TO YOU…

IF YOU GET IT BACK…THAT PERSON IS YOUR TRUE FRIEND!!

SO PLEASE SEND IT TO THIS MANY OF YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS!!

OK!! YOU NOW HAVE 1 MINUTE TO SEND THIS!!!!

I AM AIMING FOR #10

Submitted by Brenda C. from Lovington, IL

Think about this for a minute…

If I happened to show up on your door step crying, would you Care?

If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something happened, would you come?

If I had one day left, to live my life; would you be part of that last day?

If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?

This is a test to see who your real friends are or if you are just some one to talk to you when they are bored.  Send this to everybody on your list including the person who sent it to you.  I just did…..because you are my friend.

Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?

They blink together, they move together, they cry together, they see things together and they sleep together, BUT THEY NEVER SEE EACH OTHER.  That’s what friendship is.

Your aspiration is your motivation; your motivation is your belief, your belief is your peace; your peace is your target, your target is heaven, and life is like hell without FRIENDS.

It’s ‘world best friends week.  Who is your best friend?  Send this to all your good friends.  Even me, if I am one of them.  See how many you get back.

Submitted by Jan Y. from Birmingham, AL

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, work shirt and a hat; and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other.  It was the time for fixing things: a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.  All that re-fixing, re-heating leftovers, renewing; I wanted just once to be wasteful.  Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there’d always be more.

But when my mother died, and I was standing in that clear morning light in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away…never to return. So… While we have it, it’s best we love it… And care for it… And fix it when it’s broken… And heal it when it’s sick.

This is true: For marriage… And old cars… And children with bad report cards… Dogs and cats with bad hips… And aging parents… And grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep, like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special… And so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thinks I am a ‘keeper,’ so I’ve sent it to the people I think of in the same way… Now it’s your turn to send this to those people that are “keepers” in your life.  Good friends are like stars… You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there!

Submitted by Jan Y. from Birmingham, AL

The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie.

Someone had already taken him under their wing but weren’t equipped to adopt

Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers.

I wouldn’t think anything could live through this…but we were wrong.

This little lady also survived that wreckage.

Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.

and then..they are no longer alone!

Instant friends, they comforted each other while in the car.

Add two more beagles found after that…  the more, the merrier!

Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix… (Note: the cat coming over the seat needing shelter…) Now just how is this going to work? (and remember they are all strange to one another).

It’s going to work just fine, thank you very much!  Wow!  The things we learn from our animal friends.  If only all of mankind could learn such valuable lessons as this. Lessons of instant friendship. Of peace and harmony by way of respect for one another — no matter one’s color or creed.  These animals tell you, “It’s just good to be alive and with others.”  Yes, it surely is.
So… Live, love, laugh.  “Life’s a Gift… Unwrap It!”

Submitted by Tosha H. from Nashville, TN