Category Archives: Caring Family Stories and/or Pictures

Daddy’s Poem

If this doesn’t touch your heart, I don’t know what to think about you. It actually made me cry it is so touching. When they say “Out of the mouths of babes.” , it couldn’t be more true than this is. This was on Facebook a little while back.                                                                             ******************************************************************************

Daddy's Poem

“DADDY’S POEM”
Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy’s Day at school,
and she couldn’t wait to go….
But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.
But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn’t there today.
But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.
But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.
There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.
At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn’t there.
‘Where’s her daddy at?’
She heard a boy call out.
‘She probably doesn’t have one,’
another student dared to shout.
And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
‘Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day.’
The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.
‘My Daddy couldn’t be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.
He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I’m not standing here alone.
‘Cause my daddy’s always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he’ll forever be in my heart’
With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress
And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.
For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.
And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.
‘I love my daddy very much,
he’s my shining star.
And if he could, he’d be here,
but heaven’s just too far.
You see he is a soldier
And died just this past year.
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught us all to fear.
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it’s like he never went away.’
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.
And to her mothers amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.
‘I know you’re with me Daddy,’
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.
Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed rose.
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.

An Important Lesson To Learn

This little story was on my Facebook recently. It really touched me and spoke volumes to me, and made me stop and think really hard.

Read it and see what you think.

 

Burned Biscuits – A lesson we all should learn.

Burned Biscuits

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

All my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing…never made a face nor uttered a word about it!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said, “Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Mom put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides–a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!”
As I’ve grown older, I’ve thought about that many times. Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people.
I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that’s my prayer for you today…that you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

“Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket–keep it in your own.”
So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
“Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil–it has no point”

-Anonymous

My Grandpa Montague was similar to this man. Not much got him upset. He even ate burned toast, because “everybody needs to eat burned stuff every once in a while”.

Afterwards they will have a greater respect for things that are not burned.

I Believe in Angels… but Could You Imagine Really Seeing One??!

I Believe in Angels… but Could You Imagine Really Seeing One??!

 

Angel with Man

 

Even when we know we’ll be rewarded with eternal paradise in the afterlife, death can still be pretty frightening. But the knowledge that angels are always watching over us – protecting us when we’re in great peril or waiting to usher us to heaven’s gates – gives one such great peace.

Read more at http://faithhub.net/angels-with-us/#a9L3k6qPuBXupUPX.99

I Believe In Angels

Barbara was driving her six-year-old son, Benjamin, to his piano lesson. They were late, and Barbara was beginning to think she should have cancelled it. There was always so much to do, and Barbara, a night-duty nurse at the local hospital, had recently worked extra shifts. She was tired. The sleet storm and icy roads added to her tension. Maybe she should turn the car around.

“Mom!” Ben cried. “Look!” Just ahead, a car had lost control on a patch of ice. As Barbara tapped the brakes, the other car spun wildly rolled over, then crashed sideways into a telephone pole. Barbara pulled over, skidded to a stop and threw open her door. Thank goodness she was a nurse – she might be able to help these unfortunate passengers. Then she paused. What about Ben? She couldn’t take him with her. Little boys shouldn’t see scenes like the one she anticipated. But was it safe to leave him alone? What if their car were hit from behind?

For a brief moment Barbara considered going on her way. Someone else was sure to come along. No! “Ben, honey, promise me you’ll stay in the car!” “I will, Mommy,” he said as she ran, slipping and sliding toward the crash site. It was worse than she’d feared.

Two girls of high school age are in the car. One, the blond on the passenger side, was dead, killed on impact. The driver, however was still breathing. She was unconscious and pinned in the wreckage. Barbara quickly applied pressure to the wound in the teenager’s head while her practiced eye catalogued the other injuries. A broken leg, maybe two, along with probable internal bleeding. But if help came soon, the girl would live.

A trucker had pulled up and was calling for help on his cellular phone. Soon Barbara heard the ambulance sirens. A few moments later she surrendered her lonely post to rescue workers. “Good job,” one said as he examined the driver’s wounds. “You probably saved her life, ma’am.” Perhaps. But as Barbara walked back to her car a feeling of sadness overwhelmed her, especially for the family of the girl who had died. Their lives would never be the same. Oh, God, why do such things have to happen?

Slowly Barbara opened her car door. What should she tell Benjamin? He was staring at the crash site, his blue eyes huge. “Mom,” he whispered, “did you see it?” “See what, Honey?” she asked. “The angel, Mom! He came down from the sky while you were running to the car. And he opened the door, and he took that girl out.”

Barbara’s eyes filled with tears. “Which door, Ben?” “The passenger side. He took the girl’s hand, and they floated up to Heaven together” “What about the driver?” Ben shrugged. “I didn’t see anyone else.”

Later, Barbara was able to meet the families of the victims. They expressed their gratitude for the help she had provided. Barbara was able to give them something more – Ben’s vision.

There was no way he could have known what happened to either of the passengers. Nor could the passenger door have been opened; Barbara had seen its tangle of immovable steel herself. Yet Ben’s account brought consolation to a grieving family. Their daughter was safe in Heaven. And they would see her again.

– Author Unknown
Read more at angels-with-us

POSTED BY FAITHHUB

Cardinals Appear When Angels Are Near

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This is such a touching story that I had to copy it here. On the bottom, it said to share it, so I am sharing here and now. I hope it speaks as much to you as it did to me.  The url for the post is:  http://ourwanderlife.com/2014/02/10/cardinals-appear-when-angels-are-near/

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Cardinals Appear When Angels Are Near

Red Cardinal

The Cardinal:

a magnificent bird with a life span of up to 15 years. Said to symbolize hope,  joy,  health, rejuvenation and celebration.  Especially to the ones who look beyond in search of their meaning.  For those who choose to hold the Cardinal dear – you are a special type of person – rare, energetic, and always willing to care for those in need.  

Maureen Heyburn wearing her heart.

Maureen Heyburn wearing her heart.

    When Maureen Heyburn moved from Washington Heights, NY to New Jersey, it was like moving to the country.  Through the kitchen window, she would spend her time getting lost in the nature around her.  Not a single creature passed her sight unnoticed or unappreciated.  She was full of excitement over every one of them, but she always talked about a little red bird in particular and how beautiful she found it to be.   The excitement she had when she saw the little red bird would lead to her calling the entire family over to the window.  Everyone would come running and every time, the little red bird was nowhere to be seen.  This completely drove her family insane and to the point of laughter.  A long-standing joke was born — if anyone ever did see the little red bird they were going to be sure to put an end to all the madness!  Time came and went, yet Maureen still, was the only one to ever see her little red bird.

Sadly, Maureen passed away from cancer on February 10, 1999.  During the morning after her passing, the whole family was brought together.  While sitting in the kitchen looking out the window a little red bird could be seen.  Family from all over the house were called to the window —  all eleven of them — her 5 kids, 5 grandchildren, and son-in-law, came running in.  The little red bird sat at the window that day, long enough for each and every one of them to finally see it.  Gleaming with excitement, her grandkids exclaimed: “Look! It’s Nanny!!!”.  The whole family became hysterical over the fact that there really was a little red bird, which was then given the name: “Nanny”.

For 15 years the little red bird has seen their family through a lifetime.  It has managed to become a token of love and a symbol of hope, through times of good and times of bad.  Whatever is occurring in their lives, at any given moment, they are comforted by the thought of looking up and catching a glimpse of the little red bird.  At the time of its return, from that moment on —  “Look! It’s Nanny!” —  will often be heard.

Maureen Heyburn and her family

      Mauren Heyburn had a gift of being able to make anyone feel loved and  without a single word needing to be said.  It was in the way she listened, that she was able to express how much she truly cared about others.  She was the heart and soul to most who knew her and she meant everything to her family.  One of the many beautiful attributes to her story is that, Maureen, wore a cross and heart pendant around her neck on a little gold chain, for most of her adult life.  When she passed on, her family gave her nieces little gold hearts to wear around their neck.  They called them “Aunt Maureen’s heart”.  Maureen’s heart was given for her after her death in such a beautiful way, but Maureen, gifted her own heart in a very profound way long before then —  it was in the way of a little red bird.

Pink Cardinal

Go now, sit outside and drink your tea.

Keep a look out for the little red bird –

It is there, where she will always be.

It is with great honor we celebrate every life. In what heartfelt way do you remember your loved ones?

The Savings Passbook

This is a really good idea

A Family Spliting

She married him today.
At the end of the wedding party, her mother gave her a newly opened bank savings passbook, with $1000 deposited in it.
She told her, “My dear daughter, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your married life. Whenever something happy and memorable happens in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it’s about next to the amount. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in. I’ve done the first one for you today. Do the others with your husband. When you look back after years, you will know how much happiness you’ve both shared.’

She shared this with him after getting home. Both of them thought it was a great idea and couldn’t wait to make the next deposit! This is what the passbook looked like after a while:

– 7 Feb: $100, his first birthday celebration after marriage
– 1 Mar: $300, she gets a salary raise
– 20 Mar: $200, vacation to Bali
– 15 Apr: $2000, She’s pregnant!
– 1 Jun: $1000, He gets the big promotion
and so on…

However, as the years went by, they began fighting and arguing over trivial things. They didn’t talk much. They regretted that they had married the most nasty person in the world…There was no more love.
One day she talked to her Mother. ‘Mom, we can’t stand it anymore. We have decided to divorce. I can’t imagine how I decided to marry this guy!’

Her mother replied, ‘Sure, that’s no big deal. Just do whatever you want, if you really can’t stand it. But before that, do one thing. Remember the savings passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn’t keep any record of such a poor marriage.’

She agreed with her. So she went to the bank, and was waiting in the queue to cancel the account. While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joyful moments came back to her. Her eyes were filled with tears. She left and went home.

When she got home, she handed the passbook to him and asked him to spend the money before getting divorced.

So the next day, he went to the bank, and was waiting in the queue to cancel the account. While he was waiting, he took a look at the passbook record. He looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joyful moments came back to him. His eyes were filled with tears. He left and went home.

He gave the passbook back to her. She found a new deposit of $5000. And a line next to the record: ‘This is the day I realized how much I’ve loved you throughout all these years. How much happiness you’ve brought me.’

They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back into the safe.

If you like this story then from now on give a print out of this story to every couple who is getting married along with a nice notebook to record their happy times…who know you may just be able to help them !!

Bittersweet Memories: How We Keep Our Pets in Our Hearts Forever

Shoveling a garden

Do you have a certain object in your home that instantly brings back memories of a beloved dog or cat? A yoga mat bearing the imprint of puppy teeth that makes you smile every time you use it? A chewed-on baseboard that you tell the floor installer not to replace? A patch of sunlight on the floor, now empty?

I do. It’s a shovel. Whenever I use one or even see one, it reminds me of Luke, our family’s Black Lab, who was my boon companion while I was a young boy, a teenager and a college student during my frequent visits home to southern Idaho.

Special Memories

Luke was my shadow. Everywhere I went, he went. He would chase the motorcycle as I rode out to check the irrigation or crops. He’d follow the tractor up and back, up and back, until he got tired — then he would lie down and follow me with his head until he was rested and ready to begin the chase again.

To the chicken house, hog pen, haystacks, dairy barn and beyond, Luke and I were a team. I’d yell “Load up!” and Luke would jump clear over the tailgate into the back of the pickup. When we got to where we were going, he’d follow me around as I walked with a shovel over my shoulder to set plastic dams, cut corrugates, move sprinkler pipe and check on the cattle.

Luke never left my side. Often, when I was down in a ditch, Luke would be standing on the bank, eye to eye with me, and I’d tell him what a good boy he was and how much I loved him. His tail would wag so hard that it would lift alternate back legs off the ground.

As Luke grew older, his time following the tractor before napping shortened. He could no longer jump over the pickup tailgate but needed to have it lowered. Later still, I lifted him in and out. But Luke never stopped following me as I walked around the family farm with a shovel over my shoulder.

Paths of Grief

To this day, I think of Luke every time I see a shovel. It can be one I’m using in the garden or at the horse barn or one I see in a store or a photo.

Remembering a beloved dog or cat is painful at first. It brings tears and that tight, choked-up feeling. We feel like the ache of loss will never disappear.

Grief takes all of us down different roads, and we memorialize our pets in different ways. We may light candles for them, bury them on our property or at a pet cemetery or save their ashes in a special box. Eventually, months or even years later, we can speak of them with a smile or laugh at remembered antics, but there will always be a little tear or a misty eye.

The memories of past pets haunt us — in a good way. They are a reminder that our hearts can never be too full. They are home to all those we have loved throughout our lives, even years ago. The heart’s memory is a chamber where we can visit old friends and relive the good times — and store new memories of our current pets.

I will never forget Luke. And one day, when I’m gone, I want my daughter, son and grandchild to know that the last shovel of dirt that lands on my grave honors my loyal Lab, Luke.

Neighbors’ Crazy Fight over Shoveling a Sidewalk!

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I will put this notice on my post from now on, every time that I copy a post from Facebook, so all of my readers will know that this is not my work, but that of someone else. This, like so many of my posts have, came from Facebook. An article about cruel actions toward a disabled person and their snow being shoveled. Please comment as to how you feel about this. I don’t think that I can be the only one that thinks the old man was way off base.

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NEIGHBOR DOES CRUEL THING TO DISABLED NEIGHBOR

One guy in Ohio tried to do a good deed for a disabled woman across the street by shoveling snow off her sidewalk. The woman’s neighbor became irate, attacked the Good Samaritan and dumped the snow back on the walkway.

Will Immke, 23, cleared away the snow from the woman’s driveway and sidewalk on Sunday so that she could move around safely and so that children could reach the school bus.

The woman’s next-door neighbor, Larry Meyers, age 69, didn’t want the sidewalk cleared. He told Immke the kids could walk in the street, promptly produced a snow blower and began covering the sidewalk with snow again.
Immke tells WKYC he responded by asking Meyers, “Are you stupid?”

“And that’s when he grabbed me by my throat and my face and shoved me back,” said Immke.

Meyers insists he grabbed Immke’s coat and told him to stop cleaning the sidewalk, but didn’t shove him. “When everybody else around here cleans their sidewalks, I will clean mine,” Meyers said.

When Immke left, Meyers recovered the sidewalk. He complained to the police, but that backfired on him– the police are now investigating him for misdemeanor assault charges.

Ryder’s road to recovery:Surrey family reeling after lost dog tortured

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I will put this notice on my post from now on, every time that I copy a post from Facebook, so all of my readers will know that this is not my work, but that of someone else. This, like so many of my posts have, came from Facebook. This is from newspaper and was written by:Amy Reid / Surrey Now
February 18, 2015 11:32 AM.

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Ryder’s road to recovery: Surrey family reeling after lost dog tortured

Young black Labrador reunited with family but faces long recovery

AMY REID / SURREY NOW
FEBRUARY 18, 2015 11:32 AM

Ryan Westaway and his son Ethan give their black Labrador Ryder some much-needed TLC Tuesday morning at Avon Animal Hospital as Ryder recovers from a “horrific” attack in Surrey over the weekend. (Photo submitted)

Editor’s note: Some content may be too disturbing for some readers.

SURREY — When a family pet goes missing, one’s mind often imagines the worst-case scenario.

One Surrey family found themselves living a nightmare over the weekend as they learned their lost dog had been tortured. What he endured was so brutal they never could have imagined it.

He was stabbed repeatedly with either a knife or scissors, had a wedding ring shoved into one eye, while the other eyelid was been punctured with earrings. Lighters, pendants and other jewelry had been forcefully shoved down his throat, leaving cuts in his mouth.

“It’s a horrible experience. Everybody’s saying, ‘Why did you move to Surrey?’ But it’s actually a very nice area, a lot of kids and people with animals,” said the dog’s owner, Ryan Westaway. “I never thought this would’ve happened to us.”

Westaway and his family moved to Surrey’s Chimney Hill area on Feb. 1 from south Langley, where they lived on an acreage. In their large fenced yard, he said their friendly two-year-old black Labrador Ryder would run freely.

Their three-year-old son Ethan was used to unlocking the door and letting him out – a task he’s been able to undertake since he was just one year old.

Last Saturday around 1 p.m., Ethan did what he used to do in their old home – he let Ryder out. Except this time, he let him out the front door into their residential neighbourhood, and the pup was lost.

Later that afternoon, Westaway got a “strange” message on his answering machine from a private number. It was a woman saying she had seen his dog at Chimney Hill Elementary. She didn’t leave any contact information.

Later, shortly after midnight, police responded to a call.

A 24-year-old Surrey woman covered in blood had approached her landlord saying a dog had attacked her. She lived in a basement suite just a few blocks away from Westaway’s home.

Police say it was quickly clear the dog had not attacked her and the woman was arrested under the Mental Health Act and sent for a psych assessment. She has not yet been named.

Her four-year-old daughter was with her at the time, who was taken into custody of the ministry.

“When you have an animal brutality like that, and even worse, you’ve got a child involved, a four-year-old child, I can’t…” Westaway said as his voice trailed off. “This lady lives close to an elementary school. Unbelievable. What else could’ve happened?”

Westaway recalled the events of Sunday morning. He contacted the Surrey pound and learned there was a dog matching Ryder’s description there. They wouldn’t release any information until he called police, he said.

“I was devastated that I had to call the pound in the morning… I had to do it on my own and find out my dog was tortured.”

When he was reunited with Ryder, his eyes were still shut.

“He ran right up to me and put his head right on my lap,” he said. “He had something in his eye. He was blinking, he was rubbing his eye, it was agitated. He looked down blinking, and something fell out of his eye. It was a wedding ring.”

Westaway later took Ryder to their vet, Dr. Baljit Mrar with Avon Animal Hospital.

Ryder had to undergo surgery to remove items from his stomach.

Ryder Black Labrador

Though surgery was done, there are still some small items near his colon that the vet couldn’t remove. It’s hoped Ryder will pass them on his own.

Ryder was sent home Monday night, but the clinic will continue to observe him.

Westaway said Ryder’s first night home was a success. They iced his eyes to reduce swelling. It was the first time his son had seen Ryder since the attack.

“He lied beside him last night, he slept beside him. He understands, he’s a smart kid,” Westaway said.

But it’s not easy explaining the brutal attack to a three-year-old.

“When you have a young child, and you have kids, they need to know there’s people out there like this that will harm people and harm animals,” he said. We just tried to explain to him as best we could that Ryder got hurt.”

Westaway wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone.

“It’s such a crazy reality in the sense of shock that this would ever happen to us. We’re animal lovers, we’ve got a good family. It’s just crazy.”

He expects charges to be laid against the woman in custody, but said knowing the justice system, “she’ll be out.”

“They can’t afford to keep her in a hospital for an extended amount of time. How I feel about it, I feel like she should have no control over her child,” he said.

As for Ryder, he’s expected to recover from his injuries. Despite the injuries to his eyes, the vet said he can see and expects him to fully recover.

“It’s just going to take time,” Westaway said, adding he has concerns about the psychological damage the dog will have to battle through.

“When you get close to his hands or eyes, he twitches right away…. Whatever he endured in that house, will it affect him after? Will his reaction be different to things now?”

Ryder Black labrador

Eileen Drever, an animal cruelty investigator with the SPCA, described the attack on Ryder is “absolutely horrific.”

“This dog is a friendly dog. Once the dog got to the animal hospital, and was being cleaned up, it was wagging its tail. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”

The SPCA will be handling the animal cruelty investigation and Drever said the organization would be recommending charges to Crown as soon as possible.

A fundraising page has been started at Gogetfunding.com/project/save-ryder. So far, more than $20,000 has been donated.

areid@thenownewspaper.com


© 2015 Surrey Now

– See more at: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/news/ryder-s-road-to-recovery-surrey-family-reeling-after-lost-dog-tortured-1.1767056#sthash.4Hz6uehz.dpuf

Dad Gives His Kids Fake ‘Gifts’ But Gets A REAL Heartwarming Surprise!

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I will put this notice on my post from now on, every time that I copy a post from Facebook, so all of my readers will know that this is not my work, but that of someone else. This, like so many of my posts have, came from Facebook. This article is from God Vine.  The URL is

http://www.godvine.com/Dad-Gives-His-Kids-Fake-Gifts-But-Gets-A-REAL-Heartwarming-Surprise-fb-gv-6507.html

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This dad decided to give his kids ordinary foods disguised as Christmas presents to teach them about being grateful. But when they opened their banana and onion their reactions really surprised him. Instead of yelling and fussing all they could say was, ‘thank you’. HOW sweet!

How Daughter With Down Syndrome Changed Dad’s Life For The Best

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I will put this notice on my post from now on, every time that I copy a post from Facebook, so all of my readers will know that this is not my work, but that of someone else. This, like so many of my posts have, came from Facebook. This article is from San Francisco Globe. The URL is http://fbarticle.sfglobe.com/2014/12/18/hYr/?

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How Daughter With Down Syndrome Changed Dad’s Life For The Best
December 19, 2014

This story is so touching.

Heath White has always been a perfectionist. The marathon running, FBI Special Agent has never settled for anything less than perfect.
Heath White has always been a perfectionist. The marathon-running FBI Special Agent has never settled for anything less than perfect. After earning a scholarship to Northwestern State in Louisiana, White earned a 4.0 GPA and went on to law school. After a brief semester studying law, White was accepted into pilot training with the United States Air Force. Promptly after graduating at the top of his class at the Air Force, Heath got down on one knee and proposed to the woman of his dreams. 

When Heath and his wife were pregnant with a second child, doctors delivered them some troubling news – their daughter had Down syndrome. The news was especially difficult for Heath to swallow. “My main concern was what people would think about me…What weakness inside me caused that?” While Heath was adamant about aborting their unborn daughter, his wife took a different stance, “I contemplated it for maybe an hour, he did for months.”
On March 16, 2007, Paisley White was born. Heath still struggled to come to terms with what had happened, and for several months he stopped running, completely uncharacteristic of him. But one night, while holding and tickling his daughter, Paisley’s smile and laugh triggered something deep inside Heath. He realized that he’d been wrong all along, and that his daughter was just like any other child. He vowed to repent for his selfishness and close-mindedness. He wanted to show the world how much he cared for and loved his daughter.
The video below tells the story of Heath and his journey to finding inner peace. For a man who seemed so shallow from the onset, he’s come a long way. It’s a brief documentary with a running time of about 15 minutes – but it’s unquestionably worth the watch. What did you think of Heath’s story? Was he able to redeem himself? Sound off in the comments section below and share this beautiful story.

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I hope this article was as touching to you as it was to me. It goes to show that every life has great significance, no matter what challenges have to be met. Also, a parent’s love can help conquer most of the obstacles a child has to face.

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