One night a woman dreamed she was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from her life. For each scene she noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to her, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of her life flashed before her, she looked at the footprints in the sand and noticed that there were times along the path of her life when there was only one set of footprints. She also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times. This really bothered her and so she questioned the Lord about it, who replied, 'My precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trials and temptations, that single set of footprints is mine when I picked you up and carried you through our hardest times.'"

     You may well recognize the above as "Footprints". It is an example of how people have always used words to share life's lessons. We have always told stories about what is really important. These verses, proverbs, sayings, one-liners, both anonymous and from great teachers, help us make sense of life and uplift our spirits.

         Stories lift us up when the world would bring us down.

        That is what you will find in this mix: stories, articles, even some of those heart-warmers that circulate through email. The golden thread running through all is the yearning to learn to treat others as we would be treated. Yes, the Golden Rule, which is a form of the Great Commandment, the Law of Love, where Jesus tells his disciples to love one another as he has loved them.

      What better plan do you have for your life today than to go deeper in love and understanding? Everyone benefits from learning how God deals with us with love, mercy and forgiveness. Our Father knows we learn this through the words circulating around us.