DEAR JACK

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 mph zone. 
Fourth time in as many months. 
How could a guy get caught so often?
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. 
Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror.
The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand.
Bob? Bob from Church?
Jack sunk farther into his trench coat.
This was worse than the coming ticket.  
A Christian cop catching a guy from his own church.
A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office.
A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.
Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform.
"Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."
 "Hello, Jack." No smile.
"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Bob seemed uncertain. Good.
"I've seen some long days at the office lately. 
I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -- just this once."
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement.
 "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. 
Know what I mean?"
"I know what you mean. 
I also know that you have a reputation in the precinct."Ouch. 
This was not going in the right direction. 
Time to change tactics.
"What'd you clock me at?"
 "Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?"
 "Now wait a minute here, Bob.
I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65."  
The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
"Please, Jack, in the car."
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. 
Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. 
He was in no rush to open the window.
The minutes ticked by. 
Bob scribbled away on the pad.  
Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?
Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again.
A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. 
There was Bob, a folded paper in hand. 
Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
"Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice. 
Bob returned to his police car without a word. 
Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. 
Jack unfolded the sheet of paper.  
How much was this one going to cost? 
Wait a minute. 
What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:
"Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. 
She was six when killed by a car. 
You guessed it -- a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters. All three of them.
 I had only one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. 
Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left. Bob." 
Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. 
Jack watched until it disappeared. 
A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.-
AUTHOR UNKNOWN -

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

The Facts of Life:

1: At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2: At least 15 people in this world love you, in some way.

3: The only reason anyone would ever hate you, is because they want to be just like you.
4: A smile from you, can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5: Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6: You mean the world to someone.

7: Without you, someone may not be living.

8: You are special and unique, in your own way.

9: Someone that you don't know even exists, loves you.

10: When you make the biggest mistake ever, 
something good comes from it.
11: When you think the world has turned it's
back on you, take a
look, you most likely turned your back on the world.
12: When you think you have no chance at 
getting what you want, you
probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, you
probably sooner or later will get it.
13: Always remember complements 
you received, forget about the rude remarks.

14: Always tell someone how you feel about them, you will feel much
better when they know.
15: If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that
they are great. Send this letter to people you care about, you'll
brighten up someone's day, and might change their perspective on life,
for the better!

~Author Unknown

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

A BETTER UNDERSTANDING

A woman and her dog were walking along a road. The woman was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to her that she was dead. She remembered dying, and that the dog had been dead for years. She wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble.
At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When she was standing before it, she saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
She and the dog walked toward the gate, and as she got closer, she saw a
man at a desk to one side. When she was close enough, she called out, "
Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, ma'am," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the woman asked.
"Of course. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward her dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't accept pets."The woman thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way she had been going. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, she came to a dirt road, which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As she approached the gate, she saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" she called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there" The man pointed to a place
that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink, then she gave some to the dog.
When they were full, she and the dog walked back toward the man
who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," was the answer.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said.
"The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates?Nope.
That's Hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they
screen out the folks who won't leave their best friends behind."

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

Office Cell 917-499-9715
Office Tel- 212-244-4778

God's Boxes

I have in my hands two boxes,
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,And all your joys in the gold."
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black,I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
I showed the hole to God, and mused,"I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said,"My child, they're all here with me.."
I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
 "My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go." 
We should consider all of our friends a blessing.
Send this to a friend today just to let them know you
are thinking of them and that they are a joy in your life.
A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end.
It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends.
But the treasure inside for you to see,
Is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me.
Today I pass the friendship ball to you.
Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you...

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

Sand and Stone

Two friends were walking through the desert. 
During some point of the journey, they had an argument; and one friend slapped the other one in the face. 
The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me in the face". 
They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath the one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire ! 
And started drowning, but the friend saved him.  
After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "Today my best friend saved my life".
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, 'after I hurt you, You wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?'
The friend replied 'when someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it. 
Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone. 
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. 
Take the time to live! 
Do not value the things you have in your life, but value who you have in your life !

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

YOUR PERFECT GARDEN

How To Plant Your Garden
First, you Come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses....
FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING,
PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another
TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends 
WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH
FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW. NOT BAD,HUH?!
Every garden needs some flowers so I have added some GLADS.
1. Glad to live in a free country,
2. Glad to have all my good friends.
3. Glad to be able to worship God!!
4. Glad to have a great family.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

ACTS OF KINDNESS

This young man was driving home one evening, on a two lane country road.
Work in this small mid-western community was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac, but he never quit looking.
Ever since the factory closed, he'd been unemployed, and with winter coming on, the chill had finally hit home.
It was a lonely road.
Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving.
Most of his friends had already left.
They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill, but he stayed on.
After all, this was where he buried his mother and father.
He was born here and he knew the country.
He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working , this came in handy.
It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down.
He'd better get a move on.  
You know, he almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road.
But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help.
So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out.
His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried.
No one had stopped to help, for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe.
He looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold.
He knew how she felt.
It was that chill which only fear can put in you.
He said, "I'm here to help you Ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough.
Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire.
But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him.
She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through.
She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk.
She asked him how much she owed him.
Any amount would have been all right with her.
She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about the money.
This was not a job to him.
This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past.
He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed, and Bryan added "...and think of me."
He waited until she started her car and drove off.
It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe.
She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home.
It was a dingy looking restaurant.
Outside were two old gas pumps.
The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.
The cash register was like the telephone of an out of work actor--it didn't ring much.
Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.
She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude.
The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.
Then she remembered Bryan. . .
After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went to get change for a hundred dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door.
She was gone by the time the waitress came back.
She wondered where the lady could be, then she noticed something written on the napkin under which were 4 one-hundred dollar bills.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote.
It said: "You don't owe me anything, I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out the way I'm helping you. 
If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day.
That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written.
How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it?
With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right - I love you, Bryan."--
Author Unknown --

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/