The Future Is Yours

The Future Is Yours

The future is yours ,
It belongs to you ,
And with faith in God
And in yourself , too,
No hill’s too high ,
No mountain’s too tall ,
For with faith in the Lord
You can conquer them all .
And all that you wish for
That is honest and true
The Lord will certainly
Give to you ,
Not always the way
You most desire ,
But He always gives
What you most require .
So accept what He sends
Be it bitter or sweet ,
For God knows best
What makes life complete .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !!
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while he has overcome while trying to succeed .

Brighten the Corner Where You Are

Brighten the Corner Where You Are

We cannot all be famous
or be listed in “Who’s Who ,”
But every person great or small
has important work to do ,
For seldom do we realize
the importance of small deeds
Or to what degree of greatness
unnoticed kindness leads
For it’s not the big celebrity
in a world of fame and praise ,
But it’s doing unpretentiously
in undistinguished ways
The work that God assigned to us ,
unimportant as it seems,
That makes our task outstanding
and brings reality to dreams .
So do not sit and idly wish
for wider , new dimensions
Where you can put in practice
your many good intentions ,
But at the spot God placed you ,
begin at once to do
Little things to brighten up
the lives surrounding you ,
For if everybody brightened up
the spot on which they’re standing
By being more considerate
and a little less demanding ,
This dark old world would very soon
eclipse the evening star
If everybody brightened up
the corner where they are !
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Last night I sat listening to my youngest son preach ,
And thought ,I am truly blessed among men and proud father .
When you feel down and out God has HIS way of pick you up !
Father God , Thank you for my two sons , My mother ,my sister and all my great friends !!

Look on the Sunny Side

Look on the Sunny Side
There are always two sides ,
the good and the bad ,
The dark and the light ,
the sad and the glad ,
But in looking back over
the good and the bad
We’re aware of the number
of good and the bad .
And in counting our blessings
we find when we’re through
We’ve no reason at all
to complain or be blue ,
So thank God for good things
He has already done ,
And be grateful to Him
for the battles you’ve won ,
And know that the same God
who helped you before
Is ready and willing
to help you once more .
Then with faith in your heart
reach out for God’s hand
And accept what He sends
though you can’t understand ,
For our Father in heaven
always knows what is best ,
And if you trust in His wisdom
your life will be blessed ,
For always remember
that whatever betide you
You are never alone
for God is beside you .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !

Growing Old

The first day of school our professor
introduced himself and challenged us
to get to know someone we didn't already know.
I stood up to look around when
a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled,
little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi handsome.
My name is Rose. I'm eighty - seven
years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically
responded, "Of course you may!"
and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such
a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here
to meet a rich husband, get married,
have a couple of children,
and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was
curious what may have motivated
her to be taking on this
challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college
education and now I'm getting one!"
she told me.

After class we walked to the
student union building and
shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends.

Every day for the next three
months we would leave class
together and talk nonstop.
I was always mesmerized listening
to this "time machine" as she
shared her wisdom and
experience with me.

Over the course of the year,
Rose became a campus icon
and she easily made friends
wherever she went.

She loved to dress up and
she reveled in the attention bestowed
upon her from the other students.
She was living it up.

At the end of the semester
we invited Rose to speak at
our football banquet. I'll
never forget what she taught us.
She was introduced and
stepped up to the podium.

As she began to deliver her
prepared speech, she dropped her
three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed
she leaned into the microphone
and simply said "I'm sorry I'm so jittery.
I gave up beer for Lent
and this whiskey is killing me!
I'll never get my speech back
in order so let me
just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared
her throat and began: "We do not
stop playing because we are old;
we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only five
secrets to staying young, being
happy, and achieving success
and loving God with all your
heart
"You have to laugh and
find humor every day."

"You've got to have a dream.
When you lose your dreams,
you die. We have so many people
walking around who are dead
and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference
between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old
and lie in bed for one full year
and don't do one productive thing,
you will turn twenty years old.
If I am eighty-seven years old
and stay in bed for a year and
never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older.
That doesn't take any talent or
ability. The idea is to grow up
by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly
usually don't have regrets
for what we did, but rather
for things we did not do. The only
people who fear death
are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech
by courageously singing
"The Rose."

She challenged each of us to
study the lyrics and live
them out in our daily lives.
At the years end Rose finished
the college degree she had
begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation
Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college
students attended her funeral
in tribute to the wonderful woman
who taught by example that it's
never too late to be all
you can possibly be.

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY,
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

Jan Bagwell
God Bless!

The Philosopher

The Philosopher


I saw him sitting in his door,
Trembling as old men do;
His house was old; his barn was old,
And yet his eyes seemed new.

His eyes had seen three times my years
And kept a twinkle still,
Though they had looked at birth and death
And three graves on a hill.

"I will sit down with you," I said,
"And you will make me wise;
Tell me how you have kept the joy
Still burning in your eyes."

Then like an old-time orator
Impressively he rose;
"I make the most of all that comes,
The least of all that goes."

The jingling rhythm of his words
Echoes as old songs do,
Yet this had kept his eyes alight
Till he was ninety-two.
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !