Last year my husband and I traveled once again through Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on our way back home from Cadillac, Michigan.  Mt. Vernon is a nice stopping place for an overnighter. While there I picked up a paper for early morning reading. In it was a section called Points To Ponder,  by Betty King.  In this particular article Mrs. King  spoke of so many thoughts and feelings that I could relate to.  I tucked the article away, thinking that I needed to put my thoughts down on these exact topics.  I got busy with life and forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago. I read the article again and decided Mrs. King had covered all the subject matter in her own beautiful way and that is what I should  share on my web site.  I contacted her and asked for permission to print her article as she penned it.  She gave permission and  I have printed it below.

Thank you, Mrs. King, for sharing from your heart. 

******

YEARS ARE VALUABLE - WISDOM MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES

     I wish I had begun before I began.  Do you ever feel that way?  I am behind and how will I ever catch up; the years didn't wait on me.  They didn't pause while I figured life out, or where my place was in the midst of it.

    There is still so much I desire to do, to see and to be.  There is still so much I want to achieve and to give of myself to others.  Yet, I fear there is not enough left of me that can be given, and not enough years for me to make happen the desires that keep multiplying inside of me.

     There is still so much I want to learn, so much life has to teach me.  Why couldn't  I have listened to the whisperings of wisdom in the early years of my life?  Why couldn't I have seen with my heart and soul instead of my eyes?

     Parents-to-be, before your children are born, you should pray God will give them wisdom that only He can give. You should not wait until their lives are half over and then begin your prayers.We all need help from the moment we are born to understand our places in this world, to realize our gifts while we can acknowledge and use them, so start praying early for your children so that they might gain their potential.

     We all need to learn to give in order to receive, to laugh more and worry less.  To learn happiness comes from joy within, instead of from things we hold in our hands.

     If only we could learn early on that someone else is not going to love us if we don't love ourselves.  Also the earlier it is understood that love is more giving than receiving, the sooner the true meaning of love will be found. It is so easy to be happy, so easy to love appropriately and completely, so easy to find fulfillment when you seek all of those things properly.

     It is effortless to work every day when you take pride in your labor; it is so motivating to start your day when you enjoy the challenges before you.

     Being the one who is "right" is not a life or death matter; getting your  way will seem a trivial matter 20 years from now.

     Things that fill up your home will only require dusting and take away from you the important things you could be spending your time doing.

     Achieving that coveted anorexic model look is not healthy and doesn't accomplish beauty within.

     Youth is not eternal; no matter how much you long for wrinkles to vanish, or how much you spend to that end, death will not escape you, old age will arrive.  So be concerned with expanding the magnificent exquisiteness that resides within you!

     No matter how many flaws or sins you are capable  of hiding from family, friends or acquaintances, God knows all of your transgressions and will forgive you if you ask.

     You may judge other people by their past, failing to see changes they've made, or refusing to acknowledge their growth and progressive transformation; you are not their final judge.  God is and He will judge you too, some day.

     The spotless perfect house will never take the place of a slightly soiled happy home.

     Going to bed mad poisons relationships; not speaking, instead of communicating, erodes understanding.

     Belittling someone only shows insecurity in yourself, and complaining all the time shows discontent within.

     Always wanting to spend money, to get something you want, is a sure way of knowing there is a deep-seeded need that money will never satisfy. If accumulating things is your aim in life, you will never have enough things to satisfy that need.

     Blaming everyone for your own failures will ensure you shred another person's self esteem, and bury yourself in the shredding.

     If you chose your friends because you are smarter than they, and you want to shine, you are assured of diminishing your knowledge, for who will fertilize your growth?

     Sarcasm will only cause others to have contempt for you, while respect will bring you admiration.

     Deception causes you to hide the truth from yourself and loose sight of who you truly are.

     Treat other people the way you wish they would treat you, no matter how they actually behave toward you.

     Yes, I wish I had begun to understand the wisdom of living before I begun to die.  No matter how manyyears I have left to live, it will not be enough time; the years will not wait on me while I play catch-up.  I can only pray that God will not only grant me more time, but bestow His wisdom upon me. 

*******

Betty King is a freelance writer, Life Style and devotional weekly newspaper columnist, an author of four books, frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup book series and other anthologies. Visit her website at www.bettyking.net or email her at baking2@charter.net