Dear Readers,

      My Uncle Dave sent this to me in an e-mail the other day. I found it so moving; I felt I needed to share it with anyone and everyone that reads my blog. It's a great story that reminds you just how lucky we are.

Thanks, Matt


WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY?

 I  dreamed that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around.
We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.  My angel
guide stopped in front of the  first section and said, "This is the
Receiving Section.  Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received."

I  looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels
sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from
people all over the world.

Then we  moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second
section.

The angel then said to me, "This is the  Packaging and Delivery Section.
Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and
delivered to the living persons who asked for them."

I noticed again how busy it was there.  There were many angels working hard
at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being
packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally  at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of
a very small station.  To my great surprise, only one  angel was seated
there, idly doing nothing.  "This is the  Acknowledgment Section," my angel
friend quietly admitted to me.  He seemed embarrassed.

"How is it that there is no work going on here?" I asked.

"So sad," the angel sighed.  "After people receive the blessings that they
asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked.

"Simple,"  the angel answered.  Just say, "Thank you, Lord."

"What  blessings should they acknowledge?"  I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead
and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this  world. If you have
money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy."

"And if  you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the
world who has that opportunity."

"If you  woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more
blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of
imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are
ahead of 700 million people in the world."

"If you can attend a church/synagogue without the fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death, you are envied by and more blessed than three
billion people in the world."

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm.  You're
unique to all those in doubt and despair."

"Okay.  What now?  How can I start?'

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that
someone was thinking of you as very special, and you are more blessed than
over two billion people in the world who  cannot read at all.

Have a  good day.  Count your blessings.  And if you care to, pass this
along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

ATTN:  Acknowledge Dept.
"Thank you Lord for giving me the ability to share this message and for
giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it."

If you  have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been
blessed with, how can you not send it on?  I thank  God for everything,
especially all my family and  friends.

Who are you?

Our paster did a wonderful sermon this last Sunday that I felt I just had to pass on through this blog. While not directly related to my accident, it does fit with the overall message.

Who are you?

At first glance it seems like a fairly simple question. I am an Engineer that designs composite medical tubing for use in minimally invasive procedures. I am a husband and a father of 4 wonderful children. Easy right? The truth is that these answers are what I am, not who I am.

Do you know who you are?
Where do I fit?
What is my identity?

After my accident, I struggled with trying to answer these questions. However, after much praying I realized that my physical condition was WHAT I was and had nothing to do with WHO I was. Several of my what's had changed, however none of my who's had changed.

- Does my ability to walk have anything to do with my ability to follow God?

- Does my inability to move my legs somehow influence my relationship with Jesus?


So, Who am I?

I am a Christian, a believer, and a disciple of The Lord. I was given a second chance by God; in order to complete the work he has asked me to do.

Be Thankful

Thank you God for giving me a second chance at life. I know that you alone gave me the strength and power to make it through this. You are truly my savior.

Family

A family unit is the unit which builds up a person's personality. How you behave and what you become in life is very much dependent on your family life. Psychologists believe that a child learns the most from his or her family life. The way your family members deal with you has a life long effect on your personality. Keeping in view all these facts the importance of your family life cannot be denied. Family unit happens to be the most important part of your life till you grow up. The children are usually closer to their parents and their siblings as compared to any other person in the world. As the children grow up they find good friends, spouses, their own kids and colleagues to share their lives with. Although time brings this change but the importance of family remains there. The children who have a sound family background and who belong to a family with strong family ties are almost always happier. Thus one cannot deny the importance of family life.



This wonderful drawing of our family is courtesy of Alexander.

A good cause

I recently assisted a group of individuals who are working to teach athletes all over the US how to perform CPR. The group is Athletes for America and they recently taught a group of students in Battle Creek.
Schools who participated in the event not only had their athletes trained free of charge, but they also received a free AED from Zoll for their school.
I was honored to work with such great instructors and volunteers.

Why Me?

The day I almost died, I wondered "Why Me", but the truth is that I was given a Gift that day. My gift was a 2nd Chance. Don't take life for granted and be the best you can because you never know what will happen...

Stolen spaces: Handicap parking in Michigan

It's truly frustrating when you need the extra space a handicap spot provides, and it's taken by someone who is more than capable of walking a few extra feet. I'm glad to see a news organization bringing this problem to light. Click on the link below for the story and video.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120730/NEWS01/307300078?nclick_check=1