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Sunday 30 March 2014

PARABLES FROM NATURE: A LESSON OF FATIH

2014-13  Parables from Nature:  A Lesson of Faith

Margaret Gatty [1809 - 1873] was an English writer of children's literature. Gatty was born in Burnham on Crouch, Essex, the daughter of the Rev. Alexander John Scott, D.D., a Royal Navy chaplain, who served under, and was the trusted friend of, Lord NelsonShe married the Rev. Alfred Gatty in 1839 and moved into the vicarage of Church of St. Mary shortly after. 

She became a highly useful and popular writer of tales for young people. Among her books may be mentioned Parables from Nature, Worlds not Realised, Proverbs Illustrated, and Aunt Judy's Tales. She also conducted Aunt Judy's Magazine, a family publication written by various members of Margaret's large family

"Parables from Nature" by Margaret Scott Gatty utilizes the Charlotte Mason method of instruction, which is preferred by many homeschooling families. "Parables from Nature" weaves interesting facts from nature and science into the stories. The collection includes all 29 stories.


A LESSON OF FAITH

"If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."–JOB xiv. 14.

"LET me hire you as a nurse for my poor children," said a Butterfly to a quiet Caterpillar, who was strolling along a cabbage-leaf in her odd lumbering way. 

"See these little eggs," continued the Butterfly; "I don't know how long it will be before they come to life, and I feel very sick and poorly, and if I should die, who will take care of my baby butterflies when I am gone? Will you, kind, mild, green Caterpillar? 

But you must mind what you give them to eat, Caterpillar!–they cannot, of course, live on your rough food. You must give them early dew, and honey from the flowers; and you must let them fly about only a little way at first; for, of course, one can't expect them to use their wings properly all at once. 

Dear me! it is a sad pity you cannot fly yourself. But I have no time to look for another nurse now, so you will do your best, I hope. Dear! dear! I cannot think what made me come and lay my eggs on a cabbage-leaf! What a place for young butterflies to be born upon! Still you will be kind, will you not, to the poor little ones? Here, take this gold-dust from my wings as a reward. Oh, how dizzy I am! Caterpillar! you will remember about the food–"


And with these words the Butterfly closed her eyes and died; and the green Caterpillar who had not had the opportunity of even saying Yes or No to the request, was left standing alone by the side of the Butterfly's eggs.

"A pretty nurse she has chosen, indeed, poor lady!" exclaimed she, "and a pretty business I have in hand! Why, her senses must have left her, or she never would have asked a poor crawling creature like me to bring up her dainty little ones! Much they'll mind me, truly, when they feel the gay wings on their backs, and can fly away out of my sight whenever they choose! Ah! how silly some people are, in spite of their painted clothes and the gold-dust on their wings!"

However, the poor Butterfly was dead, and there lay the eggs on the cabbage-leaf; and the green Caterpillar had a kind heart, so she resolved to do her best. But she got no sleep that night, she was so very anxious. She made her back quite ache with walking all night long round her little charges, for fear any harm should happen to them; and in the morning says she to herself–

"Two heads are better than one. I will consult some wise animal upon the matter, and get advice. How should a poor crawling creature like me know what to do without asking my betters?"

But still there was a difficulty–whom should the Caterpillar consult? There was the shaggy Dog who sometimes came into the garden. But he was so rough!–he would most likely whisk all the eggs off the cabbage-leaf with one brush of his tail, if she called him near to talk to her, and then she should never forgive herself. There was the Tom Cat, to be sure, who would sometimes sit at the foot of the apple-tree, basking himself and warming his fur in the sunshine; but he was so selfish and indifferent!–there was no hope of his giving himself the trouble to think about butterflies' eggs. 

"I wonder which is the wisest of all the animals I know," sighed the Caterpillar, in great distress; and then she thought, and thought, till at last she thought of the Lark; and she fancied that because he went up so high, and nobody knew where he went to, he must be very clever, and know a great deal; for to go up very high (which she could never do) was the Caterpillar's idea of perfect glory.

Now, in the neighbouring corn-field there lived a Lark, and the Caterpillar sent a message to him, to beg him to come and talk to her; and when he came she told him all her difficulties, and asked him what she was to do, to feed and rear the little creatures so different from herself.

"Perhaps you will be able to inquire and hear something about it next time you go up high," observed the Caterpillar timidly.

The Lark said, "Perhaps he should;" but he did not satisfy her curiosity any further. Soon afterwards, however, he went singing upwards into the bright, blue sky. By degrees his voice died away in the distance, till the green Caterpillar could not hear a sound. It is nothing to say she could not see him; for, poor thing! she never could see far at any time and had a difficulty in looking upwards at all, even when she reared herself up most carefully, which she did now; but it was of no use, so she dropped upon her legs again, and resumed her walk round the Butterfly's eggs, nibbling a bit of the cabbage-leaf now and then as she moved along.

"What a time the Lark has been gone!" she cried, at last. "I wonder where he is just now! I would give all my legs to know! He must have flown up higher than usual this time, I do think! How I should like to know where it is that he goes to, and what he hears in that curious blue sky! He always sings in going up and coming down, but he never lets any secret out. He is very, very close!"

And the green Caterpillar took another turn round the Butterfly's eggs.
At last the Lark's voice began to be heard again. The Caterpillar almost jumped for joy and it was not long before she saw her friend descend with hushed note to the cabbage bed.

"New, news, glorious news, friend Caterpillar!" sang the Lark; "but the worst of it is, you won't believe me!"

"I believe everything I am told," observed the Caterpillar hastily.

"Well, then, first of all, I will tell you what these little creatures are to eat"–and the Lark nodded his beak towards the eggs. "What do you think it is to be? Guess!"

"Dew, and the honey out of flowers, I am afraid," sighed the Caterpillar.

"No such thing, old lady! Something simpler than that. Something that you can get at quite easily."

"I can get at nothing quite easily but cabbage-leaves," murmured the Caterpillar, in distress.

"Excellent! my good friend," cried the Lark exultingly; "you have found it out. You are to feed them with cabbage-leaves."

"Never! " said the Caterpillar indignantly. "It was their dying mother's last request that I should do no such thing."

"Their dying mother knew nothing about the matter," persisted the Lark; "but why do you ask me, and then disbelieve what I say? You have neither faith nor trust."

"Oh, I believe everything I am told," said the Caterpillar.

"Nay, but you do not," replied the Lark; "you won't believe me even about the food, and yet that is but a beginning of what I have to tell you. Why, Caterpillar, what do you think those little eggs will turn out to be?"

"Butterflies, to be sure," said the Caterpillar.

"Caterpillars! " sang the Lark; "and you'll find it out in time;" and the Lark flew away, for he did not want to stay and contest the point with his friend.

"I thought the Lark had been wise and kind," observed the mild green Caterpillar, once more beginning to walk round the eggs, "but I find that he is foolish and saucy instead. Perhaps he went up too high this time. Ah, it's a pity when people who soar so high are silly and rude nevertheless! Dear! I still wonder whom he sees, and what he does up yonder."

"I would tell you, if you would believe me," sang the Lark, descending once more.

"I believe everything I am told," reiterated the Caterpillar, with as grave a face as if it were a fact.

"Then I'll tell you something else," cried the Lark; "for the best of my news remains behind. You will one day be a Butterfly yourself. "

"Wretched bird!" exclaimed the Caterpillar, "you jest with my inferiority–now you are cruel as well as foolish. Go away! I will ask your advice no more."

"I told you you would not believe me," cried the Lark, nettled in his turn.

"I believe everything that I am told," persisted the Caterpillar; "that is"–and she hesitated,–"everything that it is reasonable to believe. But to tell me that butterflies' eggs are caterpillars, and that caterpillars leave off crawling and get wings, and become butterflies!–Lark! you are too wise to believe such nonsense yourself, for you know it is impossible."

"I know no such thing," said the Lark, warmly. "Whether I hover over the corn-fields of earth, or go up into the depths of the sky, I see so many wonderful things, I know no reason why there should not be more. Oh, Caterpillar! it is because you crawl, because you never get beyond your cabbage-leaf, that you call any thing impossible."

"Nonsense!" shouted the Caterpillar. "I know what's possible, and what's not possible,according to my experience and capacity, as well as you do. Look at my long green bodyand these endless legs, and then talk to me about having wings and a painted feathery coat! Fool!–"

"And fool you! you would-be-wise Caterpillar!" cried the indignant lark. "Fool, to attempt to reason about what you cannot understand! Do you not hear how my song swells with rejoicing as I soar upwards to the mysterious wonder-world above? Oh, Caterpillar! what comes to you from thence, receive, as I do, upon trust."

"That is what you call–"
"Faith," interrupted the Lark.

At that moment she felt something at her side. She looked round–eight or ten little green caterpillars were moving about, and had already made a show of a hole in the cabbage-leaf. They had broken from the Butterfly's eggs!

Shame and amazement filled our green friend's heart, but joy soon followed; for, as the first wonder was possible, the second might be so too. "Teach me your lesson, Lark!" she would say; and the Lark sang to her of the wonders of the earth below, and of the heaven above. And the Caterpillar talked all the rest of her life to her relations of the time when she should be a Butterfly.

But none of them believed her. She nevertheless had learnt the Lark's lesson of faith, and when she was going into her chrysalis grave, she said–"I shall be a Butterfly some day!"
But her relations thought her head was wandering, and they said, "Poor thing!"

And when she was a Butterfly, and was going to die again, she said–"I have known many wonders–I have faith–I can trust even now for what shall come next!"

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Sunday 23 March 2014

YOGA FOR BETTER HEALTH: YOGA PRANAYAMA PRACTICE

2014-12  Yoga for Better Health:  Yoga Pranayama Practice





Purpose of Pranayama

The purpose of pranayama is to make the respiratory system function at its best. This automatically improves the circulatory system, without which the processes of digestion and elimination would suffer. The respiratory system is the gateway to purifying the body, mind and intellect. The key to this is pranayama. 

The breathing cycle consists of three parts: inhalation, exhalation and retention.  In pranayamic breathing, thentire lungs are used to theifullest capacity. Breathing is made more efficient by changing its rate, depth and quality. Better breathing means a better and healthier life.


Supine Pranayama
In Light on Pranayama, BKS Iyengar says the practitioner needs two essential things: a stable spine and a still, but alert, mind. Both of these are built up with a strong asana practice.

When lying down for pranayama, use blankets to support the spine and head. When the props are positioned correctly, the chest opens and relaxation results. 

Pranayama begins with observation. Lie down; relax your entire body and begin to observe your breath. After several minutes, you will notice that your breath has become slower and slightly deeper, because you have relaxed. 

If you feel relaxed and calm in your body, especially in your head, practice the complete cycle: slowly and smoothly exhale; a short pause at the end of an exhalation; then a slow, relaxed inhalation initiated by the rib cage moving outward; a slight pause at the end. 

All of this should be done without any tension in the body. Practice this pranayama as long as you can stay focused and relaxed. Start slowly and build up your practice over time.

Seated Pranayama
In order to do pranayama in a seated position without strain, the body must be quite supple and strong. A steady asana practice will build the necessary strength and flexibility.

Sit in a simple cross-legged position. Use enough blankets under your hips so that your knees are parallel to or below your hips, not above them. 

To sit correctly, center yourself on the points of the sitting bones and draw the front spine and side chest up without creating hardness in the low back. 

When you practice pranayama in a seated position, you must move the head down to create Jalandhara BandhaA lifted head brings pressure to the heart, brain, eyes, and ears.


Sukha Puraka Pranayama

In the beginning stages of Pranayama, there should be no retention of the breath, but only deep inhalation and exhalation. The Prana has first to be brought to accept the conditions that are going to be imposed on it, and hence any attempt to practice retention should be avoided.

In place of the quick breathing that we do daily, a slow breathing should be substituted, and instead of the usually shallow breathing, deep breathing should be practiced, gradually. 

Vexed minds breathe with an unsymmetrical flow. Submerged worries are likely to disturb Pranayama. One may be doing one’s functions like office-going, daily, and yet be calm in mind. But another may do nothing and be highly nervous, worried and sunk in sorrow. One should be careful to see that the mind is amenable to the practice.

 In breathing for health, the chest should be forward during inhalation. We feel a joy when we take a long breath with the chest expanded to the full. Deep intakes of fresh air daily are essential for the maintenance of sound health. An open air life for not less than two hours a day should be compulsory. Pranayama is a method not only of harmonizing the breath but also the senses and the mind. 

One should not sit for Pranayama in an unhappy condition of mind, because a grieved mind creates unrhythmic breathing. No Pranayama should be practiced when one is hungry or tired or is in a state of emotional disturbance. When everything is calm, then one may start the Pranayama. 

Be seated in a well-ventilated room and take in a deep breath. Then, exhale slowly. This practice should continue for sometime, say, a month. Afterwards, the regular Pranayama with proportion in respiration may be commenced. The technical kind of breathing which, in Yoga, generally goes by the name of Pranayama is done in two stages:

Exhale with a slow and deep breath. Close the right nostril with the right thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with the right ring finger and removing the right thumb from the right nostril, exhale very slowly through the right nostril. Then, reverse the process commencing with inhalation through the right nostril. This is the intermediary stage of Pranayama without retention of breath and with only alternate inhalation and exhalation. This practice may be continued for another month.

Perfected Pranyama with proportion 1:4:2

In the third month, the perfected Pranayama may be started: Inhale, as before, through the left nostril; retain the breath until you repeat your Ishta Mantra once; and then exhale slowly. The proportion of inhalation, retention and exhalation is supposed to be 1:4:2. Generally, the counting of this proportion is done by what is called a Matra, which is, roughly, about 3 seconds. You inhale for one Matra, retain for four Matras, and exhale for two Matras.

There should be no haste in increasing the time of retention. Whether you are comfortable during retention or not is the test for the duration of retention. There should be no feeling of suffocation in retention. The rule applicable to Asana is valid to Pranayama, also.

Sthira and Sukha, ease and comfort, without strain or pain of any kind, are both essential for the practice of Asana and Pranayama.   

The length of time of Pranayama depends on individual condition of the body, the type of Sadhana one does and the kind of life one leads. All these are important factors which have to be taken into consideration.

The normal variety of Pranayama in Yoga is the one described above, and it is termed ‘Sukhapuraka’ (easy of practice). The other types of Pranayama such as the Bhastrika, Sitali, etc., are only auxiliaries and not essential to the Yoga of meditation.

There are many details discussed in Hatha Yoga concerning Pranayama. One of them, for instance, is that in retention a threefold-lock (Bandha-traya) consisting of Mulabandha, Uddiyanabandha and Jalandharabandha is preferable. 

But these are all not directly related to the aim of Yoga. Pranayama is not the goal of Yoga but only a means to it. Ultimately, it is the mind which has to be subdued and Pranayama, etc. are the preparations. 


Post-Pranayama Savasana, variation
After practicing pranayama of any kind, it is important to end with Savasana in order to soothe the nerves and erase any tension that you may have inadvertently created during the practice.

Allow for a gentle transition between pranayama and any activity you choose to engage in. After pranayama, you should wait at least 30 minutes before practicing Asanas. 



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Video Ramdev Yoga for Children [English] [Click here] 66m 

Video Ramdev Bastrika Kapalbhati AnulomVilom  [English] [Click here] 10m

Video Ramdev Pranayama [English] [Click here] 66m

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Sunday 16 March 2014

YOGA FOR BETTER HEALTH: YOGA PRANAYAMA BASICS

2014-11 Yoga for Better Health: Yoga Pranayama Basics


Yoga is the Science of Right Living; with Right Understanding [Rhythm], Right Speech [Satya] and Right Action [Dharma].

Yoga has eight limbs [Ashta-anga] -- Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Yoga is union; union of the individual self with the universal Self; communion of the human soul with the Divinity within.

The root of the word yoga is yuj, meaning -- unite, yoke, extend, lengthen, regulate,constrain, and  concentrate.  

The aim of Yoga is liberation from pleasure and pain and attainment of perennial peace and pure, unalloyed  joy.

Prana is the universal vital energy which permeates all beings. Vigour, power, vitality, life-breath, spirit are all forms of prana.

Pranayama is the conscious control of Prana through breath. Breath is made slower, smoother, deeper and rhythmic.

Prana [life energy]  + ayama [control /extension] => Pranayama [control of Prana through breath].
Pranayama is the fourth limb of Ashta-anga [8-limbed] Yoga.

The eight limbs, according to Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, are:
1. Yama [universal moral commandments:  non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence and non-coveting]
2. Niyama [individuals' rules of conduct : purity, contentment, austerity, scriptural study, dedication to God]
3. Asana [steady, comfortable postures for meditation]
4. Pranayama [regulating Prana or life energy through breath]
5. Pratyahara [withdrawal of the mind from the senses.]
6. Dharana [Concentration]
7. Dhyana [Meditation] and
8. Samadhi.[ultimate Self-Realization]

On a practical level, yoga is a means of balancing and harmonizing the body, mind and emotions. This is done through the practice of asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, shatkarma and meditation.


The third limb of yoga, asana [posture] brings steadiness, health and lightness of limb. A steady and pleasant posture produces mental equilibrium and prevents fickleness of mind. By practicing them one develops agility, balance, endurance and great vitality.

Asanas have been evolved to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. They keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. But their real importance lies in the way they train and discipline the mind.

The practitioner frees himself from physical disabilities and mental distractions by practising asanas. He surrenders his actions and their fruits to the Lord in the service of the world. 

He realises that his life and all its activities are part of the divine action in nature, manifesting and operating in the form of man. In the beating of his pulse and the rhythm of his respiration, he recognises the flow of the seasons and the throbbing of universal life.

His body is a temple which houses the Divinity. He feels that to neglect or to deny the needs of the body and to think of it as something not divine, is to neglect and deny the universal life of which it is a part. The needs of the body are the needs of the divine spirit which lives through the body. 

In nature's heritage to man are the three characteristics (gunas), namely, illumination (sattva), action (rajas) and inertia (tamas). Set on the wheel of time, like a pot on the potter's wheel, man is moulded and remoulded in accordance with the predominating order of these three fundamental intermingling characteristics.

Man is endowed with mind (manas), intellect (buddhi) and ego (aharhkara ), collectively known as consciousness (chitta), which is a source of thinking, understanding and acting. As the wheel of life turns, consciousness experiences the five miseries of ignorance, selfishness, attachment, aversion and love of life. These in turn leave the chitta in five different states which may be dull, wavering, partially stable, one-pointed attention and controlled. 

Patanjali evolved eight stages on the path of realisation. Chitta in a state of dullness is purified through yama, niyama and asana through which the mind is spurred to activity. Asana and Pranayama bring the wavering mind to a state of some stability. The disciplines of pranayama and Pratyahara make the chitta attentive and focus its energy. It is then restrained in this state by dhyana and samadhi. 

Thus, Yoga leads the practitioner [sadhaka] from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light and from death to immonality.

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Sunday 9 March 2014

EASTER STORY: THE RICH FAMILY IN THE CHURCH !

2014-10  Easter Story:  The Rich Family in the Church !




Old Easter Story with a Timeless Message
The Rich Family in Church 
 by Eddie Ogan
The following story is about one godly mother, who helped her children learn the true meaning of riches.
"Easter 1946. I was 14, little sister Ocy 12, and sister Darlene 16. We lived at home and the four of us knew what it was to do without. Dad died five years before, leaving Mom with seven kids and no money. My older sisters and brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.
At home, we discussed what we could do. We would buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. If we kept our lights off we'd save on the electric bill. We made things and sold them and did odd jobs around the neighbors. That month was one of the best of our lives. We counted the money and at night we'd sit in the dark talking about the poor family enjoying the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that the offering would surely be large.
Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We had never had so much money we had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church! We sat in church proudly and I felt rich. When the offering was taken, Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids a $20.
As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. That afternoon the minister came to our door with an envelope. We asked what it was, without a word mother opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. Three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling rich to feeling like poor white trash. We had a happy life and felt sorry for anyone less fortunate. We didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor. That day I found out we were. The minister brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor and felt so ashamed--I didn't want to go back to church.
We sat in silence for a time and we went to bed. All that week, no one talked much. Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. At church a missionary speaker talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but needed money to buy roofs. $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope and put it in the offering.

The minister announced it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church." We had given $87 of that "little over $100." We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!"

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This Amazing Love - Emile Laudeman: YouTube Video [Click here]


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Sunday 2 March 2014

EASTER STORY: EDITH BURNS - DO YOU BELIEVE IN EASTER?

2014-09  Easter Story: Edith Burns - Do you believe in Easter?


This tale of Edith Burns and Easter appeared in the 2007 book Tears in My Heart by James Collins, where it was credited to a Rev. E. Manzouras. However, the tale appears to have been based on an older [and longer] story by Russell Kelfer, "The Story of Edith Easter". 


Happy Easter! 

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. 

One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. 

Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" 


Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.

Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly . Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. 


Edith began by saying, "My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" 

Beverly said, "Why yes I do."  Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about Easter?" 

Beverly said, "Well, it's all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up." 


Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

After being called back in the doctor's office, Edith sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" 

Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, "Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very long." 

Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? 


You have just told me I'm going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!" 

Dr. Phillips thought to himself, "What a magnificent woman this Edith Burns is!" 

Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips. Christmas came and the office was closed through January 3rd. 


On the day the office opened, Edith did not show up. Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she would have to be moving her story to the hospital and said, "Will, I'm very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about Easter." 

Well, they did just that and women began to come in and share that room with Edith. Many women were saved. Everybody on that floor from staff to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse. 

Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she was a "religious nut". She had been a nurse in an army hospital. She had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She had been married three times, she was hard, cold, and did everything by the book. 

One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were sick. Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot. When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you." 
Phyllis Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won't work. I'm not interested." 

Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family." 


Phyllis Cross said, "Then you will never die because that will never happen," and curtly walked out of the room. 

Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I'm praying for you." 

One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith's room like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the bed and Edith said, "I'm so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special day." 

Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, 'Do you believe in Easter?' but you have never asked me." 


Edith said, "Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked." 

Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?" 

Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." 


Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first time Phyllis Cross did not walk out of a hospital room, she was carried out on the wings of angels. 

Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you know what day it is?" Phyllis Cross said, "Why Edith, it's Good Friday." 

Edith said, "Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter Phyllis!" 


Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did some of her duties and then went down to the flower shop and got some Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her some Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter. 

When she walked into Edith's room, Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. 
There was a sweet smile on her face. 

When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith's hand, she realized Edith was dead. 

Her left hand was on John 14: "In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." 

Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 

Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down her cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!" 


Phyllis Cross left Edith's body, walked out of the room, and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?" 

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