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Everything about life in the USA 🇺🇸 Buy ads: https://telega.io/c/american @Source_Ads ↪️ Feedback : @cobbl
Fun! :)
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Blessings In Disguise
The rain poured down on the car stopped by the side of the road. I had made my wife pull over a few minutes earlier when her tears had made it impossible for her to drive. My own heart ached with pain and my eyes were wet with tears too. It was the worst moment of our lives. I held her in my arms for a long time while the Heavens seemed to cry with us.
We had just come from a specialist office in a big hospital. We had taken our firstborn son there to be tested. He was nearing 3 years old and hadn't started to talk yet. He also had displayed behaviors that weren't normal. After a long wait and longer tests the Doctor told us that there was definitely something wrong although he couldn't say what it was. He recommended more tests. We drove away in silence. I could see the hurt in my wife's eyes as she tried to hold back the coming tears. All she had wanted was a "normal" little boy. Finally as the rain began to fall outside the car our tears began to fall inside it.
We sat there for the longest time crying and feeling powerless and unsure of what to do next. After a while the clouds parted and the sun began to shine again. We looked back at our son in his car seat and he smiled happily at us. We knew then that we had to go on no matter what the road ahead of us may hold.
Our boy was later diagnosed with Autism and mental retardation. He was five years old before he finally began to speak in sentences. Although he learned to talk and read we still knew that he would have to be looked after for the rest of his life. As the years went on, though, I realized that my boy was not only "special" mentally, but also "special" spiritually. Even with all the limitations and frustrations his handicap gave him, he still managed to give his kindness, love, and enthusiasm to everyone around him. He remembered people he met and called them by name. He gave out hugs as easily as the rest of us gave out "hi's". He went through his days with a ready smile and a simple joy that were contagious. He gave up the role of "eldest child" to his younger "normal" sister, but still helped to look after his younger brother who had been born with an even more severe form of Autism. He became more than just my son. He became my friend. He became my helper. He became my teacher in how to live and in how to give. He became my inspiration on how to love and be happy in that love. He and his brother both became beautiful blessings in disguise.
As I look back on the years my boys and I have spent together and look forward to the times that lie ahead of us, I once again thank God for giving them to me. My first born son and his younger brother have both done what everyone of us longs to do: they have made this world a better and more beautiful place just by being in it. They have touched countless hearts with their love, laughter, and joy and they will undoubtedly touch countless more.
Many people look upon the mentally handicapped as something less than human. I now see them as something more. They have inside of them a deeper love, joy, and connection to God than the rest of us. And while we take care of them we should also take the time to learn from them as well. They truly are all blessings in disguise and while they sometimes bring us tears of sadness, they more often bring us tears of joy.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
Success
In the eyes of the world I am not seen as much of a success. I have a tiny house not a mansion. I don't wear fancy clothes. I don't own an expensive car, or a plane, or a yacht. My bank account is always empty at the end of the month. I am not a CEO of a corporation. I haven't made a movie, won a Grammy, or sold a million books. I am not famous. My picture has never been on a magazine cover. I have never had my own reality television show. Yet, in spite of all of this there are many times when I do feel like a success.
When my grown up son gives me a hug and says: "I love you Dad", I feel like a success. When my big dog walks over to me, puts his head on my lap, and looks up at me with his adoring brown eyes, I feel like a success. When I share a laugh with the cashier in the grocery store, I feel like a success. When I give my smile to a stranger I am walking by and find my gift returned, I feel like a success. When I send what few dollars I can to a charity and know that I am helping someone in need, I feel like a success. When I get a letter from someone who has been touched by the simple stories I write, I feel like a success. When I remember that God loves me in spite of all my faults and failings, I feel like a success.
Perhaps what this world needs is a redefining of what success really is. Perhaps this world needs to recognize that fame fades, money is soon spent, power never lasts, and material things always turn to dust. Perhaps this world needs to see that the most successful life of all is one where you love God, yourself, and others. Perhaps we all need to realize that a successful life in the eyes of the world isn't always a successful life in the eyes of Heaven.
May you always see the success in your own life. May you always be a success in loving, giving, caring, and sharing. And may you always succeed in making God smile.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
It doesn't matter how many resources you have if you don't know how to use them, they will never be enough.
@american
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
You have $86,400 in your bank account and someone stole $10 from you. Would you be upset and throw all of the $86,390 away in hopes of getting back at that person who took your $10? Or move on and live? Right, move on and live.
See, we have 86,400 seconds in every day so don't let someone's negative 10 seconds ruin the rest of the 86,390. Don't sweat the small stuff, life is bigger than that.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
A doctor entered the hospital in hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call asap, changed his clothes & went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy's father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the dad yelled:
"Why did you take all this time to come? Don't you know that my son's life is in danger? Don't you have any sense of responsibility?"
The doctor smiled & said:
"I am sorry, I wasn't in the hospital & I came as fast as I could after receiving the call...... And now, I wish you'd calm down so that I can do my work"
"Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies now what will you do??" said the father angrily
The doctor smiled again & replied: "I will say what Job said in the Holy Book "From dust we came & to dust we return, blessed be the name of God". Doctors cannot prolong lives. Go & intercede for your son, we will do our best by God's grace"
"Giving advises when we're not concerned is so easy" Murmured the father.
The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy,
"Thank goodness!, your son is saved!" And without waiting for the father's reply he carried on his way running. "If you have any question, ask the nurse!!"
"Why is he so arrogant? He couldn't wait some minutes so that I ask about my son's state" Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left.
The nurse answered, tears coming down her face: "His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was in the burial when we called him for your son's surgery. And now that he saved your son's life, he left running to finish his son's burial."
Moral - Never judge anyone..... because you never know how their life is and what they're going through"
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
eserted road, just call the toll-free number for assistance. They'll come to assist you within . . . two business days. [Two business days!!!] Enjoy your trip.
@american
Let's learn English!
Stacy: Hi.
Mark: Oh, Hi.
Stacy: Are you new in the neighborhood? [ Oh, yeah. ] Welcome, welcome to the neighborhood. [ Oh. ] Hey, I'm Stacy. I live across the street.
Mark: Oh, Hi, Stacy. I'm Mark. Mark Jones.
Stacy: Um. Looks like your moving. Do you need any help unloadingyour moving truck? I can have my husband come or my kids.
Mark: Um, well, fortunately, the movers are going to do that, but you're welcome to, uh, help carry in a few things out from our car.
Stacy: Yeah, sure, I can get them. So, where are you from?
Mark: Well, we're from originally from Chicago, but we just moved from a place called Springville.
Stacy: Oh, Springville, that's, uh. Isn't that the . . . the north end of the state
Mark: Yeah, just, yeah, not too far from here.
Stacy: How was your trip?
Mark: Well, it went pretty well. We hired a moving company, something my company paid for, and it was simply more convenient than packing all our stuff, renting a truck, and then moving everything ourselves.
Stacy: That's nice. How does this moving company work then? Was it pretty good?
Mark: Yeah. Well, in many cases, you can pack your own things and just have the company load the boxes and your other items on the truck, or they'll pack everything for you, and they can tow your vehiclebehind the truck if you like, and they can even, you know, move heavy items like pianos.
Stacy: Wow, that's nice. So, did everything go as planned?
Mark: Well, pretty much, except our cat disappeared [ Really? ] yeah, about three hours before the movers left . . .
Stacy: Did you ever find it?
Mark: No, and uh, we're not sure if she ran away, got hit by a car, or what.
Stacy: Oh, that must be really hard on your family. Sorry to hear about that. [ Yeah. ] Yeah, that must be rough. [ Yeah. ] No sign of the cat?
Mark: Not yet.
Stacy: Uh, I'm sorry. So, um, what do you do for a living?
Mark: Well, I'm software developer.
Stacy: Oh, what do you do exactly in your job?
Mark: Well, um, most of the time, I develop educational software for schools [ Really? ] . . . Yeah, and at the moment, I'm working on several educational apps for, you know, smart phones.
Stacy: Oh, that's . . . that's great.
Mark: Yeah, it's a really good job. And, so, how about yourself?
Stacy: Well, actually, I'm a high school history teacher.
Mark: Oh, wow, you know, actually, I've created two apps on world history that you might be interested in.
Stacy: Serious?
Mark: Yeah.
Stacy: Oh, that sounds great. I'd love to see them. [ Yeah. ] By the way, um, you know, we're having a barbecue at our place on Friday. [ Oh? ] Why don't you come over . . . bring your family and get to know some of the neighbors?
Mark: Well, let me talk to my wife, but just so you know, we have nine kids. [ Serious? Nine kids? Wow ], yes, so they might eat all your food.
Stacy: Well, that's no problem. That's a lot of kids, but it'll be fun. Hey . . . [ What? ] No, just listen. [ Hey. ] Did you hear that? Listen, listen. It's coming from over there. It's in one of the . . . there something in one of your boxes.
Mark: No way. Yeah.
Stacy: That sounds . . . That sounds like a cat. Is the cat in one of your . . . Did you find . . . Did the cat get in one of your boxes?
Mark: I don't know. Let me look. Hey, let me move this box. Yeah.
Stacy: Wow!
Mark: Oh, no. I can't believe it! I'm sure the family is going to be happy about this.
Sarah: I bet. Congratulations!
@american
@american
💡improve (verb): make something better
- I'm going to improve some towels through the dryer. Do you have anything you want to put in?
- Do you know how to run this copy machine? I can't figure it out.
💡sign up (verb): put or write your name on a list to join something
Are you going to sign up for math class this semester?
💡identity (noun): the name of a person, who you are
- You can protect your identity better by not sharing your birthday and mailing address online.
💡fishy (adjective): untrue or dishoest
- Be careful. This advertisement looks a little fishy. I mean, how can this company give you a free vacation to Hawaii just for testing their products?
💡secure (adjective): safe, protected from danger
- Please make sure the house is secure before you leave today.
💡gullible (adjective): easily fooled, tricked, or cheated
- You are so gullible. I can't believe you bought on the Internet without seeing it first or getting the real name of the seller.
💡fall for (verb): be fooled by something
- I can't believe that you fell for that false advertisement. You are so gullible. You'll never get your money back.
💡scam (noun): a dishonest way to makemoney by fooling someone
- This Web site on getting a free education online is only ascam to get your money.
The difference between rich and poor
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
May Your Only Competition Be With Yourself
I was running a few errands in my car the other day. The sun was out, the radio was playing, and I was singing along. The song was a joyful one and even my weak voice sounded good singing it. Then it happened, however. The sweet sound of the music ended and was replaced with the dreaded news break. I drove on while the announcer droned on. Gas prices were going higher again because of the competitive speculation on Wall Street. The race for the Presidency was getting nastier and nastier, Rioting had broken out when fans of a sports team had gone wild, celebrating their team’s championship.
Finally, I could take no more and turned off the radio. Silence seemed preferable to listening to anything else about the crazy, competitive society we live in. I slowed down as I entered a local town and watched the people as I drove by. A tall muscular man was helping an elderly lady out of a car and helping her position her walker so she could go into a local store. A smiling woman was tossing birdseed into her backyard while a dozen Robins flew down to enjoy the feast being laid out before them. A young man was walking along, carrying his two year old daughter safely in his arms. He tickled her gently when she pulled the hat off his head and they both laughed. I laughed too as I looked at all of this kindness. It felt like a glimpse of Heaven. The radio may have been off in my car, but in my heart I was still singing.
In truth, this world could use a little more kindness and a lot less competition. Kindness makes us all winners in this life. Kindness shows us that we don’t have to beat others in this world. We just have to love them. May all of your moments here then be full of kindness, love, and joy. And may your only competition be with yourself: to be the best possible you that you can be.
@american
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BCZ69TucN_oFlEuMDLojsQ
@american
💡eat up (phrasal verb): use or consume a lot of something like fuel or electricity
- My parents sold their truck because it ate up so much gas that is was no longer affordable to drive.
💡gouge (verb): make people pay a lot for something
- During natural disasters, some stores tend to gougeconsumers by charging high prices for everyday goods.
💡lemon (noun): a poor-quality car that is useless
- My brother knows nothing about cars, and he bought a used car, but it turned out to be a real lemon because it broke down only two hours after he bought it.
💡like a dream (verb): very well
- The minivan runs like a dream; it handles smoothly, and you feel like you are driving a luxury car.
💡incidental (adjective): unplanned or unexpected
- You should budget enough money for maintaining your car because there are often incidental expenses you don't anticipate, like repairing a cracked windshield or fixing a flat tire.
💡boulder (noun): a large rock
- The road was closed for two hours because road crews had to remove several large boulders that tumbled into the road as a result of a major rock slide.
💡hassle (noun): trouble, difficulty, or bother
- It was such a hassle to drive my dad's truck because there was always something wrong with it.
💡out-of-the-way (adjective): far away from people or cities that is not traveled much
- I really enjoy driving to out-of-the-way places because I can get away from large crowds.
Let's learn English!
Rental Car Agent: Hi. How can I help you?
Customer: Yeah. I'd like to rent a mid-size car for three days.
Rental Car Agent: Okay. Let me check to see if we have one available. Hmmm. It's doesn't look like we do. We have a couple of economy, compact, and full-size cars available, or a nice minivan.
Customer: Well, what is the main difference between these cars?
Agent: The main difference is size. The economy car is the smallest, and it seats fewer passengers and can hold less luggage. [Okay.] How many people are with you?
Customer: Just me and my son.
Rental Car Agent: Well, the economy car would work. We have one right out front.
Customer: Where? That one? It looks more like a shoebox to me. I'm really tall and trying squeeze into that thing . . . I don't think so.
Rental Car Agent: Well, if you need more room or comfort, I recommend the full-size car. It also has a nice stereo system, CD player, [Alright] safety rear door locks, and cruise control, and power locks and windows.
Customer: Well, I'm not so concerned about how it's equipped. I just want to make sure it is comfortable to drive. And what is the daily rate for that anyway?
Rental Car Agent: Well, let's see here. Oh, yeah. It'll come to fifty-seven ninety-five a day.
Customer: Wow, a little expensive. But what's the cost for mileage?
Rental Car Agent: Hey, all of our cars have unlimited miles, but of course, that doesn't include gas.
Customer: Yeah, right. I bet that car probably eats up gas, and now that were in the middle of the vacation season, gas stations aregouging consumers with astronomical prices.
Rental Car Agent: Well, as they say, it comes down to the law of supply an demand.
Customer: Well, anyway, can you install a car seat in one of those cars? I have a 3-year-old son with me.
Rental Car Agent: Sure, and that'll only be one dollar extra per day.
Customer: I'll go with the full-size car. Wait, uh . . . what does it look like?
Rental Car Agent: Uh, it's right out there in the parking lot. [Which one?] The one over there next to the sidewalk.
Customer: Do you mean that old lemon with the missing hubcap? Ahhh.
Rental Car Agent: Sir, excuse me. We take pride in our vehicles. It's just that it's one of the last cars on our lot, but it runs like a dream. Don't let the exterior fool you. Hey, I'll even give you an extra fifteen dollars off the daily rate to show you we are serious about pleasing our customers. Will there be any other drivers?
Customer: No, I'm the only driver.
Rental Car Agent: Okay. Would you like to purchase our daily car protection plan?
Customer: What's that exactly?
Rental Car Agent: Well, the car protection plan is a complete insurance package covering damage to the vehicle, [Okay] injury or loss of life to you or your passengers [Oh]. It even includes incidental road damage caused by, let's say, a huge boulder rolling down the mountain and crushing your car. [Oh, uh, well . . . ]. However, it won't cover loss of property due to theft. Too much crime in the area anyway. [What? Wh . . . What about this crime? What, what?]. Don't worry about it. And the car protection plan is only seventeen ninety-five per day. [But you were saying?] And the nicest thing about this coverage is that you can rent the car without the worry and hassle of making a complicated claim in case you do have a problem.
Customer: But wouldn't my own car insurance cover those problems?
Rental Car Agent: It might, but each insurance policy is different. With our car protection plan, however, you deal directly with us in case there is a problem [Well . . . ], and we handle everything quickly, and you don't have to contact your own insurance company.
Okay. Let me just confirm this. A full-size car with a car seat for three days [Yeah], plus the car protection package. Is that right? [That's right.] Okay, I'll have our mechanic, Louie, check the car over and pull it up to the door.
Customer: Push it up to the door? I hope this car really runs.
Rental Car Agent: Well, in case it does break down on some out-of-the-way, d
@american
💡unload (verb): remove something from a truck
- Three men unloaded all of our things in two hours.
💡hire (verb): give work or a job to someone
- I want to hire a company to clean our carpets before we move.
💡load (verb): put something on a truck
- The movers are going to load the boxes onto the truck first.
💡tow (verb): pull something behind another vehicle
- We had to tow our car to the mechanic because it broke down yesteday.
💡vehicle (noun): car or truck
- You should never leave children alone in vehicles while you are shopping.
💡rough (adjective): difficult
- Moving a family to a new city can be rough on children.
💡bet (verb): think that something is probably true
- I bet that they'll never move away from this area because their parents live here.
Let's learn English!
Woman: Hey, Brandon. What are you doing?
Man: Oh, You'll like this. It's a new Web site that helps you improveyour writing skills for free.
Woman: Really? Yeah. That would be really helpful.
Man: Yeah and I'm signing up right now.
Woman: Wow. Let me see that.
Man: Yeah. It's easy. You just enter your name, your birthday, your address, your bank information. [ What? ] Your credit card number.
Woman: Wait, wait, wait. [ What? ] I thought you said it was free.
Man: It IS free.
Woman: Then, why do they need your bank and credit card information?
Man: Well, you know, it's just, you know, just . . . just to check youridentity or something like that. But, but it's all free. What?
Woman: That doesn't sound free to me.
Man: Well, you don't understand.
Woman: It sounds pretty fishy to me. How do you know that this is a trusted Web site. Look. That doesn't look like a secure URL.
Man: Well, you don't understand. Look. It says right here on their page. Right here: "Our goal is help you learn. Trusting us. We knows how to help you in 15 days or below." What? What?
Woman: That's terrible English. Who wrote this? What country are they in? You need to help THEM with their English. I mean, this is a sure sign that they are trying to probably steal your personal information and your identify.
Man: No, no, no, and look. Here is a picture of some of their staff. And they look honest. Hey . . .
Woman: You're so gullible.
Man: Hey, hey. What are you doing?
Woman: I'm shutting down your computer. I can't watch my own brother fall for a scam like this.
Man: You just don't understand.
@american