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http://www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com/

Bear's Inspirations, 1820 Wynnton Road, Columbus, GA (2026)

04/01/2026

Winter

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was a young boy, just married and embarking on my new life with my wife.
And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all... And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...
But, here it is ...the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise. ..How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?
I remember well. ..seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...
But, here it is...my wife retired a few months ago and she's really getting gray....she moves slower and I see an older woman now. She's in much better shape than me...but, I see the great change...
Not the one I married who was perky, young and strong...
but, like me, her age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore ...it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things.
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last....This I know, that when it's over... I will enjoy the spring in the arms of my loving Father....and wait for my loved ones to come when their winter is over too...

So, if you’re not in your winter yet ...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!

For remember that scripture? .our life is but a v***r, it vanished away ...So, do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, live for the Lord today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...

04/01/2026

Phillip's Egg
Phillip was born with Down syndrome. He was a pleasant child. . Happy it seemed but increasingly aware of the difference between himself and other children. Phillip went to Sunday School faithfully every week. He was in the third grade class with nine other eight-year olds. You know eight-year olds. And Phillip, with his differences, was not readily accepted. But his teacher was sensitive to Phillip and he helped this group of eight-year olds to each other as best they could, under the circumstances. They learned, they laughed, and they played together. And they really cared about one another, even though eight-year olds don't say they care about one another out loud.

But don't forget. There was an exception to all this. Phillip was not really a part of the group. Phillip did not choose, nor did he want to be different. He just was. And that was the way things were.
His teacher had a marvelous idea for his class the Sunday after Easter. You know those things that panty hose come in, the containers that look like great big eggs? The teacher collected ten of them. The children loved it when he brought them into the room and gave one to each child. It was a beautiful spring day, and the assignment was for each child to go outside, find the symbol for new life, put it into the egg, and bring it back to the classroom. They would then open and share their new life symbols and surprises, one by one.
It was glorious. It was confusing. It was wild. They ran all around the church grounds, gathering their symbols, and returned to the classroom.
They put all the eggs on a table, and then the teacher began to open them. All the children gathered around the table. He opened one and there was a flower, and they ooh-ed and aah-ed. He opened another and there was a little butterfly. "Beautiful' the girls all said, since it is hard for eight-year
old boys to say 'beautiful.' He opened another and there was a rock and as third-graders will, some laughed, and some said, "That's crazy! How's a rock supposed to be like new life?" But the smart little boy who'd put it in there spoke up: "That's mine. And I knew all of you would get flowers and buds and leaves and butterflies and stuff like that. So I got a rock because I wanted to be different. And for me, that's new life." They all laughed.
The teacher said something about the wisdom of eight-year olds and opened the next one. There was nothing inside. The children, as eight-year olds will say, "That's not fair. That's stupid! Somebody didn't do it right." Then the teacher felt a tug on his shirt, and he looked down. "It's mine, Phillip said. It's mine." And the children said, "You don't ever do things right, Philip. There's nothing there!" "I did so do it right!" Phillip said. "I did do it right. The tomb is empty!"

There was silence, a very full silence. And for you people who don’t believe in miracles, I want to tell you that one happened that day. From that time on, it was different. Philip suddenly became a part of that group of eight-year old children. They took him in. He was set free from the tomb of his differentness.
Philip died last summer. His family had known since the time he was born that he wouldn’t live out a full life span. Many other things were wrong with his little body. And so, late last July, with an infection that most normal children could have quickly shrugged off, Philip died.
At his memorial service, nine eight-year old children marched up to the altar, not with flowers to cover over the stark reality of death . . . but nine eight-year olds, along with their Sunday School teacher, marched right up to that altar, and laid on it an empty egg . . . an empty, old, discarded pantyhose egg.
And the tomb is empty!

04/01/2026

The Rose And The Thorn

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, “How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?” Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom….it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at
birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the
defects.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good
within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the
greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose
within them.

This is one of the characteristic of love. To look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life, all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the “rose” within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

04/01/2026

The Cross Room
The young man was at the end of his rope.
Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer.
"Lord, I can't go on," he said.
"I have too heavy a cross to bear."
The Lord replied,
"My son, if you can't bear it's weight,
just place your cross inside this room.
Then open another door and pick any cross you wish."
The man was filled with relief.
"Thank you, Lord,"
he sighed, and did as he was told.
As he looked around the room he saw many different crosses;
some so large the tops were not visible.
Then he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.
"I'd like that one, Lord,"
he whispered. And the Lord replied,
"My son, that's the cross you brought in."
-Unknown

03/26/2026

The Dart Test

A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture. Sally's friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved. The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target. Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus.

A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced. Dr. Smith said only these words... "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40. No other words were necessary; the tears filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ. This is an easy test; you score 100 or zero. It's your choice. If you aren't ashamed to do this, please follow the directions. Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you, before My Father." Not ashamed ... pass this on. Ashamed ... delete it. One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" "And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!" "How much?" He asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood." Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price. Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says. Or is it scary? Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God). Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace. Isn't it funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week. Are you laughing? Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them. Isn't it funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me. Will YOU pass this on? .... I did

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/25/2026

Put the Glass Down

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his student on stress management.

He demonstrated the weight of water. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience,

"How heavy would you guess this glass of water is?"

The students answered between 5 ounces & 500 mg.

"It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it.

"If I hold it for a minute, it is OK.

"If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm.

"If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance.,

"It is the exact same weight in each case, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

The lesson . . .

"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier."

"What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again."

We have to put down our burdens periodically so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

So before you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work down, don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow if you must. Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders, let it down for a moment, if you can.

Pick it up again later when you have rested. . .

Rest and relax.

Life is short, enjoy it!!

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/24/2026

Beautiful Tax time

The assessor approached with weary tread

And knocked at a farmhouse door,

"Not much value here," he said,

The surroundings looked very poor.

The room he entered was cozy and warm,

The couple were aged and gray,

from his portfolio he selected a form

And said in a business way.

"I'm here to appraise your property, sir,

to determine your wealth, you see.

I'm the assessor, I might infer,

Will you answer some questions for me?'

"Oh, we have great riches," they quickly replied,

Their faces aglow with bliss,

The assessor awaited with pencil poised

Waiting the items to list.

"Our mutual love we value quite high,

It began such a long time ago;

Each passing year has strengthened the tie,

That increases the value, you know."

"Our health is more precious than silver and gold,

The Master has been very kind;

We enjoy each day as it comes and goes,

While so many in illness repine."

"We've quite a fortune in relics, too,

Any price you would name would be small:

A soft golden curl, a little worn shoe,

And the fingerprints there on the wall.

"We've a special interest in heaven, too,

She departed this life at three,

A jewel in heaven with value true,

That's quite an asset, you see."

The astonished assessor squirmed in his shoes

(He was finding it hard to relax),

"They truly have great riches," he mused,

"But not one thing I can tax."

"We have no possessions," they calmly explained,

"To lock in a vault of steel,

Possessions and riches are different, you see,

Our riches, the things that we feel."

"There's one more that is quite vital,

You may be a little surprised,

We hold a bloodbought title,

To a mansion in the skies."

The puzzled assessor bowed himself out

In utter exasperation,

The richest couple he had ever known

Were entirely exempt from taxation.

Aren't you glad that you are tax exempt on the things that are most important in life?

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/23/2026

God Within Us

This is a story about a little girl who, on the way

home from church, turned to her mother and

said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this

morning confused me."

The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?"

The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is

bigger than we are. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's true," the mother replied.

"He also said that God lives within us. Is

that true too?"

Again the mother replied, "Yes."

"Well," said the girl, "If God is bigger than us,

and He lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"

Read this again......... and Think..

Unknown Author

Bible Verse Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine

before others, so that they may see your

good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

New Revised Standard Version

Dear Lord, help me to live my life

at all times in such a way that you

show through. Amen.

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/22/2026

Seize The Day

I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: Seize the moment. Just possibly she may be the wisest woman on this planet. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy! on television? I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't.”Check one:

"I have clothes on the line."

"My hair is dirty."

"I wish I had known yesterday."

"I had a late breakfast."

“It looks like rain."

And my personal favorite: - "It's Monday."

She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect:

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained.

We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet.

We'll go on a second honeymoon-when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to",

"I plan on" and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my hips with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to not something on your SHOULD DO list.

Today is called the "present” because it is a gift from God....

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/19/2026

Pine Tree Crosses

Spring on a Sunday afternoon we took one of our "nowhere" drives thru the country. My husband was quietly driving along some back roads. I was occupied in the front passenger seat watching out the window as the scenery went by.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my husband was straining to look out my window. This startled me, since his eyes should be on the road in front of him. I asked him what he was looking at out the windows, and he quietly replied, "Nothing. " He could have said he was looking for pine tree crosses for Easter. His eyes went back to the road in front of him.

After a few minutes, I looked over at my husband and noticed a tear running down his cheek. I asked him what was wrong. This time he told me, "I was just thinking about Pop and a story he had once told me." Of course, because it had to do with his Pop I wanted to know the story, so I asked him to share Pop's story with me.

Pine trees know when it's Easter...

Begin watching in the tops of the trees about two weeks before Easter. Usually about the first week of April, depending on the weather and the spring growth as to when the little yellow shoots will begin to sprout and then branch off and form a cross as shown in the photo. When Easter Sunday arrives you should be able to see the little crosses on top of the pine trees. As literally millions have seen the little crosses on top of the Pine Trees about 2 weeks before Easter....being another witness of HIS AMAZING GRACE to the human race!

Pass this on to your little children and teach them that the Pine Trees know when it's Easter! ~ Blessings And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me. JOHN 12:32

He said, "When I was about 8 years old, Pop and I were out fishing and that's when he told me that the pine trees know when it is Easter."

I had no idea what he meant by that, so I pressed him for more information.

He continued on... "The Pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter -- if you look at the tops of the Pine trees two weeks before Easter, you will see the yellow shoots. As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form pine tree crosses for Easter. By the time Easter Sunday comes around, you will see that most of the Pine trees will have small yellow crosses on all of the tallest pine shoots."

I turned to look out the window and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could see all of the pine trees with the tall yellow shoots stretching to Heaven.

The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses.

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/18/2026

The Boy And The Train

There was once a bridge that spanned a large river, During most of the day the, bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the bands, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge.

But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing the train to cross it.

A switchman sat in a shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed.

One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights.

He stepped onto the control and waited until the train was within the prescribed distance of when he was to turn the bridge.

He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work.

If the bridge was not securely in position, it would cause the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river.

This was a passenger train with MANY people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river and hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river, where there was a lever switch he could hold to operate the lock manually.

He would have to hold the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism

locked. Many lives depended on this man's strength.

Then, coming across the bridge from the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold.

"Daddy, where are you?" His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to

look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run! Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time.

The man almost left his lever to sn**ch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever in time if the saved his son. Either many people on the train or his own son must die.

He took but a moment to make his decision. The train sped safely and swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was even aware of the tiny broken body

thrown mercilessly into the river by the on-rushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man, still clinging to the locking lever long after the train had passed.

They did not see him walking home, more slowly than he had ever walked, to tell his wife how their son had brutally died.

Now, if you comprehend the emotions that went through this man's heart, you can begin to understand the feeling of Our Father in Heaven when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life,

Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son died?

How does He feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus-us Christ?

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

03/17/2026

Garbage Truck

One day I hopped into a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car moved out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches. The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call,

"The Law of the Garbage Truck".

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. Don't let garbage trucks take over your day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so

"Love the people who treat you right; Pray for the ones who don't."

Mandi Collier
Bear's Inspiration Page
www.bearsinspirations.homestead.com

Bear's Inspirations

04/01/2026

04/01/2026

04/01/2026

04/01/2026

03/26/2026

03/25/2026

03/24/2026

03/23/2026

03/22/2026

03/19/2026

03/18/2026

03/17/2026

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