~ I Hope ~

Paul Harvey

and the rest of the story . . .

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.

For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meatloaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your 'driver' to drop you two blocks away so you won't be embarrassed to be seen riding with someone as un-cool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your Mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you -- tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

I often compare Paul Harvey to the Wizard of Oz - a genius at remembering the "way it was" and how to go back home. A friend sent me this "rest of the story" by Paul Harvey, and I knew I had to put it on a web page. But, also knew I had to add to it (okay . . . so you all know me by now)!

Using the same format I would like to add my thoughts and hopes for my grandchildren, great-grandchildren and anyone else who might like to reminisce about the "way we were".

I Hope . . .

You know what it feels like to earn your own money at a young age. Whether it be a paper route, baby-sitting, or just a lemonade stand, I hope you have the thrill and satisfaction of being able to buy something for yourself or for someone else, with money you have earned yourself.

I hope you know what it is like to sacrifice a Christmas present so you can send money or buy a present for someone who will receive no presents under their Christmas tree.

I hope you get to bake cookies with your grandmother, or your Aunt, or the neighbor next door.

I hope you learn how to say those "old-fashioned" words - "Please" and "Thank-you", and may you always remember to thank someone for a gift or a deed, no matter how small the gift or how far away they live.

I hope you will climb a mountain someday to recognize the vastness of the beauty around you, and realize you are a small, but very important part, of this beautiful world.

I hope you will visit a nursing home at least once to listen to the stories these people tell. You may learn valuable lessons, as they speak from years of experience, not just hopes and dreams.

I hope you will reach for your hopes and dreams, and realize that you may achieve some, while others you may not, but either way, you will have learned valuable lessons which will turn into your years of experiences.

On Memorial day, I hope you take flowers to a grave that has no flowers - only to remember them when no one else has.

I hope you will remember the sacrifices your parents made for you; to buy you the things you wanted, and not always the things you needed, even though they could not always afford them.

When you are being punished, I hope you remember that your parents are only punishing you because they love you and want you to learn, not because they are being mean.

Someday, I hope you can run on an ocean beach and feel the wind blowing in your hair, and know what it feels like to be a free spirit.

When friends are teasing or making fun of another classmate, I hope you will tell them it is wrong. I hope you will befriend this classmate as he or she may become the best friend you ever had!

At least once, I hope you attend a midnight Christmas eve service to learn why you are here, and an Easter morning sunrise service, to learn where you are going.

I hope you will always remember that this world would never be the same without you in it. You are now, and will be in the future, a very important part of this universe, and the rest of the world needs you to take your place in the wholeness of "us".

And finally, try to remember your dreams, for a dream is a wish your heart makes.

~ StinaLisa ~

"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartache
Whatever you wish for, you keep.

Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true.

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're feeling small
Alone in the night you whisper
Thinking no one can hear you at all.

You wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know, tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true.

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartache
Whatever you wish for, you keep.

So you wake with the morning sunlight
To find fortune that is smiling on you
Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow
For all you know, tomorrow
The dream that you wish will come true.

No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true
Ooh, yeah, come true.

"Life and Inspiration Index"


"Hurricane Katrina"		"I Saw A Mighty Waterfall"

If you have the time, stop by my home on the web,
have a cup of coffee, and see a list of my other web pages.
Please sign my Guestbook so I know you've stopped by.
Thanks!
~ StinaLisa ~

"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"
Kimberly Locke
from
Cinderella - Special Edition Soundtrack

The music playing is a condensed version of "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", and is for entertainment, educational and evaluation purposes only. Titles have full copyright by their respective artists and record companies. Please show your support for the artists who gave us this great
music by purchasing their CDs.

If you are interested in purchasing a full version of "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" by Kimberly Locke, I have provided a link below to Amazon.com. They sell both new and used CDs. I have purchased many used CDs for my web pages and have never had a problem. Amazon also sells MP3 downloads in several categories with single songs ranging from 89 to 99 cents.

Thank you.

March 2000