英语文章阅读

英语文章阅读

Sharing Smiles

No one needs a smile more than the person that doesn't have one.

I walked outside just as the sun was coming up over the mountains this morning. It was such a glorious sight. The whole world seemed to awaken with it. The golden light made the green grass glow. The birds stirred in their nests and began to sing. A lone Monarch butterfly fluttered by my face. I could feel the love of God filling His creation and my soul as well. As I stood there taking in the beauty of the sunrise I found the corners of my mouth rising too. I smiled with joy and thanked God for another wonderful day here on Earth.

I decided to not let that smile fade as the day went on either. Instead I tried to pass it on to everyone I could. I found it very hard to give away, though, because I almost always got it returned. My sons′smiles shined brighter than the morning sun had. My daughter′smile made my heart feel lighter and my soul feel stronger. The smiles of all the people I met during the day left me feeling more connected to them, more connected to life, and more connected to God. Even my dogs had smiles and \"happy pants\" waiting for me when I petted them after returning home.

A smile is so much more than just a show of teeth. A smile is a prelude to laughter. A smile is a spreader of joy. A smile is a messenger of peace. A smile is a

sharer of happiness. A smile is a giver of love. Smiles help to heal the heart. Smiles help to nourish the soul. Smiles help to build a better world one grin at a time.

The truth is you don′smile because you feel good; you feel good because you smile. Don′be stingy with your smiles then. Share them with joy. Let everyone see your smiling face. Let Heaven see your smiling soul. Let God′love flow through your smile until like the morning sun you light up the world.

A Little More Kindness

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·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 reminds us that we are all God‘ Children. Kindness shows us that we don’ 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.

The First Flower Of Spring

I smiled when I saw the first flower of Spring the other day. A lone Blue Bonnet had popped its head through the ground and was looking around on a cool, April morning. I wasn抰 sure what had made it finally decide to end its long, Winter抯 sleep. Perhaps it had noticed that the ground around it was no longer frozen. Perhaps it had felt the warmth of the sunshine finally pushing the temperatures into the seventies. Perhaps it had heard the songs of the birds singing that Spring had arrived and it was time for the world to awaken again. Perhaps the roots of the trees had whispered to it that it was now safe to come out and that their own limbs were already budding.

Whatever the reason it was a joy to see the little guy soaking up the light and calling out to its fellow flowers to join in the celebration of life once again. I know that soon it will be joined by other Blue Bonnets, Buttercups, Tulips, Daffodils, and Dandelions. I know that soon the air will be full of Butterflies dancing above them all. I know that soon the meadows will be full of growing grass and the forested hills will be awash in bright, green leaves. I know that soon the mountains of my home will once again be alive with the glory of God’ creation.

We too are a part of that creation, but unlike the flowers in the field we have the ability to bloom even when the world around us is cold, dark, and harsh. We have the ability to share our beauty in the face of ugliness, our joy in the face of fear, and our love in the face of hate. We have the ability to make every day feel like the first day of Spring.

May you bloom well then today and always. May you shine your light. May you share your love. May you be truly alive in the glory of God’ creation. And may you forever make your Heavenly Father smile.

Worthless Or Priceless

I was driving my son to the sheltered workshop for the handicapped where he works a few days each week. My seventeen year old car was cruising along while the Spring sun shined down. The trees were budding and flowers were popping up along the side of the road. I looked over at my son who was humming along to a song on the radio. He turned his head, smiled and said, \" I love you Daddy.\" I

smiled back and said, \"I love you too son.\"

The green light ahead turned yellow and I slowed to a stop. Suddenly, a gold Mercedes Benz screeched to a halt next to me. The owner was yelling into a cell phone and slammed his hand on the steering wheel as he glared at the now red light. After a minute the light changed and he sped away with a scowl as big as his face. I drove on shaking my head and said a little prayer that the owner of that expensive car would one day realize the true treasures in life.

That miserable man in the Mercedes reminded me again of the worthlessness of wealth and the pricelessness of love in the eyes of eternity. All of his money hadn’t put a smile on his face. All of his things hadn’t given him peace. All of his wealth hadn’t filled his heart with happiness or brought meaning to his life. He seemed lost, separated from love, and separated from God. He was trapped in a golden cage and didn’t even know it.

Please don’ t spend your life in the pursuit of the worthless \"fool’ gold\" that our society holds dear. Don’ t try to gain the whole world and in the process lose your soul. Instead spend your days here building \"the Treasures of Heaven\" in your heart. If you do then your days will be blessed with sunshine, smiles, and sweet laughter. If you do then you will not only fill your soul with love but you will also scatter joy to the world around you. If you do then you will be able to give God the most priceless gift of all: your life lived with love.

Airline profits increase while regional pilots struggle with poverty

wages

The lean days of post 9/11 appear to be over for the airline industry. Airlines are making record profits, and it’s not from airfare. The industry’s total net profit margins jumped dramatically in one year alone, from $98 million in 2012 to $12.7 billion in 2013. The reason is due to increased ancilliary fees.

Carry-on luggage, checked luggage, reservation changes; all of these extra fees airlines charge add up to a big chunk of change.

CNN reports that Delta saw the highest profit margins, collecting $833 million in baggage fees alone, and $840 million in reservation/cancellation fees. That’s a total of $1.67 billion. United reported a total $1.38 billion collected, with $625 million of that in baggage fees.

American Airlines and US Airways continue to report their earnings separately, although they have technically merged into one mega airline. The profits for both airlines totaled more than Delta and United combined, collecting more than $1 billion in baggage fees and $848 million in reservation/cancellations.

This could be good news for pilots frustrated by stagnant and decreasing wages since the recession, but it doesn’t appear that airlines are willing to play the game just yet. The Lincoln Journal Star in Nebraska reports that a pilot shortage is threatening to shutter small, regional airports. This is mostly due to stricter federal regulations requiring regional pilots to have 1,500 hours of training

to become a first officer, instead of the previous 250 hours. The Federal Aviation Administration changed this requirement last fall as a result of the 2012 Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act. The law was passed after a regional airline crashed near Buffalo, N.Y., in 2009, killing 50 people. The crash was ruled primarily due to pilot error, hence the increased training requirements.

Many pilots, especially those at Great Lakes Airlines, simply don’t have enough hours to qualify. Of those who did have the necessary hours, many went to larger airlines with bigger pay, leaving smaller airlines scrambling for qualified pilots.

Regional pilots have endured low wages for years. To illustrate how low some of these pilots’ wages are, In-N-Out Burger starts its employees at $10.50 and hour. Regional pilots often start around the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. When burger flippers at a fast food joint out-earn pilots who hold thousands of peoples’ lives in their hands every year, something is very, very wrong. And this is why pilots at Republic Airlines recently rejected a new contract, even with a proposed pay raise. They are apparently holding out for more money. American Eagle pilots have also rejected a new contract proposal, but their contract would have frozen wages and increased their health insurance premiums. The CEO of American Eagle is refusing to play nice, stating the airline will begin to downsize rather than put up more money to increase pilot salaries.

Regardless, the diminishing pool of qualified pilots is giving pilots an

increased sense of power to bargain for better wages, and they should.

Unfortunately, many regional airlines are, according to the Motley Fool, “locked into long-term contracts with legacy carriers that make it impossible for them to meet the pilots’ demands.” This could lead to the demise of regional carriers in general as poorly paid, better qualified pilots find better paying jobs at Delta, American Airlines, and even Southwest.

It is time for larger airlines to take a second look at the contracts they have with regional airlines. With such a huge net profit from baggage fees alone, major airlines can afford to offer their regional airlines a healthier contract, allowing qualified pilots to earn a living wage, instead of subsisting on wages that are lower than fast food salaries.