FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

[El Supremo]

Did you watch the SOTU Parody at: http://www.youtube.com/w/State-of-the-Union-2006----Bush-Impression?v=upTUbqc5Pso ?

I knew that *'s blathering at the end was a massacre of some poem. Well, I found it.


FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach
with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene,
he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand.
One belonged to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed
that many times along the path of his life,
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened
at the very lowest
and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him
and he questioned the Lord about it.:

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during
the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you the most
you would leave me."
The Lord replied,
"My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then I carried you."

~Author Unknown~

[varkam]

1. Or...

When you see only one set of footprints...
it was when I was on your back.

[Merlot]

2. I love your interpretation!

[Dervill Crow]

3. One of my favorite versions:

Butt Prints in the Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of the Goddess they were,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,
and I asked Her, "What have we here?
These prints are large and round and neat,
But much too big to be from feet."

"My child," She said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You would not learn, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt.

"Because in life, there comes a time
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."

Author Unknown

[hunter]

4. They never talk about the drunken tourists watching it all...

Hey, look at that! God's carrying some poor bastard down the beach...
That's something you don't see every day. God bless America!

:toast:

This is interesting too:

http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com

"Footprints in the Sand has been seen in print by people the world over since the late 1940's. All that time no author has been credited with this immortal work, only 'Author Anonymous' has appeared at the bottom. This web site was created to bring to light the story behind 'Footprints in the Sand' and it's author Mary Stevenson (Zangare)."

I hate stuff like this. I mean one minute God's carrying you along the Beach, and the next minute He's tossing you out into the riptides.

"Heh, I knew you could swim, especially when you saw those sharks coming at you. The look on your face was priceless, I tell you, priceless! Aren't you glad I saved you from the riptide?"

"But God, you tossed me into the riptide!"

"Well it's a good thing I saved you from the sharks."

"But God, I swam away from the sharks."

"Well it's a good thing you can swim, isn't it?"

[ChazII]

5. Your version

is one that needs to be passed on. It is sure to give a smile. At least if one has a sense of humor. :headbang:

[unschooler]

6. You blasphemer!

Those pictures are downright offensive!

[hunter]

7. "God Bless America" is my favorite blasphemy to mock...

...followed very closely by "One Nation Under God."

Those who believe we are some sort of Christian nation have got to admit we do a pretty poor job of it. As a nation the United States is the Imperial Rome of Christ's time; our national behavior is not at all Christian, and many of our "Christian" leaders are exactly the hypocritical Pharisees Christ spoke against.

The picture I posted is from a beach in Thailand -- two tourists watching the Tsunami clean up efforts. You can find very simililar pictures of our Gulf Coast.

I really dislike "footprints in the sand" because most people see it as an elaboration of "God helps those who help themselves," a trust that God alone will carry us through our darkest hours. That's fine, but it also blinds us to our duty to help our neighbors in their own darkest hours, and it often prevents us from seeking help for ourselves when we need it most.

For every person God carries down the beach, many more people die utterly alone.

[Inland]

8. Interesting take. nt