[h=3] [/h][TABLE] [TR="bgcolor: transparent"] [TD="bgcolor: transparent"]They tell of a very rich and smart man who lived many years ago in a city far away. He had a big family, a wife, children and grandchildren, and was beloved by all. He was generous to his family and friends. One day his wife passed away and he was left alone in his house. After the mourning period, his children came to him and said he shouldn't live all alone in the big house. "Sell your house and possessions," they said, "give it to us and you can live at the elder son's house, and will never want for anything." The man agreed, sold all he had and divided it between his children, moving to the son's house. At first, he needed for nothing, and his children visited him often. But slowly, the children and grandchildren stopped showing. At the house, his elder son's became resentful, and he was often passed on for food, his clothes weren't fixed properly and he was ashamed to walk outside in them. One day, the old man said to his son, "gather everyone and the mayor, I have something to tell you." When everyone gathered, the man said: "I have told you I sold everything, but that wasn't the truth. I still have a suitcase filled with gold and jewellery. Since my day is coming fast, I want you to have it. It is locked with 2 keys, one I will give the mayor and the other my elder son. It's buried under the big tree in front of our old house, and when I am dead you can open the suitcase and divide what is in there." Everyone was very excited to hear this, and from that day the man wanted for nothing again, surrounded by children and given food, clothes and money. He lived the rest of his life in peace. After his death, his family gathered around the big tree as the men began digging. And indeed they found the big suitcase and with great ceremony opened it with the 2 keys. But inside, all they found was the edge of a donkey's tail and an envelope. The envelope contained a letter with only one line. "Only an ass gives everything away too soon." .................................. I have in my hands two boxes, Which God gave me to hold. He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box, And all your joys in the gold." I heeded His words, and in the two boxes, Both my joys and sorrows I stored, But though the gold became heavier each day, The black was as light as before. With curiosity, I opened the black, I wanted to find out why, And I saw, in the base of the box, a h***, Which my sorrows had fallen out by. I showed the h*** to God, and mused, "I wonder where my sorrows could be!" He smiled a gentle smile and said, "My child, they're all here with me.." I asked God, why He gave me the boxes, Why the gold and the black with the h***? "My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings, The black is for you to let go." We should consider all of our friends a blessing. Send this to a friend today just to let them know you are thinking of them and that they are a joy in your life. A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end.It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see, Is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me. Today I pass the friendship ball to you. Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you... [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [h=3]TIME YOUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE -AN EYE OPENER !![/h] [TABLE] [TR] [TD] When the angel of death came to Joe Smith, to accompany him to his real home, Joe dismissively responded “I am not ready to die as I have so much left to do. Do you mind coming back later?” The Angel replied, sorry your time is up and we must leave now. Joe enquired, “don’t you know who I am? I am Joe Smith, one of the richest men in the world. The Angel nodded “I know all about you as I do everyone else; now hurry along, Let’s go.” Joe pleaded; “if I were to give you 10% of my fortune, which is over a billion dollars, will you turn a blind eye and return a year later?” The Angel shook his head and replied, “you don’t seem to understand Joe. It is time to go” For the next few moments, Joe tried his best to negotiate with the angel giving away more of his fortune for lesser time. He finally succumbed and offered “if I were to give you all my fortune, which is 10 billion dollars, will you give me 5 minutes so that I can call my wife and children and tell them that I love them? I have never told them this and it is very important to me that they know how I feel about them. I also need to seek forgiveness from 2 people that I have hurt the most. All I ask is 5 minutes!” The Angel paused and looked at Joe curiously and asked, “how long did it take you to make your 10 billion dollars?” Joe replied, “30 years my friend – it took me a whole 30 years – it’s a great deal in exchange for 5 minutes, take it – you will never have to work another day in your life. “ The Angel shook his head and said “I really do not understand you human beings! If you are willing to give up 30 years of your lives’ work for 5 minutes, then why did you not make the most of every minute while you had it? How did you value your time? Where were your priorities? Why did you not say or do the things that really mattered?” The lights went off a second later, Joe was gone. His 10 billion dollars could not buy him the time to do what really mattered. [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] "We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives. Some lessons are painful , Some are painless.. But all are priceless.! .............................. A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, “I’ll give each of you just one wish” “Me first! Me first!” says the administration clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.” Poof! She’s gone. “Me next! Me next!” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii,relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.” Poof! He’s gone. “OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.” Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say. ..................................... ''A turkey was chatting with a bull “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, but I haven’t got the energy.” “Well, why don’t you nibble on my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree. Moral of the story: Bull**** might get you to the top, but it wont keep you there.................................................... A man was caught and thrown into a pit of about"40 feet" deep, just because he was a stranger. He struggled trying to get out of the pit, but the more he tried, the weaker his muscles became. He said to himself, "I don't know how to get myself out of this. Maybe I should just die instead of enduring these miserable struggles and pains." Just then, he heard a voice screaming, "Help! Help!! Help!!!" The shouts were coming from another pit, which was "10 feet" deeper than the one he was in. He thought to himself, "Wow, so there is somebody else like me trapped here too". Listening carefully, he heard some cracking and sand dropping from the wall of the pit of the other victim. Immediately he summed up his courage and with his last bit of strength, started crawling little by little until he made it out of his pit. MORAL LESSON: That pain you think you are passing through, there are people worst off than you. Always say something sweet to yourself. Always smile at your pains. Let them be; they are just there for a while and also to challenge you. Today may be your darkest hour, but your joy will come in the morning. Try to encourage yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror, beat your chest and say, "I can make it and I can stand the test of time." *Always try to face your worst fear because nothing GOOD comes easy. You must be UNCOMFORTABLE to get to your COMFORT ZONE
Re: Stories, thoughts and read to ponder [h=3]Be like a pencil....and other thoughtful stories[/h] Once upon a time........A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you,... actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’ Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special. ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’ ‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’ ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’ ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.’ ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’ ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’ Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, -The rebirth concept. Interesting !!!!! The Egg By: Andy Weir You were on your way home when you died. It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me. And that’s when you met me. “What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?” “You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words. “There was a… a truck and it was skidding…” “Yup,” I said. “I… I died?” “Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said. You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?” “More or less,” I said. “Are you god?” You asked. “Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.” “My kids… my wife,” you said. “What about them?” “Will they be all right?” “That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.” You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty. “Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.” “Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?” “Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.” “Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,” “All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.” You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?” “Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.” “So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.” “Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.” I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had. “You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.” “How many times have I been reincarnated, then?” “Oh lots. Lots and lots. And in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.” “Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?” “Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.” “Where you come from?” You said. “Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.” “Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.” “Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.” “So what’s the point of it all?” “Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?” “Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted. I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.” “You mean mankind? You want us to mature?” “No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.” “Just me? What about everyone else?” “There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.” You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…” “All you. Different incarnations of you.” “Wait. I’m everyone!?” “Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back. “I’m every human being who ever lived?” “Or who will ever live, yes.” “I’m Abraham Lincoln?” “And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added. “I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled. “And you’re the millions he killed.” “I’m Jesus?” “And you’re everyone who followed him.” You fell silent. “Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.” You thought for a long time. “Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?” “Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.” “Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?” “No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.” “So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…” “An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.” And I sent you on your way. ___________________________________________ Muhammad Ali's advice to his daughters...Powerful! An incident transpired when Muhammad Ali’s daughters arrived at his home wearing clothes that were quite revealing. Here is the story as told by one of his daughters: “When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father’s suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchangedmany hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get to them.” He looked at me with serious eyes. “Your body is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.” From the book: More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali's Life Lessons Through His Daughter's Eyes.- ____________________________________________-\ There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. “A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.” ................................................................ Feeling sorry for yourself & your present condition is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have. Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason,the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. “Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!” Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter try harder the next day,but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he try even harder, but he only could bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. “I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees.” Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the axe.” In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn’t want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read. We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. So start today. Think about the ways by which you could do your job more effectively and add a lot of value to it. _________________________________________________Benefits of speaking less One of the most common complaints in the workplace (and even at home) is a failure to communicate effectively.The next time you are in a crowded food court or on a bus, take note of people carrying conversations with one another.Are they actually listening to one another or are they simply waiting for their turn to speak? Try speaking less and listening more. It has its benefits. 1) You will think before you speak Given time before you speak, you will put a little more thought into what you want to communicate to the other person. Take in what he or she is saying, and use their suggestions to support or dissuade your argument. Also, you will not end up saying something you did not intend to divulge. 2) You can process what the other person is talking about When someone is speaking to you, it’s easy to zone out and just focus on snippets of what they’re saying. Listen carefully to what they are saying, how they are saying it. There may be an underlying issue of which you weren’t even aware, the person may be upset. Make sure you hear them out completely. 3) You will only say what’s important If you decide to listen more, and speak less than you normally would, it would make sense to only say what needs to be said. Why waste your time talking about things that don’t matter, or don’t deserve the energy? If you want your opinions to make an impact, you should keep your points succinct. Try to make yourself as clear as possible so that there is no room for confusion. It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; Avoid trifling Conversation.” 4) You will have all of the facts before decision-time If you spend most of your conversations listening, and you absorb the information given to you, you’ll likely have a well-rounded opinion on the outcome of any decisions that are made. For example, if you are in a meeting with several people who have concerns about a particular issue, let each person have their say before a decision is made. If you collect all of the facts, you will be able to make a well-informed decision on the outcome.
Re: Thoughtful stories to ponder An Art Of Subtraction - ponder and attemptI have watched my parents very successfully practice the art of subtraction. It really works. I had Money, Property, Family and so forth. It was a mirage I was living in. Now I have very little, but I am better off. I thought it would be difficult to 'Let Go'. Nature did it for me. I am grateful for that. People Buy large Cars, Homes and amass wealth. I have come down to a Scooter from a Car, a 1 BHK from a much larger apartment. From a large city to a lesser one and now moving to an even smaller place in the wilderness. Each time I SUBTRACT I feel better. The Mantra I have learnt is : "If you wish to be happy, you have to learn to subtract' The Art Of Subtraction The tendency of our lives, businesses, art, is to keep adding: more furniture, clothes, gadgets, tasks, appointments, features to websites and apps, words to our writing. Continual addition is not sustainable or desirable :- Too many things to do means we’re always busy, with no time for rest, stillness, contemplation, creativity, time with loved ones. Overwhelming customers with choices means they’re less likely to make an actual choice. They’d prefer that we curate the best. Too many possessions is clutter, visual stress, cleaning, maintenance, debt, less happiness. Too many tasks makes it harder to focus on any one thing or get anything done. Too many things we want to learn means, we never learn anything well. Subtraction is beautiful: it creates space, time, clarity. Subtraction is necessary: otherwise we are overburdened. Subtraction can be painful: it means letting go of a child. Subtraction is an art that improves with practice. Subtraction can be practiced on your schedule, task list, commitments list, possessions, reading list, writing, product line, distractions. What can you subtract right now? .____________________________________________________________ 1) Do not count what u have lost. Just see what u have now, Because past never comes back, But sometimes future can give u back your lost things. 2) Always be the reason of someones happiness, Never be just a part of it. Be a part of someones sadness, But never be the reason for it! 3) "Life is like a FLUTE... It may have several holes and emptiness, But if we work on it, The same holes and emptiness produce Magical Melodies." _____________________________________________________________ .Once upon a time, there was a king. He once declared in his region that any person from his territory who would be able to feed his goat till full satisfaction in a day would be given share in his kingdom. After hearing about this declaration, a lot of people came to accept the challenging offer. They took the goat one by one and used to feed it throughout the day with green fresh leaves and brought it back to the king at the end of the day. The king used to test whether his goat was satisfied or not by a method. He used to put again green leaves in front of the goat. If the goat would have been satisfied throughout the day, it would not turn towards green leaves put by the king in the evening. But it was seen that every time the leaves were put in front of goat in the evening, it again leapt towards the leaves to again feed on them. The episode continued for several months but every time the goat was found not satisfied. After a long time, one day a wise shepherd came to the king and claimed that he would be able to satisfy his goat. The king gave the goat to him for a day. The shepherd adopted a different method with the goat. He put some green fresh leaves in front of the goat and put a tough stick in his hand. Now every time the goat tried to feed on the leaves, he beat the goat severely with the stick. He continued this process throughout the day and did not let the goat to feed on a single leaf for the whole day. In the evening, he brought back the goat to the king and told the king that his goat was fully satisfied. The king checked by again putting green leaves in front of the goat. Till now the goat had understood that it would be again beaten badly by the stick if it would try to feed on the leaves. So it just did not even look at the leaves and turned its face away from the leaves. The king was very happy to see this scene and declared the shepherd the winner in this challenge and gave his share in the kingdom. Moral message :- the king represents "the supreme god". The wise shepherd represents "the human intellect" and the goat represents "the human senses". The lesson is that the human mind also keeps running after the illusionary energy of god called "maya" and never gets satisfied with it. But a person who is able to control the wandering mind and engages it in the service of the lord, then he can attain his original position back in the kingdom of god. _____________________________________________________________A story with the good Moral.. Many years ago a circus was broadcast live on television in front of a large audience, and one of the acts featured a lion tamer and a cage full of Bengal tigers. The trainer entered the cage and locked the door behind him. The spotlight lighted the cage and as the television cameras moved in closer, the audience watched in suspense. The trainer put the fierce cats through their paces, but in the middle of the performance, the unexpected happened: the power failed and the lights went out! For twenty or thirty long seconds, the trainer was stranded, locked in with the tigers, knowing they could see him perfectly, but he could not see them at all. His whip and a small stool were all that stood between him and certain death. But he survived, and when the lights came back on, he finished his performance to a standing ovation. Later, in an interview, the trainer was asked how he felt knowing the tigers could see him but he was completely in the dark. He admitted that fear had sent a chill down his spine, but then he realized that the tigers didn't know he couldn't see them. "I just kept cracking my whip," he said, "and I kept talking to them until the lights came back on. And they never knew I couldn't see them." The parallel to what occasionally happens in our own life is unmistakable. At some point, we are all fighting tigers in the dark, terrors we cannot see. But if we trust to what we know, just keep cracking our whip, and wait for the Light, all will be well. .................................................................... ...The Power of Good Words A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs they would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs asked him, "Why did you continue jumping. Didn't you hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. This story holds two lessons: 1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. 2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words… it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. ............................................................................................... I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop in a neighboring town of Venice (Italy), the city of lights and water. As we enjoyed our coffee, a man entered and sat at an empty table beside us. He called the waiter and placed his order saying, ‘Two cups of coffee, one of them there on the wall.’ We heard this order with rather interest and observed that he was served with one cup of coffee but he paid for two. As soon as he left, the waiter pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying ‘A Cup of Coffee’. While we were still there, two other men entered and ordered three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They had the two cups of coffee but paid for three and left. This time also, the waiter did the same; he pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, ‘A Cup of Coffee’. It was something unique and perplexing for us. We finished our coffee, paid the bill and left. After a few days, we had a chance to go to this coffee shop again. While we were enjoying our coffee, a man poorly dressed entered. As he seated himself, he looked at the wall and said, 'One cup of coffee from the wall'. The waiter served coffee to this man with the customary respect and dignity. The man had his coffee and left without paying. We were amazed to watch all this, as the waiter took off a piece of paper from the wall and threw it in the dust bin. Now it was no surprise for us – the matter was very clear. The great respect for the needy shown by the inhabitants of this town made our eyes well up in tears. Ponder upon the need of what this man wanted... He enters the coffee shop without having to lower his self-esteem… he has no need to ask for a free cup of coffee… without asking or knowing about the one who is giving this cup of coffee to him. He only looked at the wall, placed an order for himself, enjoyed his coffee and left. ... probably the most beautiful wall you may ever see anywhere....!!! ____________________________________________________________ I was jogging one day and I noticed a person In front of me, about 1/4 of mile. I could tell he was running a little slower than me and I thought, good, I shall try to catch him. I had about a mile to go my path before I needed to turn off. So I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 yards behind him, so I really picked up the pace and push myself. You would have thought I was running In the last leg of London Olympic competition. I was determined to catch him. Finally, I did It! I caught and passed him by. On the Inside I felt so good. "I beat him" of course, he didn't even know we were racing. After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that I had missed my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past It. I had to turn around and go all back. Isn't that what happens In life when we focus on competing with co-workers, neighbours, friends, family, trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are more successful or more Important? We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths to our God given destinies. The problem with unhealthy competition Is that It's a never ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you, someone with better job, nicer car, more money In the bank, more education, a prettier wife, a more handsome husband, better behaved children, etc. But realize that "You can be the best that you can be, you are not competing with no one. The Moral ; T ak e what God has given you, the height, weight & personality. Dress well & wear It proudly! You 'll be blessed by It. Stay focused and live a healthy life. There's no competition In DESTINY, run your own RACE. _____________________________________________________________ The world is full of daily,happy surprises, if we just have eyes to see. Have you been surprised lately? A woman called her pastor. "We just won $10 million in the lottery!" she exclaimed. "But I'm afraid to tell my husband. He has a weak heart and I'm afraid he may have a heart attack. Pastor, would you be able to tell him for me?" The clergyman thought that perhaps he could, so he came right over and sat down with the man. "What would you do," he began, "if you were to win $500,000 in the lottery?" "I suppose my wife could quit her job and I could work less and relax more," the man reflected. "What would you do if you were to win a million dollars?" the pastor continued. "If I were to win that much we could both retire," the man said. "Life would be easy." The clergyman forged on. "Well, what would you do if you were to win five million dollars?" "We could do anything we wanted," he mused. "We could travel, live anywhere in the world and enjoy a life we never dreamed was possible." Finally he got to it. "Now tell me...what would you do if you won ten million dollars in the lottery?" "Ten million dollars? Why, if I ever won that much, Pastor, I know one thing for sure. I'd give half of it to you and the church." You guessed it. The pastor had a heart attack. I don't know if a gift of massive wealth will turn out as wonderful as one might think, but it's probably a good thing that most surprises don't come in such huge helpings. I think I prefer my surprises to come in smaller, bite-sized portions. Even the good ones. And I'm discovering that the world is full of daily, happy surprises, if I just have eyes to see. Have you noticed that we will tend to see what we look for and miss most of the rest? I once observed a class instructor hold up a large sheet of white paper. It seemed to be clean except for a black dot in the center made by a heavy marker. He asked us to tell him what we saw. Everyone who raised their hand predictably pointed out the black mark, each describing it differently. Then the teacher asked, “Why didn't anyone say they saw a sheet of white paper?” Was that answer too obvious? Maybe so, but I often miss the obvious because I'm busy looking for something else. I might be surprised at what I can see if I were to actually look for it. If I search for mistakes in myself or others, I will find enough to keep me critical for a week. Likewise, if I look every day for what is admirable in others, what is pure in myself and what is lovely in the world, all of these things suddenly become obvious. But the large sheet of white paper is easy to miss when I am searching for black smudges.Confucius taught, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” And baseball great Yogi Berra added, “You can observe a lot by watching.” It's about what I'm going to look for, and that's enough of a surprise for me.
Re:stories , thoughts to ponder [h=3]The Seed.....[/h] A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you." The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO." One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful – in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him! When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!" All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!" When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his Seed, Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But, I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!" If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment. If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later. ................................................................ [h=3]Puns for those with a slightly higher IQ.[/h] With her marriage, She got a new name and a dress. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered. You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it. Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under. Every calendar's days are numbered. A lot of money is tainted - Taint yours and taint mine. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat. He had a photographic memory that was never developed. A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large. Once you've seen one shopping centre, you've seen a mall. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses. Acupuncture is a jab well done. A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking. Dijon vu - the same mustard as before. Practice safe eating - always use condiments. Shotgun wedding - A case of wife or death. A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy. A hangover is the wrath of grapes. Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play. Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion. Reading while sunbathing makes you well red. When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I. A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired. What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead give away.) Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes. She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion. If you don't pay your exorcist, You get repossessed Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine . ...................................... [h=3]That's why Giving is important..!!![/h] There is a legend of a man who was lost in the desert, dying of thirst. He stumbled on until he came to an abandoned house. Outside the dilapidated, windowless, weather beaten, deserted shack was a pump. He stumbled forward and began pumping furiously, but no water came from the well. Then he noticed a small jug with a cork at the top and a note written on the side: "You have to prime the pump with water, my friend. P.S. And fill the jug again before you leave." He pulled out a cork and saw that the jug was full of water. Should he pour it down the pump? What if it didn't work? All of the water would be gone. If he drank the water from the jug, he could be sure he would not die of thirst. But to pour it down the rusty pump on the flimsy instruction written on the outside of the jug? Something from inside told him to follow the advice and choose the risky decision. He proceeded to pour the whole jug of water down the rusty old pump and furiously pumped up and down. Sure enough, the water gushed out! He had all he needed to drink. He filled the jug again, corked it and added his own words beneath the instructions on the jug: "Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away before you can get anything back." That's why Giving is important..!!! ................................................................................................ [h=3]AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE"![/h] There was once a woman, who, after years of work had grown a beautiful rose garden. She worked a couple hours every day;pruning, cleaning, feeding and weeding. People would come from many miles away to see the beautiful roses. The colors were vibrant, the flowers were so big, you needed two hands to hold them. Each day nurtured and cared for. Her love showed in her garden. After many years, the effects of time took their toll on the lady and she was forced to abandon her garden and rely on her daughter for care. Her daughter didn't mind. She loved her mother and felt it a great opportunity to spend time and really get to know her Mother....sort of friend to friend, instead of Mother to Daughter. They talked about many things. They shared their experiences.And the daughter learned that there was much to this great lady that she hadn't known. One day as they sat on the patio chatting, the daughter noticed the long neglected rose garden and felt saddened. They spoke of the garden and the daughter remarked how she used to laugh at how her mother crawled around in that garden every day, talking to the flowers, babying them like children. The Mother smiled with a tear in her eye. She told her daughter that observations are often misleading. "You see, my dear, that garden is like a life. Let me explain. Each day I would get down on my knees and thank God for each of those flowers. I thanked God for their beauty, their aroma and the peacefulness of that garden. And I took the opportunity while down there to clean out those plants. I got rid of the bugs, the dead pedals and leaves. I pulled the weeds so that the bushes would grow healthy and robust. I saw that garden as life. Each bush was an effort, each flower was the blessing brought forth from that effort. And it was all because God gave me the opportunity to try. And, as you can see, like life, when the garden is not tended, the bushes become wild, lanky and heavily barbed. They tangle among themselves. Flowers become fewer and smaller, less aromatic. Until it becomes so tangled and overgrown that it no longer resembles the beautiful garden it had once been. When you saw me crawling, I was praying. When you saw me talking to the flowers, I was talking to God." We each have a rose garden. How we tend that garden will determine the beauty that it wields. But the thing to remember is this: tending the garden cannot happen until we come to our knees and get closer to the flowers. We need to take the opportunity to talk to God, give him thanks and clean out the dead weeds and pedals through repentance. This is a great time for us. We have recently paid gratitude to our military, the people who protect our liberties and freedoms. And we have the opportunity soon to take a day and give thanks for all that we hold dear. Sadly, we have forgotten what Thanksgiving is about. A day reserved for offering our thanks and gratitude to God, has become a day to eat, drink, sleep and get ready to hit the Black Friday sales at midnight. It has become just another day differing only by the fact that we have a great big meal. When was the last time you got to your knees to tend your garden. "Give thanks unto God in ALL things." THAT IS A COMMANDMENT, not a request. Take time to think about the many blessings you have been given. Approach this Holiday Season with "AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE"!
