Stories

The Tiger By Remez Sasson

A teacher and his student were walking from one village to another, when they suddenly heard a roar behind them. Turning their gaze in the direction of the roar they saw a big tiger following them. The first thing the student wanted to do was to run away, but as he has been studying and practicing self-discipline, he was able to halt himself, waiting to see what his teacher was going to do.

"What shall we do Master?" Asked the student.

The teacher looked at the student and answered in a calm voice: "There are several options. We can fill our minds with paralyzing fear so that we cannot move, and let the tiger do with us whatever pleases it. We can faint. We can run away, but then it will run after us. We can fight with it, but physically it is stronger than us."

"We can pray to god to save us. We can choose to influence the tiger with the power of our mind, if our concentration is strong enough. We can send it love. We can also concentrate and meditate on our inner power, and on the fact that we are one with the entire universe, including the tiger, and in this way influence its soul." "Which option do you choose?"

"You are the Master. You tell me what to do. We haven't much time", responded the student.

The master turned his gaze fearlessly towards the tiger, emptied his mind from all thoughts, and entered samadhi (a kind of trance). In his consciousness he embraced everything in the universe including the tiger. In this deep meditation the consciousness of the teacher became one with consciousness of the tiger.

Meanwhile the student started to shiver with fear, as the tiger was already quite close, ready to make a leap at them. He was amazed at how his teacher could stay so calm and detached in the face of danger.

Meanwhile the teacher continued to meditate without fear. After a little while, the tiger gradually lowered its head and tail and went away.

The student asked his teacher in astonishment, "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just cleared all thoughts from my mind and united myself in spirit with the tiger. We became united in peace on the spiritual level. The tiger sensed the inner calmness, peace, and unity and felt no threat or need to express violence, and so walked away."

"When the mind is silent and calm, its peace is automatically transmitted to everything and everyone around, influencing them deeply", concluded the teacher.

Beautiful Attitude Towards Life!_good one The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. 'Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room ...just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I Like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it."

It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away...just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank. I am still depositing. Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less

A Quick Story There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. She looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got tot he point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners…he is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well-liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other

presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume.

But she stifled the children's' laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom, used to." After the children, left she cried for at least an hour,. On that very day, she quite teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became on of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under he door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, second in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit I the place at the weeding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for make me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

MOTIVATING OTHERS There was once a small boy who banged a drum all day and loved every moment of it. He would not be quiet, no matter what anyone else said or did. Various attempts were made to do something about the child.

One person told the boy that he would, if he continued to make so much noise, perforate his eardrums. This reasoning was too advanced for the child, who was neither a scientist nor a scholar.

A second person told him that drum beating was a sacred activity and should be carried out only on special occasions. The third person offered the neighbors plugs for their ears; a fourth gave the boy a book; a fifth gave the neighbors books that described a method of controlling

anger through biofeedback; a sixth person gave the boy meditation exercises to make him placid and docile. None of theseattempts worked.

Eventually, a wise person came along with an effective motivation. He looked at the situation, handed the child a hammer and chisel, and asked, "I wonder what is INSIDE the drum?"

No more problem.

Good leaders know how to motivate others. They pique their curiosity and tickle their sense of wonder. They teach them to dream and tempt them to do more than they ever thought possible. They challenge them to be a part of something great.

Pilot and author Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."

Do that and there will be no limit to the wondrous places they can travel.

Nice Story

There was a poor woman who had a sick son. once he fell very ill and the mother watched anxiously by his bed side ignoring her food and sleep. the poor mothersaw death enter her lovely cottage and snatch the child away. Atonce she rose and ran desperately after and Death ran fast. the mother bravely chased.On theway she met Night which demanded all the lullabies she used to sing to show the way in which death took her son.she sang in a mournful voice, yer full of sweetness. she ran over the thorny road bleeding to catch the snatcher.There was a lake which demanded her sparkling eyes to make its water glitter to help her pass over it. giving her eyes she ran completely exhausted and anguish.she met an old hag who demanded her lustrous hair.she gave the crowning glory of her womanhood.shorn off her beauty,blinded,wounded and exhausted challenged Death and possessed the child "How did you manage to arrive here" asked Death"I could because I am a MOTHER!" note: the sickness is not the illness of the body but polluion of mind and death is none other than bad character and moral values ....

Three Questions

There was once a king who decided that if he knew

-who the most important people to be with were, and

-what the most important thing to do was, and

-when the best time to do each thing was,

that he would certainly be the finest king ever to rule the land. Although he had asked his advisers, none had been able to give him a good answer to these questions.

At last he decided to ask the advice of a wise hermit. The king dressed in the clothes of a commoner and set out for the forest. When he neared the hermit's hut, he ordered his knights to stay back at a distance, and he rode the last section of trail alone.

The king found the hermit digging in his garden. The old man greeted him but continued digging. The king told the hermit that he had come to find answers to his three questions. The hermit listened but gave no answer and continued working. The king observed that the hermit was frail and elderly and that the work was very difficult for him. The king offered to take over the digging, and the hermit allowed it.

The king dug for one hour. Then he repeated the question, but the hermit did not answer. He worked again for another hour, and then repeated his questions with the same results. This continued for a few more hours until the sun began to sink low in the sky. Finally the king got discouraged. "I came to you for answers wise man. If you have none, tell me and I will return home."

Just them someone came running up the path. They turned to see a man with his hands pressed to his stomach and blood flowing from between them. He dropped to the ground at the king's feet.

The king and the hermit knelt down and began tending to the man. The king washed and bandaged the man's wounds. The blood continued to flow so he kept changing the bandages. The king also helped the hermit to get fresh water, and to help the man to drink.

Finally the man slept and did not wake until the next morning. The king too slept upon the ground, waking often to watch over the man. In the morning the man woke up and looked at the king.

"Forgive me," he said to the king.

"You have nothing to forgive me for," the king answered.

"Oh, but I do," he said. "You were my enemy, and I had sworn to take revenge on you for killing my brother and taking my land. I knew that you were coming here today and I decided to kill you on the trail. But when you did not return for many hours I left my hideout to find you. Your guards recognized me and wounded me. I escaped them but I would have bled to death if you had not cared for me. I meant to kill you but now you have saved my life. If I live I shall gladly serve you for the rest of my days."

The king was so happy to have been reconciled with an old enemy that he immediately forgave him and promised to return his land. Then the king called for his knights to carry the man back to his castle to be cared for by his own doctor.

After the wounded man had gone, the king asked the hermit once more if he would not give him the answer to his question.

"Your questions have already been answered." the hermit replied.

"But how?" the king answered, perplexed.

"How?" repeated the hermit.

"If you had not taken pity on my weakness yesterday and helped me instead of returning home, that man would have ambushed and killed you on the trail. Therefore, the most important time was when you were digging my garden beds; and I was the most important person; and the most important thing to do was to do good for me. Later, when the man came running to us, the most important thing to do was to care for him. If you had not bound up his wounds he would have died without making peace with you. Therefore the most important person was that man, and what you did was the most important thing, and the right time was the time when you were doing it."

"You see, the most important time is always the present moment. It is the only time that is important because it is the only time that we have control over. The past we can only look back on and wish that we had done differently. The future we can only imagine.

The most important person is always the one you are with in the present moment, and the only important deed is the deed that does what is best for others."

Distance between hearts

A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?' Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'

'But, why shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other.

The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'

Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why?

Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love.

Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words in anger that distance each other.

In the Line of FireA real story ...An interesting Conversation between a Solider and a Software Engineer in Shatabdi Train .........An interesting and a must read!

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!! He opened his case and took out the laptop,determined to put the time to some good use.

"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir.Today everything is getting computerized. "

"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."

For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but

restrained himself to a single statement.

"It is complex, very complex."

"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid!," came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone.

"Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point. "Let me give you an example. Take this train.The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

The man was awestuck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination. "You design and code such things."

"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."

"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "so your life is easy now."

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on,does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding!

That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressfu! My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."

Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realisation. What he had

said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.

"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the ine of Fire".

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if inrealization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek. "I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......." He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.

"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

"You are a...?"

"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my Captain Batra Sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. "He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety

and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time. "He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me . I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond.Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

"It was nice meeting you sir." Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour.

Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.

Live humbly, there are great people around us, living in the line fire of fire without any fuss and complaint while we crib about our job, promotion, targets, recession,salary,politics.......

The Trouble Tree

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and then

his old pickup truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward, he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing is for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

"The funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

Everybody needs a trouble tree...

Yesterday my young friend in early 30s had a heart attack. It is not the stress and pressure that kills us. It is how we chose to react it to the stress and pressure. Our families and spl. innocent children are our safety valves.

No amount of money, perks or power can compensate or value their happiness and smiles.

When there is no freedom there are no choices

A young boy left his home in search of truth. He met many people; he became richer in awareness of his ignorance. Since people went to forests to meditate, he too went to a thick forest. He did not know how to meditate. So he screamed at the forest to give him knowledge. For years his only mantra was screaming at the forest to give him knowledge. He believed that if you are committed, existence will help you.

One day, a monk came to him. He asked: "What do you want, my son?" "I

want to know what the meaning of life is," he replied. "Go to the town. The first three persons that you meet will give you the meaning of life," the monk replied. The boy went to the town. The first man he met was doing carpentry work. The next man he met was doing sheet metal work. The third man he met was making strings.

Disappointed, he sat on the bank of a river. Suddenly, he heard the sweet strains of violin music. Something mysterious touched him. He suddenly got the answer he was looking for and he started dancing.

The carpenter was preparing the wood for the violin. The sheet metal worker was preparing metal for the strings and the strings were meant for the violin. Life has everything; all you need is to be able to connect the dots. You need to work out new combinations. And for that you need creative perception.

You have to change the notion that difficulty is pain. In exercise, there is difficulty but also joy. In sports, there is difficulty but there is joy. In your relationships, when there is difficulty, treat it as joy. Just reprogramme your mind.

In prayer you don't have to do anything; just be available to God's grace. Prayer is a deep readiness to receive God's flow. It is passive alertness. Go deep and you discover your original mind… it is deep passiveness. A greedy mind is richer than a Buddha, but rich with desires and greed; so a Buddha is 'poorer' than you are. The Bible says: "Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of God."

When someone asked Buddha what he attained through his enlightenment, he said: "I did not gain but I lost. I lost my ignorance, my dreams, my dogmas, my likes and dislikes, my ambitions."

You can live in two ways – mechanical or meditative. The meditative way involves you being more aware; that awareness is passive alertness. When you are passively alert, you will realise that you are born free; you are not condemned to be not free. You have choices and that is your freedom. When there is no freedom there are no choices.

Be more meditative and you will make the right choices that will make you grow rather than feel trapped. Substance abuse is a bad choice. This is a mechanical way of living. But the choice is before you..

If you choose wisely you are in paradise. When you are eating, meditatively eat. Then eating will be a paradise. Totally be in your eating. When you take a bath, be total in taking your bath and a different paradise opens up. Next, bring in love energy into whatever you do… feel your inner being. With the energy of silence, be total. You realise that you will be a moving heaven rather than a moving hell.

THE PERFUME

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at thetop of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in

school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped inbeautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that the got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing,and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. Butshe stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the braceletwas, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today yousmelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic.

Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more sheencouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school,third in His class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his Whole life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors.

He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer....The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD. The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agreeto sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet,the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmastogether. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs.Thompson for believing in me Thank you so much formaking me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. Ididn't know how to teach until I Met you.

USEFUL OR USELESS

Ratan and Nivesh, having completed their education at Gurukul, were to leave for their homes and were to give Gurudakshina to Guruji. His demand: ‘Get me something which is totally of no use to anyone’. They set off into the forest, and eyed the fruits, trees, animals, birds, stones etc. For each one they felt that there was at least one use for them all, till they spotted a heap

of dry leaves. ‘These should be useless to everyone, perhaps we can gift these to Guruji’ they thought.

As Nivesh bent to pick them up, a young girl came running and said, ‘Please don’t! I have gathered these leaves, to make a fire for cooking food to feed my old mother, please do not take them away’. Moving further, Rattan started gathering some dry leaves at a distance. An old man came and said, ‘Son, I am a Vaidya, I make medicine from these leaves, please leave them alone.’ As they walked along the stream, they spotted a dry leaf floating on the water. Exchanging a happy nod, they reached out for the leaf, when a tiny voice cried out, ‘Stop! this leaf is my boat to float onto the shore. But for it, I would be drowned in the water.’ A tiny little ant, was sitting on the leaf!

They returned to Gurukul, with apologetic faces and narrated the experience to Guruji. A smile spread slowly over Guruji’s face and he said, ‘The understanding that nothing is useless, is the Gurudakshina I wanted. Go forth with my blessings! May the Lord be with you, at all times!’

Nothing is useless! Nothing in God’s master plan is out of place; it is only lack of comprehension at our end.

Birbals's shocking choice

One day Emperor Akbar asked Birbal what he would choose if he were given a choice between” justice “and a “gold coin”.

The “ gold coin” said Birbal without hesitation.

Akbar was taken aback. “ You would prefer a gold coin to justice?” he asked, incredulously.

“Yes” said Birbal

The other courtiers were amazed by Birbal’s display of idiocy. For years, they had been trying to discredit Birbal in the Emperor’s eyes but without success and now the man had gone and done it

himself! They could not believe their good fortune.

“ I would have been dismayed if even the lowliest of my servants had said this, “ continued the Emperor. But coming from you it’s… shocking- and sad. I did not know you are so debased.

Birbal’s Solution

“One asks for what one does not have, Your Majesty!” said Birbal quietly. “ You have seen to it that in our country justice is available to everybody. So as justice is already available to me and as I am always short of money, I said I would choose the gold coin.”

The Emperor was so pleased with Birbal’s reply that he gave him not one but a thousand gold coins!

Management Moral 1

When faced with a question by those in authority, do not always go for what seems to be the politically response. In all honesty if you feel otherwise, and have sound reasons to back up your response., have the courage of conviction to go against the tide. Once the management hears your logic, they will appreciate your unconventional thinking and you will stand out in the crowd.

Management Moral 2:

Before condemning somebody for his action, first find out why he did it. He may have a sound reason, which you may not be aware of. In all fairness everyone should have a chance to defend himself and his actions.

Management Moral 3

A faithful subordinate never misses the opportunity to praise the boss . It wil always help you to praise the admirable qualities of the boss but be careful no flattery or false praise

Most famous story on time management

As possibly the most famous story on time management goes, a young management consultant by the name of Ivy Lee told the president of the Bethlehem Steel, Charles M. Schwab, that with his company's services, Schwab and his executives would know how to manage better.

Schwab told Lee what they needed was not more knowing but more doing. He threw down the gauntlet and told Lee that if he could show him away to help them do the things they already know they ought to do, he would pay any fee that Lee wanted.

Lee told him that in 20 minutes he could give Schwab a method that would increase his company's effectiveness by at least 50%.

Pretty bold claim, I'd say.

So he gave Schwab a sheet of paper and told him to write down the six most important things he had to do the next day. Schwab wrote them down. Then Lee told him to number them in order of importance. Schwab numbered them.

Lee then told him to pull out the sheet at the beginning of the workday and start working on item 1. He was to look at that sheet every 15 minutes and look at the item that he was supposed to be currently working on. Lee told him not to be concerned if he didn't finish all the items on the list that day, only that he worked on the most important item. He told him if this method didn't work, nothing would.

Lee finished up by telling Schwab to take the last five minutes of every

working day to make out a new "must do" list for the next day's tasks.

Once he was convinced that the method was sound, he was to tell his men about it. He said to try out the method as long as he wished and to send him a check for whatever Schwab thought it was worth.

Just a 20 minute conversation.

Just one piece of advice...

Two weeks later, Schwab sent Lee a check for $25,000 (worth more than $400,000 in today's dollars). He added a note with the check saying that it was the most profitable business lesson he had ever learned. Over time, following this silly little method, Schwab turned Bethlehem Steel into the biggest independent steel producer in the world and created a personal fortune of $100 million. In today's dollars, that is equal to more than $1 billion.

PROBLEM SOLVING In Los Angeles, California, a luxurious high-rise apartment building was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Tenant after tenant turned in notice and moved out. To owners of the building, the mass exodus made no sense. Their beautiful, well-kept apartments offered a sound bargain in a safe neighborhood. So why were people abandoning what should have been a renter’s paradise?

The building’s management company hired a problem-solving group to get to the bottom of the mystery. After interviewing residents and former residents,

the problem-solving team presented its findings:

People were moving out because the apartment elevators were too slow.

A team of troubleshooters flew in to solve the problem. They gathered cost and labor estimates on several options, from repairing the old elevators to putting in new ones. But every option proved too expensive.

Defeated, the management company had just about decided to sell the building, when the youngest member of the team took a creative look at the problem.

The real problem, he suggested, wasn’t the elevators. The real problem was that tenants got bored waiting for the elevators. His solution?

Entertain tenants who were waiting for the elevator. Install flat monitor computer screens that flashed the day’s top headlines, weather, sports results, and even a trivia question or two. Pipe music into the elevator waiting areas. Add tasteful yet provocative paintings and sculptures to the waiting area to stimulate interest and discussion.

His creative solution worked. The tenants, busy reading the computer monitor, soothed by relaxing music, or admiring the art, quit complaining. The exodus ceased. The building was saved. And one creative problem solver had made his mark.

No matter what job you take, not a day will pass without some kind of problem. Certain basic skills can equip you to turn those problems into opportunities.

Become a problem solver where you work, and you’ll make yourself an asset to your company.

Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen, and some people say what happened.

—Casey Stengel, Hall-of-Fame baseball manager

StorySocrates the ancient Greek Philosopher used to give public discourses about serious subjects like Life and after life while standing on a big stone in the corner of the market. Peoples in the market and the passers by come and listen for a few minutes and leave when they listen his philosophy. They never paid much attention to his philosophy. Socrates, when he found that the people are not giving much attention to his philosophy decided to do something different.

Socrates then announced to the general public that he is going to tell a very interesting story. And started his story. People those who heard his announcement came near very eagerly to listen his story.

He started like this. “There was merchant who has a lot of merchandise to sell decided to go to another city so that he could get some extra profit from the business. He packed his goods and took it on his shoulder and left for another city before the day break. He has to climb a big mountain to reach the another city. There is no other way but to climb the mountain with his merchandise. While he was walking he found another man with a donkey also heading to the same city the merchant was going. They were walking together and talking each other and become friends. Then the merchant asked the other man to rent his donkey to hold his merchandise till they reach the other city. The man agreed for a certain amount of money.”

At this point Socrates found that a large number of audience gathered around him to listen the story and lot of people forget their duty and listening his story. People used to come and listen and leave within a few minutes also forgot their business and stayed back to listen the story. Then he continued his story like this:

“They have to climb a steep mountain to reach their destination. The merchant placed his merchandise upon the donkey and they started out in

the morning. It was easy to walk in the morning. As the day progressed, it became very tough for them to climb the mountain. They were sweating and become very tired. But as soon as the sun came on top of their head They decided to take rest.”

Socrates found a large number of people gathered around him and very eagerly listening his story. He continued:

“It was 12 Noon and they were tired. They decided to take a brake. But there was no trees or shade under which they could sit and take rest, there was only the shade of donkey who carrying the merchandise. Under the shade of that donkey there was space for only one man. The owner of the donkey told the other man that the shade of the donkey solely belongs to him as he is the owner of the donkey. But the merchant wants to sit and take rest so he disagree with the argument of the owner of the donkey saying that right now he hired the donkey so the shade of the donkey solely belongs to him only.

Owner of the donkey told that he only let out the donkey, not the shade. But the merchant said that when he hired the donkey, the shade also belongs to him. Both the men fell in to fierce argument for the shade of the donkey. Both argued that it belongs to them legally.”

By this time there was a large amount of people gathered around Socrates. So He climbed down from the stone where he was standing and walked away. People followed him requesting to complete the story. He paid no attention to them and continued his walking. People were following him and requesting him to complete the story all the more. They pressed him hard for the end of the story, so he stopped walking and turned to them and said. “I was talking to you people about great and serious things like life and after life. But you were not paying any attention. But when I started to telling about an imaginative story of a Donkey and it shade you are very eager to listen and want to know the end of the story. You are paying more attention to silly things and ignoring the important things in life. It is better for you to look for important things of life, do not run after silly things like stories. Do some important things every day and pursue it.”

We are also tempt to run after this kind of stories. For our generation also this story is relevant. We are also running after silly things. We must be careful about our time, money and opportunity and try to put every effort to take the best use of it.

Especially Students should make good use of their time and study well. With the new year 2010.. let us take a pledge that we will not waste our time and opportunity by watching stupid TV serials and doing unworthy things(social

networking..). Let us be conscious about our time, money and opportunity.

Get valued by a Goldsmith

Long times ago, in Egypt lived a famous mystical person name Zun-Nun. A young man came to visit him and asked "Teacher, I do not understand why people like you dress in such a way and very simple, isn't in this era was necessary to dress neatly, not only for performance but also for other reasons?

The mystical only smiled and took his ring from one of his fingers, and said "Young friend, I will answer your question, but first do one thing for me, take this ring and go to the market across this street, can you sell this for one chip of gold?

Having looked at Zun-Nun's dirty ring, the young man became doubtful. "One chip of gold, I am not sure this ring could be sold at that price."

"Try first, young man, who knows you did it." The Young man went to the market quickly. He offered the ring to the textile, vegetable, meat, fish traders, and the others. The fact was that no body was willing to pay for a chip of Gold.

He went back to Zun-Nun residence and reported "Teacher, no body was brave to offer more than one chip of silver."

With a wise smile Zun-Nun said, "Now go to the Gold Shop at the back of this street. Show this to the owner or to the gold trader. Don't give your price just listen how much he will pay for this ring."

The Young man went to the shop mentioned and returned with a different expression from his face. He then reported "Teacher, the traders in the market really do not know the value of this

ring, the gold trader offer this ring for one thousand of gold, And the value of this ring was one thousands times from what the traders in the market offer.

Zun-Nun just smiled subtly and spoke softly, "That was the answer of your questions my friend, "Someone cannot be valued only from his dress "The traders in the market" give value like that. But not for "The gold trader"

So remember all the criticism, snide remarks which we get sometimes, are from the traders, they do not recognize the gold and put value to it. So do not lose heart and search for the goldsmiths which will recognize your value.

Similarly do not get fooled by the outer appearances, a brass may look like a gold but is not gold. Dig deep before forming an opinion or judging others.

Akbar Birbal and Moon

Adapted from an Indian folklore

Dr. Mala Sinha

Akbar once sent Birbal to the neighboring kingdoms to see how the local kings were governing their land. When Birbal went to Kabul he was mistaken for a spy and arrested. When he was presented in the court , the king asked Birbal who he was. Birbal replied that he was a scholar from India and was travelling around the world so that he could write about the illustrious kings who ruled India’s neighbourhood.

The king of Kabul was appeased and asked Birbal what he thought of him. Birbal said “ You are like the full moon resplendent and shining in glory. “ The king then asked “ What about your own king, how is he in comparison to me”. Birbal answered “ Oh! He is like the new moon” The king was very pleased and he rewarded Birbal with a bag of gold coins and he came back to India.

On his return he found that some people had already informed Akbar of this exchange with the King of Kabul , and he anticipated that Akbar would be annoyed with him. When Birbal went to the court Akbar said : “So Birbal ! I hear that you called me a new moon while you called the Kabul king the full moon?

Birbal replied that this was indeed true.

Akbar was very angry and shouted “How dare you insult me Birbal . I want an explanation for your disloyalty”.

When Birbal gave his explanation, Akbar was delighted and rewarded him with many precious stones and gold coins saying “ I always knew I could trust you as loyal aide Birbal.”

POSER -What explanation did Birbal give that delighted Akbar and convinced him of Birbal’s loyalty.

The Taste of Master’s Sword

(Adapted from a Zen story)

Dr. Mala Sinha Tejaswan was the son of a famous swordsman. The father disowned him because he was disgusted by his son’s caliber in fencing. To earn his father’s respect Tejaswan decided to learn the art of fencing from the famous master Rinzwan. When Tejaswan approached Rinzwan , he confirmed the fathers judgment - that he was indeed a poor swordsmanship, and that he could not take him as a disciple, because he would not be able to fulfill the requirements of being a trainee.

“But if I work hard, how many years will it take “ asked Tejaswan; to which the master replied “ The rest of your life”.

Tejaswan persisted, “ I cannot wait that long. I am willing to undergo any hardship, if you would only teach me. If I become your devoted servant, how long will it take”.

“ Oh maybe ten years “ relented the master.

“My father is getting old, if I work even harder, how many years will it take then “ Tejaswan again asked.

Oh, maybe thirty years “ said the master.

Exasperated Tejaswan said, “ Why is it so. First time you said rest of your life, then you said ten years, and now you say thirty. I am willing to undergo any hardship to become the greatest swordsman in the shortest possible time.

Rinzwan answered “ In that case you will have to remain with me for seventy years. A man in such a hurry as you are to get results, seldom learns fast”.

Tejaswan at last understood that he was being rebuked for impatience. He agreed to do everything asked by the master. Rinzwan told Tejaswan never to speak of fencing and never to touch a sword.

Thereafter Tejaswan cooked for his master, cleaned the yard, tended the garden , all without a word on swordsmanship. Three years passed , ands still Tejaswan labored on thinking his future was indeed sad . He had not even begun to learn the art he had devoted his life to.

But one day Rinzwan crept behind him and gave him a terrific blow with his wooden sword. The following day , when Tejaswan was cooking rice , the master again sprang upon him unexpectedly. After that, day and night, Tejaswan had to defend himself from unexpected thrusts from his master .Not a moment passed in the day when he did not think of Rinzwan’s sword. He learned so rapidly he brought smiles to the face of the master. Tejaswan became the greatest swordsman in the land.

Jambali the Wealth-Giver

This tale of five young travelers in search of wealth and wisdom explains our follies while seeking success.

The five young men gathered close around the fire. The day-long trek across the arid high plains had left them weary and discouraged.

Was this journey an act of otherwise sane men?

Certainly the elders could not be mistrusted. Their constant ramblings about the man called Jambali filled the air almost daily. They said he was a man of immense wealth and wisdom. A man who freely dispensed both to any who sought it.

Yet many had traveled to the eastern mountains in search of this man, and all had returned weeks later with nothing to show but callused feet.

Was it all just a wistful tale; a fantasy concocted to give the people of their desperately poor village a reason to hope? This was the question that plagued the five travelers as they bedded down for the night, their hearts full of hope and their heads full of doubt.

The sun rose to find only four travelers remaining; the fifth having let doubt win over. His note by the ashes of the fire implored the four to push on, but he had returned to the village, unable to pursue a journey that held no promise.

And so the four travelers hiked throughout the morning and reached the tree line of the eastern slopes by mid-day. It was a welcome escape from the relentless heat of the desert sun. They had not walked more than 100 yards beneath the shade of the trees, when they happened across an old woman.

They told the woman of their quest to find a man called Jambali, and asked if she knew where to find him. She exclaimed that they were indeed fortunate, for he was a nomad and was camped for the day just over the next rise. She bid them caution however, as he was not fond of unannounced strangers to his camp.

Thanking the old woman, they hastily made their way to the rise and thereupon did devise a plan. One of them would ascend the rise to investigate the layout of the camp and then report back to the others. In this way they could best decide upon a method of entering the camp.

They elected a scout, and he ascended the rise while the others anxiously waited. After a short time the scout returned looking forlorn and discouraged. He announced to the others that he did not see the camp of a wealthy man, rather was it the camp of a pauper. He spoke of a man dressed in rags and a tent of simple design.

And then this traveler did proclaim their journey a fool's adventure, and he marched back into the desert with a heavy heart.

The remaining three travelers were not so easily dissuaded. One was elected and he ascended the rise to scout the camp. He shortly returned with a puzzling report. Not only was this man without wealth, but he was also crazy. He told of a man standing in front of his tent waving his arms wildly in the air, screaming obscenities at an unseen demon.

And as before, this traveler also proclaimed their journey a fool's adventure,and marched back into the desert… with a perplexed heart. The remaining two travelers had not come this far to give up so easily.

One of the pair ascended the rise, only to quickly return shaking with fear. He exclaimed

that the man was indeed acting crazy, but not because of an unseen demon, rather because there was a tiger crouched in the trees ready to devour the man.

This traveler hastily declared their journey a fool's adventure, and hurried back into the desert… with a fearful heart.

The last traveler began his ascent.

He reached the top and peered into the camp. He too witnessed a tiger of great ferocity, but he put his fear aside and decided to help the man defeat the beast.

He quickly fashioned a makeshift spear using a dry branch sharpened with his hunting knife. He ran down the hill and jumped between the man and the snarling tiger. He readied his weapon and was on the verge of thrusting it into the beast, when the man suddenly let out a shrill whistle and grabbed the spear from the traveler's hands.

The tiger abruptly ceased its attack, then trotted over to stand next to the man. Obviously, a cruel trick had been played upon the traveler.

Distraught over what had just transpired, the traveler demanded an explanation. The man explained that the old woman had seen the four travelers approaching from the desert, and had warned him of their arrival.

He explained that his antics were designed to invite only the most sturdy of heart into his camp.

The man went on to introduce himself as Jambali the Wealth-Giver. He invited the traveler to sit beside him and tell of his journey. The traveler did so, explaining that the trip had began with five, of which he was the only one remaining.

He went on to tell Jambali about his people's belief that all who visited him would receive wealth and wisdom.

Jambali told the traveler that his people's belief was true, but that before wealth can be possessed, one must first have the wisdom to own it.

Jambali explained, "The first traveler gave up on the first night.

He did not want to work at acquiring wealth."

"The second traveler saw a poor man's camp. He had not the vision to perceive wealth among ordinary things."

"The third traveler witnessed a crazy man. He had not the vision to perceive wealth among non-ordinary things."

"The fourth traveler witnessed a man-eating tiger. He was not ready for wealth because he had not the courage to overcome fear."

Jambali watched as the traveler digested these words. They were powerful words that sank deep into the traveler's heart.

Then, suddenly and without notice, the traveler rose to his feet and thanked Jambali for these wealth-giving secrets.

He was overwhelmed with exhilaration at the wisdom he had just received, and could barely contain his desire to depart for the village with news of his good fortune on this journey. He quickly bade Jambali farewell and promised he would tell his people what he had learned.

And so, this traveler did declare the journey a success, and he trotted into the desert with a glad heart.

As the traveler disappeared from sight, Jambali strode into his tent and filled a ruby-rimmed cup to overflowing with a dark, red wine. He drank largely, allowing the warm liquid to both caress and exhilarate his senses. A drop escaped from the corner of his mouth and momentarily danced upon his chin, as if unsure of which direction to fall before relinquishing its hold to the ground below.

Jambali tossed the cup, gestured loudly to the barren desert which had swallowed the travelers, and dispensed his last bit of wisdom, "The fifth traveler was ready to receive wealth and wisdom, and received only that which he sought, yet no riches filled his pockets because he did not ask for them."

THE TRAP - get out of your comfort zone!

There was a village that was attacked by wild boars.Everyday the wild boars would enter the village to rampage the whole

village of their food. The villagers tried various means to fight and chase away the wild boars, but without much success.

One day a wise man approached the village headman to offer his advice. He told the villagers that they will have to follow all his advice and directions. Out of desperation, the villagers agreed. The wise man told the villagers to gather all the food from every household and put it in the middle of a big empty field.

They followed his advice, and immediately they saw hundreds of wild boars approaching the vicinity where the food was placed. The wild boars were apprehensive initially, but after a while they went for the food. Once the wild boars had a taste of the food they came back for the free food everyday. And everyday the villagers would put more food in the field and the wild boars would come to have their free meals. After a while, the wise man asked the villagers to erect four poles at the four-corners of the field.

The wild boars were too busy having their food that they did not take notice of what was happening. After a few weeks, the wild boars developed the habit of having free food. The wise man then asked the villagers to put fencing around the field, with a large gate through which the wild boars can enter to have their food.

Finally once the fencing and the gate were completed the villagers closed the gate and all the wild boars were trapped inside the field. The wild boars were finally defeated!

The Power of WordsThe Wise Sage

There once was a wise sage who wandered the countryside. One day, as he passed near a village, he was approached by a woman who told him of a sick child nearby. She beseeched him to help this child.

So the sage came to the village, and a crowd gathered around him, for such a man was a rare sight. One woman brought the sick child to him, and he said a prayer over her.

"Do you really think your prayer will help her, when medicine has failed?" yelled a man from the crowd.

"You know nothing of such things! You are a stupid fool!" said the sage to the man.

The man became very angry with these words and his face grew hot and red. He was about to say something, or perhaps strike out, when the sage walked over to him and said: "If one word has such power as to make you so angry and hot, may not another have the power to heal?"

And thus, the sage healed two people that day.

"Language does have the power to change reality. Therefore, treat your words as the mighty instruments they are - to heal, to bring into being, to nurture, to cherish, to bless, to forgive." - Daphne Rose Kingma

Obama by his words and speeches has managed to galavanise the whole nation and inspite of his so called disadavantages( first time senator, foriegn sounding name , Afro American origin...)

Real Life Story- Fear factor

A young lady stood still. Well… as still as she could. Her whole body seemed to be shaking, especially her legs and knees. Her forearms were cramping, and she seemed to be squeezing the perspiration out of the Tightrope instructor's big hands as he stood behind her.

She could feel his presence behind her, and continually tested the security of his grip - just to make sure. They were standing on a platform with the tightrope in front of it. There was little comfort in the fact that she was blindfolded, and that she couldn't see how high she was from the ground. Her sight had been covered since she entered the arena, and she struggled to figure out how she got up there.

"Am I crazy?" she thought."Am I out of my mind to be trying to do this? What could I possibly learn from facing this fear?"

"I can't do this…" she whispered.

"Yes, you can." came the baritone voice behind her."Now slide your other foot up and place it in front of the other."

She did as she was told. Every fibre of her being wanted to turn around and grab onto the instructor. He sensed this in her body language and reassured her once more. "Don't worry, I'm here."

She was now on the wire! The only things separating her from certain death, were those two palms. Only her tiny fingertips prevented her from plummeting fatally towards the ground.

The instructor told her, "Now, another step."

And so it continued, step by step. It never got easier. This went on for an eternity until she was shocked to hear him say,"Okay, stand still."

The perspiration was pouring off her now. She could feel it running down her back like tiny streams."Take off your blindfold." came the next instruction.

"I can't…" she whispered."I'll fall."

"No you won't, I'm here."

Her mind raced. How was her going to stop them from falling, after all they were standing on a tightrope!

The young lady's fingertips seemed cemented to those palms.

"You have to remove your fingers from my hands to take off the blindfold. Don't rush…"

Slowly she lifted the heavy finger tips from his palms and gingerly brought her hands up behind her head. Her fingers couldn't move! Finally she managed to pry the bond apart. As it fell away, the brightness of the light almost blinded her, and she wobbled - grasping for those hands. Sure enough they were there. The woman's eyes adjusted and focussed.

What she saw wanted to make her cry and scream with relief, anger, humiliation, and joy.

There she was - three feet from the ground! On her left was someone ready to catch her if she fell that way. There was someone on her right side too. Then there was those familiar hands, reaching from behind her, holding her hands. She continued to stand still on the wire.

"I…I…don't understand!" she croaked, as the tears ran down her cheeks.

The instructor answered;

"You thought your greatest fear was of heights. Today you discovered that your greatest fear is to be alone."

"What you have learned is that, no matter how frightening the challenge is before you, you will conquer it with someone by your side."

"Also, your fears are often not grounded in fact, but more assumption and deceit. You thought you were high off the ground, but you weren't. Your fear was in fact unfounded.

You were blindfolded and your intellect and circumstance lied to you. They told you that you would fall." he continued,

"Your faith, and trust was in me not to let you fall. Not only that, although you were only three feet from the ground, I made sure that there was someone to catch you should you stumble and fall."

The Faith of an Atheist

An atheist and a believer had the same doctor. Every time they met in the doctor's waiting room, they would argue and end up insulting each other.

"You really believe that you are going to be saved on Judgment Day and go up to heaven. Do you really believe everything you read in the Bible, and everything they told you in church?" said the atheist.

"I'm not certain of anything," the believer replied.

"Like you I have doubts. But I still have hope."

"But I don't have doubts," the atheist cried. "I have only certainties. For example, I can assure you that God has nothing to do with the ache in your knee, and that He doesn't care in the least how you feel.”

"You don't know what you're talking about. And do you know something? You are a believer too. I can prove it to you."

"Really? That I'd like to see!"

"Will you be straightforward and answer my questions honestly?"

"Of course. I'm an honest atheist."

"Okay. Can you tell me what the name of the doctor is who you came to see?"

"Well no, he's not here. And I can't pronounce the replacement's name."

"Well, when you leave his office, will you check the prescription he gives you for mistakes, like you would a lottery ticket?"

"No, of course not. The doctor knows what he's doing."

"Are you a close friend of the pharmacist who is going to fill the prescription?"

"No, I go to a big pharmacy, and I rarely get served by the same person."

"Do you know what medication the doctor is going to give you, and what its side effects are?"

"No."

"And yet you are going to take it, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, dear friend, I am happy to announce that you too are a man of faith!"

Many of us behave like the atheist: we don't understand how believers can have blind faith in their God, and we often find their fervor ridiculous.

And yet, we also have well established beliefs, and not only when we go to see the doctor!

Think about it: without faith, without any certainties, life would be impossible. We sometimes have to have blind faith to survive

Don't be a better Donkey

Once upon a time a Washer man had two donkeys. Let us say Donkey-A and Donkey-B.

Donkey-A felt it was very energetic and could do better than the other. It always tried to pull the washer man's attraction over it by taking more load and walking fast in front of him.

Innocent Donkey-B is normal, so it will walk normal, irrespective of the washer man's presence. After a period of time, Washer man started pressurizing Donkey-B to be like Donkey-A.

But Donkey-B unable to walk fast got continuous punishment from washer man. It was crying and told personally to Donkey-A "Dear friend, only we two are here, why to compete with each other....we can carry equal load at normal speed ".

That made Donkey-A all the more energetic and next day it told to washerman that it can carry more load and even it can run fast also.

Obviously happier washerman looked at Donkey-B.., his BP raised and he started kicking Donkey-B. Next day with smile, Donkey-A carried more load and started running fast.

But it was breathtaking for Donkey-B and it couldn't act that way....But the washerman was frustrated, so he harassed Donkey-B terribly, and finally it fell down hopelessly.

Then Donkey-A felt itself as a supreme and happily started carrying more load with great speed. But now the Load of the Donkey-B is also being carried by Donkey-A., and still it has to run fast. For some period it did, finally due to fatigue it got tired and started feeling the pain.

But washerman expected more from Donkey-A. It also tried best, but couldn't cope up with his owner's expectation. The Washerman got angry with Donkey-A also and started harassing to take more load... Donkey-A was crying for long time and then tried its best... But it couldn't meet the owner's satisfaction. Finally the day came when due to frustration the washerman killed Donkey-A and went for searching some other Donkeys.

It's an endless story...........

But the moral of the Story in Corporate and social life is......,

"Think all colleagues are same and that everyone is capable.... Always Share the Load equally..... Don't ever act smart in front of your Boss and never try for getting over-credit...

Don't feel happy when your colleague is under pressure... "

It doesn't matter if u r A or B, othewise you will be treated as the DONKEY!!

How to fill your empty glass

A city boy, Raj, moved to the village and bought a donkey from an old farmer for Rs.1000. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry Rajji, but I have some bad news, the donkey died while I was bringing him here."

Raj replied: "Well then, just give me my money back." The farmer said: "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Raj said: "OK then, just unload the donkey."

The farmer asked: "What you are going to do with him?"

Raj: "I'm going to raffle him off." (Note: To raffle is like lottery - draw lot to a group of people each paying the same amount for a ticket and there is a big prize for the people who win.)

Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Raj: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

Raj: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at Rs. 10 each and made a profit of Rs 4990 with the donkey worth Rs. 1000 as the prize.

Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"

Raj: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his Rs. 10."

Moral of the story- No situation is so bad that it cannot be turned around.You need to just think hard.So look at your glass always as half full (positive attitude ) rather then half empty. Do not lose hope

SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS

Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job with a timber merchant, and he got it. His salary was really good and so were the working conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do hisbest.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to fell the trees. The first day, the woodcutter brought down 15 trees.

" Congratulations, " the boss said. " Carry on with your work!"

Highly motivated by the words of his boss, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring 10 trees down. The third day he tried even harder, but he was only able to bring down 7 trees.

Day after day he was bringing lesser number of trees down.

" 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..."

That's right. Most of us NEVER update our skills. We think that whatever we have learned is very much enough. But good is not good when better is expected. Sharpening our skills from time to time is the key to success.

The Greatest love of All

This is a true story that happened in Japan. In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan tear open the wall.

Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls.

When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stucked there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet.

He sees this, feels pity and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built.

What happened? The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!?!! In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving,it is impossible and mind boggling.

Then he wondered, how this lizard survived for 10 years without moving a single step - since its feet was nailed!

So, he stopped his work and observed the lizard,what has it been doing and what has it been eating? Later, don't know from where appears another lizard,with food in its mouth... AHHH!

He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stucked by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years...

Such a love, such a beautiful love!! Such love happened even on this tiny creature. What can love do? It can do wonders!! Love can do miracles!!

Imagine it has been doing it for a tired some 10 yrs, without giving up hope on its partner. Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with the brilliant mind can't.

Two stories- Read both till the end ....Interesting...]

Must Read it till the end.

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason.! Eddie w as very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his p ockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the ha! nds will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil

with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and real ized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing- mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent..

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as m any enemy planes as possible, rendering them u! nfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son

A Nice Story(Confidence & Self Esteem Your Friends)

Confidence and Self-Esteem were best friends. They went everywhere together. If Confidence bought a new dress, Self-Esteem bought one just like it. They were very close.

One day a new kid came to their school. His name was Peer Pressure. He had a friend called Hateful Words. They decided to give Confidence a hard time.

They constantly teased her. They forced her to do terrible things. It was so terrible that Confidence lost Self-Esteem. When Self-Esteem wanted to start some classes, Confidence said they wouldn't be any good.

Then one day, Peer Pressure introduced Confidence to Doubt. He wanted to ruin Confidence, but Peer Pressure said he couldn't yet. Self Esteem couldn't understand what was wrong with Confidence. Confidence now hung around with Depression, Low Self-Esteem, and Overeating.

These girls were friends of Peer Pressure. Self-Esteem no longer had any friends. She no longer felt good about herself. She went to see her Imaam. Imaam Good Words told her how to talk to Confidence. He introduced her to his daughter, Encouragement.

Encouragement and Self-Esteem went to find Confidence. Self Esteem hoped she wasn't too late. The girls found Confidence in a stupor. She was no longer a vibrant, happy young girl. There were dark circles under her eyes. She had gained so much weight from eating that she couldn't move.

Encouragement gasped and Self-Esteem cried. She begged Encouragement to do something.

Encouragement began to hug Confidence. She kissed her and loved her. She told her that she was a beautiful young lady who had a lot going for her.

Encouragement held Confidence so tightly that Self-Esteem thought she would smother her. Confidence began to cry. As she cried, she seemed to lose weight. Then a bright light suddenly glowed from Confidence and she began to smile.

Peer Pressure and his friends didn't like what Encouragement was doing and tried to attack her. They hit at her and pulled at her, but they couldn't pull her away from Confidence. Then Confidence began to speak.

"Get away from me, Peer Pressure. Take your friends and go. You no longer have any power over me." Confidence was now a glowing light. She and her friends made sure that Peer Pressure and his gang never bothered anyone in their town again.

If you feel that Encouragement is not your friend, then try to find Encouragement in yourself. Self-Esteem and Confidence will follow.

Proud Red Rose

One beautiful spring day a red rose blossomed in a forest. Many kinds of trees and plants grew there. As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, "What a beautiful flower. I wish I was that lovely." Another tree said, "Dear pine, do not be sad, we can not have everything."

The rose turned its head and remarked, "It seems that I am the most beautiful plant in this forest."

A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, "Why do you say that? In

this forest there are many beautiful plants. You are just one of them." The red rose replied, "I see everyone looking at me and admiring me." Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!" The pine tree said, "Red rose, what kind of talk is this? Who can say what beauty is? You have thorns too."

The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, "I thought you had good taste! You do not know what beauty is at all. You can not compare my thorns to that of the cactus."

"What a proud flower", thought the trees. The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things, like: This plant is useless? How sorry I am to be his neighbor."

The cactus never got upset and he even tried to advise the rose, saying, "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

Spring passed, and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest, as the plants and animals needed water and no rain fell. The red rose began to wilt. One day the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed. This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. "Does it not hurt when they make holes?" asked the rose.

"Yes, but the cactus does not like to see any birds suffer," replied the pine.

The rose opened its eyes in wonder and said, "The cactus has water?"

"Yes you can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help."

The red rose felt too ashamed of its past words and behavior to ask for water from the cactus, but then it finally did ask the cactus for help. The cactus kindly agreed and the birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose's roots.

Moral :Thus the rose and all of us learned a lesson and never judged anyone by their appearance again.

What Life is all About..

A Long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry,thirsty or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.

Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I pushed myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love to do.

One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Moral: Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balance lifestyle and enjoy Life!

Believe to Achieve : The professor stood before his class of 30 senior molecular biology students, about to pass out the final exam. 'I have been privileged to be your instructor this semester, and I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test. I also know most of you are off to medical school or grad school next fall,' he said to them.

'I am well aware of how much pressure you are under to keep your GPAs up, and because I know you are all capable of understanding this material, I am prepared to offer an automatic 'B' to anyone who would prefer not to take the final.'

The relief was audible as a number of students jumped up to thank the professor and departed from class. The professor looked at the handful of students who remained, and offered again, 'Any other takers? This is your last opportunity.' One more student decided to go.

Seven students remained. The professor closed the door and took attendance. Then he handed out the final exam. There were two sentences typed on the paper:

'Congratulations, you have just received an 'A' in this class. Keep believing in yourself.'

I never had a professor who gave a test like that. It may seem like the easy way out of grading a bunch of exams, but it's a test that any teacher in any

discipline could and should give. Students who don't have confidence in what they've learned are 'B' students at best.

The same is true for students of real life. The 'A' students are those who believe in what they're doing because they've learned from both successes and failures. They've absorbed life's lessons, whether from formal education or the school of hard knocks, and become better people.

Those are the people who you look for when you're hiring or promoting, and the ones you keep if you're downsizing. Your organisation needs their brand of thinking.

Psychologists say that by the age of two, 50 percent of what we ever believe about ourselves has been formed; by age six, 60 percent, and at eight years, 80 percent. Wouldn't you love to have the energy and optimism of a little kid? There is nothing you couldn't do or learn or be.

But you're a big kid now, and you realise you have some limits. Don't let the biggest limit be yourself. Take your cue from Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest: 'It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.'

Believing in yourself comes from knowing what you are really capable of doing. When it's your turn to step up to the plate, realise that you won't hit a homerun every time. Baseball superstar Mickey Mantle struck out more than 1,700 times, but it didn't stop him from excelling at baseball. He believed in himself, and he knew his fans believed in him.

Surround yourself with positive people - they know the importance of confidence and will help you keep focused on what you can do instead of what you can't. Who you surround yourself with is who you become.

Never stop learning! I would work this advice into every column if I could; it's that important. Don't limit yourself only to work-related classes, either. Learn everything about every subject that you can. When you know what you're talking about, it shows.

Be very careful not to confuse confidence with a big ego. If you want people to believe in you, you also have to believe in them. Understand well that those around you also have much to contribute, and they deserve your support. Without faith in yourself and others, success is impossible

The Littlest Firefighter Summary of e-Rumor:

A touching story about an unnamed boy who was dying of leukemia. He told his mother that he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up, so she called their local fire department in Phoenix and with the help of big-hearted "Fireman Bob," the little boys wish came true. He was a firefighter for a day with a little uniform and all.

In Phoenix AZ. a 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now

that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"

Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix.

She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out all the fire calls, the whole nine yards!

"And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat-not a toy one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.

There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.

Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital.

Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window. 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, Chief, am I really a fireman now?"

Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand," the chief said.

With those words, Billy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing."

He closed his eyes one last time.

The Truth:

Although several details in this particular eRumor version of the story are not completely accurate, the story is true. "Billy" is actually 7-year-old Frank Salazar (his family called him "Bopsy") and he was the first child to be helped by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that fulfills the wishes of children with life-threatening illness. The story is from 1981. It was Make-A-Wish that made the contact with the Phoenix Fire Department as a part of one of three wishes that Bopsy had. The other two were to visit Disneyland and ride in a hot-air balloon. All his wishes were fulfilled.

Make-A-Wish contacted firefighter Bob Walp who was well known to children in Phoenix as "Fireman Bob" on the popular "Wallace and Ladmo" television program. Bopsy was welcomed to a fire station where a custom-made uniform was waiting for him complete with a yellow helmet and coat. He did not go to any fire scenes that day, but did ride in the fire truck and got to use a fire hose. The day ended with his being given a firefighter badge.

Later, when Bopsy's condition worsened and he was in the hospital, it is true that some of his firefighter friends came through his hospital window for a visit. It was five firefighters, not 16. They prompted some smiles from Bopsy then left. He died later that evening.

The next time someone needs you ... Just be there. Stay. Good One,,

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.

"Your son is here," she said to the old man.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.

Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed

Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the

Young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.

He refused.

Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.

"Who was that man?" he asked.

The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.

"No, he wasn't," the Marine, replied. "I never saw him before in my life."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"

"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just

Wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed

me, I stayed."

The next time someone needs you ... Just be there. Stay.

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WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.

WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

Funny story - A must read

TEN TIMES WISH

A woman was out golfing one day when she hit the ball into the woods.She went into the woods to look for it and found a frog in a trap.The frog said to her, "If you release me from this trap, I will grantyou three wishes."

The woman freed the frog, and the frog said, "Thank you, but I failedto mention that there was a condition to your wishes. Whatever you wishfor, your husband will get Ten times of that The woman said, "That's okay."

For her first wish, she wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

The frog warned her, "You do realize that this wish will also make yourhusband the most handsome man in the world, an Adonis whom women willflock to".

The woman replied, "That's okay, because I will be the most beautifulWoman and he will have eyes only for me." So, KAZAM-she's the mostbeautiful Woman in the world!

For her second wish, she wanted to be the richest woman in the world.The frog said, That will make your husband the richest man in theworld and he will be ten times richer than you.

The woman said, "That's okay, because what's mine is his and what'shis is mine."

So, KAZAM-she's the richest woman in the world!

The frog then inquired about her third wish, and she answered,"I'd like a mild heart attack!!"

Moral of the story: Women are clever. Don't mess with them.

Attention female readers: This is the end of the joke for you, Stophere and continue feeling good.....

Male readers: Continue

The man had a heart attack ten times milder than his wife!

Moral of the story: Women are really dumb but think they're really smart.

Let them continue to think that way and just enjoy the show.

PS: If you are a woman and are still reading this, it only goes toshow that women never listen!!! that is why you read it even afterour advise to stop!

TOO GOOD "Sir, my Dad is the pilot,

TOO GOOD

Story told by a man which is most frightening yet thought-provoking experience of his life.

He had been on a long flight.. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on:

"Fasten your seat belts."

Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened.."

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time..

The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The man confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and

alarmed. Some were praying.

The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat and was reading a book.

Everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid."

The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, he lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The sweet child replied,

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"Sir, my Dad is the pilot, And he is taking me home."

Your life - your likes - you decide!!!

A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible.

Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health , time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.

One day when we look back , we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition . Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of Work and Play , Family and Personal time . You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.

So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!

Watch your thoughts ; they become words.

Watch your words ; they become actions.

Watch your actions ; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character .

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny

The Seed

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 to 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 Officer! 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 Officer!"

* 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

* If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later..

"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back"

What is in a name? excellent story

What is in a Name? Akbar said to Birbal, “We Muslim’s have Allah, Christians have Christ, Buddhists have Buddha. But you Hindus worship so many Gods. Why is it so?

Birbal said : ” God is one but His names are many.”

Akbar: “How is it possible? How can God assume so many forms and yet only be one?”

Birbal summoned a servant who was wearing a turban. He pointed to it and said: “What is that?”

Servant said: “ A turban”

Birbal : “ Untie it, roll it and. tie it to your waist”

When he had done so, Birbal asked, “ What is that”

Servant answered : “ A kamarbhand”

Birbal, turning to Akbar. “ You have seen how the same cloth acquires different names when performing different functions. So also water can be a cloud when in sky; it is rain when it falls to earth; it is river when it flows, ice when it freezes.

Similarly God is one but is called by different names by different people

Moral

We name things according to our own perceptions. It is important to bear in mind that the name is not the thing named. Just as map is not the territory it refers to. Sometime it is useful to think and view a thing in entirety apart from its name or utility.

As far as the God is concerned we give forms to Him according to our perception

GIVING OPPORTUNITY: Source: Ancient moral stories

Once upon a time there was a king was called Indradyumna and after a long reign he passed away and went to heaven, where he spent centuries, enjoying the rewards of his good deeds on earth.

Then, one day, the gods told him, “Indradyumna, you have have to go back to earth. You are no longer welcome in heaven.”

“Why?” asked a perplexed Indradyumna. “Because,” said the gods, “No one on earth remembers your good deeds.” “But how can that be?” wondered the king, “I spent all my life doing good deeds.” “If,” said the gods, “You can find at least one creatures who remembers you for your good deeds then you can come back to heaven. Otherwise you will have to leave. That is the rule.”

Time flows differently on earth than in heaven. When Indradyumna reached earth, he realized that centuries had passed since his reign. The trees were different, the people were different, even his kingdom looked different. Who will remember me, he wondered. The buildings he built were all gone.

The temples he built were no where to be seen. The people who were beneficiaries of his largesse were all dead. No one he met remembered any king called Indradyumna.

Disheartened, Indradyumna went in search of the oldest man on earth. He found Rishi Markandeya. But the Rishi did not remember him. “There is an owl who is older than me,” said the sage, “Go to him.” Markandeya did as advised. He found was owl and asked him, “Do remember King Indradyumna?” and the owl said, “No, I do not remember such a king but ask the stork who is older than me.” Even the stork did not remember.

“But I know someone who is much older than me, who may know of King Indradyumna,” said the stork, “He is an old tortoise who lives in a lake.” Indradyumna went to the tortoise who was very old and slow and tired.

But, to Indradyumna’s great relief, he did remember a king called Indradyumna. “He built this lake,” said the tortoise.

“But I never built this lake,” said Indradyumna, rather bewildered by this piece of information. “This lake did not even exist when I was king.”

The tortoise explained, “My grandfather never lied. He told me that this king spent his entire life giving cows in charity, hundreds of thousands of cows?” Indradyumna recollected that he had.

He had been told that gifting cows assures one a place in heaven. Yes, it had, but only for temporarily. Now, where were his cows? Where were the people who he gave the cows?

The tortoise continued, “As these cows left Indradyumna’s city, they kicked up so much dust it created in a depression in the ground; when the rains came water collected this depression and turned it into a lake.

Now that lake provides sustenance to innumerable plants and animals and worms and weeds and fishes and turtles and birds. So we remember the great King Indradyuna, whose act of charity resulted in a lake which for generations has been our home.”

Indradyumna was pleased to hear what the tortoise had to say. So were the gods who welcomed him back. As Indradyumna rose to heaven, the irony did not escape him: he was remembered on earth for a lake that was unconsciously created, and not for the cows that was consciously given. He benefited not from things he did, but from the impact of things he did.

This story draws attention to the notion of legacy. In ancient India, the greatest good deed that outlived anyone was go-daan or gift of a cow. In modern times, most unfortunately, this is literally translated.

In a cattle-herding community, gifting cows was gift of a livelihood. But as society evolved, the phrase was carried forward to convey a different meaning. It came to mean “gift of an opportunity.”

The greatest gift a man can give another man is an opportunity that will enable the other to survive, to grow and to thrive. This could be education or a job or a loan to start a business. Gifting cows is about ‘teaching a man to fish’ as the Chinese proverb goes; it is not about ‘giving him fish’.

The Jack Fruit Tree

A big jack-tree in a man's courtyard was laden with fruits. From the very bottom of the trunk up to the top most branch it was dotted with fruits.

As though one possessed with an evil spirit, the man rushes out towards the fruit several times. He touches the jack-fruit, but the surface is uninviting. He abandons it in disgust.

Far away from home he had seen one palm tree. Walking in the hot sun several miles, he stands near the tree. His craving had reached its zenith. The few small fruits that hung on the top of the tree tempt him.

He rushes forward. He falls on the bush of prickly pears and gets injured by the thorns all over the body. Not discouraged by this he tries to climb the tree. The scales that cover the trunk are hard and knife-like. They hurt him. But he does not mind.

As he climbs, a swarm of poisonous ants that sting like devils, sting him all over the body. He has somehow managed to reach the top; such is his mad passion for the little fruits. The fruits are surrounded by hundreds of bees. When he lays his hands upon them, the bees angrily sting him.

In spite of this, he tries to grab the fruits. Then and there he drops more than half the catch. With the remainder, he tries to climb down. Several fruits drop off his hand before he reaches the ground. He sits himself down to enjoy the few fruits left with him.

To his horror he discovers that the major portion of these little fruits is hard nut; and then even the skin has to be thrown away. There is little pulp in the fruit. In disgust he throws the fruits away.

Instantly he comes back to his senses, and begins to suffer with agony. The pain of the thorns, the bites of the poisonous ants, the stings of the bees, and the cuts produced on his body by the sharp scales of the tree - these seem to torment him all at once.

It is now past several days since he left home. With his tattered clothes and bleeding body, he runs home .... to find that his father had been waiting for him with the delicious jack-fruit.

The young man stumbles into the house and falls at the father's feet. Without asking a question, the father gives him new clothes, pulls out the thorns from his body, dresses up the wounds, all the time feeding him with the honey-like jack-fruit. The young man's happiness is now complete. Peacefully he sleeps on his father's lap.

Similarly, man ignores the fountain of Eternal Bliss that is within the core of his own heart. He is frightened away by the apparent initial difficulties to reach God. He does not care to cut open this rough exterior and enjoy the highest bliss. He is hungry. He runs away from home and from this tree that yields the best fruit. Here he falls into the thorny bush of dishonour; there he knocks against the rock of failure. Lured by illusory pleasure he succumbs to passion.

The Most Beautiful Rose ( A Must Read Story )

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.

Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.

He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look at what I found."

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals all worn-not enough rain, or too little light.

Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat by my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,

"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too.That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead.

Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red.

But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.

So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it midair without reason or plan.

It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see; he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one.

You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.

How did he know of my self-indulged plight?

Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me.

And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.

Sue Divine "Even Kings and Emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God."

Nice Lesson

Once a boy went to a shop with his mother. The shop keeper looked at the small cute child and showed him a bottle with sweets

And said 'Dear Child..u can take the sweets...

But the child didn't take. The shop keeper was surprised.. Such a small child he is and why is he not taking the sweets from the bottle. Again he said take the sweets....

Now the mother also heard that and said.. Take the sweets dear.. Yet he didn't take... The shopkeeper seeing the child not taking the sweets... He himself took the sweets and gave to the child. The child was happy to get two hands full of sweets.

While returning home the Mother asked the child... Why didn't you take the sweets, when the shop keeper told you to take?..

Can you guess the response: Child replies... Mom! My hands are very small and if I take the sweets I can only take few.. But now you see when uncle gave with his big hands.... How many more sweets I got!

Moral: When we take we may get little but when God gives... HE gives us more beyond our expectations. .. More than what we can

Apple and Strawberries - Never listen with a predetermined notion

A teacher teaching Math's to seven-year-old Kazim asked him, "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?" Within a few seconds Kazim replied confidently, "Four!"

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three). She was disappointed. "Maybe the child did not listen properly," she thought. She repeated, "Kazim, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"

Kazim had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the

teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, "Four..."

The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Kazim liked strawberries. She thought maybe he doesn't like apples and that is making him loose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"

Seeing the teacher happy, young Kazim calculated on his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile young Kazim enquired, "Three?"

The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?"

Promptly Kazim answered, "Four!"

The teacher was aghast. "How Kazim, how?" she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young Kazim replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."

Moral of the Story: "When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect don't think they are wrong. There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion."

A Story on Positive Attitude

Once, there was this guy, who was in love with a gal. She wasn't the most beautiful and gorgeous but for him, she was everything.

He used to dream about her, about spending the rest of life with her. His friends told him, "why do you dream so much about her, when you don't even know if she loves you or not

First tell her your feelings, and get to know if she likes you or not".

He felt that was the right way. The girl knew from the beginning, that this guy loves her.

One day when he proposed, she rejected him.

His friends thought he would be not able to take the rejection and would turn to alcohol; drugs etc. and ruin his life.

To their surprise, he was normal and not depressed as they feared.

When they asked him how was it that he is not sad, he replied...

"Why should I feel bad, I lost one who never loved me & she lost the one who really loved and cared for her."

In our life we should look for rejections and failures with the same perspective

The Last Impression: A True Story of Changing Perceptions

The train screeched to a halt as herds of people alighted and converged from all sides on the only water tap to fill empty water bottles, cans, glasses or whatever good enough to hold some water. It was scorching hot and one had to bear with it while traveling during summer vacations.Because of the scheduled brief halt , the competition to fetch water became intense as the moments ticked by . And then the things turned sour. A middle aged tough looking man slapped a young boy. It was disgusting to see such blatant display of aggression. Some polite people intervened and the fight ended. But it left a bitter feeling in my mind about that middle aged man. As the train whistled, he entered our compartment and while moving towards us he stumbled over a piece of baggage lying in the middle. A few people helped him to get up and the man sitting next to me whispered almost in my ears, “He is blind.” The bitter feeling vanished instantly. After sometime he came over to us and expressed his desire to meet my children whose clamor had attracted him. After polite introductions, when my little daughter, about two years at that time, held his left hand, he took out a colourful balloon with the right from his pocket. He blew it and gifted it to my daughter. My son persisted for one for him and was able to get it. The man was generous and large hearted. I thanked him for the gifts to my little-ones. My heart was filled with compassion for him. But a question had remained unanswered. So I asked ,”Tell me Baba, why did you slap the young boy?” I could clearly notice the pain in his voice as he replied, “Yes, in fact, I didn’t want to do it. But the boy had touched my self-respect by saying – Andha hai kya – and I lost control.” I just looked at him and couldn’t speak anything further. After a while looking at the blank space he moved ahead and called out, “Any little angels here?” He still had some balloons left in his pocket. And I felt sad over my first impression about him. This is what perception does. We tend to judge things as we see them based on our preconceived notions. But my perception about him had changed with in no time from bitterness to compassion to respect.. Thank God! First impression was not the last impression. I had learnt a lesson.

Real Inspiring Story: You are not inferior to an Ant - Never Give Up in life .. Amir Taimur, was someone who was so firm and unfaltering in every predicament, that he did not cover from any misfortune. When the reason for this was sought from him, he said:

"Once, having fled from my enemies and seeking refuge in the ruins of a worn down and dilapidated building, I was reflecting over my future when my eyes suddenly fell upon a small and weak Ant, carrying a grain bigger than itself, endeavouring to climb to the top of a wall.

"Looking carefully and counting accurately, I found that the grain had dropped from its clutches sixty seven times before the Ant finally managed to make it to the top of the wall with it. The spectacle of this effort on the part of the Ant infused within me strength of such great magnitude that I am never able to forget it."

"I said to myself: O' Taimur! You are by no means inferior to an Ant. Arise and get back to work. I got up and gathered my resolve till I eventually came to acquire the courage that I now possess."

Moral from This Story:

Falling down is not defeat...defeat is when you refuse to get up...

Never take some one for granted, Hold every person Close to your Heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones."

The Touchstone-- A Inspiring Story The Touchstone

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers.The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"!

The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles.

He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about midafternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.

So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away.

- Author UnknownBits & Pieces, Economic Press

Service & Humility - George Washington

Many years ago, a rider came across some soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log of wood without success. The corporal was standing by as the men struggled. The rider asked the

corporal why he wasn’t helping. The corporal replied: "I am the corporal. I give orders."

The rider dismounted, went up and stood by the soldiers and as they tried to lift the wood, he helped them. With his help, the task was carried out. The rider was George Washington, the Commander-in-chief. He quietly mounted his horse and went to the corporal and said, "The next time your men need help, send for the commander-in-chief."

Once when George Washington was riding near Washington city with a group of friends, their horses leaped over a wall. One steed kicked off a number of stones.

"Better replace them" suggested the General.

"Oh, let the farmer do it," replied the friends.

When the riding party was over, Washington turned his horses back the way they had come. Dismounting at the wall, he carefully replaced the stones.

"Oh General," said a companion, "you are too big to do that."

"On the contrary," answered Washington, "I am the right size."

Giving - Information Please  When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall.  The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box.  I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person--her name was "Information, Please" and there was nothing she did not know.  "Information, Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time.   My first personal experience with this genie-in the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.  I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, Please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.   A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, "Information." "I hurt my finger," I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me." I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked. "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts." "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.  After that, I called "Information, Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.   Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called "Information, Please" and told her the sad story. She listened, then saidthe usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child, but I was inconsolable I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.Another day I was on the telephone. "Information, Please.""Information," said the now familiar voice."How do you spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information, Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.

As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minute on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinkingwhat I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information."

I hadn't planned this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."

I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me? I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls."

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,"Information."

I asked for Sally.

"Are you a friend?" she asked.

"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say you name was Paul?" "Yes," I replied.

"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you."The note said, "Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched

today?

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: “Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups”.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.

What a great insight of living satisfying life with real life example!

Good Deeds Alwayz Comes Back The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to thefiner things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had nevermissed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted tomake fun of him, like so many others had done before.

"Leave me alone," he growled... To his amazement, the woman continuedstanding. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed indazzling rows.

"Are you hungry?" she asked."No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with thepresident.. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader.Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are youdoing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.."No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying toget this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixturearound here for a couple of years.. What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get himsomething to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to goin there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift himup.

"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything..""This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer

got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd hadalready left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table."What's going on here, officer?" he asked."What is all this, is thisman in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered."Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like thathere is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now ifyou'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place"The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are youfamiliar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. . "They hold theirweekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.""And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at theseweekly meetings?""What business is that of yours?"

I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.""Oh.."The woman smiled again.. "I thought that might make a difference."

She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh. "Would

you liketo join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?""No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?""Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee foryou right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in hisplace," he said."That was not my intent... Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. Shestared at him intently."Jack, do you remember me?"Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes.. "I think so --I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said.. "Maybe I've even filled outmore than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe thatsuch a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry."I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the citylooking for a job, but I couldn't find anything.

Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place

and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behindthe serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work forsomething to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roastbeef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and toldme to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that youwould get into trouble. Then, when I looked over and saw you put theprice of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everythingwould be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said."I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually Istarted my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.." Sheopened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you arefinished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's thepersonnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'mcertain he'll find something for you to do around the office."

She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you alittle advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place tolive until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my dooris always open to you.".

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he asked."Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory.. He ledme to you."Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at theentrance before going their separate ways... "Thank you for all yourhelp, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracletoday, something that I will never forget. And..And thank you for thecoffee."

Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always and don't forget thatwhen you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it willbe returned to you. God is so big He can cover the whole world withhis Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall,or He'll teach you how to fly!

The power of one sentence! God is going to shift things around foryou today and let things work in your favor. If you believe, send it.If you don't believe, delete it.

God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close..

If you need God to open some doors for you...send this on..Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...

“The 20th Floor" Celebrate Reading.....

There were once 2 brothers who lived on the 80th floor of a tall building. On coming home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they have to climb the stairs home.

After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day. They left their bags then and climbed on............

When they have struggled to the 40th level by this time they had gone sufficiently mad and irritated. The younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel.

They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarrelling all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they have only 20 levels more to climb and decided to stop quarrelling and continue climbing in peace. They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door. And they realized that the key was in their bags which were left on the 20th floor.........

This story is a reflection on our life and times. All of us climb the tall building called career ...........some till all the 80 floors and some less. But do we know that the key to happiness is in the bag which has been left back on the 20th floor only. Know your dreams and follow it so that you will not live with regrets.

Inside each of us are powers so strong, treasures so rich, possibilities so endless, that to command them all to action would change the history of the world. So “Our lives are the reflection of our thoughts”

Secret of Happy Married Life Once X asked Y, "What is the secret behind your happy married life?"Y said, "You should share responsibilities with due love and respect to each other. Then absolutely there will be no problems."

X asked, "Can you explain?"

Y said, "In my house, I take decisions on bigger issues where as my wifedecides on smaller issues. We do not interfere in each other's decisions."Still not convinced, X asked Y "Give me some examples"

Y said, "Smaller issues like which car we should buy, how much amount to save, when to visit home town, which Sofa, air conditioner, refrigerator to buy, monthly expenses, whether to keep a maid or not etc are decided by my wife. I just agree to it"

X asked, "Then what is your role?"

Y said, "My decisions are only for very big issues. Like whether America should attack Iraq, whether Britain should lift sanction over Zimbabwe, Whether to widen African economy, whether Sachin Tendulkar should retire etc. Do you know one thing, my wife NEVER objects to any of these".

The Fork ( Good Story ) The Fork There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor didn't know what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'. It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming... Like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.

Something wonderful, and with substance. So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, 'What's with the

fork?' Then I want you to tell them : "Keep your fork...the best is yet to come". The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman the last time he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did.

She KNEW that something better was coming. At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing, her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman about what it symbolized to her.

The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, oh so gently, that the best is yet to come. Author Unknown

THE TRUE HAPPINESS

Once there was an old alley cat walking down the street looking for his supper. As he walked along he came upon a beautiful young cat who was running around in circles chasing her tail. Around and around she went trying as hard as she could to catch her tail.

The old alley cat stopped and asked her, "What are you doing?"

The young cat slowed down and replied that she had been taught that Joy, Happiness and Luck were all in the tip of her tail.

"All that I have to do is catch the end of my tail, and I will have the happy life, she said.

The old alley cat replied, "I've been around for a long time, and I know that Joy, Happiness and Luck are in the tip of my tail; but, you know if I don't chase it and work my very hardest and don't worry about it, the happy life follows me wherever I go. My tail follows me everywhere, so I don't need to chase it."

Happiness isn't a place, a time, or a possession. You have to make it happen.

The ways to make it happen is to stop worrying about everything and just go about your business, and do your very best. Then, if you really work hard, your happiness will follow you just like the alley cat's tail !

The Secret For Happiness..!A Small Episode..

There once was a very wealthy and successful man. He had more money than he could ever spend and he was admired and looked up to by his community. Still, he knew that something was missing in his life. He wasn't happy. All his life he had pursued happiness and strived for happiness but had never been able to find it.

Then one day he heard about a hidden temple in Nepal that had a special room that contained the secret to happiness. He sold all that he owned and set out to find this hidden temple. After many years of searching and countless hardships he arrived there. He was weary and pennyless, but he knew that none of that mattered now that he had found the temple.

He asked a wise, smiling monk if he could enter the special room. The monk agreed and showed him the stairs leading to the room. He climbed them with legs shaking with anticipation and slowly opened the door. He stared into the room with sunlight streaming through the window and saw what he had come so far to find.

There hanging on the wall was the secret of happiness. The man gazed at his reflection in the mirror and laughed.

It is time that we all realized that we are the secret to our own happiness.Happiness is a choice that we make within.

God loves us and gives each one of us the ability to fill our lives with love, joy, peace, happiness, and oneness with Him.

We need only choose to do so moment by moment and day by day.

It doesn't matter what our outer circumstances are either, because the Kingdom of Heaven is within us.

Don't spend the rest of your life searching the world for happiness then.

Just look in the mirror and laugh. Just let the happiness flow from your heart, mind, and soul until it fills your life and the lives of all those

around you.

EFFORT

This is a very short story...that is long on teaching…

A giant ship engine failed. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a young boy. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, from the top to the bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were present there, watching this man, hoping hewould know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped at something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!

A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars. "What?!" the owners exclaimed, "He hardly did anything!" So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read :

Tapping with a hammer .............$ 2.00

Knowing where to tap..................$ 9998.00

Moral of the Story

Effort is important in life, but knowing where to put your effort makes all the difference.

Smile you will see smiling faces"Make one person happy each day, and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time, at least." -Charley Willey

Have you ever heard the old story of the old man who sat near the gate of his village and greeted people who entered and exited in his village. When travellers came in, very often they would ask what kind of people where in the village. The man responded by asking them what the people were like in the village they just left. If the traveler said the people were good and nice, the old man told them that he would find the people in this village were much the same. If the traveler said the other village had horrible people in it, the man said that they would find the people here much the same.

The moral of the story is that we take ourselves with us wherever we go. We meet the same kind of people everywhere. If you want to meet good people, you have to change your attitude towards others. Try to see the good in others.

It may be happened with you... When I reach my home late, wife would be there to attack me, when I say something witty, she will start laughing with children. Tension would ease and we will have a nice evening. On the other hand, if I shot at back with the same tone, there would be tension and we would spoil the evening.

Making one person happy a day, it is better to bring smile than a frown. It doesn't cost you at all. Try this, smile for the next 60 seconds. Just sit there and smile. Don't do anything else.

I'll wait.

Aren't you feeling good?

Didn't you sense a physical feeling inside you every second you start to smile? The physiology of this is that when we smile, we are literally programmed to feel good. If you think you have to feel great to smile, you are mistaken. Smile first and you will feel great. It is impossible to feel bad when we are smiling 

You are doing a good thing if you make it your mission to make at least one person smile per day. The feelings that you are feeling right now as you reading and grinning is exactly what you will be doing for everyone that you make smile

Remember the story of the house of 1000 mirrors. When a happy little dog learned of this house of 1000 mirrors, it decided to visit that place. He climbed the stairs to the doorway of the house and looked through the doorway to find that 1000 other happy little dogs.  He smiled and was answered with 1000 great smiles. He thought it is a wonderful place and wanted to visit again. In the same village, another little dog, who was not quite happy as the first one also decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door, he found 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him.  He growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him.  He left that place and thought that

this is a horrible place and decided never to go back there again.

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

A C H A N C E T O S T A R T O V E R

It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas Edison's factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding on a variety of fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison's plant, made of concrete and steel, was deemed "fireproof". As you may have already guessed, it wasn't!

On that frigid night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational blaze that had burst through the plant roof. Edison's 24-year-old son, Charles, made a frenzied search for his famous inventor-father. When he finally found him, he was watching the fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face was illuminated by the leaping flames. "My heart ached for him," said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old, and everything he had worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, 'Charles! Where's your mother?' When I told him I didn't know, he said, 'Find her! Bring her here! She'll never see anything like this as long as she lives.'"

Next morning, Mr. Edison looked at the ruins of his factory and said this of his loss: "There's value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew."

What a wonderful perspective on things that seem at first to be so disastrous. A business failure, divorce, personal dream gone sour . . . whether these things destroy an individual depends largely on the attitude he or she takes toward them. Sort out why it happened, and learn something from the blunders. Think of different approaches that can be taken.

Start over.

Technically strong nations..... Really a class analogy..

An Old Story:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Indian Version:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.

Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .

Mayawati states this as `injustice' done on Minorities.

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).

Opposition MPs stage a walkout.... Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.

Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.

Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.

CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '

Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later....

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley,

100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India,

.....AND

As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers,

India is still a developing country…!!!

Real Situation about our country

I worry much about two drops oil in my spoon A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world.

The lad wandered through the desert for 40 days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

"Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something", said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil.

"As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill".

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

"Well", asked the wise man, "Did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?"

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world", said the wise man. "You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house".

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

"But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?" asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you", said the wisest of wise men.

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon".

YOU hold MY hand! (your point of view required) The boy worried: "Hey, it is very difficult to cross. We have to run fast. You hold my hand!"

"No, I will not. YOU hold MY hand!"

"Why? Both are same."

"NO. For me it is NOT the same. While I hold your hand and run through these difficulties, I may loose my grip and leave your hand. But if you hold my hand, I am sure you will never

leave me; or you will never loose your grip whatever may happend on the way! So, Hold me and run!"

The wife and the window

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hang the wash outside.That laundry is not very clean, she said, she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said: "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!"

And so it is with life:"What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look. Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in the person we are about to judge. "

Nice story.!!

Once there was a small kid on earth. One fine day she came to know that god is distributing apples to humans in his place at heaven. The kid was so happy to receive that news and she went with lot of enjoyment to heaven to get the apple from god. There was a big queue standing to get apple from god and this kid also joined in that queue. While she was standing, she was fully excited and thrilled for the fact that she is going to receive in person from god's hands. Her turn too came and the kid showed her both the hands to receive apple. God gave the apple but unfortunately the tiny hands couldn't hold that big apple. Apple fell down and got wasted in mud. The kid got so disappointed. The ministers near the god informed that if the kid likes to have an apple from god again then she has to again follow the queue. Having waited for so long the kid didn't want to return back to earth with empty hands so she decided to wait again in the queue.

This time the queue has become even longer than the previous one. While waiting in queue, the kid could see lot of people who returns back with apple in hands and utmost satisfaction on their faces. The kid was so much disappointed and thought why me alone didn't get the apple in hand when all others were easily able to get it. What is the sin I did that I alone should suffer like this. Now the kid was so scared that she should not miss the apple again. Again her turn came and god gave the apple to the kid's hands and after giving the apple god spoke to the kid.

"My dear child, last time after giving you the apple only I noticed the apple I gave to you was a rotten apple and that's why I made that to fell down from your hands. Having given you a rotten apple, I felt bad for you and I wanted to give you the best apple in the farm and that time the best apple in the farm was growing and that's why I made you to wait such a long time in the queue.

Here it is. Now the apple that you have in hand is 'The Best' apple in the farm till to date. Enjoy."

MORAL:

Friends, sometimes it so happens, as even after we put our 100% dedication and commitment things may get delayed or things may go wrong. Believe that god has something great for us and that's why this has happened. Always say, 'Gratitude & patience is absolutely the best way to bring more in one's life'.

STORY..~ A Beautiful Auction

This is great, take a moment to read it, it will make your day!

The ending will surprise you

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that

his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.On the platform sat the painting of the son The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandt's. Get on with the real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting.' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'

'$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?'

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE....THAT' S LOVE

Do whatever you like, but remember that maybe 'one' of the people you might have taken the time to send this to, may be just the person who needs to hear this message. You have a choice to make.'

Sweet 8 lies of a mother

This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we hadn'tenough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me her portionof rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say"Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry."This was Mother's First Lie.As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river near ourhouse; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a littlebit more nutritious food for my growth. Once she had caught just two fish,she would make fish soup. While I was eating the soup, mother would sitbeside me and eat what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten;My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to her onmy chopstick but she immediately refused it and said, "Eat this fish, son!I don't really like fish."This was Mother's Second Lie.Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match Factory tobring home some used matchboxes which she filled with fresh matchsticks. .This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night Iawoke to find Mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said,"Mother, go to sleep; it's late: you can continue working tomorrowmorning." Mother smiled and said "Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired."This was Mother's Third LieWhen I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me.. Afterdawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the sun. When the bellrang, I ran to meet her.. Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of teathat she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as myMother's love, Seeing Mother covered with perspiration; I at once gave hermy glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son! I'm notthirsty!".This was Mother's Fourth Lie.After Father's death, Mother had to play the role of a single parent. Sheheld on to her former job; she had to fund our needs alone. Our family'slife was more complicated. We suffered from starvation. Seeing ourfamily's condition worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house cameto help us solve our problems big and small.Our other neighbours saw that we were poverty stricken so they oftenadvised my mother to marry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying "Idon't need love."This was Mother's Fifth Lie.After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time for my oldMother to retire but she carried on going to the market every morning justto sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money but she was steadfastand even sent the money back to me. She said, "I have enough money."That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

I continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree. Funded by theAmerican Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With abig jump in my salary, I decided to bring Mother to enjoy life in Americabut Mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me "I'm not used tohigh living."That was Mother's Seventh LieIn her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized.Now living far across the ocean, I went home to visit Mother who wasbedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile but I was heartbrokenbecause she was so thin and feeble but Mother said, "Don't cry, son! I'mnot in pain."That was Mother's Eighth Lie.Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died.YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!M - O - T - H - E - R"M" is for the Million things she gave me,"O" means Only that she's growing old,"T" is for the Tears she shed to save me,"H" is for her Heart of gold,"E" is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them,R" means Right, and right she'll always be,Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER"a word that means the world to me.For those of you who are lucky to be still blessed with your Mom'spresence on Earth, this story is beautiful. For those who aren't soblessed, this is even more beautiful.

Eagles And Storms Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

Story – Become a Lake

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Terrible," replied the boy.

The Master then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the guy swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink the water from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the boy. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said," The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into.

So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things.....

What is required is to change our paradigm and make a shift in our focus. Too often we are more focused only on the gain, and miss out on the gain.

Stop being a glass. Become a lake! Failure doesn't mean when we fail, but when we don't want to come up again.

Let us sit down and make a List of all our Pains. Also, let us analyze the containers we have been using and how today we can make a shift and gain from it.

"The greatest aim of Education is not Knowledge but ACTION"

Release your potential Release your potential

A child was born three months after the death of his father. Born prematurely, he was a small child; his mother said that he could easily fit inside a quart mug.. When He was three, his mother remarried and went to live with her new husband, leaving her son in the care of his maternal grandmother.

Began his schooling in the village schools. When he was 15 yrs, his step father died and his mother came back only to remove him from school and attempted to make a farmer of him. He was thoroughly unhappy with the farm work. One of his high school teacher helped him back to school to complete his education.

At the age of 19 he fell in love, romanced for a year and got engaged to his beloved. But he became engrossed in his studies and let the romance cool itself and she left him and married someone else. He never married. He faced challenges everywhere!

He was born unlucky with much hardship for very survival and struggle for education.

What can you expect that child to do and achieve in life? Think!

He described universal gravitation (Gravity) and the three laws of motion. He invented the reflecting telescope and made many contributions to mathematics.

Yes we are talking of Sir Isaac Newton

A Lesson well Learnt!!

The clock on the railway platform said 5:18 am. I sat by the window seat in the ladies compartment,watching fellow commuters scuttle across the crowded Sealdah Station. Loud voices screaming out to each other. Aroma of tea rising up in the morning air.Vendors hurriedly loading their barrels and wicker baskets onto the train. Newspaper men juggling enormous bundles. Last minute rush onto the ladies compartment. Cat fights.

And the smell of sweat, even at that ungodly hour. I sat there, waiting patiently for the train to leave. It would be any minute now. All of a sudden I heard this loud din and I looked across the aisle towards the door. Two hefty vendors were holding up an old man and literally shoving him into the ladies compartment where I was sitting. I realized minutes later, that it was only because his frame was so crooked, he could barely stand up straight. For a moment I wavered. Did'nt know what to do. Should I get up and help the old man,who was by now,on his knees, and fishing for something in the torn satchel that he was carrying. But he looked a little scary. Tattered clothes. Broken glasses. Wrinkled skin. Shrivelled up eye brows covering two muddy yellow eyes. Forehead knotted by the years.

And for a moment I felt sorry for him. Here was a man,not less than 90 years of age, threading his way from one train to the next, begging to live through just another day. What on earth could have happened to compel him into such dire straits? Did'nt he have a family? What kind of a job did he do when he was young and more able-bodied? Or did he forever make a living out of the alms thrown to him by the daily commuters.

And then I saw him stagger towards me with a small packet of peanuts. He came and stood in front of me , offered me the packet and said," Ek taka" ( One rupee a packet).

A disclaimer at this point. I don't like peanuts. I can even go to the extent of saying that I really hate peanuts. Cannot stand the sight,smell or taste of it. I can be quite quirky that way!

But I certainly did'nt want to turn the old fellow down. Whatever little expectations he had from me (even if it was a rupee) I didnt want to disappoint him. I was too busy feeling sorry for him!

So I fished in my bag for a 2 rupee coin and extended it to him. He thrust 2 peanut bags in my hands. I quickly returned them, saying,"na na eta chai na" (no,no I dont want these).

And time stood still just then, for this one moment of truth to sink in.

He slowly took out a 2 rupee coin from his satchel and kept it on the seat beside me. Then looked me straight in the eye and said,

" Gorib thiki. Kintu bhikhkhe chai na. Kaaj korchi!"( I may be poor but I`m not a beggar. I work!).He walked away, leaving a downright ashamed me with another of Life`s lessons I`ll never ever forget..

THE BRILLIANT FISHERMAN As King Parveez and Queen Shireen were sitting in their palace one day, a fisherman who was selling fresh fish was brought in front of them. King Parveez decided to buy a fish and gave the fisherman 4000 dirham for it. The fisherman was overjoyed. He thanked King Parveez and left. Queen Shireen turned to her husband in anger and scolded him for paying so much for a fish. King Parveez let her have her say but said that the fish was purchased and that there was nothing that could be done about it. However, the Queen was adamant and insisted that the fisherman be brought back. "We will ask the fisherman about the gender of the fish," she said. "If he answers that it is female, we will say that we wanted a male fish and if his

response is that it is male, we will say that we wanted a female fish! Either way, we will be able to return the fish and have our money back." So the poor fisherman was called back and was asked the question. Fortunately, he was clever enough not to be caught out. He replied, "The fish is neither male or female. It is neutral." King Parveez was so impressed by the ingenuity of the man that he ordered a further 4000 dirham to be paid to him. The fisherman thanked the King again but as he was about to leave with the heavy bag of money, one of the coins fell onto the floor. The fisherman immediately bent down to look for the coin. Queen Shireen was already upset that the fisherman had been given 8000 dirham. "Look how miserly this man is!" the Queen exclaimed. "One coin has fallen out of his bag full of money and he searches for it instead of leaving it for some other poor servant to find." The man heard this remark and said, "O Queen, it is not out of miserliness that I search for the coin but rather because it had the picture of generous King Parveez on it. I would not tolerate anyone to cause dishonour to the King by treading on the coin." The King was so happy with this response that he immediately called for another 4000 dirham to be given to the fisherman. When Queen Shireen saw all this, she thought it was better to hold her tongue and let the man go with the 12000 dirham before the King decided to increase the amount again. (Lessons from Life) Speech is an Art. If one knows what, when and how to talk then such a

person will be successful in life.

Excellent Story - " Are You A Gold Fish? " When I was a kid, I saw plenty of goldfish in the houses of my friends, and I remember wondering why so many people would want to keep such small, unexciting creatures as pets.

Then one day, when I was about ten years old, I went on a school field trip to a botanical garden that had a pond stocked with fish. One especially large, brilliantly colored fish stood out to me.

"What kind of fish is that one?" I asked our guide."That's a goldfish," she replied.

I was confused. "Aren't goldfish supposed to be small?" I asked with a note of 9-year-old sarcasm.

"Not at all," she replied. "Goldfish will grow even larger than these. It really just depends on the size of their environment."

I took in the information and determined to never again show

myself so ignorant about goldfish, but it was years before I understood the broader lesson.

How often have I been like a goldfish in a fishbowl ? How often have I limited myself by my perception of my world ? Worse still, how many times have I put others in a small bowl in my mind ? How many times have I written off someone as insignificant or unexciting ? How many times have I failed to see others' potential to grow ?

How much more could I achieve if I forgot my perceived limitations and dared to swim beyond the boundaries I've set for myself ? And what would happen if I moved others from their small bowls into the ocean of limitless possibilities ?

Just imagine a world full of people with that perspective, who truly believe that anything is possible and reach out to claim it. Together we could do astounding things.

Apply this same principle to your professional life and see how things around you will suddenly start to bloom with more possibilities and success.

You are no goldfish. Even the world is not big enough to be your bowl. The limitation of your mind is the only thing that sets you apart from a successful achiever. Will you be one too ? All you need to do is believe that you can.

Think Out of the Box (CLICK HERE TO READ)There's a tennis tournament with one hundred twenty seven players . You've got one hundred twenty-six people paired off in sixty-three matches, plus one unpaired player as a bye. In the next round, there are sixty-four players and thirty-two matches. How many matches, total, does it take to determine a winner?

If you are taking out your calculator or taking more than 5 seconds scroll below for the answer .

scroll below for the answer

scroll below for the answer

scroll below for the answer

scroll below for the answer

the answer is 126. There are 127 players and it takes one match to eliminate one player. One hundred twenty-six players have to be eliminated to leave one winner. Therefore, there have to be 126 matches.

This is thinking out of the box. Wherever it has been practiced it has resulted in stupendous success. Google, ICICI bank, ebay, naukri.com, Tata Nano, Mittals , Sterlite, Reliance are all examples of this.

It seems simple but require different kind of thinking

Wise Man's Advice A wise and saintly rich man, sensing his approaching death, called his son to his side and gave him these instructions:

‘My son, I shall be leaving you very shortly. On the day when I die, and they have washed my body and come to wrap it in the shroud, I want you to put one of my socks on my foot. This is my final request of you.’

Soon after this, the old man did indeed die, leaving behind his goods and property, his children and his dependents. Family, friends, acquaintances and neighbours attended his funeral. The body had been washed and was almost completely wrapped in the shroud, when the son remembered his father’s wish. Finding one of his old socks, he handed it to the washer of the dead, saying, ‘In accordance with my father’s last request, please put this sock on his foot.’

‘That is quite impossible:’ Said the man. ‘Such a thing is utterly impermissible in Islam. I cannot act against the Shariah.’ Despite this valid objection, the son insisted, ‘That was my father’s final request; it must certainly be carried out.’

The washer of the dead was unmoved. ‘If you won’t take my word for it,’ he said, ‘go and ask the mufti. He will confirm what I tell you, that it is not permissible. ‘ Holding up the funeral, they consulted the mufti, preachers and scholars, all of whom declared that this was not permissible in Islam. Just then, an aged friend of the deceased interrupted the debate with these words to the son: ‘My boy, your late father entrusted me with a letter which I was to hand over to you after his

departure. Here, this letter belongs to you.’ So saying, he gave him an envelope. Taken by surprise, the boy opened the envelope and read out the contents of his father’s letter.

‘My son, all this wealth and property I have left to you. Now you see: at the last moment, they won’t even let you give me an old sock to wear. When you yourself come one day to be in my condition they will also refuse to let you keep anything but your shroud. Eight yards of shroud are all you will be able to carry over from this fleeting world into the Hereafter. So pull yourself together and be prepared. Spend the fortune I have left you, not for the satisfaction of vain desires, but in ways pleasing to God, that you may achieve honour in both worlds.’

Don't believe in opinions... go for the facts!

There was a hunter who came into the possession of a special bird dog. The dog was the only one of its kind, because it can walk on water. One day he invited a friend to go hunting with him so that he could show off his prized possession. After some time, they shot a few ducks, which fell into the river. The man ordered his dog to run and fetch the birds. The dog ran on water to fetch the birds. The was expecting a compliment about the amazing dog, but did not receive it. Being curious, he asked his friend if the friend had noticed anything unusual about the dog. The friend replied,"Yes, I did see something unusual about your dog. Your dog can't swim!"

Mantra: There would always be somebody who has negative view on your specialties. Don't believe in opinions go for the facts.

The Secrets of Heaven and Hell

The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation he sat.

Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.

"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose

hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high over his head. His face turned to crimson, and the veins of his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent.

In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

God's Jobs

An eight year old wrote this for his third-grade Sunday school teacher, who asked her students to explain God:

One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes these to put in the place of the ones who die so there will be enough people to take care of things here on earth. He doesn't make grownups, he just makes babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to walk and talk. He can just leave that up to the mothers and fathers. I think it works out pretty good.

God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, 'cause some people, like preachers and things, pray other times besides bedtimes, and Grandpa and Grandma pray every time they eat, except for snacks. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio and watch TV on account of this. 'Cause God hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears unless he has thought of a way to turn it down.

God sees and hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time asking for things that aren't important, or go over parents' heads and ask for something they said you couldn't have. It doesn't work anyway.

Live in the PresentOnce a clock master was repairing a clock.The pendulum requested the clock master to be relieved of it’s duty of ticking. It said “ I am exhausted ticking every second, 60 times a minutes 3600 times an hour , 86400 times every day and 31536000 times in an year. I cannot do more, I can't continue….”The click master replied “do not think for the future just tick one second a day and you will enjoy it to the rest of your life.”The pendulum decided to follow the advice and is still ticking happily.The present moment is never unbearable if we live it fully.We most of the time swing from past to present to future and

are always unhappy.What holds us living in present ??How to see , feel here, now…?Think about the present , live the current moment, current hour , current day, current week….?

Hell and Heaven.

A good man after his death was given a choice to reside in Hell or Heaven.. He requested for a permission to visit both before deciding. He first went to hell . Contrary to his expectation, hell looked to be a rich place. He went to the lunch room and he saw the delicious dishes being served.However he was surprised to see that the residents looked famished and ill and were not eating. He realized that they had no elbow joints so could not bend their arms and feed. So all they could do is to look at the food and fightHe quickly wanted to visit heaven. When he entered heaven he found out residents having similar deformity - no elbow joint. He was shocked , expecting that they will also face the same predicament as the hell’s residenceBut to his pleasant surprise they were happy joking and looked well fed . He moved to the dinner room and then he saw the most beautiful sight. The residents as they could not bend their hands were feeding each other with the straightened arms.

God HelpA disciple visited the saint and left his horse untied outside. He bowed to the saint saying that he has full faith in God and have left his horse untied with the belief that God will protect his interest.The saint replied , “go tie your horse you fool. God will not bother to do such thing which you are perfectly capable of doing.”

A parable of a child "There is a difference between education and experience. Education is what you get from reading the small print. Experience is what you get from not reading it!But isn't it true that great learning comes from both education and experience? Let me tell you a parable:

A young school teacher had a dream that an angel appeared to him and said, "You

will be given a child who will grow up to become a world leader. How will you prepare her so that she will realize her intelligence, grow in confidence, develop both her assertiveness and sensitivity, be open-minded, yet strong in character? In short, what kind of education will you provide that she can become one of the world's truly GREAT leaders?"

The young teacher awoke in a cold sweat. It had never occurred to him before—any ONE of his present or future students could be the person described in his dream. Was he preparing them to rise to ANY POSITION to which they may aspire? He thought, 'How might my teaching change if I KNEW that one of my students were this person?' He gradually began to formulate a plan in his mind.

This student would need experience as well as instruction. She would need to know how to solve problems of various kinds. She would need to grow in character as well as knowledge. She would need self-assurance as well as the ability to listen well and work with others. She would need to understand and appreciate the past, yet feel optimistic about the future.

She would need to know the value of lifelong learning in order to keep a curious and active mind. She would need to grow in understanding of others and become a student of the spirit. She would need to set high standards for herself and learn self discipline, yet she would also need love and encouragement, that she might be filled with love and goodness.

His teaching changed. Every young person who walked through his classroom became, for him, a future world leader. He saw each one, not as they were, but as they could be. He expected the best from his students, yet tempered it with compassion. He taught each one as if the future of the world depended on his instruction.

After many years, a woman he knew rose to a position of world prominence. He realized that she must surely have been the girl described in his dream. Only she was not one of his students, but rather his daughter. For of all the various teachers in her life, her father was the best.

I've heard it said that "Children are living messages we send to a time and place we will never see." But this isn't simply a parable about an unnamed school teacher. It is a parable about you and me -- whether or not we are parents or even teachers. And the story, OUR story, actually begins like this:"You will be given a child who will grow up to become...." You finish the sentence. If not a world leader, then a superb father? An excellent teacher? A gifted healer? An innovative problem solver? An inspiring artist? A generous philanthropist?

Where and how you will encounter this child is a mystery. But believe that one child's future may depend upon influence only you can provide, and something remarkable will happen. For no young person will ever be ordinary to you again. And you will never be the same.

TWO HORSES:

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if one stops the car, or is walking by, one will notice something quite amazing.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

Listening, one will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, one will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her

bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As one stands and watches these two friends, one sees how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by God and those whom he places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see God.

Very Short Story on Patience A little girl visited a farm one day and asked to buy a large watermelon. That big one you got on your hand costs 3 dollars said the farmer. I’ve got only 30 cents replied the girl. 30 cents will buy you a small watermelon replied the farmer. What about that one asked the farmer pointing to a small watermelon in the field. Okay, I’ll take it smiled the little girl. Here’s your 30 cents but leave it on the vine. I’ll be back for it in a month.

Pretty smart little girl. She knew her patience would be rewarded. By waiting one month, she could have a big, ripe watermelon for the price of a little green one.

Live the Moment - By the river I sat and wept

She was 20 and he was 26. They met by the river one May afternoon. She was from the city and he lived in the small town of St. Anne. She was a city girl who loved the outdoors; simple and carefree. He was a young man who nursed his grief, who loved to be alone and who shut himself off from seeing the real beauty of life. They were complete opposites.

"Hi!" she said. She is petite and looks younger than her age, unusually pale but there was some glow in her small eyes. She's wearing a brown leather hat. He's sitting at the big roots of a mango tree at the riverbank, waiting for any fish that will bite his bait.

He looks up and frowns as he sees the unfamiliar face. He looks back at the river and says, "Ello".

She sits beside him. "Mind if I sit here?"

"You're already sitting there", he says without looking at her face.

She just shrugs her small shoulders. "My name is Gessana", she says after a long silence. "What's your name?"

"Arthur."

After that they remain silent, and after several more minutes she tells him that she will go home now. Her cousin might be looking for her. He just nods.

The following afternoon, she finds him again in the same spot.

"Hi! Please, do you mind if I sit here again?" she happily asks.

A simple nod is his answer. She's wearing a yellow dress and she looks very fragile.

"Where do you stay?" he asks her after she fully settled on the big stone beside the big roots where he sits.

She smiles. "Keanne is my cousin and she invited me to spend my summer vacation here."

He nods again.

"I like it here, the place, this river, and the quiet environment." She closes her eyes and leans back on the mangoes' bark.

He looks at her then looks back at the water.

"Is that all?" he asks.

She opens her eyes. "Hmmm, it is relaxing in here, I like the green grass and the feel of the rough mango bark on my back. The warm stone I sit on. Everything!"

"Nature lover, huh?"

"Hmmm, sort of. How about you?" She looks at him.

He shakes his head negatively. "Nothing."

She frowns. "Nothing?"

He nods.

"Hmmm, hearing it is something new!" she says jubilantly. "But honestly, a person has always something on himself; beauty, joy, cravings, even loneliness and desperation. There is always something in a person's life."

And that was the beginning. They became friends, sharing that something and nothing.

But he lives in his dark past. She's the light that comes to lighten his world, but summer will end after two weeks and his world will be dark again.

"But you don't need to think sadness before it grips you", she says as they hold each other's hand under the mango tree at the riverbank.

"You will not enjoy life if you think of getting hurt someday. You will not feel what real love is if you restrain yourself from loving that special person wholly. Will you reap full trust if you sow only half? Interruptions come in a person's life and we can't stop them, nobody can. Someone we love might disappoint us, incurable sickness will embrace us, and some people will leave us behind. Well, it's natural. We don't know what's in store for tomorrow, so while we have the now, let's embrace it joyfully, thanking God for giving it to us, even for a short period. What matters is the lesson it teaches us, that there is always more to life than increasing its speed."

"Yeah, I guess so."

The following day is a cloudy day for him. As he cleans his closet, he sees the picture of the woman he loved before, he was about to marry, a woman whom he'd given all his devotion and understanding, a woman he adored, yet left him because of some foreign ambitions - unattainable if she remained in their small village. The grief and bitterness flows back to his heart like a strong current of the river.

She's been waiting for him for two hours already yet even his shadow isn't there. But she still waits... till the darkness envelopes the day and it's time for her to go home. Every day she waits for him at the riverbank until the summer is over; the summer of her heart.

September.

"Where does she live?" He is sitting in the living room of Keanne's house. She's looking grumpily at him.

"Please", he begs.

"Heaven."

He frowns. "Please tell me. I need to go to her and tell her how sorry am I."

She shakes her head. Then some small pearls of tears roll onto her cheek.

"She already passed away, two weeks ago. She had bone marrow cancer. You saw how pale she was? Of course you didn't see it, because you always looked down at yourself."

He sat by the river and wept silently, but tears would not return her from the grave. Then, he remembered what she said.

"Always enjoy the present because it was God's gift to us, and it's the only thing that we have now."

THE GOSSIP

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.

"Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road."

Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told. The next day the wise man said, "Now go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me."

The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had blown the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand.

"You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."What Life is all About... Must Read for All !!!, Inspirational Heart Touching Story

A Long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible.

When he was hungry,thirsty or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and

he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I pushed myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love to do.

One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Lessons to Learn from The Story:

Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balance lifestyle and enjoy Life!

The habit of obligation - Long but Good Once a moneylender was approached by a young man for loan. The moneylender invited him for lunch a day in his house so he could set the deal. He arranged lunch in the courtyard of his house, where, except his dog, his tenant and he himself were present there. The moneylender served the food to his guest and sat afar in a corner of the courtyard in silence till the young man finished the food.

As the lunch got over, the young man started talking about the need of loan. Hearing him patiently for a long time, the moneylender said tersely, “I can’t give you loan on any terms as I don’t find you a genuine person who can repay my loan.”

Baffled on the sudden change of mood of the moneylender, the young man said:

“What is wrong with me, sir? You have been very sympathetic about me since the first day of our meetings and you invited me today for such a delicious lunch. Now why have you suddenly changed your mind. Why sir?

“There is a reason for it certainly,” said the moneylender, “the lunch I gave you was actually a formality and part of my hidden agenda, too, in order to check if you are my real prospect or not, and if I should stake my capital on you.

“Now I find that you are not my real prospect for giving a loan,” said moneylender straightforwardly.

How did you check me,” asked the young man. “It was nothing but your attitude,” said the moneylender. “In fact, you don’t have a habit of obligation,” added moneylender. “How did you reach to this conclusion about me?” asked the young man impatiently.

“See, my dog was present during the lunch and you did not even throw a piece of

bread to him while he was surely expecting it from you. If you can’t give something to someone from what I gave to you then how I can expect that you will repay my loan; that there ultimately would be a sum of extra money with principal amount of the loan i.e. installments of interest that you have to pay me entirely from your pocket,” said the moneylender.

The fable has a message in it that expression of obligation is a sort of habit and a habit of obligation is a must for any success as it reflects our basic character that leads us in every situation. Obligation arises out of a sense of duty that eventually shapes up our character. Through the positive development of habits we can change our destiny.

For destiny, it is sure that every one has to work for a change from his/her present. Sometimes it demands a lot of hard work while it becomes easy after some hard work or without any hard work.

But one thing is sure here that your destiny will rely on the forms of habits and; the habits of caring, obligation, and helping others are those things that make a person so wonderful no matter what the faith, religion, status he belongs to.

So, “We are what we repeatedly do,” the remark of Aristotle over the habits is still worthwhile as it has been effective centuries ago.

Worth Reading !!!!!

Buddha, one day, was on deep thought about the worldly activities and the ways of instilling goodness in human. The following is the text of conversation between him and his disciple.

One of his disciples approached him and said humbly " Oh my teacher ! While you are so much concerned about the world and others, why don't you look in to the welfare and needs of your own disciples also."

Buddha : "OK.. Tell me how I can help you"

Disciple : "Master! My attire is worn out and is beyond the decency towear the same. Can I get a new one, please."

Buddha found the robe indeed was in a bad condition which needed replacement. He asked the store keeper to give the disciple a new robe to wear on. The disciple thanked Buddha and retired to his room. Though he met his disciple's requirement, Buddha was not all that contended on his decision. He realized he missed out some point. A while after, he realized what he should have asked the disciple . He went tohis disciple's place and asked him "Is your new attire comfortable? Do you need anything more ?"

Disciple : "Thank you my Master. The attire is indeed very comfortable. I need nothing more"

Buddha : "Having got the new one, what did you do with your old attire?"

Disciple : "I am using it as my bed spread"

Buddha "Then.. hope you have disposed off your old bed spread"

Disciple " No.. no.. master. I am using my old bedspread as my window curtain"

Buddha " What about your old Curtain?"

Disciple "Being used to handle hot utensils in the kitchen"

Buddha : "Oh.. I see.. Can you tell me what did they do with the old cloth they used in Kitchen"

Disciple : "They are being used to wash the floor."

Buddha " " Then, the old rug being used to wash the floor...???"

Disciple " Master, since they were torn off so much, we could not find any better use, but to use as a twig in the oil lamp, which is right now lit in your study room...."

Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room.

If not to this degree of utilization, can we at least attempt to find the best use of all our resources - at home and at office .. ?? It becomes imperative in the critical time of Recession....

Treat the earth well.....it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from our children.

The Army Son The Creightons were very proud of their son Frank. When he went to college, naturally they missed him; but he wrote and they looked forward to his letters and saw him on weekends. Then Frank was drafted into the army.

After he had been in the army about 5 months, he received his call to go to Vietnam. Of course, the parents anxiety for his first letter was greater than ever before. And every week they heard from him and were thankful for his well-being. Then one week went by without a letter – two weeks – and finally three. At the end of the third week a telegram came, saying, “We regret to inform your that your son has been missing for three weeks and is presumed to have been killed in action while fighting for his country.

The parents were shocked and grieved. They tried to accept the situation and go on living, but it was tragically lonesome without Frank.

About three weeks later, however, the phone rang. When Mrs. Creighton answered it, a voice on the other end said, Mother it’s Frank. They found me, and I’m going to be all right. I am in the United States and I am coming home soon.

Mrs. Creighton was overjoyed, with tears running down her cheeks she sobbed, Oh, that’s wonderful ! That’s just wonderful, Frank. There was silence for a moment, and then Frank said, Mother I want to ask you something that is important to me. While I have been here, I have met a lot of wonderful people and I have really become close friends with some. There is one fellow I would like to bring home with me to meet you and Dad. And I would like to know if it would be all right if he could stay and live with us, because he has no place to go.

His mother assured him it would be all right.

Then Frank said “ You see, he wasn’t as lucky as some; he was injured in battle. He was hit by a blast and his face is all disfigured. He lost his leg, and his right hand is missing. So you see, he feels uneasy about how others will accept him.

Frank’s mother stopped to think a minute. She began to wonder how things would work out, and what people in town would think of someone like that. She said “Sure Frank, you bring him home for a visit, that is We would love to meet him and have him stay for a while; but about him staying with us permanently well, we’ll have to think about that. There was silence for a minute, and then Frank said Okay, Mother and hung up.

A week went by without any word from Frank, and then a telegram arrived “ We regret to inform you that your son has taken his life. We would like you to come and identify the body.

Their wonderful son was gone. The horror stricken parents could only ask themselves “ why had he done this ? When they walked in the room to identify the body of their son, they found a young man with a disfigured face, one leg missing, and his right hand gone.

Love is Blind..... But Sees The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he’d told her was empty. Then she’s settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. ‘How could this have happened to me?’ she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she knew the painful truth, her sight was never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan’s once optimistic spirit.

All she had to cling to was her husband Mark. Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength she needed to become independent again.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark’s need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however Mark realized that this arrangement wasn’tworking - it was hectic, and costly.

Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe.She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react? Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again.

“I’m blind!” she responded bitterly. “How am I supposed to know where I’m going? I feel like you’re abandoning me.” Mark’s heart broke but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each day he would ride the bus with her until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back to his office.

Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own.

Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his love.

She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…. Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, “Boy, I sure envy you.”

Susan wasn’t sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? “Why do you envy me?” The driver responded, “It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are.”

Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, “What do you mean?” The driver said, “You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady.”

Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s cheeks. For although she couldn’t see him, she had always felt Mark’s presence. She was blessed, so blessed, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn’t need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light where there had been darkness.

“You don’t love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her…”

So if you love someone be faithful to that person.

One day I decided to quit...

One day I decided to quit... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" His answer surprised me... "Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied. When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said. "In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. "I would not quit." He said. "Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots.

Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots."

"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. " Don't compare yourself

to others .." He said. " The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern ... Yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

Your time will come, " God said to me. " You will rise high! " How high should I rise?" I asked.

How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can? " I questioned.

" Yes. " He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can. "

I left the forest and bring back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

He will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life.

Good days give you happiness

Bad days give you experiences;

Both are essential to life.

A happy and meaningful life requires our continuous input and creativity. It does not happen by chance. It happens because of our choices and actions. And each day we are given new opportunities to choose and act and, in doing so, we create our own unique journey." Keep going...

Son's Painting A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.*When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas,there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'*Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting..' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.*'We have $10, who will bid $20?'*'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'The crowd was becoming

angry.. They didn't want the picture of the son.*They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.*The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.''What about the paintings?''I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!'God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

you are never too old to learn (story) The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and share a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. "You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing,

you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

Walk on.............a short read.....worth it

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the story:

Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Small Story

There were two brothers in a small village in the Eastern Cape. The twin brothers grew up knowing nothing else but poverty. Their father was an alcoholic and their mother a domestic worker. They grew up with very little.

On their way home one day, their parents were involved in a bus accident and died instantly. The brothers' condition became even worse. At age 17 they separated.Years and years later a family member decided to find them for a family reunion.

One of the brothers was a wealthy engineer owning a construction company. He had a wife and three beautiful kids. The other was an alcoholic with no sense of direction for his life. The family member asked the engineer, "How did your life turn out like this?""What did you expect with a childhood like mine?" he answered.

She moved on to the other brother with the same question. "What did you expect with a childhood like mine?" was his answer.

This tells us that, "People are not disturbed by the things that happened but by their perception of the things that happened".

A Red Marble (Author Unknown,

During the waning years of the Great Depression of the 1930's in a small southeastern Kansas community, I used to stop by Mr.Miller's roadside stand for farm fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used extensively.

One particular day, Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?"

"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas...sure look good."

"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"

"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."

"Good. Anything I can help you with?"

"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."

"Would you like to take some home?"

"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."

"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"

"All I got's my prize marble here."

"Is that right? Let me see it."

"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."

"I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"

"Not 'zackley .....but, almost."

"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble."

"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps."

I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys and their

bartering. Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died.

They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon our arrival at the mortuary, we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts - very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing smiling and composed, by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary, awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. Eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last when Jim could not change his mind about color or size - they came to pay their debt. "

"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho." With loving gentleness, she lifted her husband's lifeless fingers. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined, red marbles!

You need not be someone - to prove your worth. But it sure needs "YOU"

The Hindu : Metro Plus Chennai / Gender : It Boyles down to image

Its about Susan Boyle - the lady who made the whole world think - Is she ugly, or "We" are ugly with our thoughts.

This made me realize that you need not be someone - to show the world that you have a great talent within you! All it takes is the push and determination within you to step out and "do" what you do the best.

It need not be a song! It need not be a dance! It need not be a designer outfit! Or it need not be flashy statements!

All it takes is - just be yourself.

You may be an ordinary person, living a simple life, having a simple job - and you may think what difference you can make - think it over again.Are you Ordinary? Are you doing a simple job? No - You know how to add that spice and magic to your work and your life.

Imagine if you are looking at stars in the night. From one angle - you see that a few starts are shining much brighter than the others. When you move to another angle - you see that a few other stars shine much brighter. . . . life is like that and we are like those stars. Each of us have a unique talent in which we shine much brighter than the others.

Don cover your spark with "under estimation of self"

You are Good in what you do - and you will prove it each time you do!

Give Value To Relationships

A man stopped at a flower shop for ordering some flowers to be sent as a gift to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.” The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me. I’ll buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers. As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.” She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the gifting order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.At times we take many such relationships with our family and friends for granted. Learn to value them.

One paragraph that explains life!

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he received letters from his fans,

one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?

To this Arthur Ashe replied:

"The world over -- 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis,

500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam,

50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals,

when I was holding a cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'.

And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?'

“There are two sides to every coin.” Is your hut burning…? The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.“There are two sides to every coin.”

You Too Need One Person All the self made people of this world, be it:

The late Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States, who failed at most levels in his early life. This can de-motivate even the strongest people in the world, but he continued and became the President.

Mr. Amitabh Bhachan who as a result of organizing one Miss World contest in India became deeply in debt. The media wrote him off and his career was finished. But today he is there, standing tall at the top of his career, the busiest star in the Indian cinema industry’

Mr. Sachin Tendulkar, a cricket hope of billions of fans across the world. One failure among his successes and adverse comments are made on his technique and play, so every time he plays he has to prove his credibility and make his game speak for him.

The late Dhirubhai Ambani who started a business in the late 60s with very little. Today his business empire which covers a wide range of industries is worth billions of US dollars, or anybody else whom you know of this ilk, always had at least one constant source of inspiration and motivation, perhaps living or not living, something or someone who kept them striving throughout their journey to the highest pinnacle of their career or profession. This one person can be anybody – parent, brother or sister, friend, spouse or perhaps someone unseen.

When Thomas Edison was in school, fourth grade, a note was sent to his mother by the school authorities. It said that your son is dumb, and we couldn’t teach him. The mother replied, if you don’t want to teach my son, it is your wish and decision but my Eddy is not dumb. What happened after that is a history. History is full of such examples, but we don’t have time to read them all..

We all know that there is a difference between ordinary and extraordinary person. The difference is the word EXTRA. Extraordinary people put in extra efforts in whatever they do. However, the term extra can hide many roads.

Failing or falling is not a crime. Foolproof plans do fail: the strongest of buildings do crash; the unsinkable sinks - human beings are no exceptions. Of those who fail or fall, only some have the capacity to stand again; of those who stand, only a few have the capacity to walk; of those who are able to walk, only one or two are strong enough to run. Those who can run are extraordinary in every sense.

Like anybody else, you too may have big dreams and plans. I don’t know what plans you have, so let me synchronize your dream with mine. I don’t have the desire to be surrounded my millions or billions of people. I need only one person, any gender, any age or staying anywhere in world. I have many plans to complete, many dreams to fulfill.

During the process of achieving I may fail or fall many times. At that time, in the midst of journey, many people will leave me, my friends, my relatives and perhaps my parents as well. Because they say in Hindi " Waqt Insan per aiesa bhi kabhi aata hai, rah mein chod kar saya bhi chala jata hai." (Sometimes, when the time is not good, even your shadow too decides to leave you.) Sometimes I may fall so hard or the disappointment will be so deep that I may give up or change my plans. At that time, this person (unknown till now) will come to me and say, " You can do it, and you have to do it. I have confidence in your capabilities and faith in your dreams".

Something to learn today........

Gandhism-A Must read for parents/trainers

Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K.Gandhi Institute for Non-violence, in his lecture at the

University of Puerto Rico , shared the following story:

I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of Durban, South Africa, in the middle of the sugar plantations. We were deep in the country and had no neighbours, so my two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town to visit

friends or go to the movies.

One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. Since I was going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she needed and, since I had all day in town, my father asked me to take care of several pending chores, such as getting the car serviced.

When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, "I will meet you here at 5:00 p..m.,and we will go home together."

After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30 before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for me, it was almost 6:00.

He anxiously asked me, "Why were you late?" I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne western movie that I said, "The car wasn't ready, so I had to wait," not realizing that he had already called the garage.

When he caught me in the lie, he said: "There's something wrong in the way I brought you up that didn't give you the confidence to tell me the truth.

In order to figure out where I went wrong with you, I'm going to walk home 18 miles and think about it."

So, dressed in his suit and dress shoes, he began to walk home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads.

I couldn't leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a stupid lie that I uttered. I decided then and there that I was never going to lie again.

I often think about that episode and wonder, if he had

punished me the way we punish our children, whether I would have learned a lesson at all. I don't think so. I would have suffered the punishment and gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent action was so powerful that it is still as if it happened yesterday.

That is the power of non-violence.

A Million Dollar Lesson A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart his kind of training to corporate executives and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.

I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up.

The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.

Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!" Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."

"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be.

I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver.

One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being 'great' better than just getting by on 'average'"

Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's loss is the traveling folk's friend! -----Lessons:

Go an Extra Mile when providing any Service to others.

There is no good or bad job. You can make any job good.

Good service always brings good return.

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend to Get Married (Worth reading this)

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man!

That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, 30% shares of my company and the car. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly.

Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy.

Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset.

I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest... I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning... This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me; she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart.

Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished. Then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death does us apart.

Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote:'I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart'

The small details of our lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bank balance that matters. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you, but if you do, you just might save a marriage.

Relationships are made not to exploit, not to be broken.

We teach some by what we sayWe teach some more by what we doBut we teach most by what we are- Unknown

You don't get to choose how you are going to die, or when, but, you can decide how you are going to live, here and now.

Remember:People will forget what you said...People will forget what you did...But people will never forget how you made them feel....

'You Have to Learn Lessons Also From Others Mistakes because you Will Not Get Time To Do All the Mistakes on Your Own.

Nice story to read...

There was a village that was attacked by wild boars.

Everyday the wild boars would enter the village to rampage the whole village of their food. The villagers tried various means to fight and chase away the wild boars, but without much success.

One day a wise man approached the village headman to offer his advice. He told the villagers that they will have to follow all his advice and directions. Out of desperation, the villagers agreed. The wise man told the villagers to gather all the food from every household and put it in the middle of a big empty field. They followed his advice, and immediately they saw hundreds of wild boars approaching the vicinity where the food was placed. The wild boars were apprehensive initially,but after a while they went for the food. Once the wild boars had a taste of the food they came back for the free food everyday. And everyday the villagers would put more food in the field and the wild boars would come to have their free meals. After a while, the wise man asked the villagers to erect four poles at the four-corners of the field.

The wild boars were too busy having their food that they did not take notice of what was happening. After a few weeks, the wild boars developed the habit of having free food. The wise man then asked the villagers to put fencing around the field, with a large gate through which the wild boars can enter to have their food. Finally once the fencing and the gate were completed the villagers closed the gate and all the wild boars were trapped inside the field. The wild boars were finally defeated!

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

Habits are easily developed but difficult to get rid of. The wild boars were trapped because out of their greed, they developed the habit of having free food, and without having to work for their food. They became so comfortable, that they did not realize they were being trapped. Most of us are like the wild boars because we become too comfortable with our jobs and businesses that we do not realize we are in one way or another being "trapped". We seek security rather than freedom!

Microsoft Office Boy A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft.

The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.

"You are employed." He said." Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."

I'm sorry", said the HR manager, "If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."

The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the Operation three times, and returned home with $60. The man realized that he can survive by this Way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day.

Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. 5 years later , the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US .

He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, "I don't have an email". The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!"

The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"

Moral of the story:

M1 - Internet is not the solution to your life.

M2 - If you don't have Internet, and work hard, you can be a millionaire.

M3 - If you received this message by email, you are closer to being an office boy, than a millionaire.

Refusing to Accept Failure Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts.

He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't understand that Hillary had to grow into this success.

You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members.

Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform.

He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!"

THE CHASE by Tamara Yakovich

My youngest child turned seven months old yesterday. They grow so quickly, don't they? His development is bittersweet, I can't wait for him to reach that next stage, but then again I want him to stay little! He is at that point where he is about to crawl - but can't quite do it yet. That doesn't stop him from moving around and getting where he needs to go though! He scoots around this house as fast as he can, dragging his little body with chubby arms. I love that 'army crawl'!

His favorite adventure the past few days has been 'chasing the bouncy blue ball'. I watched this closely today, and this is what I saw. His whole face lights up as soon as he sees the ball, and 'the chase' is on! He scoots after the ball - almost gets it in his grasp - and it slips away. No matter, he squeals with delight and chases it again. He catches it the next time, rolls over on his back, and holds on tight. He uses both hands and feet to keep the ball where he wants it while he 'hugs and kisses' the ball. He is so happy to have caught it, finally!

Then he lets the ball go, he watches it roll away, perhaps wondering where it will end up, or where it will take him next. He flips himself over and takes off after it again with a big smile on

his face. He could do this all day long.

Chase the ball, catch the ball, hold it and play with it joyfully for a while, then watch it roll away once more. Does he get a little frustrated when the ball rolls away for the tenth time? Maybe a little, but he knows that half the fun, maybe even MOST of the fun, is in the chase!

How many times have you 'almost' had your DREAM or your GOAL in your grasp, just to watch it slip away? Do you stop the chase? Do you sit down and give up? Or - like the small child - do you realize that the fun is in 'the chase'? Worse yet - do you 'catch' your dream or your goal and then hold on to it so tightly that you stop moving?

Lessons learned: 1. The FUN is in the chase! 2. If your dream/goal slips away - keep after it - you never know where 'the chase' might take you! 3. Once you have your dream/goal in your grasp - set a new one and start chasing again! 4. Remember - the FUN is in the chase!

Now - go out there and 'squeal with delight' as you chase after your dreams with a smile on your face! If you do it this way, no one will ever know that you don't already have your dreams in your grasp!

Confidence The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him.

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

An eye opener- good story

Long time ago there lived a merchant with his son and his wife had died long back Merchant loved his son very much. Over a period of years son fell in love with a girl and wanted to marry her, but the father of the girl kept a condition in front of the merchant that, the merchant should tranfer all his wealth on the name of his daughter. The merchant agreed to the condition for his son. The son got married and they lived a happy life for some time. They too had a son and as time went by the merchants daughter in law started behaving in wrong manner with him.

Then one day the merchants son asked him to leave his house. The merchant felt very sad but had no option and asked his son to atleast give him a piece of cloth to save himself from cold. The merchant asked his son to give him a big piece of cloth. The young boy took out a big piece of cloth for his grandfather and began to cut it in 2 pieces. The merchant said that dont be that cruel to cut it into 2 pieces and went to complain about it to his son. The merchants son called his son and asked him why was he cutting the cloth in 2 pieces, the young boy replied i was just saving a part of the cloth to give you when you also leave the house as grandfather is doing....

The answer was an eye opener for merchants son and he asked for his forgiveness....

The story says that the children learn as they live..... so better be cautious of what you teach your children.

Story of "2 eyes" When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.“I wish to be your student and be the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”“Ten years at least,” the master answered.“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”“Twenty years,” replied the master.“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”

Barber and the KingThe barber was giving a haircut to the king and as usually all barbers do, entered into a conversation with his master.

He told the King that he is so close to the King yet the king's minister is being paid a very much higher salary. Barber felt that to be rather unfair and wanted an explanation.

King said "OK, I will give you a task which I would normally give the minister, for you to perform so that I could judge"

King told the barber” I understand that a ship has arrived in the harbor please brief me about it"

Barber ran to the harbor and came back and told the King Yes, Sir. There is a Ship!

King: When has it arrived?

Barber again ran to the harbor and returned to tell that the ship has arrived 2 days ago.

Barber had to run to the harbor several times to the harbor till the king got the required information such as from where the ship has come? What the ship has brought?, Who had come, What they would take back, when? At what Price etc, the Barber was extremely tired after making so many trips.

At this stage the King called his minister in the presence of his barber and gave him the same task. Minister made just one trip , came back and gave a report which contained all the information, the king had wanted to know.

King then told the barber "This should explain why the minister is paid a higher salary!!

Moral of the Story -

Don’t compare yourself with others. Everyone has their own strengths and weakness. Try to work on your strengths and not weaknesses.

How our inner Ego sometimes misjudges a PERSON!! A lady in a faded Grey dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Harvard. "We want to see the President "the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day "the secretary snapped. "We'll wait" the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president. "Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave" she said to him. The President, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him "We had a son who attended Harvard for one

year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."

The president wasn't touched.... He was shocked. "Madam "he said, gruffly, "we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."

"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard."

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?"

Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name. Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about. Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance, which can be misleading. And in this impression, we tend to treat people badly by thinking they can do nothing for us. Thus we tend to lose our potential good friends, employees or customers. It is you who have to decide with whom you are getting associated in day-to-day life.

To end this beautiful story with a note:

Small people talk about others,

Average people talk about things and

Great people talk about ideas.

A leader always fails upwards !!

Abraham Lincoln really was born in a log cabin. The fact that he went on to become President -- and to lead the country through the most difficult period of its history -- is truly remarkable. It is even more amazing when you consider what it took to be an important leader in the middle of the nineteenth century. Although we hear a lot about people like Lincoln or Andrew Jackson or Ulysses S. Grant -- people who came from nothing to wield great power -- these were most definitely the exceptions that proved the rule. Moreover, the rule was, most successful people

started out with all the advantages. Financially, it was much harder to get rich a hundred and fifty years ago than it is today -- and if you failed, it was much harder to get back on your feet. There was no safety net from the government or from anywhere else to make sure that you did not go hungry. In those days, it was every man for himself.

Street-wise with a college-smart perspective on business, he fought his way out of NYC to eventually realize success as a graduate professor of marketing, entrepreneur, business author, and consultant.

With that in mind, let's look for a minute at some of the things that Lincoln faced and overcame. You have probably seen lists similar to this, describing Lincoln's failures, but I'd like to go through it again in order to make some important points, which we will take up immediately after the list. As you are reading this list, I'd like you also to think of setbacks you have faced in your own life, and how you responded to them.

In 1832, Lincoln was working in a general store in Illinois when he decided to run for the state legislature. However, the election was some months away, and before it took place, the general store went bankrupt and Lincoln was out of a job. So, he joined the army and served three months. When he got out, it was time for the election -- which he lost.

Then, with a partner, Lincoln opened a new general store. His partner embezzled from the business, and the store went broke. In addition, shortly thereafter, the partner died, leaving Lincoln with debts that took several years to pay off.

In 1834, Lincoln ran again for the state legislature, and this time he won. He was even elected to three more terms of two years each. During this period, however, Lincoln also suffered some severe emotional problems. Today he would have been categorized as clinically depressed.

By 1836, Lincoln had become a licensed attorney. At that time, a law degree was not required to pass the bar exam, and Lincoln had been studying on his own for years. He later became a circuit-riding lawyer, traveling from county to county in Illinois to plead cases in different jurisdictions. He was one of the most diligent of all the lawyers doing this kind of work, and between 1849 and 1860 he missed only two court sessions on the circuit.

In 1838, he was defeated in an attempt to become Speaker of the Illinois legislature, and in 1843, he was defeated in an attempt to win nomination for Congress. In 1846, he was elected to Congress, but in 1848, he had to leave because his party had a policy of limiting terms. In 1854, he was defeated in a run for the U.S. Senate. In 1856, he lost the nomination for Vice President, and in 1858, he was again defeated in a race for the Senate. Yet in spite of all these setbacks, in 1860 he was elected President of the United States.

What can we learn about leadership from looking at this chronology? To me, the most remarkable thing is how every time Lincoln failed at something, he was soon trying for something even bigger. After he lost his seat in the state legislature, he ran for the national congress. After he lost a bid for the Senate, he tried to become vice president -- and after he lost the Senate race again, he ended up President of the whole country. Lincoln saw himself as a leader long before anyone else did -- and this is the first key to his leadership genius. He may have failed many times, but somehow he always failed upward. He was propelled by a sense of mission, and he was willing and able to do whatever it took to get that great mission accomplished.

Matter of principles And old cat, counting the beeds, said to the snake, "Now I have given up eating flesh and fish and I have become a recluse. I have made this my principle that I can attain salvation after death."Then an old snake raising his hood said, "I have also become completely a hermit. I pray to God day and night. Whatever I get, I can eat that but I do not eat living beings. I have made this my principle because I want to go near God after death."

One kite was hearing the talk of these persons by sitting in the nest in the tree.

Opening her feathers she came down and said to snake and the cat, "I am not less than a hermit. Not to talk of eating flesh, I do not touch it. I have taken an oath not to eat flesh. I usually kept myself busy in the prayer of God with my children and I am spending my time by eating vegetables."

Then a fat rat budging his moustache came there running from the forest. Seeing the rat, the cat became restless and she ran towards the rat. The snake also saw the rat and he also rushed towards his side. Then the kite also pounced upon the rat. There were three hunters and it was very difficult for the rat to save himself.

Ultimately he was killed. The principles of the cat, snake and kite have disappeared. Now all the three started quarreling on this prey and all of them were drenched in blood. Men do the same thing and they usually talk of morals and principles.

Acceptance

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,

'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic.True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;they just make the best of everything they have.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

*Life is to Live* Right Move

The great Zen teacher, Benzei had many pupils. One day, one of them was caught stealing by his fellow-students and they reported him to Benzei. But he took no action against the boy.

A few days later the same boy was again caught stealing. And again Benzei did nothing. This angered the other students who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief. They threatened to leave enmasse if the boy was allowed to stay.

The teacher called a meeting of the students. When they had assembled he said to them: “You are good boys who know what is right and what is wrong. If you leave you will have no trouble in joining some other school. But what about your brother who does not even know the difference between right and wrong? Who will teach him if I don’t? No, I cannot ask him to go even if it means losing all of you.”

Tears coursed down the cheeks of the boy who had stolen. He never stole again and in later life became renowned for his integrity.

Success principles! The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it.

On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold. She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water. After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.

She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.

She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.

She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men’s record by two hours.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead.

Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up!

See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.

An Experiment in Learning

In this experiment, five monkeys are put into a large cage. There’s a stool in the middle of the cage and a banana is hung from the ceiling above the stool. Outside the cage, an observer has a hose filled with ice water. It hardly needs mentioning that monkeys like bananas better than ice cold showers. Within a few minutes, the most daring of the monkeys climbs on the stool to get the banana. This effort immediately engenders an ice cold shower for all of the monkeys. Several minutes later, another monkey tries, with the same result. The monkeys quickly learn the relationship between “get on the stool” and “an ice cold shower” and choose a way to protect themselves. As soon as one monkey even tries to go near the stool, the other four jump on him, screaming and gesticulating, to stop him before the observer gets the “signal” to spray them all with ice water. Some time and several fights later, all the monkeys have learned the rule, and become quickly indifferent to the stool, as if it weren’t even there. The defensive tactic they had imagined becomes superfluous. The banana stays where it is, safe and sound on the ceiling. Life in the

cage is organized around this new reality. At this point in the experiment, the observer takes out one of the monkeys and replaces him with a new monkey (one that doesn’t know anything about the cold shower). The new monkey immediately climbs on the stool to get the banana, and after a moment’s hesitation, the four others jump on him. The new monkey learns a quick lesson, without any action on the part of observer. The ice cold shower is no longer necessary, and the banana rots nicely on the ceiling.

The experiment continues. Each of the original four monkeys are replaced, one after another, exactly like the first replacement. Each time, the scene repeats itself: the new one tries to climb on the stool, is jumped on by the four others, until they are sure he has learned his lesson. The rule “no one should climb on the stool” is a lesson that new monkeys learn in this group that is specific to this group and to no other. In the end, none of the five monkeys knows why they should not get on the stool, yet they defend the law with more vehemence than the original five. No one knows that, in fact, it was a quite effective way to avoid getting an ice cold shower. None of the new monkeys ever got the ice cold shower. They were stopped before the shower came. Even though the original reason has disappeared, the rule has become a norm for this group. A self-perpetuating norm, kept in place by interactions, and never questioned.

The Locksmith

THE MAGICIAN

Houdini was the greatest magician during his time. He was also a fantastic locksmith, and boasted that he could escape from any jail cell in the world in less than one hour. A small town in the British Isles built a new jail and issued Houdini the challenge. Houdini loved challenges and there was a prize money offered, so he accepted the challenge. When the big day arrived, there was a large crowd present and the media was also there to cover the special event. Houdini confidently walked into the cell, and the door was closed. He immediately took off his coat and went towork. Hidden in his belt was a flexible, yet tough and durable ten-inch piece of steel, which he used to work on the lock. At the end of 30 minutes, his confidencedisappeared. At the end of an hour, he was soaked in perspiration. After two hours, Houdini literally collapsed against the door – which opened! The door had never been locked, except in Houdini’s own mind.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

The door had never been locked except in Houdini’s own mind, which meant that the door was as firmly locked as if a thousand locksmiths had put their best locks onit. Houdini could have unlocked any physical locks, but not the lock that was in his own mind. Just like Houdini, our locks are in our own mind and prevent us from getting out of our “jail”. Most of us are in a “mental prison” and in order to break out, we need to realize and admit it, and just give it a little push.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE"You can end half your troubles immediately by no longer permitting people to tell you what you want."

HE BURNED HIS BOATS

A long time ago there was a great General who was facedwith a situation which made it necessary for him to make a drastic decision to insure his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his army on shore to face a powerful

enemy, whose men outnumbered his. He loaded his soldiers into boats, and sailed to face the enemies on shore. When they reached the shore, heordered them to unload the soldiers and cargoes. He then ordered for all the ships and boats to be burned.Addressing his men before the battle, he said, “You see the ships and boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win! We now, have no choice – either we win, or we perish.”They WON!

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

Just like the General, we have to burn all our bridges if we want to achieve success. There can be no room for retreat and we must have an attitude of, “Whatever it takes”, taking into consideration that we can have anything we desire provided we do not violate Universal Laws and the rights of our fellow human beings. Do notdwell on the past. Move forward with confidence and we will surely see success, unexpected in common hours.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."

The Dream He gently opened his eyes and the warm sun beat upon his face. He lay among the soft caress of the grass and a gentle wind embraced him. His father sat underneath a tree a few feet way beside the babbling brook.

"You are awake," his father smiled.

"I fell asleep dad."

"You did my son."

"I had a dream dad."

His father rose and sat beside him. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It was so real dad. I dreamt of missiles falling from the sky and little kids, even younger than I getting killed and maimed. The world was in a bad state. Millions were poor dad, not even with enough to eat. There were homeless people and destitute. There were huge storms and hurricanes and all types of disasters happening. People were fighting all of the time – over land, possessions, oil and money. Rain forests were dying dad and animals of all types were in danger and the earth was actually heating up! And I dreamt of growing up in this world and I was

having happy times and sad times. And I lived a life dad. I did! I had a wife and kids and it was crazy fast you know. Everything went so quickly. And I felt so much. I was scared, full of joy, there was fear and hope. And so many times I felt helpless. And a lot of the time I felt so lonely. Worst of all dad, I didn't know where you were. I kinda knew you were there somewhere and I kept calling out for you. In fact sometimes I gave up hope and told myself that you didn't exist at all. But deep down I had a feeling you were somewhere. As I grew older I stopped searching for you out there and started looking within. Which was strange really but I kinda felt you were a part of me dad just as I was a part of you. It was full on dad and then I just woke up!"

His father looked at him with love in his wise eyes. "That’s some dream son!"

"How long was I asleep dad?"

"Mmmmmm perhaps 5 minutes... not much more."

"Wow! All of that in 5 minutes?"

The son looked knowingly at his dad for awhile.

"Dad that was my first dream."

"I know son... and your last... if you so choose."

"Dad?"

"Yes my son?"

"Did you know I was dreaming?"

"Why yes, of course."

The son reflected on this for a moment.

"So dad, during the bad parts of the dream did you know I was suffering?"

"My son, you may have appeared to be suffering in the dream but were always perfectly safe with me here."

"You could have woken me?"

"I could, but I didn't. You would have woken with a start. It would have been a little frightening for you that way. You gently came out of the dream yourself. You choose to enter the dream state. It is best if you choose to exit."

The son stretched out on the grass.

"Dad?"

"Yes my son."

"I love you."

"I know, my child. We are love."

Nice Teaching :

First-year students at Veterinary school were attending their first Anatomy class, with a real dead pig.

They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a White sheet. The professor started the class by telling them, 'In Veterinary Medicine it is necessary to have two important qualities as a Doctor: The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the Animal body'. For an example, the Professor pulled back the sheet, touched his finger in the mouth of the dead pig, withdrew it and put his Finger in his mouth. 'Go ahead and do the same thing,' he told his students.

The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes. But eventually took turns putting their finger in the mouth of the dead pig and tasted in their mouth.

When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said, 'The Second most important quality is observation. I touched with my middle Finger and tasted on my index finger. Now learn to pay attention…

Moral of the story: Life is Tough but its a lot tougher when you are stupid

NICE STORY

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

"I guess you were expecting me," he said.

"No, I wasn't. Who are you?" said the father.

"I'm the new minister at your church," he replied. "When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was coming to visit."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister closed the door.

"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the old man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church, I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head." The old man continued, "I abandoned any attempt at prayer until one day, about four years ago, my best friend said to me, 'Prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in FAITH, see Jesus sitting in the chair. It's not weird or anything because he promised, "I'll be with you always." Then just speak to Him, and listen, in the same way you're doing with me right now.'"

The father continued, "So I tried it. I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me to off to the funny-farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. He anointed him with oil and prayed with him. Then he

left.

Two nights later, the daughter called to tell the minister that her father had passed away that afternoon. "Did he die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes. When I was leaving for the store, he called me over to his bedside, told me that he loved me, and kissed me on the cheek. When I returned an hour later, he was dead." She continued, "But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Dad died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair next to his bed. What do you make of that?"

The minister, wiping a tear from his eye, said, "I wish we all could go like that."

Perspective This is a wonderful story. At least now, during these testing times!

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them, "Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances,in every place and in every time. Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?"All wise men got puzzled by King's question. One answer for all question?Something that works everywhere, in every situation? In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he'll have to see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring. After a few days, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of the King's enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to fled on his horse. The enemies were following him. His horse took him far away in the Jungle. He could hear many troops of horses following him and the noise was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped in toit, he would be finished. and he could not return because it was a small road. The sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way. Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great. The message was - "This too will pass."

The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes! it too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm come on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path. The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being thrown on the King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me".With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: "This too will pass" He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness. If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes. Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life.. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass away.

Life just passes away. There were friends in the past. They have gone. There are friends today. They too will go. There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go. There were enemies in the past. They have gone. There may be enemies in the present. They too will go. There will be new enemies tomorrow and. they too will go. There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks , all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away. Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable?It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change. Experience it, understand it.

A Very Special Meal

Once there was a very poor and devoted woman who always prayed to the Glory of God, asking very little, if anything for herself. But one thought, one desire continued to recur and finally she asked: petitioning the Lord, that if it were possible she would love to prepare a special meal and have God share at her table. And God, in His Love for this goodly woman, said He would indeed come the next day and share a meal.

Filled with ecstasy, the woman went out the following morning with her meager purse and purchased such delicacies that she felt would please the Lord.

Returning home, she prepared a banquet and waited patiently for her most honored guest. Soon there was a knock on the door, and when she opened it, there stood an old beggar asking for something to eat. Being a woman of God, she could not turn the beggar away, so she invited him in to partake of her table. The beggar felt as if he was in a dream - such a feast set before him. He finished all the food, thanked his hostess and left.

The woman was only slightly disheartened, she gathered up her purse, her coat, and hurried back to town to get more food for her special guest. Her funds were less now and so the food was not quite so elaborate. Nonetheless, she lovingly prepared another meal and sat to await the arrival of the Almighty.

A few hours went by and there was a loud knock on the door. This time it was an old gypsy woman with no teeth, who was deaf, who spoke quite loudly and was, rather rudely, insisting that any true believer in the Lord would not deny her something to eat.

Though the woman had no more money with which to buy more supplies, she invited the woman in and offered her a seat at the table. The gypsy ate everything, did not even thank the woman and left without closing the door.

By now it was beginning to get dark both inside and out. The woman's faith was strong, so that, though somewhat distraught, she did not give up, but rather, looked around her humble house to see if there was anything she could sell in order to buy more food to set before the Lord.

She hurried to town with a little silver cup that had been in her family for several generations, but she was willing to part with it for the great honor that God was going to bestow on her - the sharing of a meal.

Late in the night she rushed home to prepare yet a third meal. She waited and waited until, once more, there was a knock on the door. Holding her breath, she slowly opened the door to find yet another poor man in the guise of a wandering monk, in search of a meal.

Again, she offered hospitality, with as much grace as she could muster in her disappointment. This man also ate all that was set on the table and left after blessing the woman for her kindness. So discouraged and dismayed was she that all she could do was nod slightly, in acknowledgment of the thanks.

Now it was too late, with no way to buy any more food and no more money with which to buy it. She got down on her knees, weeping such heart-broken tears. She asked God what she had done wrong. Why had God not come to share at the table as He had promised?

And God, in all His Divine Compassion and Mercy, lifted the woman off her knees, and holding her close to His Heart, said, "My child, I enjoyed your hospitality so much that I came three times!"

The Bull & The Bear Story......

Once upon a time there lived a bear in a cave deep in the woods. Nearby was a meadow in which a farmer kept his cattle -- and one large, ferocious-looking bull. Each day the bear hid at the edge of the woods, watching the bull.

The bear was known as the strongest, most fierce creature for miles around. No other beast in the forest dared to tangle with him. As the bear watched the bull peacefully gazing, he wondered which one of them would win a test of strength. He thought about this for many days. Then one morning he decided to challenge the bull to a fight to the finish.

The bull had just chomped down on a fresh clump of clover when he looked up and saw the bear barreling across the meadow toward him. He stopped chewing. The red flag of danger popped up in his head. The bear skidded to a halt in front of him.

The bull lowered his head menacingly, his sharp horns aimed right for the bear's throat. For long moments they stood in place -- eyeball to eyeball -- neither one of them moving. Finally the bull grew tired of the stare-down and asked, "What do you want, Bear?"

"I want to fight you," growled the bear.

"Why?" asked the bull.

"Because, I want to prove that I am a stronger and better fighter than you are."

The bull laughed. "I thought you really wanted something. You can't possibly win against me. I have sharp horns that can cause terrible injuries."

"And my claws are sharp and quick," the bear shot back. "I have defeated many an enemy -- anyone who would harm my cubs or take away my mate. I am the king of the forest!"

"Then go back to the forest," the bull bluntly advised. "This is the meadow."

The bear blinked in surprise. "I beg your pardon..."

"I mean, what's the point of me fighting with you?" the bull asked. "What would that prove? We are not enemies. I have not harmed your cubs or taken your mate."

"It would prove that I am the strongest."

"Okay," said the bull, smiling. "I'll buy that. You are strongest. Now leave and let me graze in peace."

"Just one cotton-pickin' minute. What do you mean by that?" The bear raised a club-like paw. "I will tear you to shreds. Defend yourself."

"What you do is up to you," the bull answered calmly. "But if you do, what will all your friends -- the ones who are watching us right now -- think about you?"

"They will think that I am the strongest," yelled the frustrated bear.

"I don't think so. I do not choose to fight you just because you choose to fight with me. I would only fight to defend one of the cows in my care. If you attack one of them, then I'd be obliged to give you a good lashing."

"I can't attack them," protested the bear. "They can't fight back. There would be no victory to it."

"Exactly," answered the bull. "But what if you did? And what if I should try to defend them? What if something should happen to me? Who would protect them then? You? Would you trust me to protect your cubs if something happened to you? What would happen to your family if you lose the fight?"

"I never thought of that," said the bear.

"Go back into the woods, Bear," said the bull as he turned to walk away. "Live in peace. And I will stay in the meadow and do the same."

The bear turned toward the woods. He had come spoiling for a fight -- to prove which one was the strongest.

But he had learned an important lesson from a very wise bull. In peace, there are no losers.

A little boy said to his father, "Let's play darts. I'll throw the darts and you say, `Wonderful!'"

Here is a boy who was not afraid to ask for the

encouragement he needs. Maybe we all have something to learn from him!

Inspirational author and educator, Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, relates a story about the devastating effects of discouragement. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the famous 19th Century poet and artist, was once approached by an elderly man who asked him to look at a few of his sketches and drawings. The gentleman wanted to know if the artist thought they were of any value.

As gently as possible, Rossetti told the man that the sketches were of no value and showed little talent. He apologized for the harsh assessment but said that he believed he should be honest.

The visitor was disappointed but asked the artist if he could take a look at just a few more, which were all done by a young art student. Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. "These," he said, "oh, these are good." He went on to say that the young student shows much promise and should be given every help and encouragement, as he may have a great future if he will study and work hard.

The old man was deeply moved. Rossetti asked, "Who is this fine, young artist? Your son?"

"No," replied the visitor sadly. "It is I - forty years ago. If only I had heard your praise then. For you see, I became discouraged and gave up too soon."

Mother Teresa wisely said, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

Sometimes it may be enough to just say, "Wonderful!"

A date ! An important story which everyone needs to read to realise what we are losing in life:(After 21 years of marriage , my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie.

She said I love you but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you," I responded. " Just the two of us."

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, " I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, "she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting".

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down,

I had to read the menu. Large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic

smile was on her lips.

"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed.

" How was your dinner date ?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son. "

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: " I LOVE YOU!" and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than God and your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time.")

"Here's hoping today is better than yesterday and tomorrow. "

Robby's Night A True Story-- Worth Reading !!!

At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Honor. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines , Iowa . I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a prodigy though I have taught some talented students.

However I've also had my share of what I call "musically challenged"

pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.

But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.

Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons.

I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing "Miss Honor I've just got to play!" he insisted.

I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my "curtain closer."

Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes

were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?"

Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in CO Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. >From allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it? " Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Honor . .. Remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed away this morning And well . . . She was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special."

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.

No, I've never had a prodigy but that night I became a prodigy. . . Of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil for it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.

Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred UP. Murray Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995.

"Don’t draw conclusions until you know all the facts". One old man was sitting with his 25 years old son in the train. Train is about to leave the station. All passengers are settling down their seat. As train started young man was filled with lot of joy and curiosity. He was sitting on the window side. He went out one hand and feeling the passing air. He shouted, "Papa see all

trees are going behind". Old man smile and admired son feelings. Beside the young man one couple was sitting and listing all the conversion between father and son. They were little awkward with the attitude of 25 years old man behaving like a small child. Suddenly young man again shouted, "Papa see the pond and animals. Clouds are moving with train". Couple was watching the young man in embarrassingly. Now its start raining and some of water drops touches the young man's hand. He filled with joy and he closed the eyes. He shouted again," Papa it's raining, water is touching me, see papa". Couple couldn't help themselves and ask the old man. "Why don't you visit the Doctor and get treatment for your son." Old man said, “Yes, We are coming from the hospital as Today my son got his eye sight for first time in his life".

Moral: "Don’t draw conclusions until you know all the facts".

Always make sure that your actions and your words are same. There once was a boy who loved eating sweets. He always asked for sweets from his father. His father was a poor man. He could not always afford sweets for his son. But the little boy did not understand this, and demanded sweets all the time.

The boy's father thought hard about how to stop the child asking for so many sweets. There was a very holy man living nearby at that time. The boy's father had an idea. He decided to take the boy to the great man who might be able to persuade the child to stop asking for sweets all the time.

The boy and his father went along to the great man. The father said to him, "O great saint, could you ask my son to stop asking for sweets which I cannot afford?" The great man was in difficulty, because he liked sweets himself. How could he ask the boy to give up asking for sweets? The holy man told the father to bring his son back after one month.

During that month, the holy man gave up eating sweets, and when the boy and his father returned after a month, the holy man said to the boy "My dear child, will you stop asking for sweets which your father cannot afford to give you?"From then on, the boy stopped asking for sweets.

The boy's father asked the saint, "Why did you not ask my son to give up asking for sweets when we came to you a month ago?" The saint replied, "How could I ask a boy to give up sweets when I loved sweets myself. In the last month I gave up eating sweets."

A person's example is much more powerful than just his words. When we ask someone to do something, we must do it ourselves also. We should not ask others to do what we do not do ourselves.

Moral of the Story: Always make sure that your actions and your words are same.

The Ocean and the ford

A sailor, who was a lieutenant, assistant to the captain of the frigate "Impudence." He had trouble with the hierarchical nature of command, and his natural impatience sometimes caused him to question the captain's orders.

One day, as the Impudence cruised through the frigid waters , this lieutenant went too far. He contradicted his superior in front of the entire crew.

The captain did not get angry. Instead he slowly approached the lieutenant, took him by the shoulder and walked him aside. By that time he already regretted his insolent behaviour.

"Look at all these fords, dear," the captain said. "See how many there are, and how impetuously they flow."

The lieutenant didn't know what the captain was trying to say, but he obeyed."Now look the other way and see how vast the ocean is, as if it were drinking up all the light of the sun. See how its movements seem to swallow everything. Do you think the fords are greater in majesty than the ocean?"

"No Sir, I don't."

"Really? But there are so many fords. And they flow so much faster than the gentle swell of the sea."

"But still, Sir, the ocean is stronger and more majestic than a ford."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear you say, my dear," said the captain. "If rivers and seas are greater than streams and brooks, it is because they are always lower. If you want to become a captain one day, you first have to learn to obey, to listen to what I say and to learn from me. One day you may surpass me, but that day has not yet come."

This story contains a profound truth: If you want to learn, you have to know how to hold back, observe and forget yourself. Every living creature grows by assimilating what comes from outside itself.

"The sage who wants to lead his people acts as a servant to his people." Lao Tzu

Freedom from fetters

A short story relates the binding nature of attachments owing to

one's alternated dwelling in the past and the future, ignoring the present which, postpones freedom.

An old man was on his death bed. His four sons who were very wealthy rushed to his side. Instead of attending to their dying father or thinking about how to work on the diminishing possibility of meeting each other after their father's death, they started discussing about how to transport the old man's body to the graveyard, once he was dead.

The youngest of the four suggested that the body of his father may be moved to the graveyard in an expensive car as his father always wanted to own one. Since he could not have one for himself during his lifetime, they could bring one for him at least to transport him to the graveyard when dead.

The second son claimed that the youngest son was still young and knew not how to deal with money. He said, “the question is not about buying an expensive car but only about hiring one. It could better be a cheap truck!” He pointed out that the dead father anyway would not be aware of whether he was moved in a car or a truck.

The third accused of the second son to be immature and said that since their father would not be aware of how he is transported when dead, pointed out how it would matter if he is moved in a municipal truck which carries dead bodies free of cost. “You just have to put him out on the road and he would be given a free ride!”

The father suddenly opened his eyes and asked the sons for his shoes. When the sons asked him why he needed his shoes when he was about to die any moment. The father replied, “I am still breathing and can walk my way to the graveyard!” He chided his sons for being spend thrifts and their irresponsibility in handling money!

Attachment in different forms is a chain that keeps freedom at bay.Freedom obviously does not go with fetters. It is an individual issue. Once when one stops dwelling in the past and future, desires are automatically curbed. This paves way for total freedom beyond all limitations.

Hell or Heaven A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,” Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people

sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.The holy man said, “I don’t understand”.” It is simple said the Lord, “it requires only one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves.”Moral:Its people’s attitude that makes our place of work, a hell or heaven to them!!’Help and Seek Help’ this makes all the difference to each individual’s life…and makes our lives hell or otherwise.Success and happiness is all about effective team-work…..make it a great place to work..

Rumi and Gandhi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A true quest for global wisdom leads to the enlightening teachings of two great thinkers, the Sufi mystic Rumi (1207 – 1273) and the Hindu leader Gandhi (1869 – 194. They were both born in rich, influential families. They both received excellent education. They both travelled, meeting people from different cultures and absorbing enriching ideas. They were both true globblers, and their honest search for truth and love eventually transformed them into global teachers. Rumi’s students respectfully called him Mevlana (Our Master) and Gandhi became known as Mahatma (Great Soul).Rumi and Gandhi lived centuries apart. They lived in completely different cultures in completely different regions of the world. But they were both thinking on the same frequency of global wisdom, and it is not surprising that their teachings reveal amazing similarities:1) They both admired nature and its magnificence:

“Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.” – Rumi

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator.” – Gandhi

2) They were both aware of the beauty of life in all of its diverse forms:

“Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still.” – Rumi

“The good man is the friend of all living things.” – Gandhi

3) They both knew that freedom was a state of mind:

“Why do you stay in prison

when the door is so wide open?Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking.” - Rumi

“The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states.” – Gandhi

4) They both believed in the importance of self-exploration:

“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” - Rumi “Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by

outside circumstances.” – Gandhi

5) They both understood the magic of mindful listening:

“Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” – Rumi “If we have listening ears, God speaks to us in our own language, whatever that

language be.” – Gandhi

6) They both applied the tremendous power of observing the world in silence:

“Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.” – Rumi

“In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.” – Gandhi

7) They both realized the importance of authentic expression:

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” - Rumi

“Don’t listen to friends when the Friend inside you says ‘Do this.’” – Gandhi

8) They both encouraged people to be proactive in their pursuit of happiness:

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love… Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – Rumi

“Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy.” - Gandhi

9) They both expressed the simplicity of love and truth:

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” - Rumi

“Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.” – Gandhi

10) They both understood the value of hospitality:

“Come, come, whoever you are.Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn’t matter,Ours is not a caravan of despair.Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times,Come, come again, come.” - Rumi

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love.” – Gandhi

11) They both showed respect and tolerance towards people from other religions:

“Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian … each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.” – Rumi

“It is the duty of every cultured man or woman to read sympathetically the scriptures of the world. If we are to respect others’ religions as we would have them to respect our own, a friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.” – Gandhi

12) They both believed in the fundamental truth of all religions:

“All religions, all this singing, one song. The differences are just illusion and vanity. Sunlight looks slightly different on this wall than it does on that wall and a lot different on this other one, but it is still one light.” – Rumi

“Each one prays to God according to his own light… I believe in the fundamental truth of all great religions of the world. I believe that they are all God-given and I believe that they were necessary for the people to whom these religions were revealed. And I believe that if only we could all of us read the scriptures of the different faiths from the standpoints of the followers of these faiths, we should find that they were at bottom all one and were all helpful to one another.” – Gandhi

13) For both of them true beauty meant purity of the human soul:

“Don’t look at your form, however ugly or beautiful. Look at love and at the aim of your quest…The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.” –Rumi

“To a true artist only that face is beautiful which, quite apart from its exterior, shines with the truth within the soul.” – Gandhi

14) They both recognized the importance of listening to one’s conscience:

“We rarely hear the inward music, but we’re all dancing to it nevertheless.” - Rumi “Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone… The only tyrant I

accept in this world is the still voice within.” – Gandhi

15) They both inspired people to have the courage to challenge the status quo:

“Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth.” -Rumi

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi

16) They both fathomed that truth led to happiness:

“That which is false troubles the heart, but truth brings joyous tranquility.”- Rumi “When I despair, I remember that all throughout history the ways of truth and love have

always won.” – Gandhi

17) They both knew that the human heart was superior to the human mind:

“Reason is powerless in the expression of love.” – Rumi “Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart.” – Gandhi

18) They were both aware of the tremendous power of the heart to materialize its dreams:

“Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more – more unseen forms become manifest to him.” – Rumi

“Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart desires must come to you.” – Gandhi

19) They both witnessed that without the inspiration of our Creator, there was no harmony in the human soul.

“Listen to the reed (flute)

and the tale it tells.How it sings of separation.Ever since they cut me from the reed bed,my wail has caused men and women to weep.Whoever has been separated from his sourcelongs to return to that state of union.” - Rumi

“Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.” – Gandhi

20) They both learned that love led to God:

“To Love is to reach God.” - Rumi “Where love is, there God is also.” – Gandhi

Rumi and Gandhi spoke the same language, the universal language of peace, tolerance, unity and love. We can also learn this language through world exploration. We can also drink from the oasis of global wisdom, and its enlightening lessons can transform us into more open-minded, more tolerant, and more conscious human beings whose individual journeys through life become more meaningful.Go Global & Discover Wisdom!

Two wolves !!!!!!!!!!!!

One cold night, in a faraway village in a faraway land, a wizened teacher and his young disciple sat next to a crackling fire.

"Sensei (Teacher), is humanity fundamentally good or evil?" asked the disciple.

The Teacher replied, "My son, in all my years of study, I have discovered this one truth in relation to your question."

"There exists two wolves within us all, fighting a grand battle for supremacy. One is Evil, and it values above all ANGER, ENVY, JEALOUSY, SORROW, REGRET, GREED, ARROGANCE, SELF-PITY, GUILT, RESENTMENT, INFERIORITY, DISHONESTY, SUPERIORITY and NEGATIVITY."

He paused for a breath."The other is Good. It values LOVE, FORGIVENESS, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, FAITH, COMPASSION, TRUTH, GENEROSITY and POSITIVITY."The disciple considered what the teacher had just said for a moment, and then asked him, "Which wolf wins?"The great Sensei simply replied, "The one you feed."

C A L M M I N D

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.

He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said:"I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly:

"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

The elephant stopped eating and said:"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

The disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile rose on his face."I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, " The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind".

Catching Fish In A Jar

Catching Fish In A Jar

When I was between eleven and twelve years old I decided one bright sunny day that it would be fun to go fishing. I didn't have any fishing gear and I had never done much fishing other than to play on the stream banks while my father fished. I also didn't want to "hurt" the fish I just wanted to catch them and then let them go.

I looked around the house for what I could use and I found a washed out old mayonnaise jar. You know the old style jars with the big open "mouth". I walked to a nearby pond and put the jar down in the soft dust-like mud of the water's edge with the open "mouth" of the jar facing toward the center. I then stirred the waters a little and made them cloudy so that the fish would have trouble seeing me. Then I waited hovering over the jar. Gradually, cautiously a small fish would swim up to the clear jar to investigate the disturbance and when it swam into the jar I dropped my hand into the water and over the jar mouth. I caught a fish, then another.

I just let them all go and returned my jar to the cupboard. Then I decided to use wire "box trap" to go fishing and rigged a string to the door. This way I could drop the trap in the water and not have to "hover over" it like I did with the jar. I sat very relaxed on the bank of the pond and sure enough I caught a fair sized bluegill. I took it home in a water filled plastic waste basket to show my dad and afterward returned it to the pond.

When I told people about how I had caught the fish they just paused and

laughed nervously. You see unlike these people, I didn't know that you couldn't catch fish in a jar. If I would have asked them they would have scoffed and said, "You can't catch fish in a jar or a box trap!" No one in my life had ever dreamed of telling me that so my belief system did not contain these words or the impact that they would have had on my "day of fishing". Only a free minded kid could come up with an idea of using a jar or a box trap to catch fish! No one had told me that this was impossible so I just used what I was familiar with and what I had available and I succeeded.

Maybe today finds you facing a situation that seems impossible. You have a desire but no visible way of bringing it into being. You may need to find that "kid" inside you who thinks "outside the box" and the normal ways of achieving things and let him or her catch that fish in a jar! See your situation from a different angle. Start looking at the resources that you already have and the things that you are already familiar with. A fresh perspective and a childlike sense of wonder may surprise you and there's no telling what you will come up with

Don't get caught by the nuts

Monkey hunters in India use a box tied to the tree or a hole made in the tree to catch monkey. The box/hole would have an opening at the top, big enough for the monkey to slide its hand in it. They keep some nuts inside the box. The monkey slide its hand inside the box and grabs the nuts and now its hand becomes a fist. The monkey tries to get its hand out but the opening is big enough for the hand to slide in, but too small for the fist to come out. Now the monkey has a choice, either to hold on to the nuts and get caught or let go off the nuts and be free for ever. Do you know what it picks every time? You guessed it right! He hangs on the nuts and gets caught.

Many of us are not different from monkeys. We all hang on some nuts which prevent us from going forward in life. You know the nuts, better than anyone else, that prevent you from going forward in life. Identify that nuts and let go off that nuts and be free for ever.

We keep rationalize by saying "I cannot do this because......." Whatever comes after "because" are the nuts that you are hanging on and which holding you back.

Right Attitude

An old man was walking along the road. While walking he found in the road side few people are working. The workers were trying to make a building. Out of curiosity the Old man asked the first worker to whom he met. "What are you doing?" He replied with a tired face, "What to say, I am making a living". While inspecting their work, the old man came beside another worker. He again put forth the same question to him also "What are you doing?" The worker got little bit irritated and said. "Can't you see what I am doing. I am working with the stones" the Old man went around the

upcoming building and met another worker. It seemed that the young guy is happy and doing his work with enthusiasm. The old man placed the same question to this young and enthusiastic guy. "What are you doing?" With a happy and radiant face, he replied. "See we are building a magnificent Church. It will be completed within few months. Then come and visit us. Here you will find a very beautiful Church building. You will find many people here worshiping God. A lot of work is to be done here." The young man invited the old man to visit the place again and worship God with him after few months.

From the above old story, you can see the attitude of different people who are working on the same project. The people who have the right attitude is happy in what they are doing. Those who do not have the right attitude will find it difficult to continue their life. Even though they all are working on the same project, they have different attitude. Some think that they are doing the work for a living, for the food for themselves and for their family. Some focus only on the things they are working. That is why the second guy said that he is working with stones. The third one's focus is on the outcome. "A Magnificent Church". He know what he is doing and what will be the outcome. Sometimes we will find it difficult to go ahead with our life. Feeling tired and fed up with the work we are doing every day

When you get right, the world will be ok.

Professor Jack has a three year old son. He is very smart and has many doubts about many things. He used to ask different wired questions. When his mother get tired of answering the questions, she tell him to ask papa. One fine Sunday morning as Professor Jack was preparing the lecture for the coming week, his three year old son came with different questions. To keep him quite, Professor Jack was thinking ways to engage his son, so that he will keep quiet for some time.

While looking for books or magazines, professor jack found an old map of the world. An idea come to his mind. He tore that world map into many pieces. Mix that pieces and given it to his son and asked him to rebuild the world map and return. Professor Jack was sure that his son will not disturb him for a couple of hours and continued his preparation of lecture for the next week.

To Professor's surprise, his son came within 5 minutes and asked him to look at the world map. Believing his son could not set it right, without looking at the world map, professor said "Son, go to your room and fix it correctly and come back, I am not going to help you" But his son insisted that he fix it correctly and show it to him.

Professor Jack looked the map and found it fixed correctly. Professor asked, "who helped you to fix it. I am sure you cannot do that without someone's help.

His son replied " Papa, no one helped me. When I carefully looked at both the sides of paper, I found on one side, body parts of a man. When I fixed the man, the world map got right by itself."

Professor looked at the back side of the map and found there is a picture of a man. When his son fixed the man, the world got corrected automatically.

The moral of the story is, when the man get right, the world will automatically get right. Individuals are responsible for all the troubles in this world.

Making priorities

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

“That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.”

The man smiled and said, “OK.”

“My, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded. The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play.” Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today!

Do Not Hurt Yourself

One night a snake while it was looking for food, entered a carpenter’s workshop.

The carpenter, who was a rather untidy man, had left several of his tools lying on the floor. One of them was a saw. As the snake went round and round the shop, he climbed over the saw, which gave him a little cut.

At once, thinking that the saw was attacking him, he turned around and bit it so hard that his mouth started to bleed. This made him very angry. He attacked again and again until the saw was covered with blood and seemed to be dead.

Dying from his own wounds, the snake decided to give one last hard bite then turned away. The next morning the carpenter was surprised to find a dead snake on his doorstep.

Lesson to Learn:Sometimes in trying to hurt others, we only hurt ourselves..

"EGO.....KILLS U".

There was once a scientist. After a lot of practice & efforts, he developed a formula & learned the art of reproducing himself. He did it so perfectly that it was impossible to tell the reproduction from the original.

One day while doing his research, he realized that the Angel of Death was searching for him.In order to remain alive he reproduced a dozen copies of himself. The reproduction was so

similar that all of them looked exactly like him.Now when this Angel of Death came down, he was at a loss to know which of the thirteen before him was the original scientist, & confused,he left them all alone & returned back to heaven.

But, not for long, for being an expert in human nature, the Angel came up with a clever idea.He said to the scientist addressing all thirteen of them, "Sir, you must be a genius to have succeeded in making such perfect reproduction formula of yourself. However, I have discovered a flaw in your work, just one tiny little flaw."

The scientist immediately jumped out & shouted, "Impossible! where is the flaw?""Right here" said the Angel, as he picked up the scientist from among the reproductions & carried him off.

The whole purpose of the scientist & his formula of reproduction failed as he could not control his pride, so he lost his life.So when man's Knowledge & Skills takes him to the top of the ladder & makes him successful, however the three letter word "EGO" can pull him down to earth immediately at its double speed.

So don't allow Ego to kill yourself,Instead of it kill your Ego…..!!!

The wife and the window

A young couple relocated to a new place due to their transfer. The next morning, while they are enjoying their morning tea, the young woman sees her neighbor hang the wash to dry.

That laundry is not very clean, she said, she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better washing powder.

Her husband looked on, but he remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, one fine morning while these young couple enjoying their morning tea, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said: "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!"

And so it is with life:

"What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look. Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in the person we are about to judge. "

You are a Masterpiece

A plum once said, just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know who I am. How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover.

Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate. Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest glory - your uniqueness, for momentary validation.

There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king / queen by just being yourself. Find that world... in fact, that world will find you.

What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold cannot. The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted. Everything and everybody has been designed with a proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfill only by being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose. You are here to be you... just you.

There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and he was sent; a time when a Christ was required and he was sent; a time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent; a time when a J.R.D.Tata was required and he was sent. There came a time when you were required on this planet and hence you were sent. Let us be the best we can be. Don't miss yourself and let the world not miss you.

In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you and to the infinite of time to come, there will be no one like you.Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the mould after making you, so that another of your kind will never get repeated.

You are original. You are rare. You are unique. You are a wonder. You are a masterpiece... your Master's piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness.

Story of Old clock and new clock

There was a Old Church. It is more than 100 years old. As the old priest is not physically well, the Church committee decided to appoint a new priest. The young priest took charge of the church. While roaming around the Church building, he thought to do some renovation in the church to make it more attractive. With the help of the church committee, they did many things like bought new carpets, painted the walls, put new sealing etc. As part of the renovation, the priest thought to change the old clock which is powered by key and making noise with a brand new electronic clock. But the priest decided to keep the New clock beside the old clock for the time being as many old people are so much attached to the old clock.

The new clock was very happily and smoothly jumping each second with "tick" "tick" "tick" "tick" sound. There was power and enthusiasm in his jumping. At the same time the old clock with very difficulty and with the noise of wheels also tried to move along with the new clock. In the beginning the new clock was very proud and was reluctant to speak to the Old clock. But after some time to burn the boredom, the new clock decided to talk to the old clock. During the conversation, the new clock asked the old clock "How long have you been here?" to that the old clock

replied that more than 100 years.

Hearing the answer, the new clock fell into thoughts. It tried to calculate the jumps to make in order to complete the 100 years. For one minute 60 jumps, for one hour 3600 jumps, for one day 86400 jumps, for one month 2592000 jumps, for one year 31536000 jumps, for 100 years 3153600000 jumps. Shortly after the calculation, the new clock stopped jumping the seconds.

The old clock, noticing the silence of the new clock, asked the reason for the silence. To that the new clock replied "I was calculating the jumps you have competed last 100 years. You have dome millions of jumps. I don't think I would be able to complete that much jumps. Thinking about all that jumps, I am stressed and cannot move. I am helpless and cannot jump one second. While thinking about it I had a heart attack."

The old clock knowing the situation, asked one question. "I know your situation, but I would like to ask you one question, Can you jump one second?" To that the new clock replied. "It is very easy, I can easily jump one second. It is very very easy."

The Old clock replied "Do that."

The old clock continued, Just think about one second at a time and jump. Don't think about 100 years, just think about one second.

The new clock happily started to jump one second at a time.

The moral of the story is don't think about all the things to be done in a lifetime. Just think about the next moment. Just think about one day at a time. It will help us to continue our journey. Looking at the thickness of the text book, students may get depressed at the beginning of the school year. Following the advice of the old clock, one sentence at a time can complete the book in a year. Don't get depressed or discouraged. One step at a time will lead you to the destination. Don't give up!!!! Don't be a quitter!!

The Good Teacher

The great Zen teacher, Benzei had many pupils in his school. One day, one of the student was caught stealing his fellow-students money and they reported it to Benzei. But Benzei took no action against the thief.

A few days later the same boy was again caught stealing. And again Benzei did nothing. This angered the other students who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief. They threatened to leave the school if the boy was allowed to stay.

The teacher called a meeting of the students. When they had assembled he said to them: “You are good boys who know what is right and what is wrong. If you leave you will have no trouble in joining some other school. But what about your brother who does not even know the difference between right and wrong? Who will teach him if I don’t? No, I cannot ask him to go even if it means losing all of you.”

Tears coursed down the cheeks of the boy who had stolen. He never stole again and in later life became renowned for his integrity.

The Web

W H E N Y O U R H U T I S O N F I R E

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man to his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story:It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

The Bull & The Bear

Once upon a time there lived a bear in a cave deep in the woods. Nearby was a meadow in which a farmer kept his cattle -- and one large, ferocious-looking bull. Each day the bear hid at the edge of the woods, watching the bull.

The bear was known as the strongest, most fierce creature for miles around. No other beast in the forest dared to tangle with him. As the bear watched the bull peacefully gazing, he wondered which one of them would win a test of strength. He thought about this for many days. Then one morning he decided to challenge the bull to a fight to the finish.

The bull had just chomped down on a fresh clump of clover when he looked up and saw the bear barreling across the meadow toward him. He stopped chewing. The red flag of danger popped up in his head. The bear skidded to a halt in front of him.

The bull lowered his head menacingly, his sharp horns aimed right for the bear's throat. For long moments they stood in place -- eyeball to eyeball -- neither one of them moving. Finally the bull grew tired of the stare-down and asked, "What do you want, Bear?"

"I want to fight you," growled the bear.

"Why?" asked the bull.

"Because, I want to prove that I am a stronger and better fighter than you are."

The bull laughed. "I thought you really wanted something. You can't possibly win against me. I have sharp horns that can cause terrible injuries."

"And my claws are sharp and quick," the bear shot back. "I have defeated many an enemy -- anyone who would harm my cubs or take away my mate. I am the king of the forest!"

"Then go back to the forest," the bull bluntly advised. "This is the meadow."

The bear blinked in surprise. "I beg your pardon..."

"I mean, what's the point of me fighting with you?" the bull asked. "What would that prove? We are not enemies. I have not harmed your cubs or taken your mate."

"It would prove that I am the strongest."

"Okay," said the bull, smiling. "I'll buy that. You are strongest. Now leave and let me graze in peace."

"Just one cotton-picking' minute. What do you mean by that?" The bear raised a club-like paw. "I will tear you to shreds. Defend yourself."

"What you do is up to you," the bull answered calmly. "But if you do, what will all your friends -- the ones who are watching us right now -- think about you?"

"They will think that I am the strongest," yelled the frustrated bear.

"I don't think so. I do not choose to fight you just because you choose to fight with me. I would only fight to defend one of the cows in my care. If you attack one of them, then I'd be obliged to give you a good lashing."

"I can't attack them," protested the bear. "They can't fight back. There would be no victory to it."

"Exactly," answered the bull. "But what if you did? And what if I should try to defend them? What if something should happen to me? Who would protect them then? You? Would you trust me to protect your cubs if something happened to you? What would happen to your family if you lose the fight?"

"I never thought of that," said the bear.

"Go back into the woods, Bear," said the bull as he turned to walk away. "Live in peace. And I will stay in the meadow and do the same."

The bear turned toward the woods. He had come spoiling for a fight -- to prove which one was the strongest.

But he had learned an important lesson from a very wise bull. In peace, there are no losers.

THE MASTER'S LESSON ON GRATITUDE

According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container.

The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"

The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."!!!

Morel of the Story:

We may understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a crushed paper painting or a clay figure, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.

Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart!! Also, when we express our gratitude,we must never forget that the highest of appreciation is not to utter mere words, but to live by them.

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art is gratitude! Gratitude is the sign of noble souls and the memory of it is stored in the heart and not the mind!

The next time you receive any gifts from anyone, no matter however small it may be, remember the love behind and don't judge the gift with its appearance! Have a deep sense of gratitude for whatever you receive in life in whatever form it may be!

Crochet a doll

A man and a woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife ' s bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents.

"When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll."

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

"Honey," he said "that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?"

"Oh, that?" she said. "That is the money I made from selling the dolls."

Moral of the story: Do not waste your time by arguing, the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue

A Pillow & A Blanket

A long time ago, a young, wealthy girl was getting ready for bed. She was saying her prayers when she heard a muffled crying coming through her window. A little frightened, she went over to the window and leaned out. Another girl, who seemed to be about her age and homeless was standing in the alley by the rich girls house. Her heart went out to the homeless girl, for it was the dead of winter, and the girl had no blanket, only old newspapers someone had thrown out.

The rich girl was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea. She called to the other girl and said, "You there, come to my front door, please."

The homeless girl was so startled she could only manage to nod.

As quick as her legs could take her, the young girl ran down the hall to her mothers closet, and picked out an old quilt and a beat up pillow. She had to walk slower down to the front door as to not trip over the quilt which was hanging down, but she made it eventually. Dropping both the articles, she opened the door. Standing there was the homeless girl, looking quite scared.

The rich girl smiled warmly and handed both articles to the other girl. Her smile grew wider as she watched the true amazement and happiness alight upon the other girl's face. She went to bed incredibly satisfied.

In mid-morning the next day a knock came to the door. The rich girl flew to the door hoping that it was the other little girl there. She opened the large door and looked outside. It was the other little girl. Her face looked happy, and she smiled. "I suppose you want these back."

The rich little girl opened her mouth to say that she could keep them when another idea popped into her head. "No, I want them back."

The homeless girl's face fell. This was obviously not the answer she had hoped for. She reluctantly laid down the beat up things, and turned to leave when the rich girl yelled, "Wait! Stay right there." She turned in time to see the rich girl running up the stairs and down a long corridor. Deciding whatever the rich little girl was doing wasn't worth waiting for she started to turn around and walk away. As her foot hit the first step, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder, turning she saw the rich little girl, thrusting a new blanket and pillow at her. "Have these." she said quietly.

These were her own personal belonging made of silk and down feathers.

As the two grew older they didn't see each other much, but they were never far from each other's minds. One day, the Rich girl, who was now a Rich woman got a telephone call from someone. A lawyer, saying that she was requested to see him. When she arrived at the office, he told her what had happened. Forty years ago, when she was nine years old, she had helped a little girl in need. That grew into a middle-class woman with a husband and two children. She had recently died and left something for her in her will. "Though," the lawyer said, "it's the most peculiar thing. She left you a pillow and a blanket."

Never Judge too quickly

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the fourth son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.

The second son said, no, that it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them. He said it was ripe and drooping with fruit - full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that comes from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

It's only words !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A philosophy professor gave a one question exam by placing his chair atop a table & asking the class to use everything they had learnt to prove that the chair doesn't exist.Fingers flew & notebks filled to refute the chairs existence.One student however finished in a minute & when he got an 'A' other students demanded to see his answer. The proff then showed them his paper with two words:"What chair?"

While the journey is about going beyond words, it is the word that enables this! And any tool or step is as important as where it takes you surely!? So the trick is to not get stuck in- but wholly use , appreciate & embrace- the tool so it can fully do its purpose; so while we come from and go back into nothingness....without The Word we would never have known it!

'The Word’ is at its deepest a tool of oneness and union. Because it is ‘The Word’ (communication) that allows each individuation, even in separation, to know of their Oneness. It is ‘The Word’ that allows you even in your perceived separation to know of your inner union. It is ‘The Word’ that brings together the far flung spaces you occupy into the one path back home.

Words first help, then limit, then come in the way…till we finally use words to go beyond words.

Words belong to the mind, the mind arises in separation and thus words can only help us define the separation, understand the separation and then form a bridge out of it…but finally we must get off the bridge!

Not to see what is not! New age wisdom "Judgment is an act of perception & creation!"

Ancient wisdom through Tukaram's poetry: "I could not lie anymore so I started to call my dog 'God'. First he looked confused, then he started smiling, then he even danced. I kept at it : now he doesn’t even bite. I am wondering if this might work on people?" So.....If we can view people as selfless ...we will meet more of the selfless ones! If we can believe people are decent and loyal- 'our' world will be peopled by decent

loving people!

Our perceptions- beliefs,thoughts & feelings -the lens we view life through-is our act of creation! If we 'see' self as a failure, 'view' our boss as nasty, 'think' our country as corrupt ,'feel' our world as disaster ridden-we are creating it.

Let us harness the power of non judgment & appreciation... for even as we move from 'limiting judgment' into 'all inclusive appreciation' ...we will see and create more things to appreciate and be thankful for!

"Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned - not to see what is not."

Dog and the Doctor

A real story of Japan. A story of one dog and a Doctor.

A doctor one day gave some food to the dog residing nearby and then this become usual. The dog always remain with the doctor whenever it is possible.. Doctor used to go by train everyday for his duty. Dog always accompany him till the Railway Station. And when the doctor come back for his duty, that dog waits for him at the railway station and both come back at home together. This was the usual practice.

Once in an accident doctor died. Dog kept waited for him till long. For two consecutive days it waited for Doctor without having food, water or anything.

Then after that every day the dog visited the platform at the arrival time of that train regularly till the time of its death.

People around that platform started having sympathy towards dog and they started giving it food and started taking care of it. Everyone was impressed by the love between that dog and the Doctor.

Once a person took that dog at home and taking care for it. But dog every day visited that station without missing single day.Till dog died, it visited that platform and waited for Doctor.

People put the statue of dog at that station for the loving memory of it and Doctor and in that city that dog is recognized as symbol of love.

Moral of the story is that..

If you love someone, then love unconditionally. Accept the positive and negative aspects of your loved one. Take care of the loved one even if it is not with you. Try to be honest and trust 100%. Develop the fear of loss for your love...make your love realize about that fear of loss. Give sweet smile to everyone and love a loved one such a way that it become a history.

Sometime people forgets the value of love even if his or her inside is pure.

Because of personal problems, work tension, ego, misunderstandings and many more.... people started thinking wrong ways and loses the faith, then they miss wonderful days of life which they would have enjoyed if their loved ones are nearby. Imagine. Think of that enjoyment.

I don't know why they chooses the path of aloneness rather being in love. Remember days never comes back, time never stops, still if you feel that you are missing someone and due to certain problems you have lost your love, go immediately and catch it and enjoys those days of love which you may never get back. Always follow your heart

The Master

When one Guru was dying, one of his deciple asked him "Guruji, who was your master?"He said, "I had thousands of masters. If I just relate their names it will take months, years and it is too late. But three masters I will certainly tell you about.

One was a thief. Once I got lost in the desert, and when I reached a village it was very late, everything was closed. But at last I found one man who was trying to make a hole in t he wall of a house. I asked him where I could stay and he said 'At this time of night it will be difficult, but you can say with me - if you can stay with a thief'.And the man was so beautiful. I stayed for one month! And each night he would say to me, 'Now I am going to my work. You rest, you pray.' When he came back I would ask 'Could you get anything?' He would say, 'Not tonight. But tomorrow I will try again, God willing.' He was never in a state of hopelessness, he was always happy.

When I was meditating and meditating for years on end and nothing was happening, many times the moment came when I was so desperate, so hopeless,that I thought to stop all this nonsense. And suddenly I would remember the thief who would say every night, 'God willing, tomorrow it is going to happen.'

And my second master was a dog. I was going to the river, thirsty and a dog came. He was also thirsty. He looked into the river, he saw another dog there -- his own image -- and became afraid. He would bard and run away, but his thirst was so much that he would come back. Finally, despite his fear, he just jumped into the water, and the image disappeared. And I knew that a message had come to me from God: one has to jump in spite of all fears.

And the third master was a small child. I entered a town and a child was carrying a lit candle. he was going to the mosque to put the candle there.

'Just joking,' I asked the boy, 'Have you lit the candle yourself?' He said,

'Yes sir.' And I asked, 'There was a moment when the candle was unlit, then there was a moment when the candle was lit. Can you show me the source from which the light came?' And the boy laughed, blew out the candle, and said, 'Now you have seen the light going. Where has it gone? You will tell me!'

My ego was shattered, my whole knowledge was shattered. And that moment I felt my own stupidity. Since then I dropped all my knowledgeability.

It is true that I had no master. That does not mean that I was not a disciple

-- I accepted the whole existence as my master. My Disciplehood was a greater involvement than yours is. I trusted the clouds, the trees. I trusted existence as such. I had no master because I had millions of masters I learned from every possible source. To be a disciple is a must on the path. What does it mean to be a disciple? It means to be able to learn. to be available to learn to be vulnerable to existence. With a master you start learning to learn.

The master is a swimming pool where you can learn how to swim. Once you have learned, all the oceans are yours."

Lunch With God

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat

there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

Confidence

Confidence !

The business executive was deep in debt and couldn't see a way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

The desire

An emperor was coming out of his palace for his morning walk when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, "What do you want?"The beggar laughed and said, "You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!"

The king was offended. He said, "Of course I can fulfill your desire. What is it? Just tell me."

And the beggar said, "Think twice before you promise anything."

The beggar was no ordinary beggar, he was the emperors past life master. He had promised in that life, "I will come and try to wake you in your next life. This life you have missed but I will come again." But the king had forgotten completely -- who remembers past lives? So he insisted, "I will fulfill anything you ask. I am a very powerful emperor, what can you possibly desire that I can not give to you?"

The beggar said, "It is a very simple desire. You see this begging bowl? Can you fill it with something?"

The emperor said, "Of course!" He called one of his viziers and told him, "Fill this mans begging bowl with money." The vizier went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, and it disappeared. And he poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it, it would disappear. And the beggging bowl remained always empty.

The whole palace gathered. By and by the rumor went throughout the whole capital, and a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the emperor was at stake.

He said to his viziers, "If the whole kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar."

Diamonds and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty.The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it --everything! --immediately disappeared, went out of existence. Finally it was the evening, and the people were standing there in utter silence. The king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted his defeat. he said, "Just tell me one thing. You are victorious - but before you leave, just fulfill my curiousity. What is the begging bowl made of?"

The beggar laughed and said, "It is made up of the human mind. There is no secret. It is simple made up of human desire."

This understanding transforms life. Go into one desire -- what is the mechanism of it? First there is a great excitement, great thrill, adventure. you feel a great kick. Something is going to happen, you are on the verge of it. And then you have the car, you have the yacht, you have the house, you have the woman, and suddenly all is meaningless again.

What happens? Your mind has dematerialized it. The car is standing in the drive, but there is no excitement anymore. The excitement was only in getting it. You became so drunk with the desire that you forgot your inner nothingness. Now the desire is fulfilled, the car in the drive, the woman in your bed, the money in your bank account - again excitement disappears. Again the emptiness is there, ready to eat you up. Again you have to create another desire to escape this yawning abyss.

That's how one moves from one desire to another desire. That's how one remains a beggar. Your whole life proves it again and again -- every desire frustrates. And when the goal is achieved, you will need another desire. The day you understand that desire as such is going to fail comes the turning point in your life. The other journey is inwards. move inwards, come back home.

Buffalo & the Horse - a folk tale

Once upon a time a horse and a buffalo lived in a beautiful meadow up in the mountains.

There was plenty of grass to eat and water to drink, and the two had become good friends. But one year, there was no rain. The meadow stream dried up and the grass turned brown.

Soon the horse and buffalo found themselves fighting over the scarce water and grass. One day, their daily fight became violent. The buffalo jabbed the horse with her sharp horns. The badly injured horse had no option but to flee.

A few days passed and the horse started feeling much better. He still had not forgotten how the buffalo had hurt him, and started planning his revenge. After much thought, he decided to approach a man and ask for his help. On hearing the horse’s tale, the man shrugged and said, "Well, you fought with each other, and you lost. Why should I get into this? Anyway, the buffalo has sharp horns. If she can hurt you, she will definitely kill me." With that the man told the horse to leave him so he could get on with his work.

Once again the horse pleaded with the man. He said, "If you help me, I will help you capture the buffalo. Then you can keep her, and I get to have the meadow all to myself."

The man laughed and said, "What will I do with a captured buffalo; it is of no use to me."

The horse then told the man about the buffalo’s sweet milk. "It not only tastes very good, it is also very healthy. If you were to drink it every day you will become more powerful than all the animals in the jungle." The man seemed impressed and agreed to help the horse. But the buffalo’s horns still worried him.

But the horse had a plan. "What you need," he said, "is a big fat stick. Just climb onto my back and every time I run past the buffalo, you hit her with the stick. She cannot run as fast as me so she will not be able to catch us." The plan sounded good so the man decided to go along with it.

Next morning the man climbed onto the horse’s back, holding a big fat stick. When they found the buffalo in the meadow, the horse started to run past the buffalo. The plan was working. After a few hard hits with the stick, the buffalo fell to the ground. The man captured the buffalo and tied her to a tree next to his hut.

The horse was really happy now that he had got rid of the buffalo from the meadow. He thanked the man and was about to leave when he found that he too was tied to the tree. The horse turned to the man and said, "Dear friend, now that our work is over, you can release me. I can enjoy the meadow and you can enjoy the buffalo’s milk.

The man in turn said, "My dear friend, you have been of such help to me. You have not just taught me how to capture a buffalo but also taught me how to ride horses. Now that I know how useful the two of you are, how can I possibly let either of you go? I promise I will take good care of you."

The sad horse felt betrayed. But after thinking for some time he realized that he was suffering because he had been petty and vengeful. By telling the secret of the buffalo’s milk to the man, he had betrayed his friend the buffalo. From that day on, he decided he would never again betray anybody’s trust, not even his captor’s, the man. Perhaps that is why horses (and dogs) are known as man’s trusted friends.

The Silversmith Story

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them.

And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."

Divorce

One fine day, an old couple around the age of 70, walks into a lawyer's office.

Apparently, they are there to file a divorce. Lawyer was very puzzled, after having a chat with them, he got their story....

This couple had been quarreling all their 40 over yrs of marriage nothing ever seems to go right. They hang on because of their children, afraid that it might affect their up-bringing. Now, all their children have already grown up, have

their own family, there's nothing else the old couple have to worry about, all they wanted is to lead their own life free from all these years of unhappiness from their marriage, so both agree on a divorce....

Lawyer was having a hard time trying to get the papers done, because he felt that after 40 yrs of marriage at the age of 70, he couldnt understand why the old couple would still want a divorce..

While they were signing the papers, the wife told the husband..

"I really love u, but i really cant carry on anymore, I'm sorry.."

"Its ok , i understand.." said the husband. Looking at this, the lawyer suggested a dinner together, just 3 of them,wife thought, why not, since they are still gonna be friends..

At the dining table, there was a silence of awkwardness.

The first dish was roasted chicken, immediately, the old man took the drumstick for the old lady.."take this, its your favorite.."

Looking at this, the lawyer thought maybe theres still a chance, but the wife was frowning when she answer.."This is always the problem, you always think so highly of yourself, never thought about how I feel, don't you know that i hate drumsticks?"

Little did she know that, over the years, the husband have been trying all ways to please her, little did she know that drumsticks was the husband's favorite. Little did he know that she never thought he understand her at all, little did he know that she hates drumsticks even though all he wants is the best for her.

That night, both of them couldnt sleep, toss and turn, toss and turn...after hours, the old man couldnt take it anymore, he knows that he still loves her, and he cant carry on life without her, he wants her back, he wants to tell her, he is sorry, he wanted to tell her "i love you"...

He picks up the phone, starting dialing her number....ringing never stops..he never stop dialing....On the other side, she was sad, she couldn't understand how come after all these years, he still doesnt understand her at all, she loves him a lot, but she just cant take it anymore....phone's ringing, she refuses to answer knowing that its him..."whats the point of talking now that its over...i have ask for it and now i wanna keep it this way, if not i will lose face.."she thought...still ringing...she have decided to pull out the cord... Little did she remember, he have heart problems...

The next day, she received news that he had passed away...she rushed down to his apartment, saw his body, lying on the couch still holding on to the phone...he had a heart attack when he was still trying to get through her phone line....

As sad as she could be...she will have to clear his belongings...when she was looking thru the drawers, she saw this insurance policy, dated from the day

they got married, with the beneficiary being her... And together in those file, there was this note...

"To my dearest wife, by the time you're reading this, I'm sure I'm no longer around, I bought this policy for you, though the amount is only $100k, I hope it will be able to help me continue my promise that i have made when we got married, I might not be around anymore, I want this amount of money to continue taking care of you, just like the way I will if I could have live longer. I want you to know Iwill always be around, by your side... I love you"

Tears flowed like river......

"When you love someone, let them know... You never know what will happen the next minute.... Learn to build a life together.. Learn to love each other.

The Message in a Bottle

A man was strolling along the beach one day when he spotted a bottle washed up on the shore. He went over and picked it up, and noticed a message in the bottle. He popped the cork out and inside was a weathered treasure map indicating that there was buried treasure to be found in the shallow waters below. But the man thought it was a hoax, so he slipped the map back in and threw the bottle back into the ocean...A little later, another man was walking along the beach and the bottle had washed upon the shore. He too picked up the bottle, popped out the cork, and found the treasure map.

This man, however, was curious enough to wade into the water and hoped it was buried shallow enough to find. But once the cold ocean waters reached up to his thighs, he decided to quit. "This is not worth it!" he thought to himself. So he scrambled back to shore and chucked the bottle back into the ocean....

A third man was walking by the beach and noticed the bottle washed upon the shore. He went over, opened the bottle and found the map. The map looked authentic enough, and promised great treasure... So he got himself a small raft and set out into the ocean to claim the treasure..he rowed out far enough into the ocean where the "X" on the map was and to his surprise, he saw the glint of something shining in the waters below..he dove into the ocean and swam towards the shining object below..

He could see that there was something that looked like a treasure chest, but he couldn't quite reach it and the deeper he went, the greater the cold and pressure on his body and his mind..," I am about to lose my breath, and the longer i take, my raft might be swept away!", he thought. So the man decided to give up the hunt so he would ensure his own life and safety..when he reached the shore once more, he took the bottle from the raft and tossed it back into the ocean...

Finally, one more man was walking along the beach. He noticed the bottle, went over, popped it open, and was excited to find a map promising great

treasure. He noticed someone had left a raft by the water's edge, so he took it and paddled out. He too, got far enough to where the "X" marks the spot, and squinted into the waters and saw the shadow and glint of the treasure below.

He took a deep breath and plunged into the waters. Like the man before him, the cold, darkness and pressure upon his senses increased as he got closer. He also realized that if he kept swimming, that he might lose his breath, the raft, and even his own life! But this treasure could be worth all the risk and he persisted. Just as he was about to give up, he grabbed the long chain that was binding the chest and pulled it up along with himself back to the surface.

He broke the surface of the water gasping and exhausted but with the treasure chest safely in his grasp. He paddled back to the shore, opened up the treasure chest and found what the map had promised--gold, and precious diamonds and jewels that would make him secure for the rest of his life.

A relationship with God is a similar treasure hunt. People hear the same message, but the way they receive it will determine the reward they might find. Eternal life is waiting for all those who are willing to take that risk to follow God all the way of life, where we find love, forgiveness and life everlasting.... for eternity.

The Bagger's Rags

A beggar lived near the king's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sir, I would like to speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king's face. "You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.

"You are now eligible to attend the king's banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again. Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.One day as he lay dying, the king visited him.

The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed.Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince's words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly. And the king wept with him.

When we put our faith in God, we must let go of the sin in our life, and our old ways of living.

A Mother's Sacrifice

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.

I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..."Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time.

Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night...I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away.

Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my

mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me "What?! Who's this?!" ...It was my mother...Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!" And to this, my mother quietly answered, "oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared. Thank good ness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me...one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house...just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand.... it was a letter to me.

She wrote:

My son...

I think my life has been long enough now. And... I won't visit Seoul anymore... but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school.... For you... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you.

You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye... so I gave you mine...I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me.

I thought to myself, 'it's because he loves me.' I miss the times when you were still young around me.

I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.

My world shattered!!!

Then I cried for the person who lived for me... My Mother

How to deal with the upcoming events.

A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet Dachshund dog along for company.

One day, the Dachshund starts chasing butterflies and before long the Dachshund discovers that he is lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch.

The Dachshund thinks, "I'm in deep trouble now! Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the Dachshund exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around

here."

Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-stride, as a look of terror comes over him, and slinks away into the trees. "Whew," says the leopard. "That was close. That Dachshund! Nearly had me."

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes. But the Dachshund sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine."

Now the Dachshund sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks "What am I going to do now?" But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet... and just when they get close enough to hear,

the Dachshund says......................

"Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard."

Moral: It doesn't matter what cards you hold but how you play them!!

Say No To Bullshit...!!

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 some of my droppings? replied the bull.They are packed with nutrients.

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually 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, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

~~~.Always..Think..Of..possibilities..!!!... Good one The Manager says: "Do you have any sales experience?" The Indian says: "Sir, I was a salesman back home in India." Well, the boss liked the Indian chappie so he gave him the job.

"You start tomorrow.. I'll come down after we close and see how you did." His first day on the job was rough but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down.

"How many sales did you make today?" Indian boy says: "Sir, Just ONE sale." The boss says: "Just one? No! No! No! You see here our sales people average 20 or 30 sales a day." If you want to keep

this job, you'd better be doing better than just one sale.

By the way, how much was the sale for?" Indian boy says: " $101 237. 64" Boss says: "$101 237. 64?

What the hell did you sell?"

Indian boy says: "Sir, First I sell him small fishhook.

Then I sell him medium fishhook.

Then I sell him large fishhook.

Then I sold him new fishing rod and some fishing gear.

Then I ask him where he's going fishing and he said down on the coast, so I told him he'll be needing a boat, so we went down to the boating department and I sell him twin engine Chris Craft.

Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to our automotive department and sell him that 4X4 Blazer.

I then ask him where he'll be staying, and since he had no accommodation, I took him to camping department and sell him one of those new igloo 6 sleeper camper tents.

Then the guy said, while we're at it, I should throw in about $100 worth of groceries and two cases of beer.

The boss said: "You're not serious? A guy came in here to buy a fishhook and you sold him a boat, a 4X4 truck and a tent?"

Indian boy says: "No Sirji, actually he came in to buy Anacin for his headache, and I said: Well, fishing is the best way to relax your mind."

There are no wrong questions, only unasked ones The Master was walking through the fields one day when a young man, a troubled look upon his face, approached him. "On such a beautiful day, it must be difficult to stay so serious," the Master said. "Is it? I hadn't noticed," the young man said, turning to look around and notice his surroundings. His eyes scanned the landscape, but nothing seemed to register; his mind elsewhere. Watching intently, the Master continued to walk. "Join me if you like." The Master walked to the edge of a still pond, framed by sycamore trees, their leaves golden orange and about to fall. "Please sit down," the Master invited, patting the ground next to him. Looking carefully before sitting, the young man brushed the ground to clear a space for himself. "Now, find a small stone, please," the Master instructed. "What?" "A stone. Please find a small stone

and throw it in the pond." Searching around him, the young man grabbed a pebble and threw it as far as he could. "Tell me what you see," the Master instructed. Straining his eyes to not miss a single detail, the man looked at the water's surface. "I see ripples." "Where did the ripples come from?" "From the pebble I threw in the pond, Master." "Please reach your hand into the water and stop the ripples," the Master asked. Not understanding, the young man stuck his hand in the water as a ripple neared, only to cause more ripples. The young man was now completely baffled. Where was this going? Had he made a mistake in seeking out the Master? After all he was not a student, perhaps he could not be helped? Puzzled, the young man waited. "Were you able to stop the ripples with your hands?" the Master asked. "No, of course not." "Could you have stopped the ripples, then?" "No, Master. I told you I only caused more ripples." "What if you had stopped the pebble from entering the water to begin with?" The Master smiled such a beautiful smile; the young man could not be upset. "Next time you are unhappy with your life, catch the stone before it hits the water. Do not spend time trying to undo what you have done. Rather, change what you are going to do before you do it." The Master looked kindly upon the young man. "But Master, how will I know what I am going to do before I do it?" "Take the responsibility for living your own life. If you're working with a doctor to treat an illness, then ask the doctor to help you understand what caused the illness. Do not just treat the ripples. Keep asking questions." The young man stopped, his mind reeling. "But I came to you to ask you for answers. Are you saying that I know the answers?" "You may not know the answers right now, but if you ask the right questions, then you shall discover the answers." "But what are the right questions, Master?" "There are no wrong questions, only unasked ones. We must ask, for without asking, we cannot receive answers. But it is your responsibility to ask. No one else can do that for you."

REFLECTION QUESTIONS1) If you could become wealthy doing anything you wanted, what3-5 things would you choose to do?2) Which item on that list is your favorite?

3) Name at least 1 person who has become wealthy doing that

exact same thing. How did he or she become wealthy doing it?4) If you had unlimited resources, what would you most enjoy giving to others?5) When you feel the most alive and inspired, what are you doing?6) Why haven't you asked yourself these questions before?I invite you to take some time and reflect on these questionsdeeply for they have an inspiring effect.

Every man is the architect of his own fortune

Every horse race has a first place winner and a runner-up, second place contender. It is not uncommon for the first place horse to earn twice the prize as the second place finisher. Curiously, the number one horse did not have to run twice as fast or go twice as far as the competition to get twice the money. It only had to be a nose ahead of the competition to reap twice the rewards. Most times most people compare themselves with others and lose the race. Here are two little stories which can teach us a lesson or two in trying to look at our strengths rather than comparing ourselves with the others."Every man is the architect of his own fortune." Sallust (86bc-34bc) Roman historian

Try with running engine

A mechanic was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car when he spotted the famous heart surgeon in his shop, who was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his car.

The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hello Doctor! Please come on over here for a minute."

The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic.

The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked argumentatively, "So doctor, look at this here. I also open hearts, take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and when I finish this will work as a new one. So how come you get the big money, when you and me is doing basically the same work?"

The doctor leaned over and whispered to the mechanic "Try doing it with the running engine."

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

Barber & The King

The barber was giving a haircut to the king and as usually all barbers do, entered into a conversation with his master.

He told the King that he is so close to the King yet the king's minister is being paid a very much higher salary. Barber felt that to be rather unfair and wanted an explanation.

King said "Ok, I will give you a task which I would normally give the minister, for you to perform so that I could judge"

King told the barber "I understand that a ship has arrived in the harbor please brief me about it"

Barber ran to the harbor and came back and told the King Yes, Sir. There is a Ship!

King: When has it arrived?

Barber again ran to the harbor and returned to tell that the ship has arrived 2 days ago.

Barber had to run to the harbor several times to the harbor till the king got the required information such as from where the ship has come? What the ship has brought?, Who had come, What they would take back, when? At what Price etc, the Barber was extremely tired after making so many trips.

At this stage the King called his minister in the presence of his barber and gave him the same task. Minister made just one trip , came back and gave a report which contained all the information, the king had wanted to know.

King then told the barber "This should explain why the minister is paid a higher salary

The Bamboo

Once upon a time, in the heart of the Western Kingdom, lay a beautiful garden. And there, in the cool of the day, the Master of the garden was wont to walk. Of all the denizens of the garden, the most beautiful and most beloved was gracious and noble bamboo.

Year after year, bamboo grew yet more noble and gracious, conscious of his Master's love and watchful delight, but modest and gentle withal. And often when the wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would cast aside his grave stateliness, to dance and play right merrily, tossing and swaying and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon, leading the Great Dance of the garden, Which most delighted the Master's heart.

Now, once upon a day, the Master himself drew near to contemplate his Bamboo with eyes of curious expectancy. And Bamboo, in a passion of adoration, bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting. The Master spoke: "Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you."

Bamboo flung his head to the sky in utter delight. The day of days had come, the day for which he had been made, the day to which he had been growing hour by hour, the day in which he would find his completion and his destiny.

His voice came low: "Master, I'm ready. Use me as Thou wilt." "Bamboo," – The Master's voice was grave --- "I would have to take you and cut you down!"

A trembling of great horror shook Bamboo…"Cut …me… down ? Me.. Who thou, Master, has made the most beautiful in all thy Garden…cut me down! Ah, not that. Not that. Use me for the joy, use me for the glory, oh master, but cut me not down!"

Beloved Bamboo,"—The Master's voice grew graver still—"If I cut you not down, I cannot use you."

The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud and glorious head. There was a whisper: "Master, if thou cannot use me other than to cut me down.. Then do thy will and cut".

"Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also".

"Master, spare me. Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust; but would thou also have to take from me, my leaves and branches too?" "Bamboo, if I cut them not away, I cannot use you."

The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. And Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low: "Master, cut away"

"Bamboo, Bamboo, I would yet… split you in two and cut out your heart, for if I cut not so, I cannot use you." Then Bamboo bowed to the ground: "Master, Master… then cut and split."

So did the Master of the garden took Bamboo…

And cut him down…and hacked off his branches…and stripped off his leaves…and split him in two…and cut out his heart.

And lifting him gently, carried him to where there was a spring of fresh sparkling water in the midst of his dry fields. Then putting one end of the broken Bamboo in the spring and the other end into the water channel in His field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo… And the spring sang welcome, and the clear sparkling waters raced joyously down the channel of bamboo's torn body into the waiting fields. Then the rice was planted, and the days went by, and the shoots grew and the harvest came.

In that day Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, was yet more glorious in his brokenness and humility. For in his beauty he was life abundant, but in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master's world.