Meaningful stories
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One day in a poor country town thousands of miles away from the nearest
city, years n eras ago. A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see a
farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain?
The rat was shocked to discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the
farmyard, the rat announced of the imminent risk, "There is a rat trap in
the house, a rat trap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said, Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave
concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by
it, not my problem". The rat turned to the pig and told him, "There is a
rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!" "I am so very sorry Mr.Rat,"
sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured that you are in my prayers." The rat turned to the cow. ! She
said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh? im the biggest
here, do i look like i'll b trapped in one?" So the rat returned to the
house, heads down and felt rejected, & now need to face the farmer's rat
trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house,like the sound of a
rat trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was
caught.
In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail
the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer couldnt rush
her to the hospital as the town had no transportation & that the nearest
hospital is a few days' travel. She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer
took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. His
wife's sickness continued therefore friends and neighbors came to sit with her
around the clock. To fe! ed them the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer's wife still did not get well. She died eventually & villagers
came to her funeral & now the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide
meat for all who came.
Moral to the story: The next time you hear that someone is facing a problem
and think that it does not concerns you, remember that when there is a rat
trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.
If you're not part of a problem, You're part of a solution.
Don't You Laugh @ Me Because I'm Different; I'll Laugh @ U Because U R The
Same As Others!
Minute Minds Discuss People; Average Minds Discuss Events; Brilliant
Minds Discuss Ideas. -
One day in a poor country town thousands of miles away from the nearest city, years n eras ago. A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see a farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? The rat was shocked to discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the farmyard, the rat announced of the imminent risk,
"There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “
Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it, not my problem.”
The rat turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"
"I am so very sorry Mr.Rat," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."
The rat turned to the cow.
"Like wow, Mr. Rat. A rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh? I am the biggest here, do I look like I'll be trapped in one?"
So the rat returned to the house, heads down and felt rejected, & now need to face the farmer's rat trap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer could not rush her to the hospital as the town had no transportation & that the nearest hospital is a few days' travel. She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. His wife's sickness continued therefore friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife still did not get well. She died eventually & villagers came to her funeral & now the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all who came.
Moral to the story: The next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concerns you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.
If you're not part of a problem, You're part of a solution.
Don't You Laugh @ Me Because I'm Different; I'll Laugh @ U Because U R The Same As Others!
Minute Minds Discuss People;
Average Minds Discuss Events;
Brilliant Minds Discuss Ideas. -
nice and meaningful story
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hmm... so what kind of Minds Discuss Answers?Originally posted by Xavier:Minute Minds Discuss People; Average Minds Discuss Events; Brilliant
Minds Discuss Ideas. -
Nice story Xavier...This actually let me reflect how many times I actually did not care about the problem because I feel that it was none of my concern. Well, thanks for this beautiful story which also acts as my reminder. Learn a new lesson in life
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A little boy walked to and from school daily.
Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, he made his daily trek to the elementary school.
As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and lightning.
The mother of the little boy felt concerned that her son would be frightened as he walked home from school and she herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her child.
Following the roar of thunder, lightning would cut through the sky like a flaming sword.
Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child's school.
As she did so, she saw her little boy walking along, but at each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile.
Another and another were to follow quickly and with each the little boy would look at the streak of light and smile.
When the mother's car drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to him,
"What are you doing? Why do you keep stopping?"
The child answered, "I am trying to look nice. God keeps taking my picture."
May God bless you today as you face the storms that come your way.
{Wish i can be like the boy.... too many storms a day can make me go crazy... Sorry darling...} -
“Every adult, no matter how unfortunate a childhood he/she had or how habit-ridden he/she might be, is free to make choices. To say of Hitler, to say of the criminal, that he did not choose to be bad but was a victim if his upbringing is to make all morality, all discussion of right and wrong, impossible. It leaves unanswered the question of why people in similar circumstances did not all become Hitlers. But worse, to say is to rob a person of his humanity, and reduce him to the level of an animal who is bound by instinct.”
Excerpt - When Bad Things Happen to Good People. By Harold S. Kushner (1981)
Contrary to most, we have the freedom of choiceÂ… if we find our work too stressful, we can ask ourselvesÂ…
Do I really need to prove something?
Do I really need to earn my living this way?
Is there something better that I could be doing?
What is the expectation I have for myself and how often have I fail myself?
Our surrounding influence us to a certain amount to what our life expectations are.
What we can change, we do.
What we cannot change, we learn to accept.
P.s. Dear, sometimes life just ainÂ’t fairÂ… but we all just have to learn to deal with it one way or another. That is how we grow to the next level of humanity. -
[color=blue]Sand & Stone
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.
During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend
slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but
without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to
take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and
started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the
near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY
LIFE."
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I
hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us we should write it down
in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone
does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind
can ever erase it."
[color=Red]LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.
[color=Violet]They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. -
Very meaningful Hershey... a good example to follow
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[color=blue]Well this story is sent to me by my sister and it often reminds me, how many times do we actually write the hurts in the sand and carve the benefits on the stone? After reading this story, I must remind myself to do this expecially when someone has hurt me in anyway....
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[color=Indigo]Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived; Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including Love.
One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally under Love decided
it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat.
Love asked, "Richness, can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, " I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."
Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out,
"Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you," Vanity said, "You are all wet and will damage my beautiful boat."
Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said,
“Sadness, please let me go with you."
Sadness answered, Love, I'm sorry, but I just need to be alone now."
Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out,
"Happiness, please take me with you."
But Happiness was so overjoyed that he didn't hear Love calling to him.
Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say,
"Come Love, I will take you with me."
It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the elder his name.
When they arrived on land the elder went on his way. Love realized how much she owed the elder. Love then found Knowledge and asked,
"Who was it that helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"But why did Time help me when no one else would?" Love asked.
Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered,
[color=Red] "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is." -
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open.
He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.
The boy playfully went to the medicine bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages.
When the child showed signs of poisoning the mother took him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
QUESTIONS :
1. What were the four words ?
2. What is the implication of this story ?
Read on only after you have tried to come up with your own.
ANSWER : The husband just said "I Love You Darling" .
The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. He is indeed a genius in human relationships. The child is dead. He an never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.
If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world.
Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears AND you will find things are actually not so difficult as you think." -
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living.
When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But, I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.
Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door.
This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice.
I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.
All the furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on
the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with
photos and glassware.
"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
"It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated".
"Oh, you're such a good boy", she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked,"Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I don't mind," she said!
"I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice".
I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I
don't have very long."
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would
you like me to take?" I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me
the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had
once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building
or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly
said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They
were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.
"Nothing," I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered.
"There are other passengers," I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light.
Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly,
lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was
impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then
driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more
important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around greatmoments.
But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in
what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER
EXACTLY WHAT 'YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID,
BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER
HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. -
You know who you are, and hopefully this gives you some idea as well...
Guess life is all about balances. Learn to appreciate things around you. Good article.
Balance Of Life By Catherine Pulsifer
See below. -
-a very good reminder.
Something for us to ponder as we live each day ...
" BALANCE OF LIFE ", by Catherine Pulsifer
Mary and Susan were friends for years. They grew up together and attended the same schools. They were now both in their 40's, and both had great careers. They both had a similar upbringing - same education, same family values, similar support and financial position. But there was one main difference. Mary never seemed to have enough time. She watched her life long friend Susan. She had similar responsibilities and interests. Susan had a career, she had three children, she had her hobbies, one of which included golf. Over lunch, Susan was telling Mary about the golf game that she played last weekend.
"Susan, where do you find the time to play golf?" asked Mary. "I never seem to have the time, now with the children older and doing there own thing I thought I would have time to play golf like we did when we were in college."
Susan looked at Mary and laughed, "Mary, we both have the same hours in a day. You do have the time to play golf!"
With a sigh Mary replied, "That's easy for you to say. I never seem to have time. My work takes so much of my time. I am in the office at 7:30, I leave at 6:30 in the evening. By the time I get home and have dinner, it is 8:00! And, then I usually have a briefcase full of work. The weekends are full of more work. Just to keep up, I have to put in the hours. You know what it is like!"
"Of course, I know what it is like," Mary said. "But what would happen tomorrow if you got sick? Who would do the work?"
"Sick. Who has time to get sick! exclaimed Mary. "But if I did get sick, someone else would do the work, I suppose."
"You know something, Mary, I used to be like you. I worked night and day and of course on weekends. When I got home I was exhausted but I would push myself and read my children a bedtime story. By the time I went to bed, I would be more than exhausted. The boss I had was very demanding. She was there early in the morning, late at night, and she always worked weekends. I felt I had to do the same - I needed the job to help support my family - just as you did. But then I had a change of bosses. The man I worked for was older and much wiser, I might add! Of course, I continued to work the hours I had been working. One day he came to my desk and passed me a card that had a quote on it which said, 'What I do today is important, because I will never have today again' - then he left.
I sat there stunned. I suddenly thought of what was important to me. While my work was important, I realized my children were more important. I also realized that time for me was important. It was 4:30, the official closing time of the office. I straightened my desk, felt a twinge of guilt about leaving, but I forced myself to leave. I was home by 5:00. My children and husband were surprised. I had a wonderful evening. It was not a chore to read that bedtime story that evening."
Mary was looking at her friend thoughtfully and then questioned Susan about the work she had left on her desk. Susan replied, "I never thought this possible, but I actually accomplished more the next day then I had in weeks. As I was leaving the next day I stopped at my new boss's office and thanked him for the quote. He told me a story about advice his dad had given him many years ago when he was working night and day. He referred to it as 'Balance of Life'. His dad told him to keep balance in his work, in his family life and in time for himself. He explained to me, while all aspects of our life are important, without a balance, you become addicted and like all addictions you lose -
- no balance with your family - you lose them
- no balance with your work - you lose your perspective and you actually lose focus on the important aspects of your job.
- no balance with yourself - you forget who you are and when you retire you have nothing! Or worse than that, if you lose your job through a company sale or downsizing you lose your identity.
He went on to tell me that who we are is NOT what we do to make a living. Who we are is a balance of our family, our work, ourselves! It truly was the best advice I ever received."
Mary took a drink of her tea and tearfully looked at her friend, "But I would never get my work done if I left at 4:30!"
Susan looked thoughtfully at her, "When you go to work on Monday, look at what you have on your desk. Make a list of everything you have to get done and beside that list write the impact of
not doing it. Then focus only on the top three items that have the most impact. Do that everyday for a week. At first, you will find it difficult to leave. But, after awhile, you will find that you will have more energy, and you will be more focused in your work because you have BALANCE! There are times when we have to lose balance - a special project at work, or a family matter at home - but consciously focusing on balance keeps everything in check."
Mary smiled at her friend, "Thanks for talking with me. We have been friends for so long. Thank heavens I have balance with your friendship! You have convinced me. I will leave the work in my briefcase this weekend. On Monday, I will make the list first thing. Perhaps next weekend, I will have the time to go golfing with you!"
"Balance of Life" - important for us ALL! -
A STORY THAT WARMS YR HEART!!!
Her Name Was Mrs. Thompson
As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, 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 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 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 had 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 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 quit 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 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 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 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 ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding 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 making 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."
Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a person's outlook. Please try to do it in a positive way.
"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings stop remembering how to fly." -
[color=darkblue]Very touching Jany...very very touching
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Owww.. Hush Hush.
Seen the story sometime ago.. nice to see it here!
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Growing Up... Or Growing Old ?
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 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 shared 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 everyday.
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.
If you read this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your
friends and family, they'll really enjoy it! We send these words in
loving memory of ROSE.
Remember, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. -
[color=blue]nice story Jany.....touching also
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A girl lost her favourite watch and she was very unhappy, she even
fall sick because of that.
The priest came to visit her while she was sick and asked her, “If
one day you accidentally dropped one hundred thousand dollars,
would you accidentally dropped another two hundred thousand dollars again?”
The girl replied, “Of course not.”
The priest said again, “If that is the case, why did you let
yourself lose two weeks of happiness after you have lost your watch? And also
went on to let yourself lose two weeks of health?”
The girl was suddenly enlightened and jumped out of bed. She said,
“You are right. I refuse to lose more than what I did. From today
onwards, I will earn back the money I need to buy myself another watch.”
Life is full of winning and losing and also full of challenges. It
doesnÂ’t matter if you lose, if you live for yourself, then that is truly
LIFE.
Some people refuse to accept the truth and to start again, thus
they end up losing more and more in life and end up nothing can be done to
bring back what they lost.
If you are losing in your life now, donÂ’t continue letting
yourself lose more than what you did. Put a stop to that situation and do not be
afraid to start from scratch.
“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the
realisation of how much you already have.” -
An old story tells of an unhappy and discontented stonecutter. One day
he came upon a merchant and was awe-struck by all of the marvelous
goods the man had for sale. "I wish I were a merchant," said the
stonecutter and, quite amazingly, his wish was granted.
Not long afterward he saw a parade pass his little shop. Spying a
prince dressed in splendor such as he had never before seen, he said,
"I wish I were a prince." And he became one.
But it wasn't too many days later that he stepped outside and felt the
discomfort of the hot summer sun beating down upon his head. "Even a
prince cannot stay cool in the sun," he said. "I wish I were the sun."
This wish, too, was granted.
He was happy being the sun until, one day, a cloud came between him
and the earth. "That cloud overshadows me," he said. "I wish I were a
cloud."
Again, his wish was granted and he was happy until he came to a
mountain that he could not rise above. "This mountain is greater than
I," he said. "I wish I were a mountain."
As a tall and mighty mountain he looked down upon the affairs of
humans and felt that he was finally happy. But one day a stonecutter
climbed up his side and chipped away at rock and there was nothing he
could do about it. "That little man is more powerful than I," the
mountain said. "I wish I were a stonecutter."
So the circle was completed and now the stonecutter knew that he would
always be happy just being himself. He would never dress like a
prince, shine like the sun nor rise as tall as a mountain, but he was
happy to be who he was.
A sure way to unhappiness is to compare yourself to others. Like
someone aptly said, "The grass may be greener on the other side of the
fence, but it still has to be mowed." You are who you are and that is
to be celebrated. -
"one night, a thief broke into a house successfully, without anyone noticing.
so he did it again on the second night, then again, and again and again, until one fine day, the father noticed that their TV is gone, and so on the same night, the family caught the thief red handed and was about to call the police.
The thief complained, "I would have no objections if u caught me on my first or second night, but now this is my 10th trip to this house and I've sucessfully took away your high fi, your video, your jewels etc and none of u ever notice the diff , so how do i know the TV is so important to u? i'm NOT going to the police becos of a stupid TV!!!"
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[color=indigo]A senior manager(he) sitting near me was using this analogy when another dept head(she) refused to amend an error because the latter angrily claimed that since the error is not spotted during UAT, her dept should therefore not responsible to fix the bug. when he finished the story, everyone started laughing including her, and everything ended peacefully. -
The Emperor's Seeds
An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said,
"It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The kids were shocked! But the emperor 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 this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"
One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.
After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by-still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends,
however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.
When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful-in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said,
"Hey nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back.
"My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"
All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified.
"The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name.
"My name is Ling," he replied.
All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd,
"Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"
Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said,
"One year ago today, I gave everyone here 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 which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, 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. Ling 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 emperor!"
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 victory
If you plant consideration, You will reap harmony
If you plant hard work, You will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, You will reap reconciliation
If you plant openness, You will reap intimacy
If you plant patience, You will reap improvements
If you plant faith, You will reap miracles
But
If you plant dishonesty, You will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, You will reap loneliness
If you plant pride, You will reap destruction
If you plant envy, You will reap trouble
If you plant laziness, You will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, You will reap isolation
If you plant greed, You will reap loss
If you plant gossip, You will reap enemies
If you plant worries, You will reap wrinkles
If you plant sin, You will reap guilt
So be careful what you plant now,
It will determine what you will reap tomorrow the seeds you now scatter,
Will make life worse or better your life or the ones who will come after.
Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits,
Or you will pay for the choices you plant today. -
Your Inspiration: The Trouble Tree
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job, a flat tire made him lose an hour of work & his electric drill quit, his ancient one ton truck refused to start. As 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. Upon opening the door he had undergone 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 at the little tree.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again. 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."