Heartfelt Apology...

     There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

     Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail to each day that he was able to hold his temper.

     The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.

     When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. "A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

    

So True...

     I bumped into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
    
     He said, " Please excuse me too; I wasn't really watching for you." We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye.

     But at home a different story is told, how we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

     He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake that night in beg, God's still small voice came to me and said, " While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he broght for you. He picked them himself : pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

     By this time, I was feeling very small, and then my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed ; " Wake up, little one, wake up," I said. " Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, " I found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue." I said, " Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today ; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, " Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, " Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

     Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family - an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind this story?

     Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = (F)ATHER  (A)ND  (M)OTHER,  (I)  (L)OVE  (Y)OU !! 

Triple Filter Test...

     In ancient Greece , Socrates (469 - 399 BC) was widely lauded for his wisdom.

     One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, " Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students? "

     " Wait a moment ", Socrates replied, " Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

     " Triple Filter ? "

     " That's right ", Socrates continued, " Before you talk to me about my student, let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth.  Are you absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true? "

     " No ", the man said, " Actually I just heard about it and..."

     " Alright ", said Socrates, " So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter - the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good ? "

     " No, on the contrary...."

     " So ", Socrates continued, " You want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain if it's true ? "

     The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

     Socrates continued, " You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me ? "

     " No, not  really..."

     " Well ", concluded Socrates, " If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all ? "

     The man was defeated and ashamed.

     This is the reason why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

     Next time someone starts to spread gossip, think of this !  ;)

An Old Story...

     An old man lived alone in a village. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison.

     The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation :

     Dear Son,

          I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here,  all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

     Love,
     Dad

     Shortly, the old man received this telegram :

     "For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden !! That's where I buried the GUNS !!"

     At 4 a.m. the  next morning,  a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.

     Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.

     His son's reply was :

     "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad... It's the best I could do for you from here."

Moral :
     No matter where you are in the world, if you have decided to do something deep from your heart you can do it. It is the thought that matters not where you are or where the person is.  :-)

Today I can see more clearer...

     A young couple moves into a new neighbourhood. The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbour 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 neighbour would hand 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."

     And oh yes ! I almost forgot..... I see you today much clearer than I  did yesterday..... And you?

Nature's Ordeal Crippled by Kindness...

     A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. After a few days a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had got as far as it could, and it could go no further.

     So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

     Neither happened ! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

     Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we went through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we have been. We would never fly ! Life becomes wonderful and more fruitful when it is full of difficulties.

The Present...

     Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing the scenes and sounds of the world outside.

     The man in the other bed began to live, for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

     As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

     As soons as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up to take his first look at the world outside. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate to describe such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to make you happy."

     The richest person in the world is one who knows how to make each moment happy for the self and others. Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present.

Precious Possessions...

     A father was very annoyed with his five year old daughter for wasting money on gold wrapping paper. She was wrapping a gift for her father to place under the Christmas Tree. On Christmas eve, when her father unwrapped the gift and opened the box inside, he found that there was nothing inside the box. It was empty. He screamed at her for really wasting the expensive wrapping and for gifting him an empty box. But she very sadly replied that the box wasn't empty and that she blew several kisses into the box especially for her father. Hearing her say this, his heart went out to her and his eyes filled up with tears, he felt hurt and annoyed with himself for shouting at his daughter. All she wanted to show her father was her love and affection for him.

     In the very real sense, each one of us as humans have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends. There are no more precious possessions anyone could hold. So hold on to these precious possessions and never let go. These are those which touch your heart directly, telling you that you are loved and are Special, if not, Very Special to someone always.

Going With The Flow...

     An old man accidentally fell into a swirling river leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. " I accomodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived." This story also reminds us of the water sport their force. The faster and fiercer they are, the higher the thrill the surfer gets. He lets go off all control and fear and moves with the nature's flow.

     When we let go of our petty egos, limited controls and our narrow-minded vision, we are able to perceive and move with the higher forces that guide our destiny towards a better purpose.

Heart of Gratitude...

     A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said :  ' I am blind, please help.'  There were only a few coins in the hat.

     A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

     Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write? "
     The man said, " I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
     I wrote : ' Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.'

     Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

     Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
    
     Enjoy your day with a heart of gratitude. :-)

My First Award ! (not a story)... :-)



 
           It's a pleasant surprise for me to receive a 'One Lovely Blog Award' from a lovely blogger LiLing of Malaysia.  Thanks a lot LiLing ! I'm so touched and honoured to have been considered for this Award, despite the fact that we have just got acquainted with each other recently.   I love all her posts especially all video clips ! Do visit LiLing from 'Shadows Overhead' ...you'd love her blog.

     The idea of receiving an Award never came across my mind. This is my first Award :-) ... I'm so lucky...within 3 and a half months of  blogging , I've been selected for Editors Pick (Featured Blogger) and this Lovely Blog Award !  It really boosts n' encourages me and gives happiness as well as a sense of responsibility towards this bloggers world to maintain and do better work.

     Once again, thanks to LiLing for the lovely surprise !

     With regards to the award :
  



      Award Rules :

1.  Accept the Award. Check !

2.  Post it on their blog together with the name and link of the person who granted the Award. Check !

3.  Pass the Award to 15 other blogs that are newly discovered.  Hmm..its quite difficult... as I think all bloggers deserve this Award in their own way. :-)
    

        

    

The Story of a Soldier...

     This story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

     "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favour to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."
     "Sure," they replied, "We'd love to meet him."
     "There's something you should know"  the son continued, " he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
     " I'm sorry to hear that, son. May be we can help him find somewhere to live."
     "No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
     "Son," said the father, "You don't know what you're asking. Some one with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

     At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.

     The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror , they also discovered something they didn't know..... their son had only one arm and one leg !

May be...

     There was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news his neighbours came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "May be," the farmer replied.

     The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful !" the neighbours exclaimed. "May be," replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbours again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "May be," answered the farmer.

     The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbours congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "May be," said the farmer.

Moral :  Whatever happens happens for good !

The Woman and The Stone...

     A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

    " I've been thinking,"  he said, " I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone. "

Pan Cakes...

     Six years old Brandon decided one saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving alfoury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He did't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and he didn't know how the stove worked ! ) . Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.


     And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process.


     That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend or we can't stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him. But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying like Brandon to 'make pancakes,' for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried.

Destiny...

     During a momentous battle, a Japanese General decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt.

     On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the General took out a coin and said, " I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

     He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigourously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle a lieutenant remarked to the General, " No one can change desiny." "Quite right" the General replied as he showed the Lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

     Faith can move mountains. There is nothing like the power of positive thinking. If you believe in yourself or that a higher power is on your side, you can accomplish anything.

The Burden...

     Once upon a time many moons ago, two monks were walking in silence through the forest ; a younger monk, Anjan, and an older monk Nanda. Eventually their path led to a stream. There they saw a beautiful young lady, exquisitely clad, standing on the bank. She was in great distress because she wanted to cross the stream, but did not know how, without getting her fine long robes wet.

     Without hesitation, Nanda scooped her up, crossed the stream, and set her down on dry ground. She thanked him and continued on her way, and the monks continued on theirs, again in silence. Anjan was uncertain, distressed and confused.

     He became more and more restless and then finally he spoke. " Brother Nanda," he said, " I do not know what to make of it. You know our order is an austere order, and we cannot so much as speak to a woman. But.... but.... you saw that lady, you.... uh .... picked her up and carried her across the stream ! And yet...." he continued, almost choking, " You just keep on walking as if nothing happened !"

     " It is quite simple," Nanda replied. Our order also instructs us to help people in need. I carried a helpless woman and set her down on the opposite bank, but you, Brother Anjan, are still carrying her !" So who, indeed , had the lighter burder, and the lighter step?

     Purity is a state of mind, an awareness of one's nature and freedom from attachment of any kind. An act is good or bad according to the quality of thoughts.

Unconditional Love...

     A store owner was putting up a sign that read "Puppies for Sale". Soon a little boy came along and asked, " How much are you gonna sell those puppies for ? "  The store owner replied, "Anywhere between $30 to $50." The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. He said, " I have only $2.37, but can I have a look at them?" The store owner smiled and whistled.
      Out of the kennel came his dog named Lady, running down the aisle followed by five little puppies.

     One puppy was lagging considerably behind. The little boy immediately singled him out. He asked the owner what was wrong with that one and the owner explained that the pup was born with a bad hip socket and would limp all his life.

     The little boy was all set to buy that particular pup. The store owner tried to convince him that he would not really want a lame pup, but the little boy was adamant to buy the same for the same price as the others. He did not want the store owner to give the pup to him free. He looked him straight in the eye and said, " This pup is worth every bit as much as the other dogs and I'll pay the full price. In fact, I will give you $2.37 now and 50 cents every month until I have him paid for." Still the store owner tried to tell the boy that the pup would not be able to run, jump and play like the other puppies. Then the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the man and said, "Well, I don't run so well myself and the little puppy will need someone who understands."

      Tears welled up in the store owner's eyes and he smiled and said, "Son, I hope and pray that each and every one of these puppies will have an owner such as you."

     We may never know of a greater character unless there is in ourselves something congenial to it. In life, it does'nt matter who you are, but whether, someone appreciates you for what you are, accepts you and loves you unconditionally.

The Scar That Changed to Beauty...

     A little boy invited his mother to attend his school's first parent-teacher conference. To the little boy's dismay she agreed to go. He immediately felt that this would be the first time his classmates and his teachers would meet his mother and he somehow was embarrassed by her appearance. Although his mother was beautiful; she had a very prominent scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The little boy never had the courage to talk about this scar either with his mom or anyone else. During the conference, he overheard the conversation between his mother and his teacher as he stood hiding a little far away from where his mom stood. In the course of their conversation, the teacher did ask his mother how she got her face scared. And his mother was telling her... When my son was a baby, suddenly one day the room he was in, caught fire. Nobody wanted to go in because the fire was out of control. At that moment, she rushed in. As she ran towards his crib, she saw a beam coming down and so she placed herself over her body to shield him. In the process, she was knocked unconscious and a fireman fortunately came in and saved both of them. She then went on to say that the scar would be permanent and she never regretted doing what she did.

     At that moment, the little boy hearing this ran up to his mother and hugged her with tears in his eyes. At once he felt an overwhelming sense of pride for his mother which changed his feelings for her, all at once. 

      In this story even the scarred appearance changed to beauty.


       

Echo Of Life...

   A man and his son were walking in the forest. Suddenly the boy trips and feeling a sharp pain and he screams, " Ahhhh !"
     Surprised, he hears a voice coming from the mountain, " Ahhhh !"
     Filled with curiosity, he screams, " Who are you? "
     But the only answer he receives is : " Who are you? "
     This makes him angry so he screams, " You are a coward !"
     and the voice answers : " You are a coward ! "
     He looks at his father, asking, " Dad, what is going on? "
     "Son," the man replies, " pay attention ! "
     Then he screams : " I admire you ! "
     The voice answers : " I admire you ! "
     The father shouts : " You are wonderful ! "
     The voice answers : " You are wonderful ! "
    
     The father explains, " People call the 'ECHO' but truly it is 'LIFE'. Life always gives you back what you give out. Life is a mirror of our actions. "