Sunday, August 23, 2009

Used vs Loved

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 year old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father.... with painful eyes he asked, "Dad, when will my fingers grow back?"

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions..... sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written

"LOVE YOU DAD"

The next day that man committed suicide....

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life...

Things are to be used and people are to be loved. The problem in today's world is that, people are used and things are loved....

During this year, let's be careful to keep this thought in mind:

Things are to be used, but People are to be loved.....

AGE!!!

An old man goes into a drug store to buy some Viagra

"Can I have 6 tablets, cut in quarters?"

"I can cut them for you," said Dan the pharmacist "But a quarter tablet will not give you a full erection."

"I am 96" said the old man. "I don't want an erection. I just want it sticking out far enough so I don't piss on my slippers."

Saturday, August 22, 2009

How much do you love your mother?

My Mom only had one eye, I hated her...
She was such an embarrassment.
She cooked for students & teachers to support the family.

There was this one day during elementary school where mom came to say Hello to me.
I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me?
I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out.

The next day at school one of my classmates said, "EEEE, your mom only has one eye!"

I also wanted my mom to just disappear..
I confronted her that day and said, "If you're only goanna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?"

My mom did not respond....
I didn't even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger.
I was oblivious to her feelings.

I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her.
So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study.

Then, I got married.
I bought a house of my own.
I had kids of my own.
I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts.

Then one day, my Mother came to visit me.
She hadn't seen me in years and she didn't even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited.
I screamed at her, "How dare you come to my house and scare my children!"

"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 out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house.
I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip.

After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.
My neighbours said that she died.
I did not shed a single tear.
They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

"My dearest son,

I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

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 one eye. So I gave you mine.

I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,
Your mother.

Always tell someone that you love them because you never know what day will be their last, or your own.

Always seek to resolve your problems or disagreements with loved ones because if either of you should pass on before, the one who is left alive will have the rest of their life to ponder those unresolved feelings but will never find closure. And closure usually brings Peace.....

Thursday, August 20, 2009

A Quiet Sermon

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reasons for his pastor's visit, the man welcome him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side fo the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then it's fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek: "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday"

We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.











Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem,
Almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise Jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students,If the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again, If the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
With an unanimous 'yes'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents into the jar,
effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

'Now' said the professor, as the laughter subsided
"I want you to recognise that this jar represent your life,
The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children,
health, friends and favourite passions -
Things that if everything else was lost
And only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter,
Like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everthing else -
The small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," He continued,
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are
Important to you.

So....

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
To clean the house and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first -
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked"

"It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Meaning of Life

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten." So God agreed.

On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?" And God agreed.

On the third day God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty." And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."


Man said, "What? Only twenty years! Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back and the ten the monkey gave back and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God, "You've got the deal."

So, that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves; for the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; for the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and for the next ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you :-)

The frog story

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs,....... who arranged a running competition.

The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.....

The race began...

Honestly

No one in the crowd, really believed that, the tiny frog would reach the top of the tower.........

You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult! They will NEVER make it to the top."

OR

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one........

...Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell

"It's too difficult!!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up...

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher...

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower.

Except for the one tiny frog who after a big effort was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A Contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out....

That the winner was

DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is:

Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic.....

because, they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you. The ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power which words have.

Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore...

Always be POSITIVE

And above all:

Be DEAF when people tell YOU that YOU cannot fulfil YOUR dreams!

Always think:

I CAN DO THIS!

Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second riches man who has donated US$31 billion to charity. Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and now he regrets that he started too late!

2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha, that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6. his company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis... He has given his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any of your shareholder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

8. Bill Gates, the world riches man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half an hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and Remember:

a) Money doesn't create man but it is man who created money.

b) Live your life as simple as you are.

c) Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.

d) Don't go on brand name; just wear those things in which you feel comfortable.

e) Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on them who really in need rather.

f) After all it's your life then why give chance to others to rule your life.

Giving when it counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

The obstacle in our path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Than a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand.

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice-cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents." replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thiry-five cents." she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream." he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walk away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and 5 pennies...The boy took the plain ice cream instead of a Sundae so he could leave a tip for her.

Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11.30 pm, an old African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.

Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console colour TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.....

It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in the 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello"

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.