Chicken or Eagle - What are you ?

Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh!" the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds." The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken(Fly) and chickens do not soar(Fly)."

The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.

Morale:

You become what you believe you are; so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams, not the words of a chicken..

Patience

Once there was a sweeper in a well known temple and he was very sincere and devoted. 

Every time he saw thousands of devotees coming to take darshan of the Lord, he thought that the Lord is standing all the time and giving darshan and He must be feeling very tired. 

So one day very innocently he asked the Lord whether he can take the place of the Lord for a day so that the Lord can have some relief and rest.
The Deity of Temple replied, "I do not mind taking a break. I will transform you like myself, but you must do one thing. you must just stand here like Me, smile at everyone and just give benedictions. Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything.
Remember you are the deity and you just have faith that I have a master plan for everything”.
The sweeper agreed to this.

The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man came and prayed to the Lord. He offered a nice donation and prayed that his business should be prosperous. While going, the rich man inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there.  Now the sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to control himself and keep quiet.

Just then a poor man came and he put one coin in the Hundi and said that it was all he could afford and he prayed to the Lord that he should continue to be engaged in the Lord's service.
He also said that his family was in dire need of some basic needs but he left it to the good hands of the Lord to give some solution.  When he opened his eyes, he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Lord for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently.
The sweeper in the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep smiling.

At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for his safe journey as he was going on a long trip.
Just then the rich man came with the police and said that somebody has stolen his wallet and seeing the sailor there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he might have taken it.
Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the sailor is not the thief but he could not say so and he became greatly frustrated. 

The sailor looked at the Lord and asked why he, an innocent person, is being punished.
The rich man looked at the Lord and thanked Him for finding the thief. The sweeper in the deity form could no more tolerate and he thought that even if the real Lord had been here, he would have definitely interfered and hence he started speaking and said that the sailor is not the thief but it was the poor man who took away the wallet. The rich man was very thankful as also the sailor.

In the night, the real Lord came and He asked the sweeper how the day was. The sweeper said, "I thought it would be easy, but now I know that your days are not easy, but I did one good thing." Then he explained the whole episode to the Lord. The Lord became very upset on hearing this whereas the sweeper thought the Lord would appreciate him for the good deed done.
The Lord asked, "Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no faith in Me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all those who come here? 

The entire donation which the rich man gave was all stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he wants me to reciprocate unlimitedly. The single coin offered by the poor man was the last coin he was having and he gave it to me out of faith. The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if the sailor were to go in the ship that night he was about to die because of bad weather and instead if he is arrested he would be in the jail and he would have been saved form a greater calamity. The wallet should go to the poor man because he will use it in my service. I was going to reduce the rich man's karma also by doing this and save the sailor also. But you cancelled everything because you thought you know My plan and you made your own plans."

Moral:
God has plans and justice for everyone....We just have to have patience!

Courtesy: Vinod Thanki (Porbandar)

Clean-Shaved Head ?

My wife called, ‘How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you come here & make your

darling daughter eat her food?’

I tossed the paper away & rushed to the scene. My only daughter, Sindu, looked frightened; tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age.

I cleared my throat & picked up the bowl. ‘Sindu darling, why don’t you take a few mouthful of this curd rice? Just for Dad’s sake dear. Sindu softened a bit & wiped her tears with the back of her hands. ‘Ok, Dad.. I will eat – not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should…’ Sindu hesitated. ‘Dad, if I eat this entire curd rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?’

‘Promise’. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, & clinched the deal.

Now I became a bit anxious.

‘Sindu, dear, you shouldn’t insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. Ok?’

‘No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive’. Slowly & painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife & my mother for forcing my child to eat something that she detested. After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her..

‘Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!’ was her demand.

‘Atrocious!’ shouted my wife, ‘A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!’ ‘Never in our family!’ My mother rasped. ‘She has been watching too much of TV. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with this TV programs!’

‘Sindu, darling, why don’t you ask for something else? We’ll be sad seeing you with a clean-shaved head.’ ‘Please, Sindu, why don’t you try to understand our feelings?’ I tried to plead with her..

‘Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice’. Sindu was in tears. ‘& you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, its moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?’

It was time for me to call the shots. ‘Our promise must be kept.’ ‘Are you out of your mind?’ chorused my mother & wife. ‘No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.’

With her head clean-shaved, Sindu had a round-face & her eyes looked big & beautiful.

On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around & waved.

I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car & shouted, ‘Sinduja, please wait for me!’

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. ‘May be, that is the in-stuff’, I thought.

‘Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!’ Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, & continued, ‘that boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from… leukemia’.

She paused to muffle her sobs. ‘Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited him last week & promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue.

But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you & your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter..’

I stood transfixed & then, I wept.. ‘My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!’

“The happiest people are not those who live on their own terms…………but are those who

change their terms for the ones whom they love”

Courtesy: Niraj Joshi

2 Choices

What would you do? ....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do; where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first base man's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitchers intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-base man's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay; run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Mindset

As I was passing by the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg.

No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.

"I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? 

Wise say, “Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt.”

Courtesy: Mr. Paras Detroja

Finger Bowl !

A wonderful story comes from 19th century England . According to the account, Queen Victoria was once at a diplomatic reception in London .

The guest of honor was an African chieftain. All went well during the meal until, at the end, finger bowl were served. The guest of honor had never seen a British finger bowl, and no one had thought to brief him beforehand about its purpose. So he took the bowl in his two hands, lifted it to his mouth, and drank its contents down!

For an instant there was breathless silence among the British privilege guests, and then they began to whisper to one another. All that stopped; however, when Queen Victoria silently took her finger bowl in her two hands, lifted it, and drank its contents! A moment later, 500 surprised British ladies and gentlemen simultaneously drank the contents of their own finger bowls.

It was the queen’s uncommon courtesy that guarded her guest from certain embarrassment.

This is a very rare but very effective human trait … while the most common human trait is to look for chances to humiliate/insult someone else or be neutral when someone makes mistake & let him/her go through the embarrassment … but it takes presence of mind, uncommon courtesy to follow someone else’s mistake in order to guard them from embarrassment!!

Strange

One day one follower asked to the saint, “Lord, what is the biggest strange thing in this life?”

Saint replied, “All the people are having something missing in their lives. Some long for the wealth, some long for the children, some long for women. Every one is having different wishes. They pass their entire life to make the wishes come true.

The life is perennial in nature and there is no certainty for tomorrow itself. Everyone knows this fact as well. Still the people put all the efforts for those things which are never going to accompain them after the life is over. The man behaves as if he is never going to die.

This thing is the biggest strange thing in the world. Though every one understands the final truth of the life but still they are not at all conscious towards doing good things, helping the people and worship of God.”

Morale – It is very true. “Pata nahi hai Pal ki or Baat karte ho Kal ki”. It appears very strange that most of the people in the world understand the final destination and uncertainty of life but still they behave as if they are going to last long and found unconscious towards personal development and virtual activities. 

Happiness

Once, 4 friends were going to watch a movie. They were walking and passed through a hut. A Saint was searching something outside the hut. The friends asked the old saint what he was searching. Saint replied, I have lost my golden ring and I am looking for the same. All the friends also started searching the same but could not find it out. One of them asked to the saint, “Old Man, where have you exactly lost the ring? Have you any exact idea?” Saint replied, “Yes, I have lost it inside the hut but since it is absolutely dark inside, I am searching the same here outside.”

Young men said, “Oh old man, you appear so matured and acting foolishly. If you have lost your ring inside the hut then why should you search the same outside the hut”?

Saint questioned, where all of you are going? Friends replied, “We are going to watch the movie.” Saint again asked “Why are you going to watch the movie?” Friends replied, “To get the Joy and thereby happy.”

Saint asked, “Have you lost your happiness inside the Theatre?”

Morale – Happiness is an inner state of mind. It emanates from inside backed by our attitude. It is not the material things which can make us happy or unhappy but our attitude decides the same. Happiness always depends on how we perceive the things. 

Courtesy: Vimarsh Vaishnav

A Beggar & A King

A well known joke by Mr. Shahbuddin Rathod, but with a hidden morale:

One day a king was roaming in his chariot to see the position of the state. One beggar was moving on the footpath of the road carrying a bulky bag on his head. He appeared very tired and weak and was walking with great efforts. The king got disturbed seeing this and offered the beggar to come on the Chariot so that he may leave him to his destination.

Though beggar agreed and sat on the chariot but he continued keeping the bag on his head. King said, “You may put it down man”. Beggar replied, “Lord, it is my pleasure that you have obliged me to sit on your chariot but I should not give the burden of this bulky and heavy bag to you or your chariot. Let me continue to lift this weight on my head. I would not give further burden to your chariot”.

Morale – Though we find the people saying that we are traveling in the chariot of God. He is only the Generator, Operator & Destroyer. We have to merely travel in his chariot (This world) as per his will. But with this fact, we continue to keep the heavy bag of Worries and Pain on our head.

Why cant a man go to the temple and pray, “AB SONP DIYA IS JEEWAN KA SAB BHAR TUMHARE HATHON ME, HAI JEET TUMHARE HATHON ME, HAI HAAR TUMHARE HATHON ME, SIRF KARM HAI MERE HATHO ME” (Now I have assigned my life to you Lord, now the victory or otherwise is in your hand only. I would just keep doing my selfless work).

Socratis

(1) One prostitute of Athens told to Socratis that I can Deviate your all the students from the way of Truth and Discipline to live a materialistic life.

Socratis replied, “Yes you can do so. My work is to lift the Person on to the peak principles of life whereas your work is to drive the Person down in to the reef. So you can definitely do that.”

Morale – To go down is always easy since the ways are having slopes. But to get on to a peak is always difficult and involves hard work and discipline. Whenever, we are ambitious to a noble goal, there will be two ways, one will be sloppy and will try to deviate us, but we need to stick to the right way rather than easy way.

(2) On to the death bed, Socratis called all the students and said, though you may forget all the learning that I have given to you, please remember following two things:

(a)     Remember all the Good things that others have done for you.

(b)     Forget all the Good things that you have done for others.

This is the way to be happy.

Why to worry when there is "Hari" ?

There was an old man who was having a Horse cart and thus used to earn his subsistence.

One day as usual he was waiting outside the railway station, waiting for the passenger to come and hire his “Chariot”.

One Gentleman with decent looks and a large bag came out of the station. He appeared to be a wealthy and materially prosperous. He called the old man and get on the cart. The old man put the luggage on the cart and asked the destination.

The card started. Gentleman said, “Now my body does not support me. I am of seventy. May be older than that”.

The old man was surprised. He exclaimed, only seventy! Oh Master, I am 84 years old and still driving the horse cart. I can still lift the luggage of the passengers on my head.

Gentleman appeared in deep thinking. He said, “Oh my brother! The worries of the life make the man old and inefficient. How to believe that my son aged 40 has passed away recently. He has two small kids to whom I have to manage and bring up. I have still the responsibility on my shoulders to get my daughters married to the suitable candidates.”

The old man said, “I don’t think there is any need to worry on those grounds. The things have happened what were supposed to happen. And the things will happen which are supposed to happen. We can not intervene in to the Will of God. Master, you will be surprised to know that I have a dozen of children. I work hard the whole day and take the food whatever is served in to my dish. After working hard, at night, I sleep very quietly peacefully without any worries.

If GOD has given the children, they will definitely grow. We need not to worry for that. Yes, I am confident that even if I will not be here to feed them, they will grow up and GOD will bring up them. If GOD has brought them on the earth, he will also bring up them.

I have left all the tensions and those worry even don’t dare to come to me. If I will start worrying on my condition and situation, then even I may not work to earn and even if I earn, I may not live joyfully and my entire life will go in troubles. If I don’t pass the life joyfully, then my health may not remain good. Hence, I will advise you to throw all the worries in to the abode of GOD. Start working and the things will be fruitful with the grace of GOD. There is no use of Unproductive Worries.“

Really, It is true – ATTITUDE DECIDES ULTITUDE.

He passed away...

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written: 'Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym'.

 In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

 The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought: 'Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!'.   One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless.

They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.  

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:  'There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: 

it is YOU.  You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.  

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes.

Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.   'The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself'  

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.  

The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed. 

The world and your reality are like mirrors in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success. 

It's the way you face Life that makes the difference

Have a nice day

Solution to a problem !

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. 

The Moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful Daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his Daughter.

Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the Proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let Providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black Pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag. 

1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven. 

2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven. 

3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into Jail. 

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two Black pebbles and put them into the bag. 

He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl?

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If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? 

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Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble. 

2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat. 

3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment. 

Take a moment to ponder over the story.

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The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. 

The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with Traditional logical thinking.

Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers. What would you recommend to the Girl to do? 

Well, here is what she did.... 

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble.

Without Looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. "Oh, how clumsy of me," she said.

"But never mind, if you look into the Bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I Picked." 

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one.

And since the money-lender dared not admit his Dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one. 

MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't Attempt to think.

Courtesy: Amit Chavda, Baroda.

Do you hate someone ?

A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game…

The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates. So the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.

When the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some had 3 while some had up to 5 potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags.

After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.....  The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?”

The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through because of carrying the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go...  

If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime?"

What is this ?

A story told to me by my mom when I was around 10 years old....


A father was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his highly educated son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window. 

The Father asked his Son, "What is this?" 

The Son replied "It is a crow". 

After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, "What is this?" 

The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow". 

After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, What is this?" 

At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Son's tone when he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a crow". 

A little after, the Father again asked his Son the 4th time, "What is this?" 

This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?" 

A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary :- 

"Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child". 

While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed.. 
So.. 
If your parents attain old age, do not repulse them or look at them as a burden, but speak to them a gracious word, be cool, obedient, humble and kind to them. Be considerate to your parents. 
From today say this aloud, "I want to see my parents happy

Let's listen to the whisper

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! 

He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded."I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car."It's my brother," he said."He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." 

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention! 

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. 

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!

Selfless Tree

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples and took a nap under the shadow... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by...

The little boy grew up, and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree with a sad look on his face. "Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy. 
"I am no longer a kid; I don't play around trees anymore." The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them."

"Sorry, I don't have money...but you can pick all my apples and sell them so you will have money." 
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy didn't come back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. "Come and play with me," the tree said.
"I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?" "Sorry, I don't have a house, but you can chop off my branches to build your house." 
So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn't come back afterward. The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me!" the tree said. "I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" 
"Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy." So the boy cut the tree truck to make a boat. He went sailing and didn't come back for a long time.

Finally, the boy returned after he had been gone for so many years. "Sorry my boy, but I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you..." the tree said.

"I don't have teeth to bite," the boy replied.

"No more trunk for you to climb on."

"I am too old for that now" the boy said. "I really can't give you anything ... the only thing left is my dying roots," the tree said with sadness.

"I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years," the boy replied.

"Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come, sit down with me and rest." The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.......

******************

This is the story of everyone: 

The tree is our parents. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad... When we grew up, we left them... We only came to them when we needed something or when we were in trouble. 

No matter what, parents will always be there and give you everything they can to make you happy. 

It may seem as if the way the boy treats the "tree" in the story is cruel, but many of us take our parents for granted in the same way. 

Never forget how important your parents are and try not to take them for granted...they may not be around forever.

Shortest Speech ever by Mr. Churchill

Churchill was the war premier. He had been invited by a University...I may be making a mistake but I believe it was the University of Oxford. They invited him to give a commencement address to the student of Winston Churchill as many of must know, was always accompanied by 3 things. A top hat, a cane and a cigar....
These 3 things were always with him wherever he went....

He comes to the university of oxford, goes up to the platform, comes and stands by the podium takes out the cigar from his mouth, keep the cane in a corner, puts off the top hat and says to the young men who have gathered there to listen to the words of the great hero and leader. He says to them “Young men, all I have to say to you is summed up in these 3 words"...There was suspense in the hall...What were those 3 words? He said, "Those 3 words are “Never Give up “

Then he paused for while and again he says "Never, never give up"....
Pauses for a while and again repeats these 3words for the third time...."Never give up" then he puts hat on his top, takes up the cane, fixes the cigar in his mouth and walk out........

Winston Churchill made many historic speeches in his life...it was shortest speech that he had ever made.....

Moral:-
Once you have taken up a work in hand, it is righteous. It's something that should work; you
must never give it up until you reach the goal...Never Never Never give up!!!!

TIME OFF

An elderly man in Ahmedabad calls his son in New York and says, “I hate to ruin your day son, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce; 35 years of marriage... and that much

misery is enough!”

“Dad, what are you talking about?” the son screams.

“We can't stand the sight of each other any longer” the old man says.

“We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.

“Like heck they're getting divorced”, she shouts, “I'll take care of this.”

She calls Ahmedabad immediately, and screams at the old man, “You are not getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR?” and she hangs up. The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. “Okay”, he says, “It's all set. They're both coming for Diwali and paying their own airfare!”

MORAL: 

No man / woman is busy in this world all 365 days.

The sky is not going to fall down if you take few days “TIME OFF” and meet your dear ones.

Mouse Trap

In a warehouse inside the green lush farm fields of Australia, a mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain? '

The mouse wondered - - - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. 

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: 
‘There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! '

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, 
'Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it. '

The mouse turned to the pig and told him,' There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! '
The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers. '

The mouse turned to the cow and said ' There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! '

The cow said, ' Wow, Mr. Mouse. I ' m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose. '
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap . . . alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. 

Everyone knows in Australia that you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. 
The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you,
Remember ---- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. 

We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. 
REMEMBER. . . . . . EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON ' S TAPESTRY.
OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON. And perhaps, that’s what is called interdependence!!