Friday, September 28, 2012
One day the girl left the door to the cage open. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl watched anxiously as he circled high above her. She was so frightened that he would fly away and she would never see him again that as he flew close, she grasped at him wildly. She caught him in her fist. She clutched him tightly within her hand. Her heart gladened at her sucess in capturing him. Suddenly she felt the bird go limp. She opened her hand stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate clutching love had killed him.
She noticed the other bird teetering on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. His need to soar into the clear, blue sky. She lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the air. The bird circled once, twice, three times.
The girl watched delighted at the bird's enjoyment. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest melody, she had ever heard.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold on too tight, the best way to keep love is to give it -- WINGS!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along he began to see another man in the distance.
As he grew nearer he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.
As our friend approached even closer he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up onto the beach, and one at a time, he was throwing them back into the ocean.
The first man was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good Evening Friend, I was wondering what are you doing?" And he replied, "I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they will die from the lack of oxygen."
"I understand," my friend replied "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach and you couldn't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many and don't you realize that this is happening on hundreds of beaches up and down this coast ... can't you see that that you can't possibly make a difference?
The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish ... and as he threw it back out into the sea, he replied, "It made a difference to that one!"
You may feel like you cannot make a difference in the world today, but you CAN make a difference in one life at a time.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Let us hear the story of Dhruva which is taken from the Bhagawat Purana. Dhruva's father, King Uttanapad, was a great ruler of ancient India. He had two queens. The elder one, Queen Suniti, was Dhruva's mother. Queen Suruchi, the younger one, did not like her stepson, Dhruva and wanted her own son, Uttam, to become king . Unfortunately, King Uttanapad liked Queen Suruchi better than Queen Suniti and did not want to disagree with her even though Dhruva was older and was the rightful heir to the throne.
One day, little Dhruva went to sit on his father's lap along with his stepbrother, Uttam. But he was stopped by Queen Suruchi's cruel words. "You are not allowed in your father's lap," she scolded. "Only my son is allowed to sit on the King's lap. Pray to Lord Vishnu that you should die and be reborn as my son if you want to sit in your father's lap!" Deeply hurt, Dhruva went crying to his mother. But Queen Suniti was helpless. "Pray to Lord Vishnu," she said. "He will surely help you if you can pray long and hard enough."
Dhruva made up his mind that he would go deep into the jungle to meditate on Lord Vishnu and would not return to the kingdom until the Lord had answered his prayers. On his way to the jungle, he met the eternal sage, Narada. Narada was concerned that Dhruva was too young to be in the jungle alone. He tried to dissuade Dhruva, warning him that he would be eaten up by wild animals if he stayed. But Dhruva was steadfast in his resolve. Satisfied that Dhruva had the mental strength to remain in the jungle, Narada taught Dhruva the art of meditation. Little Dhruva meditated for many months, giving up all worldly comforts. He even stopped eating. Lord Vishnu was amazed at the little boy's determination and finally appeared before him. He blessed the boy and told him to return to his kingdom.
In the meantime, King Uttanapad repented the injustice done to Dhruva. He was heartbroken at the thought of little Dhruva being devoured by wild beasts. Narada consoled him, telling him that Dhruva's resolve was firm and that he would received Lord Vishnu's blessings. Narada was sure that Lord Vishnu would protect the boy from the wild animals.
When Dhruva finally returned safely home after receiving Lord Vishnu's blessings, King Uttanapad went personally to receive him. Queen Suniti was overjoyed at her son's safe return. In the course of time, when King Uttanapad became old, Dhruva was crowned king, and ruled wisely for many years.
The story of Dhruva is a lesson to us all. We do not have to wait until we are old to attain spirituality. Sincere, steadfast, meditation on God helped such a young child overcome the obstacles thrown in his way. It can help us all.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. 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 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.
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some
expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."
God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
A group of frogs were travelling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered aroundthey would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog however continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. But to the surprise of one and all, he jumped even harder and finally did come out.
When he got out, the other frogs asked him, "Why did you continue jumping? Didn't you hear us?" It was shocking for them to know that the frog was deaf and all the time he actually thought they were all encouraging him to get out. He did not want to disappoint them and therefore did not give him up till the end.
This story teaches two lessons:
There is the power of life & death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them.
Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words ... it is sometimes hard to understand. An encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.
Be special to others.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
My husband is an Engineer by profession, I love him for his steady nature, and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders.
Three years of courtship and now, two years into marriage, I would have to admit, that I am getting tired of it. The reasons of me loving him before, has now ransformed into the cause of all my restlessness.
I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it comes to a relationship and my feelings, I yearn for the romantic moments, like a little girl yearning for candy. My husband, is my complete opposite, his lack of sensitivity, and the inability of bringing romantic moments into our marriage has disheartened me about love.
One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted a divorce.
"Why?" he asked, shocked. "I am tired, there are no reasons for everything in the world!" I answered. He kept silent the whole night, seems to be in deep thought with a lighted cigarette at all times. My feeling of disappointment only increased, here was a man who can't even express his predicament, what else can I hope from him? And finally he asked me:" What can I do to change your mind?"
Somebody said it right, it's hard to change a person's personality, and I guess, I have started losing faith in him. Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered : "Here is the question, if you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind, Let's say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death, will you do it for me?" He said :" I will give you your answer tomorrow...." My hopes just sank by listening to his response.
I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining table near the front door, that goes.... My dear, "I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the reasons further.." This first line was already breaking my heart. I continued reading.
"When you use the computer you always mess up the Software programs, and you cry in front of the screen, I have to save my fingers so that I can help to restore the programs. You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to rush home to open the door for you. You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city, I have to save my eyes to show you the way. You always have the cramps whenever your "good friend" approaches every month, I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your tummy.
You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom. You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your eyes, I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs. So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand... and tell you the color of flowers, just like the color of the glow on your young face... Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do... I could not pick that flower yet, and die.. "
My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting... and as I continue on reading... "Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk... I rush to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread....
Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone...
That's life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and dullness.
Love shows up in all forms, even very small and cheeky forms, it has never been a model, it could be the most dull and boring form.. . flowers, and romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface of the relationship. Under all this, the pillar of true love stands... and that's our life... Love, not words win arguments...
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made and never leaked. The other pot had a crack in it and by the time the water bearer reached his master's house it had leaked much of it's water and was only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, God will use our flaws to grace his table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But therewere only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?
"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
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."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Since poor Dick was not old enough to work, he was very badly off. He got little for his dinner, and sometimes nothing at all for his breakfast, for the people in the village were poor themselves and they could not afford to give him much more than the peelings of the potatoes and, occasionally, a hard crust of bread.
Dick was a bright boy and, wanting to learn a great many things, he was always listening to what everybody talked about. In this way he came to hear many strange things about the great city of London; for at that time many country people thought that London was a wonderful place, where the streets were all paved with gold and there was nothing but music and singing and laughter all the day long.
One day, as Dick was leaning against a signpost, wondering where he might find something to eat, a large wagon and eight horses, all with bells at their heads, drove through the village. Dick thought this wagon must surely be going to the fine city of London, so he asked the driver if he might walk along beside the wagon. When the driver heard that he had no home, and saw how ragged he was, he knew that the little fellow could be no worse off, so he consented. The good-natured people along the road gave Dick food, and at night the driver let him climb into the wagon and sleep on some of the boxes.
And so at last Dick arrived in London. He was in such a hurry to see the fine streets paved with gold that he hardly stopped to thank the kind driver, but ran off as fast as his legs would carry him, through street after street, thinking every moment that he would come to those paved with gold. Dick had seen a golden coin three times in his little village and he remembered what a great many things it would buy. Now, he thought, when he came to the golden streets, he had only to pick up some of the pavement and he would have all the money he could wish for.
Poor little Dick ran until he was tired, and then when it grew dark and he found that,
no matter which way he turned, there was nothing but dirt instead of gold, he sat down in a lonely corner and cried himself to sleep.
All night the boy spent in the streets and when morning came, being very hungry, he got up and walked about and asked everybody he met to give him a halfpenny to keep him from starving. At last, a good-natured-looking gentleman saw how hungry he looked.
"Why don't you go to work, my lad?" said he.
"I would," answered Dick, "but I do not know how to get any."
"If you are willing," said the gentleman, "come with me." He took Dick to a hayfield, where he worked briskly and lived merrily until the hay was all made. After this, he found himself as badly off as before.
Several days passed and at last, when he could walk no farther, he laid himself down at the door of a rich merchant, Mr. Fitzwarren. Here he was found by the cook, a cross and mean woman. But before she had a chance to send Dick away, the merchant himself came to the door.
"Why do you lie there, my boy?" he asked. "You seem old enough to be at work."
"But I can find no work," said Dick, "and I am very weak for want of food."
Poor fellow!" said the merchant. And, being a kindhearted man, he had Dick taken into his home and given a good dinner. Then he told the boy he might stay and help the cook by doing such things as peeling the potatoes, scouring the pots and kettles, and running errands.
Dick would have been very happy in this good family had it not been for the ill-natured cook who always found fault with him and scolded and beat him from morning till night. But although the cook was so ill-tempered, the footman was quite different. An elderly man, he had lived in the family for many years, and was very kindhearted. He felt sorry for the boy and sometimes gave him a halfpenny to buy gingerbread or a top. The footman was fond of reading and often in the evening he would entertain the other servants with some amusing book. Little Dick took pleasure in listening to this good man, which made him wish very much to learn to read, too. So the next time the footman gave him a halfpenny, he bought a little book with it and, with the footman's help, Dick soon learned his letters and afterward to read.
The ill-humored cook was now a little kinder. But Dick had another problem. His bed was in a garret where there were so many holes in the floor and the walls that every night he was awakened by the rats and mice, which made such a noise that he sometimes thought the walls were tumbling down about him. One day, a gentleman who came to see Mr. Fitzwarren required his shoes to be cleaned. Dick took great pains to make them shine and the gentleman gave him a penny. With this Dick decided he would buy a cat. The next day, seeing a little girl with a cat under her arm, he went up to her and asked if she would let him have it for a penny. The girl said she would and told him that the cat was a very good mouser.
Dick kept the cat in the garret, and always took care to carry part of his dinner to her. And in a short time he had no more trouble from the rats and mice.
Mr. Fitzwarren was a merchant who filled his ships with all kinds of goods and sent them to foreign countries. Since he was a kind man, he let his servants send anything they wanted to sell.
One of the ships was now ready to sail. Mr. Fitzwarren called all his servants in, and they came, one by one, and left with him the things they wanted to send. They all had something that they were willing to venture, except poor Dick, who had neither money nor goods. For this reason he did not come into the parlor with the rest. But Mr. Fitzwarren ordered him to be called in.
Poor Dick said he had nothing but a cat.
"Why don't you send your cat?" said the merchant's young and pretty daughter, Alice. "You must send something!"
Dick could not bear to part with the faithful mouser, but Alice had always been kind to him and he wished to please her. So the cat was given to the merchant and he laughingly sent it along with his rich cargo.
But Dick missed his cat sorely. The rats and the mice came back to his garret and bothered him so that he could not sleep at night. The cook began to beat and scold him even more than she had done before. It was a hard life for the boy.
At last, when he felt that he could not bear it any longer, he tied his few belongings in a handkerchief and, early one morning, crept out of the house and started to walk back to the little village from which he had come.
He walked as far as Highgate, and there, at a crossroad, he sat down on a stone, which to this day is called Whittington's Stone, and tried to decide on the road he should take. And as he sat there the bells of Bow Church began to ring, and the sound carried far across the fields. Dick thought he heard them say:
"Turn-a-gain, Whitt-ing-ton,
Thrice-Lord-Mayor of-Lon-don!"
Lord Mayor of London! he said to himself. They mean for me to take this road.
But scarcely had he taken three steps along the road to the left,when the bells rang once more:
"Furn-a-gain, Whitt-ing-ton,
Thrice-Lord-Mayor of-Lon-don!"
So Dick turned and started along the road to the right. But again the bells rang out:
"Turn-a-gain, Whitt-ing-ton,
Thrice-Lord-Mayor of-Lon-don!"
After all, thought Dick, it is only the cook who treats me badly. I will turn and go back to the city. What do I care for her scoldings and beatings if some day I am to be Lord Mayor of London!
Dick went back and was lucky enough to get into the house, and set about his work, before the cook even knew he had been gone.
The merchant's ship, with Dick's cat on board, was a long time at sea. But at last it arrived in a country on the coast of Barbary. The people came in great numbers to see the sailors and to buy the fine things with which the ship was laden. The captain, as was his custom on arriving in a foreign country, sent the king some rich presents. The king was so delighted that he invited the captain to the palace to dine with him.
The dining hall was magnificent. The walls were studded with jewels and the carpet was strewn with flowers of gold and silver. The king and queen, in gorgeous robes, welcomed the captain and they sat down to dinner. A number of servants brought in many dishes piled high with rich food. But, to the amazement of the captain, a vast horde of rats and mice rushed in and ate everything in sight. "There!" sighed the king. "My dinner is gone again today! I would give half the wealth of my kingdom to get rid of them!" "Why don't you get a cat?" asked the captain."
A cat?" said the king. "What is that? Is that a new kind of tiger? I have tried tigers and lions, but not one of them will kill a mouse for me."
The captain, remembering poor Whittington's cat, hurriedly sent a sailor down to the ship to bring it. In the meantime, the king had another dinner prepared. The cat and dinner arrived at about the same time. When the sailor entered the dining hall with the cat in his arms, the table was full of rats and mice. When the cat saw them she did not wait for anybody's bidding, but made one spring into their midst. In a few minutes most of the rats and mice lay dead at her feet and the others had scampered off to their holes.
The king and queen were so delighted to be thus rid of their plague that they bought the captain's whole cargo, and then gave him ten bags of gold for the cat.
And so it was that shortly after Dick returned to London, the merchant's ship reached port and the captain hurried to Mr. Fitzwarren to tell him of his great success and of Dick's good fortune.
"I have ten bags of gold for him," the captain reported.
Mr. Fitzwarren now showed himself a really good man, for while some of his clerks said so great a treasure was too much for such a boy as Dick, he answered, "God forbid that I should keep the value of a single penny from him! It is all his own and he shall have every farthing's worth of it."
He sent for Dick, who happened to be scouring the cook's kettles and was quite dirty, so that he wanted to excuse himself from going to his master. Mr. Fitzwarren, however, made him come in and ordered a chair to be set for him, so that poor Dick thought they were making fun of him.
"Indeed, Mr. Whittington," said the merchant, "we are all in earnest with you. I heartily rejoice in the news these gentlemen have brought you. The captain has sold your cat to the King of Barbary and he has brought you, in return for her, more riches than I possess. I wish you may long enjoy them!"
Mr. Fitzwarren then told the men to give Dick the great treasure they had brought with them, and said, "Mr. Whittington has now nothing to do but to put it in some place of safety."
Dick hardly knew how to behave himself for joy. He begged his master to take what part of the gold he pleased, since he owed it all to his kindness.
"No, no," answered Mr. Fitzwarren, "this is all your own and I have no doubt you will use it well."
Dick next asked his mistress, and then Alice, to accept a part of his good fortune. But they would not, and told him that his success gave them great pleasure. Dick was too kindhearted to keep all the gold for himself. He made handsome presents to the captain, the mate, and every one of the sailors, and afterward to his good friend the footman and the rest of Mr. Fitzwarren's servants, even to the ill-natured cook. After this, Mr. Fitzwarren advised him to get himself dressed like a gentleman and told him he was welcome to live in his house until he could provide himself with a better home.
When Dick's face was washed, his hair combed, and he was dressed in a nice suit of clothes, he was as handsome as any young man who visited at Mr. Fitzwarren's. Alice, who had always been kind to him, now looked upon him as fit to be her sweetheart; and the more so, no doubt, because Whittington was now always thinking what he could do to please her and giving her the prettiest presents. Mr. Fitzwarren soon became aware of their love for each other and proposed to join them in marriage. To this they both readily agreed. A day for the wedding was soon set and it was attended by the Lord Mayor, the Court of Aldermen, the Sheriffs, and a great number of the richest merchants in London.
History tells us that Dick Whittington and his lady had several children. He was Sheriff of London in the year 1360 and several times afterwards served as Lord Mayor. The last time, he entertained King Henry the fifth on His Majesty's return from the famous Battle of Agincourt. In this company, the king, because of Whittington's gallantry, said, "Never had prince such a subject." When Whittington was told this at the table, he answered, "Never had subject such a king."
Going with an address from the city, on one of the king's victories, he received the honor of knighthood. Sir Richard Whittington supported many poor people. He built a church and also a college, with a yearly allowance to poor scholars, and near it built a hospital. The Bow Church bells had spoken truly when they chimed: "Turn-a-gain, Whitt-ing-ton, Thrice-Lord-Mayor of-Lon-don!"
He and Alice lived happily and in great splendor for many, many years.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
"Well, we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.
On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
"Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!"
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.
Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
One day, a yogi and his disciple arrived to the big city. They had no money with them, but they needed food and a place to stay. The disciple was sure that they were going to beg for their food, and sleep in the park at night."There is a big park not far from here. We can sleep there at night", said the disciple. "In the open air?" Asked the yogi."Yes", responded the student.The yogi smiled and said: "No, tonight we are going to sleep in a hotel and eat there too".The student was amazed. "How?""Come and sit down", said the yogi.
They both sat down on the ground and the yogi said:"When you focus your mind intently on any subject, it comes to pass."
The yogi closed his eyes and started to meditate with full concentration. After about ten minutes he got up and started to walk, with his disciple following him. They walked through several streets and alleys, until they arrived to a hotel.
"Come, let's enter inside", the yogi said to his disciple.
They just set foot in the entrance, when a well-dressed man approached them.
"I am the manager of this hotel. You look like traveling swamis and I believe you have no money. Would you like to work in the kitchen, and in return I'll give you food and a place to stay?"
"Fine", responded the yogi.
The disciple was perplexed and asked the yogi: "Did you use any magic? How did you do that?"
The yogi smiled and said, "I wanted to show you how the power of thoughts works. When you think with full and strong concentration about something that you want to happen, and your mind does not resist the subject of your thought, your thought materializes."
"The secret is concentrating, visualizing, seeing details, having faith and projecting mental and emotional energy into the mental scene. These are the general prerequisites. When your mind is empty from thoughts, and only one single thought is allowed to enter, it gains a very great power. One should be very careful with what he thinks. A concentrated thought is powerful, and exerts a very strong influence."
The disciple looked at his teacher and said: "I see that I have to sharpen my concentration in order to be able to use this power."
"Yes, this is the first step", responded the yogi.
Once two partridges, a husband and wife, were going on a trip. Before they left, the wife laid some eggs near the ocean. Then the husband said to the sea, "We are going on a sea voyage. You must take care of these eggs for us. if we don't find the eggs when we return, we'll empty you."
The sea agreed to take care of the eggs, and it kept them safe. A few days later the two partridges came back, but they couldn't find the eggs. They screamed at the sea. The sea wanted to give them the eggs, but it couldn't find them. The birds cursed the sea; they began taking out a drop of water at a time and throwing it on the land.
"We are going to empty you," they said to the sea.
Some little birds saw all this and they asked, "What are you doing?"
The partridges replied, "We are punishing the sea because it didn't keep its promise to look after our eggs."
The little birds thought it was a noble task and they joined the partridges. After a while some big birds took up their cause. They also started taking out water drop by drop. This went on for weeks.
One day, Garuda (a divine bird who carries the great cosmic god Lord Vishnu) came and asked, "What are you doing?"
The birds said, "Can't you see? We are emptying the sea. "
Garuda said, "You fools, how long will this take? You will never be able to do it. The sea is vast, infinite."
But the birds answered, "No, we have determination and perseverance."
Garuda was very surprised and said, "Let me show them Compassion. I'll ask Lord Vishnu to help them. if Vishnu helps, then certainly they will be able to find their eggs. if the eggs are still in good condition, Vishnu will be able to return them. But if they are destroyed, he can do nothing for them."
He went to Vishnu. "Vishnu, I have never seen fools like these. If you really care for fools, then will you do them a favor?" Garuda then told him the whole story.
Vishnu said, "No, they are not fools. They are showing the spirit of patience and perseverance. This is how human beings must try to empty the ignorance-sea, drop by drop. it is what seekers must and should do. The ignorance-sea is vast. If sincere seekers want to empty it and replace it with knowledge-light, then they must do it the same way, drop by drop. I am very pleased with these birds. I will command the sea to return the eggs."
Garuda said, "The sea wanted to give them the eggs but it misplaced them and believes they are destroyed."
Vishnu said, "I will use my psychic power to show the sea where they are."
He used his psychic power and the sea immediately found the eggs and returned them to the partridges. Then Vishnu said to the birds, "Perseverance, patience and self-giving all are of paramount importance to fulfill one's divine task. "
Monday, July 25, 2011
A young man applied for a job as a farm hand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man and hired him. A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been sat next to the fireplace. The young man slept soundly. The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the farm animals were calm. All was well! The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows."
Character as it applies to the smallest of duties brings about an inner peace as evidenced by this story!
A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed.
The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.
That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, friendship, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully .
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A giant ship engine failed. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a young. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!
-->A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!" So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill." The man sent a bill that read: Tapping with a hammer...... ......... ........ $ 2.00 Knowing where to tap......... ......... ........ $ 9,998.00 \
Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference!
