Love Island

Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings
lived; happiness, sadness, knowledge, and all the others,
including love.

One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island
was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean.
So all the feelings prepared their boats to leave.

Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve
the island paradise until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost totally under, Love decided it was
time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help.
Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked,
"Richness, Can I come with you on your boat?"
Richness answered, " I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and
gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere."

Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing in a
beautiful vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please."
"I can't help you", Vanity said, "You are all wet and will
damage my beautiful boat."

Next, Love saw Sadness passing by. Love said, "Sadness, please
let me go with you." Sadness answered, "Love, I'm sorry, but, I
just need to be alone now."

Then, Love saw Happiness. Love cried out, " Happiness, please
take me with you." But Happiness was so overjoyed that he
didn't hear Love calling to him.

Love began to cry. Then, she heard a voice say, "Come Love,
I will take you with me." It was an elder.

Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that she forgot to ask the
elder his name.

When they arrived on land the elder went on his way.
Love realized how much she owed the elder.

Love then found Knowledge and asked,
"Who was it that helped me?"

"It was Time", Knowledge answered.

"But why did Time help me when no one else would?", Love asked.

Knowledge smiled and with deep wisdom and sincerity, answered,
"Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."

~Author Unknown~

Real Lession Learnt By The Son of a Rich man

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a
trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how
poor people can be.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would
be considered a very poor family. On their return from their
trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Oh Yeah" said the son.

"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father proudly.

The son answered:

I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden
and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden
and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard
and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on
and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us,
they have friends to protect them."

With this the boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added,
"Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Too many times we forget what we have
and concentrate on what we don't have.

What is one's persons worthless object
is another's prize possession.

It is all based on one's perspective.

Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for all
the bounty we have instead of worrying about wanting more.

Take joy in what you have and see the treasure in it.

~Author Unknown~

3 Men

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long
white beards sitting in her front yard.

She did not recognize them.

She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry.
Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?" they asked.

"No," she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in," they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had
happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a house together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said
pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another
one, "He is Success, and I am Love."

Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which
one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said.
Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!" he said.
"Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and
fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the
house.

She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better
to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to
his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the three old men,
"Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two
also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth
and Success: "I only invited Love, why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or
Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you
invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him.

Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!

~Author Unknown~

Used Vs Loved

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr 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, But the problem in today's world is that, People are used and things are loved...

During the day, be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved... Be yourself... This is the only day we HAVE. Have a nice day.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL
I hope this story helps you realize what is truly important in your life.

JUST GET GOING, DON'T ASK WHY

A man was sleeping in his cabin when suddenly his vroom filled with light and the Saviour appeared. The Lord showed the man a large rock in front of his cabin and asked him to push against it with all his might. This the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from msun up to sun down, his shoulders set sqarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's mind; "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord", he said, " I have laboured long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimetre. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responed compassionately, "My son, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Though opposition you have grown much. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done."

" I, my son , will now move the rock," said the Lord.

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.

A HAPPY CAT

There is a story told about a cat, which discovered that happiness was in his tail. He kept trying over and over to get it, but all he could do was run around in circles.

Exhausted and frustrated, with this endless pursuit, he eventually stopped. And then, he discovered that if he'd just go on about his life then it woukld follow him wherever he went.

THE LONELY EMBER

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 reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burnimng logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.

As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and 'dead as a doornail.'

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

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

STORY WITH A MORAL

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops, a few people got on, a few people got off, and things went generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back. The driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek… Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it.
The next day the same thing happened. Big John got on again, and said, “ Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down. And so it happened on the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This irritated the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of his size.
Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for a body building program, karate, judo and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong. So on the next Monday, when Big John got on the bus and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” the driver stood up, glared back and screamed, “And why not?”
With a surprise look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.”

MORAL: First be sure if there is a problem before working hard to solve one.

BIG HANDS !!!

Once, a little boy went to a shop with his mother. The shopkeeper looked at the small cute child and showed him a bottle of candies and said, ”Dear child, you can take the candies.” But the child didn’t take. The shop keeper was surprised why such a small child was not taking the candies from the bottle. So, he said again, “Take candies”……Now mother also heard that and said “Son, take the candies.” Yet he didn’t take. The shopkeeper, seeing the child not taking the candies, himself took the candies and gave them to the child. The child was happy to get two hands full of candies. When they returned home, the mother asked the child, “Why didn’t you take the candies when the shopkeeper told you to take …?”
Can you guess the response?
The child replied, “Mom! My hands are very small and if I take the candies, I can only take few. But now you see when uncle gave them with his big hands….. how many more candies I got !”
When we take, we may get little but when GOD gives, HE gives us way beyond our expectations – more than what we can hold. We should always seek to ask to GOD, rather than individuals as HE is the ONE who gives to everyone with HIS power.

THE TAILOR’S NEEDLE

A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors he cut the cloth into various bits. Then he put the pairs of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban.
The tailor’s son who was watching it asked him: “Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for an anna. Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this illogical behavior?”
“Yes. My son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable.
The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost price or appearance.”

Mom Sacrifice : Story

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.
I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..."Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time.

Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night...I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me "What?! Who's this?!" ...It was my mother...Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! 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. Thank good ness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me...one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house...just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand.... it was a letter to me.

She wrote:
My son...
I think my life has been long enough now. And... I won't visit Seoul anymore... but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school.... For you... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you.

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 only one eye... so I gave you mine...I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me. I thought to myself, 'it's because he loves me.' I miss the times when you were still young around me.

I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.
My world shattered!!!

Then I cried for the person who lived for me... My Mother

The Ice Cream Prayer

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is great and God is Good. Let us thank Him for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream
for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That is what is wrong with this country.

Kids today do not even know how to pray. Asking God for Ice Cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart."

Then in theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae, without a word walked over, and placed it in front of the woman.

With a big smile, he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good already."

The Blind Men and the Elephant

There is an analogy to how differently we each understand or experience God in a classic story about three blind men and the elephant. As each of the three blind men are trying to understand exactly what the elephant is like, but experiencing different parts of the same thing.

The first blind man is feeling all over the leg of the elephant and says to the others, "It is like a strong tree." But, the second is holding the trunk, explaining, "It is like an ever changing vine."

Still, the third blind man is running his hands across the large body of the elephant, exclaiming, "No, it is endless, like a wide mountain."

The Carrot, Egg & Coffee beans

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water andplaced each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to takean egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water.
Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after beingsubjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside becamehardened.The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in theboiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with painand adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, afinancial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with astiff spirit and hardened heart?Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, thevery circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.
If you are like the bean, when thingsare at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you acarrot, an egg or a coffee bean?May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make youstrong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; theyjust make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyonearound you is crying.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean something toyou (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another,to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to thosewhose friendships you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in yourlife.

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult.This is so true -- may we all be COFFEE!!

Power of Positive Talk

A man was lost while driving through the countryside. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, "Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose.

The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, "Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"


The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."

One Solution For Every Situation..

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them "Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance, in every place and in every time. Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me, is there any mantra?"

All wise men got puzzled by King's question.

One answer for all questions? Something that works everywhere, in every situation, in every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory?

They thought and thought.

After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he can see it.

The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

After a few days, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of the King's enemies.
King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to flee on his horse. The enemies were following him.

His horse took him far away in the Jungle. He could hear many troops on horses following him and the noise was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road – that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished and he could not return because it was a small road.

The sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great.

The message was - "Even this shall pass away."

The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes! It too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone.

I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. Calm came on his face. He kept standing there.

The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood.

Flowers were being thrown on the King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me".

With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again:
"Even this shall pass away."

He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness.

If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by we are witnesses of all this. We are the perceivers.

Life comes and goes. Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

Now, as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away.

There were friends in the past. They have gone.
There are friends today. They too will go.
There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go.

There were enemies in the past. They have gone.
There may be enemies in the present. They too will go.
There will be new enemies tomorrow and they too will go.

There is nothing permanent in this world. Everything changes, except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows.

All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever.

Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable?

It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change.

Experience it, understand it.

Inspiration from A Farmer

There was a Nebraska farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked.

"Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.

So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The lesson for each of us is this: if we have to be happy, we should help neighbor to be happy.

The Boy and The Tree

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy
loved to come and play around it everyday. 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
everyday. 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 parent. 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.


~Author Unknown~

The Hospital Window

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

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blanked wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

The Rose

James was a highly respected officer in the army. In his sparetime, he liked to surf the net and talk to new people online.He had been talking to a woman for some time now and had a sortof internet relationship with her. He had actually fallen inlove with her. The only problem was that any time he asked herabout sending a picture her response was "if you love me thismuch then what I look like doesn't matter."So he agreed and let it go.Later, even without seeing her but only knowing her personalityand how loving and caring she was, he asked her to marry him, towhich she answered yes. They decided to meet at a train stationfor the first time and she told him that she would be wearing ared rose so that he would know who she was.Well the time came and James stood there in his full officersuniform waiting ever so anxiously for her to come off of thetrain.Then he looked over to see a tall blonde with a short cut dress,nice legs, long hair waving back and forth in the wind and themost beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He couldn't believe hiseyes. . .. . .then from behind her appeared an older heavyset womanwearing a red rose.As the beautiful woman walked by she asked, "Goin my waysoldier?" but James, as if he didn't even hear her, just turnedaround standing at attention with tears of joy in his eyes andlooking at the older woman and said,"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," to which the older ladysaid, "I don't know why but that lady that just walked by told meto wear this and if you came to me to tell you to meet her inthe restaurant across the street."That is the way most of our lives are. The decisions we makecan change our lives. If you make the wrong choice you couldend up empty-handed but choosing the right way, even though itmay be the harder way, will work out always in the end.We all have at least two choices to make,the right one and the wrong one.Which one will you make?
~Author Unknown~