We all have storms come through our lives, but one thing is for sure—we have no right to make everyone else miserable with our own unhappiness. No need to rain on others' parades. A simple story illustrates this point:
The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pick up truck refused to start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.
On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching tips of the branches with both hands.
When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles, and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree, and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.
"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
I don't know who first told this story—no one seems to know—but he or she must have been a very wise person. Putting boundaries around our problems is a really good idea—it prevents our difficulties from spilling over onto other people (especially our loved ones), who can't do anything about our problems. Why burden them if they can't help us?
So, plant yourself a trouble tree outside your front door—or a potted trouble plant, if you live in an apartment—and use it whenever you come home. Be grateful that you have loved ones to go home to, even if your loved one is simply your beloved dog or cherished cat or prized goldfish. And when you pick up your troubles on the way out each morning, be grateful that they're not as heavy as they were the night before.
Shared from the book 'Dance in the rain'; contributed by my friend Sunny
Read More...
Summary only...
Stop complaining.
Here's why
After watching this, if your mind ever complains, tell it to "Just. Shut. Up."
Thanks.
Read More...
Summary only...
As the sun wakes-up to wake me up with him,
I see the helpless dawn fading before the strength of light
As the grown-ups run fast stepping on each other's toes,
I see a child standing looking at me with innocent eyes
As this song ceases to end on a sadistic note,
I again hear the beats of drums bringing me to life
As a heartbreak scratches my chest with its paws,
I see another loving heart smilingly passing by
As I try to win this chess with my black pawns of depression,
God somehow always beats me up with his optimistic whites!
If there's one thing that life's worth living for... its to inspire everyone to pass the message of hope, to live a life that's meaningful for others - not self.
Read More...
Summary only...
Habits. They die hard. And therefore its even more important to be watchful of things that we keep doing without giving them much thought... this story explains further:
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers. The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed.
It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"!
The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles.
He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. And off he threw it into the sea, before the next second shook him telling what disaster he had done just now!
He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.
Well, so it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away
Read More...
Summary only...
Does God still speak to its people? Well, its a matter of faith - either you have it, or you don't. But this story presents this subject so beautifully...
A young man bought a religious book. The book shared message about listening to God and obeying His voice.
The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to His people?"
After that, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God.. If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought, stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?"
He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about a man and who didn't recognize the voice of God, and missed a good opportunity.
"Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."
It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street."
This is crazy he thought and drove on pass the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.
At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.
Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, remember I....He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around.
He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street."
The young man looked at the house.
It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.
He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
"Oh Almighty, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid."
Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell.
He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?"
Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem to happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep.
"What is it?"
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you."
The man took the milk and rushed down a hall way speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.
The man began speaking, and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I asked him to send an Angel with some milk. Are you an Angel?"
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back towards his car and the tears were streaming down his face.
He knew that God, the Almighty still answers prayers and that God still speaks to His people.
Read More...
Summary only...
Good news or bad news? Well, it depends on how you see things. Hear this story:
Robert De Vincenzo, the great Argentine golfer, once won a tournament and, after receiving the check and smiling for the cameras, he went to the clubhouse and prepared to leave. Some time later, he walked alone to his car in the parking lot and was approached by a young woman.
She congratulated him on his victory and then told him that her child was seriously ill and near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor’s bills and hospital expenses.
De Vincenzo was touched by her story, and he took out a pen and endorsed his winning cheque for payment to the woman. "Make some good days for the baby," he said as he pressed the check into her hand.
The next week he was having lunch in a country club when a Professional Golf Association official came to his table. "Some of the boys in the parking lot last week told me you met a young woman there after you won that tournament." De Vincenzo nodded. "Well," said the official, "I have news for you. She’s a phony. She has no sick baby. She’s not even married. She fleeced you, my friend."
"You mean there is no baby who is dying?" said De Vincenzo.
"That’s right," said the official.
"That’s the best good news I’ve heard all week.!" De Vincenzo said.
You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.
When you consistently maintain a positive frame of mind, you'll become known as a problem-solver rather than a complainer. People avoid complainers. They seek out problem-solvers.
You can give in to the failure messages and be a bitter deadbeat of excuses. Or you can choose to be happy and positive and excited about life. The difference between can and cannot are only three letters. Three letters that determine your life's direction.
Read More...
Summary only...
This is a story of identical twins.
One was a hope-filled optimist. "Everything is coming up roses!", as he used to say often. The other was a said and hopeless pessimist. He thought that Murphy, as in Murphy's Law, was an optimist. The worried parents of the boys brought them to the local psychologist.
He suggested to the parents a plan to balance the twins' personalities. "On their next birthday, put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford, and give the optimist a box of manure".
The parents followed these instructions and carefully observed the results.
When they peeked in on the pessimist, they heard him audibly complaining, "I don't like the color of this computer…I'll bet this calculator will break…I don't like this game…I know someone who's got a bigger toy car than this…"
Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in the air. He was giggling. "You can't fool me! Where there's this much manure, there's gotta be a pony!"
Alright, life isn't fair to us always. It isn't a bed of roses. So what, we still have a choice to let it affect our attitude ...or not at all!
Read More...
Summary only...
After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space.
At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive, and, would you believe, all the stories were about small 'little' things. Such as:
The head of the company survived that day because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts!
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time!
One of them missed his bus!
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change!
One's car wouldn't start.
One went back to answer the telephone.
One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have. One couldn't get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid -- and that is why he is alive today!
Now when you are stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone... all the little things that annoy you, just say to yourself: Maybe, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.
So next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated. Just say to yourself:
Maybe, just maybe, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.
Read More...
Summary only...
Buddha is moving on the road and it is noon. It is very hot. He feels thirsty and tells his disciple, Ananda, “Please go back, we crossed a small stream just two-three miles back, from there bring some water for me.” And Buddha rested under the tree.
Ananda went to the stream. But just when he reached near it, a few bullock carts passed the stream, and since the stream was very small, now it became dirty. All the dirt that was settled underneath had surfaced, including the old dry leaves. The water was no more drinkable.
Ananda tried the same as you would try – he entered the stream and tried to settle things so that water can become clean again. But the poor disciple only dirtied it more. Disappointed, he came back and requested to Buddha “the water is not drinkable, but I know a certain river ahead, I will go and fetch water from there."
But Buddha insisted “Why did you come back? No, I want the water from that stream only”. When Buddha insists, how could Ananda deny? So reluctantly, he went again. But his hesitation changed to joy as he realized something looking at the water again - by the time he reached half of the dirt had settled again without anybody trying to settle it, it had settled on its own accord. He understood the point this time!
Then he sat under the tree and watched the stream flow to let the other half of dirt get settled. He waited, he watched, and soon the water was clear, the dead leaves had gone back to the bottom and the dirt was all gone as well. Fetching the clear water for his master, Ananda came joyfully running and fell at Buddha’s feet to say, "Oh Lord, that’s the mistake I had been doing my mind my whole life! But now I will just sit under a tree and let the stream of mind pass by, let it settle by itself. Now I will not jump in the stream and try to force order upon things”.
This is not to say that order isn't necessary. It is. But many a times, we waste our precious moments and sacrifice happiness to chase things which time is going to settle on its own anyways. A broken heart takes time to heal. Peace of mind doesn't come in an instant. Understanding your spouse takes time too. Don't always jump to settle the mud on your own - give time a chance to do its job as you just wait and watch with hope that, sooner or later, the dirt is going to get settled on its own.
Read More...
Summary only...
