The Worth of our Lives

A well-known speaker started his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied what if I do this? And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it with his shoe. He picked up the now crumpled bill and dirty. "Now who still wants it?"

Still the hands went up into the air. "My friends, you have all learned a valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, it did not decrease its value. It was still worth $20."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely crushed, you are still priceless to those who love you.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or whom we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special - Don't ever forget it. Count your blessings, not your problems.

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Building Our Lives

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

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The Island

Once upon a time, there was an Island where all the feelings lived; HAPPINESS, SADNESS, KNOWLEDGE, VANITY, and all the others, including “ LOVE”
One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all feelings prepared their boats and left the island, but only LOVE remained behind.
Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost sinking, Love decided to ask for help from boats passers. RICHNESS was passing by Love in a luxurious ship. Love said “Richness, can you take me with you?” But Richness answered, “ No I can’t. There is a lot of gold, silver & gems in my boat. There is no place here you.”
Pride, Ego & Self Ambitions VANITY was passing by in a beautiful lavish yacht. Love cried out “Vanity please help me!” Vanity replied “I can’t help you Love, You are all wet and might damage my boat,”
Living Outside Boundaries SADENESS was passing close by in a dinghy hopeless with self pity Love asked for help, “Sadness let me go with you”. Sadness responded “Oh….Love, I am so depressed & sad that I need to be by myself,”
Cares & Distraction of Life HAPPINESS was passing by Love, but she was so happy, celebrating & content that she did not hear when love called her.

Suddenly a vessel was passing by and there was a voice, “ Come Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he even forgot to ask the elder his name. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went on his own way. By then Love realizing how much he owed the elder, asked Knowledge, another elder. “Who helped me?” “ It was Time,” Knowledge answered.
Love posed for a moment a bit bewildered “TIME?” “ But why did Time help me?” asked Love. Knowledge smiled with a wisdom and answered, “ Because, only Time is capable of understanding how great love is.”

Good day my child This is God, I will be handling all of your problems today I will not need your help So, relax, let go and have a wonderful day Have faith, trust and hope you are not alone Signed TIME (LOVE) p.s. To everything there is a season. Wisdom is good with an inheritance. Leave the rest to your creator.

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The Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were discussing their lives at a class reunion. They decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired, who was always an inspiration to them.
During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work, lives and relationships.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups. Some cups were porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He invited each to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor shared his thoughts.
“ Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, 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.”
“ The cup that you are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.”
“ What each of you really wanted was hot chocolate. You did not want the cup . . . but you consciously went for the best cups.”
“ And soon, you began to eye one another’s cups.”
“ Now friends, please consider this . . .
“ Life is the hot chocolate . . . your job, money and position in society are the cups.”
“ They are just tools to hold and contain life.”
“ The cup you have does not define, nor does it change, the quality of life you are living.”
“ Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.”
Always remember this . . . . . . . . . . God brews the hot chocolate, He does not choose the cup.
The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything that they have!!
Live simply . . . Love generously . . . Care deeply . . . Speak kindly . . .
Leave the rest to God. ~ and remember ~ The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least. Enjoy your hot chocolate!!

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The Three Gates Of Wisdoms

Once upon a time a king had an only son a Prince who was young, courageous, skilful and intelligent. So the king sent his son away to see a Wise Old man to open his mind to “ AWARENESS”
He sent the Prince to meet the Wise Old man. As he met the old man he pleaded
“ Enlighten me as to the path in life I should take.”
The Wise man replied, “ My words will only vanish like footsteps in the sand”
However, the Wise man said ”I will give you some instructions on your path; you will come across three Gates. Read the sayings on each of the Gates. Follow the pathway to discovery. You will be overwhelmed during the journey. But do not seek to turn back, for you will be condemned to live again and again that which you had run away from all your life. I can not say any more. It is time you must follow the road, right ahead of you.”
As the Wise elder departed, and the Prince started walking on his journey on the Path of Life.

The Prince soon came across the first large gate on which he read: “ CHANGE THE WORLD”
This is precisely what I intended to do, thought the Prince. But, he started its first struggle. Driven by ideal, his passion and his strength pushed him to be confronted with the world, he undertook, conquered, replicated reality to his desire.
He experienced the pleasure and the exhilaration of the conqueror, but his heart was not at rest. He managed to change certain things but others would not give way. Long years went by.

One day, he met the Wise Old Man who asked him: “What did you learn on the path?”
The Prince replied. I learned what was in my power and what was beyond my power. Thus I now see what things I had influence in and things beyond my control.

Well done, said the Old Man. Use your strength to act upon on what you can. Forget about what is beyond you. And the old man vanished.

As the Prince continued on his journey. Sometime later, the Prince came across a second gate. One could read on it: “CHANGE OTHERS”
This is precisely what I intend to do, thought the Prince. And he rose against all that could upset or displease him in his fellow being. But he struggled to alter their minds, and correct their faults.

Many more years went by. One day, as he was meditating on the failures of his attempts to change others, he came across the Wise Old man and he asked him : “What did you learn on the path?”
The Prince replied. That other people are not the source of my joys or sorrows, my achievements or failures. They are only there to make me aware.
You are right, said the Wise Man.” Though what they awaken in you, they made you aware of yourself. Be grateful towards those who make you feel joy and pleasure. But be also grateful to these who hurt and frustrate you for through them Life Teaches you. And the Old Man vanished.

A little time after, the Prince came across a Third Gate. One can read on it: “CHANGE YOURSELF”
The Prince paused a moment to himself and said…. “ If I am myself the cause of my problems,
this is that I have to do.” And he started his third struggle. He tried to inflect his character, to fight his imperfections, to remove his defects, and change every thing which didn’t correspond to his ideal.

After many years of struggle during which he was at times successful at times defeated, the Prince met the Wise man again. The old man asked the Prince “What did you learn on the path?”
The Prince replied. That there are some things that can be improved, others which resist and can’t be changed.
“Well done,”said the Wise man.
The Prince replied “I’m getting weary of fighting against myself. Won’t this ever end? When will I be at rest? I wish to stop fighting and give up and let go.”
The wise old man said. “ This happens to be your next lesson.” But before going any further, turn around and look back at the way you have already walked .And the Old Man vanished.

As he looked back, the Prince saw in the distance the 3rd gate and realized that one could read a different message on the back of the gate and it read: “ACCEPT YOURSELF”
The Prince wondered why he hadn’t noticed this inscription when it had crossed the gate the first time, in the opposite direction. “When one is fighting, one becomes blind, he said to himself.”
He also saw, spread on the ground around him, every thing he had rejected and fought within himself: his faults, his dark side, his fears, his limits, and all his old daemons.
He then learnt how to recognize them, accept them and love them. He learnt how to love himself without comparing himself, judging himself, blaming himself.

He came across the Wise Old man who asked him: “What did you learn along the path? “
The Prince replied. “That to hate or refuse part of myself was to condemn myself never to be at peace within myself. I learned how to accept myself, completely and unconditionally.”
“Well done, said the wise Old Man, it is the first stage of Wisdom. Now you go through the 3rd gate again.”

Just as he had reached the other side of the gate, the Prince saw the back face of the second gate and it read : “ACCEPT OTHERS”
All around him he recognized the people he had met in his life; those he had loved, those he had hated, those he had helped, those he had fought.
But to his surprise, he was now unable to see their faults, which had disturbed him so much, and against which he had fought so much.

He came across the Wise Old man who asked him. “What did you learn on your path?” The Prince replied. That if I were in peace with myself, I would have nothing to blame others for, nothing to fear of them. I have learned to accept others totally and unconditionally.”
“Well done, said the Wise Old man, It is the second stage of Wisdom. Now you can go through the 2nd gate again.”

Just as he had reached the other side of the gate, the Prince saw the back of the first gate and it read: “ACCEPT THE WORLD.
That is strange, he thought, “Why didn9t I see the inscription the first time?“ He looked around him and recognized the world he had tried to conquer, transform, and change.
He was hit by an awe the brightness and the beauty of all things. And yet it was the same world as it used to be. Had the world changed, or his perception of it changed?

He came across the Wise Old man and asked him. “What did you learn on your path?” The Prince replied….. “ That the world is the mirror of my soul. That my soul, my heart does not see the world, but sees itself in the world. “….
“… When it is cheerful, the world seems merry. When it is gloomy, the world seems sad. The world is neither merry nor sad. It just is; that is all.”
… It was not the world that was troubling me, but the IDEA I had of it. I accepted to accept it without judging it, to reckon, unconditionally.
This is the 3rd Wisdom, said the Old Man. “ You are now at grace within yourself & others in the World.” A deep feeling of peace, serenity and fulfillment overwhelmed the Prince. Silence was within him.
“You are ready, now, to cross the last Threshold, said the Wise Old man, from the Silence of Fulfillment of Silence”. And the Old Man disappeared.

God by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; By His knowledge depths were broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. Keep sound wisdom and discretion; so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. (Proverbs)
When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you: Understanding will keep you, deliver you from the way of perverse and evil. (Proverbs)

Live with passion
Pursue knowledge
Greet Imagination
Live with integrity
Share your humility
Exercise kindness
Repel forces of darkness “FEAR”
Reckon the SPIRIT “The Quiet Conscience”
Share “LOVE” the greatest gift
Which one are you living by?
WISDOM of the WORLD or WISDOM of GOD

The whole universal system is held together through love, harmony and cooperation. If you use your thoughts according to those principles you can transcend anything that gets in the way.
Once you have learned how to enter your inner kingdom, you have a special retreat within that is always available to greet you.
Entering the magic garden of miracles means the emphasis is on developing a consciousness of possibility.
The more you attach your value and humanity to those things outside of yourself, the more you give those things the power to control you.
The real measure of your humanity is in your soul. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

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The Gingham Dress

This is an example of how some of us pre-judge people. If we don’t take time to hear what someone has to say, we may never learn what is in their heart; regardless of their outer appearance.

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge .
“We'd like to see the president,” the man said softly.
“He'll be busy all day,” the secretary snapped.
“We'll wait,” the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.
They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.
“Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,” she said to him.

He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady told him, “We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But, about a year ago, he wasaccidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.”
The president wasn't touched. He was shocked.
“Madam," he said, gruffly, “We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”
“Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly. “We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”
The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit and then exclaimed, “A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.”

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it cost to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?”

Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University , a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.
---- A TRUE STORY by Malcolm Forbes

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

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The Four Wives

Story of a Rich Merchant the man who had 04 beloved wives.
The fourth wife... He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies . He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best .
The third wife... He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends . However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

The second wife... He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

The first wife... Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply , he hardly took notice of her .

One day merchant went ill... Having cancer diagnosed had only a day to go . He knew he is going to die... he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!”

He then called his fourth wife and said : “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”; “No way!”; replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word

He then called his third wife and said :”I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”; “No!” replied the 3rd wife. “Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!”
The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then called his second wife and said : “I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?”; “I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!” replied the 2nd wife.

Suddenly, a VOICE came... It was his 1 st wife
“ I will leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.“

The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, “I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !”

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
The 1 st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament .

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Effort and Knowledge

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!

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Cost of a Miracle

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.
She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even the total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick...and I want to buy a miracle.'
'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.
'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?'
'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.
'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'
'I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.'
'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago
'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audibly. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.'
'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. '

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.
'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?'
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost..one dollar and eleven cents....plus the faith of a little child.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law.

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One Glass of Milk

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.

She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words:
“Paid in full with one glass of milk”.

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The Daffodil principles

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead.
"I will come next Tuesday, " I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there.

When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said," We drive in this all the time, Mother."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car.
"How far will we have to drive?"
"Just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
After several minutes, I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!"

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read, "Daffodil Garden".

We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns - great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn.

"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read.
The second answer was, "one at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain."
The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

There it was. The Daffodil Principle. For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top.
Just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.
~By Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards ~

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We all need a Tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton 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 the tips of the branches with both hands.

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, those 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 and ask God to take care of them. 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 aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

We ALL need a tree!

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The Story Of The Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole. Then it stopped, as if it couldn't go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it, expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
and expand enough to support the body. Neither happened! In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand:
The restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us. We will not be as strong as we could have been and we would never fly.

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Father and Son

This is a touching story from which we ought to learn something....

An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45 years old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window.The Father asked his Son, "What is this? "The Son replied "It is a crow".
After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, "What is this?" The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow". After a littlewhile, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, "What is this?" At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Son'stone when he said to his Father with a rebuff."It's a crow, a crow".
A little after, the Father again asked his Son the 4th time,"What is this?" This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?"

A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born. On opening a page, he asked his Son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary :
- "Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated. I rather felt affection for my innocent child".

While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the Father had felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt irritated and annoyed.

So.. If your parents attain old age, do not repulse them or look at them as a burden, but speak to them a gracious word, be cool, obedient, humble and kind to them. Be considerate to your parents. From today say this aloud ,"I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered their selfless love on me. They crossed all mountains and valleys without seeing the storm and heat to make me a person presentable in the society today".

Say a prayer to God, "I will serve my old parents in the BEST way. I will say all good and kind words to my dear parents, no matter however they behave. When I am old, I do not want my child to repeat the words when the crow perches on my window".

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Law of Successful Living

I am impressed by an incident that happened during Ignacy Paderewski's (November 18, 1860 - June 29, 1941) career. The famous Polish pianist agreed to play a concert organized by two Stanford University students working their way through school. Paderewski's manager said they would have to guarantee the artist a fee of $2,000. The boys agreed and eventually the concert was held.

Though the two student promoters worked hard, they took in only $1,600. Discouraged, they told Paderewski of their efforts and handed him the $1,600 with a note promising to pay him the balance of $400. But the artist tore up the note and gave them back the $1,600. "Take your expenses out of this," he said, "give yourselves each 10% of what's left for your work, and let me have the rest."

Years later, Paderewski was faced with feeding the people of his war-ravaged Poland. Amazingly, even before a request was made, thousands of tons of food were sent to Poland by the United States.
Paderewski later traveled to Paris to thank Herbert Hoover, who headed up the US relief effort. "That's all right, Mr. Paderewski," said Hoover, "I knew that the need was great. And besides, though you may not remember it, I was one of two college students whom you generously helped when I was in need."

The story illustrates a law of successful living: sooner or later we will reap what we sow. Paderewski reaped a harvest of kindness he had sown years before. Those who sow love will eventually reap love. Those who sow goodness will reap even more. Those who sow fear and mistrust will reap an unwanted harvest later.

It's a basic law of successful living. And powerful enough to change a life.

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Bad Habits

A wealthy man requested an old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits. The scholar took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there.
The youth held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The youth pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all. “Now pull out that one,” said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.
“Now take this one out,” said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge. “It’s impossible,” said the boy, panting with the effort.
“So it is with bad habits,” said the sage. “When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted.”

Moral of the story: Don’t wait for Bad Habits to grow in you, drop them while you have control over it else they will get control you.

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Right or Wrong

A thief went to one sage and asked the sage to take him at his disciple, with one condition: to not ask him to leave his stealing habit.
The sage agreed and said OK, I will not ask you to leave your habit, but you promise me that whenever you go for stealing, just think first is that right or wrong. The thief agreed and became disciple.

That time onward the thief whenever will go for stealing, he will always think that he is doing right thing.......this went on for some time and one day finally his mind said stealing is bad..........and ultimately he left stealing...........

Moral of the story: We are what we think.

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Controlling Temper

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.”

Moral of teh story:
You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

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The Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried
piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be
covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw. As every shovel of dirt hit his back, the donkey did something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed, as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off.

The Moral of the story:
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
Each of our troubles a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not
stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

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Put the Glass Down

Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students

“How much do you think this glass weighs?”
'50gms!' .... '100gms!' .....'125gms' ..the students answered.

“I really don't know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”
'Nothing' …..the students said.
'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.
'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the student
“You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!” ….. ventured another student & all the students laughed “Very good.

But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” asked the professor.
'No‘…. Was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?”
The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?” asked professor again.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students
“Exactly!” said the professor.

Life's problems are something like this.
Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you.
You will not be able to do anything. It's important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to ‘PUT THEM DOWN' at the end of every day before You go to sleep.

That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh &strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!
So, When you leave office today, Remember friend to

'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY! '

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