My daughter Beth has always been one of the wisest people that I have ever known. Even as a baby this wisdom was apparent. I can remember when I first tried to get her to eat green beans from a baby food jar. With the first spoonful she made a terrible face. When I tried to give her a second spoonful she spit it out instantly and it ran down her bib turning it an ugly shade of green. I then foolishly tried to give her a third spoonful. This one she spit out with such force that it landed on both my face and my shirt. When Beth saw what she had done she let out a delighted giggle and I had to smile myself as I wiped off my face. Later wondering how bad those green beans actually were I took a bite of them myself. Never in my entire life had anything tasted quite so nasty as they did.
Unlike that wise baby, though, many of us continue to take in nasty things everyday of our lives. We hear terrible things said about ourselves and others. We read words filled with hate and prejudice. We see acts of violence and meanness everywhere we go. Instead of spitting them out and refusing to let them dwell in our hearts, souls, and minds, however, we hold them inside of us, digest them, and allow them to become a part of us. In the end we even become more like these things ourselves. We are what we eat, after all.
Don’t allow yourself to keep eating and digesting the fear, anger, and hate that this world so often tries to feed you. Spit it out. Refuse to take another bite. And then like a happy Child of God return laughter, love, and joy for it instead. God loves you and prepares you a meal of kindness, goodness, laughter, smiles, love, joy, and oneness with Him everyday. Why eat something nasty when you can delight in this feast and share it with the whole world instead.
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Tale Of Two Friends
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand:
"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE"
They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he carved on a stone:
"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE"
The friend, who had slapped and saved his best friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you carve on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away, but when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone, where no wind can ever erase it."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BLESSINGS IN STONE.
"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE"
They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he carved on a stone:
"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE"
The friend, who had slapped and saved his best friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you carve on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away, but when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone, where no wind can ever erase it."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BLESSINGS IN STONE.
Hare And Tortoise
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.
The moral- "Slow and steady wins the race. This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with."
THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE, there are few more interesting things.....it continues as follows......
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.
The moral - " Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable."
THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE
The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no way it can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.
The moral - " First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency."
THE STORY STILL HASN'T ENDED.
The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.
The moral - "It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.
Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.
Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could."
In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both. The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.
To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise has much to say: Chief among them are that fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady; work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with failure; & finally, compete against the situation - not against a rival.
The moral- "Slow and steady wins the race. This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with."
THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE, there are few more interesting things.....it continues as follows......
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.
The moral - " Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable."
THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE
The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no way it can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.
The moral - " First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency."
THE STORY STILL HASN'T ENDED.
The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.
The moral - "It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.
Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.
Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could."
In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both. The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.
To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise has much to say: Chief among them are that fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady; work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with failure; & finally, compete against the situation - not against a rival.
Family & Stranger
I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me, too; I wasn't really watching for you." We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said good-bye. But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones,young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown. He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake that night in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger,common courtesy you use, But the children you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the doo at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue." Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family ----an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?
We went on our way and we said good-bye. But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones,young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown. He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake that night in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger,common courtesy you use, But the children you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the doo at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue." Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family ----an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?
Enjoy The Coffee
There was group of Notre Dame alumni, highly established in their careers, who got together at their alma mater to hear a guest lecturer and to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."
God brews the coffee, not the cups... enjoy your COFFEE.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."
God brews the coffee, not the cups... enjoy your COFFEE.
Ever Increasing Joy
One of the most fascinating discoveries that I have made in my life is that no matter how much love you give to others or joy you share with them you still end up with more than you started with. It is a wonderful miracle that never stops amazing me. When I smile and wave at my neighbor across the road I send all of my joy with it. Yet, when I go back inside my house I find that I have even more joy warming my heart and soul than I did before. When I stop to share a few nice words with someone I meet I share my kindness with them as well. Later, however, I find that the kindness in me has grown greater rather than less. When I give my children a hug and tell them I love them I can actually feel the love flowing from my heart and soul to their's. Still, when I look inside myself afterwards I find that the love within me has increased once again.
I still smile everyday at this wonderful miracle although it must drive the mathematicians crazy. I rejoice in this special law of giving that God has blessed our hearts and souls with. I thank God for the ever increasing joy, love, peace, happiness, goodness, and delight that flows back into my life whenever I share it with others. I hope too that one day the entire world realizes this glorious truth and lives it as well.
Norman Vincent Peale said, "Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself." Never stop giving your joy away then. Never stop sharing your love with the world. You will be amazed at just how much love you can bless others with. You will be delighted at just how much joy you can spread. And most of all you will be surprised at just how much more love and joy grows in your heart and soul when you do so.
I still smile everyday at this wonderful miracle although it must drive the mathematicians crazy. I rejoice in this special law of giving that God has blessed our hearts and souls with. I thank God for the ever increasing joy, love, peace, happiness, goodness, and delight that flows back into my life whenever I share it with others. I hope too that one day the entire world realizes this glorious truth and lives it as well.
Norman Vincent Peale said, "Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself." Never stop giving your joy away then. Never stop sharing your love with the world. You will be amazed at just how much love you can bless others with. You will be delighted at just how much joy you can spread. And most of all you will be surprised at just how much more love and joy grows in your heart and soul when you do so.
Our Expectations
A turtle family went on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outings. Finally the Turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found it. For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements.
Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.
He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left. Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years, Six years... Then in the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, "SEE I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."
Moral: "Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves."
Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.
He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left. Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years, Six years... Then in the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, "SEE I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."
Moral: "Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves."
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