ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

by Francie Baltazar-Schwartz

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy", I protested.

"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning, and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door", Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?", I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?", I asked.

"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me", said Jerry. She asked if I was allergic to anything. "Yes", I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply... I took a deep breath and yelled, "Bullets!" Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Jerry lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

This story was send to me by a friend in my e-mail. Today sharing with my blog readers and friends so that you all keep positive and smiling attitude towards life and live it full.

Be Happy. God Bless.

The Seven Wonders of the World

Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

 While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

 The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
 1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
 7. and to love
 The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
 May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
 Enjoy Your Gifts!
Be Happy. God Bless.

Success Rules From Konosuke Matsushita

Konosuke Matsushita was born into a well-off landowning family in 1894. A decline in the family's fortunes during his childhood meant that Matsushita's education was cut short. At age 9 he became a brazier's apprentice, then a year later a bicycle shop apprentice. He stayed five years at the bicycle shop, picking up basic metalworking skills. At age 16 he went to work in the Osaka Electric Light Company.
 Konosuke Matsushita began the Panasonic’s journey by inventing a two-socket light fixture. This very important, yet elegantly simple, breakthrough led to what is now one of the world's largest electronics companies. Since its founding in 1918, Panasonic Corporation grew to become the largest Japanese electronics producer. One of the traits that followed Matsushita throughout his career was a willingness to take risks. When Konosuke Matsushita began working for himself, in 1918, at the age of 23, he had almost nothing: no money, no real formal education, no connections. Yet, his small firm Matsushita Electric Appliance Factory flourished under the guiding hand of a clever, wise, and inspired entrepreneur.
 In the late 1980s, Matsushita’s revenues hit a whopping $42 billion. With nearly 20,000 employees, Matsushita grew such household brand names as National, Panasonic and Technics. Matsushita's success has made him Japan's biggest yen billionaire. He has also made himself the most widely admired businessman in Japan.

Some famous business success quotes form Konosuke Matsushita.
  1.The untrapped mind is open enough to see many possibilities, humble enough to learn from anyone and anything, forbearing enough to forgive all, perceptive enough to see things as they really are, and reasonable enough to judge their true value.
2.Anything worth doing is worth 100%.
3.Business is people.
4.A natural response to a natural phenomenon – that is the secret of success in business and management. You will always win if you rely on common sense.
5.No matter how deep a study you make. What you really have to rely on is your own intuition and when it comes down to it, you really don't know what's going to happen until you do it.
6.If necessity is the mother of invention, then simple, unaffected determination is its father.
7.Even when everyone around you say it's impossible, if you step back and rethink your task in the simplest possible terms, free of the noise of over-erudite and preconceived notions, often the solutions will come to you, out of the blue, so to speak.
8.Recognizing our responsibilities as industrialists, we will devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well-being of people through our business activities, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world.
9.Possessing material comforts in no way guarantees happiness. Only spiritual wealth can bring true happiness. If that is correct, should business be concerned only with the material aspect of life and leave the care of the human spirit to religion or ethics? I do not think so. Businessmen too should be able to share in creating a society that is spiritually rich and materially affluent.
10.If we cannot make a profit, that means we are committing a sort of crime against society. We take society's capital, we take their people, we take their materials, yet without a good profit, we are using precious resources that could be better used elsewhere.
One piece of advice Konosuke Matsushita gave to his employees in the early days of the company was: You may be a well-educated, clever and virtuous person, but those qualities will not necessarily make you a successful businessman. In addition, you must acquire the knack for business. This is to be done “by giving your best to each and every task you take on, and by reflecting on your performance with an honest and unprejudiced eye. If you do this constantly, day after day, eventually you will be able to do your job unerringly." In other words, you acquire the secret to business success gradually by applying yourself with conscious effort from day to day.
Last but not the least  Youth is not a time of life – it is a state of mind.Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years; people grow old only by deserting their ideals.
If you want to be a successful business person whatever small or big business you are in. Take a note of all this successful moral business values it can lead you to live truly rich life both inside out. What I call Live Life Kingsize. Best wishes always on your way friends ..Be Rich!!!
Be Happy. God Bless.

Perfectly Imperfect

There was once a water bearer who had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which, he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, but the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, while the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was very ashamed of its imperfection, and was miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do — or so it thought.The cracked pot, after two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

“I am very ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”

“Why?” asked the water bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

"For the past two years, I have only been able to deliver half of my real capacity, because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the cracked pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and compassionately said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot did notice the sun shining on the beautiful wild flowers growing along his side of the path, and this cheered it some. However, at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had again leaked out half its load, and so it apologized to the water bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and put it to good use. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path (for the return trip), and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For over two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. If you weren’t the way you are, he wouldn’t have the flowers for his house.”
 We can sum up this whole story in a moral that is well expressed in the quote below :
 “To be acceptable is for one to ignore his weakness while knowing his strength, to cover the scar even though it's always there, however, to be impossible is for one to see his weakness as, not an adversary, but the cherry on top of his strength, to rearrange the scar so that it compliments his features.” ― Criss Jami, Killosophy

Be Happy. God Bless.

A Box of Kisses

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
 Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the box was empty.
 He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside it?".
 The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,"Oh, Daddy, it is not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy." 
 The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
 It is told that the man kept that gold box by his bed for years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
 In a very real sense, each of us as humans have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, friends, family and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
Be Happy. God Bless.

Look Up Stories

                                                          image source : https://ada2writes.files.wordpress.com

“Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.” 
― Christian D. Larson 

My Mother wanted me to learn music and go to a good music teacher in my early teen years. I was one easy go lucky type not serious about anything a bit but quite choosy when it comes take up my passion. One day I was crossing a beautiful garden house and heard a very sweet voice singing my favorite song. Her voice was so mesmerizing that I could n’t walk a step further . The very next day I went again and this time one my friend noticed. She told me that a beautiful lady stay here but we never talk to her and she seldom walk out. I made my mind she is one I am going to take my music lesson form . A bit desperate in my determination I went in. A very well mannered person opened the door later when I ask may I meet Mam who is singing inside and I openly state the reason for my meeting. He asked me to stand there and with broad smile He went inside. My feet were trembling want to run away but hold my nerves strong. The Man came back after 5 minutes and then take me inside may be he too was impressed by my honest confession. I saw a beautiful lady sitting in front of the piano. The room was simple but filled with grace and beauty. She call me near her and touch me with such love and care that I am drenched in bliss. But then I realize she was completely blind. She asked me to come with my Mom next day. So me and my Mom reached there in time. I get my first music teacher Adelina Belrose. Her house was a serene place where music get it’s own meaning and spending 2 to 3 hours in weekend means enriching the soul with music and wisdom. She implanted the seed of such goodness not only with words but her deeds that in my later life it helped me to fight back the many odds. The poem above was her favorite and she use to quote it often. Sometimes I felt that God had taken away her physical eyes and gifted her beautiful heart eye with which the world is forever beautiful. For six long years she was my music teacher and then with her husband and son shifted to Paris.
The house was still the same well maintained by some house keeper . It was no less than a synagogue to me .
 Last week I got a call from her son that they are returning to my city. They will stay here for a year but want to buy another furnished home near to his office ask for my recommendation. I said you better log on to Housing.com for a good hassle free choice. This week they are landing and I can’t wait to see my sweet loving Aunt Adelina and hear her song and sharing her optimistic attitude sitting in the bench  of that beautiful rose garden of her house.

 This post is part of Housing.com#LookUp. Housing envisions a world filled with positivity. As elusive as it may seem, optimism can be found all around - in the laughter of children, in the excitement on your pet's face when you get back after a long day, and in the smile of your loved ones when you go back home after months of being away. Tell us your favourite story of optimism - optimism about life, about love, about the world and its future.

Becoming A Mother

                                                   image source :http://bridalmusings.com/
This story came to my inbox today. I read Mr.Mehera's news letter as they are all soul satisfying. But today's post is an eye opener. Can't resist to share it with all my friends reading my blog as it will help many if followed. In today's competitive race people fail to understand that at the end they have to deal not with the degrees of their kids but they as a human.Please read the full story and think on.

              STORY OF A MOTHER'S CURSE - By Vijay Mehera
 Recently, I have visited a friend's father in an old age home. There I met a lady, around 74 years old, who reminded me of my mother. I introduced myself. & we talked for few minutes. Then, without any provocation, she started cursing her son & daughter. "Uday, you have come to see your friend's father but my children, those %@#%$, never cared for me. They ditched me here like an ugly decayed old dog..."she was cursing & shouting so loud. And the beauty of the words she used would create envy in even among parliamentarians in India. I have never ever heard such gutter adjectives that she used to address her son & daughter - horrible! I could imagine her pain, anger, hatred & alienation. I understood that her son is an engineer and daughter is a medical doctor. They have never come to see her. And she is living on her pension.
"Please don’t curse your children, mother..." I said."Both of them are living in huge bungalows with children & servants. They spent lot of money on poojas & rituals too....But they can't spend a minute or a paisa for me “she continued cursing them...
Apparently, she is disillusioned, depressed, frustrated & carrying lot of negative emotions. A tragic situation indeed. Barring the emotional outburst, we fail to see some basic factors that point to bitter truth in life."May I ask you a few questions, mother?"
"Yes..."
"You have given birth to your children with part of your own body. You have nurtured them well. You have provided them with nutritious food & nourished them..."
"Yes...yes...most of the times, I was starving to feed them...Since my husband was not earning well, we were living on my petty salary then..."
"You took care of their body so now they have a good and healthy body..."
"Yes - but my curse will finish off their health, their body will decay..." she scolded.
"Now, my question is, you took care of the body, but what about their mind? What did you do for their mind? Did you teach them any value based knowledge? Did you teach them your traditions, customs, rituals, culture and its significance? Did you read them our puranas (spiritual Indian literature)& itihas (history)?"
 "Who had time for that? I was busy to make both ends meet...I was starving, but I wanted to see them as an engineer or doctor...I wanted to see the society respects my children."
"So, your wishes are fulfilled and then what are you complaining about?" She looked at me with a blank face.
"You taught your daughter MBBS - she became doctor. You send your son to study BTech & he became an engineer. Those are very good positions in your society...You should be happy. You taught them to be competitive & selfish...Fair enough.
But how will they learn what you didn't teach them? Did you teach them any values in life?
Where will they learn from that they should take care of parents?"
 "But...they should...right? I have sacrificed my life...I starved..."
"Mother, you made two mistakes - one, you were irresponsible to your own body & mind.
When you starve, trillions of living beings inside your body will starve, have you ever thought about it? It is a self-violence. What about the curse of your own body cells?
 Second: you were sub-consciously deriving pleasure from this concept: "even if I starve, I fed my kids". So you already got your contentment &happiness.
Your wish was to make them professionals & earn respect in the society - it was also fulfilled..." She didn't have answer.
"Have you sought your kids’ permission before bringing them into this world? Did they request you to take them to this world? If you give them good body, it was your dharma to give them good mind too?" How Rajmata Jijabai did brought her son Shivaji up? Jijabai told him the tales of Ram, Krishna, Hanuman, Yudhistira, Bheem, Sibi etc - fighting the injustice, being truthful, humane and freeing of people from tyranny. These stories made Shivaji the great. He respected women and his mother. On the contrary, how did his arch-enemy Aurangzeb was brought up by his mother? She made a demon out of a man. He imprisoned his own father Shah Jahan & assaulted women & auctioned them. He was trading Indian women as slaves.
"But...I was ignorant about such things..." she said.
Ignorance of karmic laws is NOT an excuse; each & every karma will have its cause and effects. Abdul Kalam was brought up by his mother in poverty - he became India's most-respected president. On the contrary, Adolf Hitler was also brought up in poverty by his mother. See the difference!
"Mother, I am sorry to say, but you got what you deserve. You are responsible for your karma and hence the result" "But the struggle I underwent for them? The miseries & hardship I suffered for bringing them up?"
"Mother, everybody feeds their children. But you should have provided them something else too. Have you shown them or let them experience poverty, miseries & hardship?
You wanted to experience it for yourself in the name of love to children... Then how do you expect them to know your troubles?
You spent lot of money to make them professionals. Did you spend a single penny to make them a good human being?
You have taught them that life is all about tuition or scoring highest marks in the exams and competition items like dance and songs. Did you ever take them to a cancer ward in the hospital? Did you ever take them to an orphanage? Did you make them understand sufferings of old-age people? Where do you expect them to learn such things, mother? From reality shows? Commercials? Television series? If they think that life is about self-centered enjoyment, who is responsible for that life style?"
"But don't they know the meaning of "Mathrudevo bhava" & " she murmured something "Mother, Mathrudevo bhava means, get yourself elevated to the position of the God, not that your demand your children to respect you as God...” I said. She didn't utter a single word.
Tears rolled out of her eyes. I felt I was exceeding the limit. But somebody should tell it to her. It is for her own good. She should stop producing more negativity & hatred. She should take up the responsibility of what had happened to her. That will make her think. And I am sure that she will find solace.
There was nothing else I could do in such situation. "I am really sorry mother...Please forgive me if I have said something that hurt you..." "No my son, you have opened my eyes...I think I am realising your points..." "And please stop calling your son, 'son of a bitch' - in fact you are scolding yourself here. Let me assure you, your son & daughter are not going to escape from the results of their bad karma. They will get it back from their children. Then, they may repent. That point of time, they may understand the sacrifice of their parents.... So, just pray for them, instead of cursing them..." I said.
Be Happy. God Bless.

Response Vs Reaction

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got pan icky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but it landed on another lady in the group.
 Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama.

A waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his hand and threw it out of the restaurant.

 Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behavior?

 If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.
 I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it’s my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. It’s not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.
More than the problem, it’s my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story:
 I understood, I should not react in life. I should always respond. The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

 Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or hurry. Be Happy. God Bless.

Red String Of Fate

There is a very famous Chinese saying: "You are thousands of miles apart but you come together because you have YUAN between you. You face each other but you don't know each other because you don't have YUAN between you." Chinese like to say that YUAN is an invisible thread that connects people.

The term "YUAN" is from Buddhism. It's hard to find an equivalent word in English. The closest word to explain it may be FATE. YUAN is one of the most important ideas in Buddhism. It represents the connection, chance and influence between things. That's why people have the idea of invisible thread. YUAN can be good or bad. Buddhists encourage people to study Buddhism, be kind to others, and benefit society in order to start a broad and good YUAN. So when Chinese talk about YUAN, they mean good YUAN.

If you have YUAN, you become a family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and neighbors. You have YUAN with the people who worship at the same temple. You have YUAN with your doctor. You have YUAN with the people who travel in the same train or boat. Some Chinese like to say that a relationship has to be cultivated for at least 500 years before it blossoms. This saying shows their appreciation for the relationship because it is not easy to wait for 500 years.

If a man marries a woman, there must be a red thread, YUAN, connecting them. The invisible red thread also connects the loving parents, wherever they are in the world, with their waiting baby until they become a family.

YUAN is also called YUAN FEN. If a boyfriend and girlfriend break up, if a couple divorces, or if a family member dies young, people would say that the YUAN FEN between them was not enough, or ended. It is wise to let nature take its course if the YUAN FEN ends. Otherwise, one of them or both of them will be hurt. There are some nice stories related with the invisible red thread.

One story is about an old man under the Moon, who puts the red thread between a future husband and wife. Therefore, the matchmaker gets a nickname: "Old Man under the Moon". One old story featuring the red string of fate involves a young boy. Walking home one night, a young boy sees an old man (Yue Xia Lao) standing beneath the moonlight. The man explains to the boy that he is attached to his destined wife by a red thread. Yue Xia Lao shows the boy the young girl who is destined to be his wife. Being young and having no interest in having a wife, the young boy picks up a rock and throws it at the girl, running away. Many years later, when the boy has grown into a young man, his parents arrange a wedding for him. On the night of his wedding, his wife waits for him in their bedroom, with the traditional veil covering her face. Raising it, the man is delighted to find that his wife is one of the great beauties of his village, and he notices she wears an jewel on her eyebrow. Asking her why she wears it – she replies that when she was a young girl, a boy threw a rock and it struck her on the eyebrow and left a scar. The woman is, in fact, the same young girl connected to the man by the red thread shown to him by the old man back in his childhood. They were connected by the red string of fate.
 An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." --An ancient Chinese belief


Be Happy. God Bless.

All Are Significant

                                         The Cleaning Lady  - Joanne C. Jones
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'Hello'." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was 'Dorothy'. 

Love Yourself

You are Unique of God’s Creation. Nothing can Replace you.
So this Valentine's Day love yourself for who you are. Gift yourself a red rose and a pack of chocolate because you are the one who can love you the most.Our first and last love is...self love.Love yourself because you deserve it. So hug yourself and say -
I love me and all. I don't look for love,I only give love.

Be Happy. God Bless.



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Lesson From A Little Frog

Some of the most memorable lessons in life come from stories. This story may sound like nursery fables but give you an important lesson of life and that is to have believe and faith in your self. World may say thousand words that may discourage you but if you go on trying and trying a day will come when all the doors of success will open in front of you and you will be on the top.
                                              The Frogs and The Tower
There once was a bunch of tiny frogs...
... who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...
The race began...
Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:
"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"
"They will NEVER make it to the top".
"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one...
... Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...
The crowd continued to yell
"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up...
...But ONE continued higher and higher and higher...
This one wouldn't give up!
At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!
THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?
It turned out...
That the winner was deaf.
Be Happy. God Bless.

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Grandfather's Letter

One day, a young man was cleaning out his late grandfather's belongings when he came across a bright red envelope. Written on the front were the words, "To my grandson." Recognizing his grandfather's handwriting, the boy opened the envelope. A letter inside read:

Dear Ronny,
Years ago you came to me for help. You said, "Grandpa, how is it that you've accomplished so much in your life? You're still full of energy, and I'm already tired of struggling. How can I get that same enthusiasm that you've got?"
I didn't know what to say to you then. But knowing my days are numbered, I figure that I owe you an answer. So here is what I believe.
I think a lot of it has to do with how a person looks at things. I call it 'keeping your eyes wide open.'
First, realize that life is filled with surprises, but many are good ones. If you don't keep watching for them, you'll miss half the excitement. Expect to be thrilled once in a while, and you will be.
When you meet up with challenges, welcome them. They'll leave you wiser, stronger, and more capable than you were the day before. When you make a mistake, be grateful for the things it taught you. Resolve to use that lesson to help you reach your goals.
And always follow the rules. Even the little ones. When you follow the rules, life works. If you think you ever really get by with breaking the rules, you're only fooling yourself.
It's also important to decide exactly what you want. Then keep your mind focused on it, and be prepared to receive it.
But be ready to end up in some new places too. As you grow with the years, you'll be given bigger shoes to fill. So be ready for endings as well as challenging beginnings.
Sometimes we have to be brave enough to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Life isn't just reaching peaks. Part of it is moving from one peak to the next. If you rest too long in between, you might be tempted to quit. Leave the past in the past. Climb the next mountain and enjoy the view.
Dump things that weigh you down emotionally and spiritually. When an old resentment, belief, or attitude becomes heavy, lighten your load. Shed those hurtful attitudes that slow you down and drain your energy.
Remember that your choices will create your successes and your failures. So consider all the pathways ahead, and decide which ones to follow. Then believe in yourself, get up, and get going.
And be sure to take breaks once in a while. They'll give you a renewed commitment to your dreams and a cheerful, healthy perception of the things that matter the most to you.
Most important of all, never give up on yourself. The person that ends up a winner is the one who resolves to win. Give life everything you've got, and life will give its best back to you.
Love always,
Grandpa


-Inspirational fiction by Steve Brunkhorst

Be Happy. God Bless.


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Life And The Roller Coaster

I have never figured out why people will pay thirty-six dollars to get into an amusement park so that they can rides that scare them silly and raise their stress level to the max. Yet, the amusement parks (I find the name a little strange) would go out of business if it didn't have rides that sent your stress level off the chart. We pay, and pay big, to be beat to death in a little cart dropping off a hill and flipping us upside down two or three times stopping just in time for most people to catch their stomach.


On the other hand, let some outside stress come into life, something we didn't pay for, and suddenly the world is coming to an end. Since everyone says we can't have stress, or at least not the kind we don't pay for, then we must have a fix.


"Doctor just give me a vacation, some place warm please." "Can't do that? Well -- maybe a pill? A drink?"


How come we can be so brave and tough on the roller coaster and be so whimsy and whinny when the boss wants the job done by five? Actually, I've done a done a little thinking on this matter (Some of you stop laughing right now!). I think I have come up with four simple reasons why "unpaid for" stress get us down so quickly.


First, life's stress events get us down so easily because we are not expecting them. On the roller coaster you knew when you got to the top of the hill that stress was shortly coming. No one can predict exactly when stressful event in life come but we do know they will. A life that is "prayed up" and in touch with God is prepared when those stress related moments come. God's safety straps of love help you hold on and you of his care. The closer you are to Him the easier it is to hold on.


Next, we doubt or forget the security and safety of the Lord. When some youth from my church talks me into riding one of those silly rides, I do so only because I believe that they are somewhat safe. You would never get anyone, with any sense, to ride one of those things it they thought they might really die. When life sends us through the loop, it is assuring to know God is with you all the way. We get stressed out when we forget that we can depend on the security and protection of the Lord.


Another reason the amusement ride is fun and normal everyday stress events drain us is because we lose sight of the end. No matter how high the hill, no matter how fast the ride, no matter how many loops, the roller coaster ride has the glorious end when you can stop and get out. The knowledge that there is an end has helped me through many a tough ride in life. Focus of the simple truth that what every event has an end.


Lastly, but perhaps the single greatest reason we get stressed in everyday life but survive and enjoy the stress of riding "The Wild Thing," is our mindset. We go to an amusement park with the full intention of riding the rides for the thrill of it. We make it fun (Okay some of us do). When we view life with the mindset that this is going to be fun, suddenly stressful events aren't any more that a roller coaster ride.


Hang on tight and enjoy the ride!
--- Author Unknown

Be Happy. God Bless.
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