A mother's love - real history

In olden times there ruled a great and powerful king, whose name was Solomon. All the land of Israel was under his sway, and there was no one so rich or so honoured on the face of the earth.

Upon succeeding to the throne, Solomon had been filled with awe at the mightiness of the task before him, and in the humility of his heart, prayed for the wisdom to govern justly.
“For,” he said, “I am but a little child, and how should I discern between right and wrong?
His wish was granted and, above and beyond his wealth and honour, Solomon was famed for his wisdom.

One day two women came before the King. They carried with them a little baby, which was set down on the floor, at the foot of Solomon’s throne.
“O my lord,” said one of the women, “five days ago I gave birth to a child. This woman and I live in the same house, and three days later she also gave birth, but that same night her child died, and at midnight she arose and, while I was sleeping, took my son away from me, and laid her dead child in its place. When I awoke in the morning I thought at first that my son was dead, until I realised that it was not my child.”
“No,” interrupted the second woman, “she lies, my lord, she lies! The living child is mine and the dead is hers!”
“No,” cried the first woman, wildly. “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.”
King Solomon raised his hand for silence.
“One of you says ‘my child lives and yours is dead ’, and the other says ‘your child is dead and my child lives’, there is a simple way to resolve the matter. Bring me a sword.”
A sword was brought, and the assembly waited to see how the King would proceed.
“Very well,” he said, “cut the child in two, and give half to one mother, and half to the other.”
The first woman turned pale.
“O my lord,” she said in a faltering voice. “Pray, give her the child. I beg you, do not kill it.”
But the other woman’s face remained hard.
“Let it be neither mine nor yours,” she said, “divide it as the King has ordained.”
Then Solomon arose, and pointed to the first woman.
“The child belongs to her, ” he said. “Give her the child, and do not kill it. She is its mother.”
Word of this judgement spread throughout Israel, and people marvelled at the wisdom of the King.

Are you Jesus?

A group of salesmen went to a sales convention. All had promised their wives they would arrive at time for dinner Friday night. However, the convention ended a little late, and they came tardy to the airport. They all came in with their tickets and portfolios, running through the ails. Suddenly, and unintentionally, one of the salesmen stumbled on a table that had an apple basket.

The apples went flying everywhere. Without stopping, nor turning back, the salesmen continued running, and barely were able to get on the plane. All but one. This one stopped, took a deep breath, and experienced a feeling of compassion for the owner of the apple booth. He said to his friends that continue without him and asked one of them that when he arrived call his wife and explain to her that he was coming in a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal and found all the apples thrown on the floor.

His surprise was great, when realizing that the owner of the booth was a blind girl. He found her crying, with big tears running down her cheeks. She groped on the floor, trying, in vain, to collect the apples, while the multitude passed by, vertiginous, non stopping, without caring for her misfortune. The man knelt down with her, he gathered the apples, put them in the basket and helped her to setup her booth again. While he did it, he realized that many apples had been beaten and they were bruised. He took them out of the basket and put them in another basket.

When he finished, he pulled out his purse and told the girl,"Please, take these one hundred pesos for the damaged we did to you. Are you OK?". She, crying, nodded positively. He continued telling her: "I hope I have not ruined your day." As the salesman was going away, the girl cried loud at him, "Sir..." He stopped and turned around to see those blind eyes. She continued: "Are you Jesus...?"

He stopped abruptly and swirled several times, before heading to board another flight, with that question burning and vibrating in his soul, "Are you Jesus?"

And to you, have people mistaken you for Jesus? Because that is our destiny, isn't it? To resemble ourselves so much to Jesus that people cannot see the difference. To look so much like Jesus, as we live in a world that is blind to His Love, His Life and His Grace. If we say we know Jesus, we should live and act as he would. To know him is much more that to cite the Gospels and to go to church. It is, really, to live His word each day. You are the apple of His eyes, even though you have been bruised by the falls. He left all and gathered you and me in Calvary; He paid for our spoilt fruit. Let's start to live as though we were worthy of the price He paid!

We Can Only Bring Love In the Heart

In one of the schoolrooms of a school there were several children. One of them asked,"Teacher, what is love?"

The teacher felt that the little one deserved an answer that would be up to the intelligent question she had formulated. Since they were already in recess time, she asked her students that they went around the school patio and brought with them what more awaken in them the feeling of love.

The children rushed out and, when returned, the teacher told them,"I want each one of you to show me what you bring with you."

The first student answered,"I brought this flower, isn't it pretty?"

When his turn came, the second student said," I brought this butterfly. See the color of her wings; I am going to place it in my collection."

The third student added," I brought this little pigeon that fell from the nest."

And so on the little ones, one by one, were placing on the table what they had picked up from the patio.

After finished the exposition, the teacher noticed that one of the girls had brought nothing, and remained quite all the time. She was feeling ashamed because she had not brought anything. The teacher turned to her and asked her," Very well, and you? Have you gotten anything?"

The little one, timidly, answered," Excuse me, teacher. I saw a flower and felt its perfume; I thought to pull it up but preferred to leave it so it would give off its aroma for more time. I saw the butterfly, soft, colorful, but it looked so happy that I did not have the courage to imprison it. I also saw the little fallen pigeon among the leaves, but ... when climbing the tree, I noticed the sad look of his mother and preferred to return it to the nest. Therefore, teacher, I bring with me the flower perfume, the sensation of freedom of the butterfly and the gratitude I observed in the eyes of the birdie's mother. How can I show you what I brought?"

The teacher thanked the student and gave her the highest grade, considering that she had been the only one who was able to perceive that we "can only bring love in the heart."

The Out-of-Tune Violin

This story is about a man that reflected defeat by his way of dressing, and total mediocrity, by his way of acting.

It happened in Paris, in a centric street although secondary. This man, dirty and smelly, played an old violin. Before him and on the floor he placed his beret, with the hope that the passers-by had pity of his condition and threw some coins to take home.

The poor man tried to bring forth a melody, but it was impossible to identify it at all due to the out of tune of the instrument, and the unpleasant and boring way he played that violin.

A famous concert performer, who along with his wife and some friends was coming out of a nearby theater, passed in front of the musical beggar. All wrinkled the face to hear those so discordant sounds. And could not help but laugh heartedly.

The wife asked the concert performer to play something. The man took a look at the few coins inside the beret, and decided to do something.

He requested the violin. And the musical beggar lent it with certain reticence.

At first the concert performer did was to tune its strings. And then, vigorously and with great mastery he drew a fascinating melody from the old instrument. His friends started to applaud and the passers-by started to gather around to see the improvised spectacle.

After listening to the music, people of the nearby main street came too and soon there was a small multitude listening in rapture to the strange concert. The beret got full not only of coins, but of many bills of all denominations, while the maestro played melody after melody, with so much joy.

The musical beggar was even happier to see what was going on, and did not cease to jump up and down in joy and proudly reaping to all, "That is my violin!!, That is my violin!!". Which is, of course, rigorously true.

In life we all have "a violin". It is our knowledge, our abilities and our attitudes. And we have the absolute freedom to play "that violin" as we please.

It was said to us that God concede upon us free will, say, the faculty to decide what we will do with our life. And this, of course, is both a marvelous right, as well as, a formidable responsibility.

Some, by laziness, not even tune that violin. They do not perceive that in the present world you have to prepare yourself, learn, develop abilities and constantly improve attitudes if we want to perform a good concert.

They want a beret full of money, and what they deliver is a discordant melody that nobody likes. That is the people who do their job in the form, "here it goes..." Who think in terms of "it costs me...", and that believe that humanity has an obligation to pay for their bad performance, covering all their needs. It is the people that think only of their rights, but feel no obligation to own them.

Truth, as harsh as it may seem to us, is otherwise. You and I, and any other person, have to learn sooner or later, that the best places are for those that not only tune well that violin, but who learn over time to play it with mastery too. That is why we are willing to do well in our daily job, whatever it may be. And to always aspire to prepare ourselves to be able to accomplish other things we would like.

History is full of examples of people that even with initial difficulties became good concert performers with their violins (their lives). And also, unfortunately, it registers cases of many others, that having great opportunities, decided with that violin, to become music beggars.

The truth is that God bestowed upon us "free will". You can do something great with your life, or make of it a misery. That is your personal decision.

And to add something more to the story, I want to bring good news. If someone, for diverse reasons, be whatever they may be, is no longer able to tune his or her own "violin", I can assure you that likewise that famous violinist tuned the beggar's violin, God is in the best disposition to tune and play harmonious melodies of your life. He is as close to you as the word that comes out of your mouth, but in the depth of your heart, expressing your need, and desire to change.

God loves you and wishes the best for you.

Mother's Day Special Poem

A Mother's Day Thought

Today is Mother’s Day
To honor you in a special way.
I thank you for all your love...
For all that you do and say.

I thank you for the warm hugs.
For cleaning my wounded knees.
I love you for always being there.
For being so easy to love & please.

I thank you for the many years
you worked to keep me fed.
I think about the unnecessary tears
that I caused you to shed.

I thank you for being a great chef.
Oh those pies you made for me.
I thank you for being the chauffeur
that took me places I wanted to be.

Oh those times you fixed my jeans
when I tore them on the playground.
It was so wonderful just to know...
Momma was always around.

Oh, Momma, look how time has passed us by.
I now have children of my own.
It’s just that today is YOUR day for me.
It doesn't change just because I'm grown!

I wish all Mothers A very Happy Mother's Day.

The Value Of Woman

In the beginning of the world when God decided to create woman, He found that He had exhausted all the solid materials in man and did not have more with which to dispose. Before this dilemma and after a deep meditation, He did this:

He took the roundedness of the Moon,
The soft curves of the waves,
The tender adhesion of the climbing plant,
The trembling movement of the leaves,
The svelteness of the palm tree,
The delicate shade of the flowers,
The loving look of the deer,
The happiness of the sun and the tear drops of clouds,
The inconsistency of the wind and the fidelity of the dog,
The shyness of the turtledove and the vanity of the peacock,
The softness of the swan feather and the hardness of diamond,
The sweetness of the dove and the cruelness of the tiger,
The heat of fire and the coldness of snow.
He mixed so unequal ingredients, formed the woman and gave her to man.

After a week, man came and said,"Lord, the creature You gave me makes me unhappy, she wants all my attention, never leaves me alone, she chats incessantly, she cries without a reason, it looks like she enjoys making me suffer and I come here to return her because I can no longer live with her!!!"

"Well," answered God and took the woman back.

A week passed, man came back and said, "Lord, I find myself so lonely since I returned the creature You did for me, she sang and played at my side, she looked with tenderness and her sight was as a caress, she laughed and her laughter was music, she was beautiful to see and soft to touch. She took care of me and protected me when I needed it, she gave me sweetness, tenderness, comprehension and love without conditions, please, God, give her back to me, because I cannot live without her!!!"

"I see," said God, "now you value her qualities, that makes me happy very much. Of course, you can have her back, she was created for you, but do not forget to take care of her, love her, respect her and protect her, because if you do not do so, you run the risk of staying without her again... "

The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci is best remembered as the painter of the Mona Lisa (1503-1506) and The Last Supper (1495). But he's almost equally famous for his astonishing multiplicity of talents: he dabbled in architecture, sculpture, engineering, geology, hydraulics and the military arts, all with success, and in his spare time doodled parachutes and flying machines that resembled inventions of the 19th and 20th centuries. He made detailed drawings of human anatomy which are still highly regarded today. Leonardo also was quirky enough to write notebook entries in mirror (backwards) script, a trick which kept many of his observations from being widely known until decades after his death.

Birth Name:	Leonardo da Vinci
Birthdate:	4/15/1452

The Story of "The Last Supper"
by Leonardo Da Vinci

There is an anecdote of the great painter, sculptor and inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci, about his painting "The Last Supper", one of his works presently most copied and sold.

It took 20 years to make it due to the fact that he was very strict at choosing people who would pose as models. He had problems to initiate the painting because did not find a model to represent Jesus, who should reflect in his face purity, nobility and the most beautiful feelings. He also should posses an extraordinary virile beauty. At last he found a young man with these characteristics, he was the first he painted. Then he was finding the eleven apostles, whom he painted together, leaving Judas Iscariote pending, since he did not find the adequate model. This should be a person of mature age and showing in his face the marks of treason and avarice. Thus the painting was unfinished for a long time, until they told him of a terrible criminal they had jailed. He went to see him, and he was exactly the Judas he wanted for finishing his work, for what he asked the mayor if he would allow the defendant to pose for him. The mayor, knowing the fame of the master Da Vinci, gladly accepted and the accused was taken to the painter's studio, guarded by 2 guards and chained.

During all the time that the defendant posed he did not show any emotion for being selected as model, showing himself too quiet and distant. At the end, Da Vinci, satisfied with the result, called the accused and showed him the work; when the accused saw it, extremely impressed, fell on his knees, crying.

Da Vinci, surprised, asked him the reason of his attitude, to what the prisoner answered,
"Master Da Vinci, don't you remember me by chance?"

Da Vinci observing him fixedly answered, "No, never before I have seen you."

Crying and asking forgiveness to God, the accused told him, "Master, I was that youth who 19 years ago you chose to represent Jesus in this same painting."

The moral of this story is that no matter how much physical beauty you posses, it is the inner beauty what in time finally comes out to shine on us and thusly inevitably is marked in our face.

Honour Your Parents

Once upon a time an old man had lost his wife and lived by himself. He had worked so hard as a tailor all his life, but misfortunes had left him in bankruptcy, and now he was so old that was unable to work.

His hands trembled so much that he could not thread a needle, and his vision had turn too cloudy to do a straight seam. He had three male children, but the three of them had grown up and had married, and were so busy with their own lives that only had time to get dinner with their father once a week.

The old man was weaker and weaker, and his children visited him less and less.
"They do not want to be with me now," he said to himself. "because they're afraid that I become a burden to them."

He passed a night without sleeping thinking what would be of him and finally he devised a plan. The next morning he went to see his friend the carpenter and asked him to fabricate a big coffer. Then he went to see his friend, the locksmith and asked him to give him an old bolt and lock. Finally he went to see his friend the glassmaker, and asked him for all the fragments of broken glass he had.

The old man took the coffer home and filled it to the brim with broken glass, he locked it up and put it underneath the kitchen table. When his children went to dine with him, they touched it with their feet.

"What is in that coffer?" they asked looking under the table.

"Oh, nothing," answered the old man, "only some little things I have saved."

His children pushed it and saw that it was too heavy. They kicked it and heard a clinking.

"It must be full with the gold he saved along his years ." they whispered.

They deliberated and understood they should guard the treasure. They decided to take turns to live with the old man, and thus they could take care of him too. The first week the younger son moved into the father's home, and took care and cooked for him. The following week he was replaced by the second son, and the next week came the oldest one. Thus they continued for a time.

Finally the old father got sick and died.

The sons made for him a nice funeral, because they knew that a fortune was awaiting under the kitchen's table, and they could afford a big expense with the old man. When the ceremony ended, they looked around the house until they found the key and opened the coffer. Of course, they found it full of broken glass.

"What a wicked trick! " exclaimed the oldest son. "What a cruelty towards his children!"

"But, what could he do? " asked sadly the second son. "Let's be frank. Were not for the coffer, we could have neglected him until the end of his days."

"I am ashamed of myself ." wept the younger son. "We forced our father to lower himself to deceitfulness, because we did not observe the commandment he taught us when we were little. But the oldest son tipped over the coffer to be sure that there were not any object of value hidden among the glass. He scattered the glass on the floor until he emptied the coffer."

The three brothers looked silently inside, where they read an inscription that the father had left for them at the bottom:

"Honor thy father and thy mother."

The Four Wives

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. 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.

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.

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.

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, the merchant fell ill. Before long, 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!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "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.

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "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 asked the 2nd wife, "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. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll 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

a. 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.

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

c. 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.

d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

Guess what? 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.

The Story of Mother's Day

According to Christian legend, carnations sprang from Mary's tears while she was walking to Calvary. It is the official flower of Mother's Day. Click here to learn more about Carnations.

Mother's day has evolved in many countries in different ways. This is because mother's day has different origins in different countries and hence occurs on different days in the year.

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday".

During this time many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers. On 'Mothering Sunday' the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the 'mothering cake', was often brought along to provide a festive touch.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the "Mother Church" - the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration . People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.

In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass ever year.

In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.

I Said a Mother's Prayer for You

I said a Mother's Day prayer for you

to thank the Lord above
for blessing me with a lifetime
of your tenderhearted love.

I thanked God for the caring
you've shown me through the years,
for the closeness we've enjoyed
in time of laughter and of tears.

And so, I thank you from the heart
for all you've done for me
and I bless the Lord for giving me
the best mother there could be!

A MOTHER'S LOVE

A little girl came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After her Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00

For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00

For going to the store for you: $0.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $0.25

Taking out the garbage: $1.00

For getting a good report card: $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00

Total owed: $14.75

Well, her mother looked at her standing there, and the girl could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper she'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:
No Charge

For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you:
No Charge

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years:
No Charge

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:
No Charge

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:
No Charge

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.

When the girl finished reading what her mother had written, there were big tears in her eyes, and she looked straight at her mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then she took the pen and in great big letters she wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

Reap What You Sow

You can't harvest what you don't sow. So plant your desires, gently nurture them, and they will be rewarded with abundance. ~ Vivian Elisabeth Glyck


The story is told of two boys who were walking through a field and found some corn seeds scattered across the ground. They each took one of the seeds home and planted it.

When the first boy didn't see a tiny sprout after the second day, he dug up the seed to see if it had sprouted. Each day he dug up the seed and replanted it, but the corn would not grow. The seed had germinated; yet the boy had not allowed it to maintain contact with the soil, take root, and obtain nutrients. So, it died.

The second boy planted his seed and left it alone. He imagined a tall stalk of corn where he had planted the seed. He waited patiently as rains came and sunshine bathed the ground with warmth. In ten days, a small sprout had broken through the ground, its curled leaves reaching toward the sky.

Achieving any desire, whether large or small, begins with a seed sown in the mind. That seed is the vision of its fulfillment. It also requires the commitment to allow the vision to grow—the faith in God to do His part through storm, rain, and sunshine.

Commitment in daily life allows life's storms to strengthen resolve. Resolve allows us to nurture a new dream, improve an existing dream, or even begin over if necessary. Faith allows acceptance of any circumstance as God's blessing for ultimate growth.

A seed sown must be nourished with faith and belief. When you hold a picture of the final creation in your mind, you hold and maintain faith. You honor God's desire to create something wonderful, and you honor His choice of your hands to help do the job.

How often do we plant the seed of a beautiful dream in the fertile soil of our minds, and then dig it up? What could you achieve if you allowed your seed to grow, continuing to focus your spiritual eyes on the harvest?

If it were not possible for you to achieve a dream, God would not have placed it in your heart and mind. Sow your seed, allow it to grow, and see an abundant harvest.

LOVE, WEALTH, OR SUCCESS?

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.

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

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

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

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a House together," they replied. "Why is that?" she wanted to know. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!" His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?" Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!" "Let us agree to our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?" The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success. The other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love. Wherever He goes, we go with him."

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

The Wise Woman

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.

But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

Sometimes it's not the wealth you have but what's inside you that others need.

The Bear

One day while walking through the forest, a bear saw a sign "Forest Band Tryouts Next Week".

"Wow, a band, I would love to be in a band," he thought. He had never played an instrument before but he was willing to try. He had seen concerts in the forest before and really admired the animals that could sing and play instruments.

He hurried home to tell his parents of the tryouts. His Mom was cooking dinner; Dad was sitting in his favorite chair reading the newspaper when he rushed in with the news.

"Mom, Dad guess what, I am going to be in a band." Well his parents were stunned since they knew the little cub did not know the first thing about a musical instrument. His Mom just hesitated for a second and then said, "Well, that is great dear, uh, what will you play." She did not want to disappoint the cub so she tried to be encouraging.

"I am going to play the harmonica," he replied. " I just know I can do that, I know I can." He then ran to his room to practice, and he practiced every day for the next week until the tryouts. He woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed on the day of the tryouts and ran to the forest only to see all of his friends there. Sammy the squirrel was there with his guitar, Robby the rabbit with his drum set and everyone was practicing until their name was called. Finally they got to LB and he was nervous but he went in and did his very best. When he was finished he was told that he was good but not quite good enough for the band, the judges were sorry but he just could not be in the band.

The Bear was heart broken especially since all the other animals were chosen for the band and he wasn't. With his head down he headed home, trying not to cry. He was almost home when he heard his name being called, "Wait, wait, I have to talk to you," said one of the judges running toward him. The Bear could not imagine what was going on since he was already told he could not join his friends in the band.

"We need a manager for the band, can you do that." The Bear stood for a second and then replied, "I don't know how to be a band manager, what if I mess up?"

"Well, you won't know until you try, and anyway, all of your friends want you to be a part of the band, so will you do it?" Just at that time all the other animals joined the Bear. "Please do it," they all shouted. "Come on you can do it," said Sammy the squirrel.

"OK, I will do it, thanks guys." Everyone won that day, the other animals would be in the band and the Bear would be their manager.

It just goes to show that if you don't find success in one area, have patience and you will find it in another!

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

Someone once said:
"What goes around comes around."

Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.

One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of."

And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time?

Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.

His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

The Hospital Window

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

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present.

Wisdom From The Elders

Don't spend major time with minor people.
If there are people in your life who continually disappoint you, break promises, stomp on your dreams, are too judgmental, have different values and don't have your back during difficult times...that is not friendship.

To have a friend, be a friend.
Sometimes in life as you grow, your friends will either grow or go. Surround yourself with people who reflect values, goals interests and lifestyles.

When I think of any of my successes,
I am thankful to God from whom all blessings flow, and to my family and friends who enrich my life.

Over the years my phone book has changed because I changed, for the better.
At first, you think you're going to be alone, but after awhile, new people show up in your life that make it so much sweeter and easier to endure.

Remember what your elders used to say,

"Birds of a feather flock together. If you're an eagle, don't hang around chickens: Chickens can't fly!"