(131)

(116)

Most fights, they say, begin with the second blow. While there is a time and place to 'fight for our rights', most of the time just a bit of self restraint, sense of humor and ability to 'let it go' can avert unnecessary communication breakdowns in our daily relationships.

I think this poem expresses it beautifully! ...


"Don't stoop my friend, to answer back,

Why not just Let It Go?

You'll find this giving word for word

Will never pay, you know.

Though 'tis true of human nature

This giving tit for tat,

Yet truly happy folks have found

A better way than that.

And though it seems impossible

It's better in the end

To take the wiser, higher ground, and

Just LET IT GO, my friend.

"I know sometimes it's very hard

And seems it can't be done,

But if you'll learn this better way

A victory will be won;

For you will save what's so worthwhile--

Both time and feeling, too,

When you ignore the hurtful words,

Don't try to argue through.

For then you'll know without a doubt

'Twas better in the end,

To take the wiser, higher ground, and

Just LET IT GO, my friend.

"Now some folks always answer back

They never hold their peace;

In trying to defend themselves

It seems they never cease;

Giving vent to every feeling

Whatever's on the mind

Regardless of the consequence,

Then, after all, to find

It didn't pay and would have been

much better in the end

To take the wiser, higher ground,

And LET IT GO, my friend.

"For truly great folks never stoop

To answer petty things;

The unkind word, the bitter cut

That rankles deep and stings.

They are too big to notice them,

They simply pass them by,

And even with a smile sometimes

Or twinkle in the eye.

For they have found that after all

'Twas better in the end

To meet it with a smile, and then

Just LET IT GO, my friend."

- Author Unknown

(104)

An inspiring true story that shows just how simple it can be for one person with an idea to make a difference!

Aabid Surti is an odd character. A few years ago, the angular, bearded author was invited to meet the President of India to receive a national award for literature at a ceremony in the capital, New Delhi . He politely declined. Absorbed in writing the first draft of his new novel, he cited the reason that he did not have time. But what he has made time for every Sunday for seven years now, is going door-to-door in Mira Road , a non-descript suburb of Mumbai, with a plumber in tow, asking residents if they need their tap fixed for free!

As a distinguished Indian painter and author, Aabid has written around 80 books but no story so moved him as the truth about water scarcity on the planet. “I read an interview of the former UN chief Boutros Boutros Ghali,” he recalls, “who said that by 2025 more than 40 countries are expected to experience water crisis. I remembered my childhood in a ghetto fighting for each bucket of water. I knew that shortage of water is the end of civilized life.”

Around the same time, in 2007, he was sitting in a friend’s house and noticed a leaky tap. It bothered him. When he pointed it out, his friend, like others, dismissed it casually: it was too expensive and inconvenient to call a plumber for such a minor job – even plumbers resisted coming to only replace old gaskets.

A few days later, he came across a statistic in the newspaper: a tap that drips once every second wastes a thousand litres of water in a month. That triggered an idea. He would take a plumber from door to door and fix taps for free – one apartment complex every weekend.

As a creative artist, he had earned more goodwill than money and the first challenge was funding. “But,” he says, “if you have a noble thought, nature takes care of it.” Within a few days, he got a message that he was unexpectedly being awarded Rs.1,00,000 ($2,000) by the Hindi Sahitya Sansthan (UP) for his contribution to Hindi literature. And one Sunday morning in 2007, the International Year of Water, he set out with a plumber to fix the problem for his neighbors.

He began by simply replacing old O-ring rubber gaskets with new ones, buying new fixtures from the wholesale market. He named his one-man NGO ‘Drop Dead’ and created a tagline: save every drop… or drop dead.

Every Sunday, the Drop Dead team – which consisted of Aabid himself, Riyaaz the plumber and a female volunteer Tejal – picked the apartment blocks, got permission from the housing societies, and got to work. A day before, Tejal would hand out pamphlets explaining their mission and paste posters in elevators and apartment lobbies spreading awareness on the looming water crisis. And by Sunday afternoon, they would ensure the buildings were drip-dry.

By the end of the first year, they had visited 1533 homes and fixed around 400 taps. Slowly, the news began to spread.

In March 2008, director Shekhar Kapur, who was working on his own water conservation film, heard about Aabid’s efforts and wrote on his website: ‘Aabid Surti, thank you so much for who you are. I wish there were more people like you in this world. Keep in touch with us and keep inspiring us. Shekhar.’

Local newspapers began to write about Drop Dead, which prompted a further flood of grateful emails and spontaneous messages. One of the most heartfelt messages was from superstar actor-producer Shah Rukh Khan, a longtime fan of Aabid’s work as a comic book creator. After reading the newspaper report titled ‘City of Angels’, he wrote to Aabid: “…It sounds like one of the little big things my dad would have done.Strange that I have enjoyed [your comic] Bahadur in my childhood and enjoyed reading your tap story so many years down the line… when I am father myself. God bless you and yes, I believe in angels after reading the newspaper.”

In 2010, Aabid Surti was nominated for the CNN-IBN CJ ‘Be The Change’ Award. In the same year, a television crew from Berlin flew down to follow him on his Sunday rounds which continued come monsoon or shine.

It’s hard to say how much water he has saved with his mission, given that the faucets he fixed could have continued leaking for months, and maybe years, had he not rung the doorbell one Sunday morning. But conservatively, it could be estimated that he has single-handedly saved at least 5.5m litres of water till date.

In the summer of 2013, the state where Aabid lives is expecting its worst drought in 40 years. Months in advance, the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan has warned citizens to begin conserving water. While ministers lobby for drought-relief packages worth millions of dollars, Aabid sees his own approach as simple and inexpensive.

As he rings another door-bell on yet another Sunday in Mira Road , seven years into his one-man mission, he says: “Anyone can launch a water conservation project in his or her area. That’s the beauty of this concept. It doesn’t require much funding or even an office. And most importantly, it puts the power back in our own hands.”

I would call him a modern-day angel......

(82)

THE PROMISE

'How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come here
right
away  and make your darling daughter eat her food?'

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu

looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes.  In front of her
was
a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.

Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just
turned
eight.  She particularly detested Curd Rice.  My mother and my wife are

orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects'of Curd Rice!

I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl.

"Sindu, darling, why don't you  take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice?

Just for Dad's sake, dear.  And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at
me'

I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back.

Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands.
'OK,
Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this.

But, you should...'  Sindu hesitated.

'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask
for?'

'Oh sure, darling'.

'Promise?'

'Promise'.  I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with
mine, and clinched the deal.

'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted.

My wife slapped  her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise', without any

emotion.

Now I became a bit anxious.  'Sindumma, you shouldn't insist on getting
a
computer or any such expensive items.  Dad does not have that kind of
money right now.  OK?'

'No, Dad.  I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she

finished eating the whole quantity.

I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child eat

something that she detested.

After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with

expectation.

All our attention was on her.  'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off,

this Sunday!' was her demand!

'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child having her head shaved off?

Impossible!'.

'Never in our family!' my mother rasped.  'She has been watching too
much
of television.  Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV
programs!'

'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else?  We will be sad seeing

you with a clean-shaven head.'

'No, Dad.  I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality.

'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried
to
plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'.
Sindu
was in tears.  'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for.  Now,
you
are going back on your words.  Was it not you who told me the story of

King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honour our promises no

matter what?'

It was time for me to call the shots.  'Our promise must be kept.'

'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.

'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honour her

own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked

big & beautiful.

On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school.  It was a sight to watch

my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom.  She turned around and

waved.

I waved back with a smile.  Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and
shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!'

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy.

'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.

'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!'

Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued,

'That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish.  He
is
suffering from ...... leukemia.'

She paused to muffle her sobs.  'Harish could not attend the school for

the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side
effects
of the chemotherapy.  He refused to come back to school fearing the
unintentional but cruel teasing of the
schoolmates.  Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she

will take care of the teasing issue.

But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake
of
my son!  Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as

your daughter.'

I stood transfixed.  And then, I wept.  'My little Angel, will you grant

me a boon?  Should there be another birth for me, will you be my mother,

(78)

Has the water entered my ship?

In 1923, nine of the wealthiest people in the world met at Chicago 's Edgewater Beach Hotel. Their combined wealth, it is estimated, exceeded the wealth of the government of the United States at that time. These men certainly knew how to make a living and accumulate wealth.

Attending the meeting were the following men:

The president of the largest steel company,

The president of the largest utility company,

The president of the largest gas company,

The president of the New York Stock Exchange,

The president of the Bank of International Settlements,

The greatest wheat speculator,

The greatest bear on Wall Street,

The head of the World's greatest monopoly,

& a member of President Harding's cabinet.

That's a pretty impressive line-up of people by anyone's yardstick.

Yet, 25 years later, where were those nine industrial giants?

But let’s examine what happened to them 25 years later.

1. The President of the then largest steel company (Bethlehem Steel Corp), Charles M Schwab, lived on borrowed capital for five years before he died bankrupt.

2. The President of the then largest gas company, Howard Hubson, went insane.

3. One of the greatest commodity traders (Wheat Speculator) , Arthur Cutten, died insolvent.

4. The then President of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, was sent to jail.

4. The member of the US President’s Cabinet (the member of President Harding's cabinet), Albert Fall, was pardoned from jail just to be able to go home and die in peace.

5. The greatest “bear” on Wall Street, Jesse Livermore committed suicide.

6. The President of the then world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, committed suicide.

7. The President of the Bank of International Settlement, Leon Fraser, committed Suicide.

8. The president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull, died penniless!!

What they forgot was how to "make" life while they got busy making money!

Money in itself is not evil;it provides food for the hungry, medicine for the sick, clothes for the needy; Money is only a medium of exchange.

We need two kinds of education:

.....a) One that teaches us how to make a living

and

.....b) One that teaches us how to live.

There are many of us who are so engrossed in our professional life that we neglect our family, health and social responsibilities.

If asked why we do this we would reply that "We are doing it for our family".

Yet, our kids are sleeping when we leave home. They are sleeping when we come back home!! Twenty years later, we’ll turn back, and they’ll all be gone, to pursue their own dreams and their own lives....................................................

Without water, a ship cannot move. The ship needs water, but if the water gets into the ship, the ship will face existential problems. What was once a means of living for the ship will now become a means of destruction.

Similarly we live in time where earning is a necessity but let not the earning enter our hearts, for what was once a means of living will surely become a means of destruction for us as well!!

So take a moment and ask yourself………. Has the water entered my ship? I surely hope it hasn't yet done so!

(70)

Anger and Love have no Limit

I wish to share Most Beautiful mail :

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old  son picked stone & scratched lines on the side of the car.
In anger, the man took the child's hand & hit  it many times, not realizing he was using an iron wrench.
At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father....
With painful eyes he asked 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'
Man was so hurt and speechless. He went back to car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions.......
sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches, child had written
'LOVE YOU DAD'.
The next day that man committed suicide....
Anger and Love have NO LIMIT - choose the latter to have a beautiful & lovely life....
THINGS are meant to be USED and PEOPLE are to be LOVED,
...but the problem of today's world is that....
People are used & Things are loved!!!

One can change if ONE wants to ! 

(69)

Dr. Abdul Kalam's Letter to Every Indian

Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.
I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours..
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand ..
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan ..
Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

(67)

“Power of Positivity”

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cupcakes, several cans of root beer and started on his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he saw an elderly woman. She was sitting on a park bench watching the pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed the lady looked hungry so he offered her a cupcake. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him.

Her smile was so wonderful that he wanted to see it again, so he offered a root beer as well. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!
They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling without saying a word.

As it began to grow dark, the boy realized how tired he was and wanted to go home. He got up to leave but before he had gone no more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to the old woman, giving her a big hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy arrived home his Mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked, what has made you so happy today He replied, I had lunch with God. Before his mother could respond he added, you know what she’s got the most beautiful smile in the whole world!

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face. He asked, Mother, what has made you so happy today she replied, I ate cupcakes in the park with God. And before her son could reply, she added, You know, he is much younger than I expected.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring; all of which have the potential to turn a life around

(65)

Who Packs Your Parachutes?

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by  a  surface-to-air  missile.  Plumb  ejected  and parachuted into enemy hands.

He  was  captured  and  spent  six  years  in  a communist  Vietnamese  prison.  He  survived  the ordeal  and  now  lectures  on  lessons  learned  from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant,  a  man  at  another  table  came  up  and said, “You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” “How in the world did you know that?” asked

Plumb. “I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and  said,  “I  guess  it  worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute had not worked, I would not be here today.”

Plumb could not sleep that night, thinking about that man.  Plumb says,  "I  kept  wondering  what  he  had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in

the  back;  and  bell-bottom  trousers.  I wonder  how many times I might have seen him and not even said Good morning, how are you? or anything because, you  see,  I  was  a  fighter  pilot  and  he  was  just  a sailor.” Plumb  thought  of  the  many  hours  the  sailor  had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now,  Plumb  asks  his  audience,  “Who  is  packing your parachute?" Everyone  has  someone  who  provides  what  they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane  was  shot  down  over  enemy  territory  he needed  his  physical  parachute,  his  mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important.

We  may  fail  to  say  hello,  please,  or  thank  you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

(57)

NEVER QUIT

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationships, my
spirituality..... I wanted to quite my life. I went to the woods to
have one last talk with God.

"God", I said, " Can you give me one good reason not to quit ?"

His answer surprised me. "Look around". He said, "Do you see the fern
and the bamboo?" "Yes," I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care
of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. Then fern quickly grew
from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing
came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo."

"In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And
again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the
bamboo."

"In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I
would not quit. The same thing happened in year four."

"Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.
Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant.

"But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong
and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my
creations a challenge they could not handle."

"Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling,
you have actually been growing roots ? I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you."

"Don't compare yourself to others," He said. "The bamboo had a
different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest
beautiful.

"Your time will come," God said to me. "You will rise high"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes," He said, " Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest, realizing that God will never give up on me. And he
will never give up on you.

Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness; bad
days give you experiences. Both are essential to life.

(56)

My Loved One,

Lets Make a Better Self,

Follow Your Dreams...

There were once two brothers who lived on the 80th level. On coming
home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not
working and that they have to climb the stairs home.

After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to
abandon their bags and come back for them the next day. They left
their bags then and climbed on. When they have reached to the 40th
level, the younger brother started to grumble and both of them began
to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling
all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they have only 20 levels more to climb and
decided to stop quarreling and continue climbing in peace. They
silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood
calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door. And
they realized that the key was in their bags which was left on the
20th floor.

This story is reflecting on our life…many of us live under the
expectations of our parents, teachers and friends when young. We
seldom get to do the things that we really like and love and are under
so much pressure and stress  that by the age of 20, we get tired and
decide to dump this load.

Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and
dream ambitious wishes.
But by the time we reach 40 years old, we start to lose our vision and
dreams. We began to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and
criticize. We live life as a misery as we are never satisfied.
Reaching 60, we realize that we have little left for complaining
anymore, and we began to walk the final episode in peace and calmness.

We think that there is nothing left to disappoint us, only to realize
that we could not rest in peace because we have an unfulfilled dream
…… a dream we abandoned 60 years ago.

Follow your dreams, so that you will not live with regrets

(34)

This is a powerful message for our modern society.
We seem to have lost our bearing & our sense of direction.

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview; the director did the last interview.
The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"
The youth answered "none".

The director asked, "Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"
The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, "Where did your mother work?"
The youth answered, "My mother worked as laundry woman.
The director requested the youth to show his hands.
The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, "Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"
The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, "I have a request. “When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands.
His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the young man.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother’s hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: "Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, "I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked, "Please tell me your feelings."

The youth said:
  1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not have been the successful me today.
  2. By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.
  3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationships.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for to be my manager.
I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put him self first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For this kind of a person, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement. He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the children instead?*

You can let your children live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, you want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your children learn how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learn how to work with others to get things done.

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Woman and a Fork >There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss  certain aspects of her final wishes. >She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. >Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. >'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly.. >'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply. >'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.' >The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. >That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked. >'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor. >The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' >So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork ..the best is yet to come.' >The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming. >At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.. >During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. >He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Your loved ones are a very rare jewel , indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share....having them in life is not an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility.