Always be
careful...
By Valerie
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Always be careful...
BUTTERFLY
Inspiring thoughts :
We forget that forgiveness is
greater than revenge.
People make mistakes.
We are allowed to make mistakes.
But the actions we take while in a rage will
haunt us forever.
Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient. Forgive & forget. Love
one and all.
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. --
Mother Teresa
Unconditional Love - motivating storyA story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad,
I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring
home with me."
"Sure," they
replied, "we'd love to meet him."
"There's
something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in
the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has
nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
Friends
are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to
succeed They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want
to open their hearts to us.
|
DETERMINATON
In 1883, a creative engineer
named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge
connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts
throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told
Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not
practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the
vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time
and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share
the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed
to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge
in fact could be built.
Working together for the
first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be
accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement
and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they
hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but
when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took
the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain
amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk
or even move.
"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams." "It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative
comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the
Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In
spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a
burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as
ever.
He tried to inspire and pass
on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the
task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming
through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart
and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a
moment.
It seemed that there was a
message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do
was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving
this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm
with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers
again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers
what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington
tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the
bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands
in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit
and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a
tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man
who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible
monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years
patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to
do.
Perhaps this is one of the
best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical
handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we
face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in
comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us
that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and
persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream
can be realized with determination and persistence.
|
The Window"
(Author unknown)
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day
to drain the fluids 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. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to 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 would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, 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 could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life. Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence. The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the 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. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. Moral of the story: The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy. The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about. |
| "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of a doctor as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." AMAZING STORY AND THE PICTURE OF THE MIRACLE |
GENEROSITY
Mahatma Gandhi went from city
to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During
one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor
old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes
were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to
the place where Gandhiji was sitting. "I must see him," she insisted and
going up to Gandhiji touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she
brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the
copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under
the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji
refused. "I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,"
Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a copper coin."
"This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said.
"If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't
mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She
gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice
she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."
For more
INSPIRING STORIES FROM GANDHIJI'S
LIFE
|
Touching life story.....
A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
|
Patrick Henry Hughes
Patrick Henry Hughes: born blind and crippled, now "marches" in the Louisville marching band
surgically attached to Patrick's spine to correct scoliosis.
Despite circumstances, Patrick has overcome these physical issues to excel as a musician and student. Patrick started playing the piano at the age of only nine months, and also plays the trumpet and sings. He even participates in the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Bands with help from his father (Patrick John Hughes), who tirelessly maneuvers his wheel chair through the formations with the other 220+ members of the
Cardinal Marching Band.
A virtuoso pianist, vocalist and trumpet player, Patrick has won numerous competitions, as well as winning awards acknowledging the circumstances he has overcome to achieve these heights. He has been featured on ESPN, ABC-TV, Oprah, CBS-TV, The Ellen Show, Extreme Make Over Home Edition, FOX-TV, CSTV, NBC-TV, Million Dollar Round Table, The Grand Ole Opry, People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Star Magazine, and many, many others.
Liz Murray
Liz Murray: from Homeless To Harvard
Her life became a movie in 2003 and she now works as a professional speaker, representing the Washington Speakers Bureau. That same gutsy strength that pulled her from the streets now transforms the lives of others, from student groups to business audiences in need of inspiration to overcome their own obstacles.
Ben Underwood
Ben Underwood: the boy who could “see” with his ears
He was so good at it that he could tell the difference between a fire hydrant and a rubbish bin, distinguish between parked cars and trucks, and — if you took him to a house he had never been to before — he would tell you he could 'see' a staircase in that corner and a kitchen in the other. He could even distinguish between different materials.
An unflinching faith in God guided Ben and his mother during his last few months as cancer spread to Ben's brain and spine. He eventually died on January 2009 at the age of 16.
Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch: inspired thousands of people with his dying speech
In his famous speech, Pausch showed a list of his childhood dreams, and explained how he achieved each of them. His dreams were: being in zero gravity, playing in the National Football League, being the author of a World Book Encyclopedia article, meeting and being Captain Kirk, being "one of the guys who won the big stuffed animals in the amusement park", and becoming a Disney Imagineer.
He was given 3 months of life, he lived 3 more years.
Sean Swarner
Sean Swarner: first cancer survivor to complete the 7-summits, the highest peaks of the 7 continents
Sean isn't just a cancer survivor; he is truly a medical marvel. He is the only person in the world ever to have been diagnosed with both Hodgkin's disease and Askin's sarcoma. He was diagnosed in the fourth and final stage of Hodgkin's disease at the age of thirteen, when doctors expected him to live for no more than three months. He overcame his illness only to be stricken a second time when a deadly golf ball-sized tumor attacked his right lung. After removal of the Askin's tumor, Sean was expected to live for less than two weeks. A decade later and with only partial use of his lungs, Sean became famous for being the first cancer survivor to climb Mount Everest.
After the summit of Everest, Sean had the desire and dream to continue moving forward and reaching people around the world. Climbing the highest mountain on each continent became his next goal. Proving to others that anything is possible, Sean successfully summited Mt. McKinley, to be the first cancer survivor to complete the seven summits. You can read more about Swarner's story on his 2007 book.
Keep Climbing: How I Beat Cancer and Reached the Top of the World
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