Lost Watch

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough."

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction."

Moral: A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be...!

Mountain Appearance

"A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?" He receives the answer: "Who are you?"; And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!";The voice answers: "I admire you!"

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!". He receives the answer: "Coward!". He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?". The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention." Again the man screams: "You are a champion!". The voice answers: "You are a champion!".

The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life. Life will give you back everything you have given to it."

Manage yourself

A famous scholar was delivering the lecture to some people. He had pain in his knee joints so he was sitting on a chair as his audience was aware of this knee pain. After sometime a person in a nice suit and overall decent looking personality came and asked to join. The scholar didn't find it appropriate to continue delivering the lecture in sitting position so he stood up and continued his lecture. Though he had pain in the knees but he was patient thinking that the recently joined person is a noble, wise and educated personality. After a few moments, the person interrupted the scholar and asked, what is the time to take breakfast? The scholar wasn't expecting this stupid question so he politely said, you can take any time in the morning you wake up. The person said, what if I wake up at 2 o'clock. The scholar thought that it's time to sit on the chair again because his perception about the person was no more the same as it was some minutes ago :)

The concept here is that your first looks matter a lot. The people you meet usually make the perception about your personality up to a degree of 70%.

Perspective

Look around you and you will be amazed at what you see. We take so much for granted because we focus on the parts of our lives that are hard or unfulfilled.

But if we really stop to look at what we have...we are truly blessed. Others would only dream to have what we take for granted.


The homeless person wishes to have that little house you wish were bigger.


That mother who lost her son would do anything to deal with that defiant child.


The Father that cannot feed his three kids would love to go to the job you hate.


The woman riding her bike 10 miles to work wishes to have the car you want to trade in.


That lonely woman would love that man that forgets to take out the garbage or doesn't pick up after himself.


That orphan child wouldn't mind the mother that makes him clean his dirty room.


The crippled adolescent would love to climb that flight of stairs you dread.


The woman in the hospital dying of cancer wishes to rush home after work to cook her family a meal.


You see it's all in how we look at things.

If we start to look at our lives with the right perspective and focus on the blessings, we will be filled with gratitude. To focus on what we have and not on what we don't is the best way to live.

In the end, the biggest joy and blessing is love. If you look hard enough you'll be amazed at how much love surrounds you and how much you truly have. What you have today you will miss someday.

Never Give up !!!

Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi Banker, an Economist, founder of Grameen Bank and the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2006, said:

"Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables us to discover the limits of our potential, we will never know what we have inside of us."

Since the day a baby is born, it is the responsibility of the parents to mold the character and future of that child. No matter how we try to hide our behavior and activity at home, children can sense it; either it is positive or negative.

The biographies of great human beings, who contributed something in a positive way, have always been inspiration to many of us. By reading their trials and tribulations, we can all learn 'what needs to be followed' and 'what needs to be eliminated'.

When one is determined and focused to accomplish something worthwhile, many obstacles and challenges will arise on the way. As long as the goal is crystal clear and mind is determined to get it done, nothing can stop him or her.

I had a privilege to read the books by world famous author Orison Swett Marden while I was a young college student in Nepal. I love all his books and one of my favorite quotes from one of his books is:

"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible."

Mr. Marden had a very humble beginning, even though he was born in America but with his hard work, passion, determination and by applying a 'never give up' attitude, he became a famous author and even today, his books are being read all over the world in many different languages.

Have we ever thought about the thing that makes us think? That is our brain. Scientists have proven that our human brain does 20,000 trillion calculations per second. I have always thought about it and want to know why people cannot think about something better for their life.

This is a very serious question and many of us always make a quick remark: "I am so busy, I don't have time to think. Life is crazy, so many bills to pay, health challenges, relationship challenges, bad economy..." and the list is endless.

Why waste such a powerful machine, in doing mundane work and not being a dreamer (not just a daydreamer), and work hard as well as smart?

Even after all the tremendous blessings, why do people still forget what they can do and instead, waste their most valuable life in so many unproductive activities?

These questions always bother me when I see talented young people, with so much potential ahead of them in life, just waste their time and energy following the wrong crowd or doing the things that make no sense at the end. Many times I've wondered if it could be that they didn't have the RIGHT EXAMPLE at home or that they couldn't find and follow a true mentor in life.

Many of us already know about Thomas Alva Edison, who invented more than 1,000 useful items and is the inventor of the electric light bulb.

He had his famous quote: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

Edison never gave up on his dreams and goals.

Marie Curie is the first Scientist to win two Nobel Prizes (In Physics and in Chemistry ) even though she had been through so many challenges at home, in her childhood, in college and even after finishing college and university. She never gave up on her dream and invented Radium, the element that was used to treat cancer, known as Curietherapy or Radiumtherapy.

She said, "Life is not easy for any of us. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."

She was told that girls could not continue their education and that they were suppose to be housewives, taking care of the family and children. She knew her heart's desire and never listened to those negative voices, either from outside sources or from inside. She knew what she wanted, in the depth of her heart, and was willing to pay the price as she never believed in overnight success or any kind of shortcuts to success.

There is no other scientist who has received a Noble Prize twice. Not only that, she was a great role model for her daughter Irene Joliot-Curie, who also received a Nobel Prize.

We have the best example of 'Never Giving Up' in American History:
Abraham Lincoln. Here is the list of his failures before he became the US President in 1860:

Lost job, 1832
Defeated for legislature, 1832
Failed in business, 1833
Elected to legislature, 1834
Sweetheart (Ann Rutledge) died, 1835
Had nervous breakdown, 1836
Defeated for Speaker, 1838
Defeated for nomination for Congress, 1843
Elected to Congress, 1846
Lost re-nomination, 1848
Rejected for Land Officer, 1849
Defeated for Senate, 1854
Defeated for nomination for Vice-President, 1856
Again defeated for Senate, 1858

Abraham Lincoln was told many times that he was nobody and could be nobody in life by the committee of 'they' (those critics whose names are not found in any history books). We have not yet seen nor found the statues erected for the critics who see only the negative aspects of everything. It's just the way people look at things, either with optimism or pessimism.

Luck is defined as "Preparation meeting Opportunity". Abraham Lincoln believed in preparation before aiming at anything BIG and did whatever it took to get the dream accomplished. It is recorded in history books that Abraham Lincoln would go to schools on weekends and speak from the podium, as if the empty chairs were occupied by real people, because he was told that he needed to practice speaking in public.

Hard work as well as smart work, with a positive goal in mind, definitely brings success in any area of life.

Life is so good and beautiful. When we look around, there is so much peace, harmony, and beauty in nature that should give us a happy heart to appreciate everything. When I pause for a moment and think about so many people wasting their life in unproductive activities, it gives me so much pain that I wish I could individually sit with that person and spend some time telling him/her how valuable life is.

Sometimes I feel like shouting out loud from the tallest building and telling every human being, "You are the greatest miracle in the world. There is nothing that you can't achieve in life if you believe in it and do not waste your valuable time in destructive things. You are a walking, talking miracle. Just sit for few minutes and start counting the blessings you already have in your life, starting with: being alive, having eyes to look, a nose to breathe, ears to hear, a brain to think and the list goes on."

Here is a beautiful story I read about being remembered when one does not give up and accomplishes something useful that benefits humanity forever:

One day, a teacher was teaching a lesson to the class about never giving up and how history will remember those who never gave up.

She asked the students: "Did Abraham Lincoln ever give up?"

All the students replied, "No".

She asked them again, "Did Edison ever give up?"

Again the students replied, "No".

After mentioning couple of great heroes' names, she finally asked them, "Did Joe Doe give up?"

On that, all the students replied, "Who is Joe Doe?"

She said, "You don't know his name because he gave up."

Before we think there is nothing we can achieve that is useful, let's think twice, may be ten times, even a hundred or a thousand times and let's always remember this:

Keep on Knocking

When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of 65, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a $105 monthly pension check, and a recipe for chicken.

Knowing he couldn't live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of his van, and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant owners, who would in turn give him a residual for every piece of chicken they sold--5 cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down.

So did the second.

So did the third.

In fact, the first 1008 sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he traveled across the USA, sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number 1009 gave him his first "yes."

After two years of making daily sales he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on, knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would catch on.

Of course, you know how the story ends. The idea DID catch on. By 1963 the Colonel had 600 restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with 11 herbs and spices).

In 1964 he was bought out by future Kentucky governor John Brown. Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote KFC until his death in 1990.

Colonel Sanders' story teaches an important lesson: its never too late to decide to never give up.

Earlier in his life the Colonel was involved in other business ventures--but they weren't successful. He had a gas station in the 30's, a restaurant in the 40's, and he gave up on both of them. At the age of 65, however, Harland Sanders decided his chicken idea was the right idea, and he refused to give up, even in spite of repeated rejection.

He knew that if he kept on knocking on doors, eventually someone would say "yes." This is how Jesus has commanded to approach life. He said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." . It's never too late to decide to never give up. Keep on knocking. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking.

Basic Problem

There once lived a king, a very benevolent fellow, loved by this community. He ruled a little kingdom tucked away in a pleasant corner of one of those European regions that used to have little kingdoms tucked in its corners.

One day an army came and overran the castle, making off with half the treasury. The king decided to tell the people he must increase taxes to make up for the loss. He called in one of the court wise men.

“How can I break the news without inciting a revolt?” he asked.

The wise men pondered – that’s his job – and came up with a gentle way of explaining the theft as a tragedy for the entire kingdom, imploring the people for their support. It went over well.

Time passes, and once again the neighbouring army raided the castle, this time carting away much of the food stored for the winter. Once again, the king called upon his wise man – by this time, he was known as the Director of Wisdom – and laid bare the facts.

“What can I tell my subjects this time?” the king asked. “They will lose confidence in me if I can’t defend the kingdom’s food and money.”

Again, the wise man pondered. He advised the king to be frank about the loss, but to say only that it had gone to a neighbouring kingdom that seemed to need it desperately. And the king told the people and asked them to work even harder on the year’s harvest. And they did, and all was well.

By the time, the neighbouring army was getting rather good at raids. Once again they struck, hauling away horses, hay, other foodstock, and most of the royal jewels. Once again, the king summoned his trusted advisor, the VP of Wisdom and Sagely Advice. This time, the king was despondent.

“They raid the treasury. They take our food. They steal our livestocks,” the king wailed. “And the queen’s going to kill me about those jewels. You are my most trusted advisor. What shall I do?”

The wise man hesitated. “I think,” he said. “I think the time has come for Your Highness to put the water back in the moat.”
The moral of the story is simple: solve a basic problem, and you won’t have as many public relations problems.

The boy in the window

One day while I was shopping with my mother, we were walking past a store with a big front window. In this window there was a little boy, just standing there looking back at me. He had a black eye and bruised cheek. And the look in his eyes was so sad. They were filled with so much pain and sadness that just looking into them brought tears to my eyes. And I turned away.

Some years later, while walking past the store again, I saw that same little boy. He had grown some but it was apparant that it was the same boy. He still had bruised cheeks and his nose was taped up from being broken. In his eyes I could still see all his pain, his lonliness, his sadness. Once again it brought tears to my eyes, and once again I turned away.

In my teenage years, I walked past the store again. And again the boy was there. He had grown into a tall young man. No bruises on his face this time. But his eyes had changed. They hadn't lost their sadness or their pain or lonliness, but they had taken on a hard edge. Looking into his eyes this time scared me. This time I not only turned away but I walked faster than I had before because I couldn't bear to see this boy's eyes anymore.

Since I've been a man, I haven't gone back to that store. Maybe because I'm afraid to see the man that boy has become. I was going to go once, but I decided I didn't need that in my life at this point. I mean what is he to me anyway? I don't need it. My life is happy.

Yesterday, I was in my house and I just happened to walk by a mirror. The strangest thing happened. That boy from the window, he was a man now, and he was in that mirror staring back at me. His eyes don't have that hard look to them anymore and he actually looked happy now.

When I think back to the little boy in the window, staring into his eyes, into my eyes, I can't believe I was ever that sad. And I can't believe that his eyes, my eyes, scared me so bad that I couldn't bear to look.

It shows me that anyone's life can change for the better. If that little sad boy, who turned into a hard angry teenage boy, can change into the happy man I saw yesterday... then anyone can change for the better, given the right circumstances.

Who has given more ?

It started as casual small talk; catching up on life events since our last encounter. The conversation turned to a new topic, one I will never forget. This friend of mine, a mother, with a son serving our country in special operations began to share with me his recent experiences.

She described a situation where her son while under attack, was with his comrades moving toward their objective. Unknowingly, he stepped over an IED. He was fortunate; however his friend was not so lucky.

The impact was immediate, his pain more intense than anything he could describe. All he knew was that he was in a different place; wondering to himself, "Is this what dying feels like?" The next thing he remembered was hearing a slight groan coming from nearby. Looking over his shoulder he noticed it was his friend, lying on the ground. It seemed at the time as though lower half of his body was missing. "Could this be; am I still alive?" He thought. Rubbing his eyes, checking with every sense he could muster. Yes, it is my partner, then sudden reflexes kicked in.

Getting up quickly and anguishing over the intensity of his newly realized pain, he made his way to what he now hoped was only a bad dream. Unfortunately his friend was real; it was not a dream. Everything was in disarray; nothing made sense at all. What was part of their world just a minute before was now gone. How could this happen, it was in the flash of an eye. What went wrong he thought to himself.

As he bent over to help, the immediate fear of knowing everything was real hit. Instinct kicked in, all the years of training were paying off. He knew he was his friend's only hope. This dying soldier needed his full attention. His legs were gone; blood was rushing out of his body everywhere. It would be only minutes; maybe seconds and his life would be over.

Grabbing anything he could find which could be used as a tourniquet, he miraculously stopped the bleeding. After waiting for the gunfire to subside, he picked his friend up off the ground leaving a pool of blood where he lay. He carried him off to safety.

As this friend of mine ended her story, she shared that her son saved the life of his comrade that horrible day. He was awarded with a medal of honor and recognized for saving this soldier in record time. Oddly enough, this story, while nearly unbelievable, is not the one that has changed my understanding.

This story is about what I saw, felt and experienced as these words of praise were expressed by this loving mother. We stood face-to-face. I listened staring into her eyes witnessing a miracle. For a moment, her eyes became the window to her soul. Tears appeared creating a brilliant shimmering glow. No longer was there a physical appearance but a clear radiant projection into eternity. I could see directly into her soul; I could feel the beat of her heart!

I ask you, "Who gives more serving our country?" The brave men and women who are willingly giving the ultimate sacrifice? Perhaps, hard to argue another way, but for me I know differently now.

This mother, fully engaged in the life of her children, knows without question that her son is doing what he wants, what he believes, what is necessary. He will sacrifice all if required, knowing it is his duty, sensing it is what he was born to do. She lives for nothing more than to know of his safety. Combat and all that comes with it are a part of their lives now.

This friend and mother of a soldier lives everyday with two objectives. First, she awakes every morning offering words of prayer for the safety of those who have dedicated their lives to protect ours. Knowing now more than any other time, there is a Creator and this Divine source will help, even if it is only to comfort. Second, as she retires to bed each night, she thanks Deity for another day passing with "the black car" not driving up the driveway delivering news from the field.

We praise and honor those who serve our country. We pray for their safety and well-being. We know with certainty, it is our freedoms they protect. For me, I know now, after looking into the soul of a mother, there are some who give more. They, the mothers, will argue differently; I know better.

To the mothers of our service men and women, "Thank you!" We are with you praying for the protection of your children and for your peace and safety, hoping your rewards in life will be all that you yearn for.

May I personally acknowledge you for giving more than I could give, more than I had known possible and more than what has been described as, "the ultimate sacrifice."

I know mothers will remain noble; may peace, comfort and understanding be yours. Let those you have brought into the world receive recognition, love and respect. May the hope and inspiration we receive from you be given back tenfold; it is we who have benefited through your gift.

Seasons

It is turning into winter here now. I have travelled to the west coast and witnessed the first snow falls. Usually when I am here it is wet and cold but this week the Gods are smiling on me as the sky is cloudless and the sun reflecting on the mountain tops gives them an orange glow which is a sight to behold.

Many people have a favourite season. What is yours?

I have found that as I grow older my opinion of this changes or, as each season is in full swing I decide that this is my favourite time of year only to dismiss my comments months later when another change comes around. A few months ago autumn was in full swing and I was in awe of the magical colours of the leaves dancing in the winds. In early autumn it felt good to put a scarf on and feel the strong, fresh, cold breeze invigorate my senses and remind me that summer had ended once again.

Prior to that, summer had been a long lazy affair with trips to the beach, barbeque and beers in hand, and a good posse of friends to share it all with. The first bathing session of the summer is always good. Sometimes you can attempt this a little too early without having given the waters time to amply heat up and a sharp exit is the only solution. I love walking down the street and wearing nothing but shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. If it was warm enough for me to not wear socks every day I would gladly do it. I envy those living in all-year round warm climates where this has become the default choice of footwear.

Sometimes it is difficult to identify when spring transitions into summer (we have the calendar months but they are becoming more and more unreliable). Early spring however is clearly identifiable. The melting of the snows, the budding of flowers, longer daylight hours and rivers containing wild torrents from the flow of water from the mountain tops. We can shed the heavy wool jumpers and hats for something a little lighter and more breathable and perhaps even start eating outside again at night-time without the assistance of a blanket on the lap or a heater overhead.

And so to winter again. I can feel you asking yourself where I am going with this and the truth is that before I started writing this page I had absolutely no idea.

I have taken a little trip down memory lane however and realised that in every season I have had several moments where I have stopped to look around and appreciate how lucky I was at that point and space in time to be witnessing such beauty around me.

Perhaps sometimes we are too intent in looking around the corner to find out what is coming next without realising that it will come soon enough and will then drift of to become nothing but a memory. We should be looking to enjoy today and all the miracles it brings us. It is easy to acknowledge that miracles happen around us but recognizing these as they happen is what really awakens our mind and senses.

Take a look around, breathe it in and appreciate it. Tomorrow will be here soon enough

Created to soar success

In 1978 two men, Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus, unexpectedly lost their management jobs at a chain of hardware stores. Instead of viewing their job loss as a negative and being overwhelmed with despair, these seasoned business professionals saw this adversity as an opportunity to improve their conditions and take positive control of their future careers.

Many have found that past difficulties have inspired them to their greatest achievements. For the hardships that we face can provide us with a chance to discover who we really are, what we are made of, what we're destined to become and share with others.

Thus, receptive to innovation and with an entrepreneurial spirit, the men had been envisioning, for a while, a new approach to the home-improvement field. As a result, the two men decided to join forces and formulated a plan to implement their vision.

Some critics laughed at them when they heard about their pioneering business idea; a new concept for a nationwide chain of home-improvement stores. Yet, the strong-willed men did not let other people talk them out of daring to reach for success.

I like what Ralph Waldo Emerson once inscribed, "Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them."

Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus continued to research their brainchild; superstores with a wide variety of products at low prices and excellent customer service. They applied their knowledge, and with a positive outlook and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others, enthusiastically worked toward their venture. A year later, Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus co-founded the Home Depot store chain.

Whatever you aspire to do, whatever you want to be, you can accomplish it.

Perhaps, everywhere you turn, you've been hit with ongoing troubles. But don't be swept away with the notion that, "It's over for me now," "I have missed my chance," or "I've made too many mistakes to succeed." Let go of previous disappointments and forgive those who may have hurt you. It's not too late or too early to transform your situation for the better.

A few months ago, I hurt my right shoulder lifting weights. At a routine doctor's visit, I explained to the doctor what had happened. After he examined my arm and took x-rays, I questioned, "Should I keep exercising?" The doctor replied, "Yes," and went on to say that some injuries heal quicker if you keep on moving.

I believe that the same concept holds true when we encounter setbacks. Despite what's happened, we have to keep on moving forward! So don't stop, or think a past difficulty is the end. Learn from challenging experiences and keep on moving forward. Remember, just one 'yes,' one 'opportunity' one 'idea' or one 'person,' can turn past sorrows into present joys.

Today, assess your heart's desires. What would you pursue if anything were possible?

Get a pencil and a sheet of paper and sit down and make a list of your aspirations.

Reach as high as your imagination will take you. And jot down dates in which your desired goals should be accomplished, believing and affirming daily their realization.

Just as an eagle soars far above the plains below, higher and higher into the azure sky, you have further to go on your journey. Get your enthusiasm back. God is guiding you, and there are infinite possibilities ahead. So, let them unfold. A whole, new, clear glorious life lies before you.

Don't change the world

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather.

Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money. Then one of his wise servants dared himself to tell the king, “Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet?”

The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a “shoe” for himself.

Moral of the Story:
There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story: to make this world a happy place to live, you better change yourself - your heart; and not the world.

Midas touch

We all know the story of the greedy king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and the more he had the more he wanted. He stored all the gold in his vaults and used to spend time every day counting it.

Distorted values lead to tragedy.

2. Sometimes getting what you want may be a bigger tragedy than not getting what you want.

3. Unlike the game of soccer where players can be substituted, the game of life allows no substitutions or replays. We may not get a second chance to reverse our tragedies, as the king did.

One day while he was counting a stranger came from nowhere and said he would grant him a wish. The king was delighted and said, "I would like everything I touch to turn to gold." The stranger asked the king, Are you sure?" The king replied, "Yes." So the stranger said, "Starting tomorrow morning with the sun rays you will get the golden touch." The king thought he must be dreaming, this couldn't be true. But the next day when he woke up, he touched the bed, his clothes, and everything turned to gold. He looked out of the window and saw his daughter playing in the garden. He decided to give her a surprise and thought she would be happy. But before he went to the garden he decided to read a book. The moment he touched it, it turned into gold and he couldn't read it. Then he sat to have breakfast and the moment he touched the fruit and the glass of water, they turned to gold. He was getting hungry and he said to himself, "I can't eat and drink gold." Just about that time his daughter came running and he hugged her and she turned into a gold statue. There were no more smiles left.

The king bowed his head and started crying. The stranger who gave the wish came again and asked the king if he was happy with his golden touch. The king said he was the most miserable man. The stranger asked, "What would you rather have, your food and loving daughter or lumps of gold and her golden statue?" The king cried and asked for forgiveness. He said, "I will give up all my gold. Please give me my daughter back because without her I have lost everything wo rth having." The stranger said to the king, "You have become wiser than before" and he reversed the spell. He got his daughter back in his arms and the king learned a lesson that he never forget for the rest of his life.

How we affect others !!!

My second year attending college I moved 300 miles away from my home of six years and entered a private Christian college. I was thrilled that I was going to attend my first pick school. My favorite class was English I with Professor Wilcox. He encouraged creativity and open thought which was right up my alley.

Throughout high school I have been pretty much told what to write and what to think. I enjoyed the challenge of his vague writing assignments; it made me have to really think about what I put down on paper.

As the school year progressed I became very ill and missed several of my classes. I apologized over and over to my professors for missing their classes, and I did the assignments out of hospital rooms or between trips to specialists and weekly doctors visits. At the end of the term my medical condition had improved some and I was able to start doing some of the extra credit to make up for my daily grades. I worked double time to bring my grades up.

The day of my English final, Professor Wilcox approached me and handed me a single sheet of rose pink paper. He told me to read on my way home to Texas. I decided that I couldn't wait and the second I stepped into my dorm room I opened the paper and read aloud. He had wanted to thank me for encouraging him throughout the school year.

In his letter he described the plight of a young woman, the youngest in her class, struggling with sickness and a full class schedule that somehow managed to pull herself up by her bootstraps and muttle through the year.

The last line of his letter read as follows: "I have watched you thoroughly enjoy yourself in my class, and I have read of your struggle against all odds to stay in school. You truly personify my favorite verse in the book , Thank you for showing the world how to be brave and how to rely completely on God."

I hadn't realized it at the time but everything we do and say affects other people. My being sick had helped a professor I barely knew to get through a very trying time in his life. I just want everyone to know that even though things may seem rough, there will always be better days ahead.

Thankyou Bill

When I was 21, I was going through a rough time in my life. I had lost all interest in my work because I was downsized in my job, or a nice way of saying "you're fired". I had a relationship that was now over, even though I worked hard at it, and I had started to feel panic. But then I started to talk to my friend Bill.

He was a good guy that I met in high school, and he introduced me to a great opportunity with a sales/and marketing company in Ohio. I didn't think I was cut out for it but I started to change, not just me but my lifestyle. I was more positive, motivated, enthusiastic and happier than I ever was before.

Then the work started to get too hard and I wanted to quit but my friend Bill said this:


"Brian do this not for me, your friends, or your family. Do this opportunity because you want to and you have to take the right path or the wrong path. The wrong path is a sunny day kind of person, one who is euphoric at the moment; one who doesn't mind taking a walk down that road if the weather is sunny or fine. But when the weather starts to get bad, they go inside and don't want to deal with the bad weather because there scared of it, and they won't stay on the right path even when the bad weather will get better. So make sure to stick with your decision, even if the path your walking on is bad weather at the moment, because if you persist through the bad weather, the good weather won't be far behind".

That meant a lot to me and after he said that I changed my attitude for life. Now I am on the right path no matter what. Thanks Bill:)