INTERESTING THOUGHTS AND STORIES

It all depends on the way we look at things.

One day a father and his rich family took his son to a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “Very good Dad!” “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Yeah!” “And what did you learn?” The son answered, “I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden; they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden; they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon.” When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. His son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!” Isn’t it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life - you’ve got everything! You can’t buy any of these things, but still you can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc., but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!

ON SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Let me be a little kinder.
Let me be a little blinder to the faults of those above me.
Let me praise a little more.
Let me be, when I am weary, just a little bit more cheery
Let me serve a little better on those whom I am working for.
Let me be a little braver when temptation makes me waver.
Let me strive a little harder to be all that I should be.
Let me be a little meeker with the person who is weaker;
Let me think more of my neighbor, and a little less of me.

A CREED TO LIVE BY

“Don’t underestimate your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless. Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you will live all the days of your life. Don’t give up when you still have something to give.Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don’t be afraid to encounter risks.It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings. Don’t dismiss your dreams,to be without dreams is to be without hope;to be without hope is to be without purpose. Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been but also where you’re going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.” ~Nancy Sims

A HEART-TOUCHING STORY

Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia in 1977, I saw a water puddle ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn’t covered by water and mud. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked! I did nothing, for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally unexpected. I was startled, as well as unhurt, despite having been struck four or five times already. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Instead of attacking more, he hovered in the air on graceful butterfly wings in front of me. Had I been hurt I wouldn’t have found it amusing, but I was unhurt, it was funny, and I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly! Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He rammed me in the chest with his head and body, striking me over and over again with all his might, still to no avail. For a second time, I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward. My attacker charged me again. I was rammed in the chest over and over again. I wasn’t sure what to do, other than to retreat a third time. After all, it’s just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attacker moved back as well to land on the ground. That’s when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier.He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed. Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate’s sake, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her. Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddle to the other side of the path, though it was only inches wide and extremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself, just for his mate’s safety, justified it. I couldn’t do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed. I left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots when I later reached my car. Since then, I’ve always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.

Two Things Not to Worry About

In my life, I have found there are two things about which I should never worry. First, I shouldn’t worry about the things I can’t change. If I can’t change them, worry is certainly most foolish and useless. Second, I shouldn’t worry about the things I can change. If I can change them, then taking action will accomplish far more than wasting my energies in worry. Besides, it is my belief that, 9 times out of 10, worrying about something does more danger than the thing itself. Give worry its rightful place - out of your life.

THE OPTIMIST CREED

The official creed of Optimist International

Promise Yourself —

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

DESIDERATA
by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be; and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

A TRUE
STORY WITH A MORAL

The year was 1968, and Kenneth Swan was a young army surgeon, just arrived in Vietnam. One of his first cases was a 19-year-old soldier who had been blown up by a grenade, losing his eyesight and both legs. It took seven long grueling hours at the operating table to put him back together. Dr. Swan was surprised the next day to find his fellow surgeons sharply critical of him. For not doing a good job? No-for doing the job at all.” That kid was so badly mangled,” they told him, “you shouldn’t have even bothered to treat him. He would have been better off dead.” For the next 20 years, Swan was haunted by those words. Had he had done the right thing in trying to save that soldier’s life? Swan determined to find the soldier he had patched up so many years ago in Vietnam. It took more than two years, but in the end he managed to locate him. And what he found was nothing short of astonishing. Yes, the man is blind and in a wheelchair. But he is not languishing in any hospital. He is married and has two daughters. He attended college, learned to scuba dive, and trained to help others with debilitating injuries. Now in his forties, the former soldier has a zest for life-and a faith in God. When a reporter asked him about his success in life, he responded simply,
“I GIVE THE CREDIT TO GOD.”



FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart. Anger is only one letter short of danger. If someone betrays you once, it’s his fault; if he betrays you twice, it’s your fault. Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. God gives every bird it’s food, But He does not throw it into it’s nest. He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all. Beautiful young people are acts of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. The tongue weighs practically nothing, But so few people can hold it. Friends, you and me.... you brought another friend... and then there were 3... we started our group... Our circle of friends... and like that circle... there is no beginning or end..

CLIMB ‘TILL YOUR DREAM
COMES TRUE”
by Helen Steiner Rice

Often your task will be many,
And more than you think you can do ...
Often the road will be rugged
And the hills insurmountable, too ...
But always remember, the hills ahead
Are never as steep as they seem,
And with faith in your heart, start upward
And climb ‘til you reach your dream.
For nothing in life that is worthwhile
Is ever too hard to achieve
If you have the faith to believe ...
For faith is a force that is greater
Than knowledge or power or skill
And many defeats turn to triumph
If you trust in God’s wisdom and will ...
There’s nothing that God cannot do,
So start out today with Faith in your heart
And climb ‘til your dream comes true.

THINK!

If each grain of sand were to say:”
One grain does not make a mountain.
”There would be no land.
If each drop of water were to say:
”One drop does not make an ocean.”
There would be no sea.
If each note of music were to say:
”A note does not make a symphony.
”There would be no melody.
If each word were to say:
”One word does not make a library.
”There would be no books.
If each brick were to say:
”One brick does not make a wall.
”There would be no house.
If each seed were to say:
”One seed does not make a field.
”There would be no harvest. * Unknown

ALONG THE WAY OF LIFE
I’VE LEARNED ..

I’ve learned- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I’ve learned- that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other and just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.
I’ve learned- that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change. I’ve learned- that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I’ve learned- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I’ve learned- that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.
I’ve learned- that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.
I’ve learned- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I’ve learned- that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I’ve learned- that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon

A to Z Tips for Success

A. Arrive a little early for every date or appointment.
B. Be enthusiastic in everything you do.
C. Complete every assigned task.
D. Do a little more than is required.
E. Express yourself after you know the facts.
F. Feel comfortable in every situation by acting yourself.
G. Go all out to please your friends.
H. Help others, as you would have them help you.
I. Identify yourself by accomplishments rather than words.
J. Join in and help when you are needed.
K. Keep a level head.
L. Listen more; speak less.
M. Make the most of what you have.
N. Never say never.
O. Open your heart to those less fortunate than you.
P. Please yourself by pleasing others.
Q. Quickly respond to an emergency.
R. Remember business plus quality equals profit.
S. Study, Study, Study to excel.
T. Take advantage of any opportunity.
U. Use your spare time intelligently.
V. Value your health.
W. Work at your work.
X. Xit any quality leading to failure.
Y. You are your most important asset.

Z. Zestfully meet any challenge