Second Chance - Heart Touching

It was 25th January 2011. Nisha was waiting for her husband Akshaye. It was their marriage anniversary. Things have got changed since their marriage. From the cute couple they turned into a fighting one. The quarrel everyday on every small thing. Nisha gave up thinking that Akshaye must have forgotten their anniversary and surely won't be back home on time.

Akshaye too didn't like how the things were going. She so loved, so caring before marriage how everything got changed so radically. Yet they still love each other.

Dont Be Selfish - Fire

A couple, whom we shall call John and Mary, had a nice home and two lovely children, a boy and a girl. John had a good job and had just been asked to go on a business trip to another city and would be gone for several days. It was decided that Mary needed an outing and would go along too. They hired a reliable woman to care for the children and made the trip, returning home a little earlier than they had planned. As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be back, they noticed smoke, and they went off their usual route to see what it was.

They found a home in flames. Mary said, “Oh well it isn’t our fire, let’s go home.” But John drove closer and exclaimed, “That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant. He wouldn’t be off work yet, maybe there is something we could do.”

”It has nothing to do with us.” Protested Mary. “You have your good clothes on lets not get any closer.” But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror stricken to see the whole house in flames. A woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming, “

The children! Get the children!” John grabbed her by the shoulder saying, “Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!”

“In the basement,” sobbed the woman, “down the hall and to the left.”

In spite of Mary’s protests John grabbed the water hose and soaked his clothes, put his wet handkerchief on his head and bolted for the basement which was full of smoke and scorching hot. He found the door and grabbed two children, holding one under each arm like the football player he was.

As he left he could hear some more whimpering. He delivered the two badly frightened and nearly suffocated children into waiting arms and filled his lungs with fresh air and started back asking how many more children were down there.

They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed,

“John! Don’t go back! It’s suicide!

That house will cave in any second!” But he shook her off and went back by feeling his way down the smoke filled hallway and into the room.

It seemed an eternity before he found both children and started back. They were all three coughing and he stooped low to get what available air he could. As he stumbled up the endless steps the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies clinging to him, and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he found that he had just rescued his own children.

The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping.

Believing In People

Believing in People

A wealthy businessman in a small town had signs printed and placed all over the town. They stated that if any person in the town who owed debts, would come to his office on a certain day between nine and twelve in the morning, he would pay those debts. Naturally, that promise was the talk of the town. But very few believed it. They thought there was a catch somewhere. The day came. The business man sat in his office at nine. Bu ten, no one had come. At eleven, a man was seen walking up and down outside, occasionally looking up at the office door. Finally he seemed to take courage and open it. He put his head in and asked, "Is it true that you will pay any person's debt?""That's right," the rich man replied. "Are you in debt?" "I certainly am," the caller answered. "Do you have along the bills and statements to proveit?" The visitor produced the documents and the business man wrote out a check covering all of them. Before twelve o'clock, two other men came and had their debts paid. People outside could not believe it. But now there was no time left to have their bills paid.

If people don't believe in the goodness of man, how can they believe in the goodness of God?'

Being a Light

In one corner of the world squatted a sullen, sulking, friendless darkness. Suddenly a tiny light appeared. It was very small but it was a light. Someone had put it there. It just stood there and sent out its rays. A passerby remarked to the light: "Don't you think you would be of more use somewhere else and not in this God-forsaken corner?" "Not really," said the little light. "I shine because I am a light. And because I shine, I am a light. I don't shine in order to be seen, but so that others could seen in the dark." When the gloomy darkness heard this, it gritted its teeth and full of furry, tried to put out the light. But the gigantic darkness was powerless againstthis tiny light that wanted to shine.

An old saying goes: "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." 

 

Envy N Greed

Envy

Centuries ago in the country of Greece there was a young athlete who had so distinguished himself in the public games that his fellow citizens raised a statue in his honor, to keep fresh the memory of his victories. This statue so excited the envy of another athlete who had been defeated in the races, that one night he went out under cover of darkness with the intention of destroying that statue and knocking it to pieces. First he tried and tried to tip over the statue. He tugged and pulled and shoved... and after an hour it moved just a little bit. This encouraged him and he gave one mighty push and the statue fell -- on top of him, and killed him. Envy always harms the one who is guilty of it.

Did it ever occur to you that when you envy somebody or you are jealous of somebody, that this does not hurt that person in any way... He or she does not feel it at all... It only hurts you: it eats your insides out... So, you see, that it is a useless, self-destructive exercise. As Ben Sirach says in the Old Testament "Envy and anger shorten one's life."

Tongues

The king made a banquet and ordered his clever slave to serve the best food that money could buy. The main food at the meal was tongue... all kinds of tongue cooked in all kinds of ways. All the side dishes and even dessert were also tongue... When the king objected, the slave said: "My Lord, what excels the tongue? It is the channel of wisdom and learning. By it we make speeches and carry out business. By it great personas are made known. With our tongue we speak even to God.. King, there is nothing equal to the tongue." The king all the guests were astounded to hear all this wit and wisdom come from the slave. The next day the king threw another banquet. The same guests came back. This time the king ordered the slave to serve the worst kind of meat he could find. Again, he served tongue - and only tongue. When the king began to scold the slave over this, he answered: "My Lord, can there be anything worse than the tongue? Treasons, deaths, violence, injustices, fraud, murder, wars - all are debated and decided by the tongue. The tongue ruins empires and countries, peoples and families. What is worse than the tongue?"

When would have the slave served your tongue? 

Relaxation

They say that Saint John the Apostle liked to play with his pet sparrow from time to time. One day a hunter came to visit him and was surprised to see such a famous man playing. He surely could and should be making better use of his time. So he asked him, "Why do you waste your time playing? Why devote so much attention to something as useless as a sparrow?" Saint John looked at him in surprise and asked: "Why is the string on your bow not tight?" "Oh, you can't keep it tight all the time," the hunter explained, "otherwise it loses its tension and becomes useless for shooting arrows." So Saint John told him in return: "My friend, just as you always release the tension on your bowstring, so you must release the tension inside of you and relax. If I don't relax and just play, I have no strength for any great undertaking. I don't even have the strength to do what I have to and what is necessary."

The recess break which gets us out of the classroom or office is a very necessary part of work and education. We will need it later on in life if we want to do a good job for a long time... 

Hope

Many years ago there lived a very old man. Before his house stood two tall mountains that kept out the sunlight. He was not happy about this and so he sat down with his sons and all made a solemn promise that they would hack back away those two mountains A neighbor saw them go out with their hoes and shook his head. "How stupid can you get?" he screamed. "It's absolutely impossible for you to carry away those mighty mountains." The old man only smiled and said: "Well, when I die, my sons will carry on the work. And when they die, my grandsons will continue it. Yes, the mountains are high but they won't get any higher. But our strength can still grow. With every shovel full of earth that we carry away, we come closer to our goal." "It is better to do something than just sit around and complain that those mountains keep out the sunlight." With complete conviction the old man kept right on digging. God saw it and was moved to send two angles to earth. They lifted the two mountains onto their shoulders, and carried them off.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul talks about having faith great enough to move mountains.

Everyone has Problems

A mother who had lost her only son went to the man of religion in her village and said: "Is there anything you can give me to reduce the pain that I feel?" "Yes," he said. "There is a wonderful thing you can do. I want you to go and get me a mustard seed from a home that has no problems. Such a mustard seed can ward off all problems. When you find it, bring it to me and I will use it to relieve your pain." So the mother started out and came to a big mansion. Nothing could possibly be wrong here! She knocked on the door, told what she was looking for, and they answered, "You've come to the wrong house." And then they told her all their problems. As she was listening to their problems, she thought, "I know something about problems... Maybe I can help these people with theirs." So she listened to them; and this helped people. She kept on searching for her magic mustard seed. But no matter where she went, she could not find that seed. Everyone everywhere had some kind of troubles.

But she really did find the magic mustard seed, because in trying to help others solve their problems, she forgot all about her own. 

Treasure in Heaven

A wealthy man lay on his deathbed. His entire life had been centered around money. As his life ebbed away, he presumed that in the afterlife, money would also be everything. So he gave orders that a purse filled with gold coins be placed inside his casket alongside his body. His last wish was carried out. In the next world it took the bookkeepers a long time to find his name in any of the good books. In fact it took so long that he got very hungry and thirsty just waiting. He looked around and sure enough, he saw an attractive eatery not far away. "Aha," he said to himself, "it's just like I thought. It's a good thing that I brought some money along with me." His mouth was already watering as he approached the restaurant. But before he sat down to eat, he was told that the money he had brought along had no value now. In fact, only money that was of any value now was the money he had given away on earth. The rich man dropped his head in deep thought, but could not remember having given any money away... so now he had none.

As an Englishman of another stripe let his tombstone explain: "What I spent I had. What I kept I lost. What I gave I have." 

 

A Candle

Selfishness

 
In Africa they have a special way of capturing monkeys. These wary little animals are very fond of rice. In order to capture them, local farmers put some rice inside a hollow coconut shell, into which they have cut a hole just large enough for the monkey's hand. Half a dozen traps like this are left lying around in the center of the village. But each one is attached by a string to a nearby house. A family of monkeys comes up, attracted by the smell of rice. Each slips its hand into a shell to get a handful of rice. But with its hand full, it is unable to remove it. The hunters then approach and easily gather in their prey. If the monkey would only let go of the rice, it would be able to get away from the trap that had been set for it. But it likes rice too much to give it up - even at the risk of life.

How true it is, that the hand which is closed cannot receive - even freedom 

Doing Good

Doing a Good Job

 
They tell the following story about the famous Polish pianist Paderewski. A mother had a little boy who was learning to play the piano. In order to encourage him she took him to a concert by the famous Paderewski. Both of them arrived at the music hall a bit early and soon the mother got into a conversation with one of her lady friends. Meanwhile, the little boy wandered off....When it was eight o'clock, the spotlights came on and the stage curtain opened. And there was that little boy seated at the piano innocently playing that children's song, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star." Paderewski came on stage and quickly moved over to the piano. "Don't quit. Just keep on playing," he whispered to the little boy. Then he leaned over the boy and put his hands onto the keyboard right alongside the little boy's. The little boy kept repeating and repeating "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and meanwhile the genius was weaving all kinds of new melodies around it, a different one each time. The crowd was thrilled by this unpreparedconcert.

As we play our little melody in our daily life, God whispers to us, "Don't quit, Keep on playing..." And He makes a masterpiece out of our simple music. 

Help Other...

The Pig N The Cow

A rich man complained to his friend: "People don't like me. They say I'm selfish and stingy. And yet in my last will and testament I have donated all that I own to charitable cause." His friend said: "Well, maybe the story of the cow and the pig has a lesson for you.""The pig came to the cow and complained: 'People always talk about your friendliness. I know you are friendly, you do give them milk. But they get much, much more from me. They get ham and bacon and lard and they even cook my feet. And yet - no one likes me. To all of them I am just a pig, a hog. Why is that?' The cow thought it over a bit and then said: 'Perhaps it's because I give while I am still alive!'"