Thursday, July 16th, 2009
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a pouch lying in the road where the boulder had been. The pouch contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition.
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2″ in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things – your faith, your family, your partner, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
“If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”
God brews the coffee, not the cups………. Enjoy your coffee!
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”
Live, Love and Laugh – then leave the rest to God.
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
A wise man was walking along the beach one evening and saw a little boy throwing starfish that had been washed ashore by the tide into the sea.
He thought the boy was silly in trying to save the starfish, as he knew it was impossible to throw every single one of the starfish back into the sea, with the tides washing them up.
The man walked right up to the boy and asked him why he was trying to save the starfish. “You see sir; the starfish would die if they are left on the shore. They need to be in the sea in order to live,” answered the boy with all the innocence of a child.
“But son, how are you going to save all of them? Every time you put one back, another would be washed up. It doesn’t matter to them, son.” The boy picked up a starfish, looked at the man and said, “But sir, it matters to this one.”
After saying that, he threw the starfish back into the sea.
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
I believe, that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe, that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and, you must forgive them for that.
I believe, that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
I believe, that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I believe, that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I believe, that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them
I believe, that you can keep going long after you can’t.
I believe, that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe, that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I believe, that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I believe, that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I believe, that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe, that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time!
I believe, that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe, that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
I believe, that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.
I believe, that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
I believe, that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe, that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I believe, that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe, 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 believe, that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe, that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I believe, that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.
I believe, 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 believe, that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I believe, that the people you care about most in life are the essence of life.
Tell them today how much you love them and what they mean to you.