Same dough

"Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven." - Yiddish Proverb -

Effective communication

Jack and Max are walking from religious service. Jack wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while praying.

Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?"

So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Priest,may I smoke while I pray?"

But the Priest says, "No, my son, you may not. That's utter disrespect to our religion."

Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.

Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try."
And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, " Priest, may I pray while I smoke?"

To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son. By all means."

Moral : The reply you get depends on the question you ask.

For Example : Can I work on this project while I'm on vacation ?!?

Thank you Biju for sharing this.

To be of use

"The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shadows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight...

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the
muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again...

The work of the world is common as mud.
botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
but the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. ...

The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real..."

Author: Marge Piercy's poem in Dave Smith's book 'To Be of Use - the seven seeds of meaningful work'.

PS: I'm sure you will simply love this book - grab it from whereever you can! :-)

What to say

"It is not enough to know what to say - one must know how to say it." - Aristotle -

Talents

"Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." - Henry van Dyke -

Good ideas

"The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away." - Linus Pauling -

Deepawali greetings

On the joyous occasion of Indian festival Deepawali today, I convey my warm greetings and good wishes to you. May the festival of lights usher in resplendant mood and hope that the radiance of the bright lights would bring all round prosperity, development and happiness to all.

Here is an inspiring story to share with you on the occasion of Deepawali:

"It was the sacred Deepavali Day. A few devotees had gathered round the Master who sat underneath a huge, banyan tree. A devotee asked: "Master, how best may a person celebrate the Deepavali Day?

And the Master said: "By kindling the light inextinguishable-the light which can never be extinguished."

"And how may that be done?" asked the devotee.

The Master said: "Today, go and treat everyone you meet as though you are meeting him for the last time. Give him all the love and understanding, kindness and care of which you are capable, and do all this without expecting anything in return-not even a simple words of thanks."

The Master paused for a while and then added: "And continue to do this every day!" - Author unknown -

Leader

"To be a leader you must stand for something, or you will fail for anything." - Anthony Pagano -

Passion

"The fastest way to pass your own expectations is to add passion to your labour." - Mike Litman -

Useless

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another." - Charles Dickens -

Finding

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. " - Henry Ford -

Love

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." - Author unknown -

Capable

"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe -

Being yourself

"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else." - Judy Garland -

Victory

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting." - Napolean Hill -

All things

"We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." - Author unknown -

Kindness

"Express kindness with your eyes and through the tone of your voice, not only with your choice of words."

- J Donald Walters -

Thinking with Purpose

"To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully." - James Allen -

Past and Future

"If you want to know your past, examine your present conditions. If you want to know your future, examine your present actions." - Buddhist saying -

Completeness of life

"Be life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for." - David Starr Jordan -

Greatness in a hurry

"Beware of endeavoring to become a great man in a hurry. One such attempt in ten thousand may succeed. These are fearful odds." - Benjamin Disreali -

More friends

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." - Dale Carnegie -

Human freedoms

"We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want - everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - anywhere in the world."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Lessons from an Oyster

"There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand had got into his shell.

It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him to such a deplorable state?

Did he curse at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?

'No,' he said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it.

Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny stew.

And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?

What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
With some of the things That get under our skin.

The richest man, whatever his lot,
Is he who is content with what he has got."

- Author Unknown -

Ten Rules

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. Never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. Don't let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.
9. Always take things by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred.
- Thomas Jefferson's ten rules for the good life -

You've got to

"You've got to...
Dance like there's no one watching,
Love like you can never get hurt,
Sing like there's no one listening,
Live like it is heaven on earth,
And teach from the heart to be heard."

- Bill Purkey -

Achievement

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of good deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt -

Foresight

"Right thinking is the ability to foresee what things must be done, and what things must be avoided, to reach the goal we have set. Foresight of this kind is based on a remembrance of past experiences and a correct estimate of the present condition." - Dr. Bradley -

Greatness

"Make yourself one of the actors in the game of greatness which is being played in the world, and whether you gain or lose, it will leave you at least the renown of a great player." - Alexander Dumas -

Vision

"If you don't have a vision for the future, then your future is threatened to be a repeat of the past." - A R Bernard -

Greet this day

"I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I do this?

Henceforth will I look on all things with love.

I will love the sun for it warms my bones;

Yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.

I will love the light for it shows me the way;

Yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.

I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart;

Yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.

I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due;

Yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."

- Og Mandino -

Difficulties

"It is the Law that any difficulties that can come to you at any time, no matter what they are, must be exactly what you need most at the moment, to enable you to take the next step forward by overcoming them. The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes when we suffer without learning the lesson." - Emmet Fox -

Smile

"If you are not using your smile, you're a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook." - Les Giblin -

Thanks Rani for sharing these words.

Education

"Education to be complete, must be humane; it must include not only the training of the intellect but also the refinement of the heart and the discipline of the spirit." - Dr. Radha Krishnan -

Willing

"The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the others willing to let them." - Robert Frost -

Commitment

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead -

Change

"I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself." - Aldous Huxley -

Our prayers dedicated to New Orleans

Our prayers are with each and everyone that was affected by Katrina. Here is a dedication by His holiness the Dalai Lama.

"May all beings everywhere,
Plagued by sufferings of body and mind,
Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy
By virtue of my merits.

May no living creature suffer,
Commit evil or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.

May the blind see forms,
And the deaf hear sounds.
May those whose bodies are worn with toil
Be restored on finding repose.

May the naked find clothing,
The hungry find food.
May the thirsty find water
And delicious drinks.

May the poor find wealth,
Those weak with sorrow find joy.
May the forlorn find hope,
Constant happiness and prosperity.

May there be timely rains
And bountiful harvests.
May all medicines be effective
And wholesome prayers bear fruit.

May all who are sick and ill
Quickly be freed from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world,
May they never occur again.

May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed.
May the powerless find power
And may people think of benefiting each other."

Please find below a dozen helping hands for anything you can offer to the affected families:
1. Red Cross
2. The Salvation Army
3. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
4. Feed the children
5. Second harvest
6. Americares
7. MAP International
8. Mercy corps
9. Network for good
10. United way
11. World Emergency Relief
12. Direct relief

Better or Better Off

The world would be better off,
if people tried
to become better.

And people would
become better
if they stopped trying
to be better off.

For when everybody tries
to become better off,
nobody is better off.

But when everybody tries
to become better,
everybody is better off.

Everybody would be rich
if nobody tried
to be richer.

And nobody would be poor
if everybody tried
to be the poorest.

And everybody would be
what he ought to be
if everybody tried to be
what he wants
the other fellow to be.

- An Easy Essay by Peter Maurin - Thanks Tom O'Leary for sharing this.

Imperfection

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

- Author Unknown -

Love

"People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another." - Mother Teresa -

Journey

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will be stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." - Sir Winston Churchill -

Happiness

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of that candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha -

Capability

"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe -

Peace

"It is essential to know that to be a happy person, a happy family, a happy society, it is very crucial to have a good heart; that is very crucial. World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just the absence of violence but the manifestation of human compassion." - Dalai Lama -

Truth

"The greatest friend of truth is time, her greatest enemy is prejudice, and her constant companion humility." - Charles Caleb Colton -

Imagine

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." - William Arthur Ward -

Love

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Mother Teresa -

Most important

When is the best time to do each thing?
"Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion."

Who are the most important people to work with?
"The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?"

What is the most important thing to do at all times?
"The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life."

- Answers by Leo Tolstoy -

Motivation

"People excel and learn, not because they are told to, but because they want to." - Peter Senge -

Flexibility

"When people are born they are supple, and when they die they are stiff.
When trees are born they are tender, and when they die they are brittle.
Stiffness is thus a cohort of death; flexibility is a cohort of life."

- Tao-Te Ching -

What you are

"It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not." - Andre Gide -

Angels

Dedicated to all loving mothers.

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God: "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God answered: "Among the many Angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

"But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy," said the child.

"Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your Angel's love and be happy," said God.

"And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don't know the language that men talk?"

"Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your Angel will teach you how to speak", answered God.

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to You?" asked the child.

God said: "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"I've heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?" worried the child.

"Your Angel will defend you even if it means risking its life," assured God.

"But I will always be sad because I will not see You anymore," sighed the child.

God said: "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way for you to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child - in a hurry - asked softly: "Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my Angel's name?

Your Angel's name is of no importance, you will call your Angel "Mommy"

- Author unknown -

Bequests

"There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children - one is roots, the other wings." - Stephen Covey -

Choice

"In life you're either a passenger or a pilot - it's your choice." - Author unknown -

Doubts

"If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts;
but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties." - Francis Bacon -

Children

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but are not from you.
And though they are with you yet they do not belong to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
But seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable."

- Kahlil Gibran -

To be misunderstood

"Is it so bad to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and
Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood! - Ralph Waldo Emerson -

Right now

"Somebody is very proud of you.
somebody is thinking of you.
somebody is caring about you.
somebody misses you.
somebody wants to talk to you.
somebody wants to be with you.
somebody hopes you aren't in trouble.
somebody is thankful for the support you have provided.
somebody wants to hold your hand.
somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
somebody wants you to be happy.
somebody wants you to find him/her.
somebody is celebrating your successes.
somebody wants to give you a gift.
somebody thinks that you ARE a gift.
somebody hopes you're not too cold, or not too hot
somebody wants to hug you.
somebody loves you.
somebody admires your strength.
somebody is thinking of you and smiling.
somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on.
somebody wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun.
somebody thinks the world of you.
somebody wants to protect you.
somebody would do anything for you.
somebody wants to be forgiven.
somebody is grateful for your forgiveness.
somebody wants to laugh with you.
somebody remembers you and wishes that you were there.
somebody needs to know that your love is unconditional.
somebody values your advice.
somebody wants to tell you how much they care.
somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
somebody wants to hold you in their arms.
somebody wants YOU to hold them in your arms.
somebody treasures your spirit.
somebody wishes they could STOP time because of you.
somebody praises God for your friendship and love.
somebody can't wait to see you.
somebody loves you for who you are.
somebody loves the way you make them feel.
somebody wants to be with you.
somebody wants you to know they are there for you.
somebody's glad that you're their friend.
somebody wants to be your friend.
somebody stayed up all night thinking about you.
somebody is alive because of you.
somebody is wishing that you had noticed them.
somebody wants to get to know you better.
somebody misses your advice/guidance.
somebody has faith in you.
somebody trusts you.
somebody needs you to send them this list.
somebody needs your support.
somebody needs you to have faith in them.
somebody will cry when they read this.
somebody needs you to let them be your friend.
somebody hears a song that reminds them of you."

- Author unknown -

Inferior

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt -

Dalai Lama's 19 instructions for life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three Rs: respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

- Dalai Lama -

You

"You can only lead others where you yourself are prepared to go." - Lachlan McLean -

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt -

Religion

"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." - Ralph Waldo Emerson -

Thanks Irina for sharing this quote.

Will

"Strength does not come from physical capability. It comes from an indomitable will". - Mahatma Gandhi -

Thanks Omara for sharing this quote.

Achievement

"To do something well is so
worthwhile that to die trying
to do it better cannot be foolhardy.
It would be a waste of life to do
nothing with one's ability,
for I feel that life is measured
in achievement
not in years alone." - Bruce McLaren -

Today - essence of life

"Look to this day... for it is the very essence of life. For yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope." - Author unknown -

Thanks Neelakantan for sharing this.

Tomorrow

"No one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going.
Not only strike while the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.
Do not trust the cheering, for those persons would shout as much if you or I were going to be hanged."

- Oliver Cromwell -

Quality of Life

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer. The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plainlooking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite. The Lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves. When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke: "If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups." "Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold/maintain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change." "If we only concentrate on the cup, we won't have time to enjoy/taste the water in it." - Author unknown -

Thanks Rani for sharing this to our group.

The wisdom of today

"We often wish for more, without realizing that life's most precious
treasures, are often within the palms of our hands.
It is not success, but rather the journey there,
that often makes our lives complete.
We are most at peace with the world, when we accept
the wonderful and amazing creature - that is - ourselves.
When we give our all TODAY; and look forward to giving tomorrow
the same, then there is no reason for regretting our yesterdays.
Despise not the past, for in it lies the wisdom of today,
and the hope of tomorrow.
- Eric Jordan -

Gratitude

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." - Brian Tracy -

Attitude

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

It is more important that the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

The remarkable thing is - we have a choice every day of our lives regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past.

We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I’m convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you.

We are in charge of our attitudes."

- Charles Swindoll -

24 golden hours

"Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? Remember, you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get it back." - Author Unknown -

Life

"Life is the art of drawing without an eraser." - John W. Gardner -

Virtues

"Thank God - every morning when you get up - that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you a hundred virtues which the idle never know." - Charles Kingsley -

Smile

"Be nice and smile to everyone you meet. You don't know what they are going through, and they may need that smile. And treasure it." - Christine M. Huppert -

Learning

"Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate." - William Arthur Ward -

The spirit

"If wrinkles must be written upon our brow, let them not be written upon the heart; the spirit should not grow old." - James A. Garfield -

Dance, dream, live, and love

"You gotta dance like nobody's watching, dream like you will live forever, live like your going to die tomorrow and love like it's never going to hurt." - Meme Grifsters -

Mistakes

"It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something." - Ornette Coleman -

Words and deeds

"Kind hearts are the gardens,

Kind thoughts are the roots,

Kind words are the flowers,

Kind deeds are the fruits.

Take care of your garden

And keep out the weeds,

Fill it with sunshine

Kind words and kind deeds."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -

Kindness

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." - Dalai Lama -

Quotation

"The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation." - Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881) -

Thanks Gunji for sharing this quote.

Let Go

A little child was playing one day with a very valuable vase. He put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father too, tried his best, but all in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull."

To their astonishment the little fellow said, "O no, father. I couldn't put my fingers out like that, because if I did I would drop my penny."

Smile, if you will - but thousands of us are like that little boy, so busy holding on to the world's worthless penny that we cannot accept liberation. I beg you to drop the trifle in your heart. Surrender! Let go, and let God have His way in your life.

- Dr. Billy Graham -

Vision

"If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?" - Casey Stenge -

Possibilitarian

"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there." - Norman Vincent Peale -

Father's wisdom

"This is a tale narrated to me by my father about his father.
Once upon a time when my father was in his teens, his father took him to the mosque to pray. My grandfather, it seems, had a habit of keeping his loose change in his shirt pocket. As they prayed side by side, during one of the prostrations, the coins fell down onto the carpet.
Apparently deep in concentration, my grandfather did not notice it. However a gentleman seated nearby as well as my father noticed the incident. The man reacted fast and scooped the coins and went off into another corner of the mosque.
My father took everything in and as soon as my grandfather finished praying, he started to narrate what transpired. My grandfather having heard just about what transpired stopped my Dad from telling him who took the money.
He then proceeded to tell my Dad the following. If the Man has resorted to stealing in the mosque, then it must be because his circumstances are bad. We must not be quick to judge such people, he said.
Since they owned a grocery shop, my father was told by his father to ensure that every month he should make up a parcel of all the bare necessities required in a household and send it to that person without telling him who it was being sent to.
Wouldn't this world be a better place to live in if we had such wisdom permeating within our societies!"
- Author unknown -

Today

"Live each day as if it were the last day of your life, because so far, it is." - Author unknown -

Privilege

"The privilege of a lifetime is to be yourself" - Joseph Cambell -

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,

Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,

Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,

Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

- John Lennon, © Bag productions inc. -

Smile

"If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it" - Andy Rooney -

Have's and have not's

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus -

Good deeds

"In the quiet hours when we are alone and there is nobody to tell us what fine fellows we are, we come sometimes upon a moment in which we wonder, not how much money we are earning, nor how famous we have become, but what good we are doing." - A A Milne -

Purpose

“This is the true joy of Life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one - the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” - George Bernard Shaw in Man and Superman -

Plan

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver -

Trouble

"If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, "I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me." - Ann Landers -

Your smile

"Never frown because you never know who might be falling in love with your smile." - Justine Milton -

Hell and Paradise

A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin, the Zen master, and asked: "Is there really a paradise and a hell?"

"Who are you?" inquired Hakuin.

"I am a samurai," the warrior replied.

"You, a soldier!" exclaimed Hakuin. "What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar."

Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: "So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head."

As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"

At these words the samurai, perceiving the master's discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.

"Here open the gates of paradise," said Hakuin.

- Author unknown -

It wasn't your baby

There were two warring tribes in the Andes, one that lived in the lowlands and the other high in the mountains. The mountain people invaded the lowlanders one day, and as part of their plundering of the people, they kidnapped a baby of one of the lowlander families and took the infant with them back up into the mountains.

The lowlanders didn't know how to climb the mountain. They didn't know any of the trails that the mountain people used, and they didn't know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain.

Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby home.

The men tried first one method of climbing and then another. They tried one trail and then another. After several days of effort, however, they had climbed only several hundred feet.

Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below.

As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby's mother walking toward them. They realized that she was coming down the mountain that they hadn't figured out how to climb.

And then they saw that she had the baby strapped to her back. How could that be?

One man greeted her and said, "We couldn't climb this mountain. How did you do this when we, the strongest and most able men in the village, couldn't do it?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "It wasn't your baby."

- Author unknown -

Do it

"If you can do it or dream it, you can do it. Do it! Boldness has a genius and power to it." - Goethe -

"The beginning is always today." - Mary Wollstonecraft -

Goodnight kiss!

"Always kiss your children goodnight, even if they're already asleep." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr -

Silence

"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vtriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people." - Martin Luther King Jr -

Winners

"Do not fear risk.
All exploration, all growth is calculated.
Without challenge people cannot reach their higher selves.
Only if we are willing to walk over the edge can we become winners."

- Author unknown, written on Jan 28, 1987, the one-year anniversary of Challenger explosion, by the families of those who died -

Universal love

"A wise man who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day he met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise man opened his bag to share his food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the man to give it to him. He did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise man.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

- Author unknown -

Thanks Juli Ann Reynolds for sharing this.

Learning

"I invented nothing new. I simply combined the inventions of others into a car. Had I worked fifty or ten or even five years before, I would have failed." - Henry Ford on the Model T -

Think positive - The allegory of the Frog

Thanks Goutham for sharing the below-mentioned story with us.

Once upon a time there was a race of frogs. The goal was to reach the top of a high tower. Many people gathered to see and support them. The race began.

In reality, the people probably didn't believe that it was possible that the frogs reached the top of the tower, and all the phrases that one could here were of this kind: "What pain! They'll never make it!" The frogs began to resign, except for one who kept on climbing. The people continued: "What pain! They'll never make it!"

And the frogs admitted defeat, except for the frog who continued to insist. At the end, all the frogs quit, except the one who, alone and with an enormous effort, reached the top of the tower.

The others wanted to know how did he do it. One of them approached him to ask him how he had done it, to finish the race and discovered that he was deaf!

Never listen to people who have the bad habit of being negative because they steal the best aspirations of your heart! Always remind yourself of the power of the words that we hear or read. That's why, you always have to think positive. POSITIVE!

Always be deaf to someone who tells you that you can't and won't achieve your goals or make your dreams come true.

- Author unknown -

Accuracy

"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything." - Wyatt Earp -

Thanks Pratyush for sharing this quote.

Heart's response

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose.

His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A Romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like.When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are."

- Author unknown -

Follow your heart

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They some how already know what you truly want. Everything else is secondary.”

“It turned out that getting fired by Apple was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

- Steve Jobs -

Attitude

"Throughout the years of your life you will face many challenges, remember that you can climb the highest mountain, drive through the roughest storm, soar across the bluest sky, or even sail across the roughest waters. It is only destined by your attitude where you will end up in life. The most important thing is don't let yourself get lost in the crowd." - Angela Duvall -

Love and care

Ravi forwarded the following story to me. An old one but definitely worth reading again. Thanks Ravi.

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much." were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it." All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists." That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late."

- Author unknown -

President Garfield's Rules for Living

Never be idle.
Make few promises.
Always speak the truth.
Live within your income.
Never speak evil of anyone.
Keep good company, or none.
Live up to your engagements.
Never play games of chance.
Drink no intoxicating drinks.
Good character is above everything else.
Keep your own secrets, if you have any.
Never borrow if you can possibly help it.
Do not marry until you are able to support a wife.
When you speak to a person, look into his eyes.
Save when you are young to spend when you are old.
Never run into debt unless you see a way out again.
Good company and good conversation are the sinews of virtue.
Your character cannot be essentially injured except by your own acts.
If anybody speaks evil of you, let your life be so that no one believes him.
When you retire at night, think over what you have done during the day.
If your hands cannot be employed usefully, attend to the culture of your mind.

Take time

"Take time to think; it is the source of power.
Take time to read; it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to play; it is the secret of staying young.
Take time to be quiet; it is the opportunity to seek God.
Take time to be aware; it is the opportunity to help others.
Take time to love and be loved; it is God's greatest gift.
Take time to laugh; it is the music of the soul.
Take time to be friendly; it is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream; it is what the future is made of.
Take time to pray; it is the greatest power on earth.
There is time for everything - there is time for everything!"

- Author unknown -

Troubles

"Don't talk about your troubles!" "Eighty percent of the people don't care and the other 20 percent are glad you are having them!" - Tommy Lasorda -

"There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." - Epictetus -

Someone

"Somewhere there is someone who dreams of your smile, and finds in your presence that life is worth while, so when you are lonely, remember it's true, somebody, somewhere, is thinking of you." - D'Anne Bucy -

Simple rules from Dad department

Happy Father's day to all the dads out there! Please find below few simple rules for dads written by a humble father.

"My main goal in life is to make sure I do the best possible job raising my children. That means I have to be the best possible father I can be. I am no psychologist, but I do see what succeeds with my children and me. I also observe other fathers. Here is what I have found works best in the dad department.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE - The key to a happy child is having a dad who is there with him consistently, day in and day out. It is far better to spend evening after evening just sitting near him while he reads a book or plays on the computer than to spend a couple of hours every Saturday buying him toys or taking in a movie.

SHARE YOUR STRENGTHS AND FEARS - You are your child's ally, not his adversary. The child who knows that his father was once afraid of the dark, and is still afraid of needles, gets to know that his own weaknesses are part of mankind, not a unique shame.

LOOK FOR THE GOOD AND PRAISE IT - Encouragement is the primary engine of human development. I have been telling my son for over a year that he is a whiz in math because I know he can calculate in a nanosecond the number of toys he can buy with his allowance. Now he's a whiz in math at school too. Consistent recognition of a child's strengths is more important by far than vitamins. You deny it to them at their peril and yours.

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO BE RUDE - My son is expected to share, answer others when they greet him and congratulate those who succeed. By teaching him about politeness, I make sure he realizes that others' feeling are worth taking into account. If he can get that in his head he will have learned the most basic foundation of human interaction.

LET YOUR CHILD TEACH YOU - A common misstatement about child development is that "kids don't come with instruction manuals". Au contraire - they do. They tell you when they're hungry. They tell you when they're lonely or scared. They are little guided tours of themselves. Children will tell you what they want, although not always with words. Fatigue, irritability and sadness are ways of telling Dad what they need. Look and listen.

VALUE YOUR CHILD FOR WHAT HE IS - When my son knows he is loved for himself, not for any particular accomplishment, he has a certain peace that allows him to learn better, sleep better, play better, and be more helpful around the house. Whether he becomes a rocket scientist or a plumber, I want my son to know he's No. 1 with me.

BEING A DADDY IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY - If you decide your kids come before your sales quota or other activities, you will find that all the other pieces of Daddyhood fall into place. When you put your kids first, you're getting the most value for every hour on earth. What's more, you have made the most Rightous decision of your life. "

- Author unknown -

Listening

When a man whose marriage was in trouble sought his advice, the Master said, "You must learn to listen to your wife."

The man took this advice to heart and returned after a month to say he had learned to listen to every word his wife was saying.

Said the Master with a smile, "Now go home and listen to every word she isn't saying."

- Author unknown -

Never fear anything!

"A man whose personality is fully developed never fears anything; he cringes not and never feels inferior to anyone no matter the colour, nature or strength of such a one. He is self-reliant and will resist any form of enslavement until the last breath in him is exhausted. He may be an employee or a servant but he is a self-confident and a courageous servant who does his work with efficiency and probity but with no thought of servitude. His breadth of mind enables him to exercise his freedom in such a manner as not to endanger the interests and freedom of others. He is a citizen of the world - free from narrow prejudices. He is what he is because the three main constituents of his entity: his body, brain and mind are fully developed."

- Author unknown, from "Education as a means of national freedom" excerpt from a lecture delivered to the Assyrians Union of Teachers at Ibadan, southwest Nigeria in 1947 -

What is a friend?

"What is a friend?

I will tell you.

It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself.

Your soul can be naked with him.

He seems to ask of you to put on nothing, only to be what you are.

He does not want you to be better or worse.

When you are with him, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent.

You do not have to be on your guard.

You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you.

He understands those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you.

With him you breathe freely.

You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meannesses and absurdities and, in opening them up to him, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of his loyality.

He understands.

You do not have to be careful.

You can abuse him, neglect him, tolerate him.

Best of all, you can keep still with him.

It makes no matter.

He likes you.

He is like fire that purges to the bone.

He understands.

You can weep with him, sin with him, laugh with him, pray with him.

Through it all - and underneath - he sees, knows and loves you.

A friend?

What is a friend?

Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself."

- Raymond Beran -

Now, not tomorrow

"Caretake this moment.

Immerse yourself in its particulars.

Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed.

Quit the evasions.

Stop giving yourself needless trouble.

It is time to really live;

To fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in the now."

- Epictetus -

"Understanding is now, not tomorrow.

Tomorrow is for the lazy mind, the sluggish mind, the mind that is not interested.

Transformation can only take place immediately;

The revolution is now, not tomorrow"

- J Krishnamurti -

"Life is here,

Life is now;

Are you?"

- Lorane Gordon -

Glory

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." - Betty Smith -

"I wish you all the joy that you can wish." - Shakespeare -

Criticism

"Don’t mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it. If it is unfair, keep from irritation. It if is ignorant, smile. If it is justified, learn from it." - Author unknown -

"If an impulse comes to say
Some unthoughtful word today
That may drive a friend away,
Don't say it!

If you've heard a word of blame
Cast upon your neighbor's name
That may injure his fair fame,
Don't tell it!

If malicious gossip's tongue
Some vile slander may have flung
On the head of old or young,
Don't repeat it!

Thoughtful, kind, helpful speech,
'Tis a gift promised to each-
This the lesson we would teach:
Don't abuse it!"

- Author unknown -

Simplicity

“The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity. We have a tendency it seems to over complicate our lives and forget what's important and what's not. We tend to mistake movement for achievement. We tend to focus on activities instead of results. And as the pace of life continues to race along in the outside world, we forget that we have the power to control our lives regardless of what's going on outside.” - Robert Stuberg -

Heavenly environment

"Cherish your visions;

Cherish your ideals;

Cherish the music that stirs in your heart,

The beauty that forms in your mind,

The loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts,

For out of them will grow delightful conditions,

All heavenly environment;

Of these if you but remain true to them,

Your world will at last be built."

- James Allen -

Listen

I Listen to the trees, and they say:

"Stand tall and yield.

Be tolerant and flexible.

Be true to yourself.

Stand alone, and stand together.

Be brave.

Be patient.

With time, you will grow."

I Listen to the wind, and it says:

"Breathe.

Take care of yourself - body, mind, and spirit.

Take time.

Be quiet.

Listen from your heart.

Forgive."

I Listen to the sun, and it says:

"Nurture others.

Let your warmth radiate for others to feel.

Give yourself without expectations."

I Listen to the creek, and it says:

"Relax; go with the flow.

Tend to what's really important, and let the rest go by.

Keep moving - don't be hesitant or afraid.

Lighten up - laugh, giggle."

I Listen to the mountains, and they say:

"Be there.

Be honest.

Be trustworthy.

Do what you say you're going to do.

Be true, genuine, and real.

Speak from the heart.

Don't cheat."

I Listen to the birds, and they say:

"Set yourself free.

Sing."

I Listen to the clouds, and they say:

"Be creative.

Be expressive.

Let your spirit run free.

Let yourself be light and gay, but let yourself be heavy and sad.

Cry when you feel like it."

I Listen to the sky, and it says:

"Open up.

Let go of the boundaries and barriers which you have created to protect yourself.

Experience change.

Fly."

I Listen to the flowers and small plants, and they say:

"Be humble.

Be simple.

Respect the beauty of small things.

Respect the beauty of humility and truth.

Let go of perfectionism.

Love yourself as you are; it opens the door to change.

Practice acceptance."

I Listen to the bugs and flying insects, and they say:

"Work.

Be productive.

Use your hands.

Focus on what's in front of you.

Ignore the past; there is only the present."

I Listen to the moon, and it says:

"Love.

Share love.

Make love.

Be romantic -- touch and caress.

Allow yourself to be loved.

Be gentle, kind, and understanding.

Use candles."

I Listen to the stars, and they wink and say:

"Play.

Dance, be silly, have fun."

I Listen to the earth, and it says:

"I am your mother.

I give you life.

Respect all that is around you.

Find beauty in all things - living and not - including yourself; for we are all one - not separate.

Be especially respectful to the very young and the very old, for they are both very near God.

Give up the belief that you are a higher form of life; there is no higher form of life.

We are equal because we are the same.

When you return to me, I will welcome you, and I will set your spirit free.

Love and nurture your children; cook good food for them, and hold them very close to you often.

Hold me close to you often as well, and I will hold you in return; I will support you.

Have faith."

- Dr. Charles Roper -

Second is a second

"One cannot walk down an avenue, converse with a friend, enter a building, browse beneath the arches of an old arcade without meeting an instrument of time. Time is visible in all places. Clock towers, wristwatches, church bells divide years into months, months into days, days into hours, hours into seconds, each increment of time marching after the other in perfect succession. And beyond any particular clock, a vast scaffold of time, stretching across the universe, lays down the law of time equally for all. In this world, a second is a second. Time paces forward with exquisite regularity, at precisely the same velocity in every corner of space. Time is an infinite ruler. Time is absolute." - Albert Einstein -

Drop in an ocean

"We sometimes feel that what we do is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." - Mother Teresa -

Fifty reasons why we/it/they can’t CHANGE

1. We’ve never done it before.
2. Nobody else has ever done it.
3. It has never been tried before.
4. We tried it before.
5. Another company/person tried it before.
6. We’ve been doing it this way for 25 years.
7. It won’t work in a small company.
8. It won’t work in a large company.
9. It won’t work in our company.
10. Why change - it’s working OK.
11. The boss will never buy it.
12. It needs further investigation.
13. Our competitors are not doing it.
14. It’s too much trouble to change.
15. Our company is different.
16. The ad department says it can’t be sold.
17. Production says it’s a bad idea.
18. The service department won’t like it.
19. The janitor says it can’t be done.
20. It can’t be done.
21. We don’t have the money.
22. We don’t have the personnel.
23. We don’t have the equipment.
24. The union will scream.
25. It’s too visionary.
26. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
27. It’s too radical a change.
28. It’s beyond my responsibility.
29. It’s not my job.
30. We don’t have the time.
31. It will obsolete other procedures.
32. Customers won’t buy it.
33. It’s contrary to policy.
34. It will increase overhead.
35. The employees will never buy it.
36. It’s not our problem.
37. I don’t like it.
38. You’re right, but...
39. We’re not ready for it.
40. It needs more thought.
41. Management won’t accept it.
42. We can’t take the chance.
43. We’d lose money on it.
44. It takes too long to pay out.
45. We’re doing all right as it is.
46. It needs committee study.
47. Competition won’t like it.
48. It needs sleeping on.
49. It won’t work in this department.
50. It’s impossible.

- Business Axioms, Author unknown -

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi -

Persevere

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no - it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but ONLY one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later. - Author Unknown -

Motivation

"Most people can stay motivated for two or three months. A few people can stay motivated for two or three years. But a winner can stay motivated for thirty years - or as long as it takes to win." - Author unknown -

Character

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." - Frank Outlaw -

"Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece - by thought, choice, courage and determination." - John Luther -

Fresh perspectives

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh Yeah" said the son. "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them." With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad, for showing me how poor we are." - Author unknown -

"If someone were to pay ten cents for every kind word you ever spoke and collect five cents for every unkind word, would you be rich or poor?" - Author unknown -

Survive

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin -

Solutions

"Wise people seek solutions,
The ignorant only cast blame." - Tao 79 -

13 mistakes

1. To attempt to set up your own standard of right and wrong.
2. To try to measure the enjoyment of others by your own.
3. To expect uniformity of opinions in the world.
4. To fail to make allowance for inexperience.
5. To endeavor to mold all dispositions alike.
6. Not to yield on unimportant trifles.
7. To look for perfection in our own actions.
8. To worry ourselves and others about what can't be remedied.
9. Not to help everybody whereever, however, and whenever we can.
10. To consider impossible what we cannot ourselves perform.
11. To believe only what our finite minds can grasp.
12. Not to make allowances for the weakness of others.
13. To estimate by some outside quality when it is that within which makes the most.

- Author unknown -

Prayer for Peace

I offer you peace

I offer you love

I offer you friendship

I see your beauty

I hear your need

I feel your feelings

My wisdom flows from the Highest Source

I salute that Source in you

Let us work together for unity and love

- Mahatma Gandhi -

Excellence

"Excellence can be achieved if you risk more than others think is safe, love more than others think is wise, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible." - Author Unknown -

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -

Faultfinder

"Don't complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof when your own doorstep is unclean." - Confucius -

A businessman was highly critical of his competitors' storefront windows. "Why, they are the dirtiest windows in town," he claimed. Fellow business people grew tired of the man's continual criticism and nitpicking comments about the windows. One day over coffee, the businessman carried the subject just too far. Before leaving, a fellow store owner suggested the man get his own windows washed. He followed the advice, and the next day at coffee, he exclaimed, "I can't believe it. As soon as I washed my windows, my competitor must have cleaned his too. You should see them shine." - Author unknown -

Health

“When health is absent wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot be exerted, wealth becomes useless, and reason is powerless.” - Herophilus , a Greek physician -

"Worms will not eat living wood where the vital sap is flowing; rust will not hinder the opening of a gate when the hinges are used each day. Movement gives health and life. Stagnation brings disease and death." - Ancient Chinese proverb -

Some people

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same. - Flavia Weedn -

"A new friend is like new wine; when it has aged you will drink it with pleasure." - Ecclesiastes -

I've learned that ...

"I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you'd better know something.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.
I've learned that it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.
I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.
I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned 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've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice.
I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.
I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down may be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned that I'm getting more and more like my grandma, and I'm kinda happy about it.
I've learned 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've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I've learned 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've learned 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've learned that you should never tell a child her dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if she believed it.
I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.
I've learned that no matter how good a friend someone is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
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 sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.
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 sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.
I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I've learned that if you don't want to forget something, stick it in your underwear drawer.
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 the clothes I like best are the ones with the most holes in them.
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 there are many ways of falling and staying in love.
I've learned that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves, get further in life.
I've learned that many things can be powered by the mind, the trick is self-control.
I've learned that no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar, you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them most.
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 writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.
I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.
I've learned that although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.
I've learned that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.
I've learned that no matter how fast or how far you go, you can't outrun God.
I've learned that no matter how far away I've been, He'll always welcome me back.
I've learned that love is not for me to keep, but to pass on to the next person I see.
I've learned that even if you do the right thing for the wrong reason, it's still the wrong thing to do."

- Author unknown -

Explore dream discover

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain -

Dance dream live love

"You gotta dance like nobody's watching, dream like you will live forever, live like your going to die tomorrow and love like it's never going to hurt." - Meme Grifsters -

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times,
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes,
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are,
Also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
And they can become your blessings.

- Author Unknown -

No blame

"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons why it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. - Thich Nhat Hahn -

Flexibility

“Be the water, not the rock. Water has the flexibility to change direction; a rock stays in one place and gets worn out.” - Japanese saying -

Time Travel

(1) "Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed." - Peter Drucker -

(2) "I recommend you to take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves." - Lord Chesterfield -

(3) "Time wasted is existence; time used is life." - Edward Young -

(4) "What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put in the hours." - Anon -

(5) "Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. - Thomas Huxley -

Have a nice time. Take care.

Whose job is it?

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. - Author unknown -

"We can do no great things; only small things with great love." - Mother Teresa -

Appreciation

"You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime. - Dale Carnegie -

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread." - Mother Theresa -

Results

“If you want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t want to do anything, you will find an excuse. In your life you either have Results, or you have Reasons why there are no Results.” - Mel Gill, Author -


"Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison -

Persistence

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

- Calvin Coolidge -

Buddha Handling Criticism

A man met Buddha on the street one day and began calling him mean and ugly names. Buddha listened quietly and thoughtfully until the man ran out of epithets, and had to pause for a breath.

"If you offer something to a man and he refuses it, to whom does it belong?" asked Buddha.

The spiteful man replied "it belongs, I suppose, to the one who offered it."

Then Buddha said "The abuse and vile names that you offer me, I refuse to accept."

The man turned and walked away.

All the good

"Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can."

- Author unknown -

Peace

"There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest- in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

- Author Unknown -

Anger? - Forgive yourself

"Gas will fill a chamber evenly and completely no matter what the chamber is and no matter how small the quantity of gas. And that's what suffering does, is fill the human soul and the human psyche evenly and completely. So once you're in a state of anger you can be angry at anything. You can't sleep, you can't eat, you can't walk, you can't talk. And you cannot forgive anybody until you first forgive yourself." - Hurricane Carter -

Act of perseverance

"If you were just one step away from reaching your goal, would you take that step? How do you know, right now, that you're not? What a shame it would be to stop making the effort, when just a little bit more would make it all worthwhile. What a shame it would be to have taken all those steps, only to miss the very last one. The next step you take may very well be the one that makes all the others count. You owe it to yourself, and the efforts you've made, to keep going. No, the next step may not get you there. Yet what about the one after that? If you keep moving ahead, a little at a time, you will indeed arrive. When you take that final, triumphant step, you'll be so very thankful you persevered. At some point success is just one step away. Keep going and you'll be there. - Ralph Marston -

"When nothing seems to help, I look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet, at the 101st blow itwill split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." - Jacob A. Riis -

Pursuit of a dream

"When contemplating the pursuit of a dream or the start of a new venture, too many people are hesitant to begin because they can't comprehend the entire journey. If that's where you find yourself right now, don't expect to understand what it takes to get to the top. Just take the next step. There's no shame in starting small; in fact, if you don't start small, you'll probably never start at all". - John C Maxwell -

Excellence

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle -

Power of small acts

"The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt."

- Leo Buscaglia -

Each day too short

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." - John Burrough -

Beginning of a new day

"This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as i will. I can waste it or use it for good, but what i do today is important, because i am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something i have traded for it. I want it to be gain not loss; good and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that i shall not regret the price i have paid for it."

- Dr. H. Wilson -

No matter where you are

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:

Dear Son,

I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be
over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

Love, Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: "For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!" At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the
old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad.. It's the best I could do for you from here."

Moral:
No matter where you are in the world, if you have decided to do something deep from your heart you can do it. It is the thought that matters not where you are or where the person is.

Think about this. May be in this way we all could be very close to each other in our hearts.

- Author unknown -