Monday, January 31, 2011

Through the Heart

One learns people through the heart, not the eyes or the intellect.

~Mark Twain

Friendship

Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words.

~George Eliot

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Talent

Everyone has talent.  What is rare is the courage to follow talent to the dark place where it leads.

~Erica Jong

Autobiography

The course of life is unpredictable...no one can write his autobiography in advance.

~Abraham Joshua Heschel

Make'em Laugh

An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.

~Will Rogers

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Secret of Success

The secret of success is to be like a duck; smooth and unruffled on the surface and paddling furiously beneath.

~Author unknown but greatly appreciated

Trust

Trust is a calculated risk made with one's eyes open to the possibilities of failure, but it is extended with the expectation of success.

~Robert Levering

How You Destroy Yourself

Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them - and then you destroy yourself.

~Richard M. Nixon

Impossible Situations

We are all faced with a series of great oppottunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.

~Chuck Swindoll

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Secret of Happiness

The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one has to do.

~James M. Barrie

Memory

Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by so quick you can hardly catch it going.

~Tennassee Williams

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What We Teach

We must believe the things we teach our children.

~Woodrow Wilson

Choices

When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.

~William James

Monday, January 24, 2011

Vision

Vision without action is merely a dream, action without vision just passes the time.  Vision with action can change the world.

~Joel Barker

Understanding

Everything that irritates us about others can lead to an understanding about ourselves.

~Carl Jung

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Road to Truth

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way and not starting.

~Buddha

Accept My Faults

Unless I accept my faults, I will most certainly doubt my virtues.

~Hugh Prather

Saturday, January 22, 2011

When You Find Your Path...

When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are [some of the] tools God uses to show us the way.

~Paulo Coelho

Risk Going Too Far...

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

~T.S. Eliot

To Blossom

And the day came
When the risk it took
to remain tight inside the bud
was more painful
than the risk to blossom.

~Anais Nin

Friday, January 21, 2011

To Turn a Life Around

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 the potential to turn a life around.
~ Leo Buscaglia

A Poet

At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.

~Plato

Action

There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.

~John F. Kennedy

Persistance

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to succcess when they gave up.

~Thomas A. Edison

Straw or Candles

A merchant wanted to determine which of his two daughters was more worthy of inheriting his property.  He gave each a coin and said "use this money to buy something that will fill this house."

The older daughter ran to the marketplace and bought straw because it was the cheapest and bulkiest thing she could afford. Even still it was not enough to cover the entire floor of the home. 

The younger daughter walked through the market and took her time.  Finally after a great deal of thought and deliberation she spent her coin on candles.  She took them home, placed one in each room and lit them.  The light from the candles filled the house.

The father looked at his two daughters and said to the older one, "you acted in haste.  You looked only at the obvious solution and showed no creativity."  To the younger daughter he said "you showed patience and true wisdom.  Looking for a solution beyond what was right in front of your eyes, allowed you to see.  You shall inherit my wealth and care for it, for I know you already respect what you own."

The lesson here is that the quickest and most obvious solution is not always the most valuable or best.  Sometimes it is better to step back and look at a situation with creative eyes. 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Two Fish

An expirment was conducted with two fish.  The fish were different species, one of which normally fed on the other. Researchers constructed a special aqaurium with a glass divider in the center that created an invisible barrier between the two fish.

When they were first placed in the aqaurium, the predator fish repeatedly banged against the divider in an attempt to get to the other fish.  It wanted its prey.  As time passed however, the fish accepted the existance of the barrier and eventually gave up trying to get to the other fish.

At some point later on, the researchers removed the glass divider but each fish continued to swim in its respective zone of the aqaurium, completely unaware that the barrier no longer existed.

The lesson is to ask ourselves, what barriers were set for us long ago that we just accept as still being there?  Isn't it ok to test them now and then and see if we've grown or if things have changed?

Like miniskirts

Speeches should be like miniskirts; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to keep it interesting.

~ Author unknown but greatly appreciated

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Hope and Miracles

The recent events surrounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' miraculous survival after being shot in the head have been inspiring.  So much so that I dug out a few inspirational head trauma stories.  As I have mentioned, this blog is a collection of stories and quotes I've gathered over years and years - so these three stories happen to be several years old.  I'm sure there are some more recent illustrations out there.  If you know of any - please share them in comments.

In 1984, David Gribin, a young man from Long Island sustained severe head injuries from a horse-back riding accident.  He fell into a coma and was put on a respirator. After a month of unconsciousness, he was revived and began to recover. Eight years later, in 1992, he became the first coma victim to complete the New York City marathon. 

On March 5, 1991 a High Point , North Carolina man who had been comatose since he had been beaten with a log more than eight years earlier, suddenly regained consciousness.  He revealed the identities of his two assailants to police.

Patricia had been in a coma for 16 years after giving birth to her son, Mark. On Christmas Eve, 1999, while nurses were fixing her bed, she suddenly said: "Don't do that!". By January she was able to speak clearly and visit with her four children.

The lesson in all of these stories is a reminder to never give up hope.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Silence

Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about things that matter.

~Malcolm X

The Inevitable

The inevitable never happens.  It is the unexpected that always does.

~john Maynard Keynes

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Opportunities

Great minds must be ready not only to take opportunities, but to make them.

~ Charles C. Colton

Do the Very Best I Can

If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business.

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end.

If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything.

If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.

~  Abraham Lincoln

Courage

Courage is the capacity to conduct oneself with restraint in times of prosperity and with courage and tenacity when things do not go well.

James V. Forrestal

The Battle of Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that was going on inside himself.

He said, "My son, it is between 2 wolves. One is evil: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one I feed."

The lesson is to ask yourself, which wolf do you feed?

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Friends and Enemies

Have you fifty friends? It is not enough.  Have you one enemy? It is too much.

~Author unknown, but greatly appreciated

Caterpillars

There was a fascinating experiment conducted by French entemologist, Dr. Jean-Henri Fabre.  He took a group of processionary caterpillars and placed them on the rim of a  large flower pot. These caterpillars were placed nose to tail and they followed each other around and around. It was impossible to determine which was the leader and which were followers.

In the center of the flower pot Dr. Fabre place an abundant supply of food.  But the caterpillars paraded around the rim of the flower pot for seven days and nights simply following one another until one-by-one they died of exhaustion and starvation.  Even though the there was plenty of food just inches away, none of them could or would alter the path they were on to survive.

The lesson is that it often takes a visionary, with the courage to step outside the well-worn path, to survive in challenging times.

The Dull Saw

Dr. Stephen Covey tells the story of man walking through the woods one day. After walking a short distance he comes upon another man sawing down a tall tree. He stops to ask him what he is doing.
"Can't you see? I'm cutting down this tree!"
He sees exhaustion in the man's face, and hears it in his voice, and sees his clothes soaked with sweat. 
"How long have you been sawing?" the first man asks.
"Oh I don't know, maybe four or five hours." is the reply.
"I'll bet you're tired."
"I am.  I'm really beat!"
"How's the saw?"
"It's getting rather dull."
"Why don't you stop for a while and sharpen it?
 "I can't.  I'm too busy sawing!"

The lesson here is for all of us to stop once in a while and sharpen our own saw.  How many times in life do we get so busy and tied up in what we are doing, that we forget to stop and sharpen our saws?

Friday, January 14, 2011

Positive Qualities

Persons are judged to be great because of the positive qualities they posess, not because of the absence of faults.

~Author unknown but greatly appreciated

Thursday, January 13, 2011

If I knew you and you knew me

If I knew you and you knew me --
If both of us could clearly see,
And with an inner sight divine
The meaning of your heart and mine --
I'm sure that we would differ less
And clasp our hands in friendliness;
Our thoughts would pleasantly agree
If I knew you and you knew me.

If I knew you and you knew me,
As each one knows his own self, we
Could look each other in the face
And see therein a truer grace.
Life has so many hidden woes,
So many thorns for every rose;
The "why" of things our hearts would see,
If I knew you and you knew me.
  
~Nixon Waterman

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Fill the House

One night the legendary Victor Borge, also known as the Great Dane and the Clown Prince of Denmark, was performing his act in Flint, Michegan. He looked out at the audience and saw that the house was less than half full. But with his classic flair and style he smiled and said to the audience "Flint must be an extremely wealthy town; I see each of you bought two or three seats."

The lesson here is that how we choose to look at things will determine how we feel about them. Where in our own lives do we see "empty" seats instead of "reserved" ones?

You May Count That Day

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard -
One glance most kind,
That fell like sunshine where it went -
Then you may count that day well spent.
But if, through all the livelong day,
You've cheered no heart, by yea or nay -
If, through it all
You've nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face -
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost -
Then count that day as worse than lost.
~George Elliot

Feed Just One

If you cannot feed 100 people, then feed just one.

~Mother Teresa

Decision and Action Combined

Suppose you had five birds sitting on a wire and three of them decided to fly.  How many birds would you have left on the wire?

You would still have five birds.  Making the decision to do something without acting on it means nothing. The decision must be combined with action to make a difference.

The lesson is to ask yourself what you have made decisions about, but have neglected to take action upon.  Perhaps its time to take action and make a difference in your life.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wisdom

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.
~ Socrates

My Mask

I keep my mask right with me, everywhere I go,
In case I might need to wear it, so that me doesn’t show.
I’m so afraid to show you me; afraid of what you’ll do –
You might laugh at me, or say mean things, or I might even lose you.

I’d like to take my mask off, to let you look at me.
I want you to try to understand, and please love what you see.

So if you’ll be patient and close your eyes, I’ll pull it off, very slow.
Please understand how much it hurts to let the real me show.

Now my mask is taken off – I feel naked, bare and cold.
If you still love what you see, you’re my friend pure as gold.

But, I want to save my mask and hold it in my hand.
I need to keep it handy in case someone else doesn’t understand.

Please protect me, my new friend; and thank you for loving me true.
But please, let me keep my mask with me, until I love me, too.

~Author unknown but greatly appreciated

The Brain

The human brain is an amazing mechanism.  It's about half the size of a grapefruit, it's capable of recording 800 memories per second for 75 years without exhausting itself.  It stores between 10 billion and 100 billion pieces of information (depending on our age).  The human brain retains everything it takes in and never forgets anything; even though we don't or can't always recall the information, it's always on permanent file in our brain.

There is an myth that we only use 10% of our brain - it may be based on some old research that showed that only 10% of the neurons in the brain are firing at any given time. Another thought is that it arose from a study that showed that the average person develops only 10 percent of his or her latent mental ability. Whatever the case -what all of this shows is that there is tremendous potential in our brains, that is often untapped and untrained.  Imagine what can be done if we tried...

For example, conductor Arturo Toscanini literally conditioned his mind to store, organize, and recall musical information.  He memorized every note, for every musical instrument in 250 symphonies and 100 operas!

The lesson is that we can do far more than we are capable of, so ask yourself, what could you train your brain to do?

Monday, January 10, 2011

Sales Producers

Confidence and enthusiasm are the greatest sales producers in any kind of economy.

~O. B. Smith

Anger

For every minute you remain angry,
you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday, January 9, 2011

How Do You Move A Calf?

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great historian, noted poet, and respected philosopher.  However, even Emerson could learn from others, and that he did, with much frustration on this occasion.

Emerson and his son Edward were out one warm afternoon, attempting to get a calf to go into the barn.  Edward circled an arm around the neck of the calf, and Emerson pushed from behind, but the calf refused to move.  With each push and pull the calf locked its knees and planted itself even firmer in place. The two kept at it for quite a while with no results, except sweat and disappointment.  

A young peasant woman happened to walk by and saw their challenge.  She asked Emerson if she could be of assistance. Rather sarcastically, covered in sweat from his failed attempts to move the calf, the sage replied "If you think you can do anything, you go right ahead."

The young woman walked around to the front of the calf, put her finger into the calf's mouth and the calf began to suck on them.  With her finger still in the calf's mouth, she walked forward and it followed her peacefully into the barn.  

The lesson is that it that the way to move people to action is not by force; that rarely gets results and when it does, they are usually results with resentment.  Instead give people what they want and they will be happy to do the thing you want. 

Make 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

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Things Aren't Always What They Seem


Two angels on their travels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were shooed out of sight and given a small space in the cold basement. 

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and quietly repaired it. When the younger angel asked why he would do a kindness to fix the home a family that had treated them so poorly, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next day the angels continued on their travels and that night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food the couple had with the angels, they let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, the angel accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die. "Things aren't always what they seem," the older Angel replied. 

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. It will remain there until someday, a future, and hopefully more deserving owner will find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. Rather than let him take the woman who had so generously given so much, I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem." 

The lesson is that things when things seem to have gone wrong or not to have turned out the way you feel they should, step back and be patient.  You may just need to trust that everything happens for a reason, and right now, you cannot see the reason, even if it is there.  It will be evident later.

Elephants

An elephant can easily pick up a one-ton load with its trunk. However typically, at the circus, these large and majestic creatures stand in place teathered by to a small stake in the ground, by a light rope or chain.  This could easily be broken by the elephant's massive strength.  So why is it that the elephant stays calmy in place?


When the elephant is young, and not so strong, it is tied with a very heavy chain to an immovable iron stake. It tries over and over again to break the chain, but finds that no matter how hard it pulls and fights and tries, it cannot break free. As the elephant grows and becomes strong, it no longer tries to break free because it remembers what it learned when it was small, and it believes it cannot be free.


The lesson here is that many of us remain bound by chains of our past, even when they are no longer physically there.  What is it in your life, that you need to take another look at and see if the chains that are holding you back only exist within your mind?

Friday, January 7, 2011

Never Mind

Sometimes when nothing goes just right 
And worry reigns supreme,
When heartache fills the eyes with mist 
And all things useless seem, 
There's just one thing can drive away
The tears that scald and blind --
Someone to slip a strong arm 'round
And whisper, "Never mind."
 

No one has ever told just why 
Those words such comfort bring;
Nor why that whisper makes our cares
Depart on hurried wing.
Yet troubles say a quick "Good-day,"
We leave them far behind
When someone slips an arm around,
And whispers, "Never mind."


But love must prompt that soft caress-
That love must, aye, be true
Or at that tender, clinging touch
No heart ease come to you,
But if the arm be moved by love,
Sweet comfort you will find
When someone slips an arm around,
And whispers, "Never mind!


~Author unknown, but greatly appreciated

It Couldn't Be Done

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
     But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
     Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
     On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
     That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
     At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
     And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
     Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
     That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
     There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
     The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
     Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
     That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.

~Edgar A. Guest 

Congratulations

There is a story told of a newspaper cartoonist from years ago who wanted to amuse himself one summer.  So he came up with an idea to randomly send telegrams to twenty of his acquaintances.  The telegram would contain only one word "Congratulations." 
As far as he knew, none of these people had done anything remarkable or in particular to be congratulated on. However an interesting thing happened.  Each recipient took the telegram as a statement of fact and wrote the cartoonist a thank of thanks.  Every one of the people who received the message were able to look at their lives and believe that they had done something worthy of being congratulated.
The cartoonist stated that from this experience he realized that the power of praise is limited only by its lack of use.
The lesson is to think about how many people you know who could use some encouragement from a "congratulations" or "great job"? Give praise and encouragement and people will live up to it.



Encouragement

We live by encouragement, and we die without it--slowly, sadly, and angrily.

~Celeste Holm

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Good Communication

Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.

~Ann Morrow LindBergh

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Power of Words

Communication has the potential to be the most powerful positive tool in our lives. The words we choose, and the words we use can often determine the success or failure of our interactions.

According to research psychologists, the average one-year old child has a voabulary of three words. By fifteen months most kids can speak about nineteen words. At age two the average youngster has increased their vocabulary to 272 words. By age three there is a significant increase to 896 words, 1540 words by age four, and 2072 words by age five. By age six the average child has 2562 works in his or her vocabulary with which to communicate.

Our accumulation of words continues to grow as we reach adulthood, but just knowing words is not enough to ensure effective communication. It takes more than vocabulary to commucate well; it requires effective listening and knowing which words to use, or not use in each situation.

Dorothy Nevill said " The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid, the wrong thing at the tempting moment".

The lesson here is to think before you speak.

A Life With Options

I had a life with options but frequently lived as if I had none. The sad result of my not having exercised my choices is that my memory of myself is not of the woman I believe I am.

~Liv Ullmann

A Great Pitcher

The son in little league had been bragging to his father about what a great batter he was.  Finally the father said "OK son, show me."
All excited, the young boy grabbed his bat and ball and they went out to the back yard. The father stood off to the side as the son threw the ball up in the air and swung with all his might.
"Strike one" he said as he missed the ball completely.
"Strike two" he said when he missed again. Then he threw the ball up again, knowing his father was watching, and swung as hard as he could. "Strike three" he said when he hit nothing but air. The boy paused a moment, and then looked at his father and said "Boy dad, am I a great pitcher or what?!"

The lesson here is about perspective.  We don't always have the results we want, but we can change our perspective on the outcomes and still have a positive attitude.

Pearls

Did you know that pearls, which are among the most beautiful and treasured of all jewels, actually result from overcoming irritation?  You see, pearls are found in pearl oysters. They are actually created when a foreign body of some kind, like a grain of sand or a parasite, finds its way into the folds of a pearl oyster. The oyster reacts to the irritant by continually coating it with with layer upon layer of a substance known as 'nacre', that creates and gives the pearl its unique appearance and iridescent beauty.

The lesson here is that we can look at irritations in our lives as issues and challenges, or we can see them as the impetus for something beautiful if we are willing to work at dealing with it.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

You Could Have Heard A Pin Drop

Some things to think about...

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in  France  in the early 60's when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO.  DeGaulle said he wanted all US  military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded, "Does that include those who are buried here?"
DeGaulle did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop.




When in  England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the
Archbishop of Canterbury  if our plans for  Iraq  were just an example of
'empire building' by George Bush.

He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of
its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.
The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

You could have heard a pin drop.



There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American.  During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft  carrier to  Indonesia  to help the tsunami victims.  What does he intend to do, bomb them?"

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly:  "Our carriers have three
hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck.  We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?"

You could have heard a pin drop.


A  U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies.  At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, "Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?"

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German."

You could have heard a pin drop.

One lesson in each of these stories is that there is a polite, but firm way to make your point - and leave others speechless at times. Another lesson here, is to think before you speak, so you are not the one making the uncomfortable comment.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Is There an Afterlife?

Lord Thomson was one of the great newspapermen, at one time owning some 285 publications in England, Scotland, Canada and the United States. One day, he invited Norman Vincent Peale to a luncheon in the dining room of "The Times" of London.  The table was made up of distinguished editors and writers as well as prominent businessmen.

The conversation ranged over many themes: world affairs, politics ... British and American, the prospects for greater prosperity, etc..  Suddenly, in the midst of much good-natured banter, Thomson said, "Dr. Peale, I am an old man, and one of these days I'm going to die."  The room became silent.  "I want to know: is there an afterlife?"

"Lord Thomson," said Norman Vincent Peale, "I believe in the promises in the Bible.  But beyond the Biblical is the evidence of intelligence and common sense."

Then he told a parable about a prenatal baby tucked beneath his mother's loving heart.  "Suppose," he said, "someone came to this unborn baby and said, "You cannot stay here long.  In a few months you will be born, or, as you may think of it, die out of your present state.'

‘The baby might stubbornly say, ‘I don't want to leave here.   I'm warm, loved and happy.  I don't want to be what you call born, or what I call die, out of this place.'

"But he is born.  He does die out of his present life in the womb.  And what does he find?  He feels beneath him strong, loving arms.  He looks up into a beautiful face, tender with love, the face of his mother.  He is welcomed, cared for, and says, ‘How foolish I was.  This is a wonderful place to which I have come.'

"He goes on to enjoy the delights of childhood.  He grows into youth with its excitement and romance.  He marries, and knows the love of his children.
"The years pass, with the strength of manhood, the achievement of middle age; the joy and wonderment of life are his.  Then he becomes an old man and his step slows.  Someone says, ‘You are going to die, or, as we call it, be born out of this place into another.'

"And he might remonstrate: ‘But I don't want to die.  I have my loved ones.  I love this world ... the dawn and sunset, the moon, the starlight.  I like to feel the warmth of the fire on my face when cold weather comes, and to hear the crunch of snow beneath my feet on a winter's evening.  I don't want to leave this world.  I don't want to die.'

"But in natural course he does die.  What happens then?  Is God, the Creator, suddenly going to change His nature?  Can we not assume that he will once again feel loving arms beneath him, and once again look up into a strong, beautiful face, more lovely and loving, even than that first face he saw so long ago? Won't he soon be exclaiming, ‘This is so wonderful!  I want to remain here forever'?

"Does this not make sense?" Norman Vincent Peele concluded.  A deep silence hung over the table; several of the company appeared to be moved.
Thomson sighed.  "It does indeed make sense," he said.  "I will never forget that parable.  It has helped me answer a question that has haunted me for years." 

Sunday, January 2, 2011

New Year's Resolutions

By now many of us have made New Year's Resolutions.  Our intentions are good, but time has a way of slipping by.  Before we realize it, the year is gone, along with our resolutions and our good intentions.

During the next twelve months, you have 8760 hours at your disposal.  If you work an average of forty hours a week and sleep about eight hours a day, that will take up about 5000 hours, leaving you with 3760 hours.  That's quite a bit of time.  What will you do with your time this year?

The lesson - it's up to us to choose how we spend our time and what we make of this coming year. Make a decision right now how you want to invest  your hours this year, and what kind of return you want on that investment.