A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me.
"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."
"There's something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.
The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.
Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us.
The Law Of The Seed
Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds! We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"
Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."
This might mean:
1. You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
2. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.
3. You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea.
4. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.
When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us. Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them and work with them.
In a nutshell, successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.
When things are beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life:
- You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
- You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
- Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry.
- That's what miserable people do!
On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
- Friends SHOULD return favors.
- People SHOULD appreciate you.
- Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
- Everyone SHOULD be honest.
- Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.
These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen!
- So you end up frustrated and disappointed.
- There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences!
- For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I would prefer "A", but if "B" happens, it's OK too!"
This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind.
You prefer that people are polite but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day.
You prefer sunshine but if it rains, it is ok too!
To become happier, we either need to change the world or change our thinking. It is easier to change our thinking!
In summary it is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem.
It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness. It's how you think about what happens to you!
Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."
This might mean:
1. You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job.
2. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee.
3. You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea.
4. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.
When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us. Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them and work with them.
In a nutshell, successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.
When things are beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life:
- You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
- You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
- Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry.
- That's what miserable people do!
On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
- Friends SHOULD return favors.
- People SHOULD appreciate you.
- Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
- Everyone SHOULD be honest.
- Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.
These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen!
- So you end up frustrated and disappointed.
- There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences!
- For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I would prefer "A", but if "B" happens, it's OK too!"
This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind.
You prefer that people are polite but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day.
You prefer sunshine but if it rains, it is ok too!
To become happier, we either need to change the world or change our thinking. It is easier to change our thinking!
In summary it is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem.
It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness. It's how you think about what happens to you!
Never Mind, There's Tomorrow
Once, there lived a child. He lived in a happy family, with parents and siblings. However, he never stopped to think about how wonderful his life had been. He just kept on playing, squabbling with his siblings when they did not want to play what he wanted to play. However, when he wanted to apologize, he always said, "Never mind, there's tomorrow."
When he grew up a little, school was a very nice place for him. He learned, made friends, and was very happy. However, he never thought that this was happiness to him. It all came so naturally that he felt it should become part of his life. One day, he had a great fight with his best friend. Though he knew he was in the wrong, he never took the initiative to apologize or made up with his best friend. His excuse was, "Never mind, I'll do it tomorrow."
When he grew up yet some more, that best friend was no longer part of his. Even though he still sees his friend around, but they don't even greet each other. But that was all right, because he still had other good friends. He and his friends did almost everything together, eating, playing, doing homework, and fooling around. Yes, they were another bunch of very good friends.
When he graduated, work kept him very busy. He's found himself a very pretty and virtuous girlfriend and she soon became his constant companion. He made himself busy with work, because he wanted to get promoted to the highest position with the shortest time possible.
Sure, he missed his good friends. He missed them a lot. But he never got down to keep in touch with them, not even a telephone call. He always said, "Boy, I'm so tired, I'll catch up with them tomorrow." It didn't affect him at all because he could find colleagues who are always willing to go pubing with him. Thus, as time passes by, he's forgotten to call his friends.
After he's got married with kids, he works even harder in order to bring comfort to his family. He never buys flowers for his wife anymore, nor does he remember his wife's birthdays and wedding anniversary. It was all right because his wife always understood him, and never blamed him. Of course, he felt guilty at times and wanted very much to have a chance to say to his wife "I love you", but he never got down to doing it. His excuse was "never mind, I'll do it tomorrow for sure". He never made it to his children's birthday parties, but his time he did not knew how it would affect the children. The children began to drift away from him, as they never really spent time with their father.
One day, disaster struck when his wife was killed in an accident. It was a hit and run accident. But on that day, he was in the middle of a meeting. Failing to understand that it is a fatal accident, he arrived by his wife's deathbed only to see her on the verge of death. Before he could mouth out the words "I love you", his wife had already passed away.
The man became despondent and tried to find solace in his children after his wife's death. However, he soon realized that the children do not even try to communicate with him. Soon, his children have grown up and found their own families. Nobody cared for this old man who in the past hadn't spared his time for them.
He moved into the best Old Folk's Home, which provides excellent service with the money he has saved for him and his wife's 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversary celebrations. All the money intended to go to Hawaii, New Zealand, and other countries went into the fund that pays for his stay in the home.
From that time until his deathbed, there were only old folks and nurses taking care of him. He now felt the loneliness that he did not feel before. Upon his deathbed, he called a nurse in and said to her, "Ah. If only I had realized this earlier... " and died with tears upon his cheek.
What I am trying to tell you is time never stops. You go on and on, and before you realized it, you've already gone very far. If you had quarreled, make up quickly!
If you feel you need to hear your friend's voice, don't hesitate to pick up the phone.
If there are many dreams that you wish to fulfill, fulfill them as soon as possible.
Lastly, but most importantly, if you feel you need to tell somebody that you care, don't wait until it is too late. If you keep thinking you will do that another day, then that day will never come. If you always think that tomorrow will come, then 'tomorrow' will run out quickly and you'll realize the time that you've left behind you.
When he grew up a little, school was a very nice place for him. He learned, made friends, and was very happy. However, he never thought that this was happiness to him. It all came so naturally that he felt it should become part of his life. One day, he had a great fight with his best friend. Though he knew he was in the wrong, he never took the initiative to apologize or made up with his best friend. His excuse was, "Never mind, I'll do it tomorrow."
When he grew up yet some more, that best friend was no longer part of his. Even though he still sees his friend around, but they don't even greet each other. But that was all right, because he still had other good friends. He and his friends did almost everything together, eating, playing, doing homework, and fooling around. Yes, they were another bunch of very good friends.
When he graduated, work kept him very busy. He's found himself a very pretty and virtuous girlfriend and she soon became his constant companion. He made himself busy with work, because he wanted to get promoted to the highest position with the shortest time possible.
Sure, he missed his good friends. He missed them a lot. But he never got down to keep in touch with them, not even a telephone call. He always said, "Boy, I'm so tired, I'll catch up with them tomorrow." It didn't affect him at all because he could find colleagues who are always willing to go pubing with him. Thus, as time passes by, he's forgotten to call his friends.
After he's got married with kids, he works even harder in order to bring comfort to his family. He never buys flowers for his wife anymore, nor does he remember his wife's birthdays and wedding anniversary. It was all right because his wife always understood him, and never blamed him. Of course, he felt guilty at times and wanted very much to have a chance to say to his wife "I love you", but he never got down to doing it. His excuse was "never mind, I'll do it tomorrow for sure". He never made it to his children's birthday parties, but his time he did not knew how it would affect the children. The children began to drift away from him, as they never really spent time with their father.
One day, disaster struck when his wife was killed in an accident. It was a hit and run accident. But on that day, he was in the middle of a meeting. Failing to understand that it is a fatal accident, he arrived by his wife's deathbed only to see her on the verge of death. Before he could mouth out the words "I love you", his wife had already passed away.
The man became despondent and tried to find solace in his children after his wife's death. However, he soon realized that the children do not even try to communicate with him. Soon, his children have grown up and found their own families. Nobody cared for this old man who in the past hadn't spared his time for them.
He moved into the best Old Folk's Home, which provides excellent service with the money he has saved for him and his wife's 50th, 60th, and 70th anniversary celebrations. All the money intended to go to Hawaii, New Zealand, and other countries went into the fund that pays for his stay in the home.
From that time until his deathbed, there were only old folks and nurses taking care of him. He now felt the loneliness that he did not feel before. Upon his deathbed, he called a nurse in and said to her, "Ah. If only I had realized this earlier... " and died with tears upon his cheek.
What I am trying to tell you is time never stops. You go on and on, and before you realized it, you've already gone very far. If you had quarreled, make up quickly!
If you feel you need to hear your friend's voice, don't hesitate to pick up the phone.
If there are many dreams that you wish to fulfill, fulfill them as soon as possible.
Lastly, but most importantly, if you feel you need to tell somebody that you care, don't wait until it is too late. If you keep thinking you will do that another day, then that day will never come. If you always think that tomorrow will come, then 'tomorrow' will run out quickly and you'll realize the time that you've left behind you.
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