The House Of 1000 Mirrors

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

The Disabled Bus Driver

It was a stormy winter's day in New York City when Mrs Spodek left the downtown Manhattan hospital with her wheelchair bound son in tow. The blistery wind swept across the face of the buildings sending drifts of snow into people's path. The 20 feet from the building to the bus stop took almost every ounce of Mrs Spodek's strength. Finally they reached the bus stop.

And they waited. A bus came by but it did not have the handicapped leaning capability, which makes it easier for wheelchairs to board and ride the buses. Despite the ravaging cold, Mrs Spodek decided to wait a little longer.

Finally ten minutes later another bus comes by and this bus as well, was not properly equipped with a lift for the wheelchair. Looking down and the ice forming a ledge on her son's face, Mrs Spodek realized that her son could not wait any longer. It was simply too cold.

The bus pulled up and Mrs Spodek reached down and began to lift up the wheelchair all by herself.

"Hey lady, " called out the driver, "this bus does not have lift for that wheelchair. You are going to have to wait for the next bus".

"Excuse me", responded Mrs Spodek as she struggled under the weight of the wheelchair, anticipating the slippery sidewalk, "but if I wait any longer my son here is going to freeze. You have no choice but to take us on this bus".

Two passengers jumped down to help mother and son makes it onto the bus. They awkwardly manoeuvred their way trying to keep the little boy as comfortable as is possible in the narrow walkway. Meanwhile, the bus driver continued grumbling and mumbling about "the nerve of that lady pushing her way onto the bus".

As they settled into their seats, a voice could be heard from the back of the bus, "Hey lady, you should not worry one bit. Your son is not the one with the handicap. Your son is just fine if you ask me" came the loud baritone voice from the Yankee cap and shirt sitting in the back of the bus. "I will tell you who is handicapped lady, "continued the man pausing then for effect. Then in a booming voice that could have been heard half way across Manhattan he hit his final statement home, "It is the bus driver who has the handicap lady. His mind is handicapped".

Tears rolled down Mrs Spodek's frozen cheeks as she nodded her head in agreement.

Thirty minutes later when Mrs Spodek rang the bell to step off the bus, the driver pulled all the way over to the side of the road, unbuckled his seat belt and joined in helping mother and son disembark.

Just before the driver turned to go back to the bus he coughed and cleared his throat and said, "Sorry lady. I was wrong".

Mrs Spodek responded with "Thank you for saying so".

Then looking at the boy in the wheelchair, the big burly New York bus driver bent down and said, "You are lucky to have such a nice Mom".

With a twinkle sparkling in the corner of his eye, the little Spodek looked back into the driver's eyes and said, "We were lucky to have a nice driver".

The driver turned to go back on the bus but not before the Spodek's heard him start to cry. "What a kid. What a kid".

The Devoted Son

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they travelled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others adorned the walls of their family estate. The widowed elderly man looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. The son's trained eye and sharp business mind caused his father to beam with pride as they dealt with art collectors around the world.

 

As winter approached, war engulfed their nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, the elderly man received a telegram that his beloved son was missing in action. The art collector anxiously awaited more news, fearing he would never see his son again. Within days his fears were confirmed. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joys of the season-a season that he and his son had so looked forward to in the past-would visit his house no longer. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. He opened the door and was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand.

The soldier introduced himself to the old man by saying, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you." As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had told every one of his-and his father's-love of fine art work. "I'm also an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this." As the old man began to un-wrap the package, paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son. Though the world would never consider it a work of genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail.

 

Overcome with emotion, the old man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the portrait above the fireplace. A few hours later, after the soldier had departed, the old man set about his task. True to his word, the painting went above the fireplace, pushing aside thousands of dollars worth of paintings. And then the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. During the days and weeks that followed, the man learned that his son had rescued dozens of wounded soldiers before a bullet stilled his caring heart. As the stories of his son's gallantry continued to reach him, fatherly pride and satisfaction began to ease his grief, as he realized that, although his son was no longer with him, the boy's life would live on because of those he had touched. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the priceless pieces for which museums around the world clamoured. He told his neighbours it was the greatest gift he had ever received. The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation, since, with the old man's passing, and his only son dead; those paintings would be sold at an auction. According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the way he had received his greatest gift.

 

The day finally arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings. Dreams could be fulfilled this day; greatness could be achieved as some could say," I have the greatest collection." The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum list... It was the painting of the old man's son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent.

"Who will open the bidding with $100?" he asked. Moments passed as no one spoke. From the back of the room came, "Who cares about that painting? It's just a picture of his son. Let's forget it and get on to the good ones." More voices echoed in agreement. "No, we have to sell this one-first," replied the auctioneer. "Now who will take the son?" Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. "Will you take $10 for the painting? That's all I have. "Will anyone go higher?" called the auctioneer. After more silence he said, "Going once, going twice... Gone" The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone shouted; "Now we can get on with it and bid on these treasures!"

 

The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Then someone spoke up and asked, "What do you mean it's over? We didn't come here for a portrait of some old man's son! What about all of the other paintings?

There is millions of dollars worth of artwork here. We demand an explanation!" The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son...gets it all."

Just as the art collectors discovered on that day...The message is still the same...the love of the Father.... a Father whose son gave his life for others...And because of that Father's love...Whoever takes the Son gets it all.

 

The Cookies

A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in an airport shop, bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop. She was engrossed in her book but happened to see that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be. He grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene. So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye." With each cookie she took, he took one too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, as he ate the other. She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother! This guy has some nerve and he's also rude. Why he didn't even show any gratitude! She had never known when she had been so galled and sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate. 

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat, and then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise, there was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes. If mine are here, she moaned in despair, the others were his, and he tried to share. 

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief. 

How many times in our lives, have we absolutely known that something was a certain way, only to discover later that what we believed to be true ... was not?

The Circus

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between the ticket counter and us. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants and other acts they would see that night. One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives.

 

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armour." He was smiling and basking in pride, looking at her as if to reply, "You got that right."

 

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, "Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus."

 

The ticket lady quoted the price.

 

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped; the man's lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?"

 

The ticket lady again quoted the price.

 

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

 

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me sir, this fell out of your pocket."

 

The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

 

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without.

 

The Chicken

Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley bellow. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nature and raise the large egg. One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game, on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh", the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds". The chickens roared with laughter, "You can not soar with those birds! You are a chicken and chickens do not soar". The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time, the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done and that is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.

You become what you believe you are, so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams not the words of a chicken.

The Builder

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the pay cheque, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Struggle

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly...

Stone Soup Story

Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and weary of battle, came upon a small village. The villagers, suffering a meagre harvest and the many years of war, quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three at the village square, wringing their hands and bemoaning the lack of anything to eat.

The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then turned to the village elders. "Your tired fields have left you nothing to share, so we will share what little we have: the secret of how to make soup from stones."

Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was put to the town's greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones. "Now this will be a fine soup", said the second soldier; "but a pinch of salt and some parsley would make it wonderful!" Up jumped a villager, crying, "What luck! I've just remembered where some has been left!" And off she ran, returning with an apron full of parsley and a turnip. As the kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved: soon barley, carrots, beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask of wine was rolled into the square as all sat down to feast.

They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and their newfound friends. In the morning the three soldiers awoke to find the entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the village's best breads and cheese. "You have given us the greatest of gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones", said an elder, "and we shall never forget." The third soldier turned to the crowd, and said: "There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by sharing that we may make a feast", and off the soldiers wandered, down the road.

Special Orders

Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "No Man's Land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

"You can go," said the Lieutenant, "but I don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away." The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway.

Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder, and bring him back to their company's trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend. "I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded."

"It was worth it, though, sir," the soldier said.

"How do you mean, 'worth it?” responded the Lieutenant, "Your friend is dead!"

"Yes sir," the soldier answered. "But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, 'FRIEND, I knew you'd come.' "

Special Olympics

The incident took place a few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics. The Special Olympics is a competition, which is open to mentally retarded and mentally disabled children. In this competition, youngsters, each with some form of disability, compete against each other. Everyone was tense. The race was getting ready to start. Nine children, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 1 00-yard dash.

As the starter fired the shot that started the race, all the children in the race started to run. Well, not exactly in a dash like other children might have started to run. They all started with a relish and determination to run the race to the finish and win. They wanted so much to be like other children. Their proud parents sat in the stands.

All the youngsters started out in that race except one little fellow who was so determined to win that he accidentally slipped and stumbled on the asphalt. Because he had built up such a tremendous thrust, he tumbled over and over and rolled uncontrollably on the ground. When he finally came to a halt, he began to cry.

The other eight children in the competition, who were well ahead of the one who fell, heard the boy cry. They looked back, and when they saw what had happened, they not only slowed down, they began to walk back to the child who had fallen.

One little girl with Down's syndrome, who was slightly older than the others, ran over to the youngster who had fallen and she held his bruised knee. She bent over and kissed the knee, adding, "This will make it all better." The others helped him up. Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.

Everyone in the stadium stood up! The cheering went on for several minutes as tears filled the eyes of those who saw the incident.

People who were in the stands are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down every one of us knows that what really matters in this life is more than simply winning for ourselves... What matters is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

Small Things That Make A Big Difference

There was a man taking a morning walk at the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He went to the next and did the same and so no. One after the other he kept throwing them back into the water.

Right behind him there was another person who couldn’t understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, “What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?” This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, “It makes a difference to this one.”

What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If everyone made a small difference, we’d end up with a big difference, wouldn’t we?

Slow Down

About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was travelling down a Chicago neighbourhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinders Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and -- WHUMP! -- It smashed into the Jag's shiny black side door! SCREECH! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against a parked car.

He shouted at the kid, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's my new Jag; that brick you threw is going to cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, mister, please...I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, mister," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the Wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinders Jaguar XKE -- a long and slow walk. Now, Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention.

Sleeping Through The Storm

A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.

A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.

The young man slept soundly.

The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.

The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.

The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace.

Seven Wonders Of The World

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:

1.   Egypt's Great Pyramids.

2.   Taj Mahal.

3.   Grand Canyon.

4.   Panama Canal.

5.   Empire State Building.

6.   St. Peter's Basilica.

7.   China's Great Wall.

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.

The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many.”

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are: -

1.   To touch.

2.   To taste.

3.   To see.

4.   To hear.

    She hesitated a little, and then added: -

5.   To feel.

6.   To laugh.

7.   And to love.

The room was so full of silence you could have heard a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and "ordinary" are truly wondrous.

A gentle reminder that the most precious things are before you: your family, your faith, your love, your good health and your friends.

Sand Writing

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. In a specific point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one, who got slapped, was hurt, but without anything to say, he wrote in the sand: "TODAY, MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE".

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who got slapped and hurt started drowning, and the other friend saved him. When he recovered from the fright, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE".

The friend who saved and slapped his best friend, asked him, "Why, after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a stone?" The other friend, smiling, replied: "When a friend hurts us, we should write it down in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness get in charge of erasing it away, and when something great happens, we should engrave it in the stone of the memory of the heart, where no wind can erase it"

Learn to write in the sand.

Rest Smart

Once there were a group of man - a young hot-blooded guy and a big number of old folks, doing timber job in a jungle (i.e. chopping down trees).

This young chap is very hard working. He always continues to work through his break time and complains that those old folks were wasting time, having to break few times a day to drink and chat.

As times goes by, this young guy noticed that even though he worked thru' break time and hardly took a rest... those old folks are chopping the same amount of trees as he did and sometimes did more than he did. It was as if those old folks work thru' the break time as he did. So he decided to work harder the next day...unfortunately the results were even worse.

One day, one of the old folk invited him for a drink during their break time. That young guy refused and said he has no extra time to spend! Then the old man smiled to him and said "It was just a waste of effort to keep chopping trees without re-sharpening your knife. Sooner or later you will give up or be so exhausted as you have spent too much energy." Suddenly the young man realised that actually during break times while those old folks were having a chat, they were also re-sharpening their knife at the same time! And that's how they can chop faster than him and yet spending lesser time! The old man said "What we need is efficiency by making use of our skill and ability intelligently. Only then can we have more times to do other things. Otherwise you will always keep saying ... I have no time!"

The morale of the story: -

By taking a short break during work, it would make you feel fresher, think well and work better after the break! (Or am I just finding excuse to take a break?)

But by taking a break, it is not to stop work but to rest and re-think our strategy to go about it from another angle.

Think smart, work smart and rest smart.

Refusing To Accept Failure

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29, 000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts. He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't understand that Hillary had to grow into this success. You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members. Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!"

Read It Carefully, Very Important

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5 years old son waiting for him at the door.

Son: - "Daddy, May I ask you a question?"

Daddy: - "Yeah sure, what it is?"

Son: - "Dad, how much do u make an hour?

Daddy: - "That's none of your business. Why you ask such a thing?” that man said angrily

Son: -" I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"

Daddy: -" If you must know, I make Rs.500 an hour." "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down, looking up, he said, "Dad, may I please borrow Rs 300?

The father was furious," If the only reason u asked that is so u can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or other nonsense, then march yourself to your room and go to bed, Think why u are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behaviour."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think "May be there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs. 300 and he really didn't ask for money very often! " The man went to the door of little boy's room and opened the door.” Are u asleep, son?" He asked. No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

I've been thinking, may be I was too hard on you earlier," said the man, it's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the Rs. 300 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh thank you dad!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled some crumpled up bills. The man seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father.” Why do you want money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.” Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have Rs. 500 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you”.

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY: - It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family. An unwise investment indeed!!!

Rat Trap

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a rattrap. Retreating to the farmyard the rat proclaimed the warning; "There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The rat turned to the goat and told him, "There is a rat trap in the house”. “A rat trap in the house? I am so very sorry Mr. Rat"; sympathized the goat,” but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers."

The rat turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Rat, a rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh! "So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's rattrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rattrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbours came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the goat. The farmer's wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rattrap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk.