PEACE is a state of mind

Received in WhatsApp

Murugan, the proprietor of a coffee shop had been busy all day. Being Saturday, his shop was very crowded and the customers seemed unending.

He had been on his toes since morning. Towards the evening he felt a splitting headache surfacing.

As the clock ticked away, his headache worsened.

Unable to bear it, he stepped out of the shop leaving his staff to look after the sales.

He walked across the street to the Pharmacy to buy himself a painkiller to relieve his headache.

He swallowed the pill and felt relieved. He knew that in a few minutes he would feel better.

As he strolled out of the shop, he casually asked the salesgirl, "Where is Mr. Gopalan, the Chemist? He's not at the cash counter today!"

The girl replied, "Sir, Mr. Gopalan had a splitting headache and said he was going across to your coffee shop. He said a cup of hot coffee would relieve him of his headache."

The man's mouth went dry and he mumbled, "Oh! I see."

This is a typical case of looking outside ourselves for something that we have within us.

How strange, but true!

The Chemist relieves his headache by drinking coffee and the coffee shop owner finds relief in a pain-relieving pill!

Similarly, many of us travel across the lengths and breadths of the universe and also visit several shrines and ashrams to find peace. Eventually, we come to realize that real peace is within our own hearts.

PEACE is really a state of mind.🙏🏻

Dandelions in life

Traditional Sufi Story

A young man named Nasruddin planted a flower garden, but when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them. Wishing to eliminate the unwanted guests, Nasruddin consulted with gardeners near and far, but none of their solutions worked.

Finally, Nasruddin traveled to the palace of the sheikh to seek the wisdom of the royal gardener himself. 

But alas, Nasruddin had already tried all the methods the kind old man recommended to him for eradicating such troublesome weeds.

Silently they sat together for a good long time. 

At last, the royal gardener looked at Nasruddin and said, "Well, then, the only thing I can suggest is that you learn to love them."

We live in a society with the presence of both desirable and undesirable elements. These undesirable elements are like those Dandelions, a stubborn weed that never seems to leave your lawn or garden. Wisdom lies in embracing the fact that we need to coexist with them. The least we can do is to love them and accept them.

All are equal

Story contributed by Preeti Ramakrishnan

Once there was a fight in Anita's kitchen. Salt and sugar were fighting for superiority. 

"I am simply the best creation of God," said salt. 

"I make food so tasty that man can't do without me."

Sugar got angry with salt. It felt that it was the best. 

"I am much better than you," said sugar. 

"What sweetness I bring to every dish," it said with pride.

Sugar and Salt were so boastful that all the other ingredients in Anita's kitchen were now fed up. 

"What do they  think?" asked tamarind to pepper. 

"Just because I am sour, does it make me less special?"

Pepper felt that salt could not do without it. Coffee powder was angry at sugar for not giving it any importance.

All the spices in Anita's kitchen were very agitated too. 

But there was one spice, Turmeric which was very quiet. 

"Please don't fight dear Salt and Sugar," requested Turmeric. "Each ingredient in the shelf is important in it's own way," said Turmeric with a smile.

Sugar and Salt looked at Turmeric and mockingly laughed at it. "So you are going to tell us what to do and how to behave,"  they asked very angrily. Turmeric calmly replied that all ingredients were useful and nothing was superior or inferior.

Suddenly Anita's son Rohan entered the house crying. Anita was worried. 

"What happened?" asked Anita. 

"I was playing football when suddenly I fell down. My wound is bleeding profusely," cried Rohan.

"Who will help him now?" wondered the ingredients. 

Anita then reached out for Turmeric powder and said, "Don't worry my son. Turmeric will stop the bleeding immediately."  

Soon Turmeric stopped the bleeding and Rohan was happy again. 

But now there was silence in Anita's shelf. Salt and sugar realized what Turmeric had said earlier. They became aware of the fact that everything has value and good qualities and that everything was the same in nature's eyes. 

They thanked Turmeric as it was not only a great healer but also a wonderful Teacher.

Loving oneself is not selfishness

"To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance," says Oscar Wilde. 

Taking laws of attraction to another level is self-love. Loving ourselves attracts more love. As simple as that. But why is it that we don't practice it often? Because most of us confuse self-love with selfishness. Unfortunately we have been conditioned from childhood to think that to put oneself first amounts to self-centredness. What is the thin line that divides both? "Self love" spreads by including others too in the process while "selfishness" is loving one's own self at the exclusion of others. 

Ignoring the conditioned mind, let's start listening to our heart. Without procrastinating anymore, let's start practicing to love ourselves right now. Healthy self-love means doing things which adds quality to our lives.

Having confidence in ourselves, being kind to ourselves by binging on that chocolate once in a while, not feeling guilty when we take a much needed break to watch a movie occasionally, treating ourselves with a health spa when required, patting our own back on a success, taking responsibility for failures without remorse, be willing to accept help when offered, accepting and honoring our emotions when we feel like crying, accepting compliments gracefully, forgiving ourselves whenever we commit a mistake, being gentle and compassionate to ourselves. These are only small beginnings. 

One word of caution though about this life-long romance. Knowing where to draw the line. Else we would end up like this woman who loved herself a little too much.

A woman was lamenting that she had gained weight. She'd made her family's favorite cake over the weekend, she reported, and they'd eaten half of it at dinner.
The next day, she said, she kept staring at the other half, until finally she cut a thin slice for herself. One slice led to another, and soon the whole cake was gone. The woman went on to tell her friends how upset she was with her lack of willpower, and how she knew her husband would be disappointed.
Everyone sympathized, until someone asked what her husband said when he found out.
She smiled. "He never did. I baked another cake and ate half!"

Education and Experience

Unknown Author

There is a difference between education and experience.

Education is what you get from reading the small print.

Experience is what you get from not reading it! 

But isn't it true that great learning comes from both education and experience? 

Let me tell you a parable:

A young school teacher had a dream that an angel appeared to him and said, "You will be given a child who will grow up to become a world leader. How will you prepare her so that she will realize her intelligence, grow in confidence, develop both her assertiveness and sensitivity, be open—minded, yet strong in character? In short, what kind of education will you provide that she can become one of the world's truly GREAT leaders?"

The young teacher awoke in a cold sweat. It had never occurred to him before —any ONE of his present or future students could be the person described in his dream. Was he preparing them to rise to ANY POSITION to which they may aspire? He thought, 'How might my teaching change if I KNEW that one of my students were this person?'  

He gradually began to formulate a plan in his mind:

·         This student would need experience as well as instruction.

·         She / he would need to know how to solve problems of various kinds.

·         She / he would need to grow in character as well as knowledge.

·         She / he would need self assurance as well as the ability to listen well and work with others.

·         She / he would need to understand and appreciate the past, yet feel optimistic about the future.

·         She / he would need to know the value of lifelong learning in order to keep a curious and active mind.

·         She / he would need to grow in understanding of others and become a student of the spirit.

·         She/ he would need to set high standards for herself and learn self discipline, yet  would also need love and encouragement, that they might be filled with love and goodness.

His teaching changed. Every young person who walked through his classroom became, for him, a future world leader. He saw each one, not as they were, but as they could be. He expected the best from his students, yet tempered it with compassion. He taught each one as if the future of the world depended on his instruction.

After many years, a woman he knew rose to a position of world prominence.  He realized that she must surely have been the girl described in his dream. 

It turned out she was not one of his students, but rather his daughter. For all the various teachers in her life, her father was the best. 

I've heard it said that "Children are living messages we send to a time and place we will never see." But this isn't simply a parable about an unnamed school teacher. It is a parable about you and me —whether or not we are parents or even teachers.

And the story, OUR story, actually begins like this:

"You will be given a child who will grow up to become...."  You finish the sentence.

If not a world leader, then a superb father?

An excellent teacher?

A gifted healer?

An innovative problem solver?

An inspiring artist?

A generous philanthropist?

Where and how you will encounter this child is a mystery. But believe that one child's future may depend upon influence only you can provide, and something remarkable will happen. For no young person will ever be ordinary to you again. And you will never be the same.

God's Family

By Steve Goodier www.LifeSupportSystem.com

An old story is told of two men who went fishing in a small boat. The day was uneventful until one of them hooked a huge fish, which, in the struggle, pulled him overboard. He couldn't swim and began to panic.

"Help!" he yelled. "Save me!"

The friend reached over and grabbed the man by the hair to pull him closer to the boat. But when he tugged, the man's toupee came off and he slipped down under the water again.

He came up shouting, "Hey, help me! I can't swim!"

So the friend reached down again and this time latched onto the struggling man's arm. But when he pulled, the arm came off! It was an artificial limb.

The drowning man continued to kick and thrash around and his friend reached out a third time. This time he grabbed a leg and pulled. You guessed it -- a wooden leg.

The man continued splashing and sputtering and calling out, "Help me!" until his friend finally called back in disgust, "How can I help you if you won't stick together?"

And that is a metaphor for each of us.

How can people in marriages and families stand a chance when they won't stick together?
How can religious communities, civic groups, schools and businesses get anywhere when they won't stick together?
And how can a nation or even our global village function well when it won't stick together?

Archbishop Desmond Tutu put it this way:
“We are made for goodness.
We are made for love.
We are made for friendliness.
We are made for togetherness.
We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know.
We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders.
All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow,
rich, poor, educated, not educated,
male, female, all, all, all.
We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family.”

The Real Meaning Of 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." 

There is no end, only the beginning

Found at http://inspirationalstories.eu/

The creator created people, gave them words for communication and thinking, settled them in the fertile valley at the foot of the mountains, gave them longevity and started to observe, how they will aspire to develop. 

Time passed, but people did not develop.

Their feet did not go beyond their village and did not climb up the mountains. Their eyes did not look at the sky and did not look in the Heart.

And they became old.

The Creator decided to find out, what was the matter.

He became a man and came to them as a traveler. Before sunset people gathered at the square to talk with the traveler.

He described them a life beyond the horizon and suggested:

“Do you want me to lead you there, and you will see how people live in these places?”

“Oh,” they answered sadly, “it is late, we became old.”

“Then come with me to the mountains to look at the world from the top!” said the creator

“Oh,” they said, “it is too late, we have no energy.”

“Look at the sky,” the creator told them, “and I will tell you about the life in the Kingdom of Heaven!”

They answered again, “It is late; our mind will not understand your story.”

The creator became sad. He decided to cheer people.

“Let‘s sing a song!” he said and was going to sing first, but people noticed that the san went down.

“It is late,” they said, “it is time to sleep…” and so they went to their huts.

The creator shouted to them, “People, when life is continuous and infinite, it is not late for any achievements!”

But they did not turn back.

Then the Creator told himself, “I will take away all words of limitation from people—‘late, not, impossible, far, high, hard, will not understand,’ and will place in their hearts the joy of infinity. Maybe they will perceive my Law: ‘nothing is late, because there is no end, there is only the beginning!’”

He did so and waited for the morning. 

Will people change and will they go with him to the mountains?

“Stop waiting for what you want and start working with what you’ve got. Your greatest limitation is God’s greatest opportunity.”

An Important Word to Learn

- By Steve Goodier www.LifeSupportSystem.com

An office reports that they have an answering machine that instructs callers to leave their name and address, and to spell any difficult words.

Early one Monday when an assistant was reviewing weekend messages, she heard an enthusiastic woman recite her name and address and then confidently say, "My difficult word is reconciliation. R-E-C-O-N-C-I-L-I-A-T-I-O-N."

Everyone's a comic. (And I love that.) But in another sense, reconciliation IS a difficult word. If not difficult to spell, then difficult to carry out. But it's also an important word.

When my son was eleven years old he came home from school in tears one day. A couple of the older kids had bullied him at the bus stop.

We soon learned that tension had been brewing for some time. For several days there had been taunts, then pushing and shoving. And now the conflict escalated to fists. Rob wanted to stay home from school so he wouldn't have to confront the boys in the future.

We called the school and found great support. "We'll be happy to call the boys' parents," we were told. "And you should call the police."

"We don't know what we will do yet," I said. I felt that calling the police was a resort to be used when everything else failed, and I wanted first to consider other ways of handling the situation. I asked him to hold off calling the boy's parents.

The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look out the window and said in alarm, "There are the boys who beat me up!" Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.

I immediately began to think of what I wanted to say to them, but my wife Bev, a natural peacemaker, acted first. She opened the door and said with a smile, "Hi guys. Would you like some ice cream?"

They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were teenagers, after all, so they shrugged their shoulders and one of them said, "Sure. Why not?"

They followed her indoors and Bev promptly introduced herself, Rob's younger brothers and me. She even introduced Rusty the dog. "And I think you already know Rob," she said, pointing to our son. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family; he lived in a neighborhood and even owned a family pet.

Bev drew the boys into conversation while we ate ice cream. After a few minutes, she said, "I know there's been some trouble at the bus stop. I think there may be a misunderstanding."

They nodded that there had indeed been trouble at the bus stop.

She continued, "Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding so you can be friends."

They nodded their agreement and we talked until the ice cream was finished. Eventually the boys apologized and said there would be no more trouble. And there wasn't. Ever.

The vice-principal of the school called back the following week and asked about the fighting. "Did you call the police?" he asked.

"No, but we've taken care of it," I said.

"What did you do?" he wondered.

I said, "We fed them ice cream."

Reconciliation is a difficult word...a difficult task. But what could be more important? It may be easier to control conflict by force than to persevere and find a way through to harmony and cooperation. Force can stabilize a situation; it can impose a truce. But reconciliation leads to peace, which is a far better outcome.

Blessed are the reconcilers. May they be given all the ice cream they can ever eat! 

Hope, Faith, Peace & Love

Author Unknown

In a room there were four candles burning. The ambiance was so soft you could hear them talking.

The first one said, “I am PEACE, however nobody can keep me lit. I believe I will go out.” It’s flame rapidly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second one says, “I am FAITH. Most of all I am no longer indispensable, so it does not make any sense that I stay lit any longer.” When it finished talking a breeze softly blew on it putting it out.

Sadly, the third candle spoke in its turn. “I am LOVE. I have not gotten the strength to stay lit. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” And waiting no longer it goes out.

Suddenly a child entered the room and saw three candles not burning. “Why are you not burning you are supposed to stay lit till the end.” Saying this the child began to cry.

Then the fourth candle said, “Don’t be afraid, while I am still burning we can re-light the other candles, I am HOPE.”

With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other candles.

The flame of Hope should never go out from our life and that each of us can maintain HOPE, FAITH, PEACE and LOVE.

Not everything in Nature can be explained

The male monkey and the female monkey were sitting on the branch of a tree watching the sunset. At one point, she said: 'What makes the sky change colour when the sun reaches the horizon?'

'If we tried to explain everything, we wouldn't be able to live,' replied the male monkey. 'Just sit quietly and let this romantic sunset fill our hearts with gladness.'

The female monkey grew angry. 'You're so primitive and superstitious. You're not interested in logic any more, you just want to enjoy life.'

At that moment, a centipede happened to be walking past.

'Centipede!' called the male monkey. 'How do you manage to move all those legs of yours in such perfect harmony?'

'I've never really thought about it,' came the reply.

'Well, think about it! My wife would like an explanation!'

The centipede looked at its legs and began: 'Well…first I move this muscle, no, no I don't, first, I have to sway my body in this direction…'

The centipede spent half an hour trying to explain how it moved its legs, and the harder it tried, the more confused it became. Wanting to continue on its way, it found it could no longer walk.

'See what you've done?' it cried out in despair. 'In my eagerness to explain how I work, I've forgotten how to move.'

'Now do you see what happens when someone tries to explain everything?' said the male monkey, turning to enjoy the sunset in silence.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller

Worry is a fatal disease

By Author unknown

Death was walking toward a city one morning, and a man asked, "What are you going to do and where are you going?"

"I'm going to take 100 people by evening," Death replied.

"That"s horrible!" the man said.

"That's the way it is," Death said, "That's what I do."

The man hurried to warn everyone he could, about Death's plan.

As evening fell, the man realized 1000 people had died.

He met Death again. "You told me you were going to take only 100 people," the man said. "Why did 1,000 die?"

“I kept my word,” Death responded, "I only took 100 people. Worry took the others.”

Worry is, and always will be, a fatal disease of the heart, for it signals the end of faith.

Release the regrets of yesterday, refuse the fears of tomorrow and receive instead, the peace of today.

Do not allow worries and work pressures inside your home. Once you enter your home, simply let go and let God take over.

Live this way and be eternally blessed.

Be happy with the way you are

A Parrot came home upset and confused.

“What’s wrong?” his mother asked.

“I hate my stupid beak!” Parrot blurted.

“Why do you hate your beak? I think it’s beautiful,” his mother said reassuringly.

“All of the other birds have much cooler beaks. Spoonbill, Pelican, Hawk, Finch, all of them!”

Parrot’s mother sat silently for a moment. “He may be right,” she thought to herself, "they do have very cool beaks."

“You should go and see Major Macaw, he’ll know what to do. He’s the wisest of the parrots and lives in the tallest tree in the forest. Yes, he’ll know what to do,” responded Parrot’s mother.

So Parrot flew to the tallest tree in the forest and found Major Macaw.

“Excuse me Major, I have a problem,” said Parrot.

“Oh dear, what can it be?” asked the venerable Macaw.

“I have a stupid beak. Why can’t I have a cool beak like Spoonbill, Pelican, Hawk or Finch?”

“You’re right.” said the Macaw, “They do have cool beaks. Tell me Parrot, do you like eating worms and crustaceans?”

“Yuck! That would be disgusting!” responded Parrot.

“Well, that’s what the spoonbill’s beak is designed for. So it wouldn’t work. What about fish?”

“I couldn’t think of anything worse,” said Parrot.

“So, the Pelican’s beak would not work either. What about rabbits and mice?”

“Eeeks. No”

“OK, so maybe you shouldn’t aspire to have a Hawk’s beak. Small seeds?”

“They’re not so bad, but my favourite is Brazil nuts.” exclaimed Parrot, salivating at the thought.

“That’s lucky, I think I have a few here. Would you like one?” asked Major.

Parrot’s eyes lit up. ”Yes, please.”

“Tell me Parrot, if you had the beak of a spoonbill, pelican, hawk or finch, do you think that you could eat that Brazil nut?”

“I guess not,” said Parrot with his mouth full.

“You see, young parrot, you have been designed a certain way, with certain skills, attributes and tastes. Don’t waste your life being envious of the capacities of others, just make sure that you know what you’re good at and why you’re here.”

A lesson in dream

Author Unknown

A man had a little daughter -- an only and much-beloved child.

He lived for her -- she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.

His best efforts proved unavailing and the child died.

The father was totally irreconcilable. He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends and refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self.

But one night he had a dream. He was witnessing a grand pageant of the entire little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne. Every white-robed angelic child carried a candle. He noticed that one child's candle was not lighted.

Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl.

Rushing to her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and then asked: "How is it, darling that your candle alone is unlighted?”

“Father, they often re-light it, but your tears always put it out."

Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and its effects were immediate.

From that hour on he was not a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates.

No longer would his darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears. 

A child’s FAITH

Author Unknown

A pastor was on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: ‘Fasten your seat belts.’ Then, after a while, a calm voice said, ‘We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened.’

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, ’we are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.’

And then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, ‘As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

And then, he suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world.

When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid.

The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination safely and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, he lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The sweet child replied, ‘Sir, my Dad was the pilot, and he was taking me home.’

The true sight

Author Unknown

The Park bench was deserted as the lady sat down. She was disillusioned with life. “The world is intent on dragging me down,” she thought.

If that weren't enough to ruin her day, a young boy approached her. He was breathless, all tired from play.

He stood right before her with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

There was a flower in his hand, with its petals all worn out. It was a dead flower. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, she faked a small smile and then pretended to look away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to her side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

She knew she must take it, or he might never leave. So she reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in her hand, he held it mid-air.

It was then that she noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

Her voice quivered; tears rolled down as she thanked him for picking the very best one.

"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on her day.

She sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. “How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight,” she wondered.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last she could see that the problem was not with the world; the problem was with her. And for all of those times she herself had been blind.

She vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's hers. And then she held that wilted flower up to her nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.

She smiled as she watched that young boy, with another weed in his hand, about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

The power of silence

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. 

Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be!

Gold-embroidered robe

As told by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Himself:

"Once I had the desire to put on a gold-embroidered robe, wear a ring on my finger, and smoke a hubble-bubble with a long pipe. Mathur Babu procured all these things for me.

I wore the gold-embroidered robe and said to myself after a while, 'Mind! This is what is called a gold-embroidered robe.'

Then I took it off and threw it away. I couldn't stand the robe any more.

Again I said to myself, 'Mind! This is called a shawl, and this a ring, and this, smoking a hubble-bubble with a long pipe.'

I threw those things away once for all, and the desire to enjoy them never arose in my mind again."

Make love a part of your day

Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.

The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realised it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.

Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?”

“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”

A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”

Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”

Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”

When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.

Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.

On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”

Knowledge smiled, “Oh that was Time.”

“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”

The important message is that when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your life today?