Everything I Needed

Author Unknown

 

I asked for strength and
God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and
God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and
God gave me brawn and brains to work.

I asked for courage and
God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and
God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love and
God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and
God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted
I received everything I needed.

My prayers have all been answered.

The sound that the heart desires

On a beautiful day, a Master heard one of his students asking his friends what was the most beautiful sound on Earth.

'The sound of the flute,' said one.

'Birdsong,' said another.

'A woman's voice,' said a third…….

The discussion continued late into the night, without anyone reaching any conclusion.

Days later, the Master invited that student and his friends to supper. In the room next door, the best orchestra in the world was playing lovely music, but there was no food on the table. 

Around midnight, by which time his guests were all starving hungry, the Master finally served up a superb feast.

Listening to the clatter of cutlery on the plates of the hungry students, the master remarked, ‘it’s too noisy’.

‘After hours without eating, isn't the clatter of cutlery on plates a heavenly sound?' remarked the student.

‘My dear, you have just answered your own question about what is the most beautiful sound on Earth,' replied the Master. 'It could be the voice of the woman we love, the singing of birds, the clatter of plates, the breathing of someone dear to us beside us in bed ……. but it will always be the sound that our heart needs to hear at that precise moment.'

One Life

Author Unknown

One SONG can spark a moment
One FLOWER can wake the dream
One TREE can start a forest                     

One BIRD can herald spring
One SMILE begins a friendship
One HANDCLASP lifts a soul
One STAR can guide a ship at sea 

One WORD can frame the goal

One VOTE can change a nation
One SUNBEAM lights a room
One CANDLE wipes out darkness
One LAUGH will conquer gloom
One STEP must start each journey
One WORD must start a prayer
One HOPE will raise our spirits
One TOUCH can show you care
One VOICE can speak with wisdom
One HEART can know what is true
One LIFE can make a difference.

The path for spiritual treasure

Sufi Story

'All the teachers say that spiritual treasure is something one finds alone. So why are we all here together?' asked a disciple of the Sufi master Nasrudin.

'You are all here together because a forest is always stronger than a lone tree,' replied Nasrudin.
'The forest maintains the humidity in the air, it resists the hurricane, and it helps to make the soil fertile.
But what makes a tree strong is its root, and the root of one plant cannot help another plant to grow.
Working together towards the same end and at the same time allowing each one to grow in his own way-- that is the path for those who wish to commune with God.'

No job is more important than a 'mother's job'

Excerpts from Steve Goodier's writing in his blog http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/

A mother was asked by an officious clerk, 'What is your occupation?'

She had dedicated herself to the raising of her children and felt that, though she was not financially compensated for her labour, her 'job' was of utmost importance. Besides, she resented it when people said she was 'Just a housewife.'

So she told the clerk that she was a 'Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.'

Duly impressed, the clerk asked her what she did in her field.

This is how the mother replied: 'I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't?) in the laboratory and in the field. (Normally I would have said indoors and out.)
I'm working for my Masters (the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money.'

Who can argue?

Like a Spanish proverb says, 'An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.'

And a member of the clergy put it like this: 'My mother practices what I preach.'

The job is one of the most difficult there is, but still remains popular. I think that may be because, though many jobs are important, none is more so.

My thoughts: Hats off to all those 'Just Housewives'. It is said that a strong woman stands up for herself; a stronger woman stands up for everyone else. A 'Housewife' is that stronger woman. A mother loves her children all the time even if they are away and not with her. Its her dream to see her children grow up to be healthy, happy and successful. 

"I don't like the terms 'housewife' & 'home maker'. I prefer to be called Domestic Goddess," Roseanne Barr. 

How true!

Image curtsy: housewifeutopia.com

Who is the richest person?

Author Unknown

A rich landowner often rode around his vast estate so he could congratulate himself on his great wealth.

One day while riding around his estate on his favorite horse, he saw an old tenant farmer sitting under a tree and praying with folded hands. His humble food was lying before him. The rich man asked him why he is praying instead of eating.

The farmer said, 'I was just thanking God for my food.'

The rich man protested, 'If that is all I had to eat, I wouldn't feel like giving thanks.'

The farmer replied, 'God has given me everything I need, and I am thankful for it.'

He then added, 'It is strange you should come by today because I had a dream last night. In my dream a voice told me, 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight.' I don't know what it means, but I thought I ought to tell you.'

The rich man snorted, 'Dreams are nonsense,' and galloped away, but he could not forget the old man's words: 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight.'

He was obviously the richest man in the valley, so he invited his doctor to his house that evening. He told the doctor what the farmer had said. After a thorough examination, the doctor told the wealthy landowner, 'You are as strong and healthy as a horse. There is no way you are going to die tonight.'

Nevertheless, for assurance, the doctor stayed with him, and they played cards through the night. The doctor left the next morning and the man apologized for becoming so upset over the old man's dream. At about nine o'clock, a messenger arrived at his door.

'What is it?' the rich man demanded.

The messenger explained, 'It's about that old farmer. He died last night in his sleep.'

The richest man is not he who HAS THE MOST but he who NEEDS THE LEAST. The richest people are not necessarily happy. He may be a successful person. But its more important for anyone to heed to the lessons of the failure. The experiences taught by success and failure make one more richer than the material wealth. "Being the richest man in the cemetery does not matter to me. Going to bed at night saying that we've done something wonderful.....thats what matters to me," says Steve Jobs.

Short stories with moral

Curtsy: http://TheInspirationalStories.com

The rooster makes its last mistake

Two burglars were prowling around a barn one night. They could hear something moving inside, and ever so carefully they climbed in to see what it was. It was a rooster. "Ah-ha," they cried. "This will do for our supper tomorrow."

They grabbed it and were about to kill it when the rooster squawked in alarm: "Please don't kill me. I can be useful to you. I can wake you at dawn every day, ready to start work on time."

"That's just what we don't want," growled the burglars. "If you wake people up they'll catch us robbing their houses."

So that was the end of the rooster.

Moral: “Boasting begins where wisdom stops,” a Japanese proverb

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The jealous goat

A goat and a donkey lived on the same farm. The goat had to find his own

food, but because he made the donkey work hard, the farmer fed him. The

goat became jealous, forgetting the entire donkey's hard work. He thought if

the donkey stopped working, he would get his food. So he pushed him into a

large hole, and he was badly hurt.

The farmer sent for the vet, who examined the donkey. "The quickest way to make him better," he said, "is to feed him with goat soup."

So instead of getting the donkey's food for himself, the goat ended up as food for the donkey!

Moral: “Envy is the ulcer of the Soul,” Socrates

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Look before you eat

You know what dogs are like. If you drop a bit of food from the table they shallow it before they know what it is. But sometimes they wish they hadn't.

Fanny the farm dog wasn't allowed in while her master Josh was eating with the family. But one day she crept in and hid under the table when no-one was looking.

She kept very quiet until suddenly a big dollop of food fell next to her. She gobbled it up without thinking. Then she let out a big howl and rushed outside, holding her tummy with one paw.

The family was eating a very hot curry for supper!

Moral: “Love is blind and greed is insatiable.” A Chinese proverb

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One good turn deserves another

Fred was a farm-worker who found a young eagle caught in a trap. He couldn't bear to see such a beautiful bird in pain, so he released it.

A few days later, he was sitting in the shade of an old wall, having bread and cheese for his lunch.

Suddenly, with a flapping of wings, the eagle swooped and stole the cap from his head. It flew away just above the ground with Fred rushing after it, shouting, until it dropped his cap.

Fred put it back on his head and trudged back to finish his lunch. But what do you think?

Exactly where he had been sitting the old wall had collapsed! Each of them had saved the other.

Moral: “If you do good, good will be done to you,” a Danish proverb

We are all made to fly

Author Unknown

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.

Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly.

He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch.

Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.”

In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.”

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”

With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”

Life brings obstacles and difficulties. They do not come to stop or hinder progress. They can strengthen and help in bringing progress with more experience. To understand this is to keep advancing. Understanding this aspect means to know that it is not always necessary to find a solution, it is enough to keep moving forward, leaving the obstacle behind.  Let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight! 

Importance of daily prayer

After an exhausting morning session of prayer in the monastery, the novice asked the Head Monk: 'Do all these prayers that you teach us make God move closer to us?'

'I'm going to reply with another question,' said the Master.

'Will all the prayers you say make the sun rise tomorrow?'

'Of course not! The sun rises in obedience to a universal law regardless of how much I pray.'

'Well, there's the answer to your question. God is close to us regardless of how much we pray.'

The novice was shocked.

'Does that mean we need not pray? Are our prayers useless?'

'Absolutely not. If you don't wake up early enough, you will never get to see the sunrise. And although God is always close, if you don't pray, you will never manage to feel His presence.'

Just as physical exercise is necessary for a healthy body, daily prayer is necessary for a healthy soul. Prayer nourishes, conditions and revitalizes the soul for its optimum efficiency. Daily prayers develop a healthy relationship with God thus making us lead a spiritually fulfilling life. Prayer is very powerful and its effects can cause everlasting life changes. Prayer calms down our hearts and clears our vision. The chaos subsides and life seems to settle down around us as we pray.

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