Life's Little Lessons Lessons کانون زبان جهان 02636633872 کرج-شهرک110- خ...

8/11/2019 Life's Little Lessons Lessons 14 02636633872 -110- -

1/41

Mothers Day

Aman stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wiredto his mother who lived two hundred miles away. When he got outof his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb crying. Heasked her what was wrong and she answered, "I wanted to buy ared rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and arose is two dollars." The man smiled and said, "Come in with me.I'll buy you a rose." He bought the little girl her rose and orderedhis own mother's flowers. When they were leaving he offered thegirl a ride home. She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to mymother." They went to a cemetery, where she put the rose on a

grave. The man returned to the flower shop, and he canceled thewire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred milesto his mother's house.

EAGLES IN A STORM

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm comes? Theeagle will fly to some high place and it will wait for the winds tocome. When the storm starts, it opens its wings so that the windwill pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm isbelow, the eagle is flying above it. The eagle does not escape thestorm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on thewinds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come on us - and all of us will experiencethem - we can rise above them by setting our minds


2/41

and our belief to God. The storms do not have to defeat us. Wecan allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us thestorm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and sadness in ourlives. We can go above the storm. Remember, it is not the storms

of life that bring us down, it is how we manage them.

A Box Full of Kisses

Many years ago, a dad punished his little daughter for wasting aroll of gold wrapping paper. Dad didnt have moneyand hebecame sad when the child tried to decorate a box. The little girlgave the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for

you, Daddy." The man was angry by his earlier behavior, but hebecame angry when he found out the box was empty. He cried ather, saying, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present,there should be something inside? The little girl looked up at himwith tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. Iblew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy." The fatherwas crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he beggedfor her forgiveness. Only a short time later, an accident took the

life of the child. It


3/41

is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for manyyears and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out animaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put itthere. In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have

been given a gold container filled with unconditional love andkisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God.There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, moreprecious than this.

THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Thenhe hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove thehuge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtierscame by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed theking for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything aboutgetting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came alongcarrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, thepeasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to theside of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finallysucceeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he

noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. Thepurse contained many gold coins and a note from the kingindicating that the gold was for the person who removed theboulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many othersnever understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity toimprove one's condition.


4/41

GENEROSITY Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, villageto village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one ofhis tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poorold woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and

her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, butshe fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. "Imust see him," she insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched hisfeet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coinand placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin andput it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under thecharge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin butGandhiji refused. "I keep checks worth thousands of rupees for

the Charkha Sangh," Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet youwon't trust me with a copper coin." "This copper coin is worthmuch more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man hasseveral lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn'tmean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor womanpossessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous ofher. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value thiscopper coin more than a crore of rupees."Alexander Fleming

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. Oneday, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cryfor help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ranto the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrifiedboy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Flemingsaved the lad from what could have been a slow


5/41

and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up tothe Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressednobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of theboy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you," said the

nobleman. "You saved my son's life." "No, I can't accept paymentfor what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of thefamily hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," thefarmer replied proudly. "I'll make you a deal. Let me take him andgive him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father,he'll grow to a man you can be proud of." And that he did. In time,Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical

School in London, and went on to become known throughout theworld as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer ofPenicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken withpneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin.The name of thenobleman?Lord Randolph Churchill.His son's name? Sir WinstonChurchill.Someone once said what goes around comes around.


6/41

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and afour-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, hiseyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family atetogether nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather'sshaky hands and failing sight made eating rather


7/41

difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he graspedthe glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son anddaughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must dosomething about grandfather," said the son. I've had enough ofhis spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So thehusband and wife set a small table in the corner. There,grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinnerat the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two,his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the familyglanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as heate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharpadmonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-

year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, thefather noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. Heasked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly,the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you andmama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-oldsmiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parentsthat they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down theircheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be

done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand andgently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of hisdays he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason,neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a forkwas dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children areremarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears everlisten, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. Ifthey see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for familymembers, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives.

The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks arebeing laid for the child's future.


8/41

Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself,... and those you love, ... today, and everyday!Puppies For SaleA farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign

advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edgeof his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he Felt atug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy.Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies." "Well," saidthe farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "thesepuppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep intohis pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to thefarmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out awhistle,"Here,Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and downthe ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The littleboy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes dancedwith delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticedsomething else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another littleball appeared; this One noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid.

Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup beganhobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.... "I wantthat one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer kneltdown at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy.He will never be able to run and play with you like these otherdogs would." With that the little boy stepped back from the fence,reacheddown, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. Indoing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his

leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe. Looking back up atthe farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, andhe will need Someone who understands." The world is full ofpeople who need someone who understands.

The Rose WithinA certain man planted a rose and watered itfaithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud


9/41

that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem andhe thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plantburdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought,he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to

bloom... it died. So it is with many people. Within every soul thereis a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amidthe thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see onlythe thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing goodcan possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good withinus, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone elsemust show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can

possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and findthe rose within them.


10/41

This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, knowtheir true faults and accepting that person into your life... all thewhile recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realizethey can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within

themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will theyblossom many times over.


11/41

Two frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two ofthem fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep thepit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out ofthe pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them tostop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs tookheed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He felldown and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as hecould. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop thepain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out.When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The

frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they wereencouraging him the entire time. This story teaches two lessons: 1.There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouragingword to someone who is down can lift them up and help themmake it through the day. 2. A destructive word to someone who isdown can be what it takes to kill them.


12/41

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross yourpath. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understandthat an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone canspeak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in

difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time toencourage another. The Four Wives There was a rich merchantwho had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned herwith rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care ofher and gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wifevery much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show offher to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fearthat she might run away with some other men. He too, loved his

2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and infact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant facedsome problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she wouldalways help him out and tide him through difficult times. Now,the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made greatcontributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well astaking care of the household. However, the merchant did not lovethe first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly tooknotice of her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew

that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life andtold himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll bealone. How lonely I'll be!"


13/41

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you withthe finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now thatI'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!"replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you somuch for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me andkeep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so goodover here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant'sheart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I alwaysturned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now Ineed your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me

company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant wasdevastated. Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll followyou no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and therewas his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered frommalnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should havetaken much better care of you while I could have !" Actually, we allhave 4 wives in our lives a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter

how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'llleave us when we die. b. Our 3rd wife ?Our possessions, statusand wealth. When we die, they all go to others.


14/41

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how closethey had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they canstay by us is up to the grave. d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul,often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual

pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows uswherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate andstrengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbedto lamentBuilding Your House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to livea more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family.He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire.

They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his goodworker go & asked if he could build just one more house as apersonal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy tosee that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddyworkmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunateway to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished hiswork, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handedthe front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house...

my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If hehad only known he was building his own house, he would havedone it all so differently.


15/41

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often puttingless than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realizewe have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over,

we would do it much differently. But, you cannot go back. You are

the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, orerect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the"house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely! The

Buzzard, The Bat, and the Bumblebee If you put a buzzardin a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the

bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. Thereason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground

with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is hishabit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisonerfor life in a small jail with no top. The ordinary bat that flies

around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannottake off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat

ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt,painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it canthrow itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. ABumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it

dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at thetop, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides

near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until itcompletely destroys itself.


16/41

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the batand the bee. They are struggling about with all their problems andfrustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there abovethem.Love and Time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived:Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, includingLove. One day it was announced to the feelings that the islandwould sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out untilthe last possible moment.When the island had almost sunk, Lovedecided to ask for help.Richness was passing by Love in a grand

boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?"Richness

answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat.There is no place here for you."Love decided to ask Vanity who

was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!""I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage myboat," Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so Love asked,"Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I

need to be by myself!" Happiness passed by Love, too, but she wasso happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It wasan elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask theelder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the

elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the


17/41

elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?""It was Time," Knowledge answered. "Time?" asked Love. "But

why did Time help me?" Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom andanswered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how

valuable Love is."Dads BlessingsA young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For

many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer'sshowroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told

him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, theyoung man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called himinto his private study. His father told him how proud he was to

have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. Hehanded his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but

somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box andfound a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name

embossed in gold. Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said"With all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out ofthe house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young

man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and

wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, andthought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him sincethat graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he

received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, andwilled all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home

immediately and take care of things.


18/41

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regretfilled his heart. He began to search through his father's importantpapers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago.

With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. And

as he did, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had atag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports carhe had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the

words PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss Spirit'sblessings and answers to our prayers because they do not arriveexactly as we have expected? TODAY'S's affirmation: "Today I

look beyond the obvious and allow miracles to be created in mylife."The Making Of A Mother By the time the Lord made

mothers, He was into the sixth day working overtime. An Angelappeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on thisone?" And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read the specsheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not elastic;have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee andleftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and

that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cureanything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six

pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Sixpairs of hands! No way!"Said the Angel.


19/41

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It'sthe three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!" "And that's on

the standard model?" the Angel asked. The Lord nodded inagreement, "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed

door as she asks her children what they are doing even though shealready knows. Another pair in the back of her head are to see

what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. Andthe third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for

looking at an errant child and saying that she understands andloves him or her without even saying a single word." The Angeltried to stop the LordThis is too much work for one day. Wait

until tomorrow to finish." "But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am

so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.She already heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a familyof six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to

stand in the shower." The Angel moved closer and touched thewoman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord." "She is soft," theLord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea

what she can endure or accomplish." "Will she be able to think?"asked the Angel. The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able tothink, she will be able to reason, and negotiate." The Angel then

noticed something and reached out and touched the woman'scheek. "Oops, it looks like You have a leak with


20/41

this model. I told You that You were trying to put too much intothis one." "That's not a leak." the Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked. The Lord said, "The tear isher way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment,

her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride." The Angel wasimpressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything forthis one. You even created the tear!" The Lord looked at the Angel

and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again. I createdthe woman, but she created the tear!"

An Interview With God I dreamed I had an INTERVIEWWITH GOD. "So, you would like to interview me?" GOD asked. "If

you have time," I said. GOD smile. "My time is eternity... what

questions do you have in mind for me?" "What surprises you themost about humankind?" GOD answered... "That they get bored

with childhood, that they rush to grow up,


21/41

and then long to be children again." "That they lose their health tomake money... and then lose their money to restore their health.""That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget thepresent, such that they live in neither the present nor the future."

"That they live as if they would never die, and die as though theyhad never lived." GOD's hand took mine... and we were silent for awhile. And then I asked, "As a parent, what are some of life'slessons you want your children to learn?" GOD replied, "To learnthey cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is letthemselves be loved." "To learn that it is not good to comparethemselves to others." "To learn to forgive by practicingforgiveness." "To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open

profound wounds in those they love, and it can take many years toheal them." "To learn that a rich person is not one who has themost, but is one who needs the least.""To learn that there arepeople who love them dearly, but simply do not yet know how toexpress or show their feelings.""To learn that two people can lookat the same thing, and see it differently."


22/41

"To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, butthey must also forgive themselves." "Thank you for your time," Isaid humbly. "Is there anything else you would like your childrento know?" GOD smiled, and said... "Just know that I am here."

"Always."Wait For The BrickA young and successful executive was traveling down aneighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. Hewas watching for kids darting out from between parked cars andslowed down when he thought he saw something. As his carpassed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into theJag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag backto the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver

then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushedhim up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all aboutand who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a newcar and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Whydid you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ...please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "Ithrew the brick because no one else would stop..." With tearsdripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a

spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said.


23/41

"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lifthim up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive,"Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He'shurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver

tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Hehurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair,then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the freshscrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to beokay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child toldthe stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched thelittle boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalktoward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar.

The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered torepair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind himof this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has tothrow a brick at you to get your attention! God whispers in oursouls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't havetime to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice: Listento the whisper ... or wait for the brick!Sand and StoneA storytells that two friends were walking through the desert. Duringsome point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend

slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped washurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "TODAY MYBEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."


24/41

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where theydecided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuckin the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. Afterthe friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE." The friend whohad slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurtyou, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we shouldwrite it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase itaway. But, when someone does something good for us, we mustengrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it." LEARN TOWRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND, AND TO CARVE YOUR

BENEFITS IN STONE Three Yellow RosesI walked into the grocery store not particularly interested inbuying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husbandof 37 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so manysweet memories. Rudy often came with me and almost every timehe'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew whathe was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with thethree yellow roses in his hands. Rudy knew I loved yellow roses.

With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few itemsand leave, but even grocery shopping was different since Rudyhad passed on. Shopping for one took time, a little more


25/41

thought than it had for two. Standing by the meat, I searched forthe perfect small steak and remembered how Rudy had loved hissteak. Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blond, slimand lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a

large pack of T-bones, dropped them in her basket, hesitated, andthen put them back. She turned to go and once again reached forthe pack of steaks. She saw me watching her and she smiled. "Myhusband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don'tknow." I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her paleblue eyes. "My husband passed away eight days ago," I told her.Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control thetremble in my voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every

moment you have together." She shook her head and I saw theemotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket andwheeled away. I turned and pushed my cart across the length ofthe store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decidewhich size milk I should buy. A quart, I finally decided and movedon to the ice cream section near the front of the store. If nothingelse, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone. I placed the icecream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. Isaw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming

towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face wasthe brightest smile I had ever seen. I would swear a soft haloencircled her blonde hair as she kept walking towards me, hereyes holding mine. As she came closer, I saw what she held andtears began misting in my eyes. "These are for you," she said andplaced three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in myarms."When you go through the line, they'll know these are paidfor." She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then

smiled again.


26/41

I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, butstill unable to speak, I watched as she walked away, tears cloudingmy vision. I looked down at the beautiful rosesnestledin the greentissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know?

Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone. "Oh, Rudy,you haven't forgotten me, have you?" I whispered, with tears inmy eyes. He was still with me, and she was his angel.Dont We

All

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had justcome from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out ofwork. Coming my way from across the parking lot was whatsociety would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no

car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are timeswhen you feel generous but there are other times that you justdon't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to bebothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," Ithought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of thebus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money toeven ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a verypretty car," he said.


27/41

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. Hisscraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said,"thanks," and continued wiping off my car. He sat there quietly asI worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence

between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needsany help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to theinner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered inthree simple but profound words that I shall never forget. Weoften look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it fromthose of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothingbut an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words thatshook me. "Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above abum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelvegauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for busfare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my walletand gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get awarm meal and shelter for the day. Those


28/41

three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, nomatter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. Nomatter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are withproblems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give

help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You neverknow when you may see someone that appears to have it all. Theyare waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A differentperspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respitefrom daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering thestreets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by apower that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable

in themselves. Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressedhim like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning thecar, that man needs help." Don't we all?

Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small openingappeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as itstruggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it


29/41

seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it hadgotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the mandecided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors andsnipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then

emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveledwings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because heexpected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge andexpand to be able to support the body, which would contract intime. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of itslife crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. Itnever 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 openingwere God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly intoits wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved itsfreedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly whatwe need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our liveswithout any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be asstrong as what we could have been. We could never fly! I asked forStrength......... And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong. Iasked for Wisdom......... And God gave me Problems to solve.


30/41

I asked for Prosperity......... And God gave me Brain and Brawn towork. I asked for Courage......... And God gave me Danger toovercome. I asked for Love......... And God gave me Troubledpeople to help. I asked for Favors......... And God gave me

Opportunities. I received nothing I wanted ........ I receivedeverything I needed!DETERMINATON In 1883, a creativeengineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build aspectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island.However bridge building experts throughout the world thoughtthat this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget theidea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had neverbeen done before. Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in

his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and heknew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to sharethe dream with someone else. After much discussion andpersuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an upand coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.Working together for the first time, the father and son developedconcepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstaclescould be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, andthe headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their

crew and began to build their dream bridge.


31/41

The project started well, but when it was only a few monthsunderway a tragic accident on the site took the life of JohnRoebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amountof brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or

talk or even move. "We told them so." "Crazy men and their crazydreams." "It`s foolish to chase wild visions." Everyone had anegative comment to make and felt that the project should bescrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew howthe bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington wasnever discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete thebridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspireand pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were

too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room,with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breezeblew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the skyand the tops of the trees outside for just a moment. It seemed thatthere was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hithim. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to makethe best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code ofcommunication with his wife. He touched his wife's arm with thatfinger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers

again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tellthe engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project wasunder way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with hisfinger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.


32/41

Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as atribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and hisdetermination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also atribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in

a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too asa tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband andtold the engineers what to do. Perhaps this is one of the bestexamples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terriblephysical handicap and achieves an impossible goal. Often whenwe face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem verysmall in comparison to what many others have to face. The

Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible canbe realised with determination and persistence, no matter whatthe odds are. Even the most distant dream can be realized withdetermination and persistence.

The Window Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the samehospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for anhour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next tothe room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time

flat on his back.The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives andfamilies, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the militaryservice, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoonwhen the man in the bed next to the window could


33/41

sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate allthe things he could see outside the window. The man in the otherbed would live for those one-hour periods where his world wouldbe broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the

outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake,the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water whilechildren sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amidflowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced thelandscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in thedistance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisitedetail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyesand imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man

by the window described a parade passing by. Although the otherman could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye asthe gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why shouldhehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get tosee anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, theman felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missedseeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soonturned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to

sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought nowcontrolled his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by thewindow began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs.The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the strugglingman by the window groped for the button to call for help.Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushedhis own button which would have brought the nurse running. In

less than five minutes, the coughing and


34/41

choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, therewas only silence--deathly silence. The following morning, the daynurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found thelifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and

called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. Assoon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could bemoved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make theswitch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left himalone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow totake his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it allhimself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besidethe bed. It faced a blank wall. Moral of the story: The pursuit of

happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude weconsciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered toour doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window.And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part ofwhat makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we willnever find lasting joy. The pursuit of happiness is an inwardjourney. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that willdetermine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If weregularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if

we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble andcomplain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negativethought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoiceabout.


35/41

Piano Lessons


36/41

I am a former elementary school music teacher from DeMoines,Iowa. I've always supplemented my income by teaching pianolessons - something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years Ifound that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never

had the pleasure of having a protege, though I have taught sometalented students. However, I've also had my share of what I call"musically challenged" pupils. One such student was Robby.Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) droppedhim off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especiallyboys) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But,Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hearhim play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began

with his piano lessons and, from the beginning, I thought it was ahopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense oftone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But, he dutifully reviewedhis scales and some elementary pieces that I require all mystudents to learn. Over the months he tried and tried while Ilistened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end ofeach weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear meplay someday." But, it seemed hopeless. He just did not have anyinborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she

dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. Shealways waved and smiled but never stopped in. Then one dayRobby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about callinghim, but assumed, because of his lack of ability, that he haddecided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stoppedcoming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching! Severalweeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on theupcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a


37/41

flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that therecital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out hereally did not qualify. He said that his mom had been sick andunable to take him to piano lessons, but he was still practicing.

"Miss Hondorf...I've just got to play!" he insisted. I don't knowwhat led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was hispersistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that itwould be all right. The night for the recital came. The high schoolgymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I putRobby up last in the program before I was to come up and thankall the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that anydamage he would do would come at the end of the program and I

could always salvage his poor performance through my "curtaincloser." Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The studentshad been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage.His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he had run aneggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the otherstudents?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make himcomb his hair for this special night?" Robby pulled out the pianobench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that hehad chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared

for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they evendanced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo tofortissimo... from allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords thatMozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozartplayed so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes heended in a grand crescendo and


38/41

everyone was on their feet in wild applause. Overcome and intears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy."I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it?"Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf...

remember I told you my mom was sick? Well, actually she hadcancer and passed away this morning. And well... she was borndeaf, so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. Iwanted to make it special." There wasn't a dry eye in the housethat evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby fromthe stage to be placed into foster care, I noticed that even theireyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richermy life had been for taking Robby as my pupil. No, I've never had

a prodigy, but that night I became a protege... of Robby's. He wasthe teacher and I was the pupil. For it is he that taught me themeaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself andmaybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.This is especially meaningful to me since, after serving in DesertStorm, Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P.Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995, wherehe was reportedly... playing the piano.

Angel On The Highway I just had one of the most amazingexperiences of my life, and wanted to share it with my family anddearest friends. Here it is: I was driving home from a meeting thisevening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and my carstarted to choke and sputter and died.


39/41

I barely managed to coast, cruising, into a gas station, glad onlythat I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhatwarm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over.Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the

"quickie mart" building, and it looked like she slipped on some iceand fell into a gas pump! So I got out to see if she was okay. WhenI got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobsthan that she had fallen. She was a young woman who lookedreally haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She droppedsomething as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. Itwas a nickel. At that moment, everything came into focus for me:the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff

with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading$4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and shejust kept saying "I don't want my kids to see me crying," so westood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she wasdriving to California and that things were very hard for her rightnow. So, I asked, "And you were praying?" That made her backaway from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy personand said, "He heard you, and He sent me." I took out my card andswiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up

her car completely, and while it was fueling walked to the nextdoor McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some giftcertificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food tothe kids in the car who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by thepump eating fries and talking a little. She told me her name, andthat she lived in Kansas City. Her boyfriend left 2 months ago andshe had not been able to make


40/41

ends meet. She knew she wouldn't have money to pay the rentJanuary 1st, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents,with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived inCalifornia and said she could come live with them and try to get

on her feet there. So.she packed up everything she owned in thecar. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas,but not that they were going to live there. I gave her my gloves, alittle hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road.As I was walking over to my car, she said, "So, are you like anangel or something?" This definitely made me cry. I said,"Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimesGod uses regular people." It was so incredible to be a part of

someone else's miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I gotin my car it started right away and got me home with no problem.I'll put it in the shop tomorrow for a check, but I suspect themechanic won't find anything wrong. Sometimes the angels flyclose enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings."Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. Heshall never suffer the righteous to be moved." -- Psalms 55:22 ---Pass this inspiring story on to people you would like to bless withits message. There is no cost, but there is a lot of reward. Let's

continue to lift up and pray for one another. Heres a wonderful,short prayer to use:


41/41

"Father, I ask You to bless my children, grandchildren, friends,other relatives and all of those who may be suffering in some wayright now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power.Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very

moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace andmercy.Where there is self doubt, release a renewed confidencethrough Your grace... In Jesus' precious name. Amen." WhenSatan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could Youplease get that for me?"

Isn't No Horse or MountainHigh Enough Had I stepped on thescales that morning, the needle would

not quite have come to rest on 200pounds. It would have settled though,way past my prime weight of 120.Cowboy boots were not part of myattire but I had managed to stuff mythighs into a pair of denim jeans.

Life's Little Lessons Lessons کانون زبان جهان 02636633872 کرج-شهرک110- خ...

Documents

Transcript of Life's Little Lessons Lessons کانون زبان جهان 02636633872 کرج-شهرک110- خ...