SAND AND STONE

The story goes that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.
After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?"
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.

Take the time to live.
--author unknown
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TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The Value Of A Smile

A smile costs nothing, but gives much.
It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he can be made rich by it.
A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.
--author unknown

TRIBUTE TO A MOTHER

M is for the magnitude of roles you serve.
Besides an usherer of life into the world,
you have been a nurse, a doctor, a sister,
a friend, an actress, a coach and referee,
a psychologist, a preacher.
You have been police, judge, lawyer,
witness, and jury--
all in one, and more.

O is for oversight--the caring ear to the
cooing, the gurgling, the screaming, and
weeping; the watchful eye from birth to
first step to adulthood--a lifelong caregiver.

T is for teacher. You are the map, the
compass, the chart, the formula, the words,
the books, the stories that helped shape lives.

H is for heroine. You have been a
warrior, squelched several wars in a day,
single-handedly, with no casualties. The
bruised and bleeding you army-doctored;
the adventure, the non-conformity,
and individuality you battled--with no allies.

E is for example--the extraordinary model
you set. Your soft prayers and even the
silent tears were examples of virtue and
strength; they continue to comfort and sustain.

R is for remarkable, respectful, responsible,
resourceful, reliable, and yet these strong words
inadequately define the mother that is truly you.

--Glasceta Honeyghan

Love

If you find yourself in love with someone who does not love you, be gentle with yourself. There is nothing wrong with you. Love just didn't choose to rest in the other person's heart.

If you find someone else in love with you and you don't love her/him, feel honored that love came and called at your door, but gently refuse the gift you cannot return. Do not take advantage, do not cause pain.

How you deal with love is how you deal with you, and all our hearts feel the same pains and joys, even if our lives and ways are different.

If you fall in love with another, and she/he falls in love with you, and then love chooses to leave, do not try to reclaim it or to assess blame, Let it go. There is a reason and there is a meaning. You will know in time.

Remember that you don't choose love. Love chooses you. All you can really do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away.

Give it back to the person who brought it alive in you. Give it to others who deem it poor in spirit. Give it to the world around you in anyway you can.

This is where many lovers go wrong. Having been so long without love, they understand love only as a need. They see their hearts as empty places that will be filled by love, and they begin to look at love as something that flows to them rather than from them.

The first blush of new love is filled to overflowing, but as their love cools, they revert to seeing their love as need. They cease to be someone who generates love and instead become someone who seeks love. They forget that the secret of love is that it is a gift, and that it can be made to grow only by giving it away.

Remember this, and keep it to your heart. Love has its own time, its own seasons, and its own reason for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it, or reason it into saying. You can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it comes to you.

But if it chooses to leave from your heart or from the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and there is nothing you should do.
Love always has been and always will be a mystery.
Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. Don't deny love just because you don't want to be hurt... IF YOU KEEP YOUR HEART OPEN, IT WILL COME AGAIN ...
--author unknown

Love is great, love is wonderful.
Thanks to the unknown author for
the above inspiratioinal thought.

The House of 1000 Mirrors

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

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

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet? What reflection do others see when they look at you?
~ Author Unknown ~

TWENTY FIVE QUESTIONS THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE

1. If I had an extra hour of free time a day, how would I spend it?
2. Am I as healthy as I want to be? Do I treat my body as well as I could?
3. Am I holding on to an old grudge that could be a stumbling block to new opportunities?
4. Have I given up on any dreams or goals I wish I hadnât? Can I pick up where I left off?
5. If I could start my life over again knowing what I know now, what would I do differently? What would I NOT change?
6. Can I see things from a different perspective? When did I last walk in someone elseâs shoes?
7. Is there room for more love in my life? What steps am I taking toward that end?
8. Am I having enough fun, even a little bit, so I can lighten up mine and someone elseâs dayâ?
9. Are there any apologies I need to make? Is there anyone Iâve lost touch with and want to call? Whatâs stopping me?
10. Have I been buying into the victim trap, where I always blame others for everything that is believed to have gone wrong? Or can I begin to learn to forgive and take some responsibility for my actions?
11. Whatâs the best part of me that no one else sees?
12. Whatâs my outlook? Do I embrace new experiences or do I avoid the unfamiliar and stick to what I know?
13. Do I have an interesting hobby? If not, why not?
14. Do I spend too much time worrying about things I cannot control?
15. Do I feel valued as a parent? A son or daughter? A spouse? An employee? A friend?
16. Do I put too much pressure on my loved ones? Do I put too much pressure on myself?
17. Am I happy with my relationship with God? Am I committed spiritually as I would like to be?
18. How do I feel in my own home? Comfortable and safe, or tense and on guard?
19. Do I hold too much anger in my heart? Are there any grudges Iâm willing to let go?
20. Are my personal priorities in order? What am I neglecting?
21. Who are my heroes, and am I anyoneâs hero?
22. Do I make the most of everyday? Do I celebrate the little things÷a smile or a sunny day?
23. Could I push myself harder at home or at work? Could I stand to ease up a little?
24. Am I good about granting myself lifeâs little rewards? Do I stop and celebrate when I achieve a goal?
25. What twenty-five things do I want to accomplish before I die?

Dare to Believe

Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.
~ Author Unknown