INSPIRATIONAL STORIES AND SAYINGS
A Simple Practice for
All People Everywhere
Recently a group spent days visiting
with H.H. Dalai Lama focusing
upon what they believe the five most
important questions to be
considered moving into the new millennium.
The five questions were:
1. How do we address the widening
gap between rich and poor?
2. How do we protect the earth?
3. How do we educate our children?
4. How do we help Tibet and other
oppressed countries and peoples of
the world?
5. How do we bring spirituality
(deep caring for one another) through
all disciplines of life?
The Dalai Lama said all five questions
fall under the last one. if we
have true compassion in our hearts,
our children will be educated wisely,
we will care for the earth, those who
"have not" will be cared for.
The group asked the Dalai Lama,
"Do you think loving on the planet is
increasing or staying the same?"
His response: "My experience leads me
to believe that love IS increasing."
He shared a simple practice that
will increase loving and compassion
in the world. He asked everyone
in the group to share it with as many
people as they can.
The Practice:
1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning
of each day remembering we all
want the same things (to be happy and be loved)
and we are all connected
to one another.
2. Spend 5 minutes -- breathing in -
cherishing yourself; and,
breathing out - cherishing others.
If you think about people you
have difficulty cherishing, extend
your cherishing to them anyway.
3. During the day extend that
attitude to everyone you meet.
Practice cherishing the simplest
person (clerks, attendants, etc., as
well as the "important" people in
your life; cherish the people you
love and the people you dislike).
4. Continue this practice no matter
what happens or what anyone
does to you.
These thoughts are very simple,
inspiring and helpful. The practice of
cherishing can be taken very
deep if done wordlessly; allowing yourself
to feel the love and appreciation
that already exists in your heart.
The Blind Man
Are we really Blind?
Are "We" the Truly impaired?
How many times have we truly
failed to see the Beauty
That's always there?
How many times do we fail to see
something as seemingly unimportant as
a Butterfly?
Have we ever appreciated a Spring
morning or an evening sunset?
When "WE" see something,
We want to be able to touch it and see
that it is there
We take for granted the
evenings and the star light
Somehow we have forgotten
that there is beauty all around us.
and it is everywhere
We notice the "flower" wilted and dry
The Blind man has no eyes,
but he can see far more
than you and me
The blind man sees
the same "Flower"
ever blooming
He smells and tells of the Beauty
and aroma of the
wilted flower.
Although his world is "Dark"
he can talk of the
stars and the moon up above
He speaks to God and thanks him
for the beautiful sunset.
He sees the child and
sees the smiles ...yet,
he senses and feels the tears
He sees more beauty
each and everyday
he tells of the changing
colors and the seasons
of the year
The Blind man touches your cheek
and can tell you of your personality
He senses the beauty and... knows the pain
The Blind man can smell the spring
a Breath of fresh air is an inspiring thing.
He hears the insects and the
sounds all around him
He "Marvels" at
the beauty of the Butterfly
When you meet the Blind Man
Give him a bunch of Flowers
it doesn't matter if
they are fresh cut or old
Just give them to him to hold
Now Ask him
"What do you see?"
He will tell you they are beautiful.
"You can even smell their Beauty," he'll say
How nice of you...
You are so kind...
For you see he sees not with his eyes,
but with his heart and with his mind
He appreciates the beauty all around us
He sees the flowers ever blooming
So when you come upon the Blind man
Shake his hand and say hello.
Then say, "Thank you my friend
for teaching me to see."
~Author Unknown~
Beauty Tips
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be
restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;never throw out anybody.
Remember, If you ever need a helping hand,
you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands,
one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart,the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives,the passion that she shows,
And the beauty of a woman with passing years-only grows!
~ Audrey Hepburn ~
The Cracked Pot
Source Unknown
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a
pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack
in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full
portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the
masters house the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two
years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half
pots full of water in his master's house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the
end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was
ashamed of its own imperfections, and miserable that it was able to
accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After
two years, of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the
water bearer one day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my
load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back
to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work,
and you don't get full value from your efforts." the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his
compassion he said, "As we return to the masters house, I want you to
notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun
warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this
cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it
had leaked out half its load, and so again the
pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on
your side of your path, but none on the other pot's side? That's because I
have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted
flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from
the stream, you've watered them. "For two years I have been able to pick
these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table.
Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to
grace his house."
Moral of story: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked
pots. But if we will allow it, our flaws are used to grace
life's table. In the Universes great economy, nothing goes to waste.
Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you, too, can be
the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.
Poem For Our Children
Mothers, touch your children,
Fathers, hug them tight,
Let them know you love them
morning, noon, and night.
Put your arms around them,
hold them near to you,
Feel the beating of their
hearts,
the life that you made new.
Roll around the floor with them,
tease and laugh and play,
Listen to what they'll tell you,
they have so much to say.
Take time to get to know them,
see the colors in their eyes,
Appreciate that person
that deep inside them lies.
Let them run their fingers through your hair
and down your face,
Fill their hearts with words of praise,
make home their favorite place.
Cuddle with them on the couch
and watch a T.V. show,
Sing with them or share a book
and help their world to grow.
Take a walk into the park,
hold each other's hand,
Smell the flowers, feed the ducks,
build castles in the sand.
Mothers, touch your children,
Fathers, hug them tight,
Show them what a gift they are,
to love them feels so right.
The Power of One
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class
was
walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying
all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his
books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned
(parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I
shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at
him,
knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the
dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the
grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness
in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he
crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I
handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should
get lives."
He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up
his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near
me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to
private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private
school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He
turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play
football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes.
We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him.
And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was
Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, boy, you
are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books
everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were
seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I
was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles
would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for
business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being
a
nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me
having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that
really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked
good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him!
Boy,
sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the
back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of
those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is
a
time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your
parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach... but mostly your
friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the
best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first
day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of
how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later
and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little
smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the
unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome,
popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad
looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment
did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you
can change a person's life. God places us in each other's lives to effect
another in some way. Look for God in others.
A Reminder of WHY You Should Help Others
I was walking down a dimly lit street late one evening when I heard muffled screams coming from behind a clump of bushes.
Alarmed, I slowed down to listen and panicked when I realized that what I was hearing was the unmistakable sounds of a struggle: heavy grunting,frantic scuffling and tearing of fabric. Only yards from where I stood, a woman
was being attacked.
Should I get involved?
I was frightened for my own safety and cursed myself for having suddenly decided to take a new route home that night. What if I became another statistic? Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?
Although it seemed an eternity, the deliberations in my head had taken only seconds, but already the cries were growing weaker. I knew I had to act fast.
How could I walk away from this? No, I finally resolved, I could not turn my back on the fate of this unknown woman, even if it meant risking my own life.
I am not a brave man, nor am I athletic. I don't know where I found
the moral courage and physical strength---but once I had finally resolved to help the girl,I became strangely transformed.
I ran behind the bushes and pulled the assailant off the woman. Grappling, we fell to the ground, where we wrestled for a few minutes until the attacker jumped up and escaped.
Panting hard, I scrambled upright and approached the girl, who was crouched behind a tree, sobbing. In the
darkness, I could barely see her outline, but I could certainly sense her trembling shock.
Not wanting to frighten her further, I at first spoke to her from a distance. "It's OK," I said soothingly. "The man ran away. You're safe now."
There was a long pause and then I heard the words, uttered in wonder, in amazement.
"Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind the tree, stepped my youngest daughter, Katherine.
Do all the good you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as you ever can ! ! !
What mask do you wear? Why do you wear it?
From whom do you hide?
All work presented here is the work of the listed authors. If you know who has written one of the pieces that have no credit given, please e-mail me as I would like to give credit where credit is due.
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