THE ROTTEN POTATOES

A kindergarten teacher decided to teach an important lesson to the class. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing few potatoes. Each potato would be given a name of a person that the child hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes.

The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go for 3 days.

After two days the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags.

The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you ?" The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go..  

The teacher said: "This is exactly what happens when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just few days, can you imagine what it means to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime?"

~ The greatest of all is humanity and forgiveness gives life to it, although sounds easy but most difficult to practice ~

SEARCHING IN SILENCE

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

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

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

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

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

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

~ The ability to be an extra-ordinary is as uncommon as one finds himself on the path, one’s belief, determination, and attitude play the major role~

THE STAG STORY

A Stag, which lived in a jungle, decided to go for an outing with his family to another forest. The stag and his family enjoyed the new jungle, which had thick bushes and trees. There- was plenty to eat for all of them.

All of a sudden, the antlers of the stag got caught in the overhanging branches of a tree. The stag struggled hard, but could not free himself. His wife and baby kept on watching helplessly

The stag thought, “Everything was fine till now. Now, I am stuck. We won’t be able to reach our home until I have my antlers free. How unlucky I am! We came here for having a good time, but I think this is the worst period of my life.”

The stag struggled for some more time but it was exhausted. He finally gave up and kept standing there helplessly. The three of them had to spend the whole night like this. The stag kept cursing his fate.

The next morning, a woodcutter who came along saw the stag with his antlers entangled with the branches. He quickly understood the situation, and took pity on the stag. Soon, the woodcutter cut down the branches of the tree and set the stag free.

The stag thanked the woodcutter and rushed back home with his family on reaching home he was shocked to. Learn that a pack of lions had attacked their area, the previous day. Many lives were lost. Some of the dose friends of the stag were also killed.

Within the flash of a second, the stag realized that he and his family were saved because his antlers had got caught in the branches. The moments which he considered to be the life turned out to be the worst period of his life turned out to be the most fortunate for him. He thanked God for having saved his life.

~ What we consider as “The worst period of our life” might turn out to be “The best period of our life”. Welcome the adversities of life with a smile! ~

The Cost of a Miracle

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and there was no one to loan them the money. When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation, 'Only a miracle can save him now', the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Clutching the precious piggy bank tightly, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the local drugstore.

She took a quarter from her bank and placed it on the glass counter. "And what do you want?" asked the pharmacist. "It's for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He's really very sick and I want to buy a miracle." "I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist. "His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?" "We don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry," the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl. In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "How much do you have?". "One dollar and eleven cents.” "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man, he said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specialising in neuro-surgery.  When asked how much the surgery would cost, Dr. Armstrong told that parents that he would tell the cost only after the operation. The operation was a success and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again and doing well. "That surgery," her mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost? " she asked with a nervous voice. The father was still as he knew he could not afford whatever the cost was. The doctor smiled and said as he packed his equipment “One dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.”

~ Sometimes being generous may act like a miracle but it also requires the other side to be having a selflessness nature, something for humanity. ~

ICE CREAM SUNDAE

A 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

 “How much is a Double ice cream sundae?” the little boy asked.

“Forty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins he had. “Well, how much is a Single Sundae of ice cream?” he inquired.

By now, more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing very impatient.

“Thirty-five cents,” the waitress was intentionally sounding rude.

 The little boy counted his coins again and ask “What about the single-plain ice-cream?”

 “Thirty cents,” she brusquely replied.

 The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry. As she wiped down the table, there placed neatly beside the empty dish were five cents . She realized, he couldn’t have the sundae because he had to have enough money to leave her a tip.

 ~ Sometimes perceptions are not correct and it becomes too late for realization. It’s good to be important but is also important to be good ~

PUT THE GLASS DOWN

...A Psychologist walked around a room while teaching Stress Management to an audience.

 As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "Half empty or Half full" question.

 Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

 Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, "The Stresses and Worries in Life , are like that Glass of Water...Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And If you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

Remember to put the Glass Down.

 
~ Sometimes it’s better to drop things than holding it for long ; getting detached from things is equally important, if you know what from…~

THE CREATION OF A TEACHER

The Good Lord was creating teachers. An angel appeared to Him and said, "You are taking a long time to figure this one out."

 

"Yes," said the Lord, " but have you read the specs on this order?"

TEACHER:

 … must stand above all students, yet be on their level

... must be able to do multiple things not connected with the subject being taught

... must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time

... must have more time for others than for herself/himself

... must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents

... must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive

... must have 3 pairs of eyes…

 The angel looked incredulous, " Three pairs of eyes...on a standard model?"

 The Lord nodded His head, " One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labelled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher's head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she 'acts out' in order to reflect, ‘I understand and I still believe in you’, without so much as saying a word to the child."

The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher's cheek.

"Well, Lord, " said the angel, “your job looks fine but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model.  You cannot imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher."

The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher's cheek.  It shone and glistened in the light.

"It is not a leak," He said, "It is a tear."

 "A tear? What is that?" asked the angel, "What is a tear for?"

 

The Lord replied with great thought, " It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class."

 "My, " said the angel, " The tear thing is a great idea...You are a genius!!"

 The Lord looked sombre, "I didn't put it there."

 ~ the greatest power is of knowing something and even more is in understanding ~