Realize
Your Potential
A
certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed,
he examined it.
He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened 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 there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.
We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.
Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must 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 find the rose within them.
This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.
He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened 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 there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.
We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.
Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must 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 find the rose within them.
This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.
Think,
Believe, Dream & Dare
An
eight-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up
into his eyes, and said: "I understand you're a very wise man. I'd like to
know the secret of life."
The old
man looked down at the youngster and replied: "I've thought a lot in my
lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words.
"The
first is THINK. Think about the values you wish to live your life by.
"The
second is BELIEVE. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you've done about
the values you're going to live your life by.
"The
third is DREAM. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in
yourself and the values you're going to live by.
"The
last is DARE. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in
yourself and your values."
And with
that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy,
"THINK,
BELIEVE, DREAM and DARE."
-
Author Unknown
Balloons
and Angels
Sometimes, it is the smallest acts of kindness that are
the most memorable. It was several years ago that this particular event
occurred; the reason I remember it because it was my daughter Kathy's birthday.
My children and I were finishing the last minute preparations for Kathy's birthday celebration. At one store we had bought colorful helium balloon with Kathy's favorite character design on it. We had to make one more stop at another store to complete our purchases. I sent out my older daughter and her little brother out to our van while my other daughter and I were waiting at the cashier line.
A very short time later, my older daughter with little brother in tow came running back into the store; upset that Kathy's birthday balloon had escaped while they trying to get into the van. I was tired from shopping, but I sent them back to the vehicle telling them not to worry we would get Kathy another balloon. I paid for our purchases all the while trying to think of the most expedient place to obtain another balloon.
As Kathy and I approached our van a mature looking lady with kindly face came up to us almost of out of thin air. She pressed some folded bills in my hand. She related to me that she had seen what had happened and did not want my older daughter or my younger daughter to be upset at the loss of the balloon. She told us that she was mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Mind you she looked barely old enough to be a grandmother much less a great grandmother.
I thanked her for kindness and attempted to give her the money back; as it was not a problem to get another balloon. She was most insistent because she said "I love children and I like to see them be happy." I was overwhelmed by the kindness of a total stranger that my daughters and I hugged the lady thanking her for kindness. She left so quickly that I was unable to even ask her name. Finally, I looked in my hand what I found was not just a single one dollar bill but four one dollar bills.
I was very touched not by the money, but by this lovely lady's act of kindness and generosity. Because of her kindness it made Kathy's birthday even more special. I truly believe that dear lady at the very least is one of God's earthly angels and who is to say that she wasn't a real angel. How often is it said that we entertain angels unaware.
- Author Unknown
My children and I were finishing the last minute preparations for Kathy's birthday celebration. At one store we had bought colorful helium balloon with Kathy's favorite character design on it. We had to make one more stop at another store to complete our purchases. I sent out my older daughter and her little brother out to our van while my other daughter and I were waiting at the cashier line.
A very short time later, my older daughter with little brother in tow came running back into the store; upset that Kathy's birthday balloon had escaped while they trying to get into the van. I was tired from shopping, but I sent them back to the vehicle telling them not to worry we would get Kathy another balloon. I paid for our purchases all the while trying to think of the most expedient place to obtain another balloon.
As Kathy and I approached our van a mature looking lady with kindly face came up to us almost of out of thin air. She pressed some folded bills in my hand. She related to me that she had seen what had happened and did not want my older daughter or my younger daughter to be upset at the loss of the balloon. She told us that she was mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Mind you she looked barely old enough to be a grandmother much less a great grandmother.
I thanked her for kindness and attempted to give her the money back; as it was not a problem to get another balloon. She was most insistent because she said "I love children and I like to see them be happy." I was overwhelmed by the kindness of a total stranger that my daughters and I hugged the lady thanking her for kindness. She left so quickly that I was unable to even ask her name. Finally, I looked in my hand what I found was not just a single one dollar bill but four one dollar bills.
I was very touched not by the money, but by this lovely lady's act of kindness and generosity. Because of her kindness it made Kathy's birthday even more special. I truly believe that dear lady at the very least is one of God's earthly angels and who is to say that she wasn't a real angel. How often is it said that we entertain angels unaware.
- Author Unknown
No comments:
Post a Comment