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January
2003
Happy
2003 !
"Only
people who are capable of loving strongly can suffer great
sorrow." --Leo Tolstoy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
king once owned a large, beautiful, pure diamond, of which he
was justly proud, for it had no equal anywhere.
One
day, his diamond was accidentally deeply scratched. The king
called in the most expert diamond cutters and offered them a
great reward if they could remove the imperfection from his
jewel.
But
none could repair the blemish. The king was sorely distressed.
After some time a gifted craftsman came to the king and promised
to make the rare diamond even more beautiful than it had been
before the mishap. The king was impressed by the craftsman's
confidence and entrusted to him his precious stone.
The
man kept his word. With superb artistry he engraved a lovely rosebud
around the imperfection, using the scratch to make the stem.
As long as you're going to think anyway -- you might as well think
BIG! (Donald Trump)
____________________
Working together works.
____________________
The five-word weight-loss formula: Eat less and exercise more.
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February
2003
The Obstacle in Our Path
 In
ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid
himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some
of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply
walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads
clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the
way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching
the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he
finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables,
he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The
purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating
that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle
presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
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March
2003
Changing
Landscapes By Seeing With New Eyes
One
day a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country for
the sole purpose of showing his son how it was to be poor. They spent
a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very
poor family.
Upon
return from their trip, the father asked his son how he liked the trip.
"It
was great, Dad," the son replied.
"Did
you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Oh,
yeah," said the son.
"So
what did you learn from the trip?" continued the father.
The
son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have
a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek
that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have
the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have
the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they
have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us,
but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have
walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect
them."
The
boy's father was speechless.
Then
the son added this last remark; "It showed me how poor we are."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The
voyage of true discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in
seeing with new eyes." - Marcel Proust
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April
2003
In
a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy was busily working when a new
voice came over the intercom asking for a carry out at check register
4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and
decided to answer the call.
As
he approached the checkout stand a distant smile caught his eye, the
new check out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26,
and he was only 22) and he fell in love.
Later
that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to
find out her name. She came into the break room smiled softly at him
and took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card,
BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.
Next
day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her
a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he
dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside
of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she explained
she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he
offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer
for a date for the following Saturday.
That
Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that
she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled.
To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us."
She
tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again
not taking 'no' for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda brought
him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was
just cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, and then Brenda brought out her
son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down syndrome.
Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't
come with us?"
Brenda
was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially
if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of
her children did.
That
evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the
movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him.
When he needed to use the rest room, Kurtis picked him up out of his
chair, took him, brought him back.
The
kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was
the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.
A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children
and since they have added two more kids.
So
what happened to the stock boy and check out girl?
Well,
Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in St. Louis, where he is employed
by the St. Louis Rams and plays quarterback.
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May
2003
A
philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front
of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise
jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it
was.
So
the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the
jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the
open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the
jar was full. They agreed it was.
The
students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it
into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor,
"I want you
to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things
- your family, your
partner, your health, your children - things that if everything else
was lost and only
they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other
things that matter
like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The
small stuff."
"If
you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles
or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy
and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things
that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical
to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical
checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to
go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take
care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand."
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June
2003
The
Fence
Once
upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into
conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side
by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed
without a hitch.
Then
the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding
and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into
an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.
One
morning there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a
man with a carpenter's toolbox.
"I'm
looking for a few days work." He said. "Perhaps you would have a
few small jobs here and there that I could help with? Could I help
you?"
"Yes,"
said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the
creek at that farm. That's my neighbor; in fact, it's my younger
brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his
bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us.
Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll go him one better.
See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence,
an 8-foot fence, so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore."
The
carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the
nails and the post hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that
pleases you."
The
older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get
the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter
worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset
when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped.
THERE WAS NO
FENCE THERE AT ALL. IT WAS A BRIDGE - a bridge stretching from one
side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails
and all - and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across,
his hand outstretched. "You are quite a fellow to build this bridge
after all I've said and done."
The
two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met
in the middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the
carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder.
"No, wait!
Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the
older brother.
"I'd love to
stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."
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July
2003
This
helps put things in perspective.
The
Charles Schultz philosophy
You
don't actually have to take the quiz below. Just read it straight
through, and you'll get the point
1. Name
the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name
the last five Heisman Trophy winners.
3. Name
the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name
any ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5.
Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor
and actress.
6. Name
the last decade's World Series winners.
How
did you do?
The
point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These
are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's
another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List
a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 
2. Name
three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name
five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think
of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special
5. Think
of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name
half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The
lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the
ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care.
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August
2003
A
story tells 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
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of Newsletter Archive
September 2003
There are just
a few aspects of life that we can truly control, and it's useful to
know just what those areas are. If you don't know, you'll spend a
lot of time blaming others for your own failings. Try and exert too
much control in areas you shouldn't and the universe will create some
interesting ways to remind you of your place.
1.
WHAT YOU DO. Your actions are yours alone. You choose to
make them or not make them and you are responsible for the effects
of those actions.
2.
WHAT YOU SAY. Likewise, the words you speak (or write)
are also consciously chosen. Like actions, they have an impact on
your life and the lives of those you contact.
3.
WHAT YOU THINK. Yes, there are some subconscious thoughts
that you can't control. But the things that you really think about,
your beliefs, your ideals, etc. are concepts you have chosen to accept
and believe in.
4.
YOUR WORK. Many people like to overlook this one, it being
much easier to say, "Oh, I'm trapped in my job because I don't have
a degree, experience, etc." Hogwash! That's simply a way of denying
one's responsibility in having chosen the job in the first place.
It's your job and you chose it. If you stay (or go), that's a choice
as well.
5.
THE PEOPLE YOU ASSOCIATE WITH. There's a famous t-shirt
that states: "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded
by turkeys." Colloquial is very often correct! Your friends can either
lift you up or bring you down. You make the decision which type of
friends you wish to have.
6.
YOUR BASIC PHYSICAL HEALTH. Much about our health is a factor of genetics, environment, and exposure.
Much more of our health is simply a matter of the things we choose:
diet, exercise, drugs, sleep, routine physicals, check-ups, etc.
7.
THE ENVIRONMENT YOU LIVE IN. Your house, the condition
of your home, the town you live in, the amenities available to you
are all things you can control, although some to a lesser degree (i.e.,
you decide to tolerate them or move someplace else).
8.
YOUR FISCAL SITUATION. Having or not having enough money
is a factor of what you make versus what you spend.
9.
YOUR TIME. You choose how to "SPEND" your time and how
much of your time to give to various activities. You'll never get
more time than the 24 hours you're given each day.
10.
YOUR LEGACY. All your actions, words, and knowledge that
you share while you are living become the gift that you leave when you
are gone.
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October 2003
A
lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun
threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly
without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer
office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country
hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to
be in Cambridge. She frowned .
"We
want to see the president," the man said softly.
"He'll
be busy all day," the lady replied.
For
hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally
become discouraged and go away. They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated
and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore
she always regretted.
"Maybe,
if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him.
He
sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously
didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses
and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced
and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The
lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved
Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally
killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere
on campus."
The
president wasn't touched . He was shocked.
"Madam,"
he said gruffly, "We can't put up a statue for every person who has
attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."
"Oh,
no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue. We
thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The
president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun
suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how
much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars
in the physical plant at Harvard."
For
a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could
get rid of them now .
The
lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to
start a university? Why don't we just start our own?"
Her
husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.
Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away traveling to Palo
Alto, California where they established the university that bears their
name, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer
cared about.
You
can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who
they think can do nothing for them or to them.
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of Newsletter Archive
November
2003
THE
WORTH OF OUR LIVES
A
well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00
bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He
said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let
me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill.
He
then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the
air.
Well,
he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground
and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He
picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?"
Still
the hands went into the air. "My friends, we have all learned a
very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still
wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth
$20."
Many
times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the
dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our
way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has
happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value: dirty
or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to
those who love you.
The
worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by
WHO WE ARE.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
A
group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present
"Seven Wonders of the World."
Though
there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
- 1. Egypt's
Great Pyramids
- 2. Taj Mahal
- 3. Grand Canyon
- 4. Panama
Canal
- 5. Empire
State Building
- 6. St. Peter's
Basilica
- 7. China's
Great Wall
While
gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished
her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with
her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up
my mind, because there were so many."
The
teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World'
are:
- 1. To See
- 2. To Hear
- 3. To Touch
- 4. To Taste
- 5. To Feel
- 6. To Laugh
-
7.
And To Love."
The
room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook
as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!
A gentle reminder - that the most precious things in life cannot be
built by hand or bought by man.
Happy
Holidays!
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