STORY
VIDEOS
NON VEG
Two men were seriously ill. They occupied the same room in the hospital. One of them was lying in the bed near the only window in their room. Every day he was allowed to spend some time sitting up in his bed to help draining the fluid from lungs. The other man was forced to spend all his days flat on his back.
They talked a lot about their life, families, jobs, vacations. Every time, when the first man was sitting by the window, he described in details all that he saw outside the window. His roommate always looked for those moments, when his world was broadened and brightened up by the world outside.
Amazing views of a park with a beautiful lake could be seen from the window of their room. Children delightfully played among ducks and swans. Couples walked arm in arm among colourful flowers. Also the stunning city skyline could be seen.
When the man by the window had been thoroughly describing all that was happening outside the window, his roommate would close his eyes and imaged all the beautiful scenes of life that were told to him.
One night the man, whose bed was near the window, died peacefully during sleep and his roommate was very sad.
After some time, when the nurse came to visit him, he asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse agreed and kindly made the switch. When she left, the man slowly and painfully propped himself up on one elbow and took the first look at the world outside. He was stunned. The window faced a blank wall.
When the nurse came to visit him the next time, he told her about beautiful things outside the window that his roommate described him. The nurse replied that his roommate was a blind man. She said: „Probably he just tried to encourage you.“
533 
टैक्सी वाले नेँ कहा- 200 रुपये लगेँगे। उस पहलवान आदमी नेँ बुद्दिमानी दिखाते हुए कहा- इतने पास के दो सौ रुपये, आप टैक्सी वाले तो लूट रहे हो। मैँ अपना सामान खुद ही उठा कर चला जाऊँगा।
वह व्यक्ति काफी दूर तक सामान लेकर चलता रहा। कुछ देर बाद पुन: उसे वही टैक्सी वाला दिखा, अब उस आदमी ने फिर टैक्सी वाले से पूछा – भैया अब तो मैने आधा से ज्यादा दुरी तर कर ली है तो अब आप कितना रुपये लेँगे?
टैक्सी वाले नेँ जवाब दिया- 400 रुपये।
उस आदमी नेँ फिर कहा- पहले दो सौ रुपये, अब चार सौ रुपये, ऐसा क्योँ।
टैक्सी वाले नेँ जवाब दिया- महोदय, इतनी देर से आप साईँ मंदिर की विपरीत दिशा मेँ दौड़ लगा रहे हैँ जबकि साईँ मँदिर तो दुसरी तरफ है।
उस पहलवान व्यक्ति नेँ कुछ भी नहीँ कहा और चुपचाप टैक्सी मेँ बैठ गया।
इसी तरह जिँदगी के कई मुकाम मेँ हम किसी चीज को बिना गंभीरता से सोचे सीधे काम शुरु कर देते हैँ, और फिर अपनी मेहनत और समय को बर्बाद कर उस काम को आधा ही करके छोड़ देते हैँ। किसी भी काम को हाथ मेँ लेनेँ से
पहले पुरी तरह सोच विचार लेवेँ कि क्या जो आप कर रहे हैँ वो आपके लक्ष्य का हिस्सा है कि नहीँ।
हमेशा एक बात याद रखेँ कि दिशा सही होनेँ पर ही मेहनत पूरा रंग लाती है और यदि दिशा ही गलत हो तो आप कितनी भी मेहनत का कोई लाभ नहीं मिल पायेगा। इसीलिए दिशा तय करेँ और आगे बढ़ेँ कामयाबी आपके हाथ जरुर थामेगी।
1001
एक व्यक्ति के बारे में यह विख्यात था कि उसको कभी क्रोध आता ही नहीं है। कुछ लोग ऐसे भी होते हैं जिन्हें सिर्फ बुरी बातें ही सूझती हैं। ऐसे ही व्यक्तियों में से एक ने निश्चय किया कि उस अक्रोधी सज्जन को पथच्युत किया जाये और वह लग गया अपने काम में। उसने इस प्रकार के लोगों की एक टोली बना ली और उस सज्जन के नौकर से कहा – “यदि तुम अपने स्वामी को उत्तेजित कर सको तो तुम्हें पुरस्कार दिया जायेगा।” नौकर तैयार हो गया। वह जानता था कि उसके स्वामी को सिकुडा हुआ बिस्तर तनिक भी अच्छा नहीं लगता है। अत: उसने उस रात बिस्तर ठीक ही नहीं किया।
प्रात: काल होने पर स्वामी ने नौकर से केवल इतना कहा – “कल बिस्तर ठीक था।”
सेवक ने बहाना बना दिया और कहा – “मैं ठीक करना भूल गया था।”
भूल तो नौकर ने की नहीं थी, अत: सुधरती कैसे? इसलिये दूसरे, तीसरे और चौथे दिन भी बिस्तर ठीक नहीं बिछा।
तब स्वामी ने नौकर से कहा – “लगता है कि तुम बिस्तर ठीक करने के काम से ऊब गये हो और चाहते हो कि मेरा यह स्वभाव छूट जाये। कोई बात नहीं। अब मुझे सिकुडे हुए बिस्तर पर सोने की आदत पडती जा रही है।”
अब तो नौकर ने ही नहीं बल्कि उन धूर्तों ने भी हार मान ली।
522
स्वामी विवेकानंद का सम्पूर्ण जीवन एक दीपक के समान है जो हमेशा अपने प्रकाश से इस संसार को जगमगाता रहेगा और उनका जीवन सदा हम लोगों के लिए एक प्रेरणा का स्रोत बना रहेगा।
एक बार स्वामी विवेकानंद ट्रेन से यात्रा कर रहे थे और हमेशा की तरह भगवा कपडे और पगड़ी पहनी हुई थी। ट्रेन में यात्रा कर रहे एक अन्य यात्री को उनका ये रूप बहुत अजीब लगा और वो स्वामी जी को कुछ अपशब्द कहने लगा बोला – तुम सन्यासी बनकर घूमते रहते हो कुछ कमाते धमाते क्यों नहीं हो, तुम लोग बहुत आलसी हो, लेकिन स्वामी जी दयावान थे उन्होंने उसकी तरफ बिलकुल भी ध्यान नहीं दिया और हमेशा की तरह चेहरे पे तेज लिए मुस्कुराते रहे ।
उस समय स्वामी जी को बहुत भूख लगी हुई थी क्यूंकि उन्होंने सुबह से कुछ खाया पिया नहीं था। स्वामी जी हमेशा दूसरों के कल्याण के बारे में सोचते थे अपने खाने का उन्हें ध्यान ही कहाँ रहता था । एक तरफ स्वामी जी भूख से व्याकुल थे वहीँ वो दूसरा यात्री उनको अप्शब्द और बुरा भला कहने में कोई कमी नहीं छोड़ रहा था । इसी बीच स्टेशन आ गया और स्वामी जी और वो यात्री दोनों उतर गए। उस यात्री ने अपने बैग से अपना खाना निकाला और खाने लगा और स्वामी जी से बोला – अगर कुछ कमाते तो तुम भी खा रहे होते।
स्वामी जी बिना कुछ बोले चुपचाप थकेहारे एक पेड़ के नीचे बैठ गए और बोले मैं अपने ईश्वर पे विश्वास करता हूँ जो वो चाहेंगे वही होगा । अचानक ही कहीं से एक आदमी खाना लिए हुए स्वामी जी के पास आया और बोला क्या आप ही स्वामी विवेकानंद हैं और इतना कहकर को स्वामी जी के कदमों में गिर पड़ा और बोला कि मैंने एक सपना देखा था जिसमें खुद भगवान ने मुझसे कहा कि मेरा परम भक्त विवेकानंद भूखा है तुम जल्दी जाओ और उसे भोजन देकर आओ ।
बस इतना सुनना था कि वो यात्री जो स्वामी जी की आलोचना कर रहा था भाग कर आया और स्वामी जी के कदमों में गिर पड़ा, बोला – महाराज मुझे क्षमा कर दीजिये मुझसे बहुत बड़ी भूल हुई है मैंने भगवान को देखा नहीं है लेकिन आज जो चमत्कार मैंने देखा उसने मेरे भगवान में विश्वास को बहुत ज्यादा बड़ा दिया है। स्वामी जी ने दया भाव से व्यक्ति को उठाया और गले से लगा लिया ।
स्वामी जी के जीवन से जुडी ये सत्य घटना बहुत अधिक प्रभावित करती है और बताती है कि किस तरह भगवान अपने भक्तों की रक्षा करते हैं और पालन पोषण करते हैं ।
2
My Mom and I have had a rocky past and I had left the house at the age of 14. There were a lot of mixed feelings between us. I will always love my Mom, but the anger that I felt kept us a part for 3 years. At 18 I had my daughter, and I really wanted my Mom to be in her life. So I called her days before my daughter was born, and told her I would love her to be there. She was ecstatic. We talked for a long time and I told her that I didn’t want to fight anymore. I apologized for the trouble I caused as a teenager, and our relationship slowly started to come together. We still have our differences but I learned that discussing my problems with her, instead of arguing, makes a big difference. Forgiving my Mom and letting go of the past has taken a lot of stress out of my life. I wish I would have done it 5 years earlier.
1
There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker.
One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not.
This angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure.
The farmer replied, amour Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?"
The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him.
Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker."
What is the moral of the story? We get back in life what we give to others.
1
A farmer had a dog who used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around.
As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it.
One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?"
The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one."
Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.
1
All of my life i have struggled with finding what i wanted to do with my life. When i was little i used to change what i wanted to be when i grow up. I wanted to be a Ice skater,then dancer, a nurse many more. One day when i was a kindergartner, we had job day. I came home and asked my dad, "How will i know what to do with my life." My dad hugged me and said, " You find something that makes you happy." I never forgot what my dad said to me that day. Now i am a junior in high school planing to move to New York after high and work as a fashion designer. I am grateful for what my dad said that day. It has helped me discover that I wanted to be a fashion designer.
1
starting my freshman high school year I wanted to follow my oldest brothers steps of playing in the Mountain View high school soccer team. I failed, I didn't make the team. I seemed to have given up on playing for the school soccer team, but I caught myself trying again the next year. My dad said it takes skills and patience and I took his advice and caught myself practicing and kicking the ball more often, I didn't play on the soccer team my sophomore year either, but I ended up doing better in my studies and receiving letters from the VR program and EVIT college saying "Congrats you have been accepted" , but I know for a fact, after all the practice and positive people around me, I'll make it after all. If not there's always the next year. I'll stay positive.
1
I Was A Crack Addict For Over 20 Years, Homelessness, And Incarceration,,Not Trying To Sound Corny But You Must Be Tired Of Being Tired, To I Speak At Schools, Colleges, Juvenile Centers, Jails. I Am Also A Certified Chaplain, Teaching Life Skills To Men And Women Re entering Back Into Society After Jails, And Prison. I Also Help Teens To Get Out Of That Gang Life Mentality, Its About REACH ONE, TEACH ONE., Cheak Out Our Organization In Which I Am Founder And Director,, GAINING GROUND We Are A Non Profit 501 c3 Check Out Some Of The Videos In Publication Scroll Up,I Am Also An Author Of A Book Called TO HELL AND BACK, www.gainingground.us Or GO tO gOOGLE tyPE iN DALERAYSMITH yEP tHROUGH tHE gRACE oF gOD I aM hERE tO lEAVE a legacy To Those Who've Lost Their Way,, U Can Find Your Way Out Just Never Give Up NEVER!
1
When I was in 7th grade I met my bestfriend, she the one that was there for when no one else was. One day she was going through some tough times at first I didn't know what to do than I went to her house and told her everything was going to be okay , no one will ever take my bestfriend spot she means everything to me ! know were more than friends were sisters, were always there for each others no matter what's the problem.
1
The Master was in a mellow mood and the disciples were inquisitive. Did he ever feel depressed? They asked.
He did.
Wasn't it also true that he was in a continual state of happiness? They persisted.
It was.
What was the secret? They wanted to know.
Said the Master, "This: Everything is as good or as bad as one's opinion makes it."
1
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts. He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't understand that Hillary had to grow into this success. You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members. Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!"
1
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts. He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't understand that Hillary had to grow into this success. You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members. Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!"
1
There is a story of identical twins. One was a hope-filled optimist. "Everything is coming up roses!" he would say. The other twin was a sad and hopeless pessimist. He thought that Murphy, as in Murphy's Law, was an optimist. The worried parents of the boys brought them to the local psychologist.
He suggested to the parents a plan to balance the twins" personalities. "On their next birthday, put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford, and give the optimist a box of manure." The parents followed these instructions and carefully observed the results.
When they peeked in on the pessimist, they heard him audibly complaining, "I don't like the color of this computer . . I'll bet this calculator will break . . . I don't like the game . . . I know someone who's got a bigger toy car than this . . ."
Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in the air. He was giggling. "You can't fool me! Where there's this much manure, there's gotta be a pony!"
1
I never considered myself unique, but people are constantly telling me, "I am a miracle." To me, I was just an ordinary "guy" with realistic goals and big dreams. I was a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas and well on my way toward fulfilling my "big dream" of one day becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
On the night of February 17, 1981 I was studying for an Organic Chemistry test at the library with Sharon, my girlfriend of three years. Sharon had asked me to drive her back to her dormitory as it was getting quite late. We got into my car, not realizing that just getting into a car would never quite be the same for me again. I quickly noticed that my gas gauge was registered on empty so I pulled into a nearby convenience store to buy $2.00 worth of gas. "I'll be back in two minutes," I yelled at Sharon as I closed the door. But instead, those two minutes changed my life forever.
Entering the convenience store was like entering the twilight zone. On the outside I was a healthy, athletic, pre-med student, but on the inside I was just another statistic of a violent crime. I thought I was entering an empty store, but suddenly I realized it was not empty at all. Three robbers were in the process of committing a robbery and my entrance into the store caught them by surprise. One of the criminals immediately shoved a .38 caliber handgun to my head, ordered me to the cooler, pushed me down on the floor, and pumped a bullet into the back of my head - execution style. He obviously thought I was dead because he did not shoot me again. The trio of thieves finished robbing the store and left calmly.
Meanwhile, Sharon wondered why I had not returned. After seeing the three men leave the store she really began to worry as I was the last person she saw entering the store. She quickly went inside to look for me, but saw no one -- only an almost empty cash register containing one check and several pennies. Quickly she ran down each aisle shouting, "Mike, Mike!"
Just then the attendant appeared from the back of the store shouting, "Lady, get down on the floor. I've just been robbed and shot at!"
Sharon quickly dropped to the floor screaming, "Have you seen my boyfriend ... auburn hair?" The man did not reply but went back to the cooler where he found me choking on my vomit. The attendant quickly cleaned my mouth and then called for the police and an ambulance.
Sharon was in shock. She was beginning to understand that I was hurt, but she could not begin to comprehend or imagine the severity of my injury.
When the police arrived they immediately called the homicide division as they did not think I would survive and the paramedic reported that she had never seen a person so severely wounded survive. At 1:30 a.m. my parents who lived in Houston, were awakened by a telephone call from Brackenridge Hospital advising them to come to Austin as soon as possible for they feared I would not make it through the night.
But I did make it through the night and early in the morning the neurosurgeon decided to operate. However, he quickly informed my family and Sharon that my chances of surviving the surgery were only 40/60. If this were not bad enough, the neurosurgeon further shocked my family by telling them what life would be like for me if I beat the odds and survived. He said I probably would never walk, talk, or be able to understand even simple commands.
My family was hoping and praying to hear even the slightest bit of encouragement from that doctor. Instead, his pessimistic words gave my family no reason to believe that I would ever again be a productive member of society. But once again I beat the odds and survived the three and a half hours of surgery.
Even though my family breathed a huge sigh of relief that I was still alive the doctor cautioned that it would still be several days before I would be out of danger. However, with each passing day I became stronger and stronger and two weeks later I was well enough to be moved from the ICU to a private room.
Granted, I still could not talk, my entire right side was paralyzed and many people thought I could not understand, but at least I was stable. After one week in a private room the doctors felt I had improved enough to be transferred by jet ambulance to Del Oro Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston.
My hallucinations, coupled with my physical problems, made my prognosis still very bleak. However, as time passed my mind began to clear and approximately six weeks later my right leg began to move ever so slightly. Within seven weeks my right arm slowly began to move and at eight weeks I uttered my first few words.
My speech was extremely difficult and slow in the beginning, but at least it was a beginning. I was starting to look forward to each new day to see how far I would progress. But just as I thought my life was finally looking brighter I was tested by the hospital europsychologist. She explained to me that judging from my test results she believed that I should not focus on returning to college but that it would be better to set more "realistic goals."
Upon hearing her evaluation I became furious for I thought, "Who is she to tell me what I can or cannot do. She does not even know me. I am a very determined and stubborn person!" I believe it was at that very moment that I decided I would somehow, someday return to college.
It took me a long time and a lot of hard work but I finally returned to the University of Texas in the fall of 1983 - a year and a half after almost dying. The next few years in Austin were very difficult for me, but I truly believe that in order to see beauty in life you have to experience some unpleasantness. Maybe I have experienced too much unpleasantness, but I believe in living each day to the fullest, and doing the very best I can.
And each new day was very busy and very full, for besides attending classes at the University I underwent therapy three to five days each week at Brackenridge Hospital. If this were not enough I flew to Houston every other weekend to work with Tom Williams, a trainer and executive who had worked for many colleges and professional teams and also had helped many injured athletes, such as Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson. Through Tom I learned: "Nothing is impossible and never, never give up or quit."
He echoed the same words and sentiments of a prominent neurosurgeon from Houston, Dr. Alexander Gol, who was a close personal friend of my parents and who drove to Austin with my family in the middle of the night that traumatic February morning. Over the many months I received many opinions from different therapists and doctors but it was Dr. Gol who told my family to take one day at a time, for no matter how bad the situation looked, no one knew for certain what the brain could do.
Early, during my therapy, my father kept repeating to me one of his favorite sayings. It could have been written by both Tom and Dr. Gol and I have repeated it almost every day since being hurt:
"Mile by mile it's a trial; yard by yard it's hard; but inch by inch it's a cinch."
I thought of those words, and I thought of Dr. Gol, Tom, my family and Sharon who believed so strongly in me as I climbed the steps to receive my diploma from the Dean of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas on that bright sunny afternoon in June of 1986. Excitement and pride filled my heart as I heard the dean announce that I had graduated with "highest honors" (grade point average of 3.885), been elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and been chosen as one of 12 Dean's Distinguished Graduates out of 1600 in the College of Liberal Arts.
The overwhelming emotions and feelings that I experienced at that very moment, when most of the audience gave me a standing ovation, I felt would never again be matched in my life -- not even when I graduated with a masters degree in social work and not even when I became employed full time at the Texas Pain and Stress Center. But I was wrong!
On May 24, 1987, I realized that nothing could ever match the joy I felt as Sharon and I were married. Sharon, my high school sweetheart of nine years, had always stood by me, through good and bad times. To me, Sharon is my miracle, my diamond in a world filled with problems, hurt, and pain. It was Sharon who dropped out of school when I was hurt so that she could constantly be at my side. She never wavered or gave up on me.
It was her faith and love that pulled me through so many dark days. While other nineteen year old girls were going to parties and enjoying life, Sharon devoted her life to my recovery. That, to me, is the true definition of love.
After our beautiful wedding I continued working part time at the Pain Center and completed my work for a masters degree while Sharon worked as a speech pathologist at a local hospital. We were extremely happy, but even happier when we learned Sharon was pregnant.
On July 11, 1990 at 12:15 a.m. Sharon woke me with the news: "We need to go to the hospital .... my water just broke." I couldn't help but think how ironic it was that my life almost ended in a convenience store and now on the date "7-11" we were about to bring a new life into this world. This time it was my turn to help Sharon as she had helped me over those past years. Sharon was having contractions about every two minutes, and each time she needed to have her lower back massaged.
Since she was in labor for 15 hours that meant 450 massages!! It was well worth every bit of pain in my fingers because at 3:10 p.m. Sharon and I experienced the birth of our beautiful daughter, Shawn Elyse Segal!
Tears of joy and happiness came to my eyes as our healthy, alert, wonderful daughter entered this world. We anxiously counted her 10 fingers and her 10 toes and watched her wide eyes take in the world about her. It was truly a beautiful picture that was etched in my mind forever as she lie in her mother's waiting arms, just minutes after her birth. At that moment I thanked God for blessing us with the greatest miracle of all -- Shawn Elyse Segal.
1
There once was an oyster
Whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand
Had got into his shell.
It was only a grain,
but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings
Although they're so plain.
Now, did he berate
the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him
To such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government,
Cry for election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?
'No,' he said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around,
As the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate
Destiny stew.
And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral,
for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do
With a morsel of sand?
What couldn't we do
If we'd only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.
1
Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, and I have never met, but he taught me something so valuable that it changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all time hits record. One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, "78." The reporter yelled back, "Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats do you?"
Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place!" "If I go up hoping to get a hit," he continued, "then I probably don't have a prayer to get a hit. It is a positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place."
When I thought about Pete Rose's philosophy and how it applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband.
The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! Thanks, Mr. Rose!
1
In 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and floating in a life raft, alone. His supplies were few. His chances were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later (the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck on a life raft alone), he was alive -- much skinnier than he was when he started, but alive.
His account of how he survived is fascinating. His ingenuity -- how he managed to catch fish, how he fixed his solar still (evaporates sea water to make fresh) -- is very interesting.
But the thing that caught my eye was how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost, when there seemed no point in continuing the struggle, when he was suffering greatly, when his life raft was punctured and after more than a week struggling with his weak body to fix it, it was still leaking air and wearing him out to keep pumping it up. He was starved. He was desperately dehydrated. He was thoroughly exhausted. Giving up would have seemed the only sane option.
When people survive these kinds of circumstances, they do something with their minds that gives them the courage to keep going. Many people in similarly desperate circumstances give in or go mad. Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the guts to carry on in spite of overwhelming odds.
"I tell myself I can handle it," wrote Callahan in his narrative. "Compared to what others have been through, I'm fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over, building up fortitude...."
I wrote that down after I read it. It struck me as something important. And I've told myself the same thing when my own goals seemed far off or when my problems seemed too overwhelming. And every time I've said it, I have always come back to my senses.
The truth is, our circumstances are only bad compared to something better. But others have been through much worse. I've read enough history to know you and I are lucky to be where we are, when we are, no matter how bad it seems to us compared to our fantasies. It's a sane thought and worth thinking.
So here, coming to us from the extreme edge of survival, are words that can give us strength. Whatever you're going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Compared to what others have been through, you're fortunate. Tell this to yourself over and over, and it will help you get through the rough spots with a little more fortitude.
1
A Glorious Morning
by Pam
A gentle breeze ruffled the curtains, bringing with it the fragrant scent of roses. The call of songbirds floated through the air. Lying on the cool, crisp sheets was comforting, but this promised to be a glorious morning.
Sliding quietly from the covers and slipping on a silk robe, I shuffled across the thick carpet, smiling at its softness between my toes. My walk down the hall was interrupted by my traditional peek into each bedroom door at the sleeping occupants within. Scott’s left arm was flung above his head as if reaching high for something his older brother dangled just out of reach. I shook my head at the playful teasing he endured. In the next room, Matt scrunched his pillow beneath his head, one foot carelessly flung from beneath the covers – probably dreaming of the tennis match he had won the day before.
The dogs sensed the blessings of this morning, too. They padded quietly beside me and sat at attention on either side of my patio chair. Sunlight sprinkled through the trees, bursting into individual suns on the dew-covered grass. Rags and Val wriggled their wet noses into my lap.
As we sat quietly, a group of finches flew to the feeders hanging under the eaves. A female cardinal perched atop a box of sunflower seeds as her mate watched from the fence. Time seemed to slow as this symphony of life unfolded.
A cup of coffee appeared on the table, my husband sitting in the chair beside me. Within minutes hummingbirds buzzed and flitted around us. Their territorial dances entertained as well as amazed.
Soon each tousled-haired boy slid into place – our family now complete. Their sleepy eyes quickly awoke to the wonder of nature moving from the quiet stillness of darkness to the joy and anticipation of light. They joined the silent reverie as we welcomed this gift of a new day.
His hand is there, soft and generating movement and power.
From our darkness He moves us slowly to the light.
I know His presence in the birth of each new day and its
beauty.
1
I was in +1 standard when i experience the real values of love and forgivness.i love someone very much.not from starting he plays a game and make me fall in love with him.i was very happy in that days.i feel like a princess.like i get things in life but someone tells that all dreams never comes true so same thing happened with me.he ditch me.he already have girlfriend to whom he loves very much.i love him very much so i never want to see him helpless because during some reasons he lost his love.he breaks my heart but i motivate him and help him to meet him with his love bacause i just want to see him happy no matter he with me or not.and after many tries both of them finally come together.i was happy for him.i left him fully bacause i can pretend but can't express my feeling to him.so from my all experience i just want to say people most of the people do wrong with you that not means you also have to do wrong with them.do something good today i am sure you get something better in your future bacause of your previous kindness
1
“Make your dreams come true”
One poignant question posed by a stranger changed Melanie’s troubled
life: ‘Where will you be in five years?’ That single question drove
her to make a future for herself and made her realize that education
was her only way to pursue her dreams.
Melanie Burnett or How to Make Changes in Life that MatterShe was born in Suriname a former colony of the Netherlands in South America. Abandoned by her father
she grew up, alone with her mother but largely had to take care of herself and basically living
in the streets.
But, with a dream of one day becoming an air hostess with KLM Royal Dutch airlines and lead the glamorous life she knew from the media, getting to know strange shores and far away cultures.
Some 13 years ago she left for Holland and continued living a street life until a relative stranger asked
her how she envisioned her near future.
She got angry and pissed off at the stranger but started to ask herself some hard questions giving herself even harder answers.
It resulted in her picking up her dream and started to go back to school. Which was not easy at the age of 23.
She finished High School and graduated and went on to college.
Now she is a proud member of the KLM.
1
A few years ago I lost my buddy Jack to cancer... Wait, wait before you get all sad there's more to the story!
Jack knew me since the first breath I took on this earth. He was always in my life in some aspect or another. When he first got sick, I was mad. I didn't understand how this could happen to a guy like Jack and what I also didn't understand was how Jack didn't seem a bit worried. He continued on with life as if everything was perfectly normal. What was even stranger was he almost seemed happy about it. You would never see him when he wasn't smiling or laughing no matter how he felt physically, mentally he was happy. Towards the end the only thing I could figure was he was just smiling because he knew he was going to beat us to heaven!
They say everything happens for a reason and although it really hurt to lose Jack, the strength and resiliency he showed throughout his battle touched a lot of people. He taught us that no matter the situation, no matter what cards we're dealt, life's a lot easier wearing a smile!
I often think about Jack and his approach to life and the other day, out of the blue this song came to me. I literally wrote the lyrics in 5 minutes. I truly believe Jack sent me this song... I just wrote it down! I'll never forget Jack and I hope I can go through my life "wearing a smile" like him
1
I am a happily married 45 year old father of two. I have been living in the US since 1992. I grew up on the island of Jamaica. Back in September 1979 I entered Grade 5 at a primary school in rural Jamaica where I had a very strict class teacher named Ms. Cynthia Lawson. In Jamaican schools corporal punishment is still the chief means by which teachers discipline their young charges. Ms. Lawson kept her cane (rod of discipline dangling from the blackboard). I first became acquainted with it one Thursday afternoon when I forgot to do do some math homework which Ms. Lawson had given the prior day. I received six cane-strokes on the palms of my hands. From this day in September 1979 to early December 1979 I felt the cane on numerous occasions resulting from chatting in class, incomplete or no homework or inability to answer oral quiz questions. Then I would get it on my hands or on my legs. Christmas vacation came and during the holidays I began gorging down vast amounts of food. My 11th birthday came in January 1980 and I would eat six very large meals a day, so that by February I came to look like a young Sumo wrestler. By May of 1980 I had a supremely gigantic belly which extended 18 inches out from the front of my pants. Even when given the largest available shirts, I could only fasten the buttons by my chest, and went to school with my belly exposed.
One Wednesday late morning Ms. Lawson gave a Math test which I found quite easy. My beautiful female classmate sitting behind me was clueless, however, and kept asking me to give her the answers. I relented and wrote the answers on a small scrap of paper and tried slipping it to her. Ms. Lawson caught me in tha act and called up the girl and me. Ms. Lawson explained our infraction to the class then reached for her cane. First she gave me six strokes across my back then ordered me to turn around. Then she gave me six strokes on my belly. She then caned the girl on her legs. Another day I was caught shooting the breeze and got six strokes across my belly. Another afternoon I got back to class 15 minutes after the end of lunch-break and Ms.Lawson gave me ten very hard strokes on the belly leaving bruises. She stuck the tip of the cane into my navel and issued a stern warning about my coming in late again.Just about everybody in Ms. Lawson's class made straight A's. If our grades started to slip the cane would be flayed violently across the classroom leaving bruises and welts on your skin. The welts and bruises on my skin turned into ugly black scars, and I had a lot of these on the front of my belly. My parents asserted that the scars were proof that Ms. Lawson was doing her job well. I, however, hated Ms. Lawson for the pain she was inflicting upon me.
After school I would go into the bakery-store to buy an assortment cakes daily. The proprietor, a German lady, saw the scars on my belly and was horrified. The adults in the neighborhood were not.
Over the ensuing years I slimmed down but I always maintained a desire to enact vengeance against Ms. Lawson. I entered University in 1987 and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry in 1991. I came to the US in 1992, got married, returned to school for my Masters, then later my PhD. As a college professor I realize how under-appreciated teachers are.
In June of 2012 I decided to visit my cousins in Jamaica. I was at an upscale restaurant when I met Ms. Lawson for the first time in 32 years! The passage of time had left her much seasoned looking with gray hair. She was struck by my current appearance. Her last image of me had been a fat, pudgy-faced kid with an enormous belly. We hugged each other and I officially, tacitly forgave her. I offered her a Miami vacation in which she could stay at my house. She accepted and I paid her airfare. She spent three convivial days with my family and me, then returned home. .
1
A few years ago I lost my buddy Jack to cancer... Wait, wait before you get all sad there's more to the story!
Jack knew me since the first breath I took on this earth. He was always in my life in some aspect or another. When he first got sick, I was mad. I didn't understand how this could happen to a guy like Jack and what I also didn't understand was how Jack didn't seem a bit worried. He continued on with life as if everything was perfectly normal. What was even stranger was he almost seemed happy about it. You would never see him when he wasn't smiling or laughing no matter how he felt physically, mentally he was happy. Towards the end the only thing I could figure was he was just smiling because he knew he was going to beat us to heaven!
They say everything happens for a reason and although it really hurt to lose Jack, the strength and resiliency he showed throughout his battle touched a lot of people. He taught us that no matter the situation, no matter what cards we're dealt, life's a lot easier wearing a smile!
I often think about Jack and his approach to life and the other day, out of the blue this song came to me. I literally wrote the lyrics in 5 minutes. I truly believe Jack sent me this song... I just wrote it down! I'll never forget Jack and I hope I can go through my life "wearing a smile" like him!
1
My name is Verlaine Brunot and I would like to share with you all a story about the power of perseverance, dedication and willpower. This is a story about my youngest brother Jonathan. Jonathan is a handsome, charming and energetic twenty five year old who has severe autism.
Jonathan Brunot was born on March 14, 1989; a healthy child with an expressive personality. He had lots of eye contact, and his vocabulary built steadily as he began to learn to speak. However, when he was about 2 ½ years of age, he began to regress dramatically. His eye contact became non-existent and the few words and even phrases he had mastered in the previous months slipped away into completely non-verbal interaction. Jonathan would later be diagnosed as severely autistic, a prognosis that meant he could never develop “typical” brain function for his age.
Just. Like. That.
Autism is a lifelong, pervasive neurological disorder. However, no matter how difficult and extreme the circumstances; an autistic person is only limited by the limits we put upon them.
Case in point, our amazing mother Olga. She always taught us that Jonathan wasn't merely an “autistic” individual, but rather we were an “autistic” family. It was incumbent upon us as a family to do whatever we could to help Jonathan navigate through this difficult world.
Throughout the years, it was this very belief that motivated Olga to relentlessly pursue activities and different special needs programs to enroll Jonathan in as many extracurriculars as possible. Due to Jonathan's inability to pro-actively find new things he wanted to try, we effectively had to throw him in the “deep end” and immerse him in EVERYTHING.
We signed him up for a bowling league, took him to horseback riding, as well as registered him for a special needs basketball league. These activities gave Jonathan an outlet in order to expend all his energy as well as to help him assimilate “normal” activities like his older siblings. Jonathan was not always enthusiastic or attentive during many of these activities; however our mother was still determined to at least give him as much exposure as possible to these different environments. It was precisely this determination and persistence that prompted my mother to sign Jonathan up to join a special needs running club called ROLLING THUNDER based in Long Island, NY. This nonprofit organization's sole mission was to match volunteer coaches who specialized in assisted running with the mentally disabled.
When Jonathan first joined the running club, he struggled tremendously. For the first couple of weeks, Jon could not run more then 10-15 yard without stopping, or getting distracted or wanting to lie down. In fact, Olga began running side by side with Jonathan, at times gripping his belt and effectively pulling him along the trails. Even after 2 months of practices, Jonathan was still struggling to grasp the concept of running. Olga was nearly ready to have him quit, both as a result of her fatigue from constantly pulling him and Jonathan’s inability to connect with the sport. The director and head coach of Rolling Thunder, Steve Cuomo, encouraged Olga to not give up on Jonathan and worked with her to help Jonathan continue running. That led to the fateful day when Mr. Cuomo introduced Olga to a running coach named Vincent Del-cid.
Over the upcoming months, Vincent was able to keep Jonathan ambulatory during long runs without stopping. Coach Vincent believed in Jonathan and committed to training him 3 times a week. After several months, Jonathan learned to pace himself, and he lost weight as his body responded to his steady training. Jonathan had not only found an outlet for his boundless energy, he developed a passion for the sport of running. There was no need to drag Jonathan to practices or races, he was excited to tie his shoe laces (something that took him 10 long years to master) and put on his racing singlet and meet up with coach. After only a year of training with Rolling Thunder and Coach Vincent, Jonathan was regularly participating in 5ks and 10k races and was blossoming into a serious athlete!
In early 2008, coach Vincent decided to REALLY upped the ante. An experienced endurance athlete himself, he saw something extraordinary in Jonathan and wanted to take their training to the next level.
Coach Vincent told Olga that he wanted Jonathan to run the NYC Marathon. He was adamant that Jonathan had what it took to run and complete the 26.2 long, difficult miles across all the boroughs of Manhattan!
As Jonathan's brother, my reaction consisted of a flurry of emotions. Fear, that this would be too risky an undertaking. Happy, that my brother was on the verge of doing something that many people would never accomplish in their lifetimes. Anxiety, that this could potentially damage Jonathan's love for running. Ultimately I settled on the only emotion that mattered.... gratitude. I was so utterly thankful that my brother was in the position to achieve something extraordinary; transcending his severe mental limitations to run and complete a marathon.
On November 2, 2008 Jonathan completed his first marathon in 4 hours and 48 grueling minutes (ING NYC Marathon 2008). Our family was in the stands, about 100 yards from the Finish Line when we saw a tired but strong Jonathan coming around the corner. It was a moment of pure glory, one that I will never, ever forget.
Today, Jonathan has truly evolved into a gifted runner and a tremendous athlete.
He trains all year, averaging around 20-30 miles per week. More importantly, he has inspired people from around the world with his achievements and contagious charm. As of July 2014, he has completed 12 marathons and one ultra marathon at 25 years of age.
1
I often reminisce those good old days when life was relatively simpler, and people were much more humane and gentle. Recently, to my surprise, I got the opportunity to experience that same warmth that I thought had disappeared from the world.
I was out shopping the other day with my husband, two daughters and one granddaughter. It was a very hot and humid day, and we were all visibly tired and hungry. We entered a restaurant, looking for some food and comfort.
To our dismay, all the tables were occupied and no one seemed in a hurry to get up. We waited; tired, hungry and impatient. After quite some time, one table was vacated, but that could seat only two of us. My daughter made me sit along with her father, while she and my other daughter stood alongside.
My granddaughter sat on my lap as we looked all around us, waiting for another table to be vacated soon. At the next table, two young girls were sitting at a table for four and enjoying their meal. We decided to move to their table, once they were finished with their lunch.
Since the girls had just got their order, I knew it would be a long wait. As we were deciding on what to order, one of the girls got up and offered their table to us. She said they would move to our table so that my family could sit together.
We were very appreciative of their kind gesture. We thanked them profusely and moved to their table. The girls quickly picked up their plates and glasses and went to sit at our table.
That day, I thought to myself there still were some kind, civil and helpful youngsters in this fast moving non-caring world; and my faith in humanity was restored once again.
1
There was once a boy who always treated his mother horribly, shouting at her, insulting her. It didn't matter to him how sad he made her.
One day, without knowing how, he woke up in an immense and lonely place. He was sitting on a rock from which four huge pillars rose up into the sky, appearing to support the entire world.
He was all alone, but soon an enormous flock of crows with beaks made of steel landed on the rock, and set about violently chipping away at it.
After the crows left, a mysterious door in one of the pillars opened, and through it came a charming and pretty girl.
-"Have you come to help us? That's great! We need all the people we can get."
The boy was puzzled, and spotting his confusion, the little girl explained.
-"So you don't know where you are? This is the centre of the Earth. These pillars support the whole planet, and this rock keeps the pillars in place."
-"And how can I help you?"
said the boy, confused.
-"Well, to help look after the rock, of course. Anyone can see by your face that you're the best person for the job,"
answered the girl,
-"The birds you saw are only increasing in number, and if we don't look after this rock it will eventually crumble and everything will come crashing down.”
-"And what do you see in my face?!"
exclaimed the boy, surprised.
-"I've never looked after a rock in my whole life!"
-"But you'll learn how, even if you've never done it. Here, look in this mirror,"
said the girl, holding one in front of the boy's face.
The boy could clearly see he now had the face of a bird, and his nose was gradually turning into steel. There he stood, shocked and worried, not a word passing his lips.
-"All those crows used to be children like you and I, "
explained the girl,
-"but they decided not to look after the rock. Now that they're older they've turned into evil birds; all they do is destroy. Up to now, you haven't done much to look after it, but now that you know, will you help me to preserve all this?"
She said all this with a smile, taking his hand in hers.
The boy still didn't quite understand all this. He looked closely at the pillars and could see that each one was made of thousands and thousands of little figurines, representing the best virtues: sincerity, effort, honesty, generosity...
Closely inspecting the ground beneath him, he could see that the enormous rock was made up of little instances of children showing respect to their mothers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and old people.
What the crows were trying to do was cover over these instances by carving out scenes of shouting and insults. Next to his feet, he could see his own little carving, representing the last time he shouted at his mother. That image, in such a strange place, made him realise that the only thing keeping the columns standing was respect. Respect was sustaining the world.
The boy, filled with regret, stayed there and looked after the rock for many days.He carried out his task joyfully, going without sleep to repel every crow attack. He carried on until, exhausted by his efforts, he collapsed; completely spent.
When he woke he was back in his bed at home, and he didn't know whether it had all been a dream. However, what he was now sure of was that no crow would ever again get the chance to carve a picture of him shouting at his mother.
1
Last night I heard a tear drop fall as I lay silently awake in bed .....
It told a story we all know but keep safely inside our heads....
It talked of faded laughter ..of dreams we once all knew.. and up until that fateful day we just all knew would come true...
It reminisced of childhood days and things we use to do...
It talked of Love's that's long since gone and the scares that they had made....
It talked of wrong choices and the troubles they brought our way....
It remembered the taste of Birthday cakes and dancing in the snow...
It remembered the smell of Christmas Eve's and day's from long ago....
It recalled the ocean to a little girl that as a women she'll never know....
But as the last sound that night still echo's in my ears ....
that's the sound that a prison cell makes as it's filling up with tears.
Note: you must live it, to learn it sometimes!
But the lessons of wisdom achieved behind
Those walls; is surly nothing could ever take!!
1
This is an inspiring story narrated to me by my cousin.
My cousin sister's children were all married and settled abroad. She and her husband were very fond of going on short holidays to new places.
Once, they decided to take a three day trip to a nearby small town which was famous for its historical sites. They decided to take a road trip in their own car. They started on their journey, early in the morning and by late evening; they had entered the town and checked in at a hotel.
Next morning, after breakfast, they took a road map of the town and its suburbs and started on their new discovery. Since there were many places to see, it took them the whole day to finish their sightseeing.
By now, they had reached a suburb which had shops selling handmade items. My sister was most interested in shopping. Her husband warned her to finish before it started getting dark. They were so engrossed in their shopping that they forgot about the time and started back only as the shops began to close.
They took the same route back to their hotel but somehow got lost on the way and realised that they were going around in circles. They stopped the car and consulting their map, started again. After sometime, they realised it was no use to try and find their way back. They decided to ask someone for help but no one was out at that late hour.
They waited at a street corner for some time, and then decided to try again. My brother-in-law started the car but it wouldn't budge. He tried many times but to no avail. He got down and checked but could not find any fault. He sat back disheartened, feeling worried about their predicament. My sister was calm saying she was sure they would get help.
They sat quietly, my sister praying calmly and her husband getting panicky. After about twenty minutes, they saw a man walking towards them from the opposite direction. He wanted to know what had happened. It was learnt that he was a car mechanic who had closed his garage late and was returning home. He offered to check the car and after some time pronounced that it was a minor problem which he could fix easily. The car was repaired and ready to go.
When my sister offered some monetary reward, the man refused saying he had arrived there on God's bidding. He told them that he always took another route back home which was shorter but when he reached his turning; something prompted him to take this longer route.
Now he knew some greater power wanted him to help the stranded couple, and that is why he took this route.
My sister and brother-in-law were very obliged and thanked the man profusely. After being directed by the helpful mechanic, they reached their hotel safely.
Once again 'Trust' and 'Faith' had helped create a small miracle.
1
Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day she asked God: “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”
God replied, “Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you.”
“But tell me, here in Heaven, I don’t do anything else but sing and smile, that’s enough for me to be happy.”
“Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel’s love and be happy.”
“And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t know the language that men talk?
“Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”
“And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?”
“Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”
“I’ve heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?”
“Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.”
“But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.”
“Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.”
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child in a hurry asked softly:
“Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.”
“Your angel’s name is of no importance, you will call your angel: Mommy.”
1
Mother Katy Evans was only 16 weeks pregnant when her waters unexpectantly broke. When she and her husband arrived at the hospital she was diagnosed with preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes, a condition that caused amniotic fluid to drain from her womb. Doctors told Katy and her husband that their precious baby had only a 1% chance of survival and she was encouraged to abort. But the loving parents refused!
"I told her that no, I didn't want an abortion. I said that I wanted nature to take its course." Katy said.
While on bed-rest, Katy spent her time researching her condition and remaining positive about her outcome.
"I joined Facebook support groups on my phone, read medical papers and exchanged messages with other moms. I discovered that, in reality, there seemed to be a much higher rate of survival in these cases than the one per cent figure from official statistics. That gave me hope."
Katy was sent home from the hospital with some very strict instructions to avoid infection. She and her husband prepared themselves for the worst, but days and days went by and their little bun was still in the oven. Praise the Lord, Katy did not miscarry!
Two weeks later Katy returned to the hospital for a scan. The scan showed that Katy’s waters were restored and replenished in her womb and the rupture was healed. Doctors were amazed at the miracle that they saw; they had never witnessed something like this before.
Katy still had to take extra careful precautions to make sure that her waters didn’t break again because she was still at high-risk. But Katy’s tummy grew bigger as weeks and months went by, and each one felt like a major milestone.
Katy’s waters did break again, but this time she was nearly 34 weeks pregnant. Her baby boy was almost full-term, and they had beaten the odds that were stacked so high against them.
Their sweet son Leo was born weighing 4lbs 13oz. He spent 24 hours in an incubator inside of the hospital’s special care unit, but just after 5 days she was sent home with his family.
Now Baby Leo is 8-months old, and weighs a whopping 17lbs. He is a healthy baby boy, and his story reminds us that we should never give up on life.
Katy said, "We feel unbelievably lucky," said Evans. "It's just over a year now since I was sitting in that hospital bed, waiting for a miscarriage. We're all so blessed and grateful to have him. He's a very special little boy."
1
Jessica Arrendale was probably like any other new mom—dreaming big dreams filled with hope for a wonderful future for her 6 month old baby.
So it’s no surprise that when this Georgia mom was faced with the idea of those dreams shattering right in front of her eyes, she did everything in her power to protect her precious infant.
In the early morning hours, her boyfriend, Antoine became very violent and Jessica knew he meant to kill her and their baby. What this victim of domestic abuse did to protect her little girl is downright shocking, and is an absolute MIRACLE!
Even though she had been beaten with a baseball bat and shot in the head, Jessica still found a way to save her daughter.
After receiving reports of gunshots in the home, police arrived on the scene. After a 14-hour stand off, police entered the couple’s home to find Antoine had killed himself in their baby’s bedroom
Sadly, they also discovered Jessica’s lifeless body, slumped over a toilet.
But what completely shocked the police was what they found INSIDE the toilet.
Because this unlikely hiding spot was where Jessica hid her baby girl to keep her safe from the child’s violent father, shielding the sweet child with her own body.
Jessica’s mother, Teresa Ionniello, believes that Antoine wanted to kill both Jessica and the baby, but was unable to see the baby in the toilet, hidden by her mom’s body.
“She was the hero,” Teresa said, “because her last breath was saving the child.”
1
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with it's petals all worn, not enough rain, or to little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here it's for you."
The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need." But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. You're welcome, he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose. And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man
1
Hi, my name is David and I was born with Asperger syndrome, which is a form of Autism. When I was young I wondered what my life would look like or how God can use me. In the year 2009 my life changed forever. I got very sick and I was taken to the hospital. It was there I learned that I had a rare condition called Stevens–Johnson 10 Syndrome.
Stevens-Johnson 10 syndrome is a life threatening skin condition that claims most of its victims with death. Your skin literally falls off of your body, and David’s skin was coming off from his head to his toes. David was airlifted here from the Beaumont hospital here in Troy, to the University of Michigan hospital, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, burn trauma unit. There he would receive advanced care as he fought for his life.
He was on a ventilator and he was wrapped up with linen, very much like looking like a mummy. It was to keep the infection out. The doctors indicated to us that David might not survive. It was then that I knew he was in God’s hands and that was very comforting to me. I had to rely upon the sovereignty of God. I talked to my wife in the waiting area, and there we talked about Psalm 139. In there there’s a verse, verse 16, that say’s, “God has ordained all of our days before there was yet even one.” I remember telling her that if this is the day that God had ordained for David to die, then I’m good with it, but if this is not the day, then David will not die and we have nothing to worry about.
All we could do was pray. In the hospital it was difficult to communicate with David because he was in and out of consciousness. We had to go into a clean room environment. There we had to wear gloves, masks, and outer garments so we did not bring any infection into his room.
Although we couldn’t talk to David, all the time in the background, God was. David told us of events and dreams that he had while he was unconscious. One of those dreams he could hear a multitude of people praying for him. He could hear those people even though he couldn’t hear the specific prayers…David also tells a story of angels that spoke to him and encouraged him to fight. So I asked him how did he know that they were angels and he said, “You just know.”
And I saw a beautiful garden of light…and as I stood in the garden, I no longer had autism. I saw myself as a child of God and a beautiful being.
He saw a pair of hands, large hands, coming down from heaven. In the hands was a lamb that was placed upon his lap. He had asked what the lamb was for and a voice, whom he assumed was God’s, told him that the lamb was for his healing. David had multiple organ failure, and because of that, he had so many different things that could go wrong and could take his life, so we were praying for those things that were of greatest value first. One of the first things we prayed for was his liver. He was in total liver failure, and they told us that he would not be a candidate for a liver replacement. If his liver did not recover, he would die. Very quickly, we found that the liver started to recover.
One day, I was walking by the nurses’ station, and they did not see me, when a woman came out of the room after they had just bandaged him. She said, “Can you believe it, he’s got his skin?” I remember just smiling thinking God has answered our prayer once again and I told her, “Yes, I believe it because we got just thousands of people praying for David right now.” So as we needed the miracles, God was there and he provided them.
1
Every night, when i return home from work, travelling in a cab, my eyes automatically turn towards a mosque that is enroute to my home.
The reason being, there is a woman with her 2 little daughters, sitting at the entrance of the mosque, waiting for the passerby to offer them something. when i see the tiny one, she is may be 1 1/2 yrs old, with a scarf around her tiny head, in the cold night, sitting along with her mother, sometimes eating something, other times, just wandering at the gate. She has touched my heart so much that i thank my heavenly father, for giving me a home, parents, a kind husband who takes care and a tiny daughter of mine as well.
The tender girl at the mosque not sure about what life is, keeps always smiling, no worries on her mind and always accompanying her mother, except when it rains. In the cold winds, with her tiny feet, i sometimes see her sleeping on her mother's lap comforted without realizing what time of the day it is and what is happening around her.
I only pray, some good soul, offers them a good home a roof to live under instead of the open sky near the mosque and food to live on instead of begging. God bless that Mother and her Two lovely daughters at the mosque.
1
A stranger has come to visit me. She says she is family, but I have no family. No wife, no children, no parents, no siblings. I've never laid eyes on her before. Nonetheless, I can't deny our connection. She has my clear grey eyes and ginger hair and the same distinctive jawline and cheekbones. And moreover, the tenderness with which she treats me in my fragile state, clinging to this world by a thread, says more than appearances ever could. She is sorry she never had the chance to see me before and she sheds a tear at seeing me in this state, and the gentle warmth of her hand round mine is all the comfort in the world.
She tells me about her life. Her happy family childhood back in my old home town, after I'd already left. The success she'd enjoyed at college, buoyed up by the support from her father telling her that hard work would bring such rewards. The hard lessons she'd learnt in love and the joy she'd won in return when she discovered what was right for her. Whatever my conservative views, I could feel her joy when she described falling in love with a woman for the first time and my antipathy towards that lifestyle was swept away by the smile on her face.
She asked me about my life. My sorry childhood didn't match up to hers, raised with the fear of hell and beatings that left me always battling to prove myself as an adult. When I left for university it was a weight released, but the discipline stood me in good stead. My self-control won me awards, a career that from the first day supported me, the girl I loved, our dream wedding and home and everything she and I wanted. But then my need to prove myself took everything away. When I was offered my dream job on the other coast, she wouldn't come. Her family and friends meant more to her than me. She wanted me to decline it, but I saw that as failure. She stayed and I went and we tossed our marriage away.
I threw myself into my career to numb the pain, and my success was tremendous, but with no one to make happy with it, the shine was gone. Woman after woman came into my life and left but I never found love again. Looking into this stranger's eyes, I can see my ex-wife's love for me shining through and what I've known for years comes flooding out in tears - I walked away from the best thing I could ever have had.
She cradles me close as the regret consumes me. I blink through my tears and ask her, what if? What if I'd stayed? I could've been so happy. I could've had the world. I wish I'd realized then what was of true value, as I do now. Here I am, alone, with only a stranger to see me through my darkest, final night.
She wipes away my tears with gentle fingers. The world, she whispers, and more. Your wife would have loved you more each day. And you could have had me, dad. You could have had me.
1