"The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his
gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years.
The Marshall replied, "In that case, there is no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon!" -- John F. Kennedy
Think, Believe, Dream and Dare
An eight-year-old boy approached
an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up into his eyes, and asked: "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."
Anything more beautiful?
The question is asked, "Is there anything
more beautiful in life than a boy and a girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything
more beautiful than young love?
And the answer is given. "Yes, there is
a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path.
Their hands are gnarled, but still clasped; their faces are seamed, but still radiant; their hearts are physically bowed and
tired, but still strong with love and devotion for one another. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old
love."
"I can't change the direction of the
wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean
A friend of mine had a terrible childhood. He was one of five children, his father was an alcoholic and died very young,
and his mother was unable to support the family.
Unfortunately, the children were separated and placed in foster homes. My friend dropped out of
school and did nothing to further himself even though opportunities were available to him. He eventually went through a divorce.
My friend's brother,
although experiencing the same childhood, educated himself and obtained a job as a welder. He has a nice family and a
wonderful home.
Both
brothers give a similar answer when asked why their lives turned out the way they did: "You'd turn out this way
too, if you had a childhood like mine."
Neither one of the brothers
could change his past, but one of them adjusted his sail!
My Lucky day
David, a second-grader, was
bumped while getting on the school bus and suffered a two-inch cut on his cheek. At recess he collided with another boy and
lost two teeth.
At noon, while sliding on ice, he fell and broke his wrist. Later at the hospital, his father noticed
David was clutching a quarter in his good hand. David said, "I found it on the ground when I fell.
This is the first
quarter I ever found. This sure is my lucky day."
The Fence
There was once
a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he
must hammer a nail in to the back of the fence. The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails in to the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it
was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails in to the fence. Finally, the day came when the boy didn't lose his
temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he
was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were
gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.
You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wounds is still there.
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends are a very rare jewel indeed. They make you smile and encourage
you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.
Lessons to live by !
Give people more than they expect and
do it cheerfully.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all
you have or sleep all you want.
When you say, "I'm sorry," look the
person in the eye.
In disagreements, fight fairly.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
Smile when picking up the phone. The
caller will hear it in your voice.
Remember that great love and great achievements
involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Remember
the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
