Story
Cocoon and the Butterfly:
Many of us know that a beautiful and colourful butterfly comes from an unappealing worm! Here is the story of a butterfly that was never able to live its life as a normal butterfly.
One day, a man saw a cocoon. He loved butterflies and had a craze for its wonderful combination of colours. In fact, he used to spend a lot of time around butterflies. He knew how a butterfly would struggle to transform from an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful one.
He saw the cocoon with a tiny opening. It meant that the butterfly was trying to make its way out to enjoy the world. He decided to watch how the butterfly would come out of the cocoon. He was watching the butterfly struggling to break the shell for several hours. He spent almost more than 10 hours with the cocoon and the butterfly. The butterfly had been struggling very hard for hours to come out through the tiny opening. Unfortunately, even after continuous attempts for several hours, there was no progress. It seemed that the butterfly had tried its best and could not give any more try.
The man, who had a passion and love for butterflies, decided to help the butterfly. He got a pair of scissors and tweaked the cocoon to make larger opening for the butterfly and removed the remaining cocoon. The butterfly emerged without any struggle!
Unfortunately, the butterfly looked no longer beautiful and had a swollen body with small and withered wings.
The man was happy that he had made the butterfly come out of the cocoon without any more struggles. He continued to watch the butterfly and was quite eager to see it fly with its beautiful wings. He thought that at any time, the butterfly might expand its wings, shrink the body and the wings could support the body. Unfortunately, neither did the wings expand nor the swollen body reduce.
Unfortunately, the butterfly just crawled around with withered wings and a huge body. It was never able to fly. Although the man did it with a good intention, he did not know that only by going through struggles the butterfly can emerge to be beautiful, with strong wings.
The continuous effort from the butterfly to come out of its cocoon would let the fluid stored in the body be converted into wings. Thus, the body would become lighter and smaller, and the wings would be beautiful and large.
If we don't want to undergo any struggle, we won't be able to fly!
Struggles make us shine!
Fools:
It was a cold and silent night. The weather was freezing cold. A group of monkeys were on a tree. They were clinging to its branches. One of the monkeys said, "I wish we could find some fire. It will help us to keep warm."
Suddenly they noticed a flock of fireflies. One of the young monkeys thought it was fire. He caught a firefly. He put it under a dry leaf and started blowing at it. Some other monkeys also joined in his efforts.
In the meanwhile, a sparrow came flying to its nest which was on the same tree the monkeys were sitting on. She noticed what they were doing. The sparrow laughed. She said, "Hey silly monkeys, that is a firefly, not real fire. I think all of you should take shelter in a cave."
The monkeys did not listen to the sparrow. They continued to blow at the poor firefly.
After some time, the monkeys became very tired. Now they realized that what the sparrow had said was correct. They set free the firefly and moved to a nearby cave.
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The value of a copper coin:
Mahatma Gandhi, honoured as the father of India, was a very special person. The following story illustrates one of the reasons for him to be called 'Mahatma' (great soul).
Once, Gandhi was on an expedition to collect funds from various cities and villages for an organization to help the poor. He went to several places and finally reached Orissa. He organized a meeting in Orissa.
There, he gave a speech to the public, requesting them to give him funds for the organization. At the end of his speech, a very old woman with bent back, tattered clothing, white hair, and shrunken skin got up. She requested the volunteers to allow her to reach Gandhi. However, the volunteers stopped her. She did not give up. She fought with them and reached Gandhi.
She touched the feet of Gandhi. Then she took out a copper coin kept in the folds of her saree and placed it at his feet. Then the old lady left the stage.
Gandhi very carefully took the coin. The treasurer of the organization for the poor asked Gandhi for the copper coin, but he refused to give it.
"I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees," said the treasurer. "Yet you won't trust me with a copper coin!"
Gandhi said, "This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands. If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn't mean much."
Yes, the coin might have been the only thing that the poor old woman possessed. She did not even have proper clothes and could not afford good food. Still she gave everything she had. That is why Gandhi regarded the coin as very precious.
Offering help when we have nothing or very little makes it more valuable.
An Old Lady in The Cruise:
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A man asked why an old lady was all alone on a cruise ship. He noticed that although she was alone, all the staff, ships officers, Waiters and busboys were very familiar with her. So, he asked the waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told…she owned the line, but all the Waiter knew was that she was on the last four cruises, back to back.
As he left the dining room one evening he caught her eye and stopped to say hello. They chatted and he asked, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises."
She replied, "Yes, that's true."
He said, "I don't understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home. So, there will be no nursing home in my future. I'm staying on this cruise; the average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. Here, I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for tips and extra cash. I have it made here. I can have as many as 10 meals a day of fantastic food or room service which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week. I get free pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers and shows every night. I get free toothpaste, razors, and free soap and shampoo. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you. I get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days! TV broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the matters replaced? No problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience. Clean sheets and towels every day and you don't even have to ask for them. There is always a doctor on board. This is how I want to live the end of my life".
Always Follow Your Heart:
As a child, Monty Roberts was the son of a horse trainer and moved from stable to stable, from ranch to ranch, training horses. The boy’s schooling was constantly interrupted. One day, when he was a senior, his teacher asked him to write about what he wanted to be when he grew up. He did not hesitate and wrote a seven-page paper about his aim to be an owner of a horse ranch. It was a detailed paper with the location of buildings, stables and even a house plan. Two days later he received his paper back with an F on the front page.
After class he asked his teacher why he received such a low score.
The teacher told him, “This dream is unrealistic for a boy like you, who has no money, no resources and who comes from an itinerant family. There is no possibility that you will reach this goal."
Then the teacher offered him the opportunity to rewrite the paper with a more realistic attitude.
The boy went home and asked his father how he should respond.
His father told him, “This is a very important decision, so you must come to your own conclusion."
After several days, the boy brought the same paper to his teacher. No changes were made.
He told his teacher, “Keep the F and I will keep my dream."
Monty Roberts went on to own a 4000 square foot house in the middle of 200-acre horse ranch. He framed the paper he wrote and hung it over his fireplace.
Always remember to follow your heart and never listen to those who do not believe in your ability to achieve your dreams.
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A Rich Man and His Son:
A rich man's son was graduating college.
For months, the son was asking his father for a new car, knowing that his father had more than enough money.
When graduation day came, the young man's father called him into the study. The father handed him a wrapped gift and congratulated the new about to be graduated on his achievement.
Looking disappointed, the son opened the gift to find a lovely, leather bound journal, with the young man's name embossed on the cover. He angrily raised his voice, threw down the journal and stormed out.
The young man had not seen his father since graduation day. He became successful and was wealthy like his father, with a beautiful home and family. He came to realize his father was aging and it may be time to put the past behind them.
Just then, he received a message that his father had passed, and he had to return home to take care of the estate.
As the mourning son regretfully returned home, he began searching through his father's important papers and saw that still new journal, just as he had left it.
He opened it, and as he flipped through the pages a car key dropped from the back of the journal.
A dealer tag was attached to the key that read "Paid in full. Wherever this car takes you, write about it to remember it forever. Love, Dad"
No matter what you expect, be grateful for what you are given. It may be more of a blessing than you think.
A Powerful Story:
A man and a young teenage boy checked into a hotel and were shown to their room. The receptionist noted the quiet manner of the guests and the pale appearance of the boy. Later, the man and boy ate dinner in the hotel restaurant.
The staff again noticed that the two guests were very quiet and that the boy seemed disinterested in his food.
After eating, the boy went to his room and the man went to ask the receptionist to see the manager. The receptionist initially asked if there was a problem with the service or the room, and offered to fix things, but the man said that there was no problem of the sort and repeated his request.
When the manager appeared, he took him aside and explained that he was spending the night in the hotel with his fourteen-year-old son, who was seriously ill, probably terminally so. The boy was very soon to undergo therapy, which would cause him to lose his hair. They had come to the hotel to have a break together and also because the boy planned to shave his head, that night, rather than feel that the illness was beating him. The father said that he would be shaving his own head too, in support of his son.
He asked that staff be respectful when the two of them came to breakfast with their shaved heads.
The manager assured the father that he would inform all staff and that they would behave appropriately.
The following morning the father and son entered the restaurant for breakfast. There they saw the four male restaurant staff attending to their duties, perfectly normally, all with shaved heads.
No matter what business you are in, you can help people and you can make a difference.
A Good Boy:
An old woman wanted to cross a road. She was weak. Therefore she wanted help. She waited long. She waited alone.
She saw a large number of school boys. They were laughing and talking. They were going home. So they were happy. They looked at the old woman. They did not help her. They walked on.
But one boy went to the old woman. He said to her, “Mother! Do you want to cross the road? I will help you. I will take you to the other side."
The boy helped the old woman. He led her across the road. He did a good deed. He was happy. He said, “I helped somebody’s mother. So, somebody will help my mother in her old age."
“Dear God! Be kind to this good boy," said the old woman in her prayer.
A Father learns A Lesson from His Son:
Velan was a carpenter. He was living in a village. His mother dies a long time back. His aged father, Kuppan, lived with Velan. Kuppan was very weak. He could not even walk well. He was so weak. It was because Velan did not give him enough food. He had given his father a small earthen plate. Even a small quantity of rice in the plate appeared to be much. Velan was a bad man. He was a drunkard also. After taking drinks, he abused his father badly.
Velan had a son. His name is Muthu. Muthu was just ten years old. He was a very good boy. He loved his grandfather. He had great respect for his grandfather. He did not like his father’s attitude and character, because his father was treating his grandfather cruelly.
One day Kuppan was eating his food out of earthen plate that his son had given to him. The earthen plate fell down. The plate broke into pieces. The food also fell on the floor. Velan was working at the other end of the room. He saw the broken plate. He was very angry with his father and used very harsh words to abuse his father. The old man felt bad about what happened. He was sorry for his mistake. Velan’s words wounded him very deeply.
Velan’s son, Muthu, saw this. He did not like his father. His father was ill-treating his grandfather. He was afraid to speak against his father. He was sad about his grandfather. But he was not powerful to stand in support of his grandfather.
The next day Muthu took some of his father’s carpentry tools and a piece of wood. He worked with the tools to make a wooden plate. His father saw him working.
“What are you making, Muthu?" he asked.
“I am making a wooden plate!" replied Muthu.
“A wooden plate! What for?" asked his father.
“I am making it for you, father. When you grow old, like my grandfather, you will need a plate for food. A plate made from earth mat break very easily. Then I may scold you severely. So, I want to give you a wooden plate. It may not break so easily."
The carpenter was shocked to hear this. Only now he realized his mistake. His father was kind to Velan He had looked after Velan very well. Now, he was old. Velan was treating his father severely. Velan was now very sad about his own behavior. He realized his mistakes. He then became a different person.
From that day, Velan treated his father with great respect. He gave up drinking too. Velan learnt a lesson from his own son.
You should honor your parents at all times. It is your duty. It brings you their blessings.
A Farmer and His Wife:
A farmer said to his wife, “you are lazy. You work slowly and lethargically. You waste your time."
The wife was angry at the words of her husband.
She said to her husband, “You are wrong. Stay at home tomorrow. I will go to field. I will do your work there. Will you do my works at home here?"
The farmer said happily, “Very well. I will do your works back at home."
The wife said, “Milk the cow. Feed the pigs. Waste the utensils. Take care of our hen. Spin the yarn."
The woman went to the field. The farmer stayed back at home. He took a vessel and went to the cow to milk it. He tried to milk the cow. He received a good kick. He then went to the pig-sty. He hit his head against the beam. He went to feed the hen. He forgot to spin.
The wife returned from the field when it turned evening. The farmer hung down his head in shame. Thereafter, he did not find fault with his wife. They lived happily together for a long time.
Jack and the Beanstalk:
Once upon a time there lived a poor widow and her son Jack. One day, Jack’s mother told him to sell their only cow. Jack went to the market and on the way he met a man who wanted to buy his cow. Jack asked, “What will you give me in return for my cow?” The man answered, “I will give you five magic beans!” Jack took the magic beans and gave the man the cow. But when he reached home, Jack’s mother was very angry. She said, “You fool! He took away your cow and gave you some beans!” She threw the beans out of the window. Jack was very sad and went to sleep without dinner.
The next day, when Jack woke up in the morning and looked out of the window, he saw that a huge beanstalk had grown from his magic beans! He climbed up the beanstalk and reached a kingdom in the sky. There lived a giant and his wife. Jack went inside the house and found the giant’s wife in the kitchen. Jack said, “Could you please give me something to eat? I am so hungry!” The kind wife gave him bread and some milk.
While he was eating, the giant came home. The giant was very big and looked very fearsome. Jack was terrified and went and hid inside. The giant cried, “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!” The wife said, “There is no boy in here!” So, the giant ate his food and then went to his room. He took out his sacks of gold coins, counted them and kept them aside. Then he went to sleep. In the night, Jack crept out of his hiding place, took one sack of gold coins and climbed down the beanstalk. At home, he gave the coins to his mother. His mother was very happy and they lived well for sometime.
Jack and the Beanstalk Fee Fi Fo Fum!Climbed the beanstalk and went to the giant’s house again. Once again, Jack asked the giant’s wife for food, but while he was eating the giant returned. Jack leapt up in fright and went and hid under the bed. The giant cried, “Fee-fifo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!” The wife said, “There is no boy in here!” The giant ate his food and went to his room. There, he took out a hen. He shouted, “Lay!” and the hen laid a golden egg. When the giant fell asleep, Jack took the hen and climbed down the beanstalk. Jack’s mother was very happy with him.
After some days, Jack once again climbed the beanstalk and went to the giant’s castle. For the third time, Jack met the giant’s wife and asked for some food. Once again, the giant’s wife gave him bread and milk. But while Jack was eating, the giant came home. “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!” cried the giant. “Don’t be silly! There is no boy in here!” said his wife.
The giant had a magical harp that could play beautiful songs. While the giant slept, Jack took the harp and was about to leave. Suddenly, the magic harp cried, “Help master! A boy is stealing me!” The giant woke up and saw Jack with the harp. Furious, he ran after Jack. But Jack was too fast for him. He ran down the beanstalk and reached home. The giant followed him down. Jack quickly ran inside his house and fetched an axe. He began to chop the beanstalk. The giant fell and died.
Jack and his mother were now very rich and they lived happily ever after.
The Wolf and the Lamb:
Once, a little lamb was grazing on a meadow, along with a flock of sheep. Being very mischievous, the little lamb wandered some distance away from the sheep. It began to enjoy the fresh and delicious grass that it found there. It had come a long way from its group, but was unaware of that.
The lamb was also unaware of another fact: a wolf was closely following it!
When the lamb realized that it had lost its way and was far away from the flock, it decided to return and join them. However, the lamb was stunned to see a hungry and cunning wolf standing behind it.
The lamb realized that there was no option except to surrender itself to the wolf.
The lamb asked the wolf, "Are you going to eat me?"
The wolf said, "Yes, at any cost!"
The lamb said again, "But can you please wait for some more time? I have eaten a lot of grass now and my stomach is filled with grass. If you eat me now, you will feel as though you are eating grass! So please wait until the grass is digested."
The wolf agreed, "Oh yes, I will wait. You are here before me and I can wait for some more time!"
The lamb thanked the wolf.
After some time, the wolf got ready to kill lamb, but the lamb stopped him again.
"Dear wolf, please wait for some more time. The grass is yet to be digested. If you eat me now, you will see a lot of grass in my stomach! Let me dance and then it will be digested easily."
The wolf agreed.
The little lamb danced crazily for a while, and then suddenly stopped.
The wolf enquired what had happened.
The lamb said, "I cannot dance properly because there is no music. You see this bell around my neck? Can you untie this bell and ring it loudly? Then I can dance fast and the grass in my stomach also will get digested fast."
The wolf, overcome with the desire to eat the lamb, was ready to do anything. He removed the bell tied to the lamb's neck and rang it with all his might.
Meanwhile, the shepherd was searching for the little lamb and heard the bell ringing. He saw the wolf and the lamb. He ran towards the wolf with a stick. Seeing the shepherd with a stick, the wolf ran away, and the lamb was saved!
Physical strength is not sufficient. Sometimes, weaker people with smart minds can overcome the physically strong ones!
A Glass of Milk:
Once, there was a poor boy who made a living by selling various objects from door to door. This was the way he earned money to pay for his school.
One day, as he was walking from house to house as usual, he felt very hungry and weak. He felt that he couldn't walk even a few steps. He decided to ask for food at a house. He knocked on the door and was stunned to see a beautiful young girl open the door. With much hesitation, he asked the girl for a glass of water.
The young girl understood his condition and offered him a huge glass of milk. With an astonished look, the boy drank the milk very slowly.
"How much do I owe you for this milk?" he asked her.
The girl replied, "I do not want any money for this."
The boy thanked the girl from the bottom of his heart and left the place.
Years passed by. The young girl grew up. In her youth, unfortunately, she fell ill and was diagnosed with the rarest kind of nervous disorder. Many experienced doctors were baffled at her condition, and she was admitted in the city hospital with the most advanced facilities.
Dr. Kevin, a renowned neuro specialist was called in by the hospital to examine her. Even with his extraordinary expertise, Dr. Kevin found the girl's illness very hard to cure. However, with perseverance and hard work that lasted months, he was finally able to get the disease under control. With careful medication and monitoring, the girl was completely cured in the end.
Everyone praised the doctor, but the girl was quite worried about how much the hospital bill would come to. Her family had just a little money kept away in the bank, which was by no means enough to pay for such a long treatment in that reputed hospital.
The girl was given the hospital bill finally. With trembling hands, she opened it. She was stunned to see that the bill had been crossed out and cancelled, and there was a note underneath signed by Dr. Kevin.
"Bill paid years ago with a glass of milk!"
Moral: One good turn begets another.
The Strange Bird with Two Heads:
Once upon a time, there lived a strange bird with two heads; one facing the left and the other facing the right. The two heads used to fight and argue with each other, even for very simple reasons. Though they shared the same body, the two heads behaved like rivals!
The strange bird lived in a big banyan tree, along the bank of a river.
One day, while flying over the river, the left head of the bird saw a beautiful tree that had a bright red fruit. The left head of the bird wanted to eat the fruit and the bird flew down to pick the fruit from the tree.
The bird plucked the sweet smelling fruit, and sat by the banks of the river and started eating it. The fruit was eaten by the left head. While it was eating, the right head asked, "Can you give me a piece to taste?"
The left head said, "See, we have only one stomach. So even if I eat in my mouth, it will go only into our stomach."
"But I want to taste the fruit, so you should give me."
The left head replied in anger, "I saw the fruit and hence, I have the right to eat it without sharing with anyone."
The right head felt sad and became silent.
A few days later, while the bird was flying over the river again, the right head saw a beautiful pink fruit in a tree. The bird flew down near the tree and tried to pick the fruit and eat it.
The other birds living in the tree said, "Don't eat it. It is a poisonous fruit. It will kill you."
The left head shouted, "Don't eat it. Don't eat it."
However the right head did not listen to the left head. The right head said, "I will eat it, because I saw it. You have no right to stop me."
The left head shouted, "Please don't eat it. We will all die."
The right head said, "Since I saw it, I have the right to eat it." Clearly, the right head was trying to take revenge on the left head for not sharing the red fruit with it earlier.
Finally, the pink fruit was eaten by the right head, and in a few minutes, the strange bird with the two heads dropped down dead!
Moral: A quarrel by the individuals in a family will affect the whole family badly.
A Unique Experience:
It was a cold and windy night. My friend and I had met after a long time, and were chatting for hours. We did not notice the time passing by, and soon it was close to ten in the night. We decided to take an auto rickshaw to go to our house.
It started raining, and we hurried to get into an auto rickshaw and reach our place. None of the auto rickshaws stopped for us, except one.
The driver asked us where we wanted to go and we told the place. Without saying anything about the fare, he said, "Please get in!" We thanked him and got in.
Since it was very cold, I asked the driver to stop at any small restaurant or a tea shop. We wanted to have a cup of hot tea. The driver stopped near a small restaurant.
We ordered tea, and asked the driver to join us and have a cup of tea. The driver refused. I insisted, but he refused again politely.
My friend asked, "Will you not take tea from this shop or what?"
The driver replied, "No Sir, I don't feel like having tea now."
I asked again, "But, why? A cup of tea will do no harm."
Smiling, the driver replied, "Thank you sir, but I'm sorry."
My friend asked, "Are you against eating or drinking outside?"
The driver said, "No!"
I was really surprised at his behavior and asked my friend not to compel him.
In 15 minutes, we reached our house. We paid the fare and the driver thanked us.
On an impulse, I stopped him, as I really wanted to ask him why he refused to drink tea with us at the restaurant.
He thought for a moment and replied, "Sir, my son passed away this noon in an accident. I don't have enough money for his funeral. So I took a vow not to drink even water, until I earn enough money for my son's funeral. That's why I didn't drink tea when you offered. Please don't misunderstand."
We both were shattered and offered him more money for his son's funeral.
He politely refused, "Thank you for your generosity sir. In one or two hours, if I get one or two more customers, I will earn the money I need." And he left the place.
We were amazed at his strength of character and integrity.
Powerful Prayers:
Kim and Ray were very close companions. They were neighbours, classmates at school, and later, colleagues at work.
One day, they decided to go on a sea voyage to explore strange lands. They began their voyage in a cruise ship, and travelled far and wide. However, in the course of their trip, the weather turned very destructive. The ship was wrecked in the middle of the ocean. Most of the passengers were killed, but Kim and Ray could swim to a nearby island.
The island was deserted; not even a tree was there. Kim and Ray realized that they could not survive on the island without divine intervention. They decided to pray to God. They wanted to see whose prayer would be more powerful. Kim moved to the eastern tip of the island, knelt down and began to pray there. Ray went to the western tip of the island and prayed there.
Kim prayed to God to give him food to survive. Surprisingly, he got a pile of food, fruits and vegetables on the sea shore.
After two days, he requested for a beautiful girl as his wife, as he was feeling very lonely on the island. In a few hours, there was a ship wreck near the island and a lone survivor; a beautiful girl. Kim married the girl.
Whatever Kim prayed for, was granted to him.
Almost a month after the ship wreck, Kim decided to move back to his hometown. He prayed to God to send him a ship to take him home. Sure enough, there came a ship to take Kim and his wife home.
As the couple was about to enter the ship, Kim heard someone speak to him. It was just a voice. "Are you going alone, leaving your companion of life here?"
Kim was surprised, "May I know who is this and whom you are referring to? I have my wife with me!"
The voice said, "I'm the one to whom you offered your prayers, whom you requested to save your life, and whom you requested food and shelter and of course, a wife!"
Kim knelt down in awe and said, "Thank you God!"
Then Kim remembered about Ray, whom he had forgotten all this time. He was overcome with guilt.
God said to him, "I was not answering your prayers. I was only fulfilling Ray's prayers. He prayed for only one thing! He said 'Please fulfill all of Kim's prayers'. That was his only prayer."
Kim was in tears and rushed to the other side of the island. He realized that he had not even thought about his best friend Ray, and was happily enjoying his own life.
He could not find Ray there. He asked God, "Where is Ray?"
God replied, "I took him with me. The man with the golden heart should be with me! But I will fulfill all your prayers as I promised him to do so!"
Kim was completely broken. He realized why his friend's prayers were more powerful. It was because Ray's prayers were totally selfless.
Moral: Selflessness is the highest form of prayer.
When Adversity Knocks:
Mary was a young girl. She used to get annoyed with everything. She had a negative attitude towards life.
Once, when she felt that life was unbearable, she asked her father what to do. She told him that if she was able to manage and solve one problem, another one followed quickly.
Her father consoled her and took her to the kitchen. He asked Mary to take a potato, an egg and two spoons of tea leaves. Mary was surprised, and asked her father, "Do you want me to cook?"
"No," her father said.
He then took three vessels and poured one cup of water in each vessel. The vessels were placed on the stove. Once the water started to boil, he dropped the potato in a vessel, egg in the second one and the tea leaves in the third one.
"Why are you doing all these things?" Mary asked, really annoyed with her father.
"Just wait fifteen minutes," said her father.
The impatient daughter managed to wait for around 15 minutes.
Father removed the potato from the pot and placed in a plate. He did the same with the eggs. He filtered the tea decoction using a cup.
Now, he placed the two plates, one with the potato and the other with the egg, and the cup of tea in front of Mary.
He asked Mary, "What do you see?"
"Potato, egg and a cup of tea," said Mary.
"No, you are wrong," said her father. "Look at it closely and answer me."
Mary replied the same.
"Now touch it and answer me."
The potato was cooked and was soft, the egg was boiled hard, and the tea carried a nice aroma.
Mary couldn't find the correct answer.
Her father said, "The potato was so hard and strong before it was boiled; now it has turned soft and smooth. Also, the egg was delicate but after boiling it became hard. Sip the tea. It is delicious!"
Mary asked, "What does it mean father? I don't understand!"
"Each object responded differently to water. Each object was put under the same kind of circumstances, faced similar adversities, but reacted differently. The potato, when put in boiling water, became very weak. The soft egg became very hard when we put it in boiling water. And the tea leaves are unique. It changed the water itself, giving it a unique flavour and aroma! It gave something new."
Mary understood that we can create something new and unique even when we experience adversities.
So, what are you? A potato, an egg, or a tea leaf?
Real Vs Fake:
Minnu was a sweet, lovable and beautiful girl, aged six years. She was an adorable kid as she always obeyed her elders. Minnu's parents loved her for her amazing behaviour.
One day, Minnu's mother took her for grocery shopping. As they passed the shops, Minnu noted a cute plastic pearl necklace in dazzling pink! She asked her mother to buy her the necklace. Her mother told her that it cost quite a few pennies. She asked her to do some chores, so that for every completed piece of work Minnu would get some money and she could buy the pink necklace.
Minnu prepared a to-do list and assisted her mom with all the chores. Her mom was very happy, and she paid enough money to buy the pink necklace.
Minnu happily purchased the necklace and wore it just everywhere, every time, except while taking bath. Her mother said that her neck would turn pink and the pearls would lose their sheen if she wore it while bathing. But all other times, Minnu wore it, even while sleeping.
Minnu's father used to tell her bed time stories frequently. One night, after completing a story, her dad asked how much she loved him. Minnu replied, "You know how much I love you."
Dad asked, "Then give me your pearl necklace please!"
Minnu replied, "Please daddy, I love you so much but please don't ask for these pearls. I will give you the pink Barbie which you bought me a month ago."
Dad replied, "Fine, sweetheart."
After a few days, the conversation was repeated between Minnu and her dad. Again, Minnu refused to give her pearl necklace and instead asked her dad to take her pet. Dad kissed her and left with smile.
This was repeated several times.
pink-pearl-necklaceOne day, Minnu slept while her dad was reading her a story. She was holding the necklace in her hands. Her dad took the pearl necklace from her hand. The next moment, she woke up and asked, "Dad, what are you doing?"
Dad quickly opened a jewel box placed near her bed and handed her a real precious pink pearl necklace. He said, "Sweetheart, this is your real necklace. I wanted to take away the fake one all this while to give you this real one."
She replied, 'Thank you dad!'
Minnu immediately gave up her fake necklace for the real one.
God wants us to give up all the fake and cheap things we consider very precious in our life. It can be habits, hatreds, harming relationships, activities, negative thoughts, etc. He will provide us with genuine things if we give up the fake!
Don't desire to walk when you have wings to fly:
Once upon a time, there lived a generous and kind-hearted king. He was fond of birds and animals, and had a huge bird sanctuary in his kingdom. He disliked harming the animals and birds. He did not kill them even for meat.
In appreciation of his generosity and kindness towards birds, the king was gifted two beautiful falcons by a businessman. Those two falcons were used to different climatic conditions. The king thanked the businessman and ordered the Head bird trainer to provide all the facilities to those beautiful falcons and make them feel comfortable in their country. The Head trainer took care of the birds. Gradually, the birds got adapted to the country's climate.
One day, the king wanted to see the falcons fly as he had heard that one of those falcons could fly to great heights at very high speed. The bird trainer let the falcon out of the enclosure. It flew very high, very quickly, and came down to the enclosure within minutes.
The king was quite surprised, and rewarded the bird trainer with a handful of gold coins. He enquired about the other falcon. The bird trainer stated with regret that the other falcon had not moved even a step from day one and had just sat on the branch. The trainer also added that he had tried everything he could but still failed to make the bird move.
The king consoled him and told him that he would bring someone more experienced than him to try to train the other falcon.
Soon, the king announced that he needed someone to make the falcon move and fly.
Hearing this announcement, an old man reached the King's palace and assured him that he would make the bird fly like the other one.
The king asked the head trainer to take the old man to the sanctuary to train the falcon. He said that he would visit them the next day to see if there was any change.
The next day, the king was very surprised to see the other falcon fly like the first one to great heights in rapid speed. The king was very happy and gifted the old man a handful of gold coins.
Then the king asked the old man what he had done to make the bird fly in a day. The old man simply replied, "I just cut down the branch of the tree where the falcon used to sit."
Many of us are like this. We have wings to fly; we know how to fly, and where to fly. Still we sit doing nothing or doing something that makes us inferior to others.
Don't sit still when you have wings to fly!
The Hidden Treasure:
Once, there was an old man who had four sons. All four of them were very lazy.
One day, the old man fell sick and was counting his last days in bed. He worried a lot about his sons' future as the young men hesitated a lot to work. The sons believed that luck would favour them.
The old man's health deteriorated every day and he decided to talk to his sons about their future. However, his sons did not listen to him.
Finally, the old man decided to play a trick to let his sons realize the importance of work. He called all his sons and let them sit near him on his bed. He said that he had a treasure box with gold coins and expensive gems for them and wanted to share the treasure equally among the four of them.
The young men were very happy and asked where his father had placed the treasure. The old man replied, "I cannot exactly remember the place where I have hidden the treasure. However, the treasure box is buried in our land. I'm really not sure about the place where I have hidden the treasure box."
Even though the lazy young sons were happy, they were sad that the old man had forgotten the place where the treasure was hidden. After a few days, the old man died. The sons decided to dig the land to find the treasure box.
They worked very hard and dug their land. They could not find any treasure box in the land. Finally, they decided to dig a spot in their land that was a bit different from the rest of the area. The sons believed that the treasure was buried in that spot. They dug the specific spot deeply, but got nothing but water.
A passerby who noticed the land and the water flowing from the spot talked to the sons about farming. Upon his advice, the four sons sowed vegetable seeds, and planted greens and flowering plants in their land. Since the land was very fertile with abundant water, within a few weeks, it became a fertile garden with nutritious vegetables and greens. The four sons sold the vegetables at a good price and earned a good amount of money.
Then they realized that it was hard work that was referred to as 'Treasure Box' by their father. Gradually, the four sons overcame their laziness, worked hard, earned more money and lived happily.
Hard Work Always Pays.
Health is Wealth:
Once upon a time, there lived a generous and kind-hearted king. But the people weren't happy with their king because the king was very lazy and would not do anything other than eating and sleeping.
He spent days and weeks and months in his bed either eating something or sleeping. The king became a potato couch and the people started to worry about the king.
One day, the king realized that he couldn't even move his body, not even his foot. He became very fat and his enemies made fun of him, calling him 'fatty king', 'bulky king' etc.
The king invited expert doctors from various parts of his country and offered them generous rewards to make him fit. Unfortunately, none could help the king gain his health and fitness. The king spent enormous amounts of money but everything went in vain.
One fine morning, a holy man visited the country. He heard about the ill-health of the king, and informed the minister at the palace that he could easily cure the king. Hearing these promising words, the minister became very happy. He requested the king to meet the holy man to get rid of his problem.
The holy man resided at a distant place. Since the king could not move his body, he asked the minister to bring the holy man to the palace, but the holy man refused. He said that the king had to go to him, in order to get cured.
After strenuous efforts, the king met the holy man at the latter's residence. The holy man complimented the king saying that he was a good ruler, and said that he would soon regain his health. He asked the king to come for treatment the next day. He told the king also that the king would be treated only if he came on foot to the holy man's residence.
The King was unable to walk even a few steps on the road, but aided by his followers, he reached the holy man's place. Unfortunately, the holy man was not available there and his devotee requested the king to come and meet him the next day for treatment.
This was repeated for two weeks and the king never met the holy man, and never had any treatment.
Gradually, the king realized that he felt a lot lighter, lost a considerable amount of weight and felt more active than before. He realized the reason why the holy man asked him to reach his place by walking.
Very soon, the king regained his health, and the people were very happy in his kingdom.
Health is Wealth!
17 Camels and 3 Sons:
Long ago, there lived an old man with his three sons in a deserted village, located in the vicinity of a desert. He had 17 camels, and they were the main source of his income. He used to rent out camels as a means of shipping in the desert. One day, he passed away. He had left a will, leaving his assets for his three sons.
After the funeral and the other obligations were over, the three sons read the will. While their father had divided all the property he had into three equal parts, he had divided the 17 camels in a different way. They were not shared equally among the three as 17 is an odd number and a prime number, which cannot be divided.
The old man had stated that the eldest son will own half of the 17 camels, the middle one will get one third of the 17 camels, and the youngest one will get his share of camels as one ninth!
All of them were stunned to read the will and questioned each other how to divide the 17 camels as mentioned in the will. It is not possible to divide 17 camels and give half of the 17 camels to the eldest one. It is not possible also to divide the camels for the other two sons.
They spent several days thinking of ways to divide the camels as mentioned in the will, but none could find the answer.
They finally took the issue to the wise man in their village. The wise man heard the problem and instantly found a solution. He asked them to bring all the 17 camels to him.
The sons brought the camels to the wise man's place. The wise man added a camel owned by him and made the total number of camels 18.
Now, he asked the first son to read the will. As per the will, the eldest son got half the camels, which now counted to 18 / 2 = 9 camels! The eldest one got 9 camels as his share.
The remaining camels were 9.
The wise man asked the second son to read the will. He was assigned 1 / 3 of the total camels.
It came to 18 / 3 = 6 camels. The second son got 6 camels as his share.
Total number of camels shared by the elder sons - 9 + 6 = 15 camels.
The third son read out his share of camels: 1 / 9th of the total number of camels - 18 / 9 = 2 camels.
The youngest one got 2 camels as his share.
Totally there were 9 + 6 + 2 camels shared by the brothers, which counted to 17 camels.
Now, the one camel added by the wise man was taken back.
The wise man solved this problem smartly with his intelligence.
Intelligence is nothing but finding a common ground to solve an issue. In short, every problem has a solution.
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Don't let your circumstances change you
There once was a blind woman who hated herself purely because she couldn't she. The only person she loved was her boyfriend. As he was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, then she would marry him.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her - now she could see everything, including her boyfriend. Her loving boyfriend asked her, now that you can see the world. Will you marry me?
The woman was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too. And refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and wrote a short note her saying
"Just take care of my eyes Dear "
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Lesson For Everyone
A son took his father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. Father being very old and weak. While eating, dripped food on his shirt and trousers. Others diners watched him in disgust while his son was calm.
After he finished eating his son who was not at all embarrassed, quitely took him to the washroom, wiped the food particles, removed the stains , combed his hair and fitted his spectacles firmly. When they come out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grap how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that.
The son settled the bill and started walking out with his father.
At that time, an old man amongst the diners called out to the son and asked him
"Don't you think you have left something behind "?
The son replied "No sir, I haven't " The old man retorted "Yes you have left a lesson for every son and hope for every father "
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The donkey's brain
In the forest lived a lion. He had a Jackal as his partner.
They both always went together for hunting. The lion used to kill the animals and the jackal got his share for helping the lion then and there.
One day the lion fell sick. He couldn't go out. But he was very hungry. He called the jackal and said "Dear friend, I am hungry but , I am too sick to hunt. You have to help me to get some food".
The jackal went off in search of prey. He found a donkey at last. He said to the donkey. "Hello, Donkey sir, The king of the forest wants to make you his minister.
The foolish donkey was too happy to think of the plot. He followed the jackal. The lion killed the donkey. But before eating, he felt so thirsty. He said to the jackal " Take care of the donkey. I will return in no time.
As soon as the lion left, The jackal starting eating the brain of the donkey. When the lion returned he found the donkey 'a brain missing.
He asked the jackal " Where is the donkey 'a brain "?
The jackal answered timidly "if he had brain would he have come here "?
Moral of the story # A small thought saves a lot#
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