Thought 01DEC2009

THE SCAR
A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school’s first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy’s dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar. At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking.

"How did you get the scar on your face?" the teacher asked. The mother replied, "When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She touched the burned side of her face. "This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did." At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.
By Lih Yuh Kuo - from A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty & Meladee McCarty
Cuando menos piensa el galgo, salta la liebre / Things often happen when you least expect them to - Spanish Proverb

Thought 30NOV2009

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ADOPTED
Teacher Debbie Moon's first-graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had different colour hair than the other family members.

One child suggested that he was adopted and a little girl named Jocelyn Jay said, "I know all about adoptions because I'm adopted."

"What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child.

"It means," said Jocelyn, "that you grew in your mother's heart instead of her tummy."
George Dolan - Extracted from 'A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul', Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Health Communications Inc., 1996
El saber no ocupa lugar / One can never know too much - Spanish Proverb

Thought 26NOV2009

ON FAILURE
I'd rather be a failure at something I'm in love with than a success at something I hate. Fortunately, I'm doing well in a business I love. I've always been in love with show business, and I still am. I love it today as much as I did for the 20 years I flopped in it.
George Burns (1896-1996), Entertainer - Cited in BITS & PIECES
Better a calf of one's own than a jointly owned cow - Kurdish Proverb

Thought 25NOV2009

DEVELOP YOUR COMPASSION
Nothing helps us build our perspective more than developing compassion for others. Compassion is a sympathetic feeling. It involves the willingness to put yourself in someone else's shoes, to take focus off yourself and to imagine what it's like to be in someone else's predicament and simultaneously, to feel love for that person. It's the recognition that other people's problems, their pain and frustrations , are every bit as real as our own - often far worse. In recognizing this fact and trying to offer some assistance, we open our own hearts and greatly enhance our sense of gratitude.

Compassion is something you can develop with practice. It involves two things: intention and action. Intention simply means you remember to open your heart to others; you expand what and who matters, from yourself to other people. Action is simply the "what you do about it." You might donate a little money or time (or both) on a regular basis to a cause near to your heart. Or perhaps you'll offer a beautiful smile and genuine "hello" to the people you meet on the street. It's not so important what you do, just that you do something. As Mother Teresa reminds us, "We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love."

Compassion develops your sense of gratitude by taking your attention off all the little things that most of us have learned to take too seriously. When you take time, often, to reflect on the miracle of life - the miracle that you are even able to read this - the gift of sight, of love and all the rest, it can help to remind you that many of the things that you think of as "big stuff" are really just "small stuff" that you are turning into big stuff.
Richard Carlson, PhD - Extracted from his book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ... and it's all small stuff", Hyperion, 1997
Nunca dejes camino por vereda / camino viejo por camino nuevo / We would be better off to have than to have coming - Spanish Proverb

Thought 24NOV2009

SPECIAL ORDERS
Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his life-long friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "No Man's Land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back. "You can go." said the Lieutenant, "but I don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away." The Lieutenant's words didn't matter and the soldier went anyway.

Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company's trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend. "I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded." "It was worth it though, sir," the soldier said. "How do you mean, 'worth it'?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead!"

"Yes sir," the private answered. "But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, 'Jim, I knew you'd come."
From This Little Light of Mine - extracted from 'A cup of chicken soup for the soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk, Health Communications, Inc., 1996
Haz el bien sin mirar a quien / y no acates / mires a quien / Do what is right, come what may - Spanish Proverb

Thought 23NOV2009

I LIKE MYSELF NOW
I had a great feeling of relief when I began to understand that a youngster needs more than just subject matter. I know mathematics well and I teach it well. I used to think that was all I need to do. Now I teach children, not math. I accept that fact that I can only succeed partially with some of them. When I don't have to know all the answers, I seemed to have more answers than when I tried to be the expert. The youngsters who really made me understand this was Eddie. I asked him one day why he thought he was doing so much better than last year. He gave meaning to my whole new orientation. "It's because I like myself now when I'm with you," he said.
A teacher; quoted by Everett Shostrom in Man, The Manipulator - extracted from "Chicken Soup for the Soul', Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, Health Communications, Inc., 1993.
Murmurador a la oreja, antes place que molesta / Where there's whispering, there's lying - Spanish Proverb

Thought 20NOV2009

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
My friend Mark Tucker produces and delivers multi-media slide presentations to audience across the country. One night, following one of shows on the East Coast, a woman came up to him and said, "You know, you really should be using my son's music in your show." So Mark started to give her the usual rap. First, her son should make a demo tape. It didn't have to be professional, he explained. In fact, her son could just go into his bedroom and play some simple chords on his guitar - just enough to give Mark an idea of the type of music he played. After he had explained the whole process, the woman gave him a funny look and said, "Well, my son is Billy Joel."

As soon as he had recovered from the shock, Mark quickly assured her that her son would not need to send a demo tape! He then listened as this woman urged him to consider using one particular song her son had written. She felt it contained a positive message about self-worth that would fit Mark's work beautifully. And she went on to describe how the seeds of that song had been planted in early childhood. As a young boy, she explained, Billy Joel often wanted to be someone else, someone different from who he was. It seems he was teased a lot because he was shorter than the rest of the kids. It was common for him to come home from school or play and complain that he wasn't good enough. And he truly believed that if he could be just a little taller, then he'd be okay.

His mother, of course, never believed for a minute that her son was anything less than perfect. So every time he expressed something negative about himself, she said to him, "Don't worry - it doesn't matter. You don't have to be like anyone else because you're already perfect. We're all unique, we're all different. And you, too, have something wonderful to share with the world. I love you just the way you are." Remember that old expression about words coming back to haunt you? In this case the words of a mother who unconditionally loved her son came back many years later in the form of a song. You see, Billy Joel grew up, he learned who he was and he found his dream of creating music for the world. And millions of people got to hear with their hearts, as his mother did, the words of his Grammy Award-winning song : Don't go changin'... to try and please me ... I love you just the way you are
Jennifer Read Hawtrhorne - extracted from 'Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne & Marci Shimoff, Health Communications, Inc., 1996
Quien hace la ley hace la trampa / Every law has its loophole - Spanish Proverb

Thought 19NOV2009

SECRETS OF BEING VERY HAPPY (3 of 3)
(14) The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
(15) Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried. For only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.
(16) The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
(17) When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling - live your life so that when you die, you're smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Source Unknown - Got this from Puan Norazlina Amran of AFFIN Bank, many many many moons ago
No hay dos sin tres / Misfortunes always come in threes - Spanish Proverb

Thought 18NOV2009

SECRETS OF BEING VERY HAPPY (2 of 3)
(7) It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone - but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.
(8) Don't go for looks; it can deceive; don't go for wealth - even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile coz' only a smile makes a dark day seem bright. Hope you find that person.
(9) Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be cuz you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want in life.
(10) May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.
(11) Always put yourself in other's shoes. if you feel that it hurts you, it probably does hurt the person, too.
(12) A careless word may kindle strife; a cruel word may wreck a life; a timely word may level stress; a loving word may heal and bless.
(13) The beginning of friendship is to let those we consider friend be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them with our own image - otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
Source Unknown - Got this from Puan Norazlina Amran of AFFIN Bank, many many many moons ago
Consejo no pedido, consejo mal oido / Never give advice unasked - Spanish Proverb

Thought 17NOV2009

SECRETS OF BEING VERY HAPPY (1 of 3)
(1) Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we should know how to be grateful for that gift.
(2) A sad thing about life is that when you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and you just have to let go.
(3) When one door of happiness closes, another opens but often we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
(4) The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch, swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had.
(5) Its' true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
(6) Never say goodbye when you still want to try - never give up when you still feel you can take it.
Source Unknown - Got this from Puan Norazlina Amran of AFFIN Bank, many many many moons ago
El mayor aborrecimiento, en el amor tiene su cimiento / The greatest hate springs from the greatest love - Spanish Proverb

Thought 16NOV2009

EXCELLENCE
Some people may have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them. They achieve it. They do not achieve it unwittingly, by doing what comes naturally and they don't stumble into it in the course of amusing themselves. All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.
John Gardner - Extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994.
La verdad a medias es mentira verdadera / Half the truth is often a whole lie - Spanish Proverb

Thought 12NOV2009

CHOOSING CHOICES CAREFULLY
We are who we are today because of the choices we made yesterday. Likewise, tomorrow will become the result of today's choices. Mary Crowley, successful businessperson and author, says this about choices. "We are free up to the point of choice, then the choice controls the chooser."

I am told the Canadian Northlands experience only two seasons, winter and July. As the back roads begin to thaw, they become muddy and vehicles travelling through the backcountry leave deep ruts. The ground freezes hard during the winter months and the highway ruts become part of the travelling challenges. For vehicles entering this underdeveloped area during the winter, there is a sign which reads, "Driver, please choose carefully which rut you drive in, because you'll be in it for the next 20 miles."

Choose carefully the path your life takes. Once you choose, your choices will control you.
Extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
La perdiz por el pico se pierde / If you talk too much you're likely to give yourself away - Spanish Proverb

Thought 11NOV2009

BEND, DON'T BREAK
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream, and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.

When I think about the bamboo tree's ability to bounce back or return to it's original position, the word resilience comes to mind. When used in reference to a person this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person's emotions. Have you ever felt like you are about to snap? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.

During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms. Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend but don't break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.

A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant ordeal. With hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant ordeal may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having. If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don't break!
Found at: Weekly Thought. Got this from Wendy A Rodrigues of AFFIN Bank (many many many moons ago)
Hay ropa tendida / Walls have ears - Spanish Proverb

Thought 10NOV2009

ON EXCELLENCE
Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
Mario Andretti - Extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
El remedio puede ser peor que la enfermedad / Sometimes the remedy is worse than the disease - Spanish Proverb

Thought 09NOV2009

ON COURAGE
Courage... is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.
Dorothy Thompson (1894 – 1961), Journalist - Cited in BITS & PIECES
Los trabajos vienen al trote y se van al paso / Mischief comes by the pound and goes away by the ounce - Spanish Proverb

Thought 06NOV2009

WINNING
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while ... you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.

Unfortunately, so is losing. Make the most of what we have. Make winning, not losing, a habit.
Vince Lombardi
De cuerdo y loco todos tenemos un poco / We're all a little crazy in one way or another - Spanish Proverb

Thought 05NOV2009

SUCCESS !
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mayor dicha es dar que recibi / It's more blessed to give than to receive - Spanish Proverb

Thought 04NOV2009

SHARE IT
We really do not own anything until we begin to share it with others, and even then we are only partners in its ownership. We all own the daylight, the beauty of the earth, all the sunsets, every flower that our eyes see and admire and every song our feathered friends give forth. Where appreciation is, there is ownership. No one can long be happy with any possession that he cannot share it with others - it would soon grow dusty and useless.

It has often been said that the only things that we keep are the things that we give away. We may give away the thing, but keep the love - and love is something that spreads out, with never an end to it.
George Matthew Adams - Extracted from 'Bits & Pieces', The Economic Press, Inc., Fairfield New Jersey. From the Library of Puan Hajah Zaihani Abdul Hamid
Excusa no pedida, la culpa manifiesta / He who excuses himself accuses himself - Spanish Proverb

Thought 03NOV2009

BEING HAPPY
Being happy can be hard work sometimes. It is like maintaining a nice home - you’ve got to hang on to your treasures and throw out the garbage. Being happy requires looking for the good things. One person sees the beautiful view and the other sees the dirty window. Choose what you see and what you think.
Extracted from 'Being Happy' by Andrew Matthews
Mas puede la pluma que la espada / The pen is mightier than the sword - Spanish Proverb

Thought 02NOV2009

ADVANTAGES AND PERKS OF LIVING AFTER 50 (2 of 2)
(11) You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
(12) You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.
(13) You sing along with elevator music.
(14) Your eyes won't get much worse.
(15) Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
(16) Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
(17) Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
(18) Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
(19) You can't remember who sent you this list.
(20) And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.
Source Unknown - Got this from Mohd Zaini Yusof (my KRTU Golf Kaki)
Empty words will not fill an empty stomach - Kurdish Proverb