THIS IS HOW WE MISS OUT SOMETHING CALLED "LIFE"

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter. The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the
bottle fascinated by its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child
collapsed the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.




QUESTIONS :
1. What were the five words ?
2. What is the implication of this story?










ANSWER :
The husband just said "I am with you Darling"

The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point
in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened.. No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. "A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step". Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are
actually not as difficult as you think.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
This story is really worth reading. ..... Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship,
in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out something called L.I.F.E

GN: Practice humility and charity

No two people have exactly the same perspective. Oftentimes, we are angered when others fail to appreciate our stand on a particular issue. When we are in a heated discussion, we encounter an opportunity to practice humility and charity. It is patient understanding, not anger, that settles disputes.

GN: All of us are called to be preachers of God's Words

All of us are called to be preachers of God's Words. We do not need to deliver lengthy homilies or sermons. It is through our everyday lives that we proclaim the Good News. Through our acts of forgiveness, encouraging words, and helpful gestures, we make Christ more real for those who are seeking Him.

GN: Work for noble goals

The Lord's love inspires us to work for noble goals. We should always remember, however, that we cannot accomplish our mission by ourselves. The challenges we have to hurdle require cooperative effort. We need to search for and nurture kindred spirit with whom we can build God's Kingdom on earth.

GN: Share ourselves with others.

We invest a lot of resources on programs that address our weaknesses and enhance our strengths. Certainly, each of us wants to be the best that we can be. But all of our efforts are rendered useless if we fail to share ourselves with others. We need other people to help draw out what is best in us.

GN: Balance work and play

The work that we do helps us to fully realize our potential as human beings. We are called to engage in honorable labor that contributes to the common good. However, we are also much more than our jobs. Life extends beyond the confines of our workplace. Do we balance work and play in our lives?

GN: Be Inspired by our Goal

The person who has discovered a WHY to live for can live with any HOW. Indeed, even the most difficult moments are easier to bear if our hearts and souls are inspired by goal that we are trying to reach. Our Lord nourishes & creates in us the proper disposition we need to face our challenges.

GN: Its the Quality not the Quantity that counts.

Some say that what counts is the quality and not the quantity of time that we spend with others. However, our mere presence can already make a big difference. Simply by being with them, we're able to richly express our faithfulness to our loved ones. Let us strive to be more present to those we love.

GN: God invited us to be instrument of mercy

Each of us has a set of limitations that we try to conquer. We know how difficult it can be to pick up the pieces especially after experiencing a bad fall. God invited us to be instrument of mercy. We're called to be patient with others as they attempt to transform limitations into new possibilities.

GN: Let us devote time for meaningful prayer in our everyday routine

Routine can prevent us from enjoying the numerous manifestations of God's presence in our lives. Oftentimes, we take the time to stop and reflect only when unexpected events break our habits. We can encounter God more frequently. Let us devote time for meaningful prayer in our everyday routine.

GN: Take care of the most unfortunate among our neighbors

When we're in love, we certainly want to do what is most pleasing for our beloved. We try our best to discover and to give our loved ones' desires. The least, lost and last are closest to God's heart. Thus, we can best express our love to God by taking care of the most unfortunate among our neighbors.

GN: With the Lord's help, we can make history

Each of us is a particularly product of our history. We are what we are today because of yesterday's joys and sorrows. God's grace, however, allows us to transcend our pasts. Our lives can go beyond the deep wound and hurts that we have experienced. With the Lord's help, we can make history.

GN: Behind a great achievement lies a significant experience of failure

Usually, behind a great achievement lies a significant experience of failure. Experiencing the worst enables us to hope and to reach for something better. Such moments can make us more aware of God's activity in our lives.

Recall the difficulties you had lately. Can you see the Lord in those trials?

GN: A good way to determine whether an experience comes from God

A good way to determine whether an experience comes from God is to examine its effect in our lives. Whenever the Lord touches us, we feel a great urge to aspire for what is more virtuous.

Do we become more faithful, more hopeful, more loving?

Are our heart engulf by a desire to do more for God?

The Woman

When God created woman he was working late on the 6th day.

An angel came by and said "Why spend so much time on that one?"

And the Lord said: "Have you seen all the specifications I have to shape her?"

"She must be washable, but not made of plastic, have more than 200 moving parts which all must be replaceable and she must function all kinds of foods, she must be able to embrace several kids at the same time, give a hug that can heal anything, from a bruised knee to a broken heart and she must do all this with only two hands".

The angel was impressed. "Just two hands....impossible".

"And this is the standard model?"

"Too much work for one day....wait until tomorrow and then complete her".

"I will not", said the Lord. "I am so close to complete this creation, which will be the favorite of my heart".

"She cures herself when she is sick and she can work 18 hours a day".

The Angel came nearer and touched the woman.

"But you have made her so soft, Lord"

"She is soft", said the Lord, "but I have made her strong. You can’t imagine what she can endure and overcome."

"Can she think?" the angel asked.

The Lord answered; "Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate."

The angel touched the woman's cheek....

"Lord, it seems this creation is leaking! You have put too many burdens on her."

"She is not leaking... it’s a tear" the Lord corrected the angel.

"What’s it for?" the angel asked

And the Lord said; "Tears are her way of expressing grief, her doubts, her love, her loneliness, her suffering, and her pride."

This made a big impression on the angel; "Lord, you are a genius. You thought of everything. The woman is indeed marvelous!"

Indeed she is! Woman has strengths that amazes man. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when feeling like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying. Cry’s when she is happy and laughs when she is afraid.

She fights for what she believes in. Stands up against injustice. She doesn’t take "no" for an answer, when she can see a better solution. She gives herself so her family can thrive. She takes her friend to the doctor if she is afraid.

Her love is unconditional.

She cries when her kids are victorious. She is happy when her friends do well. She is glad when she hears of a birth or a wedding.

Her heart is broken when a next of kin or friend dies. But she finds the strength to get on with it.

She knows that a kiss and a hug can heal a broken heart.

There is only one thing wrong with her.....


She forgets what she is worth.

GN: Reconcile with our enemies

When we cannot get along with someone, it's easier for us to simply live and let live. We would rather put distance between ourselves and our enemies. But God challenges us to go beyond peaceful coexistence. We are encourage to aim for true reconciliation.

Is there anyone whom I should talk to today?

GN: Choosing our life's goal

Wisdom consists in properly ordering one's priorities. Indeed, it is foolish for us to choose life goals that lead only to temporary happiness. Wouldn't it be better if we choose to focus our energies on nobler pursuits? The wisest choice we can make is to align our dreams with God's priorities.

GN: Do our best & God will do the rest.

If we decide to offer ourselves to God, then we should be willing to face the challenges of our mission. Serving the Lord can be very exhausting. However, we must remember that we are only instruments of Someone greater than ourselves.

In the end, the Lord completes and empowers our best efforts.

GN: Thank you Mama!

Through our mothers, we had our first taste of human love. Despite the many sacrifices involved, she carried us to term and gave us the chance to experience life. Don't we always seek the security of our mom's embrace during troubled times?

Today, offer a special prayer of thanks for our mothers.

GN: We are the Lord's worker

There is much work to be done in the Lord's vineyard. The many problems to be addressed may overwhelmed & discourage us. But let us not forget that we are the Lord's worker. We always need God's guidance & inspiration as we strive to make a difference in this world.

Lord, teach me to depend on You.

A cup of coffee

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,

'Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.

If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message!

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult. This is so true.

May we all be COFFEE.

GN: Where heaven is

We envision heaven as a faraway place where there is no pain, suffering, or disease. It may seem like an impossible ideal that is difficult to reach. But by becoming man, God has given us access to Heaven. Our Lord mercifully shows us the way. The Kingdom is present wherever the Lord is loved.

GN: Giving our best

We hold in our hands blessings that others will never enjoy. Indeed, opportunities that we take for granted may always be a luxury for those who are less fortunate. We are responsible for God's many gifts to us. It is a simple matter of justice that we give our very best in everything we do.

Where is God?

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?'

The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'

Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?'

The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university.'

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. 'Would you like a lock of his hair?' the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, ' Mom , I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom .' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.'

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.

The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said:

Dear Mom ,

I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You'. I will always love you, Mom , even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.

Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom ? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom ? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'where was He when I needed him?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom , no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all gone... I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from God & Me.

GN: Help others become better people

All of us do not have equal talent. Each has a unique set of gifts that are supposed to be developed. As a community, we are called to ensure that each person is given the opportunity to fully hone one's abilities. Our growth becomes more meaningful if we help others become better people.