Joy of living😎

 Wisdom echoes 

John D Rockfeller was once the richest man in the world. The first billionaire in the world.

By age 25 he controlled one of the largest oil refineries in the US. 

By age 31 he had become the world’s largest oil refiner.  

By age 38 he commanded 90% of the oil refined in the U.S.                                          

By 50, he was the richest man in the country.

By the time he died, he had become the richest man in the world. 

As a young man, every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth. 

But at the age of 53 he became ill. 

His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all of his hair. In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest soup and crackers. 

An associate wrote, "He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him."

His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. 

That year passed agonizingly slowly. 

As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague realisation of not being able to take any of his wealth with him into the next world. 

The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life. 

He was left with a choice. 

He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his assets to hospitals, research, and charity work. 

John D. Rockefeller established his Foundation. 

This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria. 

But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. 

It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98.

Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back the vast majority of his wealth. 

Before his death, he wrote this in his diary: 

"I was taught to work as well as play,

My life has been one long, happy holiday;

Full of work and full of play

I dropped the worry on the way

And God was good to me everyday!"

*The JOY OF GIVING is the JOY OF LIVING*

Joy of giving

 

*I want to remember your Face so that when I meet you in Heaven, I will be able to recognize you and Thank you once again -*

In a telephonic interview,

the Radio Announcer

asked his guest,

a millionaire,

"What made you

Happiest in life ?"

The millionaire replied :

I have gone through

Four stages of

Happiness in my Life 

Finally I understood the

Meaning of True Happiness. 

The First Stage was

to Accumulate

Wealth and Means.

But at this Stage

I did not get the

Happiness I wanted. 

Then came the Second

Stage of Collecting

Valuables and Items. 

But I realized that the

Effect of this thing

is also Temporary & the

Lustre of Valuable Things

Does not last long.

Then came the

Third Stage of Getting

Big Projects like

Buying a football team,

Buying a tourist resort etc. 

But even here I did not

Get the Happiness

I had imagined.

The Fourth time

A Friend of mine

Asked me to buy

Wheelchairs for

Disabled children.

At the Friend's request, I immediately bought some Wheelchairs.

But My Friend insisted

That I go with him and

Hand over the Wheelchairs

To the Children myself.

So,I went with him &

Gave the Wheel chairs

To those Children

with my own hands.

I saw the Great

Glow of Happiness

On the Faces of

Those Children. 

I saw them all

Sitting on the Chairs,

Moving around

And having fun.

It was as if they had

Arrived at a Picnic.

But I felt Real Joy

When I started to leave

And one of the Kids

Grabbed my leg.

I gently tried to

Free my leg - but the

Child stared at my face

And held my leg tightly.

I bent down and

Asked the Child :

"Do you need

Anything else?"

The answer the Child

Gave me not only

Made me Happy

but also Changed

My Life forever.

The Child said : 

"I want to remember

Your Face, so that

When I meet you

in Heaven, i will be

Able to recognize you

& Thank you once again."

💐🙂

*"THE JOY OF GIVING".*

8 Gifts That Don't Cost a Dime

Let's all try to give at least one of these gifts every day. I know it's easy to just brush it off, but it really truly does make a difference in your life and the life of the person you give the gift to :)

1. THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen.
No interrupting, no daydreaming,
no planning your response.
Just listening.

2. THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs,
kisses, pats on the back, and handholds.
Let these small actions demonstrate the
love you have for family and friends.

3. THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Clip cartoons.
Share articles and funny stories.
Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

4. THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple
"Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet.
A brief, handwritten note may be remembered
for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5. THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere,
You look great in red," "You did a super job,"
or "That was a wonderful meal"
can make someone's day.

6. THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way
to do something kind.

7. THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better
than to be left alone.
Be sensitive to those times and give
the gift of solitude to others.

8. THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is
to extend a kind word to someone.
Really, it's not that hard to say,
Hello or Thank You.

Is there anyone richer than you ??!!

Someone asked the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, “Is there anyone richer than you in the world ?”

Bill Gates replied, “Yes, there is a person who is richer than me.”

He then narrated a story.

“It was during the time when I wasn’t rich or famous.

“I was at the New York Airport when I saw a newspaper vendor.

“I wanted to buy one newspaper but found that I didn’t have enough change. So I left the idea of buying and returned it to the vendor.

“I told him of not having the change. The vendor said, ‘I am giving you this for free.’ On his insistence I took the newspaper.

“Coincidentally, after two to three months, I landed at the same airport and again I was short of change for a newspaper. The vendor offered me the newspaper again. I refused and said that I can’t take it for I don’t have change today too. He said, ‘You can take it, I am sharing this from my profit, I won’t be at loss.’ I took the newspaper.

“After 19 years I became famous and known by people. Suddenly I remembered that vendor. I began searching for him and after about 1½ months of searching, I found him.

“I asked him, ‘Do you know me?’ He said, ‘Yes, you are Bill Gates.’

“I asked him again, ‘Do you remember once you gave me a newspaper for free?’

“The vendor said, ‘Yes, I remember. I gave you twice.’

“I said, ‘I want to repay the help you had offered me that time. Whatever you want in your life, tell me, I shall fulfill it.’

“The vendor said, ‘Sir, don’t you think that by doing so you won’t be able to match my help?’

“I asked, ‘Why?’

“He said, ‘I had helped you when I was a poor newspaper vendor and you are trying to help me now, when you have become the richest man in the world. How can your help match mine ?’

“That day I realized that the newspaper vendor is richer than I am, because he didn’t wait to become rich to help someone.”

People need to understand that the truly rich are those who possess a rich heart rather than lots of money.

It’s really very important to have a rich. - Routine of education.

👩‍🎓Wise Words👨‍🎓

```In life, some may walk, others may run, but remember the Lord gave the tortoise and the horse the same days to reach Noah's ark. Your journey might be rough and tough but you will definitely get to your destination.
Jacob looked at Joseph and saw a good son! The ten brothers looked at Joseph and saw a useless dreamer! The travellers looked at Joseph and saw a slave!! Potiphar looked at Joseph and saw a fine servant!! Potiphar's wife looked at Joseph and saw a potential boyfriend! The prison officers saw in Joseph a prisoner! How wrong were all of them! God looked at Joseph and saw a Prime Minister of Egypt in waiting!! Don't be discouraged by what people see in you!! Be encouraged by what God sees in you!! Never underrate the person next to you because you never know what the Lord has deposited in that person. (Remember David got the anointing of becoming a King while he was a simple child herding sheep. Esther was a simple orphaned girl yet she was a Queen in waiting). Let's share God's love and make the world a better place to live. Show that love by sharing this message with those you love.
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW PEOPLE SEE YOU, IT MATTERS HOW GOD SEES YOU
God is God:
🏽He doesn't care about *age*, no wonder he blessed Abraham.
🏽He doesn't care about *experience*, no wonder he chose David.
🏽He doesn't care about *gender,* no wonder he lifted Esther.
🏽He doesn't care about *your past*, no wonder he called Paul.
🏽He doesn't care about *your physical appearance*, no wonder he chose Zacchaeus
(the shortest one).
🏽He doesn't care about *fluency in speech* , no wonder he chose Moses.
🏽He doesn't care about *your career*, no wonder he choose Mary Magdalene; a prostitute. 
All I know is that my God never changes
🏽He never made *a promise he wouldn't keep*👌🏾
He never saw *a person he wouldn't help*👌🏾
🏽He never heard *a prayer he wouldn't answer*👌🏾
🖼He never found *a soul he wouldn't love*👌🏾
🏽He never found *a sinner he wouldn't forgive*👌🏾
This is the kind of God I would like to commune with every day the moment I wake up. I strongly recommend Him to you.`'

The value of giving

From Katherine Hepburn

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. 

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price. 

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation. 

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with. 

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

*That day I learnt the value to Give.*

*The Giver is bigger than the Receiver.* 

*If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give.*

*Only if you Give can you Receive more. The Givers heart becomes the Ocean, in tune with the Almighty - The Source*

*Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.*
Happy and blessed day💐🎊🎉🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍌🍉🍇🍓🍈🍒🍑🥭🍍🥥🥝🍅

Humanization-upgrade it!!

A Lady asks: "How much do you sell your eggs for?"The old vendor replies "0.50 ¢ an egg, madam" .The Lady says, I'll take 6 eggs for $2.50 or I'm leaving.  The old salesman replies  Buy them at the price you want, Madam. This is a good start for me because I haven't sold a single egg today and I need this to live.  She bought her eggs at a bargain price and left with the feeling that she had won.  She got into her fancy car and went to a fancy restaurant with her friend.  She and her friend ordered what they wanted. They ate a little and left a lot of what they had asked for.  So they paid the bill, which was $150. The ladies gave $200 and told the fancy restaurant owner to keep the change as a tip...

This story might seem quite normal to the owner of the fancy restaurant, but very unfair to the egg seller...

The question it raises is:

Why do we always need to show that we have power when we buy from the needy? 

And why are we generous to those who don't even need our generosity?

 I once read this somewhere ,that a father used to buy goods from poor people at high prices, even though he didn't need the things. Sometimes he paid more for them. I was amazed. One day I asked him "why are you doing this dad?" Then my father replied: "It's charity wrapped in dignity, son."

Then this message of attempted "humanisation" will have gone one step further... in the right direction...

Love,
Esther