You can make difference 👍

 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.

Intelligence is silent

 Fable: DON'T ARGUE WITH DONKEYS

The donkey said to the tiger:

- "The grass is blue".

The tiger replied:

- "No, the grass is green."

The discussion heated up, and the two decided to submit him to arbitration, and for this they went before the lion, the King of the Jungle.

Already before reaching the forest clearing, where the lion was sitting on his throne, the donkey began to shout:

- "His Highness, is it true that the grass is blue?".

The lion replied:

- "True, the grass is blue."

The donkey hurried and continued:

- "The tiger disagrees with me and contradicts and annoys me, please punish him."

The king then declared:

- "The tiger will be punished with 5 years of silence."

The donkey jumped cheerfully and went on his way, content and repeating:

- "The Grass Is Blue"...

The tiger accepted his punishment, but before he asked the lion:

- "Your Majesty, why have you punished me?, after all, the grass is green."

The lion replied:

- "In fact, the grass is green."

The tiger asked:

- "So why are you punishing me?".

The lion replied:

- "That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. 

The punishment is because it is not possible for a brave and intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a donkey, and on top of that come and bother me with that question."

The worst waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who does not care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions. Never waste time on arguments that don't make sense... 

There are people who, no matter how much evidence and evidence we present to them, are not in the capacity to understand, and others are blinded by ego, hatred and resentment, and all they want is to be right even if they are not.

When ignorance screams, intelligence is silent. Your peace and quiet are worth more. ❤️

🙏The Good Shepherd 🐑

 

Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken.

These lambs are called “bummer lambs.” Unless the Shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the Shepherd does?

He takes that rejected little one into His home, hand-feeds it and keeps it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to His chest so the bummer can hear His heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the Shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.

But that sheep never forgets how the Shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the Shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to Him first?

That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows His voice intimately.

It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the One who loves it and has experienced that love one on one.

So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.

I am a bummer lamb adopted and loved by The Good Shepherd!

👨‍🏫Specialty of teachers 👩‍🏫

 

An old man meets a young man who asks:

“Do you remember me?”⁴

And the old man says no. Then the young man tells him he was his student, And the teacher asks:

“What do you do, what do you do in life?”

The young man answers:

“Well, I became a teacher.”

“ah, how good, like me?” Asks the old man.

“Well, yes. In fact, I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you.”

The old man, curious, asks the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher. And the young man tells him the following story:

“One day, a friend of mine, also a student, came in with a nice new watch, and I decided I wanted it.

I stole it, I took it out of his pocket.

Shortly after, my friend noticed that his watch was missing and immediately complained to our teacher, who was you.

Then you addressed the class saying, ‘This student's watch was stolen during classes today. Whoever stole it, please return it.’

I didn't give it back because I didn't want to.

You closed the door and told us all to stand up and form a circle.

You were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found.

However, you told us to close our eyes, because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed.

We did as instructed.

You went from pocket to pocket, and when you went through my pocket, you found the watch and took it. You kept searching everyone's pockets, and when you were done you said ‘open your eyes. We have the watch.’

You didn't tell on me and you never mentioned the episode. You never said who stole the watch either. That day you saved my dignity forever. It was the most shameful day of my life.

But this is also the day I decided not to become a thief, a bad person, etc. You never said anything, nor did you even scold me or take me aside to give me a moral lesson.

I received your message clearly.

Thanks to you, I understood what a real educator needs to do.

Do you remember this episode, professor?

The old professor answered, ‘Yes, I remember the situation with the stolen watch, which I was looking for in everyone’s pocket. I didn't remember you, because I also closed my eyes while looking.’

_This is the essence of teaching : one need not humiliate to teach._

_*Happy Teachers day !*_

🏵The Daffodil day💐

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."  I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. 

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren. 

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!" 

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."  "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her. 

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."   

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." 

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden."  We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. 

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers. 

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.  "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. 

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958." 

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. 

Daffodil garden is one of the greatest principles of celebration. 

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world ... 

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!" 

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?" 

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....

Until your car or home is paid off

Until you get a new car or home

Until your kids leave the house 

Until you go back to school

Until you finish school 

Until you clean the house

Until you organize the garage

Until you clean off your desk

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married 

Until you have kids

Until the kids go to school

Until you retire

Until summer

Until spring

Until winter

Until fall

Until you die..

There is no better time than right now to be happy . 

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So work like you don't need money.

Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching. 

If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special.

I just did!

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

What is love ? True story

 WHAT IS LOVE?

Years ago,  when I lived in *Lugbe,* a suburb in *Abuja,* a number of girls lived in a building adjacent to me. They strictly lived to be picked up by men.  

The girls will *go out at night* and return the following *morning.*  I, and other neighbors were *angry.*  The girls were very noisy.  They never cared who their noise disturbed.

One day, the landlord had enough. *He evicted all of them.* Their properties were thrown out. All the girls found somewhere else to relocate, *except one.* She had no place to go.

She kept her belongings in our building corridor, and on nights that she was home, she'd sleep there... *and that was on most nights.*

The tenants in the building, *including my husband and I,* met to plan how to put her and her belongings out. *Surprisingly,* one tenant, *a woman* was against the idea. She asked, "What would you all do if this girl was *your daughter, sister or relative?"* She told us that this girl and her friends have, no doubt made *wrong choices.* But she reminded us that we too, *at some point* in our past also made wrong  choices. But God still held us close to His heart and saved us.  She cautioned us as Christians to *consider what Jesus would do.*

Everyone was quiet. But none suggested any way to help the *now homeless* lady. 

Later on, the same woman who defended her at the tenant meeting had a talk with her husband. They agreed to house the girl *in their moderate apartment.*

They invited the girl into their home and told her she could stay with them. The homeless girl was shocked when the woman said to her, *"We know what you do for a living.* And you are free to go out at night and come back the next day if that's what you choose to do. Feel free to eat our food. Use the other bedroom. It is yours *as long as you live here.* Live like one of us. We did not bring you in to judge you. But we will continue to pray for you. Hopefully, the spirit will talk to you..., *at your own time."* 

_The girl was dumbfounded._ And she cried. At nights, *she stayed home.* Going out to look for men gradually became a thing of her past. 

She would join the family for morning devotion *and go to church with them on Sundays.*

One day, the woman, *now her landlord of sorts* told her of her husband's decision to pay for her to register in a university. The lady gained admission into a university. *She graduated on top of her class* and got a good job.  But even before she graduated, with a university grant for outstanding students, *she had started a business* of her own. 

Today, when you enter her office, she has this woman and her husband's photo on the wall behind her desk. The photo has the inscription, _*" " 'My parents,' the only Christians I know''.*_

Folks, what is love? Many Christians cannot answer to this question. We resist the true essence of love.

The truth is, "Christ died for us.'' Why would a righteous man die for sinners? That's what love is.

What can you do for someone even against your intrinsic instincts?

Every one we have chosen not to forgive, deserve forgiveness.  That is the sacrifice that a true Christian, who shows true love makes. 

*Love is not the practice of loving beautiful people. True love is shown by being willing to truly love those that many look down upon.*

_*How many less fortunate people have you taken home from church after service to feed?  Why do we feed the rich, and don't feed the needy?*_

Why do we scorn people who look like prostitutes? We look at children who look unkept and we shake our heads in disapproval, warning our children to avoid such people.

But what kind of people do we think that heaven is waiting up there for? 

Let's not lose the purpose of life because of what we have almost achieved.

Can someone say of you, *"I met a true believer in you?"* 

_Copied._

Missionary story

 A man named John Kennedy and his wife set sail as missionaries to an area with several islands. 6 month trip. During the voyage he conducted worship on the ship. Everyone liked him.

Kennedy and his wife came to the island, held a map of the islands in their hands, prayed and touched an island with their hands. What a surprise the two touched the same island.

When you are ready to go to that island the ship captain tells them sir you go to another island. But do not go to this island. Those who went here have never returned. Humans are said to be eaten alive by the people of this island. But missionary Kennedy said it was the Lord's call and that they were sure to go.

Captain they go OK but do one thing. Tie this little boat to the shore and put the tent on the shore. He gave me a small boat saying that if they chase you take the boat and come to sea.

Kennedy also built a boat on the shore.

Learned the language in one line.

Two years passed and no one became a Christian. They both knelt on the beach and cried and prayed.

In a few hours God spoke to him

God

Kennedy Do you believe me

Kennedy

Yes Lord I trust in you

God

Kennedy Do you believe me

Kennedy

Yes Lord I trust in you

#God

Why did you tie that boat ashore?

Kennedy

To run if people come to kill us

God

Kennedy Do you believe me?

Kennedy

Yes I believe in the Lord

God

 If I had run away from death that day, would mankind have been saved? Destroy the boat

The boat came ashore with Kennedy. The wife brought kerosene and a matchbox. The boat burned.

The islanders who saw the fire fled. Thurayare asked what had happened and told the gospel on the spot. 200 people accepted #Christ on the spot. Evangelism spread.

When John F. Kennedy first came to this island there was #no_a_Christian.

When John Kennedy died today, it was written in his grave that there was no one on this island who did not know Christ.

𝑨𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕- Real world

 

When my daughter wed and left home, I felt a part of me left.  With a daughter and a son, I was very happy in my life. When she

was in her teens, I felt as if she was my "physical extension" .

So when she left home to set up her own home, I felt I lost a limb from my body. Next time she came to stay with us for a few days, I was astonished how her priorities had changed. We too must have given the same shocks to our own parents. While she was talking to me, she used the word "Amma" (mother). But that word was not for me. That word referred her "mother in law".

I felt she was always in a hurry to go back to her house and not stay with me for a few more days. That was the first time, I understood that I have to start practicing detachment with attachment.

Two years after my daughter’s marriage, my son left for higher studies to US. Having experienced a child's separation once, I was better equipped emotionally. I became busy with various classes held in the city related to vedanta.

I just wanted to be away from home. Because my husband was a 24/7 workaholic. My son used to write how he was missing my home and the food cooked by me and how he was waiting to come back to live in Chennai with us.

After a few years, he did come back and we got him married. He started living separately with his wife and we were also happy that they wanted to be independent from the beginning. But now, it was all changed !

In the USA, he missed my cooking, now if I called him my home with his wife for a meal, he always says an excuse like "oh, amma, we have other plans for the day, please don't mistake us, if we don't come today" ! I could see that his priorities had also changed completely. We talk so many things and give so much advice to others, but when it comes to our own children, acceptance comes very late.

Our next step is to just leave them undisturbed in every way. It was at that time, that I made the following, my 'new profile'. In all my relationships, I give my best and do my best to live up to what I say. My attachment with them is complete. However, I remain detached in the sense that I do not expect them to reciprocate my affection. I love them too much. But I decided not to expect the same degree of love from them.

Most importantly, I make a conscious effort , not to interfere or pass judgements on the lives they choose to lead. My concern for my beloved people will not fade with my detachment. If you let go of the ones you love, they will never go away – this is the beauty of attachment with detachment !

I have learnt to love and let go. This principle has developed tolerance in me. When I let the people live the way they want to, I learn to accept them for what they are. 

Most importantly, I learn to tolerate the world around me and this tolerance brings in me a sense of peace and satisfaction. Since both my children live in Chennai, I follow this very strictly, you know why ! Now I have realised that we start growing mentally much more only after the children leave the house and we have to tackle the emotional vacuum, that arises, along with age-related problems .

I specially dedicate this post to my friends, who are totally dependent on their children's lives, to nurture their own selves emotionally.  Please develop your own interests, hobbies etc, however ordinary they seem to be. 

We must learn to love whatever we do instead of Doing whatever we love !!

Author:  Sudha Murthy, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation

📧Wise message from BIBLE 📗

 A beautiful write up... I love this...just flip through it

*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. Your maid may be a Chief Executive Officer in waiting for a company which shall employ your child. Your garden-boy may be a president in waiting. (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.```

Granny's love👴👵♥️

 

*WHO is a Grandmother?*

🎅🤶

✍written by 

a class of 7-year-olds

👦🏻👧🏻

You'll love it... 

😘Grandma is 

a lady  

who has no little children of her own because they are all grown up. 

😘She likes other people's children.

😘A grandmother  is a woman, and an intelligent  lady!         😘 A grandma has a special relationship with God that she is proud of 

😘Grandma s don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see her. 

😘She s old and shouldn't play hard or run.  

😘It is good if she drives us to the shops and give us money. 

😘When she takes us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. 

😘She shows us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.' 

😘They don't say, 'Hurry up.' 

😘Usually they are so clever they know all answers ... 

😘She wears glasses and smart dresses 

😘She can take her teeth  out. 

😘Grandma show the greatest love than our parents. 

😘She has to answer questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?' 

😘When she reads to us, she does n't skip.  

😘She does n't mind if we ask for the same story over again. 

😘Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us...

😘She knows if we should have snack time before bed time.

😘She say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad. 

😘Grandma is the smartest woman on earth!  

😘She teaches me good things, but I don't get to see her enough to get as smart as she is.

 

👍It will make their day.

The Red Marbles- A must read story

 

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing... the conversation between Mr.. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'

'Hello, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Just' admiring' them peas. They sure look good..'

'They are good, Barry.. How's your Ma?'

'Fine. Getting' stronger all the' time.'

'Good. Anything I can help you with?'

'No, Sir.

Just admiring  them peas.'

'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.

'No, Sir. Got nothing to pay for 'them with.'

'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'

'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked..

'Not exactly but almost.'

'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy.

'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs... Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.

With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances.. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever..

When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes...

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about.

They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size.....they came to pay their debt.'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho ..'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral:

We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.

Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~ A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself...An unexpected phone call from an old friend.... Green stoplights on your way to work....

The fastest line at the grocery store....

A good sing-along song on the radio..

Your keys found right where you left them.

★¨`*•♫.•Pass it on!! Give someone else a reason to smile. ♫•* ★

World suicide prevention day

 

Bright and determined, Ahila’s* biggest concern was to pass her 10th standard exams with good marks. Then came lockdown. Her father’s petty shop was forced to shut. To survive, the family borrowed money. Lockdown stretched on, and their debt grew.

 

Threatened by the money lender, her father tried to work keeping the shop open, but was arrested twice. Without money, feeling completely hopeless and helpless the family decided to end their lives. Ahila, her two little sisters and her parents all took rat killer poison, hoping their worries would be over. Instead they became extremely sick. After two days they came to CMC. By now Ahila was in a coma and one sister died in another hospital. 

The parents, and her second sister began to recover. But Ahila had acute liver failure. CMC’s Hepatology team saved her life with a new treatment: Plasma Exchange (PLEX). They gave the first cycle while Ahila was still unconscious. After a few days, her parents were asked to talk to her. Ahila opened her eyes briefly and then tears rolled down her closed eyes, the first sign that she was going to be okay.

 

Helping Hands, Hope Dawns

Soon Ahila was completely out of the coma. The Hepatology Department raised funds to take care of the family’s debt. Another group offered to pay for Ahila’s tuition fees. She went on to complete her exams with first class. When we met her, she said confidently, “I am going to build houses for the poor when I grow up!”

Attempting suicide can make things worse. Ahila’s mother told us, “I never knew how harmful the decision to take our lives was. We lost one daughter and almost lost Ahila”.

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Be aware of those around you. Take a minute and reach out to someone. You could change the course of their life.

 

Warm regards

Stay Strong- motivated thoughts

A while back I read a story of a visiting pastor who attended a men's breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

"Lord, I hate buttermilk", the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going.

The farmer loudly proclaimed, "Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was growing concerned.

Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, "And Lord, you know I don't much care for raw white flour". The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, "But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don't like, when life gets hard, when we don't understand what you're saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits.  Amen."

Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today.

Stay strong, my friends, because our LORD is mixing several things that we don't really care for, but something even better is going to come when HE is done with it.

Story about Peas biryani 🍲🍛

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*" The Voice of God "*

*_Mother usually made Peas Biryani on Wednesday afternoons in winter. It was her favourite dish to prepare, for it was easy to make, yet a hot favourite amongst the kids. Moreover fresh peas were in season and tasted heavenly._*

*_She heated some oil in a pan and added a spoonful of cumin seeds. Then she added a handful of chopped onions. She proceeded to add some green peas and seasoned them with salt and turmeric powder. Having sauted them for a couple of minutes she turned in the cleaned and washed rice and poured in a good amount of water. She covered the pan with a lid and let it cook on a slow flame._*

*Strangely, the ingredients in the simmering pot started a conversation...*

 *The "rice" was the first to say, I am the most important of all of us present here for I am pure white and wholesome. I am the key ingredient to making Peas Biryani. I am _Sathya_ . This is the Truth.*

*The yellow "turmeric" powder chuckled and said, No longer are you white my dear, for I have dyed you in my own colour. I am _Dharma_. This is my duty.*

*The "peas" smiled peacefully and said, What is Peas Biryani, without peas, eh? We are the most attractive and delicious part of this preparation. We are _shanti_. We are _peace_. We are peas (peace) and our colour too is green that is the colour of peace.*

*The "salt" mused to itself and said, Who would ever be able to eat Peas Biryani, without salt ?  I am the most important of all. If I were not there Peas Biryani would be unpalatable. My taste shall be infused in each particle. I am _prema_. I love each one of you equally.*

*The "onions" said, We add the tang to this dish. We add flavour. We are the soul of all vegetarian food. We are _ahimsa_. We tolerate all other flavours, yet retain our .*

*The "pan" spoke up and said, It's me who is holding all of you in here. But for me, you would all have been separate identities. I have held you together, so that jointly, you can become a delicious dish. Where would you be without me ? I am _discipline_ and I am indispensable.*

*The "cumin seeds" were dancing up and down in the boiling water and said, Try making Biryani, without us It shall be quite tasteless. We sizzle in the hot oil first of all for we are devoted to spreading our flavour, wherever we go. We are _devotion_.*

*The _Biryani_ was almost ready and the "oil" glistened on every grain of rice. It said, I ensure that each grain of rice, each pea and each cumin seed, retains its individual identity.*
*I prevent stickiness. I am _discrimination_.*

 *The "water" was almost completely absorbed by now. It smiled contentedly and said, I was determined to permeate into each particle of all of you.* *Without me could peas Biryani ever have been made ?  I am _determination_  and I am the most important of all.*

*Mother came by and checked to see, if the Biryani was done. The "gas flame" smiled quietly to itself and said, Each one is so full of its own importance. Without the power of heat provided by me, what would they be ? It is the power of God *vested in me that I can give the energy to cook. But alas, who remembers the Power of God ?*

*God smiled to Himself as the lady turned off the gas and waited, till .... He was needed again.*
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*Each one of us in this world is so full of his or her importance. We conveniently forget God who gives us the power to do everything. Whether acknowledged or not, whether remembered or not, God is the power behind doing and making everything, even Peas Biryani.*
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*INCIDENTALLY, THIS ALSO PROVIDES ANOTHER LESSON...*

*FOR OUR FRIENDSHIPS TO BE SUCCESSFUL LIKE MAKING OF THE BIRYANI WITH DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS, WE NEED ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE, NONE CAN BE LEFT OUT, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME LIKE WE MUST VALUE THE PRESENCE OF GOD, WE MUST ALSO VALUE THE UNITY BETWEEN ALL OF US FRIENDS AND NONE MUST FEEL LEFT OUT".*

*_Even one person left out will dent the value of friendship ... like it will do to a Biryani if any one of the ingredients are left out._*

*"If we focus on the Eternal, we will remain unaffected by the changing experiences of life."*

        *Stay Strong...*
        *Stay Home...*
        *Stay Safe...*

       *”STAY BLESSED”*
       *"STAY UNITED"*

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The Richest Family in Church.

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The Rich Family In Church will never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12,and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money. By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. Then we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn’t listen to the radio, we’d save money on that month’s electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us
babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to
make three potholders to sell for $1. We made $20 on potholders. That month was the best of our lives. Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we’d sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be about 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering. The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.
That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn’t care that we wouldn’t have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn’t own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn’t seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet. But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes and felt rich.
When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20.As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn’t say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope.
We didn’t talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn’t have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night. We had two knives that we passed around to whomever needed them. I knew we didn’t have a lot of things that other people had, but I’d never thought we were poor.
That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn’t like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed. I didn’t even want to go back to church. Every one there probably already knew we were poor! I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn’t know. We’d never known we were poor. We didn’t want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to.
Although it was a sunny day, we didn’t talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, “Can’t we all sacrifice to help these poor people? ”We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering. When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn’t expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, “You must have some rich people in this church. “Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that “little over $100.” We were the rich family in the church! Hadn’t the missionary just said so? From that day on I’ve never been poor again. I’ve always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus! 

Eddie Ogan.

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