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*

🍅Rejected veggie 🥒- encouraging thought

 

A mother used to cook beans. But before cooking, she picked out the bad and dirty ones and threw them at her backyard.

.

When it  rained the dirty and bad looking beans became seeds and grew up, offering a beautiful look.  Interestingly, the person who threw them away started harvesting them, now. She began to feel the worth of the discarded beans.

1. Don't worry when people throw you at the backyard.

2. Don't cry when they reject you.

3. Don't be sad when they look down upon you.

When it rains the same people who rejected you will invite you.

God loves even those that are left out and looked down upon.

God will bless you, just stay connected to him and everyone will see how valuable you are. You are no more a rejected stone but a cornerstone. 😉

Are you tired of living in this world??

#spreadlove_spreadpeace 

Imagine you were born in 1900.

When you're 14, World War I begins and ends when you're 18 with 22 million dead.

Soon after a global pandemic, the Spanish Flu, appears, killing 50 million people. And you're alive and 20 years old.

When you're 29 you survive the global economic crisis that started with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange, causing inflation, unemployment and famine.

When you're 33 years old the nazis come to power.

When you're 39, World War II begins and ends when you're 45 years old with a 60 million dead. In the Holocaust 6 million Jews die.

When you're 52, the Korean War begins.

When you're 64, the Vietnam War begins and ends when you're 75.

A child born in 1985 thinks his grandparents have no idea how difficult life is, but they have survived several wars and catastrophes.

Today we have all the comforts in a new world, amid a new pandemic. But we complain because we need to wear masks. We complain because we must stay confined to our homes where we have food, electricity, running water, wifi, even Netflix! None of that existed back in the day. But humanity survived those circumstances and never lost their joy of living.

A small change in our perspective can generate miracles. We should be thankful that we are alive. We should do everything we need to do to protect and help each other.

Be safe 🙏

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.

Never give up. .!!!

Marvan Attapattu Srilankan Cricketer

It’s a story that Harsha Bhogle, India’s most loved cricket commentator,loves to tell, over and over again. 

Making his debut in Test cricket for Sri Lanka, Marvan scored a duck in his first innings. And again, in his second innings.
They dropped him. So he went back to the nets for more practice. More first-class cricket. More runs. Waiting for that elusive call. 

And after twenty-one months, he got a second chance.
This time, he tried harder. His scores: 0 in the first innings, 1 in the second Dropped again, he went back to the grind. And scored tonnes of runs in first-class cricket. Runs that seemed inadequate to erase the painful memories of the Test failures. 

Well, seventeen months later, opportunity knocked yet again. Marvan got to bat in both innings of the Test. His scores: 0 and 0. Phew!

Back to the grind. Would the selectors ever give him another chance? They said he lacked big-match temperament. 

His technique wasn’t good enough at the highest level. Undaunted, Marvan kept trying.

Three years later, he got another chance. This time, he made runs. He came good. And in an illustrious career thereafter, Marvan went on to score over 5000 runs for Sri Lanka. That included sixteen centuries and six double hundreds. And he went on to captain his country. All this despite taking over six years to score his second run in Test cricket. Wow! What a guy!

How many of us can handle failure as well as he did? Six years of trying, and failing. He must have been tempted to pursue another career. Change his sport perhaps. Play county cricket. Or, oh well, just give up. But he didn’t. And that made the difference.

The next time you are staring at possible failure or rejection, think of Marvan.

 And remember this: If you don’t give up, if you believe in yourself, if you stay the course, the run will eventually come. What more you could even become captain some day.

_Never Give Up!_
_Never Give In!!_

Never GIVE UP in your Life

THE PREGNANT DEER – such a beautiful story !

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth.
She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river.
This seems a safe place.
Suddenly labour pains begin.

At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above & lightning starts a forest fire.
She looks to her left & sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her.
To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her.

What can the pregnant deer do?
She is in labour!

What will happen?
Will the deer survive?
Will she give birth to a fawn?
Will the fawn survive?
Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire?
Will she perish to the hunters’ arrow?
Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her?

She is constrained by the fire on the one side & the flowing river on the other & boxed in by her natural predators.

What does she do?
She focuses on giving birth to a new life.

The sequence of events that follows are:

- Lightning strikes & blinds the hunter.
- He releases the arrow which zips past the deer & strikes the hungry lion.
- It starts to rain heavily, & the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.
- The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.

In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on αll sides with negative thoughts and possibilities.

Some thoughts are so powerful that they overcome us & overwhelm us.

Maybe we can learn from the deer.
The priority of the deer, in that given moment, was simply to give birth to a baby.

The rest was not in her hands & any action or reaction that changed her focus would have likely resulted in death or disaster.

Ask yourself,
Where is your focus?
Where is your faith and hope?

Such a wonderful lyrics from DONMOEN In the song "He Never sleeps"

        "And He never sleeps, He never slumbers. 
        He never tires of hearing our prayer. 
        When we are weak He becomes stronger. 
        So rest in His love and cast all of your cares on Him. "

In the midst of any storm, do keep faith on the Creator always. He will never ever disappoint you. NEVER.

Remember, He neither slumbers nor sleeps


Love,
Esther

ONE DAY I DECIDED TO QUIT

I quit my job, 
my relationship, 
my spirituality… 
I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with god

“God”, I asked,
“Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”.

His answer surprised me…
“Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo ?

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light. I gave them water.The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. 

He said,
“In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.But I would not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said.

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He asked me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots”.

“I would not quit on the bamboo.I will never quit on you.”

“Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said.

”The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”

"Your time will come”, God said to me.
“You will rise high”.

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

”Yes.” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.”

I left the forest and brought back this story. 

Never, Never, Never, Give upk!!
"In life, each relationship will have feelings and differences. ....it's Always better to be melted in feelings than to be frozen with differences"



Regards,
Esther