A tale of Two Seas !!

Here is an interesting story on two seas with some interesting lessons. I had heard of Dead Sea in school. No one ever told me this side of the story. You may find it interesting. I look forward to your perspective.


As you probably recall, the Dead Sea is really a Lake, not a sea.It’s so high in salt content that the human body can float easily. You can almost lie down and read a book! The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35% - almost 10 times the normal ocean water. And all that saltiness has meant that there is no life at all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea.

And hence the name: Dead Sea.

While the Dead Sea has remained etched in my memory, I don't seem to recall learning about the Sea of Galilee in my school Geography lesson. So when I heard about the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and the tale of the two seas - I was intrigued.

Turns out that the Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water from river Jordan. And yet, they are very, very different.

Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colorful marine life. There are lots of plants. And lots of fish too. In fact, the Sea of Galilee is home to over twenty different types of fishes.
Same region, same source of water, and yet while one sea is full of life, the other is dead. How come?

Here’s apparently why. The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out - and that keeps the sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.

But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level, that it has no outlet. The water flows in from the river Jordan, but does not flow out. There are no outlet streams. It is estimated that over 7 million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day. Leaving it salty. Too full of minerals. And unfit for any marine life.

The Dead Sea takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It does not give.

Result? No life at all.

Think about it.

Life is not just about getting. Its about giving. We all need to be a bit like the Sea of Galilee.
We are fortunate to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if we don't learn to give, we could all end up like the Dead Sea. The love and the respect, the wealth and the knowledge could all evaporate. Like the water in the Dead Sea.

If we get the Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, more money, more everything the results can be disastrous.
Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your own life, you have outlets. Many outlets. For love and wealth - and everything else that you get in your life. Make sure you don't just get, you give too.

Open the taps. And you'll open the floodgates to happiness. Make that a habit. To share. To give.

And experience life. Experience the magic!


The happiest people on this planet are not those who live on their own terms but are those who change their terms for others!

Regards,
Esther

Selfless Real Love

My wife called, 'How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you  come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter, Sindu, looked frightened; tears were welling up in her eyes. 

In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Sindu is a nice child, quite and  intelligent for her age.

I picked up the bowl. 'Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this curd rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear'.

Sindu softened a bit and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'Ok, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...' Sindu hesitated...... 'Dad, if I eat this entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'

'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal.

Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindu, dear, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. Ok?'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive.'

Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child to eat something that she detested.

After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her.

'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand.

'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!'

'Never in our family!' My mother rasped. 'She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!'

'Sindu, darling, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'

'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Sindu was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. 
"Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?'

It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'

'Are you out of your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.

'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honour her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful.

On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile. 

Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!' What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. 'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.

A lady got out of car and came to me. She said 'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed! That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son, Harish. He is suffering from... leukemia'. She paused to muffle her sobs. 

'Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates.
...... Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue.....

"But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'

I stood transfixed with tears 'My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!'


Regards,
Esther

Who is Happy ???

A Crow Lived in the Forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. 

But one day he saw a swan...
This swan is so white and I am so black...crow thought.

This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.

He expressed his thoughts to the swan. 
"Actually," the swan replied, 

"I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. 
I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation." 

The crow then approached the parrot. 
The parrot explained, 
"I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock.
I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors." 

The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. 

After the people had left, 
The crow approached the Peacock..

Dear Peacock, 
You are so beautiful. 
Every day thousands of people come to see you. 
When people see me, 
they immediately shoo me away. 
I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.

The peacock replied, 
I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. 
But because of my beauty, 
I am entrapped in this zoo. 

I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. 

So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, 
I could happily roam everywhere.

That's our problem too. 

We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. 

We don't value what God has  given us. 
This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. 

Value the things god has given us. 

Learn the secret of being happy and discard the comparison which leads only to unhappiness..


Regards,
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

NASA PROVES THAT THE BIBLE IS TRUE

For all you scientists out there and for all the students who have had a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible here's something that illustrates God's awesome

creation and shows He is still in control.

Did you know that NASA's space programmers are busy proving what has been called 'myth' in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore , and a consultant in the space programmes , relates the following incident:

One of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking out the positions of the sun, moon and planets out in space where they would be 100, and 1000 years from now. We have to know this as we do not want a satellite to collide with any of these in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole project will not bog down.

Computer measurements and data were run back and forth over the
centuries when suddenly it came to a halt, displaying a red signal, which meant that either there was something wrong with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out, and the technicians asked what was wrong.

The scientists had discovered that somewhere in space in elapsed time a day was missing. Nobody seemed able to come up with a solution to the problem. Finally one of the team, a Christian, said: "You know, when I was still in Sunday School , they spoke about the sun standing still......."

While his colleagues didn't believe him, they did not have an answer either, so they said: "Show us." He got a Bible and opened it at the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with 'common sense'. There they read about the Lord saying to Joshua: "Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not be a man of them stands before
thee." (Joshua 10:8).

Joshua was concerned because the enemy had surrounded him, and if darkness fell, they would overpower him. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still!

That's right - "And the sun stood still and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Ja '-sher ? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hastened not to go down about a whole day." (Joshua 10:13).

The astronauts and scientists said: "There is the missing day!" They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it, but it was not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day. They read the Bible again and there it was: "about (approximately) a day." These little words in the Bible were important, but
they were still in trouble, because another 40 minutes were still unaccounted for, and this could mean trouble 1000 years from now.

Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible which said the sun went backwards. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but once again they opened the Book and read these words in 2 Kings. Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet, Isaiah, who told him he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for some sign as proof.

Isaiah said: "Shall the sun go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?" And Hezekiah answered: "It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; nay, but let the
shadow return backwards ten degrees." And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz ." (2 Kings 20:9 -11).

Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and twenty minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in 2 Kings accounted for the missing day in the universe!

Isn't this amazing? Our God is rubbing their noses in His Truth! Forward this to as many people who would think this is equally astounding...

Regards,

Esther

Smile always..!!

Old man has 8 hair on his head. 

He went to Barber shop. 

Barber in anger asked: 

shall i cut or count ? 

Old man smiled and said: 

"Color it!"  

LIFE is to enjoy with whatever you have with you, keep smiling 

If you feel STRESSED, 

Give yourself A Break. 

Enjoy Some.. 

Ice cream 

Chocolates 

Candy 

Cake 

Why? 

B'Coz 

STRESSED ka Ulta Spelling 

DESSERTS...

Alphabetic advice for you: 

A B C 

Avoid Bad Company.. 

D E F 

Don't Entertain Fools.. 

G H I 

Go for High Ideas . 

J K L M 

  Just Keep a friend like ME.. 

N O P 

Never Overlook the Poor n suffering.. 

Q R S 

Quit Reacting to Silliness..  

T U V 

Tune Yourself for Ur Victory.. 

W X Y Z 

We Expect You to Zoom ahead in life 

Very ....beautiful lines pls store it. 

One good Friend  is like a medicine in life.. 

But one good group of friends  are like medical store...


Six Best Doctors ·in the World-
          1. Sunlight
              2.Rest˜´
          3.Exercise
             4.Diet
   5.Self Confidence
                   &
          6. Good friends              


Regards,
Esther   

GOD's ways are always best...!!

1st tree said -- Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could befilled with gold,silverand precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving andeveryone would see the beauty.

Then the second tree said,"Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will takeKings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said,"I want to grow to be the tallest andstraightesttree in the forest. People will see me on top of the Hill and look up tomy branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time andpeople will alwaysremember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a groupof woodsmen came upon the trees.

When one came to the first tree he said,"This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a Carpenter",and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said,"This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the Woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one",and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feedbox for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat.his dreamsof being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark..

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby,but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

.Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kingsin its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to dieat thetop of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God aswas possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust inHim, God will give you great gifts.

.Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always 


Blessings,
Esther

"...My Conversation with God..."

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won't get mad
God: I promise
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen
to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: at lunch they made my sandwich
wrong & I had to wait
God: Huummm
Me: On the way home, my phone went
DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right
Me: And on top of it all off, when I got
home ~I just want to soak my feet in my
new foot massager & relax. BUT it
wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today!
Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at
your bed this morning & I had to send one
of My Angels to battle him for your life. I
let you sleep through that

Me (humbled): OH

GOD: I didn't let your car start because
there was a drunk driver on your route that
would have hit you if you were on the
road.

Me: (ashamed)

God: The first person who made your
sandwich today was sick & I didn't want
you to catch what they have, I knew you
couldn't afford to miss work.

Me (embarrassed):Okay

God: Your phone went dead because the
person that was calling was going to give
false witness about what you said on that
call, I didn't even let you talk to them so
you would be covered.

Me (softly): I see God

God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a
shortage that was going to throw out all of
the power in your house tonight. I didn't
think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm Sorry God

God: Don't be sorry, just learn to Trust
Me.... in All things , the Good & the bad.

Me: I will trust You.

God: And don't doubt that My plan for
your day is Always Better than your plan.

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you
God, Thank You for Everything today.

God: You're welcome child. It was just
another day being your God and I Love
looking after My Children...

Regards,

Esther

“…A Letter from a Little boy to his Mom…”

Sally 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 laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying 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, Jesus & Me.”

Regards .

Esther

TOUCHING STORY....(An old story but always inspires me)

My mom only had one eye. I hated
her… She was such an
embarrassment. She cooked for
students and teachers to support the
family.
There was this one day during
elementary school where my mom
came to say hello to me. I was so
embarrassed.
How could she do this to me? I
ignored her, threw her a hateful look
and ran out. The next day at school
one of my classmates said, ‘EEEE, your
mom only has one eye!’
I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted
my mom to just disappear. I
confronted her that day and said, "If
you’re only gonna make me a
laughing stock, why don't you just
die?"
My mom did not respond… I didn’t
even stop to think for a second about
what I had said, because I was full of
anger. I was oblivious to her feelings.
I wanted out of that house, and have
nothing to do with her. So I studied
real hard, got a chance to go abroad
to study.
Then, I got married. I bought a house
of my own. I had kids of my own. I
was happy with my life, my kids and
the comforts. Then one day, my
Mother came to visit me. She hadn’t
seen me in years and she didn’t even
meet her grandchildren.
When she stood by the door,
my children laughed at her, and I yelled at
her for coming over uninvited. I
screamed at her, "How dare you come
to my house and scare my children!
GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!"
And to this, my mother quietly
answered, "Oh, I’m so sorry. I may
have gotten the wrong address," and
she disappeared out of sight.
One day, a letter regarding a school
reunion came to my house. So I lied
to my wife that I was going on a
business trip. After the reunion, I
went to the old shack just out of
curiosity.
My neighbors said that she died. I did
not shed a single tear. They handed
me a letter that she had wanted me to
have.
"My dearest son,
I think of you all the time. I’m sorry
that I came to your house and scared
your children.
I was so glad when I heard you were
coming for the reunion. But I may not
be able to even get out of bed to see
you. I’m sorry that I was a constant
embarrassment to you when you were
growing up.
You see……..when you were very little,
you got into an accident, and lost your
eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand
watching you having to grow up with
one eye. So I gave you mine.
I was so proud of my son who was
seeing a whole new world for me, in
my place, with that eye.
With all my love to you,
Your mother."

the son got into tears, but it was too late.

MORAL LESSON:
Never neglet your MuM, Because she is a blessing.
One day u will cry when she will be gone.