I read this and it inspired me, maybe you should too........then again.. don't we all...
DON'T WE ALL
I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.
He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.
I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said.
I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.
Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.
Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help." Don't we all?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
an inspiring story.................
Touching life story..... A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL. How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
DETERMINATION and PERSISTENCE.
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I DESIRE TO BE FREE
i desire to be free,
to raom the earth
and the fields yonder.
to worry not
about the future
and my eventual destiny.
to dance naked
in the star sky
and bathe joyfully
in the moonlight shadow.
to fly away like a dove
and return someday to show love.
to travel deep in the ocean,
not afraid of the danget that lurk,
to swim with the fish
an d crawl with the crabs.
i desire to be free,
to just be me
for just a little while.
to raom the earth
and the fields yonder.
to worry not
about the future
and my eventual destiny.
to dance naked
in the star sky
and bathe joyfully
in the moonlight shadow.
to fly away like a dove
and return someday to show love.
to travel deep in the ocean,
not afraid of the danget that lurk,
to swim with the fish
an d crawl with the crabs.
i desire to be free,
to just be me
for just a little while.
WHY I WRITE
i write to raise my voice,
to warm my freezing thoughts,
to cross my island of solitude,
tend my forest of dreams
stifled bt the weeds of hate.
look after my garden of desires
strangled by ropes of time.
water my pot of perpetual hope
scorched by the hot sun of fate.
i write to restore my love
of a world gone crazy
maddened by the hearts of men.
replenish my hopes
of an existence that lacks meaning,
a being that is of no essence.
to cut the ropes of time
and triumph,
to kill the weeds of hate
and grow,
to cool the sun of fate
and live to fight another day.
i write since i cant talk,
i remain silent
in my darkened room of hope.
i write since i cant share,
i clench my fist
in my island of optimism.
i write since i cant love,
i blind my feelings
in this universe fiklled with hate.
i write since am alive
breathing in my space,
of a world that knows no limits,
no bounds
and ultimacy.
to warm my freezing thoughts,
to cross my island of solitude,
tend my forest of dreams
stifled bt the weeds of hate.
look after my garden of desires
strangled by ropes of time.
water my pot of perpetual hope
scorched by the hot sun of fate.
i write to restore my love
of a world gone crazy
maddened by the hearts of men.
replenish my hopes
of an existence that lacks meaning,
a being that is of no essence.
to cut the ropes of time
and triumph,
to kill the weeds of hate
and grow,
to cool the sun of fate
and live to fight another day.
i write since i cant talk,
i remain silent
in my darkened room of hope.
i write since i cant share,
i clench my fist
in my island of optimism.
i write since i cant love,
i blind my feelings
in this universe fiklled with hate.
i write since am alive
breathing in my space,
of a world that knows no limits,
no bounds
and ultimacy.
I LONG FOR LOVE
i long for love,
pure, clean like a dove,
that would see me through
in the long days that are true
and the nights that are forever unknown.
that would quench my thirst
of the only thing i need first.
that would protect my passion
and clothe me in its changing fashion.
that would heal my ailing wounds
of a bleeding heart that is bound
with the choking ropes of desire.
that would rescue me from my drowning
in the raging waters of a river frowning
from a love denied.
that would hold my hand
when the taste of the world goes bland
and its joys blunt.
that would sit by me at noontime
and watch the sun till moontime.
that would guide me home.
to a burning fire that is warm
that calms the danderous monster of desire
and chokes the deadly weeds of solitude.
that would by me rest,
and make love in my nest
enjoying the chemistry that was best.
that would wake me up at dawn,
after a night that is long gone,
to look forward to a new day,
to keep worries at bay
and gleefully collect hay.
that would make me complete,
with the connection that is replete
to engulf my whole being.
pure, clean like a dove,
that would see me through
in the long days that are true
and the nights that are forever unknown.
that would quench my thirst
of the only thing i need first.
that would protect my passion
and clothe me in its changing fashion.
that would heal my ailing wounds
of a bleeding heart that is bound
with the choking ropes of desire.
that would rescue me from my drowning
in the raging waters of a river frowning
from a love denied.
that would hold my hand
when the taste of the world goes bland
and its joys blunt.
that would sit by me at noontime
and watch the sun till moontime.
that would guide me home.
to a burning fire that is warm
that calms the danderous monster of desire
and chokes the deadly weeds of solitude.
that would by me rest,
and make love in my nest
enjoying the chemistry that was best.
that would wake me up at dawn,
after a night that is long gone,
to look forward to a new day,
to keep worries at bay
and gleefully collect hay.
that would make me complete,
with the connection that is replete
to engulf my whole being.
RESCUE ME
who will rescue me from this prison,
of a life that lacks meaning,
of an existence that is hopeless,
of a being that is of no essence.
i walk miles and miles,
if only to find a better place,
to rest my heavy heart
and my down trodden soul.
what i find are bare lands,
drought ravaged plains,
and famine infested valleys,
of dreams scorched,
desires shattered.
i look ahead and see nothing,
i see no horizon of hope
no mirage of better days ahead.
i dare not look back,
for its filled with disappointment,
broken dreams
and lost opportunities.
i keep on trudging
with no desire at all,
i see people who fell by the way,
who could not stand the heat
who gave up
who said enough is enough.
i know that is not my fate,
to lie lifeless in my state.
my time is running out,
my curtain falling,
if somebody will not reach out
and rescue me from this prison.
of a life that lacks meaning,
of an existence that is hopeless,
of a being that is of no essence.
i walk miles and miles,
if only to find a better place,
to rest my heavy heart
and my down trodden soul.
what i find are bare lands,
drought ravaged plains,
and famine infested valleys,
of dreams scorched,
desires shattered.
i look ahead and see nothing,
i see no horizon of hope
no mirage of better days ahead.
i dare not look back,
for its filled with disappointment,
broken dreams
and lost opportunities.
i keep on trudging
with no desire at all,
i see people who fell by the way,
who could not stand the heat
who gave up
who said enough is enough.
i know that is not my fate,
to lie lifeless in my state.
my time is running out,
my curtain falling,
if somebody will not reach out
and rescue me from this prison.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
THE FLYING BIRD
Alone on my bed,
On a cold, cute morning,
Birds chirping away,
Signalling a hopeful new day
Radiant that another morning has arrived,
To hunt afresh
To collect hay
To bake in the sun
To make food
And to just fly away.
Alone on my bed
I ask myself.
What if i was a like bird,
No, what if i was a bird
To wake up early in the morning
And melodiously sing my lungs out,
Fly through the day
And perch at a nearby tree to rest,
Collect food enough for me,
And my young ones for only a day.
And not worry about tomorrow,
About the future
About destiny.
Would my life be any better?
On a cold, cute morning,
Birds chirping away,
Signalling a hopeful new day
Radiant that another morning has arrived,
To hunt afresh
To collect hay
To bake in the sun
To make food
And to just fly away.
Alone on my bed
I ask myself.
What if i was a like bird,
No, what if i was a bird
To wake up early in the morning
And melodiously sing my lungs out,
Fly through the day
And perch at a nearby tree to rest,
Collect food enough for me,
And my young ones for only a day.
And not worry about tomorrow,
About the future
About destiny.
Would my life be any better?
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