Lies !!!

“A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent."

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William Blake

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Lies My Mother Told

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"Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry"

I was born in a very poor family. Even for eating, we often lacked food. Whenever it was time for meals, my mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she would put her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry".

That was Mother's First Lie

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"Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish."

When I was growing up, my persevering mother gave her spare time for fishing in a river near our house. She hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a little bit of extra nutrients for my growth. After fishing, she would cook the fish and make fresh fish soups to raise my appetite. While I drank the soup, my mother would sit besides me and eat the remaining flesh stuck to the bones of the fish I ate. My heart was touched when I saw that. I would use my chopstick and give the other fish to her. But she immediately refused it and would say "Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish."

That was Mother's Second Lie

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"Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired."

When I was in Junior High School, to fund my studies, my mother worked in an economic enterprise and brought back boxes of used matches that still had some match-sticks stuck to them. This gave her some extra money to cover our daily needs. Even during the winters, whenever I woke up in the middle of the night, I would see my mother working, supported by a little candlelight, trying to gather as many match-sticks she could from match boxes she got. In a sleepish voice I would say, "Mother, go to sleep, it's late, tomorrow morning you still have to go for work." My mother would smile and say "Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired."

That was Mother's Third Lie

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"Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!"

For my final term examinations, mother asked for a leave from her work so she could accompany me and be my support. Morning turned to afternoon and with it, came the heat of the sun right above her head. The heat was so strong that it could burn a person's skin but my strong and persevering mother waited for me under the heat of the sun for several hours. When the bell rang, indicating that the final exam were finished, my mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a glass of cold tea which she had prepared and brought along in a cold bottle. The tea was thick but not as thick as my mother's love, which was much thicker. Seeing my mother covered with perspiration, I gave her the glass of tea and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!".

That was Mother's Fourth Lie

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"I don't need love."

After my father's death, my poor mother had to play the role as a single parent. By holding on to her former job, she now had to fund our needs alone. Our family life became more complicated. There wasn't a day without suffering. Seeing our family's condition getting worse, a nice uncle, who lived near my house, came to our help. He would help us in all our problems big or small. Our neighbors, who saw that our family's life was so unfortunate, advised my mother to marry again. But my mother, who was stubborn, didn't care about their advice, she would say, "I don't need love."

That was Mother's Fifth Lie

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"I have enough money."

After I finished my studies and got a job, I thought it was time for my old mother to retire, but she didn't want to. She would sincerely to go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetables to fulfill her daily needs. I started working in another city, and would accasionally send her some money to help her with her daily needs, but she was stubborn and would not accept the money I sent. She would send the money back to me saying "I have enough money."

That was Mother's Sixth Lie

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"I'm not used to this place."

After getting a Bachelor Degree, I continued my studies to get the Masters. I earned my Masters' degree from a famous University in America, through a scholarship program funded by a company. I finally went to work in that company with a high salary. I wanted my mother to come and stay with me and enjoy the life in America, but my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son, she said to me "I'm not used to this place."

That was Mother's Seventh Lie.

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"Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain."

My mother was now getting old, and to top that my mother got a flank cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived miles away across the ocean, came home to visit my dearest mother. She lay in weakness on her bed after having an operation. Mother, who looked so old, stared into my eyes with all the love she had. She tried to spread a smile on her face even with the disease that tried to hold her back. I could see how the disease had broken my mother's body, but not her will or love. And though she had become weak and thin from outside, she was still very strong within. I stared at my mother with tears flowing down my cheeks. My heart was hurt, so hurt, seeing my mother in that condition, but mother, with her strength, said "Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain."

That was Mother's Eight Lie

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That was the last lie my mother said to me and closed her eyes forever!

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I read this article while surfing the net this morning and it touched my heart. I think this was written by someone from China or Korea. I have done a little editing with the spellings and the grammar of the original article, I hope the rightful owner will not hold it against me. I have also added the quote at the top of the article and would like to end it with another quote from a Spanish Proverb.

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"An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest."

Anger !!!

"Being angered is the greatest defeat to a human being."

.Kazi Shams

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My brother and I caused my mother a lot of grief while we were growing up. Our parents loved us, but when our mother became upset, she would lose her temper and yell at us in a high-pitched voice.

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Eventually my brother and I grew up, married, and had familes of our own. My family visited our parents two or three times a year, and my mother was always patient and understanding. She never lost her temper or yelled at me anymore.

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Then during one of our visits, when I bathed my two little daughters, quite a bit of water splashed on the floor. I dried the girls, dressed them for bed, and sent them out of the bathroom so I could clean up. Just as I was wiping up the floor with one of the towels I had used to dry the girls, my mom came into the bathroom and immediately lost her self-control.

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"What are you doing?" she yelled. "You don't use my towels for wiping the floor! That's what the mop is for!"

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I looked up at her in shocked surprise. She marched out, returned with a mop, and shooed me out of her way while she did things the right way.

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Later she came to me with a sheepish look on her face. In a controlled, reflective tone she apologized, "I'm sorry, I thought I had gained the victory over my temper and yelling at you kids. But I learned something about myself tonight. I didn't really gain the victory. When you kids left, the irritant just went away. Because there was no one around to upset me, I had no one to lose my temper with or to yell at, so I thought I had gained the victory."

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That was a good lesson for me, too.

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"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

Because of my sinful nature, I'll always have to be on guard, or the devil will catch me when I least expect it.

.Sanita Booth

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Do you have control over your anger, or are you one, who is easily angered, just like me?

Wisdom !!!

"Sow a thought reap an action, Sow an action reap a habit, Sow a habit reap a character, Sow a character reap a destiny."

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Charles Reade

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Wisdom is the ability to perceive or determine what is good, true or sound. It is manifested through common sense or sound judgement. To be wise is to have that ability.

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There are specific components of character, which collectively can be called the seven pillars of wisdom, and these are necessary to make one complete and well-balanced. These seven components come out the basic attributes that mould or shape character. They come out of the attributes of confidence, self-control, patience, diligence, steadfastness, kindness, humility, gentleness, peacefulness, compassion and love.

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Through constant practice we can actually reprogramme the mind. We begins with the re-engineering of the thought processes by first becoming conscious of our own thoughts. We can then consciously accept or reject a particular thought process. By constantly accepting or rejecting particular thought processes we can alter our behaviour, we can acquire new habits and we can therefore change our character.

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To achieve success in the training programme means that every effort is made in practicing these attributes until they become inbred habits and the seven pillars that we erected are held together by love.

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You all might now be wondering what are these 'Seven Pillars'?

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The Seven Pillars

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Honour

Honour can be high respect or glory. It comes from a good name or reputation, through strong adherence to what is right.

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Responsibility

Responsibility is the component of character that makes one faithful to obligations, trustworthy and reliable. It is the ability to act independently and make decisions rationally.

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Justice

Justice or fairness is the quality of conforming to standards of what is fair, truthful, and morally upright.

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Courage

Courage is the quality enabling one to face danger or difficulties without fear; it manifests itself as bravery and boldness.

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Determination

Determination is the act of reaching a decision. It is the ascertainment after consideration, observation, investigation or calculation. It is also settlement on a course of action or the fixing of purpose.

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Honesty

Honesty is the state or quality of displaying truthfulness, fairness, as in character. It is dependent on one’s ability to accurately describe or define reality.

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Integrity

Integrity is moral uprightness. It is the state, quality, or condition of being complete or whole.

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Let me end this article with a quote from the book of Proverbs

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"Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars."

Crossroad !!!

"If your life is ever going to get better, you'll have to take risks. There is simply no way you can grow without taking chances."

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David Viscott

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..One sunny day a caterpillar who was afraid of the dark came to a tunnel which lay squarely in its path. It had a choice of going back where it started, or summoning the courage to crawl into the darkness.

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"What shall I do?" wondered the caterpillar. "If I go back home, I won't get where I want to go, but I'm so afraid!"

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Just then, a voice called out from the tunnel. "I can hear you, Mr. Caterpillar. I am Mr. Beetle. I am here in the tunnel and I can see the other end. If you come through, you won't lose your fear of the dark, but you will get where you want to go."

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We are all like the caterpillar once in a while. But if we let our fear stop us from doing things which are necessary to our growth, we will never realize what courage we really have.

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What do you do when you come to such a cross-road?

Diligence !!!

"He who labors diligently need never despair."

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Menander

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A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

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This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.

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A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.
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The young man slept soundly.

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The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.

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The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.

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The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

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Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace.

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Are you like the farmhand that sleeps soundly when the storm is around?

Or

Are you like the farmer, who is awaken by the smallest sound?

Flaws !!!

"Show me a person without flaws and I shall show you God"

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AlySS

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A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

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For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it was made to do.

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After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

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"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.

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"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

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"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

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The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

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Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

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The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

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Each of us have our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in you!

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Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

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Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!

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Or as I like to think of it:

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If it hadn't been for the crackpots in my life, it would have been pretty boring and not so interesting.

Forgiveness !!!

“Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend."

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Jewel

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Nine year old Bess Lyn Sannino was angry to find her house had been burglarized. Seventeen dollars in allowance money, her Valentine's Day candy, and a tape player were gone. The front door had been pelted with raw eggs. She felt sure the burglars were several young teenagers from her neighborhood who'd earlier sprayed graffiti on the garage.

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Her mother, a Quaker, had doubts about calling the police. She called the father of one of the young suspects, who encouraged her to work with police to help this become a lesson for the teens.

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A compassionate police officer took a week to locate the parents of all four suspects. One mother worked two jobs and wasn't home until after 11 pm. A father had been hospitalized for erratic, potentially violent behavior. These were stressed, troubled families.

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In the conversations that followed, all the parents and the police officer agreed that no permanent record of the incident would be kept if the offenders would make up for their crime in more meaningful ways. In addition to curfews and other restrictions, creative forms of restitution were agreed to. One of the perpetrators wrote an essay on integrity and came to the house to read it to Bess. Others came and cleaned off the front door, did yard work and chores around the house. Everything that was taken was returned.

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But Bess found she needed healing on a deeper level. With her mother's support, Bess hosted a Forgiveness Party for the young people who'd broken into her house. She made a piñata and decorated her house and yard. There was lots of music coming from the formerly stolen tape player. Not only did the young people come, so did their parents and siblings. It became quite a celebration. Anger and shame were transformed into joy and community. Healing happened for everyone.

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Bess related this story in a very matter-of-fact tone. To her, it seemed like the most ordinary thing, to throw a party for people who came uninvited into her home to vandalize and steal from her. She was surprised that so many adults were impressed by her idea.

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What do you think ?

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After the party would these youngsters have a bad feeling for the girl?

I know they came and appologized and did whatever they were asked to do ... but did that come from their heart?

But when the girl organised the "Forgiveness Party", that sure did reduce the hard feelings and shame these youngsters were having in their mind ... that's what I think.

Did she win a few more friends I can't guarantee, but one thing is for sure she didn't get an extra enemy that day.

Destiny !!!

"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control."

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Albert Einstein

Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of his followers very much because he was very wise and always gave very useful advice. Therefore the king took him along wherever he went.

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One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was injured and the wound was getting worse. He asked the follower if that was a bad sign.

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The follower said, "Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control, but what God does, its for our best."

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In the end, the finger of the king was so bad that it had to be cut. The king asked the follower again if that was a bad sign.

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Again, the follower gave the same answer, "Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control, but what God does, its for our best."

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The king became very angry and sent the follower to prison. But before he asked the guards to take him, he asked yet once again, if his going to the prision was a bad sign?

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The follower bowed and gave the same reply, "Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control, but what God does, its for our best."

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One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got so engrossed on the chase of a deer, that he went deeper and deeper inside the jungle and got lost. To make thing worse, he got captured by the native people that lived inside the jungle. The natives wanted to sacrifice him to their god, but when they noticed that the king had one finger short, they released him immediately as the was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for sacrifice.

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The king managed to get back to his palace somehow, and thats when he finally understood the follower's wise quote, "Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control, but what God does, its for our best." He thinks out loud, if I hadn't lost one finger, I could have been killed by the native people.

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The kind immediately ordered to release the follower, and apologized to him. But to the king's amazement, the follower was not one bit mad at him. Instead, the follower said, "It wasn't a bad thing that you locked me up."

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"Why?" asked the king.

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"Because if your majesty hadn't locked me up, I would have followed you into the jungle. And after the native's had found that you were not suitable, they would have used me as their sacrifice. Again, Oh king I repeat, everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control, what God does, it for our best."

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Remember

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Everything that happens in this world, there is no absolute good or bad. Sometimes things that seemed to be bad at face value, eventually turn out to be good.

Whatever good things that happen to you, enjoy it, but don't have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a gift in your life and be thankful to the God - Almighty.

Whatever bad things that happen to you, don't feel too sad or despaired about it, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all, infact in might be a blessing in disguise.

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If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier.

Patience !!!

"The principle part of faith is patience"

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George MacDonald

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When the idea is not right God says, "NO".
No - when the idea is not the best.
No - when the idea is absolutely wrong.
No - when though it may help you, it could create problems for someone else.

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When the time is not right, God says, "SLOW"
What a catastrophe it would be if God answered every prayer at a snap of your fingers.

Do you know what would happen?
God would become your servant, not your master.

Suddenly God would be working for you instead of you working for Him.

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When you are not right, God says, "GROW".
The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.
The cautious person must grow courage.
The timid person must grow in confidence.
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.
The critical person must grow in tolerance.
The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure-seeking person must grow in compassion
for suffering people.

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When everything is all right, God says "GO".
Then miracles happen :
A hopeless alcoholic is set free!
A drug addict finds release!
A doubter becomes a child in his belief.
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.
The door to your dream suddenly swings open and there
stands God saying "Go"

"Go .. My Child Go"

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Let me illustrate:

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You are in a boat.

You approach the shore.

You throw the anchor out until it digs into the sand.

You take hold of the anchor rope and pull on it until your boat slides onto the sandy beach.

What have you done?

You have not moved the shore to the boat.

You have moved the boat to the shore.

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This is the way God answers prayer.

The purpose of prayer is not to give you what you want, when you want it.

But the purpose of prayer is to turn you into the kind of person God wants you to be so he can answer your prayer in the way it needs to be answered.

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God answers prayer always in one of four ways:

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When the conditions are not right, God says, "No".

When the time is not right, God says, "Slow".

When we are not right, God says, "Grow".

When everythng is right, God says, "Go".

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God does not advertise an 'Instant Prayer Answering Service".

Nowhere can you find that God will do anything you ask Him to do when you snap your finger or when you make your verbal demand.

But when everything is right - the conditions, the time, you yourself, and all else - then the answer is 'Yes'.

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God maintains control in the area of why and the when.

God never explains why and God never promises when.

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Always Remember:

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His delays are not denials.

His timing is perfect.

Patience is what we need in our prayer.

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Some people don't suffer from doubt as much as they suffer from impatience.

Fate !!!

A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.

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Jean de La Fontaine

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There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions.

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A little while later, the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, "Master, just now when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was 'death' that jostled me".

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"She looked at me and made a threatening gesture," he continued, "Master, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there 'death' will not find me".

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The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went.

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Then the merchant went down to the market-place and he saw 'death' standing in the crowd.

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He came to 'death' and said, "Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?"

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"That was not a threatening gesture," 'death' said, "it was only a start of my surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra".

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Do you think you can alter what's written in your fate?

Criticism !!!

"If you listen to correction to improve your life, you will live among the wise. Those who refuse correction hate themselves, but those who accept correction gain understanding."

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Proverbs 15:31-32

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Winston Churchill exemplified integrity and respect in the face of opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony. Several rows behind him two gentlemen began whispering. "That's Winston Churchill." "They say he is getting senile." "They say he should step aside and leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men."

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When the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, "Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf!"

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Criticism

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Nobody enjoys being criticized, even if it's done in a kind, loving way. But it's even more difficult to accept when the criticism is harsh or unfair. The fact is, however, that we all find ourselves from time to time in a position of being unfairly criticized.

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Criticism -- even destructive criticism -- may serve a useful purpose. We need to listen to it and, if possible, profit by it. We ought to be humble enough to recognize that some criticisms are justly deserved. Even when critics are unkind and when they exaggerate our failures, there may still be some truth in what they say.

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So, when faced with criticism, we need to look at the situation honestly and ask these questions: Is it true? If so, how can I overcome the condition that caused it? If not, is there something I can do to eliminate future criticism of the same type?

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It was reported to Abraham Lincoln once that one of his cabinet members had called him a fool. Having verified the fact that Mr. Stanton had indeed referred to him in this manner, Lincoln said, "Mr Stanton is a wise man. If he said I am a fool, then I had better look into the matter."

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It has been said, "We learn much from the disagreeable things people say, for they make us think, whereas the good things only make us glad."

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Criticism should be a stepping stone to spiritual growth! It's an opportunity to learn what we're doing wrong and what we need to correct. It provides us with the motivation we need to change and mature.

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How do you take criticism?

Gossiping !!!

Before you repeat a story, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary? If not, do not repeat it. Keep quiet.

Great minds discuss ideas - Average minds discuss events - Shallow minds discuss people.

Which are you?

Ann Landers

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Phiosopher Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day he came upon anacquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"

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"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

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"Triple filter?"

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"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

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"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."

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"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

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"No, on the contrary..."

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"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?"

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The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

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Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

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"No, not really"

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Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

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The man was defeated and ashamed. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

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Don't you think we should keep this philosophy in mind the next time we either hear, or are about to repeat a rumor?

Contentment !!!

Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man's happiness really lies in contentment.

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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Some time ago, there lived a King. This king should have been contented with his life, given all the riches and luxuries he had. However, this was not the case! The King always found himself wondering why he just never seemed content with his life.

Sure, he had the attention of everyone wherever he went, attended fancy dinners and parties, but somehow, he still felt something was lacking and he couldn't put his finger on it.

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One day, the King had woken up earlier than usual to stroll around his palace. He entered his huge living room and came to a stop when he heard someone happily singing away... following this singing... he saw that one of the servants was singing and had a very contented look on his face. This fascinated the King and he summoned this man to his chambers.

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The man entered the King's chambers as ordered. The King asked why he was so happy?

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To this the man replied: "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but I make enough of a living to keep my wife and children happy. We don't need too much, a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummy. My wife and children are my inspiration, they are content with whatever little I bring home. I am happy because my family is happy."

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Hearing this, the King dismissed the servant and summoned his Personal Assistant to his chambers.

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The King related his personal anguish about his feelings and then related the story of the servant to his Personal Assistant, hoping that somehow, he will be able to come up with some reasoning that here was a King who could have anything he wished for at a snap of his fingers and yet was not contented, whereas, his servant, having so little was extremely contented.

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The Personal Assistant listened attentively and came to a conclusion. He said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

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"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.

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To which the Assistant replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, you will have to do the following... place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep, you will then understand what The 99 Club is."

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That very same evening, the King arranged for 99 Gold coins to be placed in a bag at the servant's doorstep. Although he was slightly hesitant and he thought he should have put 100 Gold coins into the bag, but since his assistant had advised him to put 99 that is what he did.

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The servant was just stepping out of his house when he saw a bag at his doorstep. Wondering about its contents, he took it into his house and opened the bag. When he opened the bag, he let out a great big shout of joy...Gold Coins... so many of them. He could hardly believe it. He called his wife to show her the coins.

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He then took the bag to a table and emptied it out and began to count the coins. Doing so, he realized that there were 99 coins and he thought it was an odd number so he counted again, and again and again only to come to the same conclusion... 99 Gold Coins.

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He began to wonder, what could have happened to that last 1 coin? For no one would leave 99 coins. He began to search his entire house, looked around his backyard for hours, not wanting to lose out on that one coin. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to make up for that 1 Gold coin to make his entire collection an even 100 Gold Coins.

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He got up the next morning, in an extremely horrible mood, shouting at the children and his wife for his delay, not realizing that he had spent most of the night conjuring ways of working hard so that he had enough money to buy himself that gold coin. He went to work as usual - but not in his usual best mood, singing happily - as he grumpily did his daily errands.

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Seeing the man's attitude change so drastically, the King was puzzled. He promptly summoned his assistant to his chambers. The King related his thoughts about the servant and once again, his assistant listened. The King could not believe that the servant who until yesterday had been singing away and was happy and content with his life had taken a sudden change of attitude, even though he should have been happier after receiving the gold coins.

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To this the assistant replied "Ah! But your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club." He explained: "The 99 Club is just a name given to those people who have everything but yet are never contented, therefore they are always working hard and striving for that extra 1 to round it out to 100!

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We have so much to be thankful for and we can live with very little in our lives, but the minute we are given something bigger and better, we want even more!

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We are not the same happy contented person we used to be, we want more and more and by wanting more and more we don't realize the price we pay for it.

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We lose our sleep, our happiness; we hurt the people around us just as a price to pay for our growing needs and desires.

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That is what joining The 99 Club is all about."

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Hearing this the King decided that from that day onwards, he was going to start appreciating all the little things in life.

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Striving for more is always good, but let's not strive so hard and for so much that we lose all those near and dear to our hearts, we shouldn't compromise our happiness for moments of luxuries!

Generosity !!!

I found this in a 'Jokes' section.

But after reading it, I think aside from the humorous side of this article, there is a great thought behind it.

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There was this $20 dollar bill and a $1 dollar bill on the conveyor belt at the downtown Federal Reserve Building. As they were lying there side by side, the $1 dollar bill said to the $20 dollar bill, "Hey mannnnnn, where have you been? I haven't seen you in a long time."

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The $20 dollar bill replied, "Man I have been having a ball!! I been traveling to distant countries, going to the finest restaurants, to the biggest and best casinos, numerous boutiques, the mall uptown, the mall downtown, the mall across town and even a mall that I just newly built. In fact, just this week I've been to Europe, a professional NBA game, Rodeo Drive, the all day retreat spa, the top-notch hair salon and the new casino!! I have done it all!!! "

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After describing his great travels, the $20 dollar bill asked the $1 dollar bill, " What about you? Where have you been?"

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The $1 dollar replied, "Well, I've been to the Baptist church, the Methodist church, the Presbyterian church, the Episcopalian church, the Church of God in Christ, the Catholic church, the Mormon church, the church of the Latter Day Saints, the A.M.E. church, the Disciple of Christ church, the..."

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"WAIT A MINUTE! WAIT A MINUTE!!", shouted the $20 dollar bill to the $1 dollar bill. "What's a church??"

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I would love to see your honest views.We all go to a place of worship be it a Temple, Mosque, Gurudwara or a Church and as is customary in each religion we all place an amount on the altar, when we bow to pray.What do you dig for in your pocket, the smallest bill or otherwise?

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I wouldn't like to be a hypocrite and vote the other way, but I am one who looks for a small bill, but after reading this article I am ashamed and hope it will help me to change my ways. I hope this article is as helpful to all who are like me.

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GENEROSITY !!!

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Isn't the appropriate heading, let me know what is.