cont. Stories to live by

DAD'S BLESSINGS
(We often  miss blessings and answer from above, because they do not come as expect)

A young man about to graduate admired a beautiful sports car, and knowing that his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. On the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told hiim how proud he was of him, how much he loved him and handed him a beautifully bound bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily he raised his voice, "With all your money, you give me bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the bible. As the years passed, the young man was very successful himself with a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and decided to go and see him. He had not seen him since his graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram saying that his father had pass away, and willed all of his possessions to him. He needed to come home immediately  and take care of things. Sad with regret as he went through his father's papers, he saw the bible. As he turned the pages, a car key dropped. It had the tag of the car dealer's name with the words PAID IN FULL. Many a time we impose, the Lord disposes.

BIG ROCKS AND THE JAR
(Decide what you want, always have priorities in life.)

A high school teacher once demonstrated a concept to his students. He filled a jar of rocks and then asked if it was full. "Yes!" the class replied. Then he poured some gravel and let it settle between the rocks before pouring some sand into the jar. Again, he asked if the jar was full. "Yes!" they replied. After that, the teacher poured some water into the jar and asked again if it was full. When he finished, he asked the class what was the point of the demonstration. One student answered, "No matter how busy you are, we can always squeeze more things to our schedule. "No" replied the teacher, "The point is unless you place the big rocks first into the jar you are never going to get them in."

And in real life, what are the Big Rocks in your life? Spending time with your spouse, children, parents, taking seminars or classes to improve your career goals, plans or evaluate your progress. When you say you have no time, remember the story about the Big Rocks and the Jar! Always have priorities in life.

ROSE'S LEGACY
(Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional, it is never too late to learn.)

I had the privilge of meeting Rose in my college years. She stood out, as she was 87 years of age. Despite her age, she dreamt of having a college education. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. Despite her age, she blended in and was loved by everyone. At the end of the final semester at a banquet, Rose was invited to speak. In her speech, she shared this with us. " We do not stop palying because we old; we grow old because we stop playing. The secret to stay young, is being happy and achieving success."

"You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose it, you die. There are so many people walking around dead and don't even know it. Everyone grows older. That doens't need talent. But as we get older, we must always grow in wisdom. We shouldn't have regrets for what we did, but what we didn't do." She concluded, "Growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional."