Food for Thought
FOOD FOR THOUGHTS
From: Barbara Lualhati
Never welcome something you cannot entertain. Never open your doors if you mean
to close your heart. Never accept love if you can't give yourself in return.
Never start a relationship you know you want to end. Two of the shortest words
in the English language are "YES" and "NO" and yet they are often
the ones that require the most thought before they are said. Some thoughts are
better left unsaid, some feelings are better left kept to yourself, but love has
its way of expressing itself despite the silence. Always say you are sorry to
people you have wronged. Remember, it is not always what you say that hurts, but
the words that you don't. Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one
who can take his place. Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows
older. God didn't promise days
without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise
strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. Disappointments are
like road humps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road
afterwards. Don't stay on the humps too long. Move on! When you feel down because
you didn't get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God is
thinking of something better to give you. When something happens to you, good or
bad, consider what it means. There's a purpose to life's events, to teach you
how to laugh more or not to cry too hard. You can't make someone love you, all
you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to
realize your worth. Life is a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you
can spend it only once.
Five rules to be happy.
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
What the heart gives away is never gone... It is kept in the hearts of others.
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great
risks. Secure a special place in your heart. A certain place only you can enter. For
there will come a time when you need to find yourself and only your heart will
show you the way. The measure of love is when you love without measure. In life
there are very rare chances that you'll meet the person you love and loves you
in return. So once you have it don't ever let go, the chance might never come
your way again. People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. That's why
there's so much chaos in the world... people are being used and things are being
loved. You cannot finish a book without closing its chapters. If you want to go
on, then you have to leave the past as you turn the pages of
life. Every commitment is a choice. Non-choosers and half-choosers are a puzzle
to themselves and to others. They live in the immature condition of wanting to" play
everything by ear." Every once in a while ask yourself the question: If
money weren't a consideration, what would I like to be doing? It's
better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love
because of pride. We spend so much time looking for the right person to
love or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting
the love we give. When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults,
you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes. Instead, you fight the mistakes, you
accept the faults, and you overlook excuses
"THE PRESENT"
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the
air. You name them- work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping
all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.
If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls- family, health,
friends and spirit- are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will
be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will
never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in you
life. HOW?
*Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because
we are different that each of us is special.
*Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know
what is best for you.
*Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as
you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
*Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over
until the moment you stop trying.
*Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile
thread that binds us to each other.
*Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn
how to be brave.
*Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.- The
quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to
hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
*Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've
been, but also where you are going.
*Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
*Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can
always carry easily.
*Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.
*Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
*Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery and Today is a gift; that's why
we call it THE PRESENT.
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The story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having
fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad,
I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring
home with me."
"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."
"There's something you should know" the son continued, "He was
hurt pretty
badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg.
He has no where else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to
live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking.
Someone with
such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to
live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think
you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to
live on his own."
Shortly thereafter, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing
more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San
Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they
were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents
flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body
of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered
something they didn't know. Their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those
who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who
inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away
from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
From Rico Tingin
Shake It Off and Step Up
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell
into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' -or-
whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully
assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but
decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of
saving.
Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had
happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in
the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his
neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back ... a thought
struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load
of dirt landed on his back ... he should shake it off and step up!
This he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off
and step up!" He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how
painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old
mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking it off and
stepping up!
It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped
triumphantly over the wall of that well!
What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him . . . all
because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. It's the
same with LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them
positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or
self-pity...the adversities That come along to bury us usually have
within them the potential to Benefit and bless us! Remember that
forgiveness, faith, prayer, praise and hope...all are excellent ways
to "shake it off and step up," out of the wells in which we find
ourselves!
From Aries Castillo
ALWAYS HAVE A DREAM
Forget about the days when it's been cloudy,
but don't forget your hours in the sun.
Forget about the times you've been defeated,
but don't forget the victories you've won.
Forget about the mistakes that you can't change now,
but don't forget the lessons.
Forget about the misfortunes you've encountered,
but don't forget the times your luck has turned.
Forget about the days when you've been lonely,
but don't forget the friendly smiles you've seen...
Forget about the plans that didn't seem to work out
right,
but don't forget to always have a dream.