100
Moral Stories
Part - 1
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IN THE NAME OF
ALLAH THE MOST BENEFICENT
AND MERCIFUL
As Salamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barkatahu,
I am thankful to Allah for giving me the opportunity to compile many of my favorite Moral Stories, in the form of an electronic book, which I had collected from various resources, since last few years. Even though many of these stories are fictional in nature, but at the end they will give a great lesson to learn for a lifetime.
As the reader can himself see from these stories, the subject “Moral” is universal to every human being. Hence these stories are not just for any particular sect or the followers of particular faith, it is for the entire humanity, irrespective of there belief, culture, race, color or age.
Dear friends, when it comes to help the Religion of Allah, do not think that others will take care of it. Rather, it starts from you, if you don’t do it, no one else will do it. So, change yourself to the way of Allah to serve Him and that will make the difference.
With this I will end my little introduction and pray that May Almighty Allah accept it. So that we may all benefit from these stories.
Wassalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmutallahi Wa Barkatahu
Akramulla Syed,
Islamic Occasions Network
www.islamicoccasions.com
Dated : Sunday, March 20, 2005
List of Contents
A POND FULL OF MILK
DON'T CHANGE THE WORLD
THE TRAVELERS AND THE TREE
LEARN FROM MISTAKES
THE BOY WHO CRIED 'WOLF'
THE FARMER AND THE STORK
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
THE ANT AND THE DOVE
THE MONKEY AND THE DOLPHIN
THE FOX AND THE STORK
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
THE THIRSTY CROW
THE MILKMAID
PARABLE OF THE PENCIL
THE BOY AND THE APPLE TREE
THE ANGEL
THE DEVOTED MOTHER
MENTALLY RETARDED !
PAID IN FULL
BEAUTIFUL GIFT !
WHAT IS A FAMILY ?
TRUE WEALTH
A HOLE IN THE FENCE
GRANDPA’S TABLE
1 - A POND FULL OF MILK
Once there was a king who told some of his workers to dig a pond. Once the pond was dug, the king made an announcement to his people saying that one person from each household has to bring a glass of milk during the night and pour it into the pond. So, the pond should be full of milk by the morning. After receiving the order, everyone went home.
One man prepared to take the milk during the night. He thought that since everyone will bring milk, he could just hide a glass of water and pour inside the pond. Because it will be dark at night, no one will notice. So he quickly went and poured the water in the pond and came back. In the morning, the king came to visit the pond and to his surprise the pond was only filled with water! What has happened is that everyone was thinking like the other man that “I don't have to put the milk, someone else will do it.”
2 - DON'T CHANGE THE WORLD
Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather.
Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.
Then one of his wise servants dared himself to tell the king, “Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet?”
The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a “shoe” for himself.
There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story: to make this world a happy place to live, you better change yourself - your heart; and not the world.
3 - THE TRAVELERS AND THE PLANE TREE
Two men were walking along one summer day. Soon it became too hot to go any further and, seeing a large plane tree nearby, they threw themselves on the ground to rest in its shade.
Gazing up into the branches one man said to the other : “What a useless tree this is. It does not have fruit or nuts that we can eat and we cannot even use its wood for anything.”
“Don’t be so ungrateful,” rustled the tree in reply.
“I am being extremely useful to you at this very moment, shielding you from the hot sun. And you call me a good-for-nothing!”
All of God’s creations have a good purpose. Islam teaches us that we should never belittle Allah’s blessings.
4 - LEARN FROM MISTAKES
Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, “All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing.”
Edison replied very confidently, “Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We now know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.”
5 - THE BOY WHO CRIED 'WOLF'
Once there was a shepherd boy who had to look after a flock of sheep. One day, he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the villagers. He shouted, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!”
The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to help the shepherd boy. When they reached him, they asked, “Where is the wolf?”
The shepherd boy laughed loudly, “Ha, Ha, Ha! I fooled all of you. I was only playing a trick on you.”
A few days later, the shepherd boy played this trick again.
Again he cried, “Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers rushed up the hill to help him and again they found that boy had tricked them. They were very angry with him for being so naughty.
Then, some time later, a wolf went into the field. The wolf attacked one sheep, and then another and another. The shepherd boy ran towards the village shouting, “Help! Help! Wolf! Help! Somebody!”
The villagers heard his cries but they laughed because they thought it was another trick. The boy ran to the nearest villager and said, “A wolf is attacking the sheep. I lied before, but this time it is true!”
Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see the wolf running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass.
We may not believe someone who often tells lies, even when he tells the truth.
6 - THE FARMER AND THE STORK
Finding that cranes were destroying his newly sown corn, a farmer one evening set a net in his field to catch the destructive birds. When he went to examine the net next morning he found a number of cranes and also a stork.
“Release me, I beseech you,” cried the stork, “for I have eaten none of your corn, nor have I done you any harm. I am a poor innocent stork, as you may see - a most dutiful bird, I honor my father and mother. I...”
But the farmer cut him short. “All this may be true enough, I dare say, but I have caught you with those were destroying my crops, and you must suffer with the company in which you are found.”
People are judged by the company they keep.
7 - THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
A tortoise one day met a hare who made fun of her. “My, my, you move so slowly, you will never get far!”
The tortoises, upset by the hare’s manner, said, “Let’s have a race and see who is faster.”
The hare laughed and said, “You must be joking! But all right, we’ll see who reaches the other side of the hill first.” Off he ran, leaving the tortoise far behind.
After a while, the hare stopped to wait for the tortoise to come long. He waited and waited till he felt sleepy. “I might as well take a nap,”
he thought. “Even if she catches up with me, I can easily win the race.” So he lay down under a shady tree and closed his eyes. When the tortoise passed the sleeping hare, she walked on slowly but steadily. By the time the hare woke up, the tortoise was near the finishing line. He ran as fast as he could, but he could not catch up with the tortoise.
Slow and steady can win the race.
8 - THE ANT AND THE DOVE
One hot day, an ant was searching for some water. After walking around for some time, she came to a spring.
To reach the spring, she had to climb up a blade of grass. While making her way up, she slipped and fell into the water. She could have drowned if a dove up a nearby tree had not seen her. Seeing that the ant was in trouble, the dove quickly plucked off a leaf and dropped it into the water near the struggling ant. The ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up there. Soon it carried her safely to dry ground.
Just at that time, a hunter nearby was throwing out his net towards the dove, hoping to trap it. Guessing what he was about to do, the ant quickly bit him on the heel. Feeling the pain, the hunter dropped his net. The dove was quick to fly away to safety.
One good turn deserves another.
9 - THE MONKEY AND THE DOLPHIN
One day long ago, some sailors set out to sea in their sailing ship. One of them brought his pet monkey along for the long journey.
When they were far out at sea, a terrible storm overturned their ship. Everyone fell into the sea, and the monkey was sure that he would drown. Suddenly a dolphin appeared and picked him up.
They soon reached the island and the monkey came down from the dolphin’s back. The dolphin asked the monkey, “Do you know this place?”
The monkey replied, “Yes, I do. In fact, the king of the island is my best friend. Do you know that I am actually a prince?”
Knowing that no one lived on the island, the dolphin said, “Well, well, so you are a prince! Now you can be a king!”
The monkey asked, “How can I be a king?”
As the dolphin started swimming away, he answered, “That is easy. As you are the only creature on this island, you will naturally be the king!”
Those who lie and boast may end up in trouble.
10 - THE FOX AND THE STORK
A selfish fox once invited a stork to dinner at his home in a hollow tree. That evening, the stork flew to the fox’s home and knocked on the door with her long beak. The fox opened the door and said, “Please come in and share my food.”
The stork was invited to sit down at the table. She was very hungry and the food smelled delicious! The fox served soup in shallow bowls and he licked up all his soup very quickly. However, the stork could not have any of it as the bowl was too shallow for her long beak. The poor stork just smiled politely and stayed hungry.
The selfish fox asked, “Stork, why haven’t you taken your soup? Don’t you like it?”
The stork replied, “It was very kind of you to invite me for dinner. Tomorrow evening, please join me for dinner at my home.”
The next day, when the fox arrived at the stork’s home, he saw that they were also having soup for dinner. This time the soup was served in tall jugs. The stork drank the soup easily but the fox could not reach inside the tall jug. This time it was his turn to go hungry.
A selfish act can backfire on you.
11 - THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
A lamb was grazing with a flock of sheep one day. She soon found some sweet grass at the edge of the field. Farther and farther she went, away from the others.
She was enjoying herself so much that she did not notice a wolf coming nearer to her. However, when it pounced on her, she was quick to start pleading, “Please, please don’t eat me yet. My stomach is full of grass. If you wait a while, I will taste much better.”
The wolf thought that was a good idea, so he sat down and waited.
After a while, the lamb said, “If you allow me to dance, the grass in my stomach will be digested faster.” Again the wolf agreed.
While the lamb was dancing, she had a new idea. She said, “Please take the bell from around my neck. If you ring it as hard as you can, I will be able to dance even faster.”
The wolf took the bell and rang it as hard as he could. The shepherd heard the bell ringing and quickly sent his dogs to find the missing lamb. The barking dogs frightened the wolf away and saved the lamb’s life.
The gentle and weak can sometimes be cleverer than fierce and strong.
12 - THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
It was a sunny day and fox was walking across the fields. Soon he came to a vineyard. As he came nearer, he could see some bunches of juicy grapes. The fox looked carefully around him. He had to make sure that he was safe from the hunters. He decided to steal some before anyone came along.
He jumped upwards but he could not reach the grapes. He jumped again as high as he could. He still could not reach them. The grapes were just too high for him!
He was not ready to give up. He backed off, took some running steps and leapt into the air towards the grapes. Again he failed to reach them.
It was getting dark, and he was getting angry. His legs hurt with all that running and jumping. At last he stopped trying.
As he walked away, he said to himself, “I don’t really want those grapes. I’m sure they are too sour to eat.”
Sometimes when we cannot get what we want,
we pretend that it is not worth having.
13 - THE THIRSTY CROW
One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For a long time, she could not find any. She felt very weak, almost giving up hope.
Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down to see if there was any water inside. Yes, she could see some water inside the jug!
The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then she tried to push the jug down for the water to flow out. She found that the jug was too heavy.
The crow thought hard for a while. Then looking around her, she saw some pebbles. She suddenly had a good idea. She started picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug.
As more and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it was high enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had worked!
If you try hard enough, you may soon find an answer to your problem.
14 - THE MILKMAID
A milkmaid was on her way to the market to sell some milk from her cow. As she carried the large jug of milk on top of her head, she began to dream of all the things she could do after selling the milk.
“With that money, I’ll buy a hundred chicks to rear in my backyard. When they are fully grown. I can sell them at a good price at the market.”
As she walked on, she continued dreaming, “Then I’ll buy two young goats and rear them on the grass close by. When they are fully grown, I can sell them at an even better price!”
Still dreaming, she said to herself, “Soon, I’ll be able to buy another cow, and I will have more milk to sell. Then I shall have even more money...”
With these happy thoughts, she began to skip and jump. Suddenly she tripped and fell. The jug broke and all the milk spilt onto the ground.
No more dreaming now, she sat down and cried.
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
15 - PARABLE OF THE PENCIL
The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.
“There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.”
One: “You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.”
Two: “You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.”
Three: “You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”
Four: “The most important part of you will always be what's inside.”
And Five: “On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart. Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
One: “You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s
hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.”
Two: “You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you’ll need it to become a stronger person.”
Three: “You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”
Four: “The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside.”
And Five: “On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.”
Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.
Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that
your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.
16 - THE BOY AND THE APPLE TREE
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, and took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by, the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. “Come and play with me”, the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more” the boy replied. “I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.”
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited.
“Come and play with me” the tree said.
“I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”
“Sorry, but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” said the man.
“Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.”
So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the man returned after many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you”, the tree said. “No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite” the man replied.
“No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now” the man said. “I really cannot give you anything, the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with tears. “I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years,” the man replied.
“Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come sit down with me and rest.”
The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.
This is a story of everyone. The tree is like our parents. When we were young, we loved to play with our Mum and Dad. When we grow up, we leave them; only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could just to make you happy.
You may think the boy is cruel to the tree, but that is how all of us treat our parents. We take them for granted; we don’t appreciate all they do for us, until it’s too late. Wallahi, May Allah forgives us of our shortcomings and may He guide us.
17 - THE ANGEL
Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. One day the child asked God, “They tell me you are going to send me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?” God replied, “Among the many angels I have chosen one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you.”
Said child, “But tell me here in Heaven I don’t do anything else but sing and smile. That’s what I need to be happy!” God replied, “Your angel will sing for you every day. And you will feel your angel’s love and be happy.”
And, said the child, “How am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t know the language that men talk?” “That’s easy”, God said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.” The child looked up at God saying, “And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?” God smiled at the child saying, “Your angel will teach you how to pray.”
The child said, “I’ve heard on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?” God replied, “Your angel will defend you, even if it means risking life!” The child looked sad, saying, “But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.” God replied, “Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.”
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard.
The child in a hurry, asked softly, “Oh God, if I am about to leave now please tell me my angel’s name!” God replied, Your angel’s name is of no importance… you will simply call her
MOTHER!
18 - THE DEVOTED MOTHER
A mother duck and her little ducklings were on their way to the lake one day. The ducklings were very happy following their mother and quack-quacking along the way. All of a sudden the mother duck saw a fox in the distance.
She was frightened and shouted, “Children, hurry to the lake. There’s a fox!”
The ducklings hurried towards the lake. The mother duck wondered what to do. She began to walk back and forth dragging one wing on the ground.
When the fox saw her he became happy. He said to himself, “It seems that she’s hurt and can’t fly! I can easily catch and eat her!” Then he ran towards her.
The mother duck ran, leading the fox away from the lake. The fox followed her. Now he wouldn’t be able to harm her ducklings. The mother duck looked towards her ducklings and saw that they had reached the lake. She was relieved, so she stopped and took a deep breath.
The fox thought she was tired and he came closer, but the mother duck quickly spread her wings and rose up in the air. She landed in the middle of the lake and her ducklings swam to her. The fox stared in disbelief at the mother duck and her ducklings. He could not reach them because they were in the middle of the lake.
Dear children, some birds drag one of their wings on the ground when an enemy is
going to attack. In this way they fool their enemies into thinking they are hurt. When
the enemy follows them this gives their children time to escape.
19 - MENTALLY RETARDED!
A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back.....every one of them.
One girl with Down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.” Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.
Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more
than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it
means slowing down and changing our course.
20 - PAID IN FULL
A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge.
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge.
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years: No Charge.
For all the nights filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge.
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge.
When you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you.”
And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote:
“PAID IN FULL.”
21 - BEAUTIFUL GIFT!
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. 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 Holy Qur’an. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Holy book?” and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.
He never contacted his father again for long long time. 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 Holy Qur’an, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Holy Qur’an and began to turn the pages. As he Read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Holy Qur’an. 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 blessings because
they are not packaged as we expected?
22 - WHAT IS A FAMILY?
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: “Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
DAD: “Yeah sure, what is it?” replied the man.
SON: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”
DAD: “That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.
SON: “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”
DAD: “If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I please borrow $10?”
The father was furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior.”
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn’t ask for money very often.
The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.
“Are you asleep, son?” He asked. “No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.
“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $10 you asked for.”
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank you daddy!” He yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
“Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.
“Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”
Share this story with someone you like.... But even better, share $20 worth of time with someone you love. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life.
We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family. An unwise investment indeed!
So what is the moral of the story???
Don’t work too hard...and you know what’s the full word of FAMILY?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER,(I)(L)OVE (Y)OU!
23 - TRUE WEALTH
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how the poor people live so he could be thankful for his wealth.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh yeah” said the son. “So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.” “We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.” “Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.” “We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.” “We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.”
“We buy our food, but they grow theirs.” “We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.”
With this the boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are.”
24 - A HOLE IN THE FENCE
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence....
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his
temper. The day passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.”
The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.
You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry,
the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends and loved ones are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Water your relationships with kindness… and they will grow. So be careful little lips what you say…! And you won't chase friendships away.
25 - GRANDPA’S TABLE
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped, the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child’s future. Let’s be wise builders and role models.
“Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference.
Take care of yourself, ... and those you love, ... today, ... and everyday!”
