Cookies: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Children learn what they live: . . . . . . 2
Kindness: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Lessons from a terrapin: . . . . . . . . . 3
The color of friendship: . . . . . . . . . . 4
A gift from God: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Information please:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Flying: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Mikey's goal: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mr. Gillespie: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
My best friend and I:. . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Real friend: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Emperor's seed: . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The cherry tree: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Maintain your integrity: . . . . . . . . . . 11
That's not my job: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Winners and winners: . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Flame of love: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Circle of love:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Learn from mistakes: . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The pig and the cow:. . . . . . . . . . . . 14
To tell the truth: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The bear and the two travelers: . . . . 14
The builder: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Tommy's essay: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The man who had plenty:. . . . . . . . . 16
The acorn planter: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Animal are parents too: . . . . . . . . . . 17
The ass and the mule: . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The bridge: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The circus:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The fire: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
God's power in action: . . . . . . . . . . . 21
He needed me: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Just a little smile: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Pickup in the rain: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A pillow and a blanket: . . . . . . . . . . 23
Winning: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Weakness or strength:. . . . . . . . . . . 24
Dig a little deeper: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Don't give up: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Never give up: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Keep on keeping on: . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The chicken: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
I can make it happen: . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The mental chain:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Busy: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Become what you want to be:. . . . . . 28
Time management parable: . . . . . . . 29
Sparky-Charlie Brown:. . . . . . . . . . . 30
The ants and the grasshopper: . . . . . 30
The rebellion against the stomach: . . 31
Blurred vision: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Don't change the world:. . . . . . . . . . 32
The father and his sons: . . . . . . . . . 32
The house of 1000 mirrors: . . . . . . . 32
Abraham Lincoln didn't quit: . . . . . . . 33
Great value in disaster: . . . . . . . . . . 33
Bag lady: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Start with yourself: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Rescue at sea: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
A life worth saving: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Two brothers:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Difference:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Puppies for sale: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
What's really important:. . . . . . . . . . 36
The stonecutter: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
My father when I was:. . . . . . . . . . . 37
The window: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
A sense of goose: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Cookies
A small boy at summer camp received a large package
of cookies in the mail from his mother. He ate a few, then
placed the remainder under his bed. The next day, after
lunch, he went to his tent to get a cookie. The box was
gone.
That afternoon a camp counselor, who had been told of
the theft, saw another boy sitting behind a tree eating the
stolen cookies. "That young man," he said to himself,
"must be taught not to steal."
He returned to the group and sought out the boy whose
cookies had been stolen. "Billy," he said, "I know who
stole your cookies. Will you help me teach him a lesson?"
"Well, yes-but aren't you going to punish him?" asked
the puzzled boy.
"No, that would only make him resent and hate you,"
the counselor explained. "I want you to call your mother
and ask her to send you another box of cookies."
The boy did as the counselor asked and a few days later
received another box of cookies in the mail.
"Now," said the counselor, "the boy who stole your
cookies is down by the lake. Go down there and share
your cookies with him."
"But," protested the boy, "he's the thief."
"I know. But try it--see what happens."
Half an hour later the camp counselor saw the two
come up the hill, arm in arm. The boy who had stolen the
cookies was earnestly trying to get the other to accept his
jackknife in payment for the stolen cookies, and the victim
was just as earnestly refusing the gift from his new
friend, saying that a few old cookies weren't that important
anyway.
Children Learn
What They Live
If children live with criticism,
they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility,
they learn to fight.
If children live with fear,
they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity,
they learn to feel sorry for
themselves.
If children live with
ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with jealousy,
they learn what envy is.
If children live with shame,
they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with tolerance,
they learn to be
patient.
If children live with
encouragement, they learn to
be confident.
2 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
Kindness
One day, a poor boy who was selling
goods from door to door to pay his way
through school, found he had only one thin
dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he
would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely
young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of
water. She thought he looked hungry and so
she brought him a large glass of milk. He
drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much
do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied.
"Mother has taught us never to accept pay
for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you
from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that
house, he not only felt stronger physically,
but his faith in God and man was strengthened
also. He had been ready to give up and
quit.
Years later, that young woman became
critically ill. The local doctors were baffled.
They finally sent her to the big city, where
they called in specialists to study her rare
disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.
When he heard the name of the
town she came from, he went down the hall
of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his
doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized
her at once. He went back to the
consultation room determined to do his best
to save her life. From that day, he gave special
attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested from the business office
to pass the final billing to him for approval.
He looked at it, then wrote something on the
edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She
feared to open it, for she was sure it would
take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her
attention on the side of the bill. She read
these words:
"PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF
MILK....
(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly."
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy
heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your
love is shed abroad through human hearts
and hands."
Lesson from a Terrapin
There was a boy who found a terrapin,
more commonly known as a turtle.
He started to examine it but the turtle
pulled in its head and closed its shell like a
vice. The boy was upset and he picked up a
stick to try to pry it open.
The boy's uncle saw all this and remarked,
"No, that's not the way! In fact, you may kill
the turtle but you'll not get it to open up with
a stick."
The uncle took the terrapin into the house
and set it near the fireplace. It wasn't but a
few minutes until it began to get warm. Then
the turtle pushed out its head, then stretched
out its legs and began to crawl. "Turtles are
like that," said the uncle, "and people, too.
You can't force them into anything.
But if you first warm them up with some
real kindness, more than likely, they will do
what you want them to do."
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 3
The Color of Friendship
Once upon a time the colors of the world
started to quarrel.
All claimed that they were the best.
The most important.
The most useful.
The favorite.
Green said:
"Clearly I am the most important. I am
the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for
grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals
would die. Look over the countryside
and you will see that I am in the majority."
Blue interrupted:
"You only think about the earth, but consider
the sky and the sea. It is the water that
is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds
from the deep sea. The sky gives space and
peace and serenity. Without my peace, you
would all be nothing."
Yellow chuckled:
"You are all so serious. I bring laughter,
gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is
yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow.
Every time you look at a sunflower, the
whole world starts to smile. Without me
there would be no fun."
Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength. I
may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve
the needs of human life. I carry the most
important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins,
oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I
don't hang around all the time, but when I fill
the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so
striking that no one gives another thought to
any of you."
Red could stand it no longer he shouted
out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood -
life's blood! I am the color of danger and of
bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I
bring fire into the blood. Without
me, the earth would be as empty as the
moon. I am the color of passion and of love,
the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."
Purple rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great
pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power.
Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen
me for I am the sign of authority and
wisdom. People do not question me! They listen
and obey."
Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly
than all the others, but with just as much
determination: "Think of me. I am the color
of silence. You hardly notice me, but without
me you all become superficial. I represent
thought and reflection, twilight and deep
water. You need me for balance and contrast,
for prayer and inner peace."
And so the colors went on boasting, each
convinced of his or her own superiority. Their
quarreling became louder and louder.
Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright
lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain
started to pour down relentlessly. The colors
crouched down in fear, drawing close to one
another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to
speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves,
each trying to dominate the rest.
Don't you know that you were each made for
a special purpose, unique and different? Join
hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united
and joined hands.
The rain continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each of you
will stretch across the sky in a great bow of
color as a reminder that you can all live in
peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for
tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain
washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in
the sky, let us remember to appreciate one
another.
4 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
A Gift From God
One day, when I was a freshman in high
school, I saw a kid from my class was walking
home from school. His name was Kyle. It
looked like he was carrying all of his books. I
thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring
home all his books on a Friday? He must
really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties
and a football game with my friends tomorrow
afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders
and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids
running toward him. They ran at him, knocking
all his books out of his arms and tripping
him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went
flying, and I saw them
land in the grass about
ten feet from him. He
looked up and I saw this
terrible sadness in his
eyes. My heart went out
to him. So, I jogged over
to him and as he crawled
around looking for his
glasses, and I saw a tear
in his eye.
As I handed him his
glasses, I said, "Those
guys are jerks. They
really should get lives."
He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"
There was a big smile on his face.
It was one of those smiles that showed
real gratitude. I helped him pick up his
books, and asked him where he lived. As it
turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him
why I had never seen him before. He said he
had gone to private school before now. I
would have never hung out with a private
school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried
his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool
kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football
on Saturday with me and my friends. He said
yes.
We hung all weekend and the more I got
to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my
friends thought the same of him. Monday
morning came, and there was Kyle with the
huge stack of books again. I stopped him and
said, "Darn boy, you are gonna really build
some serious muscles with this pile of books
everyday!" He just laughed and handed me
half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I
became best friends. When we were seniors,
we began to think about college. Kyle decided
on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke.
I knew that we would always be friends, that
the miles would never be a problem. He was
going to be a doctor, and I was going for
business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I
teased him all the time about being a nerd.
He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I
was so glad it wasn't me having to get up
there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked
great. He was one of those guys that really
found himself during high school. He filled
out and actually looked good in glasses. He
had more dates than me and all the girls
loved him!
Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was
one of those days. I could see that he was
nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him
on the back and said,
"Hey, big guy, you'll be
great!" He looked at me
with one of those looks
(the really grateful one)
and smiled. "Thanks,"
he said.
As he started his
speech, he cleared his
throat, and began.
"Graduation is a time to
thank those who helped
you make it through
those tough years. Your
parents, your teachers,
your siblings, maybe a
coach ... , but mostly your friends. I am here
to tell all of you that being a friend to someone
is the best gift you can give them. I am
going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as
he told the story of the first day we met. He
had planned to kill himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker
so his mom wouldn't have to do it later
and was carrying his stuff home. He looked
hard at me and gave me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me
from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as
this handsome, popular boy told us all about
his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad
looking at me and smiling that same grateful
smile. Not until that moment did I realize its
depth.
Never underestimate the power of your
actions. With one small gesture you can
change a person's life. For better or for
worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to
impact one another in some way. Look for
God in others.
Each day is a gift from God! Don't forget
to say, "Thank you!"
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 5
Information Please
When I was quite young, my father had
one of the first telephones in our neighborhood.
I remember well the polished old case
fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung
on the side of the box. I was too little to
reach the telephone, but used to listen with
fascination when my mother used to talk to
it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside
the wonderful device lived an amazing person
- her name was Information Please and
there was nothing she did not know.
Information Please could supply anybody's
number and the correct time.
My first personal experience with this
genie-in-the-bottle came one day while my
mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing
myself at the tool bench
in the basement, I
whacked my finger with a
hammer. The pain was
terrible, but there didn't
seem to be any reason in
crying because there was
no one home to give
sympathy. I walked
around the house sucking
my throbbing finger,
finally arriving at the
stairway - The telephone!
Quickly I ran for the footstool
in the parlor and
dragged it to the landing. Climbing up I
unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held
it to my ear. Information Please I said into
the mouthpiece just above my head.
A click or two and a small clear voice
spoke into my ear. "Information."
"I hurt my finger. . ." I wailed into the
phone. The tears came readily enough now
that I had an audience.
"Isn't your mother home?" came the
question.
"Nobody's home but me." I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?"
"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the
hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I
said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice
and hold it to your finger."
After that I called Information Please for
everything. I asked her for help with my
geography and she told me where
Philadelphia was. She helped me with my
math, and she told me my pet chipmunk I
had caught in the park just the day before
would eat fruits and nuts.
And there was the time that Petey, our pet
canary died. I called Information Please and
told her the sad story. She listened, then said
the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a
child. But I was unconsoled. Why is it that
birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy
to all families, only to end up as a heap of
feathers, feet up on the bottom of a cage?
She must have sensed my deep concern,
for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember
that there are other worlds to sing in."
Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone.
"Information Please."
"Information," said the now familiar voice.
"How do you spell fix?" I asked.
All this took place in
a small town in the
pacific Northwest. Then
when I was 9 years old,
we moved across the
country to Boston. I
missed my friend very
much. Information
Please belonged in that
old wooden box back
home, and I somehow
never thought of trying
the tall, shiny new
phone that sat on the
hall table.
Yet as I grew into my teens, the memories
of those childhood conversations never really
left me; often in moments of doubt and
perplexity I would recall the serene sense of
security I had then. I appreciated now how
patient, understanding, and kind she was to
have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college,
my plane put down in Seattle. I had
about half an hour or so between plane and
I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with
my sister, who lived there now. Then without
thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown
operator and said, "Information
Please".
Miraculously, I heard again the small,
clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I
hadn't planned this but I heard myself saying,
"could you tell me please how-to spell
fix?' There was a long pause. Then came the
soft spoken answer, "I guess that your finger
must have healed by now."
6 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
Flying
Once upon a time there
was a little boy who was
raised in an orphanage.
The little boy had always
wished that he could fly like
a bird. It was very difficult
for him to understand why
he could not fly. There were
birds at the zoo that were
much bigger than he, and
they could fly.
"Why can't I?" he
thought. "Is there something
wrong with me?" he
wondered.
There was another little
boy who was crippled. He
had always wished that he
could walk and run like other little boys and
girls.
"Why can't I be like them?" he thought.
One day the little orphan boy who had
wanted to fly like a bird ran away from the
orphanage. He came upon a park where he
saw the little boy who could not walk or run
playing in the sandbox.
He ran over to the little boy and asked him
if he had ever wanted to fly like a bird.
"No," said the little boy who could not
walk or run. "But I have wondered what it
would be like to walk and run like other boys
and girls."
"That is very sad." said the little boy who
wanted to fly. "Do you think we could be
friends?" he said to the little boy in the sandbox.
"Sure." said the little boy.
The two little boys
played for hours. They
made sand castles and
made really funny sounds
with their mouths. Sounds
which made them laugh
real hard. Then the little
boy's father came with a
wheelchair to pick up his
son. The little boy who had
always wanted to fly ran
over to the boy's father and
whispered something into
his ear.
"That would be OK," said
the man.
The little boy who had
always wanted to fly like a
bird ran over to his new
friend and said, "You are
my only friend and I wish that there was
something that I could do to make you walk
and run like other little boys and girls. But I
can't. But there is something that I can do
for you."
The little orphan boy turned around and
told his new friend to slide up onto his back.
He then began to run across the grass. Faster
and faster he ran, carrying the little crippled
boy on his back. Faster and harder he ran
across the park. Harder and harder he made
his legs travel. Soon the wind just whistled
across the two little boys' faces.
The little boy's father began to cry as he
watched his beautiful little crippled son flapping
his arms up and down in the wind, all
the while yelling at the top of his voice,
"I'M FLYING, DADDY. I'M FLYING!"
I laughed, "So it's really still you, I said."I
wonder if you have any idea how much you
meant to me during that time."
"I wonder, she said, if you know how much
your calls meant to me. I never had any children,
and I used to look forward to your
calls."
I told her how often I had thought of her
over the years and I asked if I could call her
again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do, just ask for Sally."
Just three months later I was back in
Seattle. A different voice answered
Information and I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" "Yes, a very old
friend." "Then I'm sorry to have to tell you.
Sally has been working part-time the last few
years because she was sick. She died five
weeks ago." But before I could hang up she
said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name
was Paul?"
"Yes."
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She
wrote it down, Here it is I'll read it 'Tell him I
still say there are other worlds to sing in.
He'll know what I mean'."
I thanked her and hung up. I did know
what Sally meant.
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 7
Mikey's Goal
Last night was the last game for my eightyear-
old son's soccer team. It was the final
quarter. The score was two to one, my son's
team in the lead. Parents encircled the field,
offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the
ball rolled in front of my son's teammate, one
Mikey O'Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!"
echoing across the field, Mikey reared back
and gave it everything he had. All round me
the crowd erupted. O'Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mikey had scored
all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the
game in a tie. For a moment there was total
hush. You see, Mikey has Down's syndrome
and for him there is no such thing as a wrong
goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous
hug from Mikey. He had even been known to
hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when
Mikey, his face filled with joy, grabbed my
son, hugged him and yelled, "I scored! I
scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" For
a moment I held my breath, not sure how my
son would react. I need not have worried. I
watched, through tears, as my son threw up
his hand in the classic high-five salute and
started chanting, "Way to go Mikey! Way to
go Mikey!" Within moments both teams surrounded
Mikey, joining in the chant and congratulating
him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked
who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a
tie. Everybody won."
Mr. Gillespie
When I was in seventh grade, I was a
candy striper at a local hospital in my town.
I volunteered about thirty to forty hours a
week during the summer. Most of the time I
spent there was with Mr. Gillespie. He never
had any visitors, and nobody seemed to care
about his condition.
I spent many days there holding his hand
and talking to him, helping with anything
that needed to be done. He became a close
friend of mine, even though he responded
with only an occasional squeeze of my hand.
Mr. Gillespie was in a coma.
I left for a week to vacation with my parents,
and when I came back, Mr. Gillespie
was gone. I didn't have the nerve to ask any
of the nurses where he was, for fear they
might tell me he had died. So with many
questions unanswered, I continued to volunteer
there through my eighthgrade
year.
Several years later, when I was a junior in
high school, I was at the gas station when I
noticed a familiar face. When I realized who
it was, my eyes filled with tears. He was
alive! I got up the nerve to ask him if his
name was Mr. Gillespie, and if he had been in
a coma about five years ago. With an uncertain
look on his face, he replied yes. I
explained how I knew him, and that I had
spent many hours talking with him in the
hospital. His eyes welled up with tears, and
he gave me the warmest hug I had ever
received.
He began to tell me how, as he lay there
comatose, he could hear me talking to him
and could feel me holding his hand the whole
time. He thought it was an angel, not a person,
who was there with him. Mr. Gillespie
firmly believed that it was my voice and
touch that had kept him alive.
Then he told me about his life and what
happened to him to put him in the coma. We
both cried for a while and exchanged a hug,
said our good-byes and went our separate
ways.
Although I haven't seen him since, he fills
my heart with joy every day. I know that I
made a difference between his life and his
death. More important, he has made a
tremendous difference in my life. I will never
forget him and what he did for me: he made
me a hero.
8 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
My Best Friend and I
I can still remember the first day when I
met my best friend. She had just moved into
the neighborhood and her grandmother who
also lived in the neighborhood brought her
down to meet me. I hid behind my mother
and she hid behind her grandmother, scared
to look at each other. Soon, we lost the shyness
and started playing with each other,
bike riding to each other's house and having
sleepovers. In 7th grade, I first lost touch
with her. She was going through family problems
and I deserted her to be with the "cooler
people". None of my new friends liked her
as much as I did because they knew she had
"problems". However every summer we
would always sit at each other's house and
watch soap operas, eat Doritos (or whatever
junk food her mom had bought) and talk
about everything we liked.
It was last year when I noticed the problem.
I guess I was just to catch up in high
school to realize she needed someone there
for her. Well, she made a new "best friend"
and so did I. Then I didn't know why, but she
started cutting herself!
She was diagnosed with clinical depression,
and had to go to a hospital during the
day. I was very upset at first but with the late
night calls, and meeting each other halfway
up the street at midnight. We still stayed in
touch. I wanted to be there for her since her
new best friend basically deserted her since
people were calling her crazy, and I knew I
still cared about her like a sister.
Yesterday she came to me and said this:
"I never knew what a best friend was until
you were the only person that would stop me
from cutting; the only person that ever made
me feel better about myself and my problems.
You don't know this but I was trying to
kill myself this one night you called me and I
was crying. I owe you so much, and you didn't
even know you were helping me."
We both cried. And I guess a kind of lesson
from my life so far is to never give up on
your friends. Even if they aren't as cool as
others, or people think they are crazy, they
need someone there. If you desert them, you
will only be miserable yourself. So if a friend
needs you, and you care for them, you can
never desert them.
Real Friend
Horror gripped the heart of the World War
I soldier, as he saw his life-long friend fall in
battle. Caught in a trench with continuous
gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier
asked his lieutenant if he might go out into
the "No Man's Land" between the trenches to
bring his fallen comrade back.
"You can go," said the lieutenant, "but I
don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is
probably dead and you may throw your own
life away."
The lieutenant's words didn't matter, and
the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he
managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto
his shoulder, and bring him back to their
company's trench. As the two of them tumbled
in together to the bottom of the trench,
the officer checked the wounded soldier, then
looked kindly at his friend.
"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he
said. "Your friend is dead, and you are mortally
wounded."
"It was worth it, though, sir," the soldier
said.
"How do you mean, 'worth it'?" responded
the lieutenant. "Your friend is dead!"
"Yes sir," the private answered. "But it was
worth it because when I got to him, he was
still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing
him say, 'Jim, I knew you'd come.'"
Many times in life, whether a thing is
worth doing or not really depends on how
you look at it. Take up all your courage and
do something your heart tells you to do so
that you may not regret not doing it later in
life. May each and everyone of you be
blessed with the company of true friends.
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 9
The Emperor's Seed
Once there was an emperor in the Far East
who was growing old and knew it was coming
time to choose his successor. Instead of
choosing one of his assistants or one of his
own children, he decided to do something
different.
He called all the young people in the kingdom
together one day. He said, "It has come
time for me to step down and to choose the
next emperor. I have decided to choose one
of you." The kids were shocked! But the
emperor continued. "I am going to give each
one of you a seed today. One seed. It is a
very special seed. I want you to go home,
plant the seed, water it and come back here
one year from today with what you have
grown from this one seed. I will then judge
the plants that you bring to me, and the one
I choose will be the next emperor of the
kingdom!"
There was one boy
named Ling who was
there that day and he,
like the others,
received a seed. He
went home and excitedly
told his mother
the whole story. She
helped him get a pot
and some planting soil,
and he planted the
seed and watered it
carefully. Every day he
would water it and
watch to see if it had
grown.
After about three weeks, some of the
other youths began to talk about their seeds
and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Ling kept going home and checking his seed,
but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four
weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.
By now others were talking about their
plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he
felt like a failure. Six months went by, still
nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had
killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and
tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't
say anything to his friends, however. He just
kept waiting for his seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the youths
of the kingdom brought their plants to the
emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother
that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she encouraged him to go, and to take
his pot, and to be honest about what happened.
Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he
knew his mother was right. He took his
empty pot to the palace.
When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the
variety of plants grown by all the other
youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes
and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor
and many of the other kinds laughed at him.
A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey
nice try."
When the emperor arrived, he surveyed
the room and greeted the young people. Ling
just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great
plants, trees and flowers you have grown,"
said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be
appointed the next emperor!"
All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling
at the back of the room with his empty pot.
He ordered his guards to bring him to the
front. Ling was terrified.
"The emperor
knows I'm a failure!
Maybe he will have me
killed!"
When Ling got to
the front, the Emperor
asked his name. "My
name is Ling," he
replied. All the kids
were laughing and
making fun of him. The
emperor asked everyone
to quiet down. He
looked at Ling, and
then announced to the
crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name
is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't
even grow his seed. How could he be the new
emperor?
Then the emperor said, "One year ago
today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told
you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and
bring it back to me today. But I gave you all
boiled seeds which would not grow. All of
you, except Ling, have brought me trees and
plants and flowers. When you found that the
seed would not grow, you substituted another
seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the
only one with the courage and honesty to
bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore,
he is the one who will be the new emperor!"
10 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
The Cherry Tree
When George Washington was about six
years old, he was made the wealthy master
of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he
was extremely fond. He went about chopping
everything that came his way.
One day, as he wandered about the garden
amusing himself by hacking
his mother's peasticks;
he found a
beautiful, young
English cherry
tree, of which
his father was
most proud. He
tried the edge of
his hatchet on
the trunk of the
tree and barked
it so that it died.
Some time
after this, his
father discovered
what had
happened to his favorite tree. He came into
the house in great anger, and demanded to
know who the mischievous person was who
had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him
anything about it.
Just then George, with his little hatchet,
came into the room.
"George," said his father, "do you know
who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree
yonder in the garden? I would not have taken
five guineas for it!"
This was a hard question to answer, and
for a moment George was staggered by it,
but quickly recovering himself he cried: --
"I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot
tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet."
The anger died out of his father's face,
and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he
said:
"My son, that you should not be afraid to
tell the truth is more to me than a thousand
trees! yes, though they were blossomed with
silver and golden.had leaves of the purest
gold!"
Maintain Your Integrity
A while back, there was a story about
Reuben Gonzolas, who was in the final match
of his first professional racquetball tournament.
He was playing the perennial champion
for his first shot at a victory on the pro
circuit. At match point in the fifth and final
game, Gonzolas made a super "kill shot" into
the front corner to win the tournament. The
referee called it good, and one of the linemen
confirmed the shot was a winner.
But after a moment's hesitation, Gonzolas
turned and declared that his shot had
skipped into the wall, hitting the floor first.
As a result, the serve went to his opponent,
who went on to win the match.
Reuben Gonzolas walked off the court;
everyone was stunned. The next issue of a
leading racquetball magazine featured
Gonzolas on its cover. The lead editorial
searched and questioned for an explanation
for the first ever occurrence on the professional
racquetball circuit. Who could ever
imagine it in any sport or endeavor? Here
was a player with everything officially in his
favor, with victory in his grasp, who disqualifies
himself at match point and loses.
When asked why he did it, Gonzolas
replied, "It was the only thing I could do to
maintain my integrity."
That's Not My Job
This is a story about four people:
Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done
and Everybody was sure that Somebody
would do it. Anybody could have done it but
Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about
that, because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it but
Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do
it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed
Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody
could have done.
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 11
Winners and Winners
As a high school coach, I did all I could to
help my boys win their games. I rooted as
hard for victory as they did.
A dramatic incident, however, following a
game in which I officiated
as a referee, changed my
perspective on victories
and defeats. I was refereeing
a league championship
basketball game in New
Rochelle, New York,
between New Rochelle and
Yonkers High.
New Rochelle was
coached by Dan O'Brien,
Yonkers by Les Beck. The
gym was crowded to
capacity, and the volume of
noise made it impossible to
hear. The game was well
played and closely contested.
Yonkers was leading by
one point as I glanced at
the clock and discovered
there were but 30 seconds
left to play.
Yonkers, in possession
of the ball, passed off - shot - missed. New
Rochelle recovered - pushed the ball up court
- shot. The ball rolled tantalizingly around
the rim and off. The fans shrieked.
New Rochelle, the home team, recovered
the ball, and tapped it in for what looked like
victory. The tumult was deafening. I glanced
at the clock and saw that the game was over.
I hadn't heard the final buzzer because of the
noise. I checked with the other official, but
he could not help me.
Still seeking help in this bedlam, I
approached the timekeeper, a young man of
17 or so. He said, "Mr.
Covino, the buzzer went off
as the ball rolled off the
rim, before the final tap-in
was made."
I was in the unenviable
position of having to tell
Coach O'Brien the sad
news. "Dan," I said, "time
ran out before the final
basket was tapped in.
Yonkers won the game."
His face clouded over.
The young timekeeper
came up. He said, "I'm
sorry, Dad. The time ran
out before the final basket."
Suddenly, like the sun
coming out from behind a
cloud, Coach O'Brien's face
lit up. He said, "That's
okay, Joe. You did what you had to do. I'm
proud of you."
Turning to me, he said, "Al, I want you to
meet my son, Joe."
The two of them then walked off the court
together, the coach's arm around his son's
shoulder.
Flame of Love
"I can master it", said the Ax.
His blows fell heavy on the hard, strong
steel.
But each blow only made his edge
blunter until he ceased to strike.
"Leave it to me", said the Saw.
With his relentless teeth, he worked
back & forth.
But to his dismay, all of his teeth
were worn out or broken off.
"Ha!" said the Hammer. "I knew you
could not do this.
Let me show you how."
But with the very first blow, his head
flew off, and the steel was unchanged.
"Shall I try?" asked the Flame.
And it curled itself gently around the
strong, hard steel, and embraced it, and
would not let it go.
And the tough steel melted.
There are hearts that are
hard enough to resist:
The forces of wrath,
The fury of pride.
But hard is the heart that
can resist the warm "flame of Love".
12 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
Circle of Love!
You know, he almost didn't see the old
lady, stranded on the side of the road.
But even in the dim light of day, he
could see she needed help. So he pulled up
in front of her Mercedes and got out. His
Pontiac was still sputtering when he
approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was
worried. No one had stopped to help for the
last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He
didn't look safe, he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing
out there in the cold. He knew how she
felt.
It was that chill which only fear can put in
you. He said, "I'm here to help you ma'am.
Why don't you wait in the car where it's
warm? By the way, my name is Bryan."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an
old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled
under the car looking for a place to put the
jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.
Soon he was able to change the tire. But he
had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he
was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled
down the window and began to talk to him.
She told him that she was from St. Louis and
was only just passing through. She couldn't
thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk.
She asked him how much she owed him. Any
amount would have been all right with her.
She had already imagined all the awful
things that could have happened had he not
stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about the
money. This was not a job to him. This was
helping someone in need, and God knows
there were plenty who had given him a hand
in the past. He had lived his whole life that
way, and it never occurred to him to act any
other way. He told her that if she really wanted
to pay him back, the next time she saw
someone who needed help, she could give
that person the assistance that they needed,
and Bryan added "...and think of me".
He waited until she started her car and
drove off. It had been a cold and depressing
day, but he felt good as he headed for home,
disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a
small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat,
and take the chill off before she made the
last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking
restaurant. Outside were two old gas
pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to
her. The cash register was like the telephone
of an out of work actor. It didn't ring much.
Her waitress came over and brought a
clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a
sweet smile, one that even being on her feet
for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady
noticed that the waitress was nearly eight
months pregnant, but she never let the
strain and aches change her attitude.
The old lady wondered how someone who
had so little could be so giving to a stranger.
Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, and the
waitress went to get change for her hundred
dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door.
She was gone by the time the waitress came
back. She wondered where the lady could be,
then she noticed something written on the
napkin under which was 4 $100 bills. There
were tears in her eyes when she read what
the lady wrote. It said "You don't owe me
anything, I have been there too. Somebody
once helped me out, the way I'm helping
you. If you really want to pay me back, here
is what you do; Do not let this chain of love
end with you." Well, there were tables to
clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve,
but the waitress made it through another
day.
That night when she got home from work
and climbed into bed, she was thinking about
the money and what the lady had written.
How could the lady have known how much
she and her husband needed it? With the
baby due next month, it was going to be
hard. She knew how worried her husband
was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she
gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and
low, "Everything's
gonna be all right; I
love you, Bryan."
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 13
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 know that there are two thousand
elements which we cannot use to make a
good light bulb."
The Pig and the Cow
"Why is it," said the rich man to his minister,
"that people call me stingy when everyone
knows that when I die I'm leaving everything
to the church?"
"Let me tell you a fable about the pig and
the cow," said the minister. "The pig was
unpopular while the cow was beloved. This
puzzled the pig. 'People speak warmly of
your gentle nature and your sorrowful eyes,'
the pig said to the cow. 'They think you're
generous because each day you give them
milk and cream. But what about me? I give
them everything I have. I give bacon and
ham. I provide bristles for brushes. They
even pickle my feet! Yet not one likes me.
Why is that?'"
"Do you know what the cow answered?"
said the minister. "The cow said, 'Perhaps it
is because I give while I'm still living.'"
To Tell the Truth
"Who did this?" asked my teacher. Thirty
children tried to think about not only what
they had done, but also what our teacher
may have found out. "Who did this?" asked
my teacher once more. She wasn't really
asking, she was demanding an answer.
She seldom became angry, but she was this
time. She held up a piece of broken glass and
asked, "Who broke this window?"
"Oh, oh," I thought. I was the one who
broke the window. I had not done it intentionally.
It was caused by an errant throw of
a baseball. I was working on my knuckleball.
It needed more work. Why did it have to be
me? It wasn't really my fault. If I admitted
guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How
would I be able to pay for a big window like
that? I didn't even get an allowance. "My
father is going to have a fit," I thought. I didn't
want to raise my hand, but some force
much stronger than I was pulled it skyward.
I told the truth. "I did it." I said no more. It
was hard enough saying what I had.
My teacher went to one of our library
shelves and took down a book. She then
began walking towards my desk. I had never
known my teacher to strike a student, but I
feared she was going to start with me and
she was going to use a book for the swatting.
"I know how you like birds," she said as
she stood looking down at my guilt-ridden
face. "Here is that field guide about birds that
you are constantly checking out. It is yours.
It's time we got a new one for the school
anyway. The book is yours and you will not
be punished as long as you remember that I
am not rewarding you for your misdeed, I am
rewarding you for your truthfulness."
The Bear and the Two
Travelers
Two men were traveling together, when a
bear suddenly met them on their path. One
of them climbed up quickly into a tree and
concealed himself in the branches. The other,
seeing that he must be attacked, fell flat on
the ground, and when the bear came up and
felt him with his snout, and smelt him all
over, he held his breath, and feigned the
appearance of death as much as he could.
The bear soon left him, for it is said he
will not touch a dead body. When he was
quite gone, the other Traveler descended
from the tree, and jocularly
inquired of his friend what it was the
bear had whispered in his ear. "He
gave me this advice," his companion
replied. "Never travel with a friend
who deserts you at the approach of
danger."
14 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
The Builder
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire.
He told his employer-contractor of his plans
to leave the house building business and live
a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his
extended family. He would miss the paycheck,
but he needed to retire. They could
get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good
worker go and asked if he could build just
one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter
said yes, but in time it was easy to
see that his heart was not in his work. He
resorted to shoddy workmanship and used
inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way
to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and
the builder came to inspect the house, the
contractor handed the front-door key to the
carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my
gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had
only known he was building his own house,
he would have done it all so differently. Now
he had to live in the home he had built none
too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted
way, reacting rather than acting, willing
to put up less than the best. At important
points we do not give the job our best effort.
Then with a shock we look at the situation we
have created and find that we are now living
in the house we have built. If we had realized,
we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think
about your house. Each day you hammer a
nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build
wisely. It is the only life you will ever build.
Even if you live it for only one day more, that
day deserves to be lived graciously and with
dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is
a do-it-yourself project."
Who could say it more clearly? Your life
today is the result of your attitudes and
choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be
the result of your attitudes and the choices
you make today.
Tommy's Essay
Soon Tommy's parents, who had recently
separated, would arrive for a conference on
his failing schoolwork and disruptive behavior.
Neither parent knew that I had summoned
the other.
Tommy, an only child, had always been
happy, cooperative, and an excellent student.
How could I convince his father and
mother that his recent failing grades represented
a brokenhearted child's reaction to
his adored parents' separation and pending
divorce?
Tommy's mother entered and took one of
the chairs I had placed near my desk. Then
the father arrived. They pointedly ignored
each other.
As I gave a detailed account of Tommy's
behavior and schoolwork, I prayed for the
right words to bring these two together to
help them see what they were doing to their
son. But somehow the words wouldn't come.
Perhaps if they saw one of his smudged,
carelessly done papers.
I found a crumpled, tear-stained sheet
stuffed in the back of his desk. Writing covered
both sides, a single sentence scribbled
over and over.
Silently I smoothed it out and gave it to
Tommy's mother. She read it and then without
a word handed it to her husband. He
frowned. Then his face softened. He studied
the scrawled words for what seemed an eternity.
At last he folded the paper carefully and
reached for his wife's outstretched hand. She
wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up
at him. My own eyes were brimming, but neither
seemed to notice.
In his own way God had given me the
words to reunite that family. He had guided
me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered
with the anguished outpouring of a small
boy's troubled heart.
"Dear Mother . . . Dear Daddy . . . I love
you . . . I love you . . . I love you."
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 15
The Man Who Had Plenty
Once there was a family that was not rich
and not poor. They lived in Ohio in a small
country house. One night they all sat down
for dinner, and there was a knock at the door.
The father went to the door and opened it.
There stood an old man in tattered
clothes, with ripped pants and missing buttons.
He was carrying a basket full of vegetables.
He asked the family if they wanted
to buy some vegetables from him. They
quickly did because they wanted him to
leave.
Over time, the family and the old man
became friends.
The man brought vegetables to the family
every week. They soon found out that he was
almost blind and had cataracts on his eyes.
But he was so friendly that they learned to
look forward to his visits and started to enjoy
his company.
One day as he was delivering the vegetables,
he said, "I had the greatest blessing
yesterday! I found a basket of clothes outside
my house that someone had left for
me."
The family, knowing that he needed
clothes, said, "How wonderful!"
The old blind man said, "The most wonderful
part is that I found a family that really
needed the clothes."
The Acorn Planter
In the 1930s a young traveler was exploring
the French Alps. He came upon a vast
stretch of barren land. It was desolate. It
was forbidding. It was ugly. It was the kind
of place you hurry away from.
Then, suddenly, the young traveler
stopped dead in his tracks. In the middle of
this vast wasteland was a bent-over old man.
On his back was a sack of acorns. In his hand
was a four-foot length of iron pipe.
The man was using the iron pope to punch
holes in the ground. Then from the sack he
would take an acorn and put it in the hole.
Later the old man told the traveler, "I've
planted over 100,000 acorns. Perhaps only a
tenth of them will grow." The old man's wife
and son had died, and this was how he chose
to spend his final years. "I want to do something
useful," he said.
Twenty-five years later the now-not-asyoung
traveler returned to the same desolate
area. What he saw amazed him. He could not
believe his own eyes. The land was covered
with a beautiful forest two miles wide and
five miles long. Birds were singing, animals
were playing, and wild flowers perfumed the
air.
The traveler stood there recalling the desolation
that once was; a beautiful oak forest
stood there now - all because someone
cared.
16 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 17
Animals Are Parents Too
I want to let you know about an event that
changed my life many years ago. It is a
memory that periodically comes and goes,
but it is one of the most precious memories
that me and my wife share. I am thankful
that we can remember it together. It's a
reminder that things are not what they seem
and that angels come in many packages.
We live in College Station, Texas and we
were on our way home from Houston, Texas
around the Weston Lakes area one Saturday
or Sunday morning. And when I say morning,
I'm talking 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning.
We were on our way home and decided to
stop at a local gas station to get coffee and
something to snack on since it was a good
hour and a half before we got home.
When we were done, we got back into our
car and before I started it, we noticed a man
standing outside in front of the building. You
could tell that he was a homeless man. His
clothes were tattered and worn and it looked
like he had gone in and gotten him some coffee
or something warm to drink since it was
cold this time of the year. He must have not
had enough money to get something to eat.
That is not something I remember too well,
because that is not what "moved" me.
The next thing I remember is a dog that
walked up to the front of the building. Being
a dog lover, I noticed that she was part wolf
and probably part German shepherd. I could
tell she was a she, because you could tell
that she had been feeding puppies. She was
terribly in need of something to eat and I felt
so bad for her. I knew if she didn't eat soon,
she and her puppies would not make it.
Me and my wife sat there and looked at
her. We noticed that people walked by and
didn't even pet her, like most people do when
they walk by an animal in front of a store.
She might not have been as pretty and clean
as most, but she still deserved better. But we
still did not do anything. But someone did.
The homeless man, who I thought did not
buy himself anything to eat, went back into
the store. And what he did
brought tears to me and my
wife. He had gone into the
store and with what
money he may have had, bought a can of
dog food and fed that dog.
I know that this story isn't as inspirational
as most stories, but it plays a great part in
our lives. You see, that was Mother's Day
weekend. And a lot of people forget that
some animals are parents too. And animals
as well as us are God's creations too.
It would be a better story if I could
remember all the details, but even without
the details, I believe it still gets the message
across. It took a homeless man, to show me
what I should have done. He made me a better
man that day.
The Ass and the Mule
A Muleteer set forth on a journey, driving
before him an Ass and a Mule, both well
laden. The Ass, as long as he traveled along
the plain, carried his load with ease, but
when he began to ascend the steep path of
the mountain, felt his load to be more than
he could bear. He entreated his companion to
relieve him of a small portion that he might
carry home the rest; but the Mule paid no
attention to the request. The Ass shortly
afterwards fell down dead under his burden.
Not knowing what else to do in so wild a
region, the Muleteer placed upon the Mule
the load carried by the Ass in addition to his
own, and at the top of all placed the hide of
the Ass, after he had skinned him. The Mule,
groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to
himself: "I am treated according to my
deserts. If I had only been willing to assist
the Ass a little in his need, I should not now
be bearing, together with his burden, himself
as well."
The Bridge
There was once a bridge which spanned a
large river. During most of the day the bridge
sat with its length running up and down the
river paralleled with the banks, allowing
ships to pass thru freely on both sides of the
bridge. But at certain times each day, a train
would come along and the bridge would be
turned sideways across the river, allowing a
train to cross it.
A switchman sat in a small shack on one
side of the river where he operated the controls
to turn the bridge and lock it into place
as the train crossed. One evening as the
switchman was waiting for the last train of
the day to come; he looked off into the distance
thru the dimming twilight and caught
sight of the train lights. He stepped to the
control and waited until the train was within
a prescribed distance when he was to turn
the bridge. He turned the bridge into position,
but, to his horror, he found the locking
control did not work. If the bridge was not
securely in position it would wobble back and
forth at the ends when the train came onto
it, causing the train to jump the track and go
crashing into the river. This would be a passenger
train with many people aboard.
He left the bridge turned across the river,
and hurried across the bridge to the other
side of the river where there was a lever
switch he could hold to operate the lock manually.
He would have to hold the lever back
firmly as the train crossed. He could hear the
rumble of the train now, and he took hold of
the lever and leaned backward to apply his
weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept
applying the pressure to keep the mechanism
locked. Many lives depended on this
man's strength.
Then, coming across the bridge from the
direction of his control shack, he heard a
sound that made his blood run cold. "Daddy,
where are you?" His four-year-old son was
crossing the bridge to look for him. His first
impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run!
Run!" But the train was too close; the tiny
legs would never make it across the bridge in
time. The man almost left his lever to run
and snatch up his son and carry him to safety.
But he realized that he could not get back
to the lever. Either the people on the train or
his little son must die. He took a moment to
make his decision. The train sped safely and
swiftly on its way, and no one aboard was
even aware of the tiny broken body thrown
mercilessly into the river by the onrushing
train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure
of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly
to the locking lever long after the train had
passed.
They did not see him walking home more
slowly than he had ever walked: to tell his
wife how their son had brutally died.
18 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 19
The Circus
Once when I was a teenager, my father
and I were standing in line to buy tickets for
the circus. Finally, there was only one family
between us and the ticket counter. This family
made a big impression on me. There were
eight children, all probably under the age of
12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of
money. Their clothes were not expensive, but
they were clean. The children were wellbehaved,
all of them standing in line, two-bytwo
behind their parents, holding hands.
They were excitedly jabbering about the
clowns, elephants and other acts they would
see that night. One could sense they had
never been to the circus before. It promised
to be a highlight of their young lives.
The father and mother were at the head of
the pack standing proud as could be. The
mother was holding her husband's hand,
looking up at him as if to say, "You're my
knight in shining armor." He was smiling and
basking in pride, looking at her as if to reply,
"You got that right."
The ticket lady asked the father how many
tickets he wanted. He proudly responded,
"Please let me buy eight children's tickets
and two adult tickets so I can take my family
to the circus."
The ticket lady quoted the price.
The man's wife let go of his hand, her
head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver.
The father leaned a little closer and asked,
"How much did you say?"
The ticket lady again quoted the price.
The man didn't have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn and tell his
eight kids that he didn't have enough money
to take them to the circus?
Seeing what was going on, my dad put his
hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and
dropped it on the ground. (We were not
wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father
reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the
man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me,
sir, and this fell out of your pocket."
The man knew what was going on. He
wasn't begging for a handout but certainly
appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking,
embarrassing situation. He looked
straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's
hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the
$20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear
streaming down his cheek, he replied,
"Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means
a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and
drove home. We didn't go to the circus that
night, but we didn't go without.
The Fire
A couple, whom we shall call John and
Mary, had a nice home and two lovely children,
a boy and a girl. John had a good job
and had just been asked to go on a business
trip to another city and would be gone for
several days. It was decided that Mary needed
an outing and would go along too. They
hired a reliable woman to care for the children
and made the trip, returning home a little
earlier than they had planned.
As they drove into their home town feeling
glad to be back, they noticed smoke, and
they went off their usual route to see what it
was. They found a home in flames. Mary
said, "Oh well it isn't our fire, let's go home."
But John drove closer and exclaimed,
"That home belongs to Fred Jones who works
at the plant. He wouldn't be off work yet,
maybe there is something we could do." "It
has nothing to do with us." Protested Mary.
"You have your good clothes on lets not get
any closer."
But John drove up and stopped and they
were both horror stricken to see the whole
house in flames. A woman on the lawn was
in hysterics screaming, "The children! Get
the children!" John grabbed her by the shoulder
saying, "Get a hold of yourself and tell us
where the children are!" "In the basement,"
sobbed the woman, "down the hall and to the
left."
In spite of Mary's protests John grabbed
the water hose and soaked his clothes, put
his wet handkerchief on his head and bolted
for the basement which was full of smoke
and scorching hot. He found the door and
grabbed two children, holding one under
each arm like the football player he was. As
he left he could hear some more whimpering.
He delivered the two badly frightened and
nearly suffocated children into waiting arms
and filled his lungs with fresh air and started
back asking how many more children were
down there. They told him two more and
Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, "John!
Don't go back! It's suicide! That house will
cave in any second!"
But he shook her off and went back by
feeling his way down the smoke filled hallway
and into the room. It seemed an eternity
before he found both children and started
back. They were all three coughing and he
stooped low to get what available air he
could. As he stumbled up the endless steps
the thought went through his mind that there
was something strangely familiar about the
little bodies clinging to him, and at last when
they came out into the sunlight and fresh air,
he found that he had just rescued his own
children.
The baby-sitter had left them at this home
while she did some shopping.
20
We make a living by what we get,
We make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
God's Power in Action
God has a way of allowing us to
be in the right place at the right
time.
I was walking down a dimly lit
street late one evening when I
heard muffled screams coming
from behind a clump of bushes.
Alarmed, I slowed down to listen,
and panicked when I realized that
what I was hearing were the
unmistakable sounds of a struggle:
heavy grunting, frantic scuffling,
and tearing of fabric.
Only yards from where I stood,
a woman was being attacked. Should I get
involved? I was frightened for my own safety,
and cursed myself for having suddenly
decided to take a new route home that night.
What if I became another statistic? Shouldn't
I just run to the nearest phone and call the
police?
Although it seemed an eternity, the deliberations
in my head had taken only seconds,
but already the girl's cries were growing
weaker. I knew I had to act fast. How could I
walk away from this? No, I finally resolved, I
could not turn my back on the fate of this
unknown woman, even if it meant risking my
own life.
I am not a brave man, nor am I athletic. I
don't know where I found the moral courage
and physical strength -- but once I had finally
resolved to help the girl, I became
strangely transformed. I ran behind the
bushes and pulled the assailant off the
woman. Grappling, we fell to the ground,
where we wrestled for a few minutes until
the attacker jumped up and escaped.
Panting hard, I scrambled upright and
approached the girl, who was crouched
behind a tree, sobbing. In the darkness, I
could barely see her outline, but I could certainly
sense her trembling shock. Not wanting
to frighten her further, I at first spoke to
her from a distance. "It's okay," I said soothingly.
"The man ran away. You're safe now."
There was a long pause and then I heard the
words, uttered in wonder, in amazement.
"Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind
the tree, out stepped my youngest daughter,
Katherine.
He Needed Me
A nurse escorted a tired, anxious young
man to the bed side of an elderly man. "Your
son is here," she whispered to the patient.
She had to repeat the words several times
before the patient's eyes opened. He was
heavily sedated because of the pain of his
heart attack and he dimly saw the young
man standing outside the oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand and the young
man tightly wrapped his fingers around it,
squeezing a message of encouragement. The
nurse brought a chair next to the bedside. All
through the night the young man sat holding
the old mans hand, and offering gentle words
of hope. The dying man said nothing as he
held tightly to his son.
As dawn approached, the patient died.
The young man placed on the bed the lifeless
hand he had been holding, and then he went
to notify the nurse.
While the nurse did what was necessary,
the young man waited. When she had finished
her task, the nurse began to say words
of sympathy to the young man.
But he interrupted her. "Who was that
man?" He asked.
The startled nurse replied, "I thought he
was your father."
"No, he was not my father," he answered.
"I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when
I took you to him?" asked the nurse.
He replied, "I also knew he needed his
son, and his son just wasn't here. When I
realized he was too sick to tell whether or not
I was his son, I knew how much he needed
me..."
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 21
Just a Little Smile
Mark was walking home from school one
day when he noticed the boy ahead of him
had tripped and dropped all of the books he
was carrying, along with two sweaters, a
baseball bat, a glove and a small tape
recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the
boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they
were going the same way, he helped to carry
part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered
the boy's name was Bill, that he
loved video games, baseball and history, and
that he was having lots of trouble with his
other subjects and that he had just broken
up with his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark
was invited in for a Coke and to watch some
television. The afternoon passed pleasantly
with a few laughs and some shared small
talk, then Mark went home. They continued
to see each other around school, had lunch
together once or twice, then both graduated
from junior high school. They ended up in the
same high school where they had brief contacts
over the years. Finally the long awaited
senior year came and three weeks before
graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago
when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder
why I was carrying so many things home
that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out
my locker because I didn't want to leave
a mess for anyone else. I had
stored away some
of my mother's
sleeping pills and I
was going home to
commit suicide. But
after we spent some
time together talking
and laughing, I realized
that if I had killed
myself, I would have
missed that time and so
many others that might
follow. So you see, Mark,
when you picked up those
books that day, you did a
lot more. You saved my
life."
Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African
American woman was standing on the side of
an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing
rain storm.
Her car had broken down and she desperately
needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided
to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her,
generally unheard of in those conflict-filled
1960s. The man took her to safety, helped
her get assistance and put her into a taxi
cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry. She
wrote down his address, thanked him, and
drove away.
Seven days went by and a knock came on
the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console
color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached. It read:
Thank you so much for assisting me on
the highway the other night. The rain
drenched not only my clothes but my spirits.
Then you came along. Because of you, I was
able to make it to my dying husband's bedside
just before he passed away. God bless
you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others.
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
22 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
A Pillow And a Blanket
A long time ago, a young, wealthy girl was
getting ready for bed. She was saying her
prayers when she heard a muffled crying
coming through her window. A little frightened,
she went over to the window and
leaned out. Another girl, who seemed to be
about her age and homeless, was standing in
the alley by the rich girls house. Her heart
went out to the homeless girl, for it was the
dead of winter, and the girl had no blanket,
only old newspapers someone had thrown
out.
The rich girl was suddenly struck with a
brilliant idea. She called to the other girl and
said, "You there, come to my front door,
please."
The homeless girl was so startled she
could only manage to nod.
As quick as her legs could take her, the
young girl ran down the hall to her mothers
closet, and picked out an old quilt and a beat
up pillow. She had to walk slower down to
the front door as to not trip over the quilt
which was hanging down, but she made it
eventually. Dropping both the articles, she
opened the door. Standing there was the
homeless girl, looking quite scared. The rich
girl smiled warmly and handed both articles
to the other girl. Her smile grew wider as she
watched the true amazement and happiness
alight upon the other girl's face. She went to
bed incredibly satisfied.
In mid-morning the next day a knock
came to the door. The rich girl flew to the
door hoping that it was the other little girl
there. She opened the large door and looked
outside. It was the other little girl. Her face
looked happy, and she smiled. "I suppose
you want these back."
The rich little girl opened her mouth to say
that she could keep them when another idea
popped into her head. "No, I want them
back."
The homeless girl's face fell. This was
obviously not the answer she had hoped for.
She reluctantly laid down the beat up things,
and turned to leave when the rich girl yelled,
"Wait! Stay right there." She turned in time
to see the rich girl running up the stairs and
down a long corridor. Deciding whatever the
rich little girl was doing wasn't worth waiting
for she started to turn around and walk away.
As her foot hit the first step, she felt someone
tap her on the shoulder, turning she saw
the rich little girl, thrusting a new blanket
and pillow at her. "Have these." she said quietly.
These were her personal belonging made
of silk and down feathers.
As the two grew older they didn't see each
other much, but they were never far from
each other's minds. One day, the Rich girl,
who was now a Rich woman got a telephone
call from someone. A lawyer, saying that she
was requested to see him. When she arrived
at the office, he told her what had happened.
Forty years ago, when she was nine years
old, she had helped a little girl in need. That
grew into a middle-class woman with a husband
and two children. She had recently died
and left something for her in her will.
"Though," the lawyer said, "it's the most
peculiar thing. She left you a pillow and a
blanket."
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 23
Winning
His mother told us the
story the day after.
Kenneth was in junior
high school and was excited
and eager about participating
in a day of
Special Olympics events.
While his parents watched
expectantly from the
stands, he ran and won
the first race. He was
proud of his ribbon and
the cheers from the
crowd.
He ran in the second
race. Just at the finish
line, when he again would
have won, he stopped,
then stepped off the track. His parents gently
questioned him. "Why did you do that,
Kenneth? If you had continued running, you
would have won another race."
Kenneth innocently replied, "But, Mom, I
already have a ribbon. Billy didn't have a ribbon
yet."
Weakness or Strength?
Sometimes your biggest weakness can
become your biggest strength. Take, for
example, the story of one 10-year-old boy
who decided to study judo despite the fact
that he had lost his left arm in a devastating
car accident.
The boy began lessons with an old
Japanese judo master. The boy was doing
well, so he couldn't understand why, after
three months of training the master had
taught him only one move.
"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I
be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this
is the only move you'll ever need to know,"
the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding,
but believing in
his teacher, the
boy kept
training.
Several months later, the sensei took the
boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself,
the boy easily won his first two matches.
The third match proved to be more difficult,
but after some time, his opponent
became impatient and charged; the boy deftly
used his one move to win the match. Still
amazed by his success, the boy was now in
the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger,
stronger, and more experienced. For a while,
the boy appeared to be overmatched.
Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the
referee called a time-out. He was about to
stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent
made a critical mistake: he dropped his
guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to
pin him. The boy had won the match and the
tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and sensei
reviewed every move in each and every
match. Then the boy summoned the courage
to ask what was really on his mind.
"Sensei, how did I win the tournament
with only one move?"
"You won for two reasons," the sensei
answered. "First, you've almost mastered
one of the most difficult throws in all of judo.
And second, the only known defense for that
move is for your opponent to grab your left
arm."
The boy's biggest weakness had become
his biggest strength.
24 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 25
Dig a Little Deeper
There's a story about the California gold
rush that tells of two brothers who sold all
they had and went prospecting for gold. They
discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked
a claim, and proceeded to get down to the
serious business of getting the gold ore out
of the mine. All went well at first, but then a
strange thing happened. The vein of gold ore
disappeared! They had come to the end of
the rainbow, and the pot of gold was no
longer there. The brothers continued to pick
away, but without success. Finally, they gave
up in disgust.
They sold their equipment and claim
rights for a few hundred dollars, and took the
train back home. Now the man who bought
the claim hired an engineer to examine the
rock strata of the mine. The engineer advised
him to continue digging in the same spot
where the former owners had left off. And
three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold.
A little more persistence and the two
brothers would have been millionaires themselves.
That's gold in you too. Do you need
to dig three feet farther?
Don't Give Up
Walt Disney was turned down 302 times
before he got financing for his dream of creating
the "Happiest Place on Earth". Today,
due to his persistence, millions of people
have shared 'the joy of Disney'. Colonel
Sanders spent two years driving across the
United States looking for restaurants to buy
his chicken recipe. He was turned down
1,009 times! How successful is Kentucky
Fried Chicken today?
Having said this, keep in mind that you
must constantly reevaluate your circumstances
and the approach you are using to
reach your goal. There is no sense in being
persistent at something that you are doing
incorrectly! Sometimes you have to modify
your approach along the way. Every time you
do something you learn from it, and therefore
find a better way to do it the next time.
Never Give Up!
There was this museum laid with beautiful
marble tiles, with a huge marble statue displayed
in the middle of the lobby. Many people
came from all over the world just to
admire this beautiful marble statue.
One night, the marble tiles started talking
to the marble statue. Marble tile: "Marble
statue, it's just not fair, it's just not fair! why
does everybody from all over the world come
all the way here just to step on me while
admiring you? Not fair!".
Marble statue: "My dear friend, marble
tile. Do you still remember that we were
actually from the same cave?"
Marble tile: "Yeah! That's why I feel it is
even more unfair. We were born from the
same cave and yet we receive different treatment
now. Not fair!" he cried again.
Marble statue: "Then, do you still remember
the day when the designer tried to work
on you, but you resisted the tools?"
Marble tile: "Yes, of course I remember. I
hate that guy! How could he use those tools
on me, it hurt so badly.".
Marble statue: "That's right! He couldn't
work on you at all as you resisted being
worked on."
Marble tile: "So???"
Marble statue: "When he decided to
give up on you and start working on me
instead, I knew at once that I would be
something different after his efforts. I did
not resist his tools, instead I bore all the
painful tools he used on me.."
Marble tile: "Mmmmmm......."
Marble statue: "My friend, there is a
price to everything in life. Since you
decided to give up half way, you can't
blame anybody who steps on you now."
Keep On, Keeping On
Colonel Sanders went to more than 1,000
places trying to sell his chicken recipe before
he found an interested
buyer. The fact that we can
buy Kentucky Fried Chicken
today attests to his perseverance.
Thomas Edison
tried almost 10,000 times
before he succeeded in creating
the electric light. If he
had given up, you would be
reading this in the dark!
The original business plan
for what was to become
Federal Express was given a
failing grade on Fred Smith's
college exam. And, in the
early days, their employees
would cash their pay checks
at retail stores, rather than
banks. This meant it would
take longer for the money to
clear, thereby giving Fed Ex more time to
cover their payroll.
Sylvester Stallone had been turned down
a thousand times by agents and was down to
his last $600 before he found a company that
would produce Rocky. The rest is history! To
truly succeed requires a total commitment to
your goal. Too many people make the mistake
of quitting just short of success. Keep
going no matter what. If you really believe in
what you are doing, give it all you've got and
don't give up.
You will succeed. There is
no such thing as failure.
Every action produces an
outcome. It may not always
be the outcome you are
looking for, but it is an outcome
nonetheless. If you
monitor the results of your
actions and keep correcting
what is not working, you will
eventually produce the outcome
you are looking for.
Be Persistent - Ray Kroc,
the late founder of
McDonalds, put it best when
he said: "Nothing in this
world can take the place of
persistence. Talent will not;
nothing is more common
than unsuccessful men with great talent.
Genius will not. Un-rewarded genius is
almost a proverb. Education will not. The
world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence, determination and love are
omnipotent."
Don't quit before the miracle happens!
The Chicken
Once upon a time, there was a large
mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested.
The eagle's nest contained four large eagle
eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the
mountain causing one of the eggs to roll
down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located
in the valley below. The chickens knew
that they must protect and care for the
eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to
nurture and raise the large egg.
One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful
eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle
was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle
believed he was nothing more than a chicken.
The eagle loved his home and family, but
his spirit cried out for more. While playing a
game on the farm one day, the eagle looked
to the skies above and noticed a group of
mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the
eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those
birds." The chickens roared with laughter,
"You cannot soar with those birds. You are a
chicken and chickens do not soar."
The eagle continued staring, at his real
family up above, dreaming that he could be
with them. Each time the eagle would let his
dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be
done. That is what the eagle learned to
believe. The eagle, after time, stopped
dreaming and continued to live his life like a
chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken,
the eagle passed away.
The moral of the story: You become what
you believe you are; so if you ever dream to
become an eagle follow your dreams, not the
words of a chicken.
26 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 27
I Can Make It Happen
History abounds with tales of
experts who were convinced that
the ideas, plans, and projects of
others could never be achieved.
However, accomplishment came to
those who said, "I can make it happen."
The Italian sculptor Agostino
d'Antonio worked diligently on a
large piece of marble. Unable to
produce his desired masterpiece,
he lamented, "I can do nothing with
it." Other sculptors also worked this
difficult piece of marble, but to no
avail. Michelangelo discovered the
stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His
"I-can-make-it-happen" attitude resulted in
one of the world's masterpieces - David.
The experts of Spain concluded that
Columbus's plans to discover a new and
shorter route to the West Indies was virtually
impossible. Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand ignored the report of the experts.
"I can make it happen," Columbus persisted.
And he did. Everyone knew the world was
flat, but not Columbus. The Nina, the Pinta,
the Santa Maria, along with Columbus and
his small band of followers, sailed to "impossible"
new lands and thriving resources.
Even the great Thomas Alva Edison discouraged
his friend, Henry Ford, from pursuing
his fledgling idea of a motorcar.
Convinced of the worthlessness of the idea,
Edison invited Ford to come and work for
him. Ford remained committed and tirelessly
pursued his dream. Although his first
attempt resulted in a vehicle without reverse
gear, Henry Ford knew he could make it happen.
And, of course, he did.
"Forget it," the experts advised Madame
Curie. They agreed radium was a scientifically
impossible idea. However, Marie Curie
insisted, "I can make it happen."
Let's not forget our friends Orville and
Wilbur Wright. Journalists, friends, armed
forces specialists, and even their father
laughed at the idea of an airplane. "What a
silly and insane way to spend money. Leave
flying to the birds," they jeered. "Sorry," the
Wright brothers responded. "We have a
dream, and we can make it happen." As a
result, a place called Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina, became the setting for the launching
of their "ridiculous" idea.
Finally, as you read these accounts under
the magnificent lighting of your environment,
consider the plight of Benjamin Franklin. He
was admonished to stop the foolish experimenting
with lighting. What an absurdity and
waste of time! Why, nothing could outdo the
fabulous oil lamp. Thank goodness Franklin
knew he could make it happen. You too can
make it happen!
The Mental Chain
Most people are like the circus elephant.
Have you ever seen a giant elephant in an
indoor arena tied to a little wooden stake.
That huge creature can pick up two thousand
pounds with its trunk, yet it calmly stays
tied. Why?
When that elephant was just a baby, and
not very strong, it was tied by a huge chain
to an iron stake that could not be moved.
Regardless of how hard it tried, it could not
break the chain and run free. After a while it
just gave up. Later, when it is strong, it never
attempts to break free. The "imprint" is permanent.
"I can't! I can't!' it says.
There are millions of people who behave
like this creature of the circus. They have
been bound, tied and told "You'll never make
it," so many times they finally call it quits.
The may have dreams, but the "imprinting"
keeps pulling them back.
Today, eliminate the source of your limitations.
When you mentally break free, the
boundaries will be removed from your future.
Busy
Once upon a time a very
strong woodcutter asked for a
job in a timber merchant, and
he got it. The paid was really
good and so were the work
conditions. For that reason, the
woodcutter was determined to
do his best.
His boss gave him an axe
and showed him the area
where he was supposed to
work.
The first day, the woodcutter
brought 18 trees
"Congratulations," the boss
said. "Go on that way!"
Very motivated for the
boss's words, the woodcutter
tried harder the next day, but he only could
bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even
harder, but he only could bring 10 trees. Day
after day he was bringing less and less trees.
"I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter
thought. He went to the boss and
apologized, saying that he could not understand
what was going on.
"When was the last time you sharpened
your axe?" the boss asked.
"Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my
axe. I have been very busy trying to cut
trees..."
Become
What You Want to Be
Let me tell you about a little girl who was
born into a very poor family in a shack in the
Backwoods of Tennessee. She was the 20th
of 22 children, prematurely born and frail.
Her survival was doubtful. When she was
four years old she had double pneumonia
and scarlet fever - a deadly combination that
left her with a paralyzed and useless left leg.
She had to wear an iron leg brace. Yet she
was fortunate in having a mother who
encouraged her.
Well, this mother told her little girl, who
was very bright, that despite the brace and
leg, she could do whatever she wanted to do
with her life. She told her that all she needed
to do was to have faith, persistence,
courage and indomitable spirit.
So at nine years of age, the little girl
removed the leg brace, and she took the step
the doctors told her she would
never take normally. In four
years, she developed a rhythmic stride,
which was a medical wonder. Then this girl
got the notion, the incredible notion that she
would like to be the world's greatest woman
runner. Now, what could she mean - be a
runner with a leg like that?
At age 13, she entered a race. She came
in last - way, way last. She entered every
race in high school, and in every race she
came in last. Everyone begged her quit!
However, one day, she came in next to last.
And then there came a day when she won a
race. From then on, Wilma Rudolph won
every race that she entered.
Wilma went to Tennessee State University,
where she met a coach named Ed Temple.
Coach Temple saw the indomitable spirit of
the girl, that she was a believer and that she
had great natural talent. He trained her so
well that she went to the Olympic Games.
There she was pitted against the greatest
woman runner of the day, a German girl
named Jutta Heine. Nobody had ever beaten
Jutta. But in the 100-meter dash, Wilma
Rudolph won. She beat Jutta again in the
200-meters. Now Wilma had two Olympic
gold medals.
Finally came the 400-meter relay. It would
be Wilma against Jutta once again. The first
two runners on Wilma's team made perfect
handoffs with the baton. But when the third
runner handed the baton to Wilma, she was
so excited she dropped it, and Wilma saw
Jutta taking off down the track. It was impossible
that anybody could catch this fleet and
nimble girl. But Wilma did just that! Wilma
Rudolph had earned three Olympic gold
medals.
28 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
Time Management Parable
One day, an expert in time management
was speaking to a group of business students
and, to drive home a point, used an illustration
those students will never forget.
As he stood in front of the group of highpowered
overachievers he said,
"Okay, time for a quiz" and he pulled out
a one-gallon, wide-mouth mason jar and set
it on the table in front of him. He also produced
about a dozen fist-sized rocks and
carefully placed them, one at a time, into the
jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no
more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this
jar full?" Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes."
The time management expert replied,
"Really?" He
reached under
the table and
pulled out a
bucket of gravel.
He dumped
some gravel in
and shook the
jar causing
pieces of gravel
to work themselves
down
into the spaces
between the
big rocks. He
then asked the
group once
more, "Is the
jar full?"
By this time
the class was on to him. "Probably not," one
of them answered.
"Good!" he replied. He reached under the
table and brought out a bucket of sand. He
started dumping the sand in the jar and it
went into all of the spaces left between the
rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked
the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class
shouted.
Once again he said, "Good." Then he
grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour
it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then
he looked at the class and asked, "What is
the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and
said, "The point is, no matter how full your
schedule is, if you try really hard you can
always fit some more things in it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the
point. The truth this illustration teaches us
is: If you don't put the big rocks in first,
you'll never get them in at all."
What are
the 'big rocks'
in your life,
time with your
loved ones,
your faith,
your education,
your
dreams, a
worthy cause,
teaching or
m e n t o r i n g
o t h e r s ?
Remember to
put these big
rocks in first
or you'll never
get them in at
all. So,
tonight, or in
the morning, when you are reflecting on this
short story, ask yourself this question: What
are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those
in your jar first.
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 29
Sparky - Charlie
Brown
A story is told about a boy
named Sparky. For Sparky
school was all but impossible.
He failed every subject in the
eighth grade. He flunked
physics in high school.
Receiving a flat zero in the
course, he distinguished himself
as the worst physics student
in the school's history.
Sparky also flunked Latin,
algebra and English. He didn't
do much better in sports.
Although he did manage to
make the school's golf team,
he promptly lost the only important match of
the season. There was a consolation match;
he lost that, too.
Throughout his youth Sparky was awkward
socially. He was not actually disliked by
the other students; no one cared that much.
He was astonished if a classmate ever said
hello to him outside of school hours. There's
no way to tell how he might have done at
dating. Sparky never once asked a girl to go
out in high school. He was too afraid of being
turned down.
Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates...
everyone knew it. So he rolled with it. Sparky
had made up his mind early in life that if
things were meant to work out, they would.
Otherwise he would content himself with
what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.
However, one thing was important to
Sparky - drawing. He was proud of his artwork.
Of course, no one else appreciated it.
In his senior year of high school, he submitted
some cartoons to the editors of the yearbook.
They were turned down. Despite this
particularly painful rejection, Sparky was so
convinced of his ability that he decided to
become a professional artist.
Upon graduating from high school, he
wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios. He was
told to send some samples of his artwork,
and the subject matter for a cartoon was
suggested. Sparky drew the proposed cartoon.
He spent a great deal of time on it and
on all the other drawings he submitted.
Finally the reply came from Disney Studios;
he had been rejected once again. Another
loss for the loser.
So Sparky decided to write his own autobiography
in cartoons. He described his
childhood self - a little-boy loser and chronic
underachiever. The cartoon character would
soon become famous worldwide. For Sparky,
the boy who had failed every subject in the
eight grade and whose work was rejected
again and again, was Charles Schulz. He created
the "Peanuts" comic strip and the little
cartoons boy whose kite would never fly and
who never succeeded in kicking the football -
Charlie Brown.
30 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
The Ants and the
Grasshopper
The Ants were spending a fine winter's
day drying grain collected in the
summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing
with famine, passed by and
earnestly begged for a little food. The
Ants inquired of him, "Why did you
not treasure up food during the summer?'
He replied, "I had not leisure
enough. I passed the days in singing."
They then said in derision: "If you
were foolish enough to sing all the
summer, you must dance supperless
to bed in the winter."
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 31
The Rebellion Against the
Stomach
Once a man had a dream in which his
hands and feet and mouth and brain all
began to rebel against his stomach.
"You good-for-nothing sluggard!" the
hands said. "We work all day long, sawing
and hammering and lifting and carrying. By
evening we're covered with blisters and
scratches, and our joints ache, and we're
covered with dirt. And meanwhile you just sit
there, hogging all the food."
"We agree!" cried the feet. "Think how
sore we get, walking back and forth all day
long. And you just stuff yourself full, you
greedy pig, so that you're that much heavier
to carry about."
"That's right!" whined the mouth. "Where
do you think all that food you love comes
form? I'm the one who has to chew it all up,
and as soon as I'm finished you suck it all
down for yourself. Do you call that fair?"
"And what about me?" called the brain.
"Do you think it's easy being up here, having
to think about where your next meal is going
to come from? And yet I get nothing at all for
my pains."
And one by one the parts of the body
joined the complaint against the stomach,
which didn't say anything at all.
"I have an idea," the brain finally
announced. "Let's all rebel against the lazy
belly, and stop working for it."
"Superb idea!" all the other members and
organs agreed. "We'll teach you how important
we are, you pig. Then maybe you'll do a
little work of your own."
So they all stopped working. The hands
refused to do lifting and carrying. The feet
refused to walk. The mouth promised not to
chew or swallow a single bite. And the brain
swore it wouldn't come up with any more
bright ideas. At first the stomach growled a
bit, as it always did when it was hungry. But
after a while it was quiet.
Then, to the dreaming man's surprise, he
found he could not walk. He could not grasp
anything in his hand. He could not even open
his mouth. And he suddenly began to feel
rather ill.
The dream seemed to go on for several
days. As each day passed, the man felt
worse and worse. "This rebellion had better
not last much longer," he thought to himself,
"or I'll starve."
Meanwhile, the hands and feet and mouth
and brain just lay there, getting weaker and
weaker. At first they roused themselves just
enough to taunt the stomach every once in a
while, but before long they didn't even have
the energy for that.
Finally the man heard a faint voice coming
from the direction of his feet.
"It could be that we were wrong," they
were saying. "We suppose the stomach
might have been working in his own way all
along."
"I was just thinking the same thing," murmured
the brain. "It's true that he's been
getting all the food. But it seems he's been
sending most of it right back to us."
"We might as well admit our error," the
mouth said. "The stomach has
just as much work to do as the
hands and feet and brain and
teeth."
"Then let's get back to work,"
they cried together. And at that
the man woke up.
To his relief, he discovered
his feet could walk again. His
hands could grasp, his mouth
could chew, and his brain could
now think clearly. He began to
feel much better.
"Well, there's a lesson for
me," he thought as he filled his
stomach at breakfast. "Either
we all work together, or nothing
works at all."
Blurred Vision
A businessman was highly critical of his
competitors' storefront windows. "Why, they
are the dirtiest windows in town," he
claimed. Fellow business people grew tired of
the man's continual criticism and nitpicking
comments about the windows. One day over
coffee, the businessman carried the subject
just too far.
Before leaving, a fellow store owner suggested
the man get his own windows
washed. He followed the advice, and the next
day at coffee, he exclaimed, "I can't believe
it. As soon as I washed my windows, my
competitor must have cleaned his too. You
should see them shine."
Confucius once declared, "Don't complain
about the snow on your neighbor's roof when
your own doorstep is unclean."
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.
The Father and his sons
A father had a family of sons who were
perpetually quarreling among themselves.
When he failed to heal their disputes by his
exhortations, he determined to give them a
practical illustration of the evils of disunion;
and for this purpose he one day told them to
bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had
done so, he placed the faggot into the hands
of each of them in succession, and ordered
them to break it in pieces. They tried with all
their strength, and were not able to do it. He
next opened the faggot, took the
sticks separately, one by one, and
again put them into his sons' hands, upon
which they broke them easily. He then
addressed them in these words: "My sons, if
you are of one mind, and unite to assist each
other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by
all the attempts of your enemies; but if you
are divided among yourselves, you will be
broken as easily as these sticks."
The House of 1000 Mirrors
Long ago in a small, far away village,
there was place known as the House of 1000
Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of
this place and decided to visit. When he
arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to
the doorway of the house. He looked through
the doorway with his ears lifted high and his
tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great
surprise, he found himself staring at 1000
other happy little dogs with their tails wagging
just as fast as his. He smiled a great
smile, and was answered with 1000 great
smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left
the House, he thought to himself, "This is a
wonderful place. I will come back and visit it
often."
In this same village, another little dog,
who was not quite as happy as the first one,
decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed
the stairs and hung his head low as he looked
into the door. When he saw the 1000
unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him,
he growled at them and was horrified to see
1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he
left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible
place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors.
What kind of reflections do you see in the
faces of the people you meet?
32 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 33
Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit
Probably the greatest example of persistence
is Abraham Lincoln. If you want to learn
about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.
Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced
with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight
elections, twice failed in business and suffered
a nervous breakdown. He could have
quit many times - but he didn't and because
he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest
presidents in the history of our country.
Lincoln was a champion and he never gave
up.
Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the
White House:
1816: His family was forced out of their
home. He had to work to support them.
1818: His mother died.
1831: Failed in business.
1832: Ran for state legislature - lost.
1832: Also lost his job - wanted to go to
law school but couldn't get in.
1833: Borrowed some money from a
friend to begin a business and by the end of
the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next
17 years of his life paying off this debt.
1834: Ran for state legislature again -
won.
1835: Was engaged to be married, sweetheart
died and his heart was broken.
1836: Had a total nervous breakdown and
was in bed for six months.
1838: Sought to become speaker of the
state legislature - defeated.
1840: Sought to become elector - defeated.
1843: Ran for Congress
- lost.
1846: Ran for Congress
again - this time he won -
went to Washington and did
a good job.
1848: Ran for re-election
to Congress - lost.
1849: Sought the job of
land officer in his home state -
rejected.
1854: Ran for Senate of the
United States - lost.
1856: Sought the Vice-
Presidential nomination at his
party's national convention - got
less than 100 votes.
1858: Ran for U.S. Senate
again - again he lost.
1860: Elected president of the
United States.
Great Value in Disaster
Thomas Edison's laboratory was virtually
destroyed by fire in December 1914.
Although the damage exceeded $2 million,
the buildings were only insured for $238,000
because they were made of concrete and
thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison's
life's work went up in spectacular flames that
December night.
At the height of the fire, Edison's 24-yearold
son, Charles, frantically searched for his
father among the smoke and debris. He finally
found him, calmly watching the scene, his
face glowing in the reflection, his white hair
blowing in the wind.
"My heart ached for him," said Charles.
"He was 67-no longer a young man-and
everything was going up in flames. When he
saw me, he shouted, 'Charles, where's your
mother?' When I told him I didn't know, he
said, 'Find her. Bring her here. She will never
see anything like this as long as she lives.'"
The next morning, Edison looked at the
ruins and said, "There is great value in disaster.
All our mistakes are burned up. Thank
God we can start a new." Three weeks after
the fire Edison managed to deliver his first
phonograph.
34 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
Bag Lady
She used to sleep in the Fifth Street Post
Office. I could smell her before I rounded the
entrance to where she slept, standing up, by
the public phones. I smelled the urine that
seeped through the layers of her dirty clothing
and the decay from her nearly toothless
mouth. If she was not asleep, she mumbled
incoherently.
Now they close the post office at six to
keep the homeless out, so she curls up on
the sidewalk, talking to herself, her mouth
flapping open as though unhinged, her
smells diminished by the soft breeze.
One Thanksgiving we had so much food
left over, I packed it up, excused myself from
the others and drove over to Fifth Street.
It was a frigid night. Leaves were swirling
around the streets and hardly anyone was
out, all but a few of the luckless in some
warm home or shelter. But I knew I would
find her.
She was dressed as she always was, even
in summer: The warm woolly layers concealing
her old, bent body. Her bony hands
clutched the precious shopping cart. She was
squatting against a wire fence in front of the
playground next to the post office. "Why didn't
she choose some place more protected
from the wind?" I thought, and assumed she
was so crazy she did not have the sense to
huddle in a doorway.
I pulled my shiny car to the curb, rolled
down the window and said, "Mother . . .
would you . . ." and was shocked at the word
"Mother." But she was . . . is ... in some way
I cannot grasp.
I said, again, "Mother, I've brought you
some food. Would you like some turkey and
stuffing and apple pie?
At this the old woman looked at me and
said quite clearly and distinctly, her two loose
lower teeth wobbling as she spoke, "Oh,
thank you very much, but I'm quite full now.
Why don't you take it to someone who really
needs it?" Her words were clear, her manners
gracious. Then I was dismissed: Her head
sank into her rags again.
Start With Yourself
The following words were written on the
tomb of an Anglican Bishop in the Crypts of
Westminister Abbey:
When I was young and free and my imagination
had no limits, I dreamed of changing
the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered
the world would not change, so I
shortened my sights somewhat and decided
to change only my country.
But it, too, seemed immovable.
As I grew into my twilight years, in one
last desperate attempt, I settled for changing
only my family, those closest to me, but alas,
they would have none of it.
And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly
realize: If I had only changed my self
first, then by example I would have changed
my family.
From their inspiration and encouragement,
I would then have been able to better
my country and, who knows, I may have
even changed the world.
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 35
Rescue at Sea
Years ago, in a small fishing village in
Holland, a young boy taught the world about
the rewards of unselfish service. Because
the entire village revolved around the fishing
industry, a volunteer rescue team was needed
in cases of emergency. One night the
winds raged, the clouds burst and a gale
force storm capsized a fishing boat at sea.
Stranded and in trouble, the crew sent out
the S.O.S. The captain of the rescue rowboat
team sounded the alarm and the villagers
assembled in the town square overlooking
the bay. While the team launched their rowboat
and fought their way through the wild
waves, the villagers waited restlessly on the
beach, holding lanterns to light the way
back.
An hour later, the rescue boat reappeared
through the fog and the cheering villagers
ran to greet them. Falling exhausted on the
sand, the volunteers reported that the rescue
boat could not hold any more passengers
and they had to leave one man behind.
Even one more passenger would have surely
capsized the rescue boat and all would
have been lost.
Frantically, the captain called for another
volunteer team to go after the lone survivor.
Sixteen-year-old Hans stepped forward. His
mother grabbed his arm, pleading, "Please
don't go. Your father died in a shipwreck 10
years ago and your older brother, Paul, has
been lost at sea for three weeks. Hans, you
are all I have left."
Hans replied, "Mother, I have to go. What
if everyone said, 'I can't go, let someone
else do it'? Mother, this time I have to do my
duty. When the call for service comes, we all
need to take our turn and do our part." Hans
kissed his mother, joined the team and disappeared
into the night.
Another hour passed, which seemed to
Hans' mother like an eternity. Finally, the
rescue boat darted through the fog with
Hans standing up in the bow. Cupping his
hands, the captain called, "Did you find the
lost man?" Barely able to contain himself,
Hans excitedly yelled back, "Yes, we found
him. Tell my mother it's my older brother,
Paul!"
A Life Worth Saving
A man risked his life by swimming
through the treacherous riptide to save a
youngster being swept out to sea. After the
child recovered from the harrowing experience,
he said to the man, "Thank you for
saving my life."
The man looked into the boy's eyes and
said, "That's okay, kid. Just make sure your
life was worth saving."
Two Brothers
Two brothers worked together on the
family farm. One was married and had a
large family. The other was single. At the
day's end, the brothers shared everything
equally, produce and profit.
Then one day the single brother said to
himself, "It's not right that we should share
equally the produce and the profit. I'm alone
and my needs are simple." So each night he
took a sack of grain from his bin and crept
across the field between their houses,
dumping it into his brother's bin.
Meanwhile, the married brother said to
himself, "It's not right that we should share
the produce and the profit equally. After all,
I'm married and I have my wife and children
who can look after me in years to
come. My brother has no one, and
no one to take care of his future." So
each night he took a sack of grain
and dumped it into his single brother's
bin.
Both men were puzzled for
years because their supply of
grain never dwindled. Then one
dark night the two brothers
bumped into each other. Slowly it
dawned on them what was happening.
They dropped their
sacks and embraced one another.
36 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
Difference
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in
Oklahoma City. My friend and proud father
Bobby Lewis was taking his two little boys to
play miniature golf. He walked up to the fellow
at the ticket counter and said, "How
much is it to get in?"
The young man replied, "$3.00 for you
and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six.
We let them in free if they are six or younger.
How old are they?"
Bobby replied, "The lawyer's three and the
doctor is seven, so I guess I owe you $6.00."
The man at the ticket counter said, "Hey,
Mister, did you just win the lottery or something?
You could have saved yourself three
bucks. You could have told me that the older
one was six; I wouldn't have known the difference."
Bobby replied, "Yes, that may be
true, but the kids would have known the difference."
Puppies For Sale
A storeowner was tacking a sign above his
door that read "Puppies For Sale." Signs like
that have a way of attracting small children,
and sure enough, a little boy appeared under
the storeowner's sign. "How much are you
going to sell the puppies for?" he asked.
The storeowner replied, "Anywhere from
$30 to $50."
The little boy reached in his pocket and
pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he
said. "Can I please look at them?"
The storeowner smiled and whistled and
out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down
the aisle of his store followed by five teeny,
tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably
behind. Immediately the little boy
singled out the lagging, limping puppy and
said, "What's wrong with that little dog?"
The storeowner explained that the veterinarian
had examined the little puppy and had
discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It
would always limp. It would always be lame.
The little boy became excited. "That is the little
puppy that I want to buy."
The storeowner said, "No, you don't want
to buy that little dog. If you really want him,
I'll just give him to you." The little boy got
quite upset. He looked straight into the
storeowner's eyes, pointing his finger, and
said, "I don't want you to give him to me.
That little dog is worth every bit as much as
all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In
fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a
month until I have him paid for."
The storeowner countered, "You really
don't want to buy this little dog. He is never
going to be able to run and jump and play
with you like the other puppies."
To this, the little boy reached down and
rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted,
crippled left leg supported by a big metal
brace. He looked up at the storeowner and
softly replied, "Well, I don't run so well
myself, and the little puppy will need someone
who understands!"
What's Really Important
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
the relish to run the race to the finish and
win.
All, that is, except one 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
paused. 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 10 minutes.
IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES 37
The Stonecutter
There was once a stonecutter who was
dissatisfied with himself and with his position
in life.
One day, he passed a wealthy merchant's
house and through the open gateway saw
many fine possessions and important visitors.
"How powerful that merchant must
be!" thought the stonecutter. He became
very envious, and wished that he could be
like the merchant. Then he would no longer
have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.
To his great surprise, he suddenly became
the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and
power than he had ever dreamed of, envied
and detested by those less wealthy than
himself. But soon a high official passed by,
carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by
attendants, and escorted by soldiers beating
gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy,
had to bow low before the procession. "How
powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish
that I could be a high official!"
Then he became the high official, carried
everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair,
feared and hated by the people all around,
who had to bow down before him as he
passed. It was a hot summer day, and the
official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky
sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It
shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his
presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he
thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!"
Then he became the sun, shining fiercely
down on everyone, scorching the fields,
cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a
huge black cloud moved between him and
the earth, so that his light could no longer
shine on everything below. "How powerful
that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that
I could be a cloud!"
Then he became the cloud, flooding the
fields and villages, shouted at by everyone.
But soon he found that he was being pushed
away by some great force, and realized that
it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he
thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles
off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees,
hated and feared by all below him. But after
a while, he ran up against something that
would not move, no matter how forcefully he
blew against it-a huge, towering stone. "How
powerful that stone is!" he thought. "I wish
that I could be a stone!"
Then he became the stone, more powerful
than anything else on earth. But as he
stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer
pounding a chisel into the solid rock and
felt himself being changed. "What could be
more powerful than I, the stone?" he
thought. He looked down and saw far below
him the figure of a stonecutter.
My Father When I Was ...
4 years old: My daddy can do anything.
5 years old: My daddy knows a whole lot.
6 years old: My dad is smarter than your
dad.
8 years old: My dad doesn't know exactly
everything.
10 years old: In the olden days when my
dad grew up, things were sure different.
12 years old: Oh, well, naturally, father
doesn't know anything about that. He is too
old to remember his childhood.
14 years old: Don't pay any attention to
my father. He is so old-fashioned!
21 years old: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly
out-of-date.
25 years old: Dad knows a little bit about
it, but then he should because he has been
around so long.
30 years old: Maybe we should ask Dad
what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of
experience.
35 years old: I'm not doing a single thing
until I talk to Dad.
40 years old: I wonder how Dad would
have handled it. He was so wise and had a
world of experience.
50 years old: I'd give anything if Dad
were here now so I could talk this over
with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how
smart he was. I could have learned a lot
from him.
38 IINSPIIRATIIONAL STORIIES
The Window
There were once two men, both seriously
ill, in the same small room of a great hospital.
Quite a small room, it had one window
looking out on the world. One of the men, as
part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in
bed for an hour in the afternoon (something
to do with draining the fluid from his lungs).
His bed was next to the window. But the
other man had to spend all his time flat on
his back.
Every afternoon when the man next to the
window was propped up for his hour, he
would pass the time by describing what he
could see outside. The window apparently
overlooked a park where there was a lake.
There were ducks and swans in the lake, and
children came to throw them bread and sail
model boats. Young lovers walked hand in
hand beneath the trees, and there were flowers
and stretches of grass, games of Softball.
And at the back, behind the fringe of trees,
was a fine view of the city skyline.
The man on his back would listen to the
other man describe all of this, enjoying every
minute. He heard how a child nearly fell into
the lake, and how beautiful the girls were in
their summer dresses. His friend's descriptions
eventually made him feel he could
almost see what was happening outside.
Then one fine afternoon, the thought struck
him: Why should the man next to the window
have all the pleasure of seeing what was
going on? Why shouldn't he get the chance?
He felt ashamed, but the more he tried not to
think like that, the worse he wanted a
change. He'd do anything! One night as he
stared at the ceiling, the other man suddenly
woke up, coughing and choking, his hands
groping for the button that would bring the
nurse running. But the man watched without
moving-even when the sound of breathing
stopped. In the morning, the nurse found the
other man dead, and quietly took his body
away.
As soon as it seemed decent, the man
asked if he could be switched to the bed next
to the window. So they moved him, tucked
him in, and made him quite comfortable. The
minute they left, he propped himself up on
one elbow, painfully and laboriously, and
looked out the window. It faced a blank wall.
A Sense of a Goose
Next fall, when you see geese heading
south for the winter, flying along in "V" formation,
you might consider what science has
discovered as to why they fly that way. As
each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift
for the bird immediately following. By flying
in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at
least 71 percent greater flying range than if
each bird flew on its own.
People who share a common direction and
sense of community can get where they are
going more quickly and easily, because they
are traveling on the thrust of one another.
When a goose falls out of formation, it
suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying
to go it alone and quickly gets back into
formation to take advantage of the lifting
power of the bird in front.
If we have as much sense as a goose, we
will stay in formation with those people who
are headed the same way we are. When the
head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the
wing and another goose flies point.
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding
jobs, whether with people or with geese
flying south.
Geese honk from behind to
encourage those up front to keep
up their speed.
What messages do we give
when we honk from behind?
Finally-and this is importantwhen
a goose gets sick or is
wounded by gunshot, and falls
out of formation, two other geese
fall out with that goose and follow
it down to lend help and protection.
They stay with the fallen
goose until it is able to fly or until
it dies; and only then do they
launch out on their own, or with
another formation to catch up
with their group.
If we have the sense of a
goose, we will stand by each
other like that.
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