You Are A Survivor

If sometimes you feel disappointed and angry at fate’s cruel ways.
If sometimes you feel life is unfair, as you struggle through trying days.
If sometimes you’re tempted, when fate knocks you down, and you don’t wish to get up anymore;
If you feel that it’s no use to stay in the game, to struggle and win as before . . .

Remember! You are a survivor! You will make it – somehow;
Don’t look too far ahead for tomorrow, just get through this day . . . live for now!
Remember that with each new tomorrow, you will leave some troubles behind;

With every sunrise a new day is dawning and feel certain on this day you’ll find . . .
That life is not always so cruel, the days, not at all times so long;
For after the storm comes a rainbow, and after the pain . . . comes a song!

- Author Unknown

Wars

Not all wars are fought with guns and ammunition. All wars, however, are fought with thoughts and words, whether written or spoke. We are at war in our hearts long before we express it with arms. The place to abolish wars, then, is in your hearts. The politicians and soldiers only materialize or manifest the wars that already exist in their and our hearts. 

If we must fight then let us fight with all our hearts and all of our might! Let us utterly destroy the enemy with vicious attack. Let us search and kill every true enemy, namely; hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, vanity, covetousness, cruelty, and mistrust. These diabolical enemies are hiding now in your heart and in my heart and are so cleverly disguised! Once they are annihilated, we can invent our dream of peace. 

- Chris. R. Warnken 

White Peacocks

              They say that if you see a white peacock spread its feathers, you will have good luck. Take a good look, and may I wish you luck - plenty of it. :-) 

              Beautiful shots, beautiful birds, simply breath-takingly beautiful!

Class Reunion

The much awaited day for the class reunion came and went – on the 8th of November.

There were about 25 of us, including 3 teachers. There was a lot of catching up to do, and a lot of brain and mind racking, trying to remember who is and/or was who. All have 'grown up' - of course, and some of them are quite successful in their own fields.

It was really good to be able to catch up with old classmates and teachers after all these years. Alas, the evening passed so quickly. Although the gathering was extended for another hour, there was still not enough time to catch up with everyone. 

Of course, it was difficult to catch up with so many people in one evening – especially after 38 years! Anyway, I would say everyone had a good time down memory lane, and the organizing committee had hoped that more will participate in future gatherings. 

Write In The Sand Or Carve In The Rock

              A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. At a specific point of their journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. 

              The one, who got slapped, was hurt, but without anything to say, he wrote in the sand: “TODAY, MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.” 

              They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who got slapped and hurt started drowning, and the other friend saved him. When he recovered from the fright, he wrote on a stone: “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.” 

              The friend who slapped, and later saved his best friend, asked him, “Why, after I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a stone?” 

              The other friend, smiling, replied: “When a friend hurts us, we should write it down in the sand, where the winds of forgiveness get in charge of erasing it away, and when something great happens, we should engrave it in the stone of the memory of the heart, where no wind can erase it.”

The Conductor

              A little old lady is on a bus, buying a ticket from the bus conductor, fumbling in a voluminous bag for the correct change. After fifteen minutes the conductor becomes so enraged that he hits her on the head with the ticket-dispenser, and the poor old dear dies instantly. 

              Not surprisingly, he is convicted and put on death row. Just before he is to be electrocuted, his last request is for twelve pounds of bananas, which he devours. 

              They strap him into the chair, flip the switch, and he just sits there, smiling. According to tradition, this is considered a reprieve from God and he is freed. 

              Somehow he gets his old job back, and he is happily dispensing tickets when he sees a girl stick her gum on the back of a seat on the bus. Enraged, he lunges out with the ticket dispenser, breaking the offender’s neck and killing her. 

              Again, he is convicted and sent to death row. He again eats the twelve pounds of bananas, and lo and behold, the electricity does not harm him. 

              This time the executioner cleans the contacts, makes him sit in a bucket of water, he tries everything - but the conductor will not die. So again, he is set free.

              Amazingly he regains his job. It takes him one day to lose his temper and beat to death a young boy who starts to chew his bus ticket. 

              He returns to death row, eats the bananas, and survives the electrocution. At this point, the executioner, can take no more - his professional pride has been hurt. Before setting our friend free again, he asks him his secret – “What is it with the bananas?” 

              “Oh, the bananas have nothing to do with it,” replies our friend. “I’m just a bad conductor.”

Life Cannot Be Counted In Candles ...

I got this off a Birthday card from Hallmark 

Life cannot be counted in candles …

… or measured in number of years, it is counted in small joys and good times and laugh lines, as well as in heartaches and tears. 

… but in things done with effort and pride – with dreams followed boldly and hopes kept alive – in times when we have failed – but tried. 

… or measured in years that have flown – it is counted in kindnesses, close friends, and loved ones, and in all the sweet blessings we have known.

The Power Of Words

              A group of frogs was travelling through the woods, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. 

              When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the unfortunate frogs they would never get out. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. 

              Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and simply gave up. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and suffering and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. 

              When he got out, the other frogs asked him, “Why did you continue jumping. Didn’t you hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. 

              This story teaches two lessons: 

              1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. 

              2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. 

The Case

A lady about eight months pregnant got on a bus. She noticed the man opposite her was smiling at her. She immediately moved to another seat. This time the smile turned into a grin, so she moved again. 

The man seemed more amused. When on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing, she complained to the driver and he had the man arrested. The case came up in court. The judge asked the man (about twenty years old) what he had to say for himself. 

The man replied, “Well your Honour, it was like this: When the lady got on the bus, I couldn’t help but notice her condition. She sat under a sweets sign that said, ‘The Double Mint Twins are Coming,’ and I grinned. Then she moved and sat under a sign that said, ‘Logan’s Liniment will reduce the swelling,’ and I had to smile. Then she placed herself under a deodorant sign that said, ‘William’s Big Stick Did the Trick,’ and I could hardly contain myself. BUT, Your Honour, when she moved the fourth time and sat under a sign that said: ‘Goodyear Rubber could have prevented this Accident,’ I just lost it.” 

“CASE DISMISSED!”

A Special Day

Today, I turned 50! That’s half a century! Wow!

No, there won’t be a big party, nor a big celebration. Like all previous occasions, events etc…the day was duly noted mentally but not celebrated. I think the only time I celebrated anything at all was when I turned 21 – the day I became an adult. After that, for some reason, I haven’t been able to summon the ‘Celebrative Spirit’. 

Perhaps it is because I am a firm believer that each day of our lives is as important as the other. Therefore, there is no need to celebrate a particular day in the year. And of course there is the popular notion that if you are rich, and can afford to live it up, you can party everyday. So there is no need for an excuse to party. 

There is probably one other underlining consideration. I do not like these emotional highs. It is no fun to fall back to earth with a thud after the party or celebration is over. I also find that instead of celebrating the occasion, I think more of the passing away of the other – be it the year, or season – and I find myself saddened. 

Whatever the reason or rationale behind it, I guess I am one of those who are not into celebrations. Every day is another day to me!

However, well meaning friends have invited me out for dinners and drinks the past week. Tonight will be another dinner and drinks evening. So I think that’s plenty of celebration.

It is also exactly a year ago – this day, that I started my blog. I hope whoever has the affinity to read it benefited from my blog, in some small ways. That will be satisfaction and reward enough for me. 

Cheers!