Making Pancakes

Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents
pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the
counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister,
spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl
with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar,
leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left
by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this
to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very
bad. He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the
oven or on the stove, (and he didn't know how the stove worked!).

Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to
push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he
tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs,
getting his pajamas white and sticky. And just then he saw Dad
standing at the door.

Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do
was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a
scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just
watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying
son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and
sticky in the process.

That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but
it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a
friend or we can't stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes we
just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to
do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even
though some of our mess gets all over Him. But just because we might
mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes," for God or for
others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad
we tried…

The Little Rules of Life

Sing in the shower.
Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
Leave the toilet seat in the down position.
Never refuse homemade brownies.
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Plant a tree on your birthday.
Learn 3 clean jokes.
Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
Compliment 3 people every day.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
Leave everything a little better than you found it.
Keep it simple.
Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Floss your teeth.
Ask for a raise when you think you've earned it.
Overtip breakfast waitresses.
Be forgiving of yourself and others.
Say, "Thank you" a lot.
Say, "Please" a lot.
Avoid negative people.
Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
Wear polished shoes.
Remember other people's birthdays.
Commit yourself to constant improvement.
Carry jumper cables in your truck.
Have a firm handshake.
Send lots of Valentine cards.
Sign them, "Someone who thinks you're terrific."
Look people in the eye.
Be the first to say hello.
Use the good silver.
Return all things you borrow.
Make new friends, but cherish the old ones.
Keep a few secrets.
Sing in a choir.
Plant flowers every spring.
Have a dog. (Or cat)
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Stop blaming others.
Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Wave at kids on school busses.
Be there when people need you.
Feed a stranger's expired parking meter.
Don't expect life to be fair.
Never underestimate the power of love.
Drink champagne for no reason at all.
Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.
Don't be afraid to say, "I made a mistake."
Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know."
Compliment even small improvements.
Keep your promises no matter what.
Marry for love.
Rekindle old friendships.
Count your blessings.
Call your mother.

by H. Jackson Brown Jr.

God Has A Master Plan

Once there was a sweeper in a well known temple and he was very
sincere and devoted. Every time he saw thousands of devotees coming to
take darshan of the Lord, he thought that the Lord is standing all the
time and giving darshan and He must be feeling very tired.

So one day very innocently he asked the Lord whether he can take the
place of the Lord for a day so that the Lord can have some relief and
rest. The Deity of Temple replied, "I do not mind taking a break. I
will transform you like Myself, but you must do one thing. You must
just stand here like Me, smile at everyone and just give benedictions.
Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything. Remember you
are the deity and you just have faith that I have a master plan for
everything." The sweeper agreed to this.

The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man
came and prayed to the Lord. He offered a nice donation and prayed
that his business should be prosperous. While going, the rich man
inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there. Now the
sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to
control himself and keep quiet.

Just then a poor man came and he put one coin in the Hundi and said
that it was all he could afford and he prayed to the Lord that he
should continue to be engaged in the Lord's service. He also said that
his family was in dire need of some basic needs but he left it to the
good hands of the Lord to give some solution. When he opened his eyes,
he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Lord
for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently. The sweeper in
the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep
smiling.

At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for his safe journey as he
was going on a long trip. Just then the rich man came with the police
and said that somebody has stolen his wallet and seeing the sailor
there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he might have
taken it. Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the
sailor is not the thief but he could not say so and he became greatly
frustrated. The sailor looked at the Lord and asked why he, an
innocent person, is being punished. The rich man looked at the Lord
and thanked Him for finding the thief. The sweeper in the deity form
could no more tolerate and he thought that even if the real Lord had
been here, he would have definitely interfered and hence he started
speaking and said that the sailor is not the thief but it was the poor
man who took away the wallet. The rich man was very thankful as also
the sailor.

In the night, the real Lord came and He asked the sweeper how the day
was. The sweeper said, "I thought it would be easy, but now I know
that Your days are not easy, but I did one good thing." Then he
explained the whole episode to the Lord. The Lord became very upset on
hearing this whereas the sweeper thought the Lord would appreciate him
for the good deed done.

The Lord asked, "Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no
faith in Me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all
those who come here? All the donation which the rich man gave was all
stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he
wants Me to reciprocate unlimitedly. The single coin offered by the
poor man was the last coin he was having and he gave it to Me out of
faith. The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if the
sailor were to go in the ship that night he was about to die because
of bad weather and instead if he is arrested he would be in the jail
and he would have been saved form a greater calamity. The wallet
should go to the poor man because he will use it in My service. I was
going to reduce the rich man's karma also by doing this and save the
sailor also. But you cancelled everything because you thought you know
My plan and you made your own plans."

God has plans and justice for everyone….we just have to have patience!!!!!

Give generously and you will receive abundantly

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered
the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the
rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter
for the night.

"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked. The
clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and
explained that there were three conventions in town.

"All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice
couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would
you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite,
but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the
night."

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about
me. I'll be just fine here in the office, " the clerk told them. So
the couple agreed.

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the
clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best
hotel in the United States. Maybe, someday I'll build one for you."

The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh.

As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk
was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and
helpful isn't easy.

Years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he
received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and
enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking him to pay them a
visit.

The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth
Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there,
a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up
to the sky.

"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage."

"You must be joking," the young man said.

"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing
around his mouth.

The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor,and the magnificent
structure was the original Waldorf Hotel.

The clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt.
This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him
to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels.

Moral : "Do not turn back those who are in need, for they might be angels".

Life is measured by the lives you touch and not by the things you acquire.

A Must Read

Beautiful letter written by a father to his children. Following is a
letter to his son from a renown Hong Kong TV broadcaster cum Child
Psychologist. The words are actually applicable to all of us, young or
old, children or parents. I am writing this to you because of 3
reasons

1. Life, fortune and mishaps are unpredictable, nobody knows how long
one lives. Some words are better said early.
2. I am your father, and if I don't tell you these, no one else will.
3. What is written is my own personal bitter experiences that perhaps
could save you a lot of unnecessary heartaches. Remember the following
as you go through life

1. Do not bear grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one
has the responsibility of treating you well, except your
mother and I. To those who are good to you, you have to treasure it
and be thankful, and ALSO you have to be cautious, because, everyone
has a motive for every move. When a person is good to you, it does not
mean he really likes you. You have to be careful, don't hastily regard
him as a real friend.

2. No one is indispensable, nothing in the world that you must
possess. Once you understand this idea, it would be easier for you to
go through life when people around you don't want you anymore, or when
you lose what/who you love most.

3. Life is short. When you waste your life today, tomorrow you would
find that life is leaving you. The earlier you treasure your life, the
better you enjoy life.

4. Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with
time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be
patient, time will wash away your aches and sadness. Don't over
exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't over
exaggerate the sadness of falling out of love.

5. A lot of successful people did not receive a good education, that
does not mean that you can be successful by not studying hard!
Whatever knowledge you gain is your weapon in life. One can go from
rags to riches, but one has to start from some rags!

6. I do not expect you to financially support me when I am old,
neither would I financially support you whole life. My responsibility
as a supporter ends when you are grown up. After that,you decide
whether you want to travel in a public transport or in your limousine,
whether rich or poor.

7. You honour your words, but don't expect others to do so. You can be
good to people, but don't expect people to be good to you. If you
don't understand this, you would end up with unnecessary troubles.

8. I have bought lotteries for umpteen years, but I never strike any
prize. That shows if you want to be rich, you have to work hard! There
is no free lunch!

9. No matter how much time I have with you, let's treasure the time we
have together. We do not know if we would meet again in our next life.

Your Dad

Imp Tips for life

1. Do important work vs. merely offering opinions.

2. Lift people up vs. tear others down.

3. Use the words of leadership vs. the language of victimhood.

4. Don't worry about getting the credit for getting things done.

5. Become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

6. Take your health to a level called superfit.

7. Commit to mastery of your craft instead of accepting mediocrity in your work.

8. Associate with people whose lives you want to be living.

9. Study for an hour a day. Double your learning and you'll triple your success.

10. Run your own race. "No one can possibly achieve real and lasting
success by being a conformist," wrote billionaire J. Paul Getty

11. Do something small yet scary every single day.

12. Lead Without a Title.

13. Focus on people's strengths vs. obsessing around their weaknesses.

14. Remember that potential unused turns into pain. So dedicate
yourself to expressing your best.

15. Smile more.

16. Listen more.

17. Read the autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

18. Reflect on the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said: "Great minds
discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss
people."

19. Persist longer than the critics suggest you should.

20. Say "please" and "thank you".

21. Love your loved ones.

22. Do work that matters.

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