Two Angels

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a
wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the
mansion's guest room.

Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole
in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,

"Things aren't always what they seem"

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but
very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels
sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and
his wife in tears.

Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in
the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could
you have let this happen?
The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused.

The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and
you let the cow die..

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was
gold stored in that hole in the wall.

Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his
good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death
came for his wife I gave him the cow instead.

Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out
the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that
every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it
until some time later...

Some people come into our lives and quickly go..
Some peoplebecome friends and stay awhile...


leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts...
and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend!!

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!

Playing A Violin With Three Strings

On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight.

He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.

By now, the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair. They
remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play.

But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You
could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do.

We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.

The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.

Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to
know that.

You could see him modulating, changing, re-composing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before.

When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done.

He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said - not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

What a powerful line that is. It has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it. And who knows? Perhaps that is the definition of life - not just for artists but for all of us.

Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings, who, all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings.

So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.

article by Jack Riemer (received via email)

Unless You Let It In

All the water in the world
However hard it tried,
Could never, never sink a ship
Unless it got inside.
All the evil in the world,
The wickedness and sin,
Can never sink your soul's fair craft
Unless you let it in.
All the hardships of this world,
Might wear you pretty thin,
But they won't hurt you, one least bit…
Unless you let them in.

- Barbara Johnson

A Software Engineer's Feelings...

Nice one, please take the time and read it.... Time gone by are times that
never come again there are not many second chances to take...

A Software Engineer's feelings.....

It was raining heavily outside. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and
nature was in its ominous best. I took a break from my work and went
to the pantry to grab a cup of coffee. I had a sip and went near the
window to see the rain pouring down heavily outside the glass
structure. I was inside our huge office building, unruffled by even
the fierceness of the nature.

Through the heavy transparent glass, I could see a small girl trying
to hold on to her umbrella which the wind was snatching away from her.
I felt sorry for the girl, and was happy that I was not in a similar
pathetic situation. Yes. I take pride for the fact that I am a
software engineer.
I have everything which a common man would envy; money, status,
respect, you name it I have it. I always wanted to be software
professional and here I am, working for one of the best firms in the
world. But then, am I really happy? Now, I could see an imprint of my
palm on the other glass window, through which I reminisced my past,
basked in the warmth of the sun shine.

My childhood was so much of fun. I vividly remember those rainy days,
when I hugged my mother tightly during sleeping listening to all the
stories told by her. Now, I have a big house here, but then it is just
a house, not a home. My parents are pretty far away from me now. I
have a cell phone to talk to them everyday, but then I really miss
those dinners which I had with my family everyday. I could easily
afford to taste all the different cuisines these days, but the best of
food there, lack the love and affection which is present in the food
prepared by my mother.

I threw a lavish party for my colleagues for my birthday, but then
they would never replace the birthdays when my friends secretly
brought a cake and at the end, half of the cake would have ended up on
my face. The couple of hundred bucks that u save for a long period
just to give a treat to your friends in the road side chat shop can
never give the pleasure even after spending a few thousand bucks these
days.

The scene of me crying and refusing to have dinner on the day when I
fought with my best friend came to my mind. Today, she has gone far
away from me, taking away my love and with it my life, but I am
sitting and coding here with a false smile on my face. Everyday I meet
new people, but then I long ceased to make a new friend.

It's true that I have a lot of things now. I have a nice bed, but no
time to sleep. Lots of money, but no friends to spend it with. The
latest designer clothes, but a worn out body . Quite a few to flirt,
but no one to love. Awards for technical excellence, but no reward for
the crave for peaceful ambience. A confident demeanor, but a reluctant
and apathetic mind. Full of rain, but no sunshine even in the farthest
distance.

Now, I could see the small girl on the road enjoying in the rain with
her umbrella firmly in her grip. She might not have all the comforts
which I have, but then she has the innocence and fun which I lost a
long time back.

I have decided to come out of this false fantasy, even if it is at the
expense of losing the tap of the software engineer. I am going to
again enjoy my life. I am going to go out in the rain and play with
the small kid now. I removed my tie, and went near my computer to shut
it down. Just then, I saw a new mail alert in my mail box. I slowly
opened outlook and I found a message from my manager with an
attachment saying that there was a critical defect in the code and I
have to fix it soon. I convinced myself that I am not going to get
bogged down again by these pressures and stick to my decision. I
ignored the mail and went to the rest room. After a couple of minutes,
the software engineer in me came out, his shirt tucked in with the
perfect tie knot, sat before the computer, and started typing,

Hi XYZ,
I am looking into the defect and will send the patch files before EOD.
Regards,
Software Engineer.

Excellent right!!!!!!!

received via email

Self Appraisal... Highly Recommended

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a
soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He
climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the
buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven
digits (phone numbers).

The store-owner observed and listened to the
conversation:

Boy: "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your
lawn?
Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): "I
already have someone to cut my lawn."

Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of
the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman: I'm very satisfied with the person who is
presently cutting my lawn.

Boy: (with more perseverance) : "Lady, I'll even sweep
your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will
have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida
."
Woman: No, thank you.

With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the
receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all
this, walked over to the boy.

Store Owner: "Son... I like your attitude; I like that
positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy: "No thanks,

Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one..
Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the
job I already have. I am the one who is working for
that lady, I was talking to!"

This is what we call "Self Appraisal"

Highly Recommended.....

A Proof to Support My "Do Good"

Well, we all are witness to how Pakistan is at war with the same Taliban and extremist groups which it supported against India. How Taliban which was supported by the US against Soviet Union during cold war has become a pain for the US. How India had to pay for training LTTE men on its coast in Tamil Nadu by loosing an able Prime Minister. These facts are proof to what I have been saying in all of my previous posts, As you sow, so shall you reap. 

So keep your deeds good. Don't harm anyone or even contribute indirectly to it. 

Do Good....

At times we find that people around us are cheating us, fooling us or back stabbing us. And most of the times we are tempted to return the favor as and when we get a chance.

 

Lets try a different path next time though, Be on guard from such people, don’t let them succeed in their motives and harm you but don’t cheat, fool or back stab them. Help them if you can. There’s a verse in Hindi:

“ Jo tako kaanta boye,

        tahe boye tu fool,

           Tako fool k fool hain,

                   Wako hai trisul.”

 

Meaning, if someone sows thorns on your path let him do that. You still sow flowers on his path, you will get flowers as you sowed and  he’ll get a Trishul  a weapon with three sharp ends on one side.

 

So you keep your karma good. Remember, As you sow, so shall you reap. Don’t try to harm anyone and God will protect you from any harm. “ Neki kar dariya mein dal”, means do good and forget it or throw it in the sea or river, don’t expect someone to return the favor but still you be good to everyone. Some people might think you are being foolish but let them think what they want. You don’t need a certificate of wisdom from anyone.

 

Seeing you some people around you will change, seeing them few others might change over a  period of time. Thus, the chain would continue. It’ll eventually make world a better place to win.