The Value of Life...

A little boy went to his old grandpa and asked, "What's the value of life?"

The grandpa gave him one stone and said, "Find out the value of this stone, but don't sell it."

The boy took the stone to an Orange Seller and asked him what its cost would be. The Orange Seller saw the shiny stone and said, "You can take 12 oranges and give me the stone."

The boy apologized and said that the grandpa has asked him not to sell it.

He went ahead and found a vegetable seller.    

"What could be the value of this stone?" he asked the vegetable seller.

The seller saw the shiny stone and said, "Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone."

The boy again apologized and said he can't sell it.

Further ahead, he went into a jewelry shop and asked the value of the stone.

The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, "I'll give you 1 million for this stone." When the boy shook his head, the jeweler said, "Alright, alright, take 2 24 karat gold necklaces, but give me the stone."

The boy explained that he can't sell the stone.

Further ahead, the boy saw a precious stone's shop and asked the seller the value of this stone. When the precious stone's seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it. Then he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby. "From where did you bring this priceless ruby from?" he asked.

"Even if I sell the whole world, and my life, I won't be able to purchase this priceless stone." Stunned and confused, the boy returned to the grandpa and told him what had happened. "Now tell me what is the value of life, grandpa?"

Grandpa said, 

"The answers you got from the Orange Seller, the Vegetable Seller, the Jeweler & the Precious Stone's Seller explain the value of our life...

You may be a precious stone, even priceless, but, people will value you based on their intellectual status, their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind entertaining you, their ambition, their risk taking ability & ultimately their calibre. 

So don't fear, you will surely find someone who will discern your true value."

Respect yourself.

Don't sell yourself cheap.

You are rare, Unique, Original and the only one of your kind.

Your are a masterpiece because you are the MASTER'S PIECE.

No one can Replace you.

 

9 Short Stories

 

1. FALL and RISE

  

Today, when I slipped on the wet tile floor a boy in a wheelchair caught me before I slammed my head on the ground.  He said, “Believe it or not, that’s almost exactly how I injured my back 3 years ago .

 

2. A FATHER'S ADVICE

 

Today, my father told me, “Just go for it and give it a try!  You don’t have to be a professional to build a successful product.  Amateurs started Google and Apple.  Professionals built the Titanic

 

3. The POWER of UNIQUENESS

 

Today, I asked my mentor – a very successful business man in his 70’s – what his top 3 tips are for success.  He smiled and said, “Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.

 

4. LOOKING BACK                                      

 

Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I’m working on for my Psychology class.  When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, “Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.

 

5. TRY and YOU shall KNOW

 

I am blind by birth. When I was 8 years old, I wanted to play baseball. I asked my father- "Dad, can I play baseball?" He said "You'll never know until you try." When I was a teenager, I asked him, - "Dad Can I become a surgeon?". He replied "Son, you'll never know until you try." Today I am a Surgeon, just because I tried!

 

6. GOODNESS & GRATITUDE

 

Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug.  When I tensed up, she realized I didn’t recognize her.  She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, “On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of world trade centre.

  

7. LOOKING BACK

 

Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother’s hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, “I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often.”

 

8. AFFECTION

 

Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed.  About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.

 

9. SHARING

 

Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe.  He said he hadn’t eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy.  Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating.  The first thing the man said was, “We can share it.”

 

Cheers to life

THE PREGNANT DEER

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river. This seems a safe place. Suddenly labour pains begin.

At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above and lightning starts a forest fire. 

She looks to her left  and sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her. To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her  

What can the pregnant deer do? Remember she is in labour!!

What will happen?

Will the deer survive?

Will she give birth to a fawn?

Will the fawn survive?

Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire?

Will she perish to the hunters' arrow? 

Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her? 

She is constrained by the fire on the one side and the flowing river on the other and boxed in by her natural predators.

What does she do? 

She focuses on giving birth to a new life.

The sequence of events that follows are:

lightning strikes and blinds the hunter.

he (the hunter) releases the arrow which zips past the deer and strikes the hungry lion.

it starts to rain heavily and the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.

the deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.

Check the circumstances that took place above and ask yourself whether the deer had any influence in the chain of reactions that happened to her enemies right in front of her very eyes.

In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on αll sides with negative thoughts and possibilities. What we must not do is take our eyes off the ball. We must remain focused on the issue at hand.

Some thoughts are so powerful that they overcome us and overwhelm us. 

Maybe we can learn something from the deer.

The priority of the deer, in that given moment was simply to give birth to a baby.The rest was not in her hands and any action or reaction that changed her focus would have likely resulted in death or disaster.

Ask yourself:

Where is my focus?

Where is my faith and hope?

In the midst of any storm, do keep faith in the Creator always. He will never ever dissapoint you. NEVER.

Remember, He neither slumbers nor sleeps!! The strong person knows how to keep their life in order. Even with tears in their eyes, they still manage to say "I'm Okay" with a smile"

Don't blow the whistle yourself

I watched a local football match in a school playing ground.

As I sat down, I asked one of the boys what the score was.

With a smile, he replied; they are leading us 3-0.

And I said, REALLY.   

I have to say you don't look discouraged.

"Discouraged" the boy asked with a puzzled look.

Why should I be discouraged when the referee has not blown the final whistle.

I have confidence in the team and the managers; we shall definitely overcome.

Truly, the match ended 5-4 in favor of the boy's team.

He waved at me gently, with a beautiful smile as he left; I was amazed, mouth wide open; Such confidence; Such beautiful faith.

As I got back home that night, his question kept coming back to me -

.....

Why should I be discouraged when the referee has not blown the final whistle.

Life is like a game....

Why be discouraged, when there is still life.  

Why be discouraged when your final whistle has not sounded.

The truth is that many people blow the final whistle themselves....

But as long as there is life, nothing is impossible and it is never too late for you.

Half time is not full time.....

Don't blow the whistle yourself...