Puppies for sale

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he Felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy.
Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"
"Sure," said the farmer.
And with that he let out a whistle,"Here,Dolly!" he called.
Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this One noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....
"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.
The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need Someone who understands."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Collected

An Ageless Heart

The cruise ship was crowded with people off for three days of pleasure. Ahead of me in the passageway walked a tiny woman in brown slacks, her shoulders hunched, her white hair cut in a bob.
From the ship's intercom came a familiar tune - "Begin the Beguine." And suddenly, a wonderful thing happened. The woman, unaware anyone was behind her, did a quick and graceful dance step - back, shuffle, slide.
As she reached the door to the dining salon, she re-assembled her dignity, and stepped soberly through.
Younger people often think folks my age are beyond romance, dancing or dreams. They see us as age has shaped us; camouflaged by wrinkles, thick waists and gray hair. They don't see the people who live inside.
No one would ever know that I am still the skinny girl who grew up in a leafy suburb of Boston.
Inside, I still think of myself as the youngest child in a happy family headed by a mother of great beauty and a father of unfailing good cheer.
And I am still the romantic teenager who longed for love, the young adult who aspired to social respectability - but whom shall I tell?
We are all like the woman in the ship's passageway, in whom the music still echoes. We are the sum of all the lives we once lived. We show the grown-up part, but inside we are still the laughing children, the shy teens, the dream-filled youths. There still exists, most real, the matrix of all we were or ever yearned to be.
In our hearts we still hear "Begin the Beguine" - and when we are alone, we dance.
- Beth Ashley
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life, you will have been all of these.
- George Washington Carver

The Old Scholar

When plum blossom comes every year
The old scholar will then appear
On crowded roads, he’s displaying
Large red paper and Chinese ink
So numerous are the compliments
From customers for his talents
“Lively strokes, vigorous motions:
Dancing phoenix, soaring dragons!”
As years have passed, there’s less demand
Where are they all, his all clients?
Distressed paper has faded colour
Ink stone dried out from feeling sore
The old scholar’s always on site
Thus, unnoticed by passers-by
Dead leaves have lounged onto paper
Then comes the mist drizzling over
As plum blossom has come so far
No longer seen the old scholar
Oh souls of passed millennia!
Where have you gone throughout eras?

Tien Lac Quan

The Dark Candle

A man had a little daughter- an only and much-beloved child. He lived for her- she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health. His best efforts proved unavailing and the child died. The father was totally inconsolable. He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends and refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self. But one night he had a dream.

He was in Heaven, and was witnessing a grand pageant of all the little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne. Every white-robed angelic child carried a candle. He noticed that one child's candle was not lighted. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing to her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and then asked: "How is it, darling that your candle alone is unlighted?" "Father, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out."

Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and its effects were immediate. From that hour on he was not a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears.

"For You have delivered my soul from death. Have you not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the LIGHT of the living?"

57 cents

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded."

"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason; and, taking her by the hand, took her inside, and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there ....

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many > thousands.

When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years, the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00 -- a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And, be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds"

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.

May, today, there be peace within. May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be ..... May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you .... May you be content knowing you are a child of God .... Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance. It is there for each and every one of you ....

Two traveling 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 out come is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later...

Evian Roller Babies international version

Why worry?

There are two things to worry about.
Either you are well, or you are sick.
If you are well, then there is nothing to worry about.
But if you are sick, there are two things to worry about.
Either you will get well, or you will die.
If you get well, then there is nothing to worry about.
But if you die, there are only two things to worry about.
Either you go to heaven or to hell.
If you go to heaven, there is nothing to worry about.
If you go to hell, you will be so darn busy shaking hands
with old friends, you won’t have time to worry.

The Teacup

A couple vacationing in Europe went strolling down a little street and saw a quaint little gift shop with a beautiful teacup in the window. The lady collected teacups and she wanted this one for her collection, so she went inside to buy the teacup, and as the story goes the teacup spoke and said:
"I want you to know that I have not always looked like this. It took the process of pain to bring me to this point. You see, there was a time when I was just clay and the Master came and he pounded me and he squeezed me and he kneaded me and I screamed: "STOP THAT!". But he just smiled and said, "Not yet".
Then he took me and put me on the shelf and I went round and round and round and round... and while I was spinning and getting dizzier and dizzier I screamed again and I said, "Please get me off this thing... please get me off!!!" And the Master was looking at me and he was smiling, as he said, "Not yet".
Then he took me and walked toward the oven and shut the door and turned up the heat and I could see him through the window of the oven and it was getting hotter and hotter and I thought, "He's going to burn me to death!".
And I started pounding on the inside of the oven and I said, "Master, let me out, let me out, let me out!", and I could see that he was smiling as he said "Not yet". Then he opened the door and I was fresh and free and he took me out of the oven and he put me on the table and then he got some paint and a paintbrush.
He started dabbing me and making swirls all over me and I started to gag and I said: "Master, stop it... stop it... stop it please... you're making me gag". He just smiled as he said "not yet".
Then very gently he picked me up again and he started walking toward the oven and I said, "Master, NO!! Not again, pleeeease!!". He opened the oven door and he slipped me inside and he shut the door and this time he turned the heat up twice as hot as before and I thought, "He's going to kill me!!", and I looked through the window of the oven and I started to pound on it, saying, "Master... Master, please let me out... please let me out... let me out!".
I could see that he was smiling but I also noticed a tear trickle down his cheek as I watched him mouth the words, "Not yet!"
Just as I thought I was about to die, the door opened and he reached in ever so gently and took me out, fresh and free and he went and placed me on a high shelf and he said: "There, I have created what I intended. Would you like to see yourself?" I said, "Yes". He handed me a mirror and I looked and I looked again and I said, "That's not me, I'm just a lump of clay".
He said, "Yes, that IS you, but it took the process of pain to bring you to this place. You see, had I not worked you when you were clay, then you would have dried up.
If I had not subjected you to the stress of the wheel you would have crumbled. If I had not put you into the heat of the oven you would have cracked. If I had not painted you there would be no color in your life. But, it was the second oven that gave you the strength to endure. Now you are everything I intended you to be - from the beginning." And I, the teacup, heard myself saying something I never thought I would hear myself saying, "Master, forgive me, I did not trust you. I thought you were going to harm me, I did not know you had a glorious future and a hope for me. I was too shortsighted, but I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for the suffering. I want to thank you for the process of pain. Here I am! I give you myself - fill me; pour from me, use me as you see fit. I really want to be a vessel that brings you glory within my life."

Sunbeam and Sun

Sunbeam was a pretty and gentle girl. She didn’t have a luxurious rare beauty. Her beauty was simple and dear. Many boys paid attention to her: Sun was strong and warm, Wind was haughty and stubborn, Moon was sweet and gracious … All of them wished to own to Sunbeam. So they showed their sentiment in their own way.
Strong warm Sun always covered up for Sunbeam and bring to her unforeseen interesting things, such as taking walks along stream, on hill side, in the forest filling with flowers and their flavour … Being beside Sun, Sunbeam always enjoyed life and find its meaning.
Moon gave Sunbeam pleasant and comfortable feeling. Being beside Moon, she could confide in him and drop her worry and sadness. Moon helped Sunbeam to look herself and remember what she had spent.
How about haughty Wind? Sometimes he was very gentle and pleasant. But sometimes he was also very glacial and haughty. Therefore, Sunbeam was afraid that Wind never belonged to only her.
The life always moved and directed towards ahead. Sunbeam chose Sun for her. With Moon, she only could consider him as a good friend. With Wind, that’s an admiration, strangeness, attraction, charm, and even love. But Sunbeam didn’t choose Wind. Simply because Wind was too haughty.
Now Sunbeam is always beside Sun. Sometimes, Moon meets that couple in the sunsets. And Wind? He still wanders indefinitely during days and nights.

The love story of sea

Where was the sea created from? Human said that the sea was present as the same time with the earth. While the science proved that the sea was present thousands of years ago. We, persons love romance, will discover the sea from story of small snail kept soul of the sea. This story told that …
Once upon a time the earth hadn’t had got blue sea yet. Only the God of Love administered the world. The God gave everybody’s soul the most precious thing – that’s a pearl of love. When human drop the pearl, it would break to hundreds and thousands of pieces and every piece changed into a tear-drop which contained flavour of pain. They didn’t disappear but were kept by the God of Love for making other pearls. Sea was born from there.
Formerly the sea was alone, the more human was pained from love, the more sea was immense and lonely. At that time in the ground where was full of footprints of love, there was a small and lonely snail. This poor snail fumbled but didn’t find out the way, so it only knew to hide itself in the shell. The God of Love didn’t have pearls for it so he brought it to the sea. The sea was very blue from that time not because of the God’s miracle, just because it was not alone. Day after day small snail was besides and listened the singing of sea.
In a sad night, sea told small snail that it didn’t have anything for itself. Human’s tears and loves made up sea but sea didn’t have love. Sea only had its singing and soul. But that singing was just listened in some moment and then was forgotten. And sea depended on wind for keeping the soul, but wind was absorbed in pleasure so the soul of sea was drop somewhere. That’s why sea felt its life was really meaningless.
Small snail loved sea very much after hearing the story of sea. And on a day sea called and called but small snail didn’t reply. The God of Love said that it went away. Sea was at fault, everyday sea waves came and went as waiting for something. Sea was very sad but subsided step by step.
This story maybe would disappear to nothingness or break like sponges if there was one day. One day, in a place very far from the sea, a girl picked up a lonely shell. She pressed her ear against the shell by chance, and she heard passionate sounds from the shell. “Why there is the singing of sea in this shell?”, the girl met The God of Love and asked him curiously. He told her the story of small snail. At that moment small snail entreated him for sea kept its singing. But he said that was not able to, unless … So small snail gave up its soul in order to keep the soul of sea. It must go far away, and sea never knew its story forever. Small snail cried much, its tear couldn’t return to sea too but it knew the sea had soul and it also would have love.
This story still tells that a small snail continue keeping the soul of sea in thousands of years.

The Story of A Glass and Water

A glass says:
- I’m so lonely, I need water, please give me some water.
The owner of glass asks:
- Ok. I give you some water and then you will not be lonely any longer, will you?
The glass replies:
- Sure, sir.
The owner brings water to the glass and pour some into it. Water is very hot. The glass feels soft and panic-stricken. It beleives that it is nearing melting. It thinks this is surely a power of love. A little later, water is only warm. The glass feels very comfortable. It thinks this is a taste of life. Water begins to be cool. The glass feels scared. It doesn’t know what it is scared. It thinks this is an aftertaste of loss. Water is cold. The glass is hopeless. It thinks this is a disposition of fate.
The glass calls:
- My owner, please empty water out quickly. I don’t need water any longer.
But the owner is not here. The glass feels to be suffocated. Water is hateful, too cold. It feels uncomfortable with the presence of water. So it tries to shake itself with all its strength. Finally, water must flow. The glass has not enough time to be happy. It falls down and is broken into pieces. Before being broken, the glass sees every piece contains a few water. At that time, it realizes it really loves water. But it has no way to bring whole water back to it. The glass cries. Its tears dissolve with water. It tries with its final power to love water once more.
The owner returns, he picks up broken pieces. One piece cuts his finger to bleed. The glass smiles, finally what the love is, is it possible to spend sufferings in order to understand the value of respect? The glass smiles, finally what the love is, is it possible to loose everything and have no way to solve in order to understand how to let something run its course?

A Handful Of Salt

An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the master asked.
"Bitter," spit the apprentice.
The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake,and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."
As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "How does it taste?"
"Fresh," remarked the apprentice.
"Do you taste the salt?" asked the master.
"No," said the young man.
At this, the master sat beside this serious young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.
So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things . . .
Stop being a glass. Become a lake.....

Michele Mercier with Angelique movie

One Finger

"Mom, you should put some of your things away. Baby-proof this house," stated our oldest son Mark as he lumbered up the stairs followed by his wife, Kim, and fifteen-month-old Hannah.
Visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday, he finished unloading the luggage and took it to the guest room downstairs. After driving all day from Salt Lake to Ft. Collins, his temper showed.
"That one-finger rule may work with the twins, but it'll never work with Hannah," he insisted.
When my three granddaughters were born four months apart and the twins moved into our house at eight months, my close friend offered me her secret to entertaining grandchildren with few mishaps.
"Teach them the 'one-finger rule.'" All of her five grandchildren learned it at a young age. The success of the method surprised me.
I picked up my granddaughter and said, "Well, Mark, you just watch." I hugged her and walked all around the great room.
"Hannah, you may touch anything in this room you want. But, you can only use one finger."
I demonstrated the technique by touching my forefinger to the African sculpture on the mantel. Hannah followed my example.
"Good girl. Now what else would you like to touch?"
She stretched her finger toward another object on the mantel. I allowed her to touch everything in sight - plants, glass objects, TV, VCR, lamps, speakers, candles and artificial flowers. If she started to grab, I gently reminded her to use one finger. She always obeyed.
But, Hannah, an only child, possessed a more adventurous personality. Her father predicted it would prevent her from accepting the one-finger rule.
During their four-day stay, we aided Hannah in remembering the one-finger rule. She learned quickly. I only put away the things that might prove to be a danger to a child. Otherwise, we watched her closely, and nothing appeared to suffer any damage. Besides, "things" can be replaced.
A few fingerprints on glass doors, windows and tables remained after Hannah and her family returned home. I couldn't bring myself to clean them for days. Each one reminded me of some wonderful experience with Hannah.
Months later, my husband and I drove to Salt Lake, and I watched Mark and Kim continue to practice the one-finger rule. But I refrained from saying, "I told you so." Yet, I smiled inwardly each time they prodded Hannah to touch with "one finger."
Mark, a salesman, always gave a packet of gifts to his potential clients. The night before we returned home, Mark sat on the floor stuffing gifts into their packets.
Hannah helped.
Then she picked up one gift, held it in her hand as if it were a fragile bird, and walked toward me. At my knee, her beautiful blue eyes looked into mine. She stretched her prize to me and said, "One finger, Nana!"

collected

Spring Love - Tale

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl who was very skilled at embroidery. Many rich men hoped to marry her, but the girl wasn’t interested.
‘I will marry a man who can dye threads with pink that will never fade and weaven ten meters of silk without any seams, said the girl.
Some ten miles away there lived a young weaver. His parents had died when he was very young, so that his only companions were a small swift and a tree. One day, the baby swift had flow into his weaving loom and breken its wing. The young man had nursed the bird back to health, after which it stayed by him. The weaver’s mother, meanwhile, had planted the tree before she'd died.
One day, the swift returned with some important news. ‘Ten miles away there lives a beautiful girl who is a skilful embroider,’ it said. ‘She has set a challenge that she will marry a man who can weave ten meters of silk without seams and dye threads in pink that wil never fade’.
The young man chose his best silk threads and started to weave. He could easily weave ten meters of seamless silk, but how could he dye threads in a pink that would never fade? Luckily, the swift had a solution. He led the young man to a fairy, who lived high in the mountains. This fairy specialized in embroidery and, after hearing of the young man’s missin, promised to help. ‘All colors fade with time,’ said the fairy. ‘The only dye that will not fade is blood. You must prick each of your fingers and collect the blood, then use this blood to dye the silk.’
The young man followed the fairy’s instructions but, after seven days, he had lost so much blood that he could barely stand. Again, the swift came to his aid, bringing him food and medicinal herbs. After ten days, the threads were dyed a beautiful shade of rose.
Accompanied by the swift, the young man took his cloth and his bundle of threads to the girl’s house. Her wealthy suitors were also there, all carrying bolts of silk and bundles of threads, which they had hired other people to make. The girl collected the silk cloths and the threads. Then she brought out a small mirror and a needle, which she inherited from her father. She held the mirror close to some fabric and, in the mirror’s reflection, saw into her needle, she saw that the color was pale. The girl repeated these tests again and again, until she came to the cloth woven by the young man.
Looking into her mirror, she saw that the silk shone as smooth as a moonlit river. And when she threaded her needle with his rose-tinted. And when she threaded her deep pink. So it was that the girl agreed to marry the weaver. Many people came to congratulate the couple, but the girl’s rich suitors went away angry.
One of these rejected suitors went to see the king, an old man who, due to his irrational fear of fire, never left his palace. Despite his advanced age, the king longed for the the company of beautiful young women. Upon hearing of the lovely embroiderer, the king ordered his guards to abduct her and bring her to his palace.
The young couple, meanwhile, was unaware of any approching danger. The girl was busy sewing a silk shirt. After her husband told her how he had dyed the pink threads, she embroidered flowers with five petals on the shirt to symbolize her husband’s five bloodied fingers.
That shirt was so beautiful that many people came admire it. The young wife had just put it on when the king’s soldier appeared. The soldiers overpowered the weaver and dragged the firl away. When the swift tried to help her, a soldier killed it.
It was a long journey to the royal palace. The further she got from home, the more desperate the girl became. She tore the embroidered flowers from her shirt and threw them to the wind. ‘Oh wind,’ she sobbed, “please take these flowers to my sweetheart.’
The wind did as she’d asked, carrying the embroidered flowers to her husband’s house. When he came outside, the weaver was surprised to see the tree that his mother had planted covered in red flowers. Unable to bear the thought of living with the old king, the young girl hung herself with her silk shirt. When the soldiers reached the palace, they were summoned before the king. ‘The girl missed her husband so much that she killed herself,’ explained the soldier. Upon hearing this, the king flew into a rage. He ordered his men to imprison the weaver.
The next morning, as the young weaver tended his flowering tree, he heard a whisper on the wind: ‘My sweetheart, I must hide the flowers before the soldiers destroy them. And you must go far away. ‘No sooner has the words faded when a strong wind blew up and carried the red flowers away.
The young man decided to go to the capital, where he still hoped to find his wife. On the way, he stopped at the house of the fairy. ‘To see your wife again you must kill the wicked king,’ said the fairy. ‘What you need in order to succeed,’ continued the fairy, ‘is the help of the small swift.’
‘But the swift is dead,’ replied the weaver, sadly. ‘How can I return it to life?’
The fairy told him to bury the swift’s body under the tree that his mother had planted. ‘When spring comes, it will rise from the dead. ‘The weaver followed her instructions and, next spring, small pink buds appeared on the tree. A few days later, the swift reappeared. Accompanied by the swift, the weaver set off towards the capital. Disguised as a coal vendor, he carried a single sprif of pink blossoms.
When he reached the court, the weaver approached a guard and requested permission to present the king with his flowering branch. The king ordered the stranger to approach. As the king bent to peer at the flowers, the branch suddenly burst into flames. The king’s beard caught fire and the flames quickly spread to his robes and devoured him.
It was not magic that had caused the branch to burn but the weaver’s cunning. He had placed a piece of burning coal in the branch and, upon handing the branch to the king, had blown on the embers.
The weaver fond the shirt with which his wife had hung herself and buried it under his mother’s tree. Next morning, the shirt was covered with flowers.
The swift then led the weaver far, far away, into a dense forest. Inside a cave lay a large tree trunk, which contained the body of the weaver’s wife. Following the swift’s instructions, the weaver’s wife. Following the wrapped the trunk in his shirt. Suddenly, the wood split into thousands of pieces and the young woman stepped out, alive and well.
The weaver, his wife and the swift made their way home. Eagle to share their happiness, they presented their neighbors with pink flowers from their tree. These pink blossoms, now know as peach flowers, are a symbol of devotion. Each spring, these beautiful flowers reappear, as do the faithful swifts.

Tears of a woman

"Mom, why are you crying?" he asked his mom.
"Because I'm a woman" she told him.
"I don't understand," he said.
His mom just hugged him and said, "and you never will." Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"
"All women cry for no reason" was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.
Finally he put in a call to GOD. When GOD got on the phone the man said, "GOD, why do women cry so easily?"
GOD said:
"When I made women she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give comfort.
I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.
I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.
I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. This same sensitivity helps her to make a child's boo-boo feel better and shares in her teenagers anxieties and fears.
I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.
I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.
I gave her a tear to shed, it's hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed. It's her only weakness; it's a tear for mankind."

Ducks in Heaven Joke

Three women died in a car accident and went to heaven. When they arrived Saint Peter said , "Here is only ONE rule in Heaven don't step on the ducklings."
When they came in, they saw that it was true there were ducklings all over. It was almost impossibel not to step on one of the ducklings, though they try very hard the first woman had an accident and stepped on one of those. Saint Peter arrived with the ugliest man ever seen, put them together in chains and says "That's your punishment for stepping on a duckling, and forever you'll be chained to this ugly man!"
Next day the number two woman stepped on a duckling. The man who see everything, Saint Peter arrives with another ugly man, using the same comment as yesterday he chains no. two woman to that man.
The third woman has seen what happened to her girlfriends, and don't want that to happen to her, so she walks very, VERY carefully.
She managed not to step on the ducklings for several months, and one day Saint Peter came to her, with the most handsome, and beautyfull man, ever seen. very tall, long eyelashes, muscular and not fat at all.
Saint Peter put them together in chains without a word. The woman said: "I wonder what happened, since I should be chained with to forever."
The guy said, "I don't know what YOU did, but I stepped on a duckling!"

Tree - Leaf and Wind

Tree
The reason I'm called tree is because I'm good at painting trees. Overtime I start to use a tree on the right hand corner as a trademark for all my watercolors painting. I had dated 5 girls when I was in Pre-U. There is one girl who I love a lot but never dared to go after. She didn't have a pretty face, good figure or an outstanding charm. She was just a very ordinary girl.
I liked her. I really liked her. I liked her innocence, her frankness, her intelligence and her fragility. Reason for not going after her was that I felt somebody so ordinary like her was not a good match for me. I was also afraid that after we were together all the feelings would vanish. I was also afraid other's gossip would hurt her. I felt that if she were my girl, she'd be mine ultimately & I didn't have to give up everything just for her. The last reason, made her accompanying me for 3 years. She watched me chase other girls, and I have made her heart cry for 3 years.
She was a good actor, and me a demanding director. When I kissed my second girlfriend, she bumped into us. She was embarrassed but smiled & said, "Go on!" before running off. The next day, her eyes were swollen like a walnut. I did not want to know what caused her to cry. Later that day, I returned from soccer training to get something & watched her cry in the classroom for an hour or so.
My fourth girlfriend did not like her. There was once when both of them quarreled. I know that based on her character she is not the type that will start the quarrel. However, I still sided my girlfriend. I shouted at her & ignored her feelings and walked off with my girlfriend.
The next day, she was laughing & joking with me like nothing happened. I know she was hurt but she did not know deep down inside I was hurt too.
When I broke up with my fifth girlfriend, I asked her out. Later that day, I told her I had something to tell her. I told her about my break up. Coincidentally, she has something to tell me too, about her getting together.. I knew who the person was. His pursuit for her had been the talk of the School.
I did not show her my heartache, just smiles & best wishes. Once I reached home, I could not breathe. Tears rolled & I broke down. How many times have I seen her cry for the man who did not acknowledge her presence?
During graduation, I read a sms in my mobile. It was send 10 days ago when I broke down and cry. I haven't read it since then. It says" Leaf departure is because of Wind pursuit. Or because Tree didn't ask her to stay???"

Leaf
During Pre-U days, I like to collect leaves. Why? Because I felt that for a leaf to leave the tree she has been relying on for so long it takes a lot of courage.
During the 3 years of Pre-U, I was on very close terms with a guy as buddy kind. However, when he had his first girlfriend, I learnt a feeling I never should have learnt – Jealousy. Sourness to the extreme limit. They were only together for 2 months. When they broke up, I hide my happiness. But after a month, he got together with another girl. I liked him & I know he liked me. But why won't he pursue me? Since he loves me why he didn't he make the first move? Whenever he had a new girlfriend, my heart would hurt. After some time, I began to suspect that this was one-sided love. If he didn't like me, why did he treat me so well? It's beyond what you will normally do for a friend. I know his likes, his habits. But his feelings towards me I can never figure out. You can't expect me a girl, to ask him.
Despite that, I still wanted to be by his side. Care for him, accompany him, and love him. Hoping that one day, he will come to love me. Because of this, I waited for him. Sometimes, I wondered if I should continue waiting. The pain, the dilemma accompanied me for 3 years.
At the end of my 3rd year, a junior pursues me. Everyday he pursues me. He's like the cool & gentle wind, trying to blow off a leaf from a tree. In the end, I realized that I wanted to give this wind a small footing in my heart. I know the wind will bring the leaf to a better land. Finally, leaf left the tree, but the tree only smiled & didn't ask me to stay.
Leaf's departure is because of Wind's pursuit. Or cause Tree didn't ask her to stay..

Wind
Because I like a girl called leaf. Because she's so dependent on tree, so I have to be a gust wind. A wind that will blow her away. When I first met her, it was 1 month after I was transferred to this new school. I saw a petite person looking at my seniors & me playing soccer. During ECA time, she will always be sitting there. Be it alone or with her friends, looking at him. When he talks with girls, there's jealousy in her eyes. When he looked at her, there's a smile in her eyes. Looking at her became my habit. Just like, she likes to look at him.
One day, she didn't appear. I felt something missing. I can't explain the feeling except it's a kind of uneasiness. The senior was also not there as well. I went to their classroom, hid outside and saw my senior scolding her. Tears were in her eyes while he left. The next day, I saw her at her usual place, looking at him. I walked over and smiled to her. Took out a note & gave to her. She was surprised. She looked at me, smiled & accepts the note. The next day, she appeared & passes me a note and left.
It read, "Leaf's heart is too heavy and wind couldn't blow her away.."
"It's not that leaf heart is too heavy. It because leaf never want to leave tree."
I replied her note with this statement and slowly she started to talk to me & accept my presents & phone calls. I know that the person she loves is not me. But I have this perseverance that one day I will make her like me. Within 4 months, I have declared my love for her no less than 20 times. Every time, she will divert away from the topic. But I never give up. If I decide I want her to be mine, I will definitely use all means to win her over. I can't remember how many times I have declared my love to her. Although I know, she will try to divert but I still bear a small ray of hope. Hoping that she will agree to be my girlfriend.
I didn't hear any reply from her over the phone. I asked, "What are you doing? How come you didn't want to reply?" She said, "I'm nodding my head". "Ah?" I couldn't believe my ears." I'm nodding my head" She replied loudly. I hang up the phone, quickly changed and took a taxi and rush to her place & press her doorbell. During the moment when she opens the door, I hugged her tightly. And till the day...we are a couple
Leaf departure is because of Wind pursuit. Or because Tree didn't ask her to stay???

Moral..
In love, we win very rarely, but when love is true, even if you lose, you still win just for having the tingle of loving someone more than you love yourself.
There comes a time when we stop loving someone, not because that person has stopped loving us but because we have found out that, they'd be happier if we let go..
Why do we close our eyes when we sleep? When we cry? When we imagine? When we kiss?
This is because THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD ARE UNSEEN.
There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind, but keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world. It's the beginning of a new life. Happiness lies for those who cry those who hurt, those who have searched and those who have tried. For only they can appreciate the importance of the people who have touched our lives.
A great love? It's when you shed tears and still you care for them, it's when they ignore you and still you long for them. It's when they begin to love another and yet you smile and say, "I'm happy for you." If love fails, set yourself free, let your heart spread its wings and fly again.
Remember you may find love and lose it, but when love dies, you never have to die with it.
The strongest people are not those who always win but those who stand back up when they fall. Somehow, along the course of life, you learn about yourself and realize that there should never be regrets, only a lifelong appreciation of the choices you've made.
Loving is not how you forget but how you forgive, not how you listen but how you understand, not what you see but how you feel, and not how you let go but how you hold on.
It's more dangerous to weep inwardly rather than outwardly. Outward tears can be wiped away while secret tears scar forever..
It's best to wait for the one you want than settle for one that's available. It's best to wait for the right one because life is too short to waste on just someone . . .

Drinks That Reflect Personality - collected

Drinks That Reflect Personality

Before you order a drink in public, you should read this! Seven New York City bartenders were asked if they could 'nail' a woman's personality based on what she drinks. Though interviewed separately, they concurred on almost all counts. The results:

PART A: WOMEN-DRINKS, WHO THEY ARE, & YOU!

Drink: Beer
Personality: Causal, low-maintenance; down to earth.
Your Approach: Challenge her to a game of pool.

Drink: Blender Drinks
Personality: Flaky, whiny, annoying; a pain in the ass.
Your Approach: Avoid her, unless you want to be her cabana boy.

Drink: Mixed Drinks
Personality: Older, more refined, high maintenance, has very picky taste; knows EXACTLY what she wants.
Your Approach: You won't have to approach her. If she's interested, she'll send YOU a drink.......

Drink: Wine (does not include White Zinfandel)
Personality: Conservative and classy; sophisticated yet giggles.
Your Approach: Tell her you love to travel and spend quiet evenings with my friends.

Drink: White Zinfandel
Personality: Easy; thinks she is classy and sophisticated, actually, she has NO clue.
Your Approach: Make her feel smarter than she is..this should be an easy target.

Drink: Shots
Personality: Likes to hang with pals and looking to get totally drunk... and naked.
Your Approach: Easiest hit in the joint. You have been blessed. Nothing to do but wait, however, be careful not to make her mad!

Drink: Tequila
No explanations required - everyone just KNOWS what happens there

PART B: MAN-DRINKS & WHO THE MEN ARE!

THEN, there is the MALE addendum -- The deal with guys is, as always, very simple and clear cut:

Domestic Beer: He's poor and wants to get laid.

Imported Beer: He likes good beer and wants to get laid.

Wine: He is hoping that the wine will give him a sophisticated image to help him get laid.

Whiskey: He doesn't give a damn about anything but getting laid.

Tequila: He is thinking he has a chance with the toothless waitress.

White Zinfandel: He's gay