God's delay is not denial

Once there was a small kid on earth. One fine day it came to know that God is distributing apples to all human being in his place at heaven. The kid was so happy to receive that news and it went with lot of excitement to heaven to get the apple from God.

There was a big queue standing to get apple from God and this kid also joined in that queue. While it was standing, it was fully excited and thrilled for the fact that it is going to receive in person from God's hands. Its turn too came and the kid showed his both the hands to receive apple.

God gave the apple but unfortunately the tiny hands couldn't hold that big apple. Apple fell down and got wasted in mud. The kid got so disappointed.

The ministers near the God informed – “ if the kid likes to have an apple from God again then it has to again follow the queue”.

Having waited for so long the kid didn't want to return back to earth with empty hands. So, it decided to wait again in the queue.

This time the queue has become even longer than the previous one. While waiting in queue, the kid could see lot of people who returned back with apple in hands and utmost satisfaction on their faces.

The kid was so much disappointed and thought why me alone didn't get the apple in hand when all others could easily get it. What is the sin I had done that I alone should suffer like this. Now the kid was so scared that it should not miss the apple again. Again its turn came and God gave the apple to the kid's hands and after giving the apple God spoke to the kid.

"My dear child, last time after giving you the apple only I noticed the apple I gave to you was a rotten apple and that's why I made it to fall down from your hands. Having given you a rotten apple, I felt bad for you and I wanted to give you the best apple in the farm and that time the best apple in the farm was growing and that's why I made you to wait such a long time in the queue. Here it is. Now the apple that you have in hand is 'The Best' apple in the farm till date. Enjoy."

So, friends, sometimes things may get delayed or things may go wrong even though we have put our 100% energy, dedication and commitment. Believe that God has something great for us and that's why this has happened. Always say, 'Gratitude is absolutely the best way to bring more in one's life'.

Believe this and see the world... “Your world will also look green. To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did“. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Please concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you'

Reflections on Pearl Harbor

 : by Admiral Chester Nimitz.



Sunday, December 7th, 1941--Admiral Chester Nimitz was attending a concert in Washington D.C. He was paged and told there was a phone call for him. When he answered the phone, it was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the phone. He told Admiral Nimitz that he (Nimitz) would now be the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.


Admiral Nimitz flew to Hawaii to assume command of the Pacific Fleet. He landed at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1941. There was such a spirit of despair, dejection and defeat--you would have thought the Japanese had already won the war. On Christmas Day, 1941, Adm. Nimitz was given a boat tour of the destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.. Big sunken battleships and navy vessels cluttered the waters every where you looked.


As the tour boat returned to dock, the young helmsman of the boat asked, "Well Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction?" Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone within the sound of his voice. Admiral Nimitz said, "The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could ever make, or God was taking care of America. Which do you think it was?"


Shocked and surprised, the young helmsman asked, "What do mean by saying the Japanese made the three biggest mistakes an attack force ever made?" Nimitz explained:


Mistake number one : the Japanese attacked on Sunday morning. Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were ashore on leave. If those same ships had been lured to sea and been sunk--we would have lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.


Mistake number two : when the Japanese saw all those battleships lined in a row, they got so carried away sinking those battleships, they never once bombed our dry docks opposite those ships. If they had destroyed our dry docks, we would have had to tow every one of those ships to America to be repaired. As it is now, the ships are in shallow water and can be raised. One tug can pull them over to the dry docks, and we can have them repaired and at sea by the time we could have towed them to America. And I already have crews ashore anxious to man those ships.


Mistake number three : every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war is in top of the ground storage tanks five miles away over that hill. One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed our fuel supply. That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could make or God was taking care of America.


I've never forgotten what I read in that little book. It is still an inspiration as I reflect upon it. In jest, I might suggest that because Admiral Nimitz was a Texan, born and raised in Fredricksburg, Texas --he was a born optimist. But anyway you look at it--Admiral Nimitz was able to see a silver lining in a situation and circumstance where everyone else saw only despair and defeatism.


President Roosevelt had chosen the right man for the right job - a leader who could see silver linings in the midst of the clouds of dejection, despair and defeat.

Never Judge a Book by its Cover

The Story of Koko A. Bassey, MD.





As she stood in front of her primary 5 class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her pupils and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Koko Bassey.



Mrs. Thompson had watched Koko the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Koko could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.



At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Koko's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Koko's primary 1 teacher wrote, "Koko is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around."



His primary 2 teacher wrote, "Koko is an excellent pupil, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and


life at home must be a struggle."



His primary 3 teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to
do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."



Koko's primary 4 teacher wrote, "Koko is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

 By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her pupils brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Koko's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.


Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.


Koko Bassey stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Koko. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster heresponded. By the end of the year, Koko had become one of the smartest children in
the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Koko became one of her "teacher's pets."


A year later, she found a note under her door, from Koko, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.


Six years went by before she got another note from Koko. He then wrote that he had
finished secondary school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.


Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from the university with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.


When children are doing nothing, they are doing mischief.Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer . . . The letter was signed, Koko A. Bassey, MD.


The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Koko said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his
father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.


Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Koko remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Bassey whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."


Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Koko, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference.


I didn't know how to teach until I met you."


Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, Just try to make a difference in someone's life today, tomorrow?


just "do it".


Random acts of kindness, I think they call it.






"Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is Absence Of Sorrow!


But It Means That They Have The Ability To Deal With it" --- Shakespeare

Obituary printed in the London Times - not a joke and makes you think!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He
will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend
more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children,
are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the
job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could
not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an
abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault..

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by
his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

A Place where you can Work amongst Friends is Heaven

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.'

The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveller asked.

'I'm sorry; sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book....

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 'How about my friend here?' the traveller gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump,' said the man.They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree..

'What do you call this place?' the traveller asked. 'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveller said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.. That's hell.'
'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?''No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'