BLESSING OF THE NINE ELEMENTS

 

 
May you go forth under the strength of heaven,
under the light of sun,
under the radiance of moon;
may you go forth with the splendor of fire,
with the speed of lightning,
with the swiftness of wind;
may you go forth supported by the depth of sea,
by the stability of earth,
by the firmness of rock;
May you be surrounded and encircled,
with the protection of the nine elements

 

 

TWICE THE PRICE


A man was on the side of the road with a large birdcage. A boy noticed that the cage was full of birds of many kinds. "Where did you get those birds?" he asked.

"Oh, all over the place," the man replied. "I lure them with crumbs, pretend I'm their friend then when they are close, I net them and shove them into my cage."

"And what are you going to do with them now?"

The man grinned, "I'm going to prod them with sticks, and get them really mad so they fight and kill each other. Those that survive, I will kill. None will escape."

The boy looked steadily at the man. What made him do such things? He looked into the cruel, hard eyes. Then he looked at the birds, defenseless, without hope. "Can I buy those birds?" the boy asked.

The man hid a smile, aware that he could be on to a good thing if he played his cards right. "Well," he said hesitantly, "The cage is pretty expensive, and I spent a lot of time collecting these birds, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll let you have the lot, birds, cage and all for ten pounds and that jacket you're wearing."

The boy paused, ten pounds was all he had, and the jacket was new and very special, in fact it was his prized possession. Slowly, he took out the ten pounds and handed it over, then even more slowly he took off his jacket, gave it one last look then handed that over too.

"Thank you very much," the man said. "What are you going to do with all these birds now?" The man stood watching in disbelief, a muffled utterance escaping his lips as the child opened the door to release the birds.

Looking up into the eyes of the hardened man, the small child commented in response, "Hate holds on, while Love lets go."

 


 

 
A collection of Inspirational stories

The Important Things Life Teaches You........

 

  1. Most Important Question

    During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark- haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

    Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

    "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'Hello'."

    I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

     

  2. Pickup in the Rain

    One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

    A young white man stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.

    The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and drove away.

    Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

    A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.

    Sincerely,

    Mrs. Nat King Cole"

     

  3. The Obstacle in Our Path

    In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.

    Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

    The peasant learned what many others never understand.

    Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition

     

  4. Giving Blood

    Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies, needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying,"Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

    Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood.



 

"No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings."
- William Blake


 

 
Kindness: ..........
    a language the deaf can hear,
      the blind can see,
        and the mute can speak.

 

 
Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.

 

 
When you see someone without a smile - give him one of yours.


Back to Inspiration

>Back to Inspiration