HEART SONG

Once upon a time there was a great man who married the woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a little girl. She was a bright and cheerful little girl and the great man loved her very much.
When she was very little, he would pick her up, hum a tune and dance with her around the room, and he would tell her, "I love you, little girl."
When the little girl was growing up, the great man would hug her and tell her, "I love you, little girl." The little girl would pout and say, "I'm not a little girl anymore." Then the man would laugh and say, "But to me, you'll always be my little girl."
The little girl who-was-not-little-anymore left her home and went into the world. As she learned more about herself, she learned more about the man. She saw that he truly was great and strong, for now she recognized his strengths. One of his strengths was his ability to express his love to his family. It didn't matter where she went in the world, the man would call her and say, "I love you, little girl."
The day came when the little girl who-was-not-little-anymore received a phone call. The great man was damaged.
He had had a stroke. He was aphasic, they explained to the girl. He couldn't talk anymore and they weren't sure that he could understand the words spoken to him. He could no longer smile, laugh, walk, hug, dance or tell the little girl who-was-not-little-anymore that he loved her.
And so she went to the side of the great man. When she walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and not strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not.
The little girl did the only thing she could do. She climbed up on the bed next to the great man. Tears ran from both of their eyes and she drew her arms around the useless shoulders of her father.
Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She remembered the wonderful times together and how she had always felt protected and cherished by the great man. She felt grief for the loss she was to endure, the words of love that had comforted her.
And then she heard from within the man, the beat of his heart. The heart where the music and the words had always lived. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about the damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested there, the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.
His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say....
I love you I love you I love you Little girl Little girl Little girl
And she was comforted.

adapted frm: CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL

DO IT NOW !

In a class I teach for adults, I recently did the “unpardonable.” I gave the class homework! The assignment was to “go to someone you love within the next week and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time.”

Now that doesn’t sound like a very tough assignment, until you stop to realized that most of the men in that group were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught that expressing emotions is not “macho.” Showing feelings or crying (heaven forbid!) was just not done. So this was a very threatening assignment for some.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bit shaken.

As he unfolded out of his chair (all 6’2” of him), he began by saying, “Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I didn’t feel that I had anyone to say those words to, and besides, who were you to tell me to do something that personal? But as I began driving home my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and really never resolved it since that time. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other. So, last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him.

“It’s weird, but just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest.

“When I got home, I rushed into the house to tell my wife what I was going to do. She was already in bed, but I woke her up anyway. When I told her, she didn’t just get out of bed, she catapulted out and hugged my, and for the first time in our married life she saw me cry. We stayed up half the night drinking coffee and talking. It was great!

“The next morning I was up bright and early. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. I got to the office early and accomplished more in two hours than I had the whole day before.

“At 9:00 I called my dad to see if could come over after work. When he answered the phone, I just said, ‘Dad, can I come over after work tonight? I have something to tell you.’ My dad responded with a grumpy, ‘Now what?’ I assured him it wouldn’t take long, so he finally agreed.

“At 5:30, I was at my parents’ house ringing the doorbell, praying that Dad would answer the door. I was afraid if Mom answered that I would chicken out and tell her instead. But as luck would have it, Dad did answer the door.

“I didn’t waste any time – I took one step in the door and said, ‘Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.’

“It was as if a transformation came over my dad. Before my eyes his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said, ‘I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.’

“It was such a precious moment I didn’t want to move. Mom walked by with tears in her eyes. I just waved and blew her a kiss. Dad and I hugged for a moment longer and then I left. I hadn’t felt that great in a long time.

“But that’s not even my point. Two days after that visit, my dad, who had heart problems, but didn’t tell me, had an attack and ended up in the hospital, unconscious. I don’t know if he'll make it.

“So my message to all of you in this is: Don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done. What if I had waited to tell my dad – maybe I will never get the chance again! Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!”

By Dennis E. Mannering

BUILDING +VE ATTITUDE

There was a man who made a living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of
balloons, including red, yellow, blue, and green. Whenever business was slow, he would
release a helium-filled balloon into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all
wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon, and his sales would go up
again. He continued this process all day. One day, he felt someone tugging at his jacket.
He turned around and saw a little boy who asked, "If you release a black balloon, would
that also fly?" Moved by the boy's concern, the man replied with empathy, "Son, it is not
the color of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes it go up."

The same thing applies to our lives. It is what is inside that counts. The thing inside of us
that makes us go up is our attitude.

adapted frm: YOU CAN WIN

A SIMPLE GESTURE

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed that the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles.

Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked, Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend.

Mark went home after dropping Bill at his house. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school, where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long-awaited senior year came. Three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Do you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life."

STORY OF NARCISSUS

The alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus.

The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who knelt daily beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty. He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus.

But this was not how the author of the book ended the story.

He said that when Narcissus died, the goddesses of the forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

"Why do you weep?" the goddesses asked.

"I weep for Narcissus," the lake replied.

"Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus," they said, "for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand."

"But... was Narcissus beautiful?" the lake asked.

"Who better than you to know that?" the goddesses said in wonder.

"After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate
himself!"

The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said:

"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected."

"What a lovely story," the alchemist thought.

adapted frm : ALCHEMIST

A CRY FOR HELP

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, and all of the others, including Love.

One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all repaired their boats and left.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost sinking, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No I can't..There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place for you here."

Love decided to ask Vanity, who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel, "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked for help, "Sadness let me go with you." "Oh...Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her!

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he even forgot to ask the elder her name.

When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Love, realizing how much he owed the elder, asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped me?"

"It was Time", Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is.

SIZE 0F YOUR HEART

It isn't the size of your house as such
That matters so much at all.
It's the gentle hand and its loving touch,
That make it great or small.

The friends who come and the hour they
Who out of your house depart,
Will judge it not by the style you show,
But rather by the size of your heart.

It isn't the size of your head so much,
It isn't the wealth you found.
That will make you happy -- it's how you touch
The lives that are all around.

For making money is not hard --
To live life well is an art:
How people love you, how they regard,
Is all in the size of your heart.

MAKE HER SMILEEEE

1. Tell her she is beautiful.


2. Hold her hand at any moment . . . Even if its just for a second.


3. Hug her from behind.


4. Leave her voice messages to wake up to.


5. When she is upset, hold her tight and tell her how much she means to you.


6. Recognize the small things . . . They usually mean the most.


7. If you are talking to another girl, when you're done, walk over and hug her and kiss her . . . Let her know she's yours and they are not.


8. Write her notes or call her just to say "Hi."


9. Introduce her to your friends . . . As your girlfriend
.

10. Play with her hair.


11. Pick her up (she loves it).


12. Get upset if another guy touches her (especially when she doesn't like it).


13. Make her laugh.


14. Let her fall asleep in your arms.


15. If she's mad at you, kiss her.


16. If you care about her, then (we all know this is a challenge) TELL HER.


17. Every guy should give their girl three things: a stuffed animal (she'll hug it everytime she goes to sleep), jewlery (she'll treasure it forever), and one of his t-shirts (she'll most likely wear it to bed). Also don't forget to bring her flowers or something special once in a while.


18. Treat her the same around your friends as you do when your alone.


19. Look her in the eyes and smile.


20. Hang out with her on weekends (guys, this WILL NOT, I repeat WILL NOT kill you).


21. Kiss her in the rain (girls love this).


22. Kiss her just for the heck of it.


23. If your listening to music, let her listen too.


24. Remember her birthday and get her something, even if it's simple and inexpensive. It came from YOU. It means all the world to HER.


25. When she gives you a present on your birthday, or just whenever, take it and tell her you love it, even if you don't! (GIRLS put a lot of thought and effort into your gifts, because we care about you and appreciate you; even if it's not exactly what you wanted!)


26. Always call her when you say you will. It may not seem like it, but it does hurt her and makes her thinks you don't care. So call even if you can only talk for a minute.

THE GREATEST PAIN IN LIFE

The greatest pain in life is not to die, but to be ignored.

• To lose the person you love so much to another who doesn't care at all.
• To have someone you care so about so much throw a party...
  and not tell you about it.
• When your favorite person on earth neglects to invite you to his graduation.
• To have people think that you don't care.

The greatest pain in life, is not to die, but to be forgotten.

• To be left in the dust after another's great achievement.
• To never get a call from a friend, just saying "hi".
• When you show someone your innermost thoughts and they laugh in your face.
• For friends to always be too busy to console you when you need someone to lift your spirits.
• When it seems like the only person who cares about you, is you.

Life is full of pain, but does it ever get better?

• Will people ever care about each other, and make time for those who are in need?
• Each of us has a part to play in this great show we call life.
• Each of us has a duty to mankind to tell our friends we love them.
• If you do not care about your friends you will not be pusinshed.
• You will simply be ignored...
  forgotten...
  as you have done to others.

BE A FRIEND

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Memorize your favorite poem.

3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have, or loaf all you want.

4. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

5. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

9. Love deeply and passionately. You may get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don't judge people by their relatives, or by the life they were born into.

12. Teach yourself to speak slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

14. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Say, "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

17. Follow the three "R's": Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.

18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

21. Marry a person you love to talk to. As you get older, his/her conversational skills will be more important.

22. Spend some time alone.

23. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

24. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

25. Read more books

26. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

27. Trust in God but lock your car.

28. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home.

29. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

30. Don;t just listen to what someone is saying. Listen to why they are saying it.

31. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

32. Be gentle with the earth.

33. Pray or meditate. There's immeasurable power in it.

34. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.

35. Mind your own business.

36. Don't trust anyone who doesn't close his/her eyes when you kiss.

37. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

38. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. It is wealth's greatest satisfaction.

39. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

40. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

41. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

42. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

43. Live with the knowledge that your character is your destiny.

44. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.