A Story About Appreciation

One young academically excellent youth went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview; the managing director did the last interview to make the final decision.

The managing director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic result was excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year he did not score.

The managing director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarship in school?" and the youth answered "none".

The managing director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old; it was my mother who paid for my school fees."

The managing director asked, “Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as a cloth cleaner. "

The managing director requested the youth to show him his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect to the managing director.

The managing director asked, “Did you ever help your mother washed the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me."

The managing director said, "I had a request, when you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning."

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily wanted to clean his mother's hands. His mother felt strange, happy but mixed with fear, she showed her hands to the youth.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly, his tears dropped down as he did that.

It was the first time he found his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises incited pains so strong that shivered her mother's body when cleaned with water.

That was the first time the youth realized and experienced that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to earn him the school fees. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had paid for his graduation and academic excellence and probably his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother's hands, the youth quietly cleaned all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, the mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the managing director's office. The managing director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes and asked: “Could you tell me what had you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, “I cleaned my mother's hands, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes."

The managing director asked, “Please tell me your feeling."

The youth said,

Number 1, I knew what is appreciation, without my mother; there would not be the successful me today.

Number 2, I knew how to work together with my mother, then only I can realize how difficult and tough to get something done.

Number 3, I knew the importance and value of family relationship.

The managing director said, “This is what I am asking. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the suffering of others to get thing done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life to be my manager. "

You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates, every employees worked diligently as a team, making the company's result to improve tremendously.

A child who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, he would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He is ignorant of his parents' efforts.

When he started work, he assumed every person must listen to him. When he became a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his staff and would always blame others.

For this kind of people, he can have good academic results, and may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel the sense of achievement. He will grumble and full of hatred and fight for more.

If we are this kind of protective parents, did we love the kid or destroy the kid?

You can let your kid lived in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it.

After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters.

It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way.

You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person.

The most important thing is your kid should learn how to appreciate the efforts and experience the difficulty and learn the ability to work with others to get thing done.

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for

hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation...

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene..

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world

outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'

35th Anniversary

A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table saying,

"For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish."

Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband.
The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! – two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands.

The husband' thought for a moment:
"Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me."

The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish.
So the fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! –
the husband became 92 years old!!

The moral of this story:
Men who are ungrateful bastards should remember fairies are female.

Gratitude

Take some time out and read these beautiful words carefully.
Later, reflect on what you have just read. Surely you will understand a lot of things…

First Lesson

... After some months at the faculty of medicine, the professor gave us a test.
Being a good student, I quickly answered all the questions… all, but the last: “What is the baptism name of the maid of our institute?
I handed over my test paper, leaving the last question unanswered. Just before the lesson ended, another student inquired if the last question would be marked.
“Certainly!", the professor replied. “You will meet many people in your life. All of them will have some degree of importance
They will deserve your attention, even if it is a simple smile or a simple hello". I never forgot this lesson… and went on to learn that the baptism name of our maid was Marianna.

Second Lesson

On a rainy, tempestuous night a “coloured” woman was standing on the roadside. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed help. Wet to her core, she signalled to the passers by.
A white young man, as if unaware of the racial conflicts that tore apart America in the 60s, stopped to help her.
He conducted her to a safe place, called a mechanic and hailed a taxi for her. The woman seemed too much in a hurry, but did not forget to thank him and take down his address on a piece of paper.
Seven days had already passed when someone knocked at the door of the young man.
To his enormous surprise, it was a courier with a huge packet to deliver – a big colour TV along with a note:

“Many thanks for helping me on the road that night.
The rain had completely drenched me and my soul when you appeared.
Thanks to you I was able to reach my dying husband just in time.
God bless you for having helped me.

Sincerely,
Mrs. King Cole"

Third Lesson

Sometime ago, when the ice-creams were not so expensive, a ten-year old boy went to an ice-cream parlour. While sitting at the table, he asked the waitress, “How much does a Sundae cost?” “50 cents,” she replied. The boy took out his money from the pocket and began counting it. “Well, how much does a simple ice-cream cost?".
There were other people waiting to be served, so the waitress began to get a little impatient. "35 cents!" she replied abruptly. The boy counted his money again and said: “Please get me a simple ice-cream!"
The waitress served him the ice-cream and his bill. The boy ate his ice-cream, paid his bill at the cash counter and left.
When the waitress went to clean the table she began to cry… for there, in the corner of the plate, were 15 cents… her tip.
The boy took a simple ice-cream instead of a Sundae so he could leave a tip for her.

If you have never experienced the danger of war or the solitude of imprisonment, the agony of torture and hunger, you are much ahead of the 500 million people who live in this world.

If you have never experienced the danger of war or the solitude of imprisonment, the agony of torture and hunger, you are much ahead of the 500 million people who live in this world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes to wear, a roof on your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than the 75% of the people who live on this Earth.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes to wear, a roof on your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than the 75% of the people who live on this Earth.

If you have money in your bank account and your wallet and some loose change in some little box, you are one of the world’s 8% well-to-do population.

If you are able to read this message, you have just received a double blessing…
one, someone is thinking about you…
two, you are not one of those 2,000,000,000 people who are illiterate!

Somebody said at some time:

Work as if you have no need of the money.

Love as if nobody ever made you suffer.

Dance as if nobody is watching you.

Sing as if nobody is hearing you.

Live as if the Paradise were on this Earth.

Two Choices

Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply: "If I were any better, I would be twins!" Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant..Why？BecauseJerry was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling him how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him：
"I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life."

"But it's not always that easy,” I protested.
"Yes it is," Jerry said.

"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situations.
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
It's your choice how you live your life."

Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business. He left the back door of his restaurant open and then in the morning, he was robbed by three armed men. While Jerry trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body..I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I chose to live." Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.

In their eyes, I read ‘He's a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry.

"She asked if I was allergic to anything." 'Yes,' to bullets, I replied.

Over their laughter, I told them: “I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.



I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours - that no one can control or take from you – is your attitude,
so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.

THE MAN WHO WILLED HIMSELF TO DIE

There was a man who worked for the railroad. One day as he went into the freezer compartment to do his routine work, the door accidentally closed and he found himself trapped in the compartment.

He shouted for help but no one heard him since it was past midnight. He tried to break down the door but he could not. As he lay in the freezer compartment, he began to feel colder, and colder. Then he began to feel weaker, and weaker, and he wrote on the wall of the compartment, "I am feeling colder, and colder; and I am getting weaker, and weaker. I am dying, and this may be my last words".

In the morning when the other workers opened up the compartment they found him dead. The sad twist to the above story is that the freezing apparatus in the compartment had broken down a few days earlier.

The poor worker did not know about the damaged freezing apparatus and in his mind the freezing apparatus was working perfectly. He felt cold, got weaker and literally willed himself to die.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

Our sub-conscious mind can be cheated. The sub-conscious mind can only accept and act on information passed to it by the conscious mind. It has no capacity to reject or decline any instructions or information passed to it by the conscious mind. In the case of the poor worker, he consciously thought that he was getting colder, weaker and dying and the sub-conscious mind accepted the above instructions and affected his physical body. That was how he willed himself to die.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."

Perspective

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad".

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yes", said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants to serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing ? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have

Breakfast at McDonald’s

This is a good story please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!)

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.

The last class I had to take was! Sociology.

The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.

Her last project of the term was called 'Smile.' The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.

I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning.

It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.

We were! standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.

I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.

As I turned around I smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.

As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was 'smiling'.

His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.

He said, 'Good day' as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.

I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.

He said, 'Coffee is all Miss' because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.

That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.

I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.

He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, 'Thank you.'

I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, 'I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.'

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, 'That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.'

We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.

We are not church goers, but we are believers.

That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.

I turned in 'my project' and the instructor read it.

Then she looked up at me and said, 'Can I share this?'

I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.

She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.

In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE!.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

An Angel wrote:

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart.

God Gives every bird it's food, but He does not throw it into its nest.

The Dreams

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that that lit up her entire being.

She said, "Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and share a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only few secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. "You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dean and don't even know it!"

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the years end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Remember : GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.