Author Topic: Inspirational thoughts  (Read 8233 times)

Crafty_Dog

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Inspirational thoughts
« on: February 21, 2007, 09:29:41 AM »
Woof All:

Sometimes we run across something that helps us center ourselves.  This thread is for sharing such things-- and yes, feel free to run the risk of being a bit corny.

Marc
=============================

 
God's Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to
visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into
complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and
returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain,
plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite ---
telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up,
leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to
want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems
and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most
cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we
drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you
consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in
society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and
the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we
live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the
coffee God has provided us."God brews the coffee, not the cups.........
Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make
the best of everything they have."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest
to God.

C-Kumu Dog

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Re: Inspirational thoughts
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2007, 10:27:22 AM »
Ive always liked this one and I think it applies to more things than just love.

The Most Beautiful Heart

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart, for it was perfect. There was not a mark or flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed, it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted even more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."

The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly but was full of scars. It had places where peices had been removed and other peices put in but didn't quite fit right so that there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole peices were missing.

The people stared. "How can he say that his heart is more beautiful?" they thought.

The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw it's state and laughed. "You must be joking." he said. "Compare your heart with mine. Mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears." "Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them. Often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty places in my heart, but the pieces aren't exact. That is why I have some rough edges which I cherish because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. Those are the empty gouges. Giving love is taking a risk. Although these gouges are painful they stay open reminding me of the love I have for these people, too. I hope someday they may return and fill the spaces I have waiting. So, now do you see where the true beauty lies?"

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands. The old man took his offering and placed it in his heart. Then he took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit. How sad it must be to go through life with an unscarred heart.
"You see, it's not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it's the blood you share. Your family, your friendships, your community, these are the most valuable things a man can have." Before Dishonor - Hatebreed

bigdog

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DougMacG

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Re: truth, from a surprising source
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2014, 09:19:55 AM »
http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/

I like this piece a lot!  If not for the profanity I would pass it to my daughter and all young people I know for inspiration and direction.  Instead I will have to learn it better and try to communicate it myself the best that I can.

bigdog

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Re: Inspirational thoughts
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2017, 03:09:39 AM »
https://www.si.com/more-sports/2017/05/03/climbing-mount-everest-jeff-glasbrenner

This is a tremendous story about the will to endure, and then thrive.

ccp

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Thomas Sowell
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2018, 06:36:30 PM »