You know a dream is like a river !!!

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores.. and

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide.. yes


By Garth Brooks

Obstacles and Opportunities

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 stone out of the way.

Then a poor peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon 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. After 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.

Moral of the story: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

We are what we believe we are!!

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $ 500 note. In the room of 200, he asked, "who would like this $500?' Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this note to one of you, but first let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked, "who still wants it?" Still, the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied. "What if I do this?" And the dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up now, all crumpled and dirty.

"Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, you all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the note, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $ 500". Sometimes times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make or the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never loose your value. Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams. We are what we believe we are".

The Emperor's choice

Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It has come time for me to step down and to choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring to me, and the one I choose will be the next emperor of the kingdom!"

There was one boy named Ling who was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept going home and checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grown, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

LOL :-)

A lawyer and an elderly Jewish man are sitting next to each other on a long flight.

The lawyer is thinking that Jews are so dumb that he could get over on them easy...so the lawyer asks if the Jew would he like to play a fun game.

The old Jewish man is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks.

The lawyer persists, and says that the game is a lot of fun. I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5; you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500, he says.

This catches the Jew's attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game.

The lawyer asks the first question.

'What's the distance from The Earth to the Moon?'

The elderly Jew doesn't say a word, reaches in his pocket pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.

Now, it's the Jew's turn.
He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?'

The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he could find on the Net. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows, all to no avail.

After one hour of searching he finally gives up.

He wakes up the Jewish man and hands him $500.

The old Jew pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep.

The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer.

He wakes the elderly Jew up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?'

The Jew shrugs, reaches in his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep.

Big Rocks!!!

One day an expert on time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."

Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?"

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.

Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!"

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. ---

So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life or business? Then, put those in your jar first.

“We’ve always done it that way…..”

A very old traditional brewery decided to install a new canning line, so as to enable its beer products to be marketed through the supermarket sector. This represented a major change for the little company, and local dignitaries and past employees were invited to witness the first running of the new canning line, which was followed by dinner.

After the new line had been switched on successfully, and the formalities completed, the guests relaxed in small groups to chat and enjoy the dinner.

In a quiet corner stood three men discussing trucks and transport and distribution, since one was the present distribution manager, and the other two were past holders of the post, having retired many years ago. The three men represented three generations of company distribution management, spanning over sixty years.

The present distribution manager confessed that his job was becoming more stressful because company policy required long deliveries to be made on Monday and Tuesday, short deliveries on Fridays, and all other deliveries mid-week.

"It's so difficult to schedule things efficiently - heaven knows what we'll do with these new cans and the tight demands of the supermarkets..."

The other two men nodded in agreement.

"we've always managed it that way," commented the present manager's predecessor, "yes its was tough since the trucks returning early on Mondays and Tuesdays couldn't be used for local short runs, and all the short deliveries had to completed only on Friday.."

The third man was thinking hard, struggling to recall the policy's roots many years ago when he'd have been a junior in the dispatch department. After a pause, the third man smiled and said- "I think I remember now, it was the horses..... during the Second World War fuel rationing was introduced. So we mothballed the trucks and went back to using the horses. On Mondays the horses were well-rested after the weekend - hence the long deliveries. By Friday the tired horses could only handle the short local drops..."


Soon after the opening of the new canning line the company changed its delivery policy.

The Indian Soldier

While the average age of the army man is around 30 years, at the time of enrolling / commissioning he is around 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.

He's a recent school/college graduate; he was probably an average student from one of the Kendriya Vidyalayas, pursued some form of sport activities, rides an old scooter, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to bollywood music or ghazals or rock & roll or hip-hop or country or swing …. ……….

He is 5 or 7 kilos lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting insurgents or standing guard on the icy Himalayas or the jungles of the North East from before dawn to well after dusk or he is in Mumbai engaging the terrorists. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs trenches and weapon-pits and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. His pride and self-respect, he does not lack. He has two sets of combat dress: he washes one and wears the other.

He keeps his water bottle full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humour in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the Jana Gana Mana vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hands from their pockets, or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy.

He is your nation's Fighting Man that has kept this country free and defended your right to Freedom. He has experienced deprivation and adversity, and has seen his buddies falling to bullets and maimed and blown.

But, he has asked nothing in return, except our acknowledgement of his existence and understanding of his human needs.

Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

When you read this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our soldiers, sailors and airmen, on all frontiers and wherever else they are needed.

'Lord, hold our Indian Armed Forces in your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need.

Amen.'

Starfish..Believe you can make a difference!!

A small boy was walking along a beach at low tide, where countless starfish, having been washed up on the beach, were stranded and doomed to perish. A man watched as the boy picked up individual starfish and took them back into the water.

"I can see you're being very kind," said the watching man, "But there must be thousands of them; it can't possibly make any difference."

Returning from the water's edge, the boy said, "It will for that one."

PERSPECTIVE

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country side with a 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 their 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 yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what you learned 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 our 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 who 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 it interesting to know how different people may have an entirely different perspective on things?

The Hospital Window

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 color 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 color 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 detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

Days and weeks 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 beside 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."

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

dil meN ek lehar sii uThii hai abhii

dil meN ek lehar sii uThii hai abhii
ko’ii taazaa havaa chalii hai abhii

(lehar : wave)

shor barpaa hai Khaanaa-e-dil meN
ko’ii diivaar sii girii hai abhii

(Khaanaa-e-dil : in the heart; barpaa : arisen; diivaar : wall)

kuchh to naazuk mizaaj haiN ham bhii
aur ye choT bhii nayii hai abhii

(naazuk : delicate; mizaaj : temperament; choT : wound; nayii : new)


bharii duniyaa meN jii nahiiN lagtaa
jaane kis chiiz kii kamii hai abhii

tuu shariik-e-suKhan nahiiN hai to kyaa
ham-suKhan terii Khaamoshii hai abhii

(shariik-e-suKhan : participant in conversation; ham-suKhan : in conversation)

yaad ke be-nishaaN jaziiroN se
terii aavaaz aa rahii hai abhii

(be-nishaaN : without any trace; jaziiraa : island)

shahr ke be-chiraaGh galiiyoN meN
zindagii tujh ko DhuuNDhtii hai abhii

(be-chiraaGh : without lamps; galii : lane)

so gaye log us havelii ke
ek khiRkii magar khulii hai abhii

(havelii : mansion; khiRkii : window)

tum to yaaro abhii se uTh baiThe
shahr meN raat jaagtii hai abhii

vaqt achchhaa bhii aayegaa ‘Nasir’
Gham na kar zindagii paRii hai abhii

Nasir Kazmi

Too Many Times

Who do I hope to finally be?
Is it not your life in me?
Yet the how's too hard to see
Too many times
Will I ever finally be
The true intended me?
Will the old in me be freed
And left behind?

Chorus:
Too many times
I'm back inside
Wanting desperately to hide
Yet I know, I know you say
You have to die
Too many times
You hear my cries
I'm at the end of all my tries
So, I'm open Lord, so
Teach me how to die

Here I am again alone
Afraid I'll lose all that I own
Yet you see me as your one
I cannot fall

And what I am I still am not
At times I count the cost
Yet I find there's nothing lost
If I give it all...

-Michael W. Smith