The Tale of Two Pots

The tale of pots

Though broken and wounded we are, perhaps we are more useful than we think. This story is based on one of the folk tales that I heard once and which has stuck in my mind.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, which she hung on the ends of a pole that she carried across her neck. Every day she would make the long walk to a stream to fetch water for her home. One of the pots was in perfect condition, and always delivered a full portion of water. The other pot had a crack in it, from which water leaked. As a result, by the time the woman returned home, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For two years the woman made her daily trek to the stream, each time returning with only one and a half pots of water.

The perfect pot was proud of its condition and of what it could do. The cracked pot, however, was ashamed of its imperfection and of the fact that it could do only half of what it had been made for. One day, the cracked pot, overwhelmed by what it perceived to be its bitter failure, spoke to the woman at the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”

The old woman smiled at the pot and replied, 

“Have you noticed that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day, on our walk home, you water them. For two years now I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace our home.”

Remember...

Each of us has our own crack, our own unique flaw. If we start looking for flaws, we will find them plenty. But if start focusing on our abilities , we will realize that each of us is capable of doing something unique and special. God has made all of us is capable of doing something unique and special. God has made all of us with a purpose.

The pot smiled.it was no more a failure.

Each of us has our own crack, our own unique flaw.
 It’s these cracks and flaws that make our lives very interesting and rewarding, and it’s often these cracks and flaws that enable us to do good. Accept people for what they are; look for the good in them and the good that they do.

And don’t miss the flowers on your side of the path.

One of best messages I've received...

One of best messages I've received...

8 boys were standing  on a track for racing.

Ready !

Steady !

Bang !

With sound of Pistol all boys started running.

Hardly  had they covered 10 to 15 steps,

1 boy slipped & fell.

 He started crying due to pain.

When other 7 Boys heard him, all of them STOPPED running..

STOOD for a while, 

turned BACK & RAN

towards him.

All the 7 Boys LIFTED the Boy,

pacified him,

joined hands together,

walked together &

reached WINNING Post.

Officials were shocked. 

Many Eyes were

filled with tears.

It happened at Pune ( Mumbai) .

Race was conducted by

National Institute of

Mental Health...

All participants were

Mentally RETARDED.

What did they teach ?

Teamwork,

Humanity,

Sportsman spirit,

Love,

Care,

&

Equality..

We Surely can NEVER Do this,

because...

We have Brains.... 

We have Ego...

We have Attitude 

One of best messages I've received...

Tale of Two Seas

        Here is an interesting story on two seas with some 

interesting lessons. I had heard of Dead Sea in school. No

one ever told me this side of the story. You may find it 

interesting. I look forward to your perspective.

A tale of Two Seas!  As you probably recall, the Dead Sea is 

really a Lake, not a sea.It’s so high in salt content that the 

human body can float easily. You can almost lie down and read

a book! The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35% - almost 10

times the normal ocean water. And all that saltiness has meant

that there is no life at all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No 

vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea.

And hence the name: Dead Sea.

While the Dead Sea has remained etched in my memory, I don't

seem to recall learning about the Sea of Galilee in my school 

Geography lesson. So when I heard about the Sea of Galilee and

the Dead Sea and the tale of the two seas - I was intrigued.

Turns out that the Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. 

Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water 

from river Jordan. And yet, they are very, very different.

Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent 

with rich, colorful marine life. There are lots of plants. And lots

of fish too. In fact, the Sea of Galilee is home to over twenty 

different types of fishes.

Same region, same source of water, and yet while one sea is full 

of life, the other is dead. How come?

Here’s apparently why.

The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. 

The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out 

- and that keeps the sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine 

life. But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level, that it has 

no outlet. The water flows in from the river Jordan, but does not 

flow out. There are no outlet streams. It is estimated that over 7 

million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day. 

Leaving it salty. Too full of minerals. And unfit for any marine life.

The Dead Sea takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It 

does not give.

Result? No life at all.

Think about it.

Life is not just about getting. Its about giving. We all need to be a 

bit like the Sea of Galilee.

We are fortunate to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if 

we don't learn to give, we could all end up like the Dead Sea. The 

love and the respect, the wealth and the knowledge could all 

evaporate. Like the water in the Dead Sea.

If we get the Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, 

more money, more everything the results can be disastrous.

Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your own life, you have 

outlets. Many outlets. For love and wealth - and everything else 

that you get in your life. Make sure you don't just get, you give too.

Open the taps. And you'll open the floodgates to happiness. Make 

that a habit. To share. To give.

And experience life. Experience the magic!

SEE THE PETALS AMONG THE THORNS

A good story..

See the petals among the thorns.

 A King with a defect in one eye and in one leg asked all the painters to draw a beautiful portrait of his...! 

But no one was ready to draw, as they were not sure how to show him beautiful with a defect in one eye & a defect in a leg...!

One painter however agreed and drew a FANTASTIC painting...!

He painted the King aiming for a deer in a hunt, targeting with one eye closed & a leg bent for it...!

But a question pops up for each of us to answer: "Can we all paint others like this, hiding their weakness and highlighting their strengths.....???

Why can't we all paint others like this?..."Hiding their weakness & Highlighting their strengths"

Just as we say 'love at first sight' , we also do a 'judgement at first sight' when we come across people.

It is our nature to scrutinize persons in front of us, to figure out if we can trust or be friendly with them or if we should be on our guard.
 In a fraction of a second we go on to make judgments and stereotype people based on nothing but ignorance.
What we normally fail to do is to actually take the extra few seconds to get a sense of what's inside other people - especially their good qualities , because it is easy to pick out people's faults. 

Believe.....there is always more in someone than meets the eye. Tagging a person as good or bad ' even based on their actions , may not always be true, because we do not know the reason behind their actions.
For instance , the word 'thief' is negative in itself. But haven't we heard about 'a good thief ' who steals to help the less fortunate? Well , there is an option for us to look into the brighter side of people and situations with an optimistic mind. 
This , in actuality , helps us to live a better , happier life , because as we become more proficient in finding positive aspects in other people , we get better at seeing positive aspects of ourselves.

"Instead of complaining that the rose bush is full of thorns, be happy the thorn bush has roses." 

This outlook doesn't change the reality of the rose bush. But yes, it does help us to love the rose bush. 

Unfortunately , it's not always easy to see the good in others. Yet it is not impossible at all, with a little bit of work. 
And it is worthwhile as it helps see the good in ourselves. There is pretty much always something good in people.
 And  things that may not be so good. But we can choose what things to focus on.
 Focusing on the good in people is definitely a useful choice , as it makes life easier for us , as our world and relationships become more pleasant and optimistic. 
Seeing good in others sprouts from the greater realization that I am not perfect myself. 
Each of us has had positive and negative people and circumstances that have moulded and made us who we are today , different from anyone else. 

People say , "Find good people and leave bad ones." But I think it should be , "Find the good in people and ignore the bad in them." No one is perfect! 

May we learn to hide other's weakness and bring their virtues to light....!!! 

Dear Friends....

 Critics are a dime a dozen. Real encouragers are one in million.....Be one.....

The Invisible Mother

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel" ( Jersey Shore now:() I'm a car to order,  "Right around 5:30, please."

Some days I'm a crystal ball; "Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?"

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her  inscription: "With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
1.) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
2.) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
3.) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
4.) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it." And the workman  replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does."

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no hockey/soccer/piano/Scout/school meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't  want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My Mom gets up at four in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, "You're gonna love it there!"

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...