Life's Trial

..As an adult, I always look back on that eventful day with a mixture of humor, immense gratitude and humility. I now know what my young mind couldn't grasp then.
It's impossible to go through life without trials and struggles being thrown at you. They come when you least expect them, when your guard is down and your defenses are weak. They come when you are happily strolling down a street and bullets start flying at you.

You can dodge them all you want, but as long as you are alive, they will keep on coming, from all directions. You cannot always stop dead on your tracks, or duck down forever. Sure, you might get wounded, but you just have to bandage the wound and carry on. There's no room for complacency or defeat.

The saying goes: When life gives you lemon, make lemonade". But I say: when someone sprays you with bullets, hit the ground and eat some dirt. When it's safe, pick yourself up and start walking again. After all, there's lunch to deliver and a reward to collect.

-by Thadani Baesa-

Friends

You Gotta Be-Desiree-

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh

Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Others they may cause your tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted don't be shamed to cry

You gotta be, you gotta be bad
You gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know love will save the day

Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, love will save the day

Herald what your mother said
Read the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My, oh, my, hey hey hey

You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know love will save the day

Time asks no questions it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning can't stop it if you tried to
The best part is danger staring you in the face
Whoa

You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know love will save the day


Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Others they may cause your tears
Go ahead release your fears
My, oh, my, hey, hey, hey

You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know love will save the day

You got to be bold, you got to be bad
You got to be wise, don't ever say it
You got to be hard, not too too hard
All I know is love will save the day

Love, love, love will save the day
Love, love, love will save the day
Love, love, love will save the day
Love, love, love will save the day

You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know love will save the day

You gotta be bad
You gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know love will save...

The day

Oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh, oooh oooh, oooh

Listen

The Mouse Tale

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain? The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me." " I cannot be bothered by it

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. "Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital , and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.

To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

SEND THIS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE. REMEMBER,,,, EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON. One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend

My Dream

" Sometimes I look at myself and I see an imperfect person, trying just to do my best in any way possible. One of those ways is to never let people kill my beliefs and faith that help me to face life everyday. This world already has so much evil and negativity that I REFUSE to add more into my own world.
My dream is that someday I see myself old and feel the big satisfaction that I had the opportunity to help many in my life, that I can remember my life with a smile and die with the feeling of peace and happiness, knowing that I had done my best."

Copyright © 2008 Maria Uman

Little Things in Life

Too often we don't realize
what we have until it is gone
Too often we wait too late to say
"I'm sorry... I was wrong."

Sometimes it seems we hurt the ones
we hold dearest to our hearts
And we allow foolish things to tear
Our precious lives apart

We always hurt the one we love
The one we shouldn't hurt at all
We always take the sweetest rose
And crush it till the petals fall

We always break the kindest heart
With a hasty word we can't recall
We often forget to act with right
To the one we love most of all

Too often we listen to others word
Putting away trust to our beloved
Suspicious and doubts then arise
At last we have to pay the price

Far too many times we let
Unimportant things into our minds
And then it's usually too late
To see what made us blind

So be sure that you let people know
How much they mean to you
Take that time to say the words
Before your time is through

Be sure that you appreciate
Everything you've got
And be thankful for the Little Things
In Life that mean a lot...

Taking this opportunity to say thank you, Sue, Mouse & you for all the help all these while. (smile)

Not to worry if cat is keeping quiet for a while. Smile. Have taken a lot of your time during these few weeks. Guess it's time to face things on my own. Thanks again.

Thankful

Finding positive out of every negative- we don't always manage to do..(cat's version)

I am thankful...
1. For my nagging mother who frets about my irregular eating habits, because it means that I still have her beside me
2. For my bossy and demanding boss because that means I am employed
3. For the complaints received from customers because that means I can still improve my department's services
4. For the pile of reports to check, because that means I am using my brain
5. For the clothes that fit a little too snug because that means I have enough to eat
6. For the internet because that means I can still connect to friends and outside world
7. For the meetings that need to be attended, because that means my thoughts are still needed
8. For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means that we have freedom of speech
9. For the bus services and car pool because it means I have been blessed with transportation
10. For the noise I have to bear from my neighbours because it means that I can hear
11. For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear
12. For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard
13. For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I am still alive.

AND FINALLY ....... because i know that I have friends who are thinking of me, because I am thinking of all of you too. I might not be the perfect friend, but I will be there when you need me most..

Bend in The Road

When you feel you have nothing left to give
And you're sure that the song has ended
And it seems there's no reason left to live
And the darkness of night has descended.
Where can you go to find the strength?
You need to keep trying
Where can you find the hand that will dry
The tears your heart is crying.

When you're filled with hopelessness and sorrow
Looking at what seems to be the end
God will whisper, "Wait until tomorrow"
This heartbreak is only a bend in the road.
Bend in the road, bend in the road, bend in the road, bend in the road.

The road will continue past the bend
And you'll sing as you can go on your journey
And hope in your heart will burn again
As you see the light for which you're dreaming.

Be comforted to know the Lord is with you
He's closer than any other friend is
He whispers to your heart to reassure you
That happiness is just around the bend in the road.
Bend in the road, bend in the road.
Bend in the road, bend in the road.

Father's Day

Her hair was up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school and she couldn't wait to go. However, her mummy tried to tell her that she probably should stay home. The other kids might not understand if she went to school alone. But she was not afraid: she knew just what to say.

The little girl went to school, eager to tell them all about a Dad she never sees and who never calls. When she reached school, there were daddies along the wall at the back of the class.Children were squirming impatiently in their seats to wait for their turn to introduce their daddy.

Seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name. Every child turned to stare at her. Each of them was searching for a man who wasn't there. "Where's her daddy" she heard a boy called out. And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say, "Looks like another deadbeat Dad, too busy to waste his day". The words did not offend her as she smiled at her friends. The teacher then told her to begin.

With hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak:
My Daddy couldn't be here because he lives so far away. But I know that he wishes he could be with me on this day. Though you couldn't meet him, I wanted you all to know all about my Daddy and how much he loves me so.
My Daddy loved to tell me stories and he was the one who taught me how to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses and taught me to fly a kite. We used to share fudge sundaes and ice cream in a cone. And though you can't see him, I am not standing all alone.
My Daddy is always with me even though we are far apart. I know this because he told me , he'll be forever with me in my heart."

Somewhere in the crowd, her mother stood in tears. She was proudly watching her daughter who was wise beyond her age. She had stood up for the love of a man who was not in her life.

Then the little girl stare straight into the crowd and finished her presentation in a voice so soft but the message was clear and loud:
I love my Daddy bery much as he is my shining star. If he could, he would have been here. But heaven is just too far. Sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he has never been away. Then she closed her eyes and saw him there that day.
"I know you are with me Daddy" she called out to the silence.

Law of the Garbage Truck

Beware of Garbage Trucks
By David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive colleague ruin your day? Unless you're a robot, you are bound to blow your top off. However, the mark of a sucessful person is how quickly he or she can get back his or her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago, I learned this lesson. I learn it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happen.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So, I said, "Why did you do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now called, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'.

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. If they happen to dump it on you, don't take it personally.

You just smile, wave, wish them well, and moved on. You'll be happier if you did that rather than fight them.

So this was it: 'The Law of the Garbage Truck'.

I started thinking, how often do I let garbage trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the street? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." I see garbage trucks everywhere and everyday. I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know they have to welcome their kids home from school with hugs and kisses. Teachers and parents know that they have to be fully present and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet. You'll be happier.

So ... love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe that every thing happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, TAKE IT!
If it changes your life, LET IT!
Nobody said it would be easy ....
They just promised it would be WORTH IT

Cheers!

"Life is short. Enjoy the journey."

A Gift

This is a story of how one human being in adversity tries to help make another's last days brighter and happier:

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. They spoke for hours on end-of their wives and families, their homes, their job..
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 1 hour periods where his world would be livened by the activities and colours of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while kids sailed paper boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of many colors.
As the man by the window described all this in detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
Days and weeks passed. Then one day, the man by the window passed away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window and was approved. After the switch, the man slowly propped himself up on one elbow to take his look at the real world outside. The window, he found, faced a blank wall. Surprised, he asked the nurse where was the lake that his friend had described earlier. The nurse was taken aback. "But your friend was blind and could not see at all"

Big Difference

The differences between a boss and a leader

A boss drives his men
A leader inspires them

A boss depends on authority
A leader depends on goodwill

A boss evokes fear
A leader radiates love

A boss says "I"
A leader says 'we'

A boss shows who is wrong
A leader shows what is wrong

A boss knows how it is done
A leader knows how to do it

A boss demands respect
A leader commands respect

So, be a leader, not a boss

The Road Less Travelled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Giving Back

I absolutely believe in the power of tithing and giving back.
My own experience about all the blessings I've had in my life is that the more I give away, the more that comes back.
That is the way life works, and that is the way energy works."
(Ken Blanchard)