MUCH OF THE BEAUTY OF LIFE IS FOUND IN PROPLE WHO CARE

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Yup, I'm back at my laptop again! Three weeks of nursing a bad, very bad cough, and I'll say this much..... never again! I'm done with coughing-fits, meds, doctor-visits, and a brief stint at the er when I had trouble with my breathing. But I'll say this, too, that something good came out of that sick-cay-tion --- I was able to catch up on my reading. Cruising down my tiny library of favorite books I chose this one "1000 Stories - Volume One" by Frank Mihalic, SVD. Would you believe that I got this book that lucky month of December in 1993?! And yes, the glue which held the book together finally gave up its job and caused the pages to free itself from its bondage of many years! And gosh the edges of its pages have browned with age, too. But no, I didn't discard them ... everything is still here --- all of its 243 pages and all of its 500 stories intact!

Books never grow old, especially books like this one. Here are six of my favorite stories lifted from the book (oh but there are so many and each one a treasure) which I would like to share with you.
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1) POLITENESS

One time at a dinner given in honor of Marshall Foch, one of the guests remarked that there was nothing but wind in French politeness. Marshall Foch retorted, “Neither is there anything but wind in a tire, yet it certainly eases the jolts in a highway, as politeness eases them along life’s highway.” - Quote
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2) GOD IS NUMBER ONE

In arithmetic we learned how valuable is the position of the zero relative to the decimal point. The more zeros separating a one from a decimal point, the less the value of the one if the zeros come first. (.000,000,1)
Put one first, however, then add the zeros and finally the decimal point and the very reverse is true. Why? Because the one is first. (1,000,000.)

So long as God is first in our actions, everything we do and the more we do will add up, the greater value it will have. The further away God is from our minds in our actions, the less their value. – Frank Mihalic
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3) JUDGING

A tale in a German song told of a contest between a nightingale and a cuckoo, to prove which sang more beautifully. As it happened, the only creature around to judge was an ass.

The nightingale sang first. As its beautiful melody trilled through the woods, the ass twitched its long ears and looked on with a stupid, puzzled expression.

Then the cuckoo called its simple, two-note song. Suddenly the face of the ass registered a serious, appraising look, then he began to nod. This he could understand: cuckoo, cuckoo… really isn’t all that different from: hee-haw, hee-haw.  It should come as no surprise that the ass judged the cuckoo to be the better singer.

And thus it is with all who pass judgement. We all judge according to our own limited perceptions, our biases, our varying degrees of ignorance. – Nuggets
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4) SUPPORTIVE WORKERS

One day when I was eleven years old, I came home weeping because I had been given a small part in the background of a children’s program at the church, while my playmate was assigned the leading role. Quietly, my mother took out her watch and put it in my hand.
“What do you see?” she asked.
“A gold case, a face and hands,” I replied.
Then she opened the back of the case and repeated her question. “What do you see?’
“I could see tiny wheels and screws.” I replied.
“This watch would be of no use at all,” mother said, “without every part --- even those you cannot see.”
Her little lesson has made me happier all through life. – Ms. Floyd Crook
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5) LOOK IN THE MIRROR DAILY

A Californian had two daughters in their early teens. One was attractive, the other, plain. One day, as they were getting ready for school, the better-looking girl peered into the mirror beside the face of her unflavored sister. The latter complained to their father that this was done as a reflection on her lack of looks.
Instead of growing angry or taking sides, he advised them,
“I want both of you to look into that mirror everyday. You who are favored of Nature, to remind yourself never to dishonor the beauty of your face by the ugliness of your actions. And you who lack beauty, that you may hide your lack of it by the superior attractiveness of your virtue and beautiful conduct.” - Tonne
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6) YOU ARE MADE TO HELP

I saw a small girl on the street, cold and shivering in a thin dress, and very evidently hungry. I became angry with God and said, “Why did You permit this? Why don’t You do something about it?”
That night I heard a small voice inside say, “I DID do something about it, I made you… What have YOU done about it?”             - After De Mello



  Hope you're all having a lovely day! Blessings!

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