Little Johnny and Jenny are only 10 years old, but they just know
that they are in love. One day they decide that they want to get married, so Johnny
goes to Jenny’s father to ask him for her hand.

Johnny bravely walks up to him and says “Mr. Smith, me and Jenny
are in love and I want to ask you for her hand in marriage.”
Thinking that this was the cutest thing, Mr. Smith replies, “Well
Johnny, you are only 10. Where will you two live?”
Without even taking a moment to think about it, Johnny replies
“In Jenny’s room. It’s bigger than mine and we can both fit there
nicely.”

Still thinking this is just adorable, Mr. Smith says with a huge
grin, “Okay then how will you live? You’re not old enough to get a job.
You’ll need to support Jenny.” Again, Johnny instantly replies, “Our
allowance.. Jenny makes 5
bucks a week and I make 10 bucks a week. That’s about 60 bucks a
month, and that should do us just fine”

By this time Mr Smith is a little shocked that Johnny has put so
much thought into this. So, he thinks for a moment trying to come
up with something that Johnny won’t have an answer to.

After a second, Mr.Smith says, “Well Johnny, it seems like you
have got everything all figured out. I just have one more
question for you. What will you do if the two of you should have
little ones of your own?”

Johnny just shrugs his shoulders and says “Well, we’ve been lucky
so far…”

Mr. Smith faints…… …….

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster.

He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer.

He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life.

He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

“What?!” the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything!”

So they wrote the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill.”

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer .. $ 2.00

Knowing where to ……… $ 9998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.

A young man asked Socrates the secret of Success. Socrates told the young man to
meet him near the river the next morning. They met.

Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river.

When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and
ducked him into the water. The man struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and
kept him there until he started turning blue.

The young man struggled hard and finally managed to get out and the first thing
he did was to gasp and take deep breath. Socrates asked “What you wanted the most
when you were there?” The man replied “Air”.

Socrates said “that’s the most secret to success. When you want success as
badly as you wanted air, you will get it. There is no other secret’.

Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 4 year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the small child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said ” This is for you Daddy.”

He was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction… He opened the box and his anger flared again when he found the box was empty.

Then he yelled at her:

“DON’T YOU KNOW when you give someone a present there’s supposed to be something inside of it???”

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,

“Oh Daddy it’s not empty, I blew kisses into the box , all for you Daddy.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her for forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box near his bed for years.

Whenever he was discouraged he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense each of us has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses.

There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

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.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although
the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the
gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

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.”

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own
situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is
doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t
buy.

A new blonde employee calls the Help Desk to complain that there’s something wrong with her password. No, it’s not the usual caps-lock problem.
“The problem is that whenever I type the password, it just shows stars,” she says.

“Those asterisks are to protect you,” the Help Desk technician explains, “so if someone were standing behind you, they wouldn’t be able to read your password.”
“Yeah,” she says, “but they show up even when there is no one standing behind me.”

One morning a husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take
a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, his wife decides to take the boat
out.

She motors out a short distance, drops anchor and begins to read her book. Along
comes a game warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, “Good
morning, ma’am. What are you doing?”

“Reading a book,” she replies.

“You’re in a restricted fishing area,” he informs her.

“I’m sorry, Officer, but I’m not fishing, I’m reading.”

“Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any
moment. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.”

“If you do that, I’ll have to charge you with sexual assault,”says the
woman.

“But I have not even touched you,” says the game warden.

“That’s true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start
at any moment.”

“Have a nice day, ma’am,” he said, and left.

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops – a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight,built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back.

Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it. The next day the same thing happened – Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next.

This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him. Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.

By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what’s more, he felt really good about himself. So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!”

The driver stood up, glared back at the passenger, and screamed, “And why not?”

With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.”

Management Lesson: “Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one.”

After 21 years of marriage, My wife wanted me to take another woman out to

dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman
loves

you and would love to spend some time with you.”

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who had
been

a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had

made it impossible to visit her regularly, only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

“What’s wrong, are you well?,” she asked?

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a

surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

“I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I

responded. “Just the two of us.”

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I would like that very

much.”

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous.

When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous

about our date.

She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was

wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding

anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel’s.

“I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were

impressed,” she said, as she got into the car.

“They can’t wait to hear about our dinner.”

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and
cozy.

My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large

print. Half way through the entreis, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting

there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

“It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she
said.

“Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,” I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation, nothing extraordinary

but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much

that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again,
but

only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

“How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got home.

“Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,” I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so

suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt

from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I

love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE
YOU”

and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is

more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because

these things cannot be put off till “some other time”.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve

had a baby … somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, “normal”
is

history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct, somebody never
took

a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring … somebody never rode in a car

driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.

Somebody said if you’re a “good” mother, your child will “turn out
good”…

…somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said “good” mothers never raise their voices … somebody never

came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball
through

the neighbor’s kitchen window.

Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother…. somebody
never

helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can’t love the second child as much as you love the
first

….. somebody doesn’t have two children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing

questions in the books…. somebody never had a child stuff beans up his

nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and

delivery….somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first

day of kindergarten or on a plane headed for military “boot camp.”

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand
tied

behind her back ….somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to
sell

cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets

married….somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or

daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves

home….somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell

her…. somebody isn’t a mother.

Pass this along to all the “mothers” in your life, and to everyone who
ever

had a mother. This isn’t just about being a mother, it’s about
appreciating

the people in your life while you have them….no matter who that person
is.

Without Mistakes there is no forgiving. Without forgiving there is no love

PS:
Thanks Mum, I love u so much…

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:
“AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Curious, he yells: “Who are you?”
He receives the answer: “Who are you?”
Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward!”
He receives the answer: “Coward!”
He looks to his father and asks: “What’s going on?”
The father smiles and says: “My son, pay attention.”
And then he screams to the mountain: “I admire you!”
The voice answers: “I admire you!”
Again the man screams: “You are a champion!”
The voice answers: “You are a champion!”
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: “People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; Life will give you back everything you have given to it.”
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT’S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

-Author Unknown-