Okay, this thread is a SERIOUS THREAD (meaning not for spams and no value postings) for all LYN forumers to post and share their INSPIRATIONAL STORIES, QUOTES, PICTURES etc. There may be stories we have read or even real life lessons we may want to share, so all of us can learn something from those stories. There are quotes that may make us think and ponder. Or there may be a picture that conveys a message more than words can say.

I'm not looking for comments, instead I'm encouraging participation by contribution. However, even if you do not have anything to contribute at the moment, I hope that by just reading some stories here or viewing some pictures here, you would have already learnt something.

I had wanted to start this sort of thread for a long time now, so all of us can share and learn and I guess Kopitiam is the place to post since the traffic here is the highest and the thread will be viewed more often. But kopitiam being kopitiam, I expect some spams, no-value and irrelevant postings even with the "Serious Talk" tag. So, I just want to say beforehand, that all irrelevant postings will be deleted by the Moderating Team.

This thread is created with good intentions for the benefit of everyone who reads it. Let's keep it that way ya. So come... let's share and learn...

My first story here...


There are two days in every week about which we should not worry. Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone!!

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise, whether in splendor or behind a mask of clouds. But it will rise. Until it does we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day: today.

Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of two awful eternities - yesterday and tomorrow, that we break down.

It is not necessarily the experience of today that disturbs one's peace of mind. It is often time the bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore live one day at a time.

This is to remind all of us that while we should remember the past and plan and anticipate the future, it is critical that we don’t get paralyzed by either. By focusing on making the best of the present, we can actually make the past a sweeter learning experience, and make tomorrow’s hopes and dreams closer to reality.

Cheers!

Phew... I just spring-cleaned the thread. But thanks to the contributions by those who are still here. Well, I guess old habits die hard but nonetheless... here's a quote that makes us all think...




To the spammers,

Look guys, you never know... maybe someone out there may just be needing some encouragement right now and may be reading this thread...
Please remember the intention of this thread. If you do not have that intention, I hope you will save your contribution for somewhere else, but thanks for reading through anyway...

My contribution today...


In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


Always remember those who serve us AND those whom we serve.

Of Sand and Stones...


There is a story of two friends who were walking through a desert. At a certain point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one right across the face. The one who got slapped was very hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: "Today my closest friend slapped me."

The two friends kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to go into the water. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After the friend recovered from near drowning, he carved out on a stone: "Today my closest friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."


Just a reminder that we should not hold on to grudges but instead to never forget those who have helped us.

Cheers.

At an airport, I overheard a father and his daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure and standing near
the door she said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Daddy."

They kissed goodbye and she left. He walked over towards the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied.

Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Mom had done for me. Recognizing that her days
were limited, I took the time to tell her face to face how much she meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral," he said. "When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?" He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone."

He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them." He continued and then turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory:

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hellos" to get you through the final "Goodbye".

He then began to sob and walked away.


I WISH YOU ENOUGH.

Sounds a lot like Scarlet O'Hara from "Gone With The Wind".

Thanks for your contribution. Thank you all who contributed too.

And thank YOU for the great big smile so early in the morning!

This post has been edited by MayAnne: Aug 9 2008, 11:58 AM

Yes, sometimes we have to look at things that way. Save a lot of headaches and heartaches.

Gone With The Wind... I read the book... and I think Rhett Butler is sooooo man!

THE RAIN - THOMAS KINKAKE

Stop at the picture for a second, and watch the Rain… then read on…



One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The rain!" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond.

"That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked… "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"

Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer:

"We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."

I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

IN ORDER TO SEE THE RAINBOW, WE MUST FIRST ENDURE SOME RAIN.

Thank you for your contribution.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. And He is our greatest Friend.

We say that "time flies" but a wise person observed that "time stays and we fly." Whether we rise early or stay in bed, we are being carried along by the mysterious force called "time."

So, have you accomplished what you have set out to do today? Perhaps you need to begin an essential task, address a lingering issue, or work to restore a valuable relationship before you fall asleep and need to be awakened again.

If time could be our servant,
Our days would be sublime;
But if we fail to master it,
We're only "serving time."

Don't spend time, invest it.

GOOD MORNING... RISE AND SHINE!




Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate! Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds.

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for him and how much he means to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things I have already been given. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in the Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine. And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and Praise my eyes to the heavens and stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, and be thankful for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!


If one of your goals in life is to be happy, re-read this piece every day... and joyfully watch how your outlook changes.

HAVE A GREAT DAY AHEAD... BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.

"... eye had not seen, nor ear heard... the things which GOD had prepared for them that love Him."

Have a wonderful morning and a great day ahead!

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly to be rescued, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions.

Then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger.

"God, how could you do this to me!" he cried and complained.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship’s horn that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.


This is a reminder to all of us to never forget that many blessings come in disguises. Often they show up as uncomfortable or even dangerous and painful situations. And often only later, sometimes decades later, does the true purpose of something revealed. May you all be blessed with revealed blessings.