Saturday Story from Siva (30): The story of a Son and What He Learned Observing His Father

Hi,
It’s time again for another Saturday story. Hope you are able to spare those 2 or 3 minutes every week to read and enjoy the stories. I am not getting tired of mailing them. And I hope you are also not getting tired of reading them. As such there are many more with me, as some of you have been sharing the stories so that the same could be shared with the whole group. Thank you so much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The burnt biscuit
Author Unknown (Courtesy: D Jaikumar)
Mom liked making dinners with extra care. And I remember one night in particular when she had made it after a long, hard day at work. That evening, she placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed.
All dad did was reach for his biscuit, smiled at mom, and asked me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and ate every bit of it.  When I got up from the table, I remember hearing mom apologize to dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits.”
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To err is human. We all make mistakes at home and office. The challenge however is how we react in situations where mistakes are committed by others, though we also know that we ourselves are not immune to committing mistakes. How did we make them feel? Good or bad? Someone said, “People will forget what you did or what you said to them, but certainly won’t what you made them feel.” Finding reasons for us to make the people we deal with feel better helps build healthy and happy relationships.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (29): Swami Vivekananda and the Power of Concentration

Hi,
A very good Saturday morning! Hope the New Year has begun well for you, and you have set your new targets for yourself the year 2011. Time runs very fast. Three-fourths of the first month are already spent. And before we realize the year will be gone. Would like to share with you this week the story of ‘Personal Experience of Swami Vivekananda’ on one of the key elements for success in whatever one may undertake. Here it is for your reading!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Story of Swami Vivekananda and The Power of Concentration
An excerpt from the book, “Swami Vivekananda-The Friend of All”
An interesting thing happened when Swamiji went to the United States of America for the second time. One day he was walking along the bank of a river, he found a group of youngsters shooting at a string of eggshells bobbing up on the water. The youths tried in turns, but none could hit the target. Swamiji, who was watching all this, felt amused. He could not suppress his smile and this did not escape the attention of one of the young men who said in a challenging tone, “The task is not as easy as it looks, sir. Let us see how you do it.”
Swamiji said nothing, but took the gun from the boy’s hand and hit twelve shells in succession. The youths were awe-struck and supposed Swamiji was a brilliant marksman. Swamiji could read their minds. He told them he had never in his life fired a shot before and that the secret of his success was his concentration.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We all know that focus is an important factor that contributes to success in any endeavour. The challenge, however, remains how to stay focussed without being distracted. To be able to concentrate, one could perhaps first gain a clear picture of what is to be done and why is it required. There is a lot of power in asking oneself, “WHY?” The clearer and the more convincing the answer to it is the greater the concentration to accomplish it.
The Best for you always!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (28): The Story of a Girl and the Power of Her Approach

Hi,
Happy Sankranti! This week, I would like to share with you the true story of a girl from California which is quite inspiring. Here it goes....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story of a Girl and the Power of Her Approach to the Purpose in LIFE
An excerpt from the book, “You Can Change The World“ By James Keller
An old Chinese Proverb says, “Better to light one candle, than to curse the darkness.” For a girl in a small Californian town doing that meant a difference between life of a sickness and an inspiration to everyone around her. Weakened by a series of epileptic fits, her condition was aggravated to the point that hospitalization was the only course left open to her. Lying in bed, hour after hour, gave her plenty of time to think about the future.
One day, she thought if she tried to help others first, then her own troubles might seem less important and less hopeless. Accordingly, she decided to write in the local newspaper a column that will make people concentrate on the good around them instead of always doing the opposite, just the way she had also been doing. Within 3-4 weeks after the column first appeared, letters began pouring in thanking her, giving her a mental pat on the back for what she was trying to do.
And from that day, the girl had rarely suffered from another attack of epilepsy. Doctors pointed out that the “getting out of herself,” and out of her own narrow world, had given her a purpose in life, had done away with her earlier mental and emotional frustration, which in their opinion, was responsible for her epileptic disorder. They added that they also knew of many cases where the cure was within the person himself as much as in the medical treatment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wav! That’s amazing! We know every problem has a cure. But most often, we tend to search for the solution somewhere, while we ourselves hold it very much within us. The girl in the story chose to change her point of focus from the problems she was going through to spreading cheer and good to the people. In the process, her own problems disappeared.
Wishing you and your family The Best in the NEW YEAR!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (27): The Story of a Father and His message of Sympathetic Oneness

Hi,
This week, I would like to share with you the story narrated by Sri Chinmoy in one of his books, Garden of the Soul. Slightly longer than the ones shared earlier. It is more in the dialogue form, and I am sure you will enjoy reading it. Here it goes...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sympathetic Oneness

Sri Chinmoy
A father and son were walking together, enjoying the early morning breeze. They had covered a good distance when the father stopped suddenly and said, "Son, stop!"
The son said, "What's wrong?"
The father said, "Nothing in particular, but let's not walk any farther on this road."
"Why not?" asked the son.
"Do you see that elderly man coming toward us?" the father asked, pointing down the road.
"Yes, I see him," replied the son.
"He's a friend of mine," said the father. "He borrowed money from me and can't pay it back. Each time he sees me he tells me he'll borrow the money from someone else and give it to me. This has been going on for a long time, and I don't want to embarrass him anymore."
The son said, "Father, if you don't want to embarrass him, why don't you tell him that the money is a gift and you don't want it back?"
"I've already told him that," said the father. "When I said, 'I don't want it back; it's a gift,' he got mad. He said, 'I'm not a beggar. I'm your friend. When I was in need, you gave me money, and when I can, I'll give it back. I want to remain your friend, not become a beggar.' Now I don't want to embarrass him, and I don't want to be embarrassed myself. So let's take another road."
The son said, "Father, you are truly good. I'm very proud of you. it's usually the borrower who tries to avoid the lender. It's usually the receiver who is embarrassed, not the giver. But you want to spare him embarrassment. What I have learned from you is a sympathetic oneness."
------------------------------------------------------------
Humility unto others is perhaps one of the greatest of all virtues. Staying kind and forgiving toward the weak and the guilty, though not easy, may help bring about some change, sooner or later. No one, for that matter, is all powerful, and everyone would need some kind of help from someone or the other. It is just a question of who, when, and what one is dealing with. At least, one could derive some sense of relief and peace by deciding to be humane to others in need. It is about treating others just as the same way we would like to be treated.
The Best for you always,
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (26): Story of a Little Girl and the Strength of Her Faith

Hi,
This Saturday, I would like to share with you a story that describes the power of faith. Here it goes..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Story of a Little Girl and the Strength of Her Faith.
Anonymous
Once, a passenger aircraft was on its way flying high in the air. Midway through the journey, it started experiencing turbulence due to rough weather and the passengers were alerted to fasten their seat belts. As the weather got worse, the turbulence got intensified and the passengers started worrying about their safety more and more. You could see the fear on their faces. However, there was one little 3-year old girl, who seemed to be having no worry at all. She was playing, smiling, and speaking in the same way that she has been doing all along the journey. An elderly gentleman, who was sitting next to her, became curious, and asked her, “Look, the aircraft is wobbling, and all of us are very worried about our safety. But you don’t seem to be so. Are you not worried?” The girl, in her innocent voice said, “No, I am not. You know what? My daddy is the pilot of this aircraft. He knows how to fly an aircraft. He will take us home safe.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faith and Trust help us go a long way in leading a peaceful and happy life. The girl in the story derived enormous strength from the faith she had in her father. As we begin a new year in our life today, it may be appropriate to ask ourselves, “Who is my mentor? Do I have one with whom I could confide and share my dreams and aspirations?” It could be anyone, a family member, a teacher, a friend, or a colleague. Having a mentor who could guide us through is a lot of strength. You could also perhaps become that strength to someone who is in need.
Happy New Year!
With love and regards,
Siva

_______________________

B Sivaprasad

Corporate Trainer and Motivational Speaker

SS Technologies

Hyderabad 500072, India

eMail: value4value@gmail.com

________________________
Connect with me on  
_________________________