Let it GO

A story tells of a merchant in a small town who had identical twin sons. The boys worked for their father in the department store he owned and, when he died, they took over the store.  Everything went well until the day a dollar bill disappeared. One of the brothers had left the bill on the cash register and walked outside with a customer. When he returned, the money was gone.  He asked his brother, "Did you see that dollar bill on the cash register?" His brother replied that he had not.  But the young man kept probing and questioning. He would not let it alone. "Dollar bills just don't get up and walk away! Surely you must have seen it!"

There was subtle accusation in his voice. Tempers began to rise. Resentment set in. Before long, a deep and bitter chasm divided the young men. They refused to speak. They finally decided they could no longer work together and a dividing wall was built down the center of the store. For twenty years hostility and bitterness grew, spreading to their families and to the community.  Then one day a man in an automobile licensed in another state stopped in front of the store. He walked in and asked the clerk, "How long have you been here?"  The clerk replied that he'd been there all his life. The customer said, "I must share something with you. Twenty years ago I was "riding the rails" and came into this town in a boxcar. I hadn't eaten for three days. I came into this store from the back door and saw a dollar bill on the cash register. I put it in my pocket and walked out. All these years I haven't been able to forget that. I know it wasn't much money, but I had to come back and ask your forgiveness."  The stranger was amazed to see tears well up in the eyes of this middle-aged man. "Would you please go next door and tell that same story to the man in the store?" he said. Then the man was even more amazed to see two middle-aged men, who looked very much alike, embracing each other and weeping together in the front of the store. After twenty years, the brokenness was mended. The wall of resentment that divided them came down.  It is so often the little things that finally divide people- words spoken in haste; criticisms; accusations; resentments. And once divided, they may never come together again.  The solution, of course, is to let it go. There is really nothing particularly profound about learning to let go of little resentments. But for fulfilling and lasting relationships, letting them go is a must. Refuse to carry around bitterness and you may be surprised at how much energy you have left for building bonds with those you love.

Be Careful What You Plant

This is an old story, but I like it very much.






A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still Nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure!! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
If you plant hard work, you will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Lest you be judged too

I've always, ALWAYS refrained from passing ANY negative remarks about anyone.
Call me anything, but I always try to see the good in anyone I meet, unless they've already blown their chance or abused my trust.
I believe it's so important for us to judge gently, because you never know when your turn is coming.



Pray, don't find fault with the man that limps


Or stumbles along the road.


Unless you have worn the shoes he wears


Or struggled beneath his load.






There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt


Though hidden away from view.


Or the burden he bears placed on your back


Might cause you to stumble too.






Don't sneer at the man who's down today


Unless you have felt the blow


That caused his fall or felt the shame


That only the fallen know.






You may be strong but still the blows


That was his if dealt to you


In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time


Might cause you to stagger too.






Don't be too harsh with the man that sins


Or pelt him with word or stone


Unless you are sure - yea, doubly sure -


That you have no sins of your own.






For you know, perhaps,


If the tempter's voice should whisper as soft to you


As it did to him when he went astray


It might cause you to falter too.

Trust and everything else

I got backstabbed in my company.
I know who it is. And I won't plan on any vengeance. It would be a waste of time.
How people think and how they act on their thoughts is something you can never control.
I supposed he felt threatened the day I joined the company. Leapfrogged over him to take over 2 departments.
He's 15 years my senior and had been serving in the company for 10 years. Perhaps he thought he was the most eligible candidate to take over the post.
To laugh at me while I was reprimanded by my directors was an evil thing to do.
I cannot fathom how anyone can keep so much venom in themselves. Is it worthwhile to keep all that poison in your heart, like a cancer slowly eating you from the inside?
I still acknowledge him. "Good morning" etc. But he'll never talk back to me. Weirdo.
All I can think of is this phrase.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

You can meet nasty people, impolite ones and absolutely horrible persons with no notion of what manners mean.
It does not mean you have to be a bastard/asshole back at them. I can't remember, but maybe it was Gandhi who said you can win over your bitterest enemies if you give them sufficient love and kindness.
Everyone has their own inner demons. That they're fighting off everyday. In their minds. In their hearts.
I believe in the goodness of humans. I trust that everyone has a good side to them. Nevermind any bad side.
To be able trust your fellow human, I feel, I suppose that's the biggest hurdle for most people to overcome.
But without trust, there's nothing else.