Sisters

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and
visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about
the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother
clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober
glance upon her daughter.

"Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the
bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No
matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the
children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go
places with them now and then; do things with them. Remember that
'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all
your other women relatives too. You'll need other women. Women always do."

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just
gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married
woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we
may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made
more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,
she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was
talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries
upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've
learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT...Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are
between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can
reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it
by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering
you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and
waiting with open arms at the valley's end. Sometimes, they will even
break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in- law, sisters,
sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and
extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we
began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the
incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.

Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful. I just
did.
Short and very sweet:
There are more than twenty angels in this world. Ten are peacefully
sleeping on clouds. Nine are playing. And one is reading her email at this
moment.
Send this message to any of your friends including me. If you get 5
replies, someone you love will surprise you.

Happy days! Don't break this; it's working!



If the only prayer you say in your entire life is "Thank you", that would
suffice.

A True Story

A n atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem
science has with God, the Almighty. He asks one of his new students
to stand and.....

PROF: So you believe in God?
STUDENT : Absolutely, sir.

PROF: Is God good?
STUDENT : Sure.

PROF: Is God all-powerful?
STUDENT : Yes.

PROF: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal
him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God
didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)

PROF: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. IsGod
good?
STUDENT : Yes.

PROF : Is Satan good?
STUDENT : No.

PROF : Where does Satan come from?
STUDENT : From...God.. .

PROF : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
STUDENT : Yes.

PROF : Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything.
Correct?
STUDENT : Yes.

PROF : So who created evil?
(Student does not answer.)

PROF : Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these
terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
STUDENT : Yes, sir.

PROF: So, who created them?
(Student has no answer.)

PROF: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe
the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
STUDENT : No, sir.

PROF: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
STUDENT : No, sir.

PROF: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
STUDENT : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

PROF: Yet you still believe in Him?
STUDENT : Yes.

PROF: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
STUDENT : Nothing. I only have my faith.

PROF: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.
STUDENT : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

PROF: Yes.
STUDENT : And is there such a thing as cold?

PROF: Yes.
STUDENT : No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

STUDENT : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat,
mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have
anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no
heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing
as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat.
We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of
heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

STUDENT : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as
darkness?

PROF : Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
STUDENT : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light,
flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have
nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness
isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't
you?

PROF: So what is the point you are making, young man?
STUDENT : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

PROF: Flawed? Can you explain how?
STUDENT : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue
there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You
are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses
electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one.To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor.Do you teach your students that they evolved
from a monkey?

PROF: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes,
of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize
where the argument is going.)

STUDENT : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at
work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor,
are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a
preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

STUDENT : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the
Professor's brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

STUDENT : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's
brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,
demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain,sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face
unfathomable. )

PROF: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
STUDENT : That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH. That
is all that keeps things moving & alive.

NOTE : I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. ..and if
so...you'll probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the
same...won't you?.... this is a true story, and the student was none
other than...

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the present president of India

Words Of Greats 1

Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.
-Ronald Regan

Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
-David T.Wlf

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
-Oscar Wilde

"Correction with sweetness is more effective than words spoken with anger."

"Correction with sweetness is more effective than words spoken with anger."

Contemplation:
We need to be sweet while we have to correct or point out someone's
mistake. When we do that, what goes across to them is the feeling and
not the words. If there were to be anger or dislike while correcting them,
the response we get would be negative too.

Application:
When I do have to correct someone, it is necessary to remind myself of
being sweet, not just in my words, but in my attitude too. For this I need
to practice having good wishes for the one I want to bring a change in.
Love combined with sweetness will surely work, and I'll definitely be able
to notice a change.