PAID IN FULL WITH A GLASS OF MILK!

A poor boy used to sell goods from door to door to finance his education. One day, the young boy felt hungry but had no money to buy any food. He decided to ask for something to eat when he knocked on the front door of the next house.

A beautiful young woman opened the door, and the boy lost his nerve. He simply asked for a drink of water, too embarrassed to ask for food. The young woman brought him a glass of milk. The boy greedily drank.

The boy asked her how much he owed, but she simply smiled and said her mother had taught her to be kind to others and never expect anything in return. The young boy left the woman's home with a full tummy and a heart full of renewed strength to push on with his education and continue working hard. Just when he was ready to quit, the woman had instilled in him newfound faith and fortitude.

Years later, in a big city, renowned surgeon Dr. Howard Kelly was called to consult on a woman who was suffering from a rare disease. When the woman told him the name of the small town where she lived, Dr. Kelly felt a faint memory arise in his mind, and then suddenly recognition dawned on him. She was the woman who had given him the glass of milk many years ago.

The doctor went on to provide the woman with the very best care and made sure she received special attention. In fact, it was his skills as a doctor that saved her life. After a long and difficult hospitalization, the woman was finally ready for discharge home. The woman was worried it would take her years to settle her account with the hospital. Her serious illness and long hospital stay had produced a substantial bill. However, when she received the bill, she found that Dr. Kelly had paid the entire bill himself and written a small note for her.

The note simply stated: Paid in full with a glass of milk.

THIS TOO SHALL PASS!

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.

Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies.” The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be fitter for use when you want it.” 

 Start by setting aside a special time to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. You will be at your best if you have taken time to loosen the bow.

Isn’t true that we are so tightened that our bow of life tend to be broken?

I shall suggest a simple test for you to find whether your bow of life is very tight! Can you sleep well for at least five hours every day without taking any drugs or alcohol? (I am not speaking about people who have pain in the body because of their sickness. I am aware of such people who are deprived of sleep.) If so, slacken yourself. This universe was there before you were born; it shall be there even after you leave.

You might have heard the adage "This too shall pass". It indicates that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary. (The legend of the quote finds its roots in the court of a powerful eastern Persian ruler who called his wise men to him, including the Sufi poet Attar of Nishapur, and asked them for one quote that would be accurate at all times and in all situations. The wise men consulted with one another, and threw themselves into deep contemplation, and finally came up with the answer "this too, shall pass". The ruler was so impressed by the quote that he had it inscribed in a ring.)

It is a prudent reminder for us all that regardless of how the serendipity of life has dealt with us, it will soon pass. It aligns with what the poet Rudyard Kipling said in his poem "IF" ...

        If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;

       If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
       If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
      And treat those two impostors just the same...

WHO CAN PUT A HURDLE BEFORE YOU BUT YOU?

Srikant Bolla’s life is an example of the above statement. He is a blind CEO who heads the Rs. 50 crore Hyderabad based Bollant Industries. This company is a haven for the disabled and uneducated people who can earn a living in a dignified way.

Srikanth Bolla’s life was full of discrimination and rejections.  When he was born blind, the neighbours advised his parents to let him die; but the parents did not heed to it.  When he started to go to School, he was looked down upon with scorn and always given back bench to sit and denied the opportunity to participate in games. But, these didn’t deter him. He excelled in studies and topped the Class 10 board exams in his school. When he wanted to do Science in Intermediate level, the Andhra Pradesh Education Board refused to admit him saying that the blind cannot do Science stream; but he challenged it in the Court and got into Science stream.  Srikanth topped his Class 12, securing a 98%.

The row of hurdle did not stop there. When he decided to study engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, he faced discrimination again. He was denied an admit card to the IIT entrance examination. That is when Srikanth decided, “If IIT doesn’t want me, I don’t want IIT either!” He applied to schools in the United States for an undergraduate programme and secured admission in four of the top schools – MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon. He eventually chose MIT and became the school’s first international blind student.

“The world looks at me and says, ‘Srikanth, you can do nothing.’ I look back at the world and say ‘I can do anything’.”

After graduating from MIT, Srikanth was offered opportunity in USA in multinational companies where he could earn much, but he opted to return to India and do his share of helping the disabled who are otherwise discriminated.   He started Samanvai, a non-profit organization in Hyderabad, to provide individualized, need-based and goal-oriented support services to students with multiple disabilities. He promoted Braille literacy, a digital library and a Braille printing press/library to provide tutorial services for such students. Through Samanvai, Srikanth has managed to mentor and nurture over 3,000 students so far.

In 2012, he started Bollant Industries Pvt. Ltd with the aim of providing livelihood opportunities to the physically challenged. The company manufactures eco-friendly products such as areca leaf plates, cups, trays, and dinnerware, betel plates, and disposable plates, spoons and cups. The company also manufactures adhesives and printing inks/printing products. So impressed was angel investor Ravi Mantha with Srikanth’s business model and vision, that he not only invested in the company but is also his mentor. Today, Bollant employs over 150 disabled individuals and has five manufacturing units. Its annual sales have already crossed Rs. 70 million.

Srikanth’s vision about the future is to build a sustainable company with a workforce comprising 70% people with disabilities. He, no doubt has come a long way in changing people’s perceptions about the capabilities of the differently-abled.

Srikanth’s life tells us that disability is not a hurdle, but only a challenge. If disability has not affected your mind, it cannot deter you from excelling in life.

WRITE THE FAULTS ON SAND & GOOD DEEDS ON ROCK

Two friends (for convenience let us call them Tom and Geo) started out for a long journey …

During the journey a dispute occurred and Tom hit Geo. While crying Geo wrote on sand, “Tom, my friend hit me!”

They continued the journey. They reached an overflowing river where Geo slipped into water. Tom immediately jumped into the water and saved his friend.

Geo, after reaching the land, went near a rock, took out his chisel and started carving, “Tom, my good friend saved me from flood!”

Tom asked with astonishment, “Why, Geo, is it that when I hurt you, you wrote it on sand, whereas, when I helped you, you carved on the rock!”

The thought-provoking reply of Geo was, “Whatever that hurt me should be written in sand - even a small wind shall wipe it off. The memory of the hurt should be only for a few moments. Whereas, the help I receive is to be inscribed on the rock; for its memory is to remain forever – even after I die.”

If only the siblings who fight for the inheritance and neighbors who fight for the flimsy things followed this! If only the husbands who keep a long record of what the wives have done and the wives who ‘exceptionally’ remember the faults of husbands from the day one of marriage learned this! If only the pastors and the parish members followed this!

May I also recommend everyone to read A Spark neglected, a beautiful short story by Leo Tolstoy.

JUDGE OURSELVES TO AVOID BEING JUDGED

Judge ourselves to avoid being judged.

What we usually do is that we judge others to avoid being judged.  We are not willing to admit our shortcomings.  When we see our sins being committed by others, we tend to throw stones at them. Modern psychologists say that there are different methods of self-deception to avoid dealing honestly our evil thoughts and feelings.  We can broadly put them as three.

1.     Rationalization.  “Everybody is doing it. So I am also doing it,” is a common statement – cheating, bribery, mal-practices, immoral activities etc. In the book of I Sam ch. 15, we see a good example for rationalization. (the confrontation of the prophet with King Saul and Saul putting all kinds of excuses to rationalize what he did)

2.   Projection.  Inferring that others have the shortcomings of you. There is a Malayalam saying: “manja pithamullavar kaanunnathellam manja” which means ‘a person who has jaundice sees everything as yellow in color’.  I am not coming to the Church because everyone that comes there are crooks, thieves, snobs etc.  But studies will show that the person who blames others is the real culprit.  I remember a person who told me that he has stopped coming to the Church because the trustees manipulate the funds etc.  But later I found that while he was the trustee, he was caught for mismanagement of funds.

3. Displacement. For this also there is a Malayalam saying: “Angaadiyil thottathinu ammayodu” which means ‘taking revenge on the mother for the failure in the market’.   Pouring out the frustrations on the helpless victims -  a husband coming from office and quarreling with the wife and children, parents pouring out their frustrations on children,  children coming from Schools and Colleges and becoming wild at home, a person who cannot pour out the frustrations at office or home coming to Church and shouting at the pastor in the General Body etc. are examples of displacement.

In all these, we are trying to hide our weakness and put the blame on others for our condition. We try to escape thus. The right way is to admit our faults in the light of the Word of God and correct ourselves seeking God’s forgiveness. It is more fruitful to blame ourselves for the faults. 

Jesus states this unmistakably in the Sermon on the Mount: (Matt. 7:1-5) “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

When you are looking for faults, use a mirror, not a telescope.

IF YOU HAVE JESUS IN THE RIGHT PLACE…!

A pastor was struggling to prepare his sermon and didn't want to be disturbed by his five year old daughter, so he removed a map of the world from his study, tore it into pieces and gave it to her daugter to assemble with the promise that he would answer all her questions and play with her when she was done.

He knew she would never be able to fix it. To his amazement, in less than five minutes, she returned to him in his study with the map in perfect shape, every continent and every country in its place.

The surprised father asked, ''Honey, you don't know anything about geography, so how did you fix the world so easily and quickly?

The five year old girl smiled sweetly and replied, ''The picture of JESUS was at the back of the map and I knew that if I have JESUS in the right place, the whole world would be in perfect shape.''

That was just the right inspiration he needed for his sermon. He thanked his daughter and prepared a powerful sermon on the subject Fix your world by placing JESUS at the right place.

Just place JESUS in his rightful place and your life will be in order. Place the Word of God in the Centre of your Life and watch how easily everything just falls in place!

ARE YOU PREPARED TO MEET YOUR LORD?

Billy Graham has often told a story that illustrates the importance of having your priorities in the right order. The story is about a little boy named Paul Haley. The little six-year-old Denver boy was dying from cancer. His story had hit the newspapers along with his fondest wish. The little boy wanted to meet the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

One day, quite unexpectedly, Eisenhower announced to his aides that he was going to see Paul Haley. Hopping in the presidential limousine, they drove to Denver and pulled up outside of the Haley home, flags flying from the limo’s fenders. Eisenhower simply strode up the little walk leading to the Haley front door and rang the doorbell.

Donald Haley, the little boy’s father, answered the door. When faced with the neatly-dressed stranger he simply asked, “Can I help you?”

Suddenly, a little boy appeared between his father’s legs, peering up at the stranger’s face.

“Yes, I’m Dwight Eisenhower and I’d like to meet your son.” The little boy scampered out to the limo and the president showed him the car and allowed him to sit in it. They parted with a handshake and a hug. All the while Donald Haley stood in the doorway awestruck.  

Donald Haley often talked about how unprepared he was to meet the president of the United States. He was standing there in old jeans and a dirty tee-shirt as the most important man in the world shook his hand. If he had only known he could have been prepared!

DON’T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR DREAMS

Monty Roberts was a person who owned a horse ranch in San Isidro. He used to give his ranch for camps and training on horse riding. One day he told the story about his farm: 

 “It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.

 That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.

He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’

The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an F?’

The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’

The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’

Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.’

Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.”

He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.”

When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.”

Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what. No Dream is too big or too small when one works hard to live it. One should always try making dreams come true no matter what. 

ENJOY LIFE; FOR YOUR TIME IS LIMITED

Since none of us have many years to live, and since we cannot take along anything when we go, we don't have to be too thrifty.  Spend the money that should be spent, enjoy what should be enjoyed. (Caution: I am not endorsing the theory attributed to Epicurus: ‘Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die’!)

Don't accumulate for your children or grandchildren and have a miserable life yourself. It shall make them parasites who are waiting for the day you will die!

DONATE what you are able to donate – money, time, talents, possibilities, potentials... It shall be remembered even after you reach the grave.

 

DON'T WORRY about what will happen after we are gone, because when we return to dust, we will feel nothing about praises or criticisms. The time to enjoy the worldly life and your hard earned wealth will be over!

 

DON'T WORRY too much about your children, for children will have their own destiny and should find their own way. Don't be your children's slaves. Care for them, love them, give them gifts but also enjoy your money while you can. Life should have more to it than working from the cradle to the grave!!

 

DON'T EXPECT too much from your children. Caring children, though caring, would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render much help to you. Uncaring children may fight over your assets even when you are still alive, and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your properties and wealth. Your children take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your wealth; but that you have no claims to their money.

50-year olds, don't trade in your health for wealth, by working yourself to an early grave anymore, because your money may not be able to buy your health.

 

When to stop making money, and how much is enough - a hundred thousand, one million, ten million, one billion? Out of thousand hectares of good farm land, you can consume only three quarts (of rice) daily; out of a thousand mansions, you only need eight square meters of space to rest at night. So, as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend, that is good enough. You should live happily.

Every family has its own problems, the situations of each individual is different. Hence:

DO NOT COMPARE with others about fame, social status and   children doing better etc., but challenge others for happiness, health, enjoyment, quality of life and longevity. 

DON'T WORRY about things that you can't change because it doesn't help and it may spoil your health. You have to create your own well-being and find your own place of happiness. As long  as you are in good mood and good health, think about happy things, do happy things daily and have fun in doing, then you will pass your time happily every day.

 

One day passes WITHOUT happiness, you will lose one day. One day passes WITH happiness and then you gain one day.

     

In good spirit, sickness will cure; In a happy spirit, sickness will cure faster; in high and happy spirits, sickness will never come.

With good mood, suitable amount of exercise, always in the sun, variety of foods, reasonable amount of vitamin and mineral intake (as advised by the Physician – if you can believe them!), hopefully you will live another 20 or 30 years of healthy life of joy.  

ABOVE ALL - learn to cherish the goodness around. They all make you feel young and "wanted"... without them you are surely to feel lost!