திருக்குறள் கதை (102) - தாலி பாக்கியம்

காரை விட்டு இறங்கும் போதே காவேரி கவனித்து விட்டாள் அங்கே அடகுக் கடையில் நிற்பது ராஜிதான் என்று. வாழ்க்கையில் மறக்க முடியாத முகங்கள் சில உண்டு. ஒரு வருடம் முன்பு ராஜியின் கணவன் மாரிதான் காவேரியின் கணவன் சங்கரின் உயிரையே காப்பாற்றியவன். மாரி மட்டும் தன் உயிரைப் பணயம் வைத்து சாலையில் விழுந்து கிடந்த சங்கரை இழுத்துப் போடவில்லையென்றால், காவேரியின் கழுத்தில் தாலி நிலைத்திருக்காது. அந்த மணல் லாரி......... நினைத்துப் பார்க்கவே நடுங்குகிறது.

ராஜிக்கு இந்த அடகுக் கடையில் என்ன வேலை.என்று யோசித்துக் கொண்டே சென்ற காவேரி பக்கத்தில் சென்று ராஜியின் தோளைத் தொட்டாள்.

சற்றும் எதிர்பாராத ராஜி “அம்மா ! நீங்களா ! சௌக்கியமா ? என்றாள் ராஜி ! இங்கே என்ன பண்றே ? என்று கேட்டவுடன் அவள் கண்களில் நீர் முட்டியது. அவ புருஷனுக்கு நாளைக்கு ஒரு ஆபரேஷன் என்று சேர்த்திருக்கிரார்களாம். இன்றைக்குள் பணம் கட்ட கொஞ்சம் குறையுது அதான் நகையை அடகு வைக்க வந்தேன் என்றாள்.

ராஜி தன் சேலையில் முடிந்திருந்த நகையை எடுத்தாள். அது .... அவளுடைய தாலி... ராஜி ! அதை உள்ளே வை. எங்கிட்ட பணம் இருக்கு தரேன் ! என்றபோதும் பிடிவாதமாக மறுத்தாள். ஏதோ கௌரவம் பார்க்கிறாள் போல.

காவேரியும் விடவில்லை. சரி ராஜி ! நான் பணம் சும்மா தரல ! அந்த தாலியை என்கிட்ட குடுத்துட்டு நீ பணம் வாங்கிக்கோ அப்புறமா பணத்தைக் குடுத்துட்டு தாலியை வாங்கிக்கோ ! என்றதும் தயங்கித் தயங்கி ஒப்புக்கொண்டாள். காவேரி தாலியை வாங்கிக் கொண்டு பக்கத்தில் இருந்த ஏ.டி.எம்மில் இருந்து பணத்தை எடுத்து ராஜியிடம் கொடுத்தாள்.

மறு நாள் ஆபரேஷன் நல்லபடியாக முடிந்தது. மூன்றாவது நாள் ஜெனரல் வார்டுக்கு வந்த பின் காவேரியும் சங்கரும் சென்று பார்த்தார்கள். மாரியிடம் காவேரி சொன்னாள் " உங்க மனைவி தான் உங்களுக்காக ராப்பகலா ரொம்ப கஷ்டப்பட்டா ! உங்க கையாலேயே இதைப் போட்டு விடுங்க ! என்று சொல்லி ஒரு பொட்டலத்தைப் பிரித்தாள்.

அதில் இரண்டு பவுன் சங்கிலியில் ராஜியின் தாலி கோர்க்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. அம்மா ! இதெல்லாம் எதுக்கும்மா ? வேண்டாம்மா ! என்ற ராஜியின் கையப்பிடித்து கண் கலங்க காவேரி சொன்னாள் " ஒரு வருஷம் முன்னே உன் புருஷன் என் தாலியை காப்பாத்தலேயா ராஜி ?

இதைத்தான் திருவள்ளூவர் 102வது குறளில் இப்படி சொல்லியிருக்கிறார்.

காலத்தினால் செய்த நன்றி சிறிதெனினும்

ஞாலத்தின் மாலப் பெரிது. (102)

பொருள் : தக்க சமயத்தில் செய்யப்படும் உதவி சிறியதாக இருந்தாலும் இந்த உலகை விட பெரியதாக எண்ணப்படும்.

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சினிமாவால் சிரழிந்த சின்னவன்……..

சினிமா கனவு உலகத்தையும் சில பயங்கரத்தையும் காட்டும் உண்மையை எப்பொழுதும் அது காட்டியதே இல்லை
பணக்காரனை( தயாரிப்பாளர் ) ஏழை ஆக்கும், ஏழையை ( தொழிலாளியை ) பணக்கரனக்கும் . மாய வலை வீசி மயக்கும்.
அவன் ஓரளவு பணக்கார குடும்பத்தை சேர்ந்தவன் அவனுடன் பிறந்தவர்கள் இரண்டு அண்ணன்கள் இவன்தான் கடை குட்டி
அதனால், செல்லம் கூட தீவிர சினிமா பார்க்கும் பழக்கம் உடையவன் ஒரு நடிகரின் தீவிர ரசிகனும் கூட
அவனது தலைவன் படம் வந்து விட்டால் கொண்டாட்டம்தான்.
பியரும் பால் அபிஷேகம் எப்பொழுதும் உண்டு ஒவ்வொரு புது படத்தின் ரீலிஸ் பொழுதும் இந்த நிகழ்வு நடக்கும்

அவன் பார்ப்பதற்கு அட்டை கருப்பாகவும் இல்லமால் லைட் கலர் சட்டை போல் பளிச்சென்று இருப்பான்.
அவனுடை நண்பர் வட்டம் பெரியது.அவர்களையெல்லாம் அடிக்கடி சந்திப்பான் அப்பொழுது அவனது தலைவனின்,
பட வசனம் அந்நடிகரின் குரலில் அச்சு பிசரமால் பேசி நடித்து காண்பிப்பான்.அதில் மெய் மறந்த நண்பர் கள்
" நீ அப்படியே தலைவனை போலவே நடிக்கிறாய் பேசுகிறாய் கம்முனு நீ நடிகனாயீடு "என்றான் ஒரு நண்பன்.
அடுத்த தலைவன் நீதாண்டா என்று இன்னொருவன் சின்னத்திரையில்மிமிக்கிரி ஷோவ்க்கு போடா முன்னுக்கு வந்தரலாம்
" நம்ம விஜய் டிவி சிவா கார்த்திகேயேன் கூட அப்படிதான் இப்ப பாத்தியில்ல எப்புடி?என்றான் இன்னொருவன்.
ஆளாளுக்கு ஒரு ஐடியா சொல்ல உசுபேற்றி உசுபேற்றியே கனவு உலகத்தை அவனுள் கொண்டு வந்து விட்டனர் மச்சிகள்
அவன் இதை பற்றி தீவிரமாக யோசிக்க ஆரம்பித்தான். அவனது மனம் ,
படத்தின் ரீலை போல் ஓடி கொண்டே இருந்தது விடிந்தும் விட்டது வாழ்வின் விடியலை தேடி சினிமா கனவு மூட்டைகளை ,
சுமந்து கொண்டு பைத்தியம் பிடித்தவன் போல் பேருந்து ஏறி விட்டான்.சில வருடங்களின் மாறுதலில்

சகோதரர்களுக்கு எல்லோருக்கும் திருமணம் ஆக ஆரம்பித்து விட்டது திருமணம் ஆகும் வரைதான் எல்லாம்,சகோதரர்களுக்கு திருமணம் ஆக ஆக அவனின் குடும்ப பொருளாதாரமும் குறைய ஆரம்பித்தது. அவரவர் குடும்பங்களை அழைத்து கொண்டு எல்லோரும் ( சகோதரர்கள்) தனி தனியாக வெளியூர் செல்ல ஆரம்பித்து விட்டனர் மேலும் அவனது தந்தை செய்து வந்த தொழிலும் கவனிப்பின்றி நட்டத்தையே கொடுத்தது.அவனை பெற்றவர்களும் முதுமையின் வாசலில் முனகி கொண்டு இருந்தனர்.இவனை நினைத்து

கனவில் ஏற்றி விட்டவர்கள் யாரும் கடைசி வரை இறக்கி விடுவதே இல்லை அது சினிமா உலகம் பார்த்து கொள்ளும் ..........

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An Eye-Opener: NASA Sees Hurricane Raymond Reborn For a Brief Time

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible image of Hurricane Raymond, re-strengthened in the Eastern Pacific. The image was taken on Oct. 27 at 21:15 UTC/5:15 p.m. EDT.

Image Credit: 

NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

This infrared, false-colored image of Hurricane Raymond was taken by the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite on Oct. 28 at 9:23 UTC/5:23 a.m. EDT and it showed that the strongest storms (purple) had been displaced to the northeast from wind shear.

Image Credit: 

NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen

Tropical Storm Raymond moved away from western Mexico and into warmer waters with less wind shear over the weekend of Oct. 26-27, where it strengthened into a hurricane again. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an eye-opening image of Raymond before it ran into strong wind shear.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Hurricane Raymond that showed its eye had re-developed and opened after it re-strengthened in the Eastern Pacific. The image was taken on Oct. 27 at 21:15 UTC/5:15 p.m. EDT.

By Oct. 28, wind shear had again kicked up again and Raymond was weakening. Wind shear increased from the southwest pushing the strongest convection, and showers and thunderstorms northeast of the center.

An infrared, false-colored image of Hurricane Raymond was taken by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite on Oct. 28 at 9:23 UTC/5:23 a.m. EDT. The AIRS infrared image showed that the strongest storms had been displaced to the northeast of the center as a result of southwesterly wind shear. Those strong storms were still showing cold cloud top temperatures in excess of -63F/-52C indicating they were high in the troposphere and had the potential to generate heavy rain.

At 11 a.m. EDT/1500 UTC, Hurricane Raymond's maximum sustained winds were near 85 mph/140 kph and weakening. The center of Hurricane Raymond was near latitude 16.4 north and longitude 117.0 west, about 645 miles/1,035 km southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California. Raymond was moving toward the north near 7 mph/11 kph and is expected to turn toward the north-northeast. Raymond is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm late on Oct. 28 and a depression later that day.  

The National Hurricane Center noted on Oct. 28 that Raymond is moving into an area with stronger wind shear, cooler sea surface temperatures and drier air: three factors that will lead to its dissipation in the next couple of days.

Text credit:  Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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Oct. 25, 2013 - Mexico Does Not Love Raymond, NASA Sees Weaker Storm

On Oct. 24 at 4:35 p.m. EDT, NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Raymond and captured this infrared image of cloud top temperatures, showing the coldest (purple), strongest storms that pack the heaviest rainfall had finally moved off-shore.

Image Credit: 

NASA JPL, Ed Olsen

South-central Mexico was inundated with heavy rains from Hurricane Raymond during the week of Oct. 20, and Raymond has finally weakened to a tropical storm and is moving away from the coast. Infrared data from NASA's Aqua satellite showed that the heaviest rainfall in the weaker storm was now away from the Mexican coast.

On Oct. 24 at 20:35 UTC/4:35 p.m. EDT, NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Raymond. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument captured an infrared image of Raymond's cloud top temperatures, showing the coldest, strongest storms that pack the heaviest rainfall had finally moved off-shore. The cloud top temperatures in those strong storms were as cold as -63F/-52C and appeared elongated and somewhat fragmented indicating that Raymond had weakened.

Raymond's rainfall was totaled using data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite, from October 15 to 23, 2013. Rainfall totals were greater than 350mm/ ~13.8 inches along the coast northwest of Acapulco. TRMM data showed that extreme rainfall amounts of over 560mm/~22 inches fell in the open waters of the Pacific where Raymond was stalled.

Although Raymond weakened on Oct. 24 and early on Oct. 25, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect Raymond to move into a more favorable environment over the next couple of days and again reach hurricane status, but over open ocean. By Oct. 31, Halloween, Raymond is expected to move over cooler waters and weaken again.

On Oct. 25 at 0900 UTC/5 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Raymond's maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph/85 kph. It was centered near latitude 14.2 north and longitude 108.5 west, about 435 miles/695 km southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Raymond was moving to the west at 10 mph, and is expected to continue in that direction over the next couple of days.

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Sun Continues to Emit Solar Flares

After emitting its first significant solar flares since June 2013 earlier in the week, the sun continued to produce mid-level and significant solar flares on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, 2013.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.

To see how this event may impact Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.

One of the larger flares was classified as an X1.0 flare, which peaked at 10:03 p.m. EDT on Oct. 27. "X-class" denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc. In the past, X-class flares of this intensity have caused degradation or blackouts of radio communications for about an hour.

Another large flare was classified as an M5.1 flare, which peaked at 12: 41 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28. Between Oct. 23, and the morning of Oct 28, there were three X-class flares and more than 15 additional M-class flares.

Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun is headed toward solar maximum conditions as part of its normal 11-year activity cycle. Humans have tracked this solar cycle continuously since it was discovered in 1843, and it is normal for there to be many flares a day during the sun's peak activity.

The recent solar flare activity has also been accompanied by several coronal mass ejections or CMEs, another solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of particles into space that can reach Earth one to three days later. These particles cannot travel through the atmosphere to harm humans on Earth, but they can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground.

Experimental NASA research models, based on observations from NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and ESA/NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory show that five CMEs, traveling at different speeds, may join up into a single moving cloud of particles.

CMEs can cause a space weather phenomenon called a geomagnetic storm, which occurs when they funnel energy into Earth's magnetic envelope, the magnetosphere, for an extended period of time. The CME's magnetic fields peel back the outermost layers of Earth's fields changing their very shape. Magnetic storms can degrade communication signals and cause unexpected electrical surges in power grids. They also can cause aurora. Storms are rare during solar minimum, but as the sun nears solar maximum, large storms occur several times per year.

In the past, geomagnetic storms caused by CMEs of this size, speed and direction have usually been mild.

NASA and NOAA – as well as the US Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) and others -- keep a constant watch on the sun to monitor for space weather effects such as geomagnetic storms. With advance notification many satellites, spacecraft and technologies can be protected from the worst effects.

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NASA's Orion Spacecraft Comes to Life

NASA's first-ever deep space craft, Orion, has been powered on for the first time, marking a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight.

Orion's avionics system was installed on the crew module and powered up for a series of systems tests at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week. Preliminary data indicate Orion's vehicle management computer, as well as its innovative power and data distribution system -- which use state-of-the-art networking capabilities -- performed as expected.

All of Orion's avionics systems will be put to the test during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test-1(EFT-1), targeted to launch in the fall of 2014.

"Orion will take humans farther than we've ever been before, and in just about a year we're going to send the Orion test vehicle into space," said Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development in Washington. "The work we're doing now, the momentum we're building, is going to carry us on our first trip to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. No other vehicle currently being built can do that, but Orion will, and EFT-1 is the first step."

Orion provides the United States an entirely new human space exploration capability -- a flexible system that can to launch crew and cargo missions, extend human presence beyond low-Earth orbit, and enable new missions of exploration throughout our solar system.

Technicians work inside the Orion crew module being built at Kennedy Space Center to prepare it for its first power on. Turning the avionics system inside the capsule on for the first time marks a major milestone in Orion’s final year of preparations before its first mission, Exploration Flight Test

Image Credit: 

Lockheed Martin

EFT-1 is a two-orbit, four-hour mission that will send Orion, uncrewed, more than 3,600 miles above the Earth's surface --15 times farther than theInternational Space Station. During the test, Orion will return to Earth, enduring temperatures of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit while traveling 20,000 miles per hour, faster than any current spacecraft capable of carrying humans. The data gathered during the flight will inform design decisions, validate existing computer models and guide new approaches to space systems development. The information gathered from this test also will aid in reducing the risks and costs of subsequent Orion flights.

"It’s been an exciting ride so far, but we're really getting to the good part now," said Mark Geyer, Orion program manager. "This is where we start to see the finish line. Our team across the country has been working hard to build the hardware that goes into Orion, and now the vehicle and all our plans are coming to life."

Throughout the past year, custom-designed components have been arriving at Kennedy for installation on the spacecraft -- more than 66,000 parts so far. The crew module portion already has undergone testing to ensure it will withstand the extremes of the space environment. Preparation also continues on the service module and launch abort system that will be integrated next year with the Orion crew module for the flight test.

The completed Orion spacecraft will be installed on a Delta IV heavy rocket for EFT-1. NASA is also developing a new rocket, the Space Launch System, which will power subsequent missions into deep space, beginning with Exploration Mission-1 in 2017.

For information about Orion and EFT-1, visit:

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Old Man and His Son

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:

Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden because your mother always loved planting time. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren’t in prison. Love, Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: ‘For Heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up the garden!! That’s where I buried the GUNS!!’ At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what had happened, and asked him what to do next. His son’s reply was: ‘Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It’s the best I could do for you, from here.’

Moral: No Matter where you are in the World, If you have decided to do something deep from your heart, you can do it. It is the thought that matters, not where you are or where the person is.

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Mother’s Sacrifice

My mom only had one eye. I hated her… she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell… anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.

I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school… “Your mom only has one eye?!” and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, “Mom, why don’t you have the other eye?! You’re only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don’t you just die?” My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I’d wanted to say all this time. Maybe it was because my mom hadn’t punished me, but I didn’t think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night… I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I’m living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it’s a place that doesn’t remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me “What?! Who’s this?!” It was my mother… Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom’s eye.

And I asked her, “Who are you? I don’t know you!!” as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! Get out of here now!!” And to this, my mother quietly answered, “oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,” and she disappeared. Thank goodness… she doesn’t recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn’t going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me… one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house…just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand…. it was a letter to me.

She wrote:

My son, I think my life has been long enough now. And… I won’t visit Seoul anymore… but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school…. For you… I’m sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye… so I gave you mine… I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me. I thought to myself, ‘it’s because he loves me.’ I miss the times when you were still young around me. I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.

My World Shattered.  I hated the person who only lived for me .   I cried for My Mother, I didn’t know of any way that will make up for my worst deeds…

Moral:  Never Ever hate anyone for their disabilities.  Never disrespect your parents, don’t ignore and under estimate their sacrifices.  They give us life, they raise us better than they had been, they give and keep trying to give better than they ever had.  They never wish unwell for their kids even in their wildest dreams.  They always try showing right path and being motivator.  Parents give up all for kids, forgive all mistakes made by kids.  There is no way to repay what they done for kids, all we can do is try giving what they need and it is just time, love and respect.

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Grandpa’s Table

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in- law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’ s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped, the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in- law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather, ” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So thehusband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’ s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’ s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Moral: Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child’s future. Let’s be wise builders and role models. Because Children are our future. Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference. Take care of yourself, … and those you love, … today, … and everyday!

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The Ship of Friendship

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors who have been a good friends, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”

“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered “

Moral: For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us (Congregational Prayer). Value your friends, don’t leave your loved ones behind.

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Father Son Conversation

Once day, father was doing some work and his son came and asked, “Daddy, may I ask you a question?” Father said, “Yeah sure, what it is?” So his son asked, “Dad, how much do you make an hour?” Father got bit upset and said, “That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” Son said, “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” So, father told him that “I make Rs. 500 per hour.”

“Oh”, the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, “Dad, may I please borrow Rs. 300?” The father furiously said, “if the only reason you asked about my pay is so that you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or other nonsense, then march yourself to your room and go to bed. Think why you are being so selfish. I work hard every day and do not like this childish behavior.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think, “May be there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs. 300 and he really didn’t ask for money very often!” The man went to the door of little boy’s room and opened the door. “Are you a sleep, son?” He asked. “No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy. “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier”, said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you, Here’s the Rs.300 you asked for”.

The little boy sat straight up, smiling “oh thank you dad!” He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled some crippled up notes. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father.

“Why do you want money if you already had some?” the father grumbled. “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy I have Rs. 500 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you”. Father was dumbstruck.

Moral: It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life! We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

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