Touching story and a good reminder: "Take time to appreciate what you have now."
This story makes me very thoughtful.. . hope u will learn something from it :) - The Author
On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket to buy the remaining of the gift I didn't manage to buy earlier. When I saw all the people there, I started to complain to myself,” It is going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go. Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year.
How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it..." Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really play with such expensive toys. While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest.
He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad. I wondered who this doll was for. Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him, "Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?" The old lady replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear."
Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked him who he wanted to give this doll to.
"It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her." I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to her, after all, and not to worry.
But he replied to me sadly. "No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there." His eyes were so sad while saying this. "My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to see God very soon, so I thought that she could bring the doll with her to give it to my sister."
My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, "I told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back from the supermarket. " Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me, "I also want mummy to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me." I love my mummy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister."
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and took a few notes and said to the boy, "What if we checked again, just in case if you have enough money?"
"Ok," he said. "I hope that I have enough."
I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare money. The little boy said, "Thank you God for giving me enough money." Then he looked at me and added, "I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mummy can give it to my sister."
"He heard me." "I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mummy, but I didn't dare to ask God too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose."
"You know, my mummy loves white rose."
A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left with my trolley. I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which mentioned of a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was one young lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state.
The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able to get out of the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away. I couldn't stop myself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and I went to the mortuary where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wish before burial.
She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.
I left the place crying, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to that day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunken man had taken all this away from him.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Life
Sanjay, a rich guy, loved fast cars and he did have a few in his Possession. He loved to speed and could not be bothered about breaking speed limits. Many times he was caught by the cops and speed radars, fined, but still he never bothered.
One day as he was driving at a very high speed as usual, he saw A cop following him. The cop overtook him finally and asked him to stop and checked his license. He then took out his pad and started Writing, and then handed over the sheet of paper to Sanjay. How much was this one going to cost?!!! Wait a minute. What was this???? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Sanjay began to read: "Dear Sanjay, Once upon a time I had a lovely daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver's car. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free though his three daughters. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven, before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me.. And be careful, Sanjay, my son is all I have left."
Sanjay turned around in time to see the cop's car pull away and head down the road. He watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.
Life is precious. Handle it with care.
One day as he was driving at a very high speed as usual, he saw A cop following him. The cop overtook him finally and asked him to stop and checked his license. He then took out his pad and started Writing, and then handed over the sheet of paper to Sanjay. How much was this one going to cost?!!! Wait a minute. What was this???? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Sanjay began to read: "Dear Sanjay, Once upon a time I had a lovely daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver's car. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free though his three daughters. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven, before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me.. And be careful, Sanjay, my son is all I have left."
Sanjay turned around in time to see the cop's car pull away and head down the road. He watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.
Life is precious. Handle it with care.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Sheffield Journey - Part 3
Time passes... 1week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks and so on... Everyday I checked my email for their feedback. I wasn't too happy with their way of working as I need to send at least two emails to them in order to get a feedback. The other thing is that the reimbursement took longer then they promised during the interview. It took more then 1 and a half months before I got my reimbursement. I received my first email from them after that, saying that the managers have not decided anything yet and will let me know soon. The message gives me high hopes and I was praying very hard for it.
Another week later, I received another email from them. My heart was pumping as I was reading the email line by line, and the result was... I didnt get the job.
I wasn't too disappointed as it has going for quite some time and my ‘uummph’ for this job seems to be fading away. Looking back, it was actually a great experience and I really thank God once again for this trip. I will continue to apply once I cool down a little, hehe…
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Sheffield Journey - Part 2
Derby is a quieter city then I expect. It looks like a kampong rather then an industrial estate. I wasn’t thinking too much about the interview as I don’t want to stress myself.
Well, the interview actually went ok. I was able to answer the questions and explain what I was doing. The managers are quite nice also. It was a long 2 hours interview. I don’t know how the managers thought of me, but I knew I already tried my best and I will leave the rest to God. I was relieved and happy. Now I can enjoy the rest of the week in Sheffield.
It was a great week having to enjoy the time and to refresh my mind. It was a sad moment to leave this place and my love ones, but life has to go on. Where there is sun, there is rain, and where there is darkness, there is light. This is what makes every moment in life special, and precious. Thank God for this trip which He planned earlier than I expected.
Well, the interview actually went ok. I was able to answer the questions and explain what I was doing. The managers are quite nice also. It was a long 2 hours interview. I don’t know how the managers thought of me, but I knew I already tried my best and I will leave the rest to God. I was relieved and happy. Now I can enjoy the rest of the week in Sheffield.
It was a great week having to enjoy the time and to refresh my mind. It was a sad moment to leave this place and my love ones, but life has to go on. Where there is sun, there is rain, and where there is darkness, there is light. This is what makes every moment in life special, and precious. Thank God for this trip which He planned earlier than I expected.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Power of Love
A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.
Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.
Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.
Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."
Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to actively friendly towards her. "Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen." Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.
Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her Mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.
After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.
The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.
One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."
There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others will also be loved in return." God might be trying to work in another person's life through you.
Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.
Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.
Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."
Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to actively friendly towards her. "Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen." Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.
Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her Mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.
After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.
The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.
One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."
There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others will also be loved in return." God might be trying to work in another person's life through you.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Matthew 18:10-14
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
11 What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
12 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
13 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
Many children and adults believe the lie that they are worthless to other people and insignificant to God. Jesus indicated that He came to save the lost, no matter how few or how 'insignificant' they seemed. God the Father does not want anyone to miss the opportunity for salvation or recovery in Jesus Christ. God values each one of us, no matter how painful our past or how far we have strayed. If we admit our need for Him to and seek to follow His will for us, we will discover how very important we are to God and the people close to us.
10 See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
11 What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
12 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
13 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
Many children and adults believe the lie that they are worthless to other people and insignificant to God. Jesus indicated that He came to save the lost, no matter how few or how 'insignificant' they seemed. God the Father does not want anyone to miss the opportunity for salvation or recovery in Jesus Christ. God values each one of us, no matter how painful our past or how far we have strayed. If we admit our need for Him to and seek to follow His will for us, we will discover how very important we are to God and the people close to us.
The Sheffield Journey - Part 1
I can’t explain how glad I was returning to Sheffield. The air, the water, streets, people and the church. Not to mention going to see my love ones. After 3 years of working life, I once again step on the UK ground. Life was slow but relaxing here. Less traffic, less crowd, less pollution and no stress. My arrival was greeted by a warm sunlight like God reaching my heart. I knew this was His gift for me.
On the way from Manchester Airport to Sheffield, I sat quietly in the train, enjoying the breeze and the memorable scenes. The past moments just flashed back on my memory. I started thinking about my life, what if I got this job, and what if I didn’t? If I get the job, I will be able to serve once again in the Sheffield church, earn a good living, and have a better life. But what if I failed? I will be going back to my old job, battling in the city and live the old way. But to think even deeper, does this opportunity mean anything?
I realized that Sheffield didn’t change much… What changes is my mind set and how it sees things in different perspective. And each perspective is an opportunity for me to learn something new.
I spent most of the time with Ruth along the journey. She has grown more spiritual then before and becoming more dependent on God. I believe this is what God want all of us to be, to live like Him and walk in His path. Long distance relationship wasn’t easy. It is a mean of dedication and trust. In the middle is God who will guide us to the right path.
On the way from Manchester Airport to Sheffield, I sat quietly in the train, enjoying the breeze and the memorable scenes. The past moments just flashed back on my memory. I started thinking about my life, what if I got this job, and what if I didn’t? If I get the job, I will be able to serve once again in the Sheffield church, earn a good living, and have a better life. But what if I failed? I will be going back to my old job, battling in the city and live the old way. But to think even deeper, does this opportunity mean anything?
I realized that Sheffield didn’t change much… What changes is my mind set and how it sees things in different perspective. And each perspective is an opportunity for me to learn something new.
I spent most of the time with Ruth along the journey. She has grown more spiritual then before and becoming more dependent on God. I believe this is what God want all of us to be, to live like Him and walk in His path. Long distance relationship wasn’t easy. It is a mean of dedication and trust. In the middle is God who will guide us to the right path.
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