Perfecting Our Soul

Life is our classroom for perfecting our souls,
the forks in the road help us choose our own goals.
There’s no right or wrong in the direction we choose,
God gave us free will; we don’t win or lose.
We can veer right or left or go forward or back
Take which way feels right, for no learning shall lack.
And when this life ends, we’ll look back and decide
if we yearn more perfection, or stay on the Other Side
Each immortal soul is given the choice
to come back to a life to express a new voice,
but remember, each day, if life seems not to give
a choice of circumstance;
It’s through those lessons we must live
sometimes worth it to leave it to chance.
They’re all for perfecting, though sometimes bring pain,
but gets better with time…for it’s more wisdom we gain
-Brij Khandelwal

Twinkies and Root Beer

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

Ultimate Boss!

Scientists at Rocket launching station in Thumba, were in the habit of working for nearly 12 to 18 hours a day. There were about 70 such scientists working on a project. All the scientists were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job.

One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him- Sir, I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5:30 pm. His boss replied- OK, You are permitted to leave the office early today.

The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt he was close to completion. The time was 8:30 pm. Suddenly he remembered of promise he had given to his children. He looked for his boss, he was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything and left for home. Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his children. He reached home. Children were not there. His wife alone was sitting in hall and reading magazines. The situation was explosive, any talk would boomerang on him.

His wife asked him- Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry. The man replied- If you would like to have coffee, I too will have but what about Children???

Wife replied- You don't know- Your manager came at 5:15 pm and has taken the children to the exhibition. What had really happened was....!!! The boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5:00 pm. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work, but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition. The boss does not have to do it every time. But once it is done, loyalty is established. That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss even though the stress was tremendous.

By the way, can you hazard a guess as to who the boss was???

"His Excellency "Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam"

[Contributed by Afsar Ahmed, Bank Colony, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi]

Keep It Up!

Keep it up all you guys there
Keep fighting till you finish off this world
Black vs white, man vs woman
Mad vs sane
Normal vs abnormal
Keep fighting till you draw a blank
And turn the world upside down
For creation there has to be destruction
So plant bombs, sharpen your knives
Stab one another and bleed humanity
You will never change
Because you have been programmed to kill
No amount of education or moral preaching
Construction of churches and temples will change your outlook
Each passing day you hasten your pace towards your grave
Yet you never learn

-Brij Khandelwal

Quick Thinking...

A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet Dachshund dog along for company. One day, the dachshund starts chasing butterflies and before long the dachshund discovers that he is lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch. The dachshund thinks, "I'm in deep trouble now! Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the dachshund exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here." Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-stride, as a look of terror comes over him, and slinks away into the trees. "Whew," says the leopard. "That was close. That dachshund! Nearly had me."

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes. But the dachshund saw him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figured that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine." Now the dachshund sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks "What am I going to do now?" But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet... and just when they get close enough to hear, the dachshund says, "Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard.

Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well.

Realize values....!

* To realize value of a sister/brother, ask someone who doesn't have one.
* To realize value of 10 years, ask a newly divorced couple.
* To realize value of 4 years, ask a graduate.
* To realize value of one year, ask a student who has failed a final exam.
* To realize value of 9 months, ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.
* To realize value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
* To realize value of one week, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
* To realize value of one minute, ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
* To realize value of one-second, ask a person who has survived an accident.
- Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special -
To realize value of a friend or family member, LOSE ONE.
Remember...! hold on tight to the ones you love!
[Contributed by Shyam Sharma, Vaishali, Ghaziabad, UP]