Soul-ution

When there is a lift in the building, it is a waste of time and energy to use the stairs.  Similarly people are unaware of the rich resources that are hidden in their being. Becoming aware of this can reduce their burden considerably. Once we are able to connect with our higher self we find the power.  All the things that were weighing us down no longer have the power to do so. Like the darkness disappearing when the candle is lit. Unfortunately it is the veil of thoughts that prevent us from experiencing this connection.  People seek for relief in the world outside in wealth, pleasure, power.  They seek to reduce their burden, without success by seeking various kinds of addictions. Once we are able connect with our higher self, we enter the depth of the being. This soul-ution enables us to remain at peace despite the ceaseless churning on the surface.

Ranji Varughis

 

Two Day We Should Not Worry

 

Two Days We Should Not Worry     Author Unknown
	There are two days in every week about which we should not   worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.     One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,   its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.     Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.   All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.     We cannot undo a single act we performed;   we cannot erase a single word we said.   Yesterday is gone forever.     The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow   with all its possible adversities, its burdens,   its large promise and its poor performance;   Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.     Tomorrow’s sun will rise,   either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.   Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow,   for it is yet to be born.     This leaves only one day, Today.   Any person can fight the battle of just one day.   It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities Yesterday   and Tomorrow that we break down.     It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad,   it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday and the   dread of what Tomorrow may bring.     Let us, therefore, Live but one day at a time.

 

The Thirty Second Quiz

The Thirty Second Quiz Author Unknown
	Don’t bother getting a pen and paper… just read… if   you can’t answer them, just keep going. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize. 5. Name the last five Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Actress. How did you do? The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no   second-rate achievers. They’re the best in their fields. But the applause   dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates   are buried with their owners. Now here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1. Name three teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worth while. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. Easier? The lesson? The people who make a difference in your life aren’t the ones with the most   credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They’re the ones who care.

 

Paid in Full

Paid In Full John  Gilbert
	A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was   fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing   on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what   it said: For cutting the grass: $5.00 For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00 For going to the store for you: .50 Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: .25 Taking out the garbage: $1.00 For getting a good report card: $5.00 For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00 Total owed: $14.75 Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the   memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the   paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote: “For the nine months I carried you while you grew inside me: No Charge. For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No   Charge. For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the   years: No Charge. For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew   were ahead: No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge. When you add it up, Son, the cost of my love is: No Charge.” When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big   tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said,   “Mom, I sure do love you.” And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: “PAID IN   FULL”.

 

Set Yourself Free

Set Yourself Free Edmund O’Neill
	Set yourself free from anything that might hinder you in   becoming the person you want to be. Free yourself from the uncertainties   about your abilities or the worth of your dreams, from the fears that you may   not be able to achieve them or that they won’t be what you wanted. Set yourself free from the past. The good things from yesterday are still   yours in memory; the things you want to forget you will, for tomorrow is only   a sunrise away. Free yourself from regret or guilt, and promise to live this   day as fully as you can. Set yourself free from the expectations of others, and never feel guilty or   embarrassed if you do not live up to their standards. You are most important   to yourself; live by what you feel is best and right for you. Others will   come to respect your integrity and honesty. Set yourself free to simply be yourself, and you will soar higher than you’ve   ever dreamed.

 

Gifts From The Heart

Gifts From The HeartMichael Josephson
	According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert   came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet   he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder   who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to   the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student   lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a   happy heart. Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out,   saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old   leather container. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the   water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?” The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The   water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing   could be sweeter.”

 

Stone Soup

Stone Soup Aesop
	Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and weary of battle,   came upon a small village. The villagers, suffering a meager harvest and the   many years of war, quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three   at the village square, wringing their hands and bemoaning the lack of   anything to eat. The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then turned   to the village elders. “Your tired fields have left you nothing to   share, so we will share what little we have: the secret of how to make soup   from stones.” Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was put to the town’s   greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones. “Now   this will be a fine soup”, said the second soldier; “but a pinch of   salt and some parsley would make it wonderful!” Up jumped a villager,   crying “What luck! I’ve just remembered where some’s been left!”   And off she ran, returning with an apronful of parsley and a turnip. As the   kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved: soon barley, carrots,   beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask of wine was   rolled into the square as all sat down to feast. They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and   their new-found friends. In the morning the three soldiers awoke to find the   entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the   village’s best breads and cheese. “You have given us the greatest of   gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones”, said an elder,   “and we shall never forget.” The third soldier turned to the crowd,   and said: “There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by   sharing that we may make a feast”. And off the soldiers wandered, down   the road. “The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have.” –   Leonard Nimoy

 

The Wise Sage

The Wise Sage Author Unknown
	There once was a wise sage who wandered the countryside.   One day, as he passed near a village, he was approached by a woman who told   him of a sick child nearby. She beseeched him to help this child. So the sage came to the village, and a crowd gathered around him, for such a   man was a rare sight. One woman brought the sick child to him, and he said a   prayer over her. “Do you really think your prayer will help her, when medicine has   failed?” yelled a man from the crowd. “You know nothing of such things! You are a stupid fool!” said the   sage to the man. The man became very angry with these words and his face grew hot and red. He   was about to say something, or perhaps strike out, when the sage walked over   to him and said: “If one word has such power as to make you so angry and   hot, may not another have the power to heal?” And thus, the sage healed two people that day.

 

Nasreddin’s Flower Garden

Nasreddin’s Flower Garden Traditional Sufi Story
	A young man named Nasreddin planted a flower garden, but   when the flowers came up so did a great crop of dandelions among them.   Wishing to eliminate the unwanted guests, Nasreddin consulted with gardeners   near and far, but none of their solutions worked. Finally, Nasreddin traveled to the palace of the sheik to seek the wisdom of   the royal gardener himself. But alas, Nasreddin had already tried all the   methods the kind old man recommended to him for eradicating such troublesome   weeds. Silently they sat together for a good long time. At last, the royal gardener   looked at Nasreddin and said, “Well, then, the only thing I can suggest   is that you learn to love them.”

 

Who Is There?

Who Is There? Jalal ad-Din Rumi
	Someone knocked at the door of the Beloved and a voice   from within inquired: “Who is there?” He answered, “It is   I.” And the voice said, “This house will not hold me and   thee.” So the door remained closed. Then the lover sped away into the wilderness and fasted and prayed. After a   year he returned and knocked again at the door and the voice again demanded:   “Who is there?” And the lover said, “It is thou.” The door was opened