This is truly inspiring.

Breakfast at McDonald’s

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the
end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!):

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college
degree.

The last class I had to take was Sociology.

The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every
human being had been graced with.

Her last project of the term was called, ‘Smile.’

The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their
reactions.

I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway.
So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went
out to McDonald’s one crisp March morning.

It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.

We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone
around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.

I did not move an inch… an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of
me as I turned to see why they had moved.

As I turned around I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing
behind me were two poor homeless men.

As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was ’smiling.’

His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for
acceptance.

He said, ‘Good day’ as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I
realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman
was his salvation.

I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.

He said, ‘Coffee is all Miss’ because that was all they could afford. (If they
wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He
just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and
embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in
the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and (more…)

Diwali or Deepavali is amongst the
most celebrated Indian festivals. The
word Deepavali originates from two
Sanskrit words ‘Deepa’ which
means ‘light’ and ‘Avali’ which
means ‘a row’. This is why Deepavali
is called ‘the festival of lights’.

It is celebrated on the 15th day of
the Hindu month of Kartik which is a
new moon day (Amavasya). Deepavali is
celebrated by lighting diyas (earthen
lamps), drawing rangolis
(multico loured designs drawn on the
ground with coloured rice flour),
cleaning and decoration of homes,
wearing new clothes, preparation of
sweets in homes, lighting of
fireworks, veneration of cows as
incarnations of Goddess Lakshmi
(Goddess of wealth) and Lakshmi Puja.

There are two main mythological
stor ies that signify the importance of
Deepavali. The first story is that
Deepavali denotes the return of Lord
Rama’s return from exile after his
victorious conquest of the evil king
Ravana. This story has greater
significa nce in Northern India. In
Southern India, Deepavali marks the
victory of Lord Krishna over the
mighty asura (demon) Narakasura.
Narak asura had become a menace to the
gods in heaven and had snatched the
magnificent earrings of Aditi (the
Mother Goddess) and imprisoned sixteen
thousand daughters of the gods in his
harem. In desperation, the gods led by
Indra requested Lord Krishna to
destroy the demon as he was wreaking
havoc. Krishna readily agreed, fought
a fierce battle and emerged
victoriou s. It was after this that He
accepted the sixteen thousand damsels
as his wives at their request.

The meaning behind these mythological
stor ies is that the villain of the
piece represents the desire-ridden
ego . In our lives, it is our egos and
desires that create problems for us.
In the story of Lord Krishna above,
the sixteen thousand damsels represent
our numerous desires. When they are
controlled by our egos, they cause
destruction and rob us of our joy.
However, when we work selflessly,
dedic ating our actions to a higher
goal, the desires remain in check, and
most importantly, get sublimated. Each
one of us has positive and negative
tendenci es. When we identify with the
good in us, work towards something
beyond our selfish interests the
lower, negative tendencies fade away.
Our desires get sublimated and through
constant sadhana (spiritual practice)
we overcome our ego and desires. The
darkness of ego and desire are
banished, replaced by the light of
wisdom. Knowledge that we are not
incomplete and limited as we think
ourselves to be. But that we are that
Divine Self that is free and
independent of all the world has to
offer.

The scented bath by pouring gingerly
oil from your head until your legs and
washing your hair with “shikakai”
powder before the break of dawn and
the cleaning of homes during Deepavali
signify the cleansing of the
personality of desires and ego. The
new clothes represent our newly
acquired state of Realisation or at a
more basic level our new spiritual
orienta tion and commitment to self-
development . This change brings
sweetness in our lives which is why
sweets are made and distributed in the
community. It represents the fact that
once we turn spiritual and begin
looking within, we experience a quiet
sense of peace that we cannot
experience while chasing objects of
the world.

Thus Deepavali or Diwali has a
tremendous spiritual significance in
our lives. And like all our festivals,
they are reminders for us to retain
and cultivate that spiritual element
in our lives. Because life is more
than just a journey, it is a search
for meaning.

A Friend…
is a tissue when you can’t stop crying

A Friend…
is a shoulder when you feel like dying

A Friend…
always listens when you have
something to say

A Friend…
is a week when you need a day

A Friend…
is a crutch when you have a brokenheart

A Friend…
is some glue when everything falls apart

A Friend…
is a sun when the rain just won’t stop

A Friend…
is your’mom when you run into a cop

A Friend…
is a phone call when you can’t leave
your home

A Friend…
is a hand when you feel all alone

A Friend…
is a wing if you want to fly

A Friend…
understands without knowing why

A Friend…
is an ear for a secret to tell

A Friend…
is an aspirin when your head hurts like
hell

A Friend…
is a love that can never let go

A Friend… is you,
and i wanted you to know!!

A Simple Hug
There’s something in a simple hug
That always warms the heart,
It welcomes us back home
And makes it easier to part.
A hug is a way to share the joy
And sad times we go through,
Or just a way for friends to say
They like you ’cause you’re you.

Hugs are meant for anyone
For whom we really care,
From your grandma to your neighbor,
Or a cuddly teddy bear.
A hug is an amazing thing
It’s just the perfect way
To show the love we’re feeling
But can’t find the words to say.

It’s funny how a little hug
Makes everyone feel good;
In every place and language,
It’s always understood.
And hugs don’t need new equipment,
Special batteries or parts -
Just open up your arms
And open up your hearts.
~ Johnny Ray Ryder Jr. ~
Be a deer and give someone a hug!

The mind is an infinite wonder. It has
the fantastic ability to
transmute your desires into their
physical counterparts. You can
do anything that your mind can
conceive,
as long as you have the
belief and will power to back it up.

Take the case of cancer patients who
were given placebo pills.
These are just plain pills that have no
healing capabilities.
So how did they get well?

The power came from their thoughts.
They were told that these
pills contain the highest amounts of
cancer-fighing ingredients
which can effectively cure them in a
matter of days.

See how powerful your mind is?

They believed that their health will be
restored. They have
registered in their minds that these
pills will cure them of
their illnesses. In the process, the
belief embedded within
their subconscious came to reality.

So how can you use your mind to achieve
your dreams? One of the
most effective ways is to use the “as
if” principle.

Act as if you are the person you want
to
be. Act as if you are
already in possession of whatever you
long to have.

So what do you want to be? You want to
be a lawyer, doctor,
athlete, or newscaster? Think, act, and
feel like one. You’ll
be much closer to your goal if you’re
constantly intact with
your objective. Be obsessed with your
dream. It doesn’t mean
that if you want to be Superman you’ll
fly out the window. Not
a good idea!

It’s not enough that you act like one,
but you have to actually
ACT. Do what needs to be done. You
might get so lost in your
fantasy dreamworld that you’ve
forgotten
to take some action.
Let your visions encourage and motivate
you to actualize your
purpose.

The problem with the people of the
modern world is that they
are too preoccupied with worries,
anxieties, and negative
emotions. As a result, they are
adversely affecting their
state of health.

White lies have become prevalent
nowadays in order to ease the
burdens or to persuade others to do
things that they thought
are unattainable.

There was once a weightlifter who
couldn’t lift weights in excess
of 300 lbs. So his coach devised a
clever idea and told him that
the barbell he has to carry weighs only
300 lbs. With all his
might, the weightlifter managed to put
it above his head. After
he puts it down, the coach told him
that
he has just lifted 350
lbs. of weight! It’s all in the mind!

A famous person once said, “Whenever
you
think you can or you
can’t, you’re right.”

If you think you are poor, then you
are;
unless you properly
condition your thoughts to the positive
mindset. I know it’s
hard to think rich if your environment
is not conducive to
such way of thinking. Use your
imagination then! Visualize
your house to be a mansion, your old
car
to be a limousine,…
Well you get the picture.

There is absolutely no limit with what
the mind can achieve. But
you have to combine belief, will power,
and action with positive
thinking in order to arrive at your
intended destination