A Brand New Year – Start of Fresh New Hopes!

With the start of a fresh new day there is always the hope of a brand new start. But because there are 365 days in a year we usually do not get as excited as  the start of a brand new year.

The start of a BRAND NEW YEAR is on us – 2009 is here!!!

To whoever is reading this post, from this moment on may your days be filled with pure joy and bona fide happiness. May good health stalk your every move. May you never run out of luck and good fortune.

May your concern and commitment for your parents, spouse and children stir up the desire in each of them to strengthen the bond in the family. May each not only wish the best for the other but actually does the best for the other.

May your relationships with your friends thrive on your unselfish contributions in terms of warmth, patience, thoughtfulness and cheerfulness. May each of you encourage the other and all of you be change-makers in your own spheres of influence.

May the first day of 2009 be the start of a wonderful life journey for each of you!!! Let us use the 365 opportunities 2009 is affording us wisely.  Let us come together so that our cumulative effect counts.

I give thanks for the good things in my life and wish you enjoy what I am enjoying.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Vietnam Tour – Day Two. (Part one)

Venturing out of the hotel on Day Two of the tour the first impression was the French influence on Vietnamese architecture. The most distinctive feature was the buildings are high (usually for three to four-storey high), oblong in shape and extremely narrow across the front!

The other dominant impression was the traffic – the main vehicles on the road are the motor-cycles. They dominate the road scene, they weave in and out of the traffic and squeeze through the tinniest space to get ahead. They toot their horns to signal they are cutting across your path. Once they do that they just cut across, confident they have your attention and have the right of way now. The traffic is chaotic as a result.

Besides the French, the Chinese, the Thais and the Americans had all left their influences on the cuisines here in Vietnam. Because of the close proximity of Vietnam to China, Thailand and Taiwan and that the many of the Vietnamese people have gone over to Malaysia to work and because the United States had been in Vietnam for twenty odd years the shopkeepers, the store vendors and the street hawkers can quote prices of their wares in all the currencies of the above-mentioned nations.

Last night when we checked into the hotel we did not realized that ‘Thong Loi’ is built beside a lake.

Our first site visit was to the Ho Chi Minh’s  Complex where the Mausoleum is situated. The mausoleum was closed on the day so we did not get to view Ho Chi Minh’s remains. The whole thing was structured very much like Mao Tze Tung’s Mausoleum in Peking.

After the mausoleum, we headed for the two former residences of Ho Chi Minh. He was a bachelor throughout his life and he lived a spartan life. Below are photos of the bedroom, the dinner room and the study of his earlier residence.

Next are photos of the bedroom, his study and his declining chair in his later home.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Vietnam – Visiting another Asean Neighbor – First Day

21st December, 2008 was the start of my visit to Vietnam.  Only got home at 4 am on the morning of the 28th as the plane was delayed for 2 hours. For each day of my visit I will try to write of the various  impressions that were registered in my mind.

Our departure for Hanoi on the 21st. December was scheduled for 4.30pm. On trying to board the Air Asia plane we were directed to Gate 5 but having lined up for half an hour the tv screen was changed and our departure was shown to be in Gate 2. We obediently walked over to Gate 2 and took up our place in the line. On reaching the gate, we were told the correct gate was Gate 5. Having told the screen was still showing Gate 2, the attendant just walked up to the screen and switched it off and said it was a technical fault. That’s was Malaysian courtesy and Malaysian efficiency for you! I would have thought MAS (mana Ada sistem) applies only to our national carrier.

On entering the plane it was evident about half the passengers in the plane were Vietnamese workers returning home. Talking to some of them,  found that most of them were returning home after having been working in Malaysia for more than 2 years. Many of the ladies had left young children at home to come and seek employment in Malaysia. Excitement could be discerned from their expressions. Like parents everywhere, they had bought gifts of different kinds for their loved ones.

On walking out the arrival gate, the lounge was packed with people, many carrying flowers. But these were not our tourist guides welcoming us. The flowers held by the family members of the returning Vietnamese were for their  sacrificing relatives whom they had not seen for the last couple of years. The scene was very touching and not only the Vietnamese were moved to tears.

As it was already late we headed straight for dinner. This was our first meal in Vietnam.  The dinner was different, it was mainly of Vietnamese cuisine which we enjoyed.  We also enjoyed the music played on Vietnamese musical instruments. After that, it was straight to the hotel – The ‘Thong Loi”.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Eight Strategies for Healing.

This article is taken from “Charity Focus”. Hope if there are anything that we are holding on to, which we have refused to let go in the past, we can now let go and give ourselves the opportunity to grow, starting this day – just before the start of 2009! Let us all free ourselves of all emotional baggage and live a calm and peaceful life from now on!

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you – all of the expectations, all of the beliefs – and becoming who you are. –Rachel Naomi Remen

Tip of the Day:
Illness is an unavoidable part of life, but our bodies wants to heal. And we can help them do that, despite the obstacles. Each of us possesses a surprising capacity to bounce back from illness and injury, under the right conditions, and the body will work hard on its own to help the recovery — even if we do little to help the process along. That said, there are specific steps to help the process along. These steps — suggested by scientific research — can help anyone weakened by trauma or disease to find the strength to heal. Dr. Julie Silver, a Harvard doc and former cancer patient, reveals an in-depth, eight part strategy to put patients on the path to optimal healing, including several mental techniques that boost the potential to heal. [ more ]

Be The Change:
Implement some of the strategies outlined in the article above.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Man offers daughter to Bush shoe-thrower

An Egyptian man said on Wednesday he was offering his 20-year-old daughter in marriage to Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad on Sunday.

Muntazer al-Zaidi in action

The daughter, Amal Saad Gumaa, said she agreed with the idea. ‘This is something that would honour me. I would like to live in Iraq, especially if I were attached to this hero,’ she told Reuters by telephone.

Her father, Saad Gumaa, said he had called Dergham, Zaidi’s brother, to tell him of the offer. ‘I find nothing more valuable than my daughter to offer to him, and I am prepared to provide her with everything needed for marriage,’ he added.

Zaidi’s gesture has struck a chord across the Arab world, where President Bush is widely despised for invading Iraq in 2003 and for his support for Israel.

Amal is a student in the media faculty at Minya University in central Egypt.

Zaidi’s response to the proposal was not immediately clear.

(Thursday, December 18, 2008 – The Metro -UK)

The  hatred for George Bush in Iraq is undeniable as can be seen by this  act. This extremely insulting act has won many Iraqi hearts and admiration. The shoe-thrower has been placed on the pedestal by some.  Though the anger may be justifiable, the way the anger is expressed is very unbecoming of a citizen of a host nation.

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Monkeys Taking Revenge on trainer !

Thursday, December 18, 2008 – Metro UK

Angry monkeys turned on their trainer – and beat him senseless with his own stick.

The enraged primates struck back after their owner handed out a vicious beating to one of the trio during a performance in which they rode mini bicycles in a market in Sizhou, eastern China.

While one monkey twisted their cruel master’s ears, another pulled his hair out in handfuls and bit his neck.

Then, when he dropped his cane, the third snatched it up and began beating the trainer around the head until he broke the stick.

The dazed trainer confessed: ‘They were once wild and these performances don’t always come naturally to them. They may have built up some feelings of hatred towards me.’

Now police are investigating allegations of animal cruelty and may confiscate the monkeys.

This article was listed under the “Weird” section of the paper. Come to think of it, it is so weird that animals can turn on their trainers? They do have feelings also, don’t they? If they have been mishandled and mistreated, should it surprised us if the monkeys turned around and did unto them what they had been done unto.

Come visit again. Thank you.

It is Christmas Day!

It is Christmas Day today, with head bowed, palms coming together and held in front of me, I salute and pay respect to the fine human nature in each of you.

What better way to start the day than to ask good wishes and blessings for each of  you. May each of you be blessed with a  calm composure, a peaceful mind, a serene and healthy life. May you have true contentment and a blessed existence. May you be free of shackles of any kind – may you be blessed with freedom in whichever direction you turn. And may guiding angels always hover over you throughout your lives. May they help you with advices, insights and throw you challenges to spur you to greater heights.

May you be blessed with all the material comforts, may you not be bogged down with financial burdens, and may you find and enjoy a good and productive job. May it give you security and provide you with emotional stability.

May you be blessed with a peaceful, loving, warm, gratifying and meaningful relationship with your spouse and your children. May ceaseless laughter, everlasting happiness, ongoing merriment and continuous mirth be perpetual features of your family life.

May you meet and be surrounded by agreeable, affable,  cordial, cheerful and amicable friends. May support, patience, tolerance, endurance and indulgence picture in all your associations. May you all encourage each other to reach your full potential.

May your links with your extended family be blessed with genuine appreciation, true care, real concern and steadfast support. May each of you treasure the closeness, synergy and the advantages the relationship generates. May you all, in the extended relationship,  appreciate the affinity afforded you.

May you enjoy riches in your heart. May you and all who come into contact with you be blessed with gratitude but, more importantly, may all of you be blessed with the mindfulness to give thanks daily.

May you enjoy riches in your heart. Merry Christmas and may you also choose to spread the the good wishes to those around you!

Affluence kills !

Does the title surprise you? It may, as we usually associate affluence with pleasant, pleasurable, satisfying, good and agreeable things. Seldom do we link it with things of unpleasant, disparaging, malicious and offensive nature.

So, does affluence have an insidious side to it? Has it not awarded us with a comfortable and pleasant lifestyle? Has it not bestowed on us quality, delicious and nutritious foods, the kinds our parents and grandparents could only dream about? Has it not accorded us modern material comforts which modern technologies and inventions have created? Has it not presented us with the escape from the physical hardships and mental stresses that confronted our ancestors?

Yes,  it has awarded us, bestowed upon us, accorded us and presented us all these good things but, believe me, it still has an insidious side to it.

Affluence is an unrecognized and wanton killer! Affluence has done its works so stealthily and cunningly that many of us are caught unaware. It has given us so much glamorous, lovely, tempting and enchanting things, that we are fascinated and captivated by its power, by what it can do. It has lulled us into a stupor and we are blinded to its insidious nature.

Before affluence gained its preeminent place, can you recall on which occasions  would  meat (whether it was chicken, mutton, lamb, or steak) be served? Only on special and festive occasions, right? Today, in most developing and developed countries meat of one kind or another is served on the tables. Because of affluence it has become a staple food of most families. What does this mean? It means affluence has created a huge demand for meats.

Affluence has also created a huge demand for furs of all kinds. People with money want to advertise their wealth, this spells more killing of animals like bears, elephants, foxes, rabbits, mink, otters, seals and coyotes.

With affluence people acquire more exotic tastes in foods – now more and more people are eating shark fin soup.  Another species is added to the ’soon-to-be-extinct’ list.

The accumulative effect of all these can only means that millions more lives are taken to satisfy this demand. Albeit, they are animal lives, but they are still millions upon millions of lives!

This is not obvious, that is why affluence, I reckon, is an unknown and wanton killer. Innumerable lives are sacrificed each day just because affluence has spawned a demand with profits too good to be ignored.

The taking of animal lives is only one part of the story, the other concealed aspect is the taking of human lives. The title of the article may have surprised you, this may now shock you! But affluence also plays a devious part in the killing of human lives.

With affluence, parents start pampering their children – giving them more freedom and more money to spend. Devious, unscrupulous people, people who are out to exploit such situations can spot such opportunities.  The unsuspecting children are marked  by the drug pushers and most end up as the death statistics.  Affluence has also caused many human lives to be wasted.

This goes to show affluence, like everything else, has two sides  to it – the good and the bad.

The important point here is that affluence is only a thing, what consequence it bear rests not on itself but on the people who are in possession of it. Those who are fortunate enough to acquire affluence should realize they have the obligation to make the right choice when using it.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Teeth and Tongue are so close yet they still do brush against each other. (Chinese Aphorism)

This aphorism is usually used to advise close friends or members of the family or husband and wife when there is a conflict, when they do not see eye-to-eye. Teeth and tongue are used here to demonstrate the close proximity of one from the other.

When family member squabble amongst themselves, when good friends bicker between themselves, when lovers have their quarrels and when husbands and wives clash they are usually advised to patch up and told to accept such tiffs as normal. This example of the close proximity of the teeth to the tongue is often quoted to show that though there is nothing more close to the tongue than the teeth, the teeth do still occasionally bite the tongue. It says no matter how close one is to the other quarrels, tiffs, clashes, bickering, conflicts and disputes do still occur. One should not read too much or emphasize too much on the differences as all these will pass.

The wisdom passes down here is for one not to be too hasty when one faces some misunderstanding with people close to you. Patience and tolerance are advocated, mindfulness of the closeness of the relationship is highlighted. It teaches that peace and harmony in relationship are to be valued and given priority over the righteousness of the arguments or position.

Hats off to the ancient Chinese sages! If married couples were to take the advice to heart would  the divorce rate drop?

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A Grain of Rice comes with A Hundred Drops of Sweat. (Chinese Aphorism)

What has sweat got to do with rice, you may ask. Sweat here is equated to hard work or price paid. And rice here to some good result or a good thing we receive.

If a hundred drops of sweat are expended to get a single grain of rice, just imagine what amount of work; what price has been paid to harvest a sack of rice. The message is clear, is it not it?

This aphorism is telling us that things do not come free, that for everything we get a heavy price has already been paid by someone. Plenty of sweat has been expended for the result on hand.

If good things are so hard to come by, do you not think they should be treasured? The Chinese sages are also telling us to treasure the things we have in our possession.

If someone has sweated so much to bring the good things to us, if the price that has been paid to deliver the good things to us is so high, do you not think it is only right we should show some appreciation? Should we not be grateful for what had been done for us?  This aphorism is telling us to be mindful  to do exactly this – be appreciative and to show gratefulness.

In this world where things come so easily and where the young and old are taking things for granted, this message is very timely and relevant. Too many years of good times have made us careless and inattentive. We have been spoiled and have been unmindful of our obligations.

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An illness prolonged brings out unfilial children. (Chinese Aphorism)

In most Asian societies there are many children who still look after their parents in their old age. This was, of course, the prevalent practice in the past but this tradition is also slowing fading in such societies.

Like all other aphorisms this one is not a modern creation. It has been around for ages. Though it is ancient, what it expresses has an unquestionable truth.

Sons, daughters and daughters-in-law may all be filial, caring, loving and devoted. Families that appear harmonious, close and happy may be so because there are no taxing circumstances to test the strength their filial piety.

Sicknesses, illnesses, the monetary strains caused by the illnesses, the drain on the energy caused by the need to  attend to the sick parents and the time demand placed on them to attend to all these pressing demands are the real tests. If these taxing factors were to continue for a period of time without any break,  stresses would  start to build up, and the break-up point would soon emerge.

How this ancient aphorism came into being must have come through the countless such incidences experienced by the Chinese forefathers throughout history.  It is surely not something that they pulled out of the blue. Thus, many parents in all Asian societies now take such warnings seriously. More and more of them are accepting the fact they cannot hope to rely upon their children to provide the type of care their grand-parents and parents had been given. They themselves have witnessed enough to accept this warning as valid.

Disclaimer – I am not a Chinese scholar nor do I claim to be  totally conversant in the Chinese dialect from which this aphorism arisen but this is the best I can do.

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Eat rice but does not know the price of rice.

This is usually used to denote ignorance or the person referred to is living in a world of his own.

Mugabe, Mugabe, pray have a heart! A heart of Gold not Stone!

How can  a man get so obsessed with power that he can turn a blind eye to the untold sufferings  and innumerable deaths of his fellow citizens? How did he get to be so consumed with power that he is  prepared to twist the fact and lied with a straight face? Why is his need to dominate so great that he dares blatantly suppressed his conscience just to stay in the seat of power?

Modern technologies have clearly show to the world that cholera is spreading rapidly and extensively in his country, that it has claimed and is continuing to claim the lives of the Zambabwe people. The whole world has seen his people drinking dirty water and eating out of rubbish dumps. But he was seen on television professing that cholera in Zambabwe has been contained. The whole world knows for a fact that this is a lie but this does not seems to deter him.

What is wrong with this man? He ignores facts, he twists facts, he lies to himself and to the world and he defies not only the wishes of his people but also that of other world leaders and that of the majority of the people in the world.

He is not fearful of God, maybe he does not believe there is one. Does this means that he also does not believe that there is the law of cause and effect? This is one man who seems to be unafraid of gods, of spirits and of people. What is going to happen to the people of Zambabwe?

I appeal to you, Mr.Mugabe, pray have a heart, please allow help from outside to go into Zambabwe to help the sick! Please let the sufferings and pains be stopped!

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If the heart is touched, the feet must match up! (Chinese aphorism)

The words are few, but they are packed with wisdom and practicality.

What this simply means is that it is worthless if one has good intentions but nothing is done about them. We may have the kindest of hearts and the best of intentions but if we fail to take any actions to turn these intentions into reality we would not be changing anything or we would not be helping any body.

Our feet must move if our hearts are touched, then what we show is true compassion, otherwise it is just the fake version of compassion.

Each day there are bound to be  sad human stories,  heartbreaking incidences of human tragedies,   disastrous events and/or tragic human dramas that would disturb our consciences and stir our tender emotions. But if our feet do not do the walking then our tears are just crocodile tears!

Kindness, compassion and empathy would not mean very much, as they have no moral authority behind them. To be real, to be effective, to bring true improvements, to benefits the victims, the feet have to walk and the hands have to lift.

Disclaimer – The translation of this aphorism is my own. It may caused consternation in those who are more versed in the Chinese dialect which this aphorism comes from. In the more scholarly, alarm bells may be ringing wildly now but this is the best I can do.

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Cancer – what the researchers are telling us.

Cancer -  the world’s Top Killer by 2010

WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer claims the Big “C” will overtake heart disease as the world’s top killer by 2010. By 2030,  global cancer cases and deaths should more than double the present figure.

Again the main culprit seems to be tobacco! Rising tobacco use in developing countries, particularly in China and India,  is identified to be a major reason for the shift. These two countries alone have 40 percent of the world’s smokers now.

By 2030, there could be 75 million people living with cancer around the world, a number that many health care systems are not equipped to handle.

“This is going to present an amazing problem at every level in every society worldwide,” said Peter Boyle, director of the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Boyle spoke at a news conference with officials from the American Cancer Society, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Cancer Institute of Mexico.

The “unprecedented” gathering of organizations is an attempt to draw attention to the global threat of cancer, which isn’t recognized as a major, growing health problem in some developing countries.

“Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live,” said Hala Moddelmog, Komen’s chief executive.

The organizations are calling on governments to act, asking the U.S. to help fund cervical cancer vaccinations and to ratify an international tobacco control treaty.

Concerned about smoking’s impact on cancer rates in developing countries in the decades to come, the American Cancer Society also announced it will provide a smoking cessation counseling service in India.

“If we take action, we can keep the numbers from going where they would otherwise go,” said John Seffrin, the cancer society’s chief executive officer.

Other groups are also voicing support for more action.

“Cancer is one of the greatest untold health crises of the developing world,” said Dr. Douglas Blayney, president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“Few are aware that cancer already kills more people in poor countries than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined. And if current smoking trends continue, the problem will get significantly worse,” he said in a written statement.

On the Net:

The WHO’s IARC: http://www.iarc.fr

The American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

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We, human beings, are sure a stubborn lot. Since CANCER started taking its toll, repeated warnings have been issued against the use of tobacco, but these warnings have been largely ignored. Today, the number of smokers have in fact increased. Are we so ill-willed that even death does not frightened us? Why are we so ready to ignore the stark reality of what the cancer victims have to go through? If we do not care about ourselves, do we not care for what our loved ones will have to go through if we were to be stricken with the disease? Are we so callous? Have we become so insensitive and heartless?

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Vitamins C & E – CHICAGO (AFP)

Vitamins C and E do not appear to reduce the risk of cancer, according to a pair of new studies which debunk earlier research suggesting supplements might provide some protection against the often deadly ailment.

Some 15,000 men aged 50 and older participated in the study, which included an eight-year follow-up period, but neither vitamin appeared to appreciably reduce their cancer risk, according to the studies appearing in the January 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The findings are disappointing news for the more than half of American adults take vitamin supplements — many in the hope of warding off illness.

They appear to refute earlier observational studies that linked use of vitamins E and C with reduced risk of certain forms of cancers, including cancer of the prostate.

One of the two studies — the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) — found that vitamin E or selenium supplements, whether taken alone or in combination, appear not to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

“It may be time to give up the idea that the protective influence of diet on prostate cancer risk can be emulated by isolated dietary molecules given alone or in combination to middle-aged and older men,” Peter Gann of the University of Illinois at Chicago reflected in a JAMA editorial.

SELECT researchers studied the supplements’ effects over seven years on some 35,533 men, aged 50 years or older.

The researchers said that “large-scale, randomized trials” still must be conducted on the use of vitamin supplements and cancer.

Until that next generation of trials, “physicians should not recommend selenium or vitamin E or any other antioxidant supplements to their patients for preventing prostate cancer,” said Gann.

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May All Be Happy?

With the advent of the Christmas season, the festive, lighthearted mood is permeating not only the shopping malls but also the homes.  People are getting merrier, more cheerful and their words and actions are more lighthearted.  Words like love, happiness and joy are appearing more and more frequently in blogs and on the television.

With these beautiful sentiments  stirring in their hearts, they are feeling grateful for the many good things that have come into their lives. They are thinking more of the people who have made a difference in their lives and are most eager to give thanks.

Their hearts are bursting with generosity, magnanimity, benevolence, charity and goodwill. These people will not rest till they find ways to give expression to these stirrings in their kind hearts. They will not stop till they are able to spread the joy and gaiety around.  The outcome can only be a great outpouring of goodness, sharing and caring.

For such gestures to be considered magnanimous and generous there have to have beneficiaries. Who, then, are the beneficiaries?

Obviously they cannot be :-

- those who are decorating their homes,

- nor those who are getting or giving gifts and presents,

- nor those who are planning holidays or trips.

- nor can they be the ones who can afford to shop and buy,

- nor are they those who are planning and having family gatherings and social parties,

- and clearly they are not the ones who can indulge in laughter, merrymaking, fun, jollity and conviviality.

Who, then, are the beneficiaries?

They are:-

- people who can only look into the beautifully decorated homes from the outside,

- those who cannot afford to buy gifts, have not received a gift or a present for more years than they can remember,

- people who have no notion what a holiday is,

- people who can only  sit outside the malls, in the cold, watching others going in and out of these places,

- people whose only parties are gatherings with their own kind in some ‘homes’,

- those whose ‘family gatherings’ happen only in their dreams,

- people whose only meat dishes and hand-made cookies come in seasons – seasons of goodwill  and giving.

Who can explain this disparity.  How can this be explained?

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“Salary” & “Not Worth their Salt” – how did these words originate?

The meaning of this word needs not be defined, it is universally known. If any word can claim to be better known than this – it can only be the word ‘money’. Different people earn their salaries in different manners, some have it more easy than others. Some can hardly scrap together a few dollars  while others reap in thousands if not million on the same day. There are those who have to work in unshielded and unhygienic conditions, enduring, filth, hot sun and miserable cold. While others can do their work sitting in the most conducive environment – air-conditioned rooms, away from dust and dirt and free from sundry smells and sounds. It is most heartening that many of those who have to endure all the hardship to earn their meager salaries  in the harsh conditions are not bitter, that many of them have a sense of contentment.

We are not talking about the meaning of the word, we bring to you the origin of the word here.

“SALARY“

This comes from Roman times when salt was essential and soldiers were either paid part of their wages in salt or were given ‘salt money‘ or salarium.

This also gives us another saying, because when someone has not earn their keep, we say  they are not worth their salt.

Two for the price of one, not bad. We have Tony Wootton and Gwen Zanzottera to thank. I got all the sayings and their origins from their book – “By Hook Or By Crook”.

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Tribute to Teachers like Mrs Thompson

Sometimes there comes a story that grips you instantly. The story below is one such story and it definitely has to be shared. It is my hope and prayer that teachers reading this will following the example of Mrs. Thompson. Hope they can spot the opportunities opened to them to make a difference in the lives of students who may need help. I present the story, here,  in full, not even altering a word.

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most  teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big “F” at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners… he is a joy to be around..”

His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”

His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn’t show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.”

Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.”

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.”

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.

By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one  of her “teacher’s pets..”

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer…. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.”

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”

(For you that don’t know, Teddy Stoddard is the doctor at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
“Believe in Angels, then return the favor”

This story is truly motivating and inspiring, the lesson here is not only reserved for the teachers. No matter where lives have placed us there are areas where we can extend a helping hand to others who are less fortunate. Let us start looking for them and not let the opportunities slip through.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Who is a gift to who?

Are children a gift to parents or are parents a gift to the children?

We often hear people say children are a gift to parents, now let us turn it around and ask – are parents also a gift to the children?

Why are children a gift to parents?

It is because children provide the answer to their yearnings as parents. Most parents seem to take it that married life is not complete without children. Some single persons also have the same yearning, that may be the reason why children are viewed as a gift.

Children do give parents joy, happiness especially when they are young and have not reached the rebellious stage. They light up their lives with their innocence, their antics, their curiosity and their pranks. They delight them with their laughter, warmth and childish talks.

Another reason why parents look forward to having children is because children are an outlet for the love, generosity, and care bottled inside them.  The children are the channel these emotions find expression.

Adults seem always seeking to find out how well they are doing as individuals.  Children provide them the gauge of their self-worth. They seem to need this assurance for themselves.

Adults have the need to show off their skills, children give them the opportunities to give their egos the occasional boosts. Such occasions occur when the children get good grades, when they graduate, when they have girlfriends, when they start their careers, when they get married, when they have children of their own. Even without good reasons they are already on the lookout to turn every occasion into occasion for celebration.

Adults view children as a gift because they see them as their  ‘insurance’ to emotional love and geriatric care, in their waning years, which often turn out to be self-illusions nowadays.

For these reasons many people say ‘children are a gift to parents’.

Why children should view parents as a gift?

I do not know how children view their parents. Do they see them as a gift or do they regard them as  an extra burden? Here are some ways suggestions why children should view their parents as a gift.

Parents is a source (sometimes a lifetime source) of subsidy, children get ‘loans’ from their parents without having to worry about the interest rates nor do they have to worry about repayment. The parents are bad ‘bankers’ as they often do not keep records of how much loan the children have taken up with them.

Children should treat their parents as a gift as they often get years and years of of free lodging and meals. They get at least a quarter of a century of such free service. Who else and where else can they find such generosity?

Who besides the parents would offer unasked-for care and attention when one falls sick or is indisposed? Who would have worried their heads off if the sick child has received any medical attention or not?  Who would have worried if the medicines prescribed have been dutifully taken? Who else would wake up in the middle of the night to see if the fever has receded or to see if the child is warmly covered? Are the attentive ‘nurses’ not  a gift?

Who besides the parents bother to give free advices along the child’s life journey? These advices are often ignored.  The children often treat the repeatedly-given advices and warnings as irritants even though they themselves often are willing to pay thousands of dollars to professional speakers looking for the same things. The parents often agonize when their advices are ignored.  Who  would have put in so much emotional involvement to try to prevent the children from having to go through pains and sufferings? Are these ‘unappreciated angels’ not a gift to the children?

Who would so willingly provide years of pampering with no strings attached? Which laundry-person would wash the clothes for free year in and year out?  Which catering service would gladly serve piping hot meals at any hour of the day or night? Which hotel would provide full room services without charge for as long as you stay with there? Which car rental service would allow you to drive its car without having to foot a cent for insurance, petrol, tires, and all other facilities? Are these overly generous persons a gift?

So, the next time we say ‘children are  a gift to parents’, we should follow it up with ‘parents are also a gift to children.’ Only then is the equation in equilibrium. Or is each group ‘gift’ or ‘burden’ to the other according to its own karmic connection and link?

911, Mumbai Attacks and the Likes!

Having watched what has been happening in this deteriorating situation, many approaches seemed to have been taken and many different ways and means seemed to have been used in trying to bring the warring parties and dissatisfied segments into a peaceful solution. But nothing seems to have work.

Appeals have been made but to no avail. Persuasion has failed to convince. Pleads has not shifted the their stance.

Words, both harsh and soft, had been spoken but they had fallen on deaf ears. Arguments applied had also failed to convince them. Counter actions had been taken but they only harden their stance and solidify their resolute.

It looks like there is only one course of action opened to us all. That is to try the non-intrusive, non-provocative, non-aggravating, non-temper heightening course of action.

This course of action leaves out the warring sections but it allows everyone else who desires peace, who do not want any more violence, deaths and the subsequent hatred to participate.

Prayers seem the only hope and the only  avenue opened to us.

Everyone can do his part here. But together we are all praying for one thing – we pray for wisdom.

We pray for wisdom for all parties – wisdom to know right from wrong, wisdom to choose right over wrong, wisdom to see the others’ point of view and be tolerant, and wisdom to want to treat others with love.

The power of each separate individual’s prayer comes together and forms a mighty spiritual force which can transform everything. Its application is  non-intrusive but its effect will be keenly felt and it will be clearly noticeable in the end.

Let none of us belittle this unseen spiritual force, let us diligently say a prayer a day and let us stand back and let it works its magic!