Category: INSPIRATION

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What it means to be “poor”

What it means to be "poor"What it means to be “poor” An Insightful Short Story

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

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HAPPINESS IS FACTORY FITTED

HAPPINESS IS FACTORY FITTEDHAPPINESS IS FACTORY FITTED: AN INSIGHTFUL STORY

Some of the most profound lessons I had learnt in life came from my interactions with children and the probing questions they asked. That was the case on this Sunday. I was approached after Mass by a little girl. What I recall about her was that she was smart, bold, confident and precocious. She said to me, ‘Please Fr. I need you to do me a favour. I need you to pray for my parents to become as rich as our neighbour, so that my daddy too can be happy. I love daddy but he is not always happy’. Need I say I was shocked? Just as I was about to engage her in a more elaborate discussion, a couple approached and excused her. They said they needed to say hello to Fr. What began as simple greeting snowballed into a conversation. Before I turned, my little girl was gone. I felt bad. Let me digress a bit. Continue reading “HAPPINESS IS FACTORY FITTED”

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If You Want More Love in the World, Create More Love in Your Heart!

a-father-and-son-walking

If You Want More Love in the World, Create More Love in Your Heart!

If You Want More Love in the World, Create More Love in Your Heart!
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This applies to all everything in all aspect of life.
A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!! To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating somewhere in the mountain: AAAhhhhhhhhhhh. Curious, he yells, “who are you?” He receives the answer, “who are you?” and then he screams to the mountain, ” I admire you!” and the voice answers, “I admires you! “

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Leaders! If you don’t take care of yourself, nobody will

Leaders take care of yourselvesLeaders! If you don’t take care of yourself, nobody will, The story of the busy cobbler! This story leaders! If you don’t take care of yourself, nobody will, is about the story of a cobbler who lived in a village. Since he was the only cobbler in the town, everyone went to meet him to get their footwears repaired. He was so busy that he didn’t even have time to repair his own boots. This wasn’t a problem at first, but over time, his boots began to wear off and fall apart.
While he worked feverishly on everyone else’s shoes, his feet got blister and he started to limp. His customers started to worry about him, but he reassured them that everything is alright.

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When a third-grader Explains the existence of God

When given a third-grade homework assignment to “EXPLAIN GOD,” this is what 8-year-old, Danny Dutton, of Chula Vista, CA, had to say. When a third-grader Explains the existence of God

When a third-grader Explains the existence of God

One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.

God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this.
God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere, which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.

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Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You

Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to YouDraw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You: The Story of Jim

There was this young
boy called Jim. He always felt the need to pray. He decided that each day, he
would go to church three times for two minutes prayer. In the morning, he would
walked into the church, kneel down, and say, “Jesus, this is Jim”. 

 

Then he
would leave the church. In the afternoon and evening, he would come back again,
and say his favourite prayer “Jesus this is Jim.” He continued doing this for
months but he was interrupted for by illness. His illness made him to be
admitted into the hospital. His parent would only visit him once in a week because of their financial statues. Hence he was left in the hands of the hospital care giver whose availability was minimal. 
 
However, each day
people come to the hospital ward in which he was admitted to visit other sick
patients, they always see Jim brim with happiness. Jim’s sick neighbor inquired
about the secret of his constant happiness. Jim replied, “When people come to
greet their love ones, someone always come to greet me and he always say, ‘Jim
this is Jesus’”
 

Insights

The story of Jim tells us that.
  • Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You. James 4:8. God is always close to those who love him, especially in
    times of trouble.
  • Any amount of time spent with in
    communion with Jesus is always enriching and rewarding.
   
   photo credit: https://kzlam36.wordpress.com
 
 

 

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The Annual Guilt Trip

The Annual Guilt TripThe Annual Guilt Trip

I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of the year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant, and I knew in advance that no real good would come of it. I’m talking about my annual “Guilt Trip.” It is indeed the annual guilt trip.

I got tickets to fly there on “WISH I HAD” airlines. It was an extremely short flight.

I got my baggage, which I could not check. I chose to carry it myself all the way. It was weighted down with a thousand memories of what might have been.
No one greeted me as I entered the terminal to the Regret City International Airport.  I say international because people from all over the world come to this dismal town.
As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they would be hosting the year’s most important event, the Annual Pity Party.
I wasn’t going to miss that great social occasion. Many of the towns leading citizens would be there.
First, there would be the Done family, you know, Should Have, Would Have and Could Have.
Then came the I Had family.
The Annual Guilt Trip
You probably know l Wish and his clan.
Of course, the Opportunities would be present, Missed and Lost.
The biggest family would be the Yesterday’s. There are far too many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad story to share.
Then Shattered Dreams would surely make and appearance.
And It’s Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how things had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly applauded by Don’t Blame Me and I Couldn’t Help It.
Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing party knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing so. And, as usual, I became very depressed.
But as I thought about all of the stories of failures brought back from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and subsequent “pity party” could be cancelled by ME!
I started to truly realize that I did not have to be there. I didn’t have to be depressed.
One thing kept going through my mind, I can’t change yesterday, but I do have the power to make today a wonderful day.
The Annual Guilt Trip
I can be happy, joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as encouraging. Knowing this, I left the City of Regret immediately and left no forwarding address.
Am I sorry for mistakes I’ve made in the past? YES! But there is no physical way to undo them.
So, if you’re planning a trip back to the City of Regret, please cancel all your reservations now. Instead, take a trip to a place called, Starting Again.
I liked it so much that I have now taken up permanent residence there. My neighbors, the I Forgive Myself and the New Starts are so very helpful.
By the way, you don’t have to carry around heavy baggage, because the load is lifted from your shoulders upon arrival.
The Annual Guilt Trip
God bless you in finding this great town. If you can find it — it’s in your own heart — please look me up.
I live on I CAN DO IT street.

“I can’t change yesterday, but I do have the power to make today a wonderful day.” — Anonymous photo credit: huffingtonpost.com

The Annual Guilt Trip is not a healthy way of thinking!

see Also: The Seasons of Life – Life Altitude (livealtitude.com)

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A WOMAN WHO KNOWS THAT BEAUTY IS NOT ENOUGH

A WOMAN WHO KNOWS THAT BEAUTY IS NOT ENOUGHTHE STORY OF A WOMAN WHO KNOWS THAT BEAUTY IS NOT ENOUGH

I am fascinated with the beauty of Chimda Emeneke yet her commitment to scholarship has held me perpetually spellbound. She is beautiful, pretty and elegant. Chimda is a woman who knows that beauty is not enough. She has written several awarding winning novels in fiction. I keep wondering how she has been able to manage the continuous advances from men and stay focus on her writing career. I am attracted to Chimda because of my childhood experience of her. Few years ago, Chimda lived some few miles from my family house near Ahaba village in Eastern Nigeria. The beauty of Chimda resounded on the lips of all the men in our community. Her beauty superimposed that of her peers.

Uncle Chike could  spend the whole day talking about the contour lips and curly eyelashes of Chimda. He compared her beauty with the youngest daughter of Zeus. On few occasions, I caught my uncle peeping at Chimda through the window pane of our bathroom. His protruded eyes followed every movement of her lanky legs and rounded hips.

One cosy evening, Uncle Chike could not sedate the random flow of romantic electrons in his body which had been accentuated by the elegance of Chimda. He saw Chimda going to the stream to fetch water. He summoned all the courage that he lacked and followed her behind. When the road was lonely, Uncle Chike called out her name aloud but she refused to stop. He ran up to her and began to tell her about his exploit in the village. Certainly, everyone in the village knew my uncle for his brilliant hunting escapades. My uncle who had won an award for eloquence during the last ‘New­ Yam’ festival began to stammer with words. Chimda kept a straight face and continued her journey to the stream. When they got to the stream, Uncle Chike snatched water pot from her head and swam to the middle of the stream to fetch the purest possible water which the stream could afford. Chimda delightfully thanked my uncle. Uncle Chike continued his mission with a renewed vigour. Chimda listened to the bubbling sound of love that busted out of his mouth. She gazed at the contagious smiles that beamed from his face.
She sniffed in the sweet smell of Coriander perfume that my uncle offered her. The distant blue sky came down with its soft radiance on the love birds. Suddenly, Chimda shouted no several times. She asserted that studies must come first before any form of romance. She crossed the crush of my uncle. My uncle made further appeals; he carried the pot of water to her home; but all appeals fell on deaf ears. Chimda remained resolute and focus on acquiring a sound education.
I share a lot in common with Chimda. My friends always comment that I am very beautiful. It has been very difficult staying focus on my academics and managing the unending advances from male counterparts. I love creative writing. The thought of writing a book dreads me. I wish I can reach out to Chimda. If I am able, I will like to talk to her about my personal struggles as a woman; how she was able to write her first award winning book as an undergraduate and how to balance scholarship and relationship. Young ladies are encouraged to imitate the virtue of Chimda who is a woman who knows that beauty is not enough.
Written by Charles Egbon
photo courtesy: www.pinterest.com
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The Crucifix and the Young Boy

The Crucifix and the boyThe Crucifix and the Young Boy

A young boy was notorious for always taking the last position at the end of each semester examination. In a bid to improve his performance, his father had to change his school. At the end of the semester examination, he still took the last position. The father who wasn’t discourage continue changing schools for him, hoping that his performance would, perhaps, improve. After six attempt which prove fruitless, a friend suggested a Catholic school for him.

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