Stories

 
A man had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: "Fasten your seat belts." Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash. The man confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him.

As he looked around the plane, he could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, he suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world was calm and orderly.

Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid.

The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, he lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid. The sweet child replied:

"Sir, my Dad is the pilot and he is taking me home."

The Asylum
Spiritual Story by Kahlil Gibran

 
I was strolling in the gardens of an insane asylum when I met a young man who was reading a philosophy book. His behavior and his evident good health made him stand out from the other inmates.

I sat down beside him and asked:

"What are you doing here?"

He looked at me, surprised. But seeing that I was not one of the doctors, he replied:

"It's very simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer, wanted me to be like him.
"My uncle, who owns a large emporium, hoped I would follow his example.
"My mother wanted me to be the image of her beloved father.
"My sister always set her husband before me as an example of the successful man.
"My brother tried to train me up to be a fine athlete like himself.
"And the same thing happened at school, with the piano teacher and the English teacher – they were all convinced and determined that they were the best possible example to follow.
"None of them looked at me as one should look at a man, but as if they were looking in a mirror.

"So I decided to enter this asylum. At least here I can be myself."

Word of Jesus
Spiritual Story by Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield

 
One day, Jesus was walking in the desert with a group of self-seeking people. They begged him to tell them the Secret Name by which he restored the dead to living. Jesus said, "If I tell you, you will abuse its power." The people promised they would use the knowledge wisely and begged him again.

"You do not know what you ask," he said, but he told them the Word.

Soon after, the group was walking in a deserted place when they saw a heap of whitened bones. "Let us try out the Word," they said to each other, and they did.

The moment the Word was pronounced, the bones became clothed with flesh and transformed into a wild beast, which tore them to shreds.

French Legend - It's a Matter of Consciousness

A poor man was walking along the road when he met a traveler, who stopped him and said:  "My good friend, I see that you are poor.  Take this gold nugget, sell it, and you will be rich all your days".

The man was overjoyed at his good fortune, and took the nugget home.  He immediately found work and became so prosperous that he did not sell the nugget.  Years passed, and he became a very rich man.  One day he met a poor man on the road.  He stopped him and said:  "My good friend.  I will give you this gold nugget, which, if you will sell it, will make you rich for life."  The man took the nugget, had it valued, and found out it was only brass. 

So, we see, the first man became rich through feeling rich, thinking that the nugget was gold.

Every man has within himself a gold nugget: it is his consciousness of gold, of opulence, which brings riches into his life.  It is what he thinks and sees that determines his future.

As William Blake wrote:  "To see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower; to hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour."


Story of Joshua Bell

In a Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.  During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After three minutes, a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

After four minutes, the violinist received his first dollar:  a woman threw the money in the box and continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly as the kid stopped to look at the violinist.  Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.  This action was repeated by several other children.  Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

At 45 minutes, the musician played on.  Only six people stopped and stayed for a while.  About twenty gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  He collected $32.00.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world.  He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million.  Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.00.

This is a real story.  Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by The Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people's priorities.  The questions raised:  in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?  Do we stop and appreciate it?  Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

Choices

Here is an interesting story....

Suppose you were driving in a pouring rain storm at night and you pass a broken bus while traveling down the road.  About one mile past the broken-down bus, you pass a bus stop where there are three people getting drenched in the storm.  You notice there is an old woman who is in desperate need of medical care waiting at the bus stop.  Along with her, there are two other men...one you recognize as the guy who saved your life by pulling you out of the way of a moving vehicle; the other person you instantly realize is your soul mate who you have been looking for all your life.  Your car can only carry one passenger.  So, what do you do?

For me, I would save all three.  How?

First off, I would give my car keys to the guy who saved my life so he could drive the poor sick woman to the hospital.  And I would introduce myself to my soul mate and would not care how long it took for the bus to arrive.

A Lobster Tail

All around you are reminders on how you grow.  The lobster is a good example of this.  Its growth depends on the shedding of a series of hard, protective shells.  The shell that protected and served it well at one stage eventually becomes too small for its expanding body.  If the shell cannot be dropped as the lobster expands, it will smother and kill the fish.  But letting go of the shell is also a risk.  When the hard, protective cover is gone, for a time the lobster is left soft, pliable and vulnerable to attack.  It is only in this soft and pliable state that it can create a new and expanded shell that allows for continued growth.

The Story of the Gas Can

A friend of mine was stranded alongside a Texas highway about five miles from the nearest town.  He thought he had enough gas to make it to the next gas station, but alas, he didn't.  He thought about how long it would take him to walk those five miles to the next town on this very, very hot and humid day in Texas.  He knew that the longer he sat there, the longer it would take.  So, he began walking and after about fifteen minutes, an old, beaten-down Ford truck slowed down.  He thought, "Wow, wonderful, maybe I'll get a ride into town."  What he received instead was a miracle.

The truck driver pulled up alongside of him and offered him a lift back to his car.  This same driver had in his possession an old, worn out gas can that was full of fuel.  The truck driver explained to my friend that the day before, he too, ran out of gas thinking he could make it to the next town when this woman got out of her vehicle, offered him a lift to his truck and filled up his truck with gas from this very gas can.  She told him that this gas can has been traveling the highways and byways for years....no one knows how long really.  All that he would need to do is find another person who ran out of gas, tell him this story, and pass the gas can along.

So sure enough, my friend got his car filled, was handed the empty gas can and was instructed to fill the can and pass it on.


The Story of Determination

After the 9/11 attack, President Bush urged Americans to band together and support one another during this tragic time.  Schools talked about the devastation and President Bush's request for them was to rally together and raise money for the 9/11 victims and their families.

For a little girl, this was a call for her to help.  It was what her heart was aching to do.  She came home from school and asked her mother what she could do to raise money for these children who had lost their parents. 

Her mother suggested a bake sale.  But the little girl just shook her head, telling her mother that if they had a bake sale or even a lemonade stand, it would be her mom that would be doing all the work - not her.  You see, this little girl has cerebral palsy and couldn't bake cookies or even make lemonade.

No, this little girl wanted to do it HERSELF, and not have someone else do the work for her.  That night she went to bed wondering how she could raise money all by herself and help the victims and their families.

When she awoke, she was excited and told her mother about her plan to raise this money.

She was going to have a Pedal-a-thon.  Each week she went to physical therapy and there she would get on a stationary bike and pedal trying to increase her muscle strength.  So, she thought, "I will ask people to donate money for every pedal I do on my bike on a set date...probably one month from now so I can train for the big day."

This little girl then set out collecting pledges for her Pedal-a-thon letting those who pledged that currently she could pedal up to eight or ten times.

On her big day - the Pedal-a-thon - there was a group of family and friends to cheer her on.  She pedaled 10 rotations, then 20, then 50, then 75 and continued on to pedal up to 164 rotations fully before nearly collapsing from exhaustion.  Her coach explained that what she just accomplished was like running a marathon.

And she raised over $1000.00 for the victims and families of 9/11, all on her own.  She didn't look at limitations.  She was determined to find a way to do what she wanted to do.

Smile

A mother of three children was taking a Sociology class and the last project for the semester was called "Smile".

The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.  This mother was a very friendly person and always smiled at everyone, so she thought this project would be a piece of cake.

Soon after this project was assigned to the class, this mother went with her husband and small son to McDonald's for breakfast on a crisp March morning.  It was their way of sharing special playtime with their son.

They were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around them began to back away, and even her husband starting backing away.  She did not move an inch..an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of her as she turned to see why everyone was moving away.

As she turned around, she smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind her were two poor homeless men.

As she looked down at the short gentleman, close to her, he was "smiling".  His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's light as he searched for acceptance.  He said, "Good day" to her as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend.  She realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.  The mother held her tears as she stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked them what they wanted.  The blue-eyed gentleman said, 'Coffee is all Miss' because that was all he 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 she really felt it - the compulsion was so great that she almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.  That is also when she noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on her, judging every action she took.

She smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give her two more breaksfast meals on a separate tray.  She then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot.  She put the tray on the table and laid her hands on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand.

He looked up at her, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you".  She leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you.  God is here working through me to give you hope".

She started to cry as she walked away to join her husband and son.  When she sat down, her husband smiled at her and said, "That is why God gave you to me, honey, to give me hope".  They held hands for a moment and at that time, they knew that only because of the Grace that they had been given were they able to give.

That day showed her the pure Light of God's sweet love.

She returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.  She turned in "her project" and the instructor read it.  Then the instructor looked up at her and asked, "Can I share this"?  The mother nodded as she got the attention of the class.

She began to read and this is when the mother knew that we as human beings and being a part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.  In her own way, she had touched the people at McDonalds', and every soul that shared the classroon on the last night she spent as a college student.  And she graduated with one of the biggest lessons she would ever learn:

UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

We are to love people and use things....not love things and use people.

Story of Two Wolves - A Cherokee Legend

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life...