November 2009 'Useletter'
What a month! London, Cape Town, Frankfurt and Imyambaan in Mozambique ... and to top it all, a total image change ... Yes! I cut off my pony tail! You can watch that on my facebook site, or on my inspiringtheworld channel on You Tube in my segment this month on Love.
This month's free You Tube Quick tips are:(Simply click on titles to watch or the following link to see all videos) http://www.youtube.com/user/inspiringtheworld.
English: Love, Teamwork, Attachment, Honesty
Afrikaans: Liefde, Spanwerk, Gehegtheid, Eerlikheid
Deutsch: Liebe, Teamwork, Verbundenheit, Ehrlichkeit
A few weeks to go and Christmas is upon us. Most people I speak to are already reflecting back on the year as if it is all over ... or at least, glad it's over. This I can't understand? Every day so many great things happen in this world, and no matter how tough this year has been, I bet you can think of many good things that happened too. It's a case of seeing the glass as half full, or half empty ... my wife sees it as another glass to wash! Seriously though, if one concentrates on the good times and the good things, then it is sad when a year passes so quickly. My year has been filled with wonderful memories of family, friends, travel and lots of great appearances. It's all about how you look at life ... and this brings me to my first story this month.
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BEING CHOSEN TO CHEER
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Roger.
oger was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.
n the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. He rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what, Mom?" he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me always...."I've been chosen to clap and cheer!"
Isn't that a cute story? Are you thankful for the little things in life? Okay, I know ... it's all good and well to write about how one must be positive and see the brighter side of life. And I understand that in reality, it's not easy to do. Fair enough, everyone, including myself has some 'off' days. But no matter how difficult it is, shouldn't one at least try have more good days than bad days .. as a start at least. This month I want to concentrate on deeper stories which I trust will put a few deeper pointers into perspective and make you really savor life, family and friendship more. If you just start here, life already becomes magical.
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Here's a short story on how we should learn to appreciate each other just a little more.
BREAKFAST FOR DINNER
When I was a child my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad.
I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jam on that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Darling, I love burned toast." Later that night, I went to kiss daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your mommy put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"
So how about it - start appreciating the little things everyone does around you!
More and more I see people losing their temper in public. I see harsh words, fighting over race, religion and politics in the press and media daily. Why? ...Why can't everyone just let go of the past and learn to respect each other for who they are. Don't get me wrong, I meet many of these people as well, but sadly they are in the minority. So the next story is a reminder to those of you out there who are still dealing with many inner conflicts and short tempers. Read it carefully and please take note of the message.
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BAD TEMPER
There was once a young boy with a very bad temper. The boy's father wanted to teach him a lesson, so he gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into their wooden fence.
On the first day of this lesson, the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. He was really mad! Over the course of the next few weeks, the he began to control his temper, and the number of nails that were hammered into the fence, dramatically decreased. It wasn't long before the little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper, than to drive those nails into the fence.
Then, the day finally came when the he didn't lose his temper even once, and he became so proud of himself, he couldn't wait to tell his father. Pleased, his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he could hold his temper. Several weeks went by and the day finally came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
Very gently, the father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. "You have done very well, my son," he smiled, "but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same." The little boy listened carefully as his father continued to speak. "When you say things in anger, they leave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how many times you say you're sorry, the wounds will still be there."
Friendship today, what does it mean to you. I have lost count of how many people have told me that they can count their true friends on one hand. To me that's really sad. One day when you are older, it's the memories of family and friends that are going to be with you. Are your memories going to be few, or many?
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FRIENDSHIP
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at the desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. Of course, sir. Come right in and I'll have some ice water brought right up."The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought for a moment, and then turned back toward the road and continued along the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure. There's a pump over there." The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself. Then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
This is Heaven," was the answer.
Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven too."
Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell. Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No. I can see how you night think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind!"
On that note, as the holiday season now draws near, how about re-assessing you life and focusing on the real issues. You have a choice to end of this year as a happy person who is thankful for friends, family and experiences - it's up to you!
And with that 'food for thought' here's some interesting tips on food.
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A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Peet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.
Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.