THE LESSON OF THE COFFEE BEAN

THE LESSON OF THE COFFEE BEAN

A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for her.
“As soon as I solve one problem,” she said, “another one comes up. I’m
tired of struggling.”

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots
with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil.
In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last, ground
coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After a
while, he went over and turned off the burners. He fished out the
carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed
them a bowl. He poured the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her he asked,
“Darling, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its
rich flavor.

She asked, “What does it mean, Father?” He explained that each of them
had faced the same adversity — boiling water — but each reacted
differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after
being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid
interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside
hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling
water, they changed the water.

He asked his daughter, “When adversity knocks on your door, which are
you?”

– Author Unknown

JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES

JUST FIVE MORE MINUTES

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench
near a playground. “That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a
little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike
in the white dress.” Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter.

“What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more
minutes.”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s
content.

Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter.
“Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.”

The man smiled and said, “O.K.”

“My, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a
drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never
spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more
minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.
She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I
get Five more minutes to watch her play.”

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?
Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today

– Author Unknown

THE COLOR OF FRIENDSHIP

THE COLOR OF FRIENDSHIP

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed
that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The
favorite.

Green said:
“Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I
was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would
die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the
majority.”

Blue interrupted:
“You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is
the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the
deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace,
you would all be nothing.”

Yellow chuckled:
“You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the
world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow.
Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile.
Without me there would be no fun.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
“I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am
precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important
vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I
don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or
sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to
any of you.”

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
“I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood – life’s blood! I am the color
of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring
fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the
moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the
poinsettia and the poppy.”

Purple rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty
and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the
sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and
obey.”

Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with
just as much determination:
“Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but
without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and
reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and
contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own
superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there
was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed.
Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in
fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, God began to speak:
“You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to
dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special
purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to
me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

God continued:
“From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in
a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The
Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.” And so, whenever a good rain
washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to
appreciate one another.

– Author Unknown

THE 11th – 20th COMMANDMENTS

THE 11th – 20th COMMANDMENTS

11th. Thou shalt not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all
human activities.
12th. Thou shalt not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never
come to pass.
13th. Thou shalt not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one
has yet succeeded in accomplishing this.
14th. Thou shalt handle only one problem at a time, and leave the
others to the Lord until their turn comes up.
15th. Thou shalt not take troubles to bed with you, for they make
very poor bedfellows.
16th. Thou shalt not try to carry the problems of the world on your
shoulders, for nobody (except for One) has a back that is broad
enough.
17th. Thou shalt be a good listener, for God often speaks to us
through the mouths of others.
18th. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday; for good or ill, it is
forever gone. Live in the now and rejoice in it.
19th. Thou shalt firmly dismiss feelings of frustration, for 90% of
it is rooted in self-pity and will interfere with positive action.
20th. Thou shalt count thy blessings, never overlooking the smallest,
for our biggest blessings are composed of many small ones.

– Author Unknown

A Very Important Lesson

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MountainWings       A MountainWings Moment
#8028          Wings Over The Mountains of Life
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A Very Important Lesson
========================

Three years ago, I adopted a purebred Sheltie from a rescue
shelter. His name was Buster. He had bad teeth and his fur
stuck out no matter what. I didn’t care. He was my dog. He had
a few owners in his life, and I promised him that I would
never give him up, no matter what. Earlier this year, we found
out Buster had an enlarged heart. The vet gave him six to
eighteen months.

Buster was having seizures that were probably causing brain
damage. Last Friday night, he had a seizure and cracked his
head against the sofa. He couldn’t walk after that. He kept
bumping into walls and experienced constant bowel movements and
vomiting. My dog was gone. Buster was no longer there. His body
was walking around, but that was all. I decided he needed to be
put to sleep.

He went to sleep on December 21, 2007, less than a month
before his ninth birthday. I feel his absence keenly. I
sincerely hope and pray dogs do get into heaven. After all,
D-O-G is G-O-D spelled backward.

Buster had no worries at all. He knew that I would feed him
and water him in a timely manner and that I would take care
of him no matter what. In return, he gave me his loyalty and
undying love.

He taught me a very important lesson:

This is what God wants from us.

I feel awed that such a simple creature could teach so
valuable a lesson with deeds and not words. I already loved
God with all my heart, without reservation, and followed him.
And now, I love God even more than I thought possible.

~A MountainWings Original by Michael Dowds, Peyton, Colorado~

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