LIFE.......
I was talking to my sister the other day. We
both had had a really rough day. It was hard to lift each other up….not that we didn’t
try….it was forced however, and sadness was all around us.
I faked a good mood
and so did she….I felt bad because I am the big sister and I should have been able to help her. However the reality is that we both have so much going on that it was impossible to reach inside and pull out what was needed at that moment.
We rang off saying bye and love you....(we both may have covered our tears in the quickness of the goodbye.)
The very
next morning….
I received a lovely email from my sister.
I want to share it with you.
Even if it might be cliche.
Some of you may have read this before but it made me happy inside, and refocused my sagging spirit! My sister said it helped her do the same!
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A Carrot, an
Egg and a Cup of Coffee
A young
woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so
hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give
up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved,
a new one arose.
Her mother
took her to the kitchen. She filled 3 pots with water and placed each on a high
fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the
second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let
them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about
twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and
placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then
she ladled the coffee and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she
asked, “Tell me what you see".
"Carrots,
eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother
brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that
they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally the
mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted
its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “what does it mean, mother?"
Her mother
explained that each of these objects has faced the same adversity: boiling
water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and
unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened
and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its outer shell had protected its
liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became
hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which
are you?" she asked the daughter. "When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of
this: Which am I? Am I a carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity,
do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg
that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a
fluid spirit, but after a hardship or trial, have I become hardened and stiff?
Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a
stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like
the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance
that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and
flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get
better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and
the trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do
you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have
enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough
sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest
of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the
most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always
be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of
you past failures and heartaches.
When you
were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life
so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all
be COFFEE.
Thanks for listening!
I was getting ready to go out and was looking at my lips.
They have all kinds of products one can use to plump up your lips. As I was putting on my make-up I thought my lips looked sad....so I had a brilliant (NOT) idea to rub on a bit of cinnamon oil on them.
I will not do that again!
Here is what it says in regards to cinnamon oil on your lips!
Invest in a good lip plumper that has MaxiLip or hyaluronic acid as an ingredient rather than an irritant like cinnamon oil (which will be painful and only temporarily swell your lips). Yep!
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I am not around much these days (SORRY TO ALL OF YOU I AM BEHIND IN READING) since I am so stressed with my job lately but....
We had fun going dancing last night. My Scotsman loves to tease me as I do him. I get a bit playful and feisty when I have a couple drinks. He gives me smiles and at times playful suggestions about calming down. Mind you he loves when I am having a good time. We are often holding hands and leaning in to one another.
However he always makes a comment about taking me over his knee regardless of where we are.
I always push him.
He may even begin to pull me across his knee....and stop as my eyes get wide and I think he actually might do it.
Last night he laughingly pointed to the floor under the table saying, 'hey look honey there is a 50 dollar bill on the floor.'
Hmmmmmmm I realized what he was suggesting....If I looked closely I would have voluntarily placed myself across my DARLING'S lap.
Ha- not stupid here! He is such a kidder!
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SO....NOW TO YOUR QUESTIONS..........
1. Wilma Rubble asked.....