BALLOONS

 

There was a man who made a living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of balloons, including red, yellow, blue, and green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon, and his sales would go up again. He continued this process all day. One day, he felt someone tugging at his jacket. He turned around and saw a little boy who asked, "If you release a black balloon, would that also fly?" Moved by the boy's concern, the man replied with empathy, "Son, it is not the color of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes it go up."

WINNERS VS LOSERS

"The Winner is always part of the answer;
The Loser is always part of the problem."

¨The Winner always has a program;
The Loser always has an excuse.

¨The Winner says, "Let me do it for you";
The Loser says, "That is not my job."

¨The Winner sees an answer for every problem;
The Loser sees a problem for every answer.

¨The Winner says, "It may be difficult but it is possible";
The Loser says, "It may be possible but it is too difficult."

¨When a Winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong";
When a Loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

¨A Winner makes commitments;
A Loser makes promises.

¨Winners have dreams;
Losers have schemes.

¨Winners say, "I must do something";
Losers say, "Something must be done."

¨Winners are a part of the team;
Losers are apart from the team.

¨Winners see the gain;
Losers see the pain.

¨Winners see possibilities;
Losers see problems.

¨Winners believe in win-win;
Losers believe for them to win someone has to lose.

¨Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past.

¨Winners are like a thermostat;
Losers are like thermometers.

¨Winners choose what they say;
Losers say what they choose.

¨Winners use hard arguments but soft words;
Losers use soft arguments but hard words.

¨Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things;
Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.

¨Winners follow the philosophy: "Don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you";
Losers follow the philosophy, "Do it to others before they do it to you."

¨Winners make it happen;
Losers let it happen.

¨Winners plan and prepare to win.
The key word is preparation.

ARE YOU GOD'S WIFE?

A boy, about ten years old, was standing in front of a shoe store, barefooted, peering through the window and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, “My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?”

“I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,” was the boy’s reply.

The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked for the shop assistant to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the young fellow to the back of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his feet and dried them with the towel.

By this time the shop's assistant had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she bought a pair of shoes for him. She packaged the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.
She patted him on the head and said, “No doubt, my young fellow, you feel more comfortable now?” As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face with tears in his eyes, answered her question with these words:

“Are you God’s wife?”

GO DIGGING FOR THE GOLD, NOT THE DIRT...

                                

As a young Scots boy, Andrew Carnegie came to America and started doing odd jobs.

He ended up as one of the largest steel manufacturers in the United States.

At one time he had 43 millionaires working for him. Several decades ago, a million dollars

used to be a lot of money; even today it is a lot of money. Someone asked Mr. Carnegie

how he dealt with people? Andrew Carnegie replied, "Dealing with people is like digging

gold: When you go digging for an ounce of gold, you have to move tons of dirt to get an

ounce of gold. But when you go digging, you don't go looking for the dirt, you go looking

for the gold."

WOMEN...

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous

They fight for what they believe in.

They stand up for injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without new shoes so their children can have them.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about a birth or a new marriage.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They have sorrow at the loss of a family member, 

yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin.

Women do more than just give birth.

They bring joy and hope.

They give compassion and ideals.

They give moral support to their family and friends.

Women have a lot to say and a lot to give.

ASK...

I asked God to take away my pain.

God said, No.

It is not for me to take away,

but for you to give it up.

I asked God to grant me patience.

God said, No.

Patience is a by-product of tribulations,

it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.

God said, No.

I give you blessings,

Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me suffering.

God said, No.

Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares

and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.

God said, No.

You must grow on your own,

but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

God said, No.

I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me love others, as much as he loves me.

God said...

Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

All that is gold does not glitter;

all that is long does not last;

All that is old does not wither;

not all that is over is past.

Not all that have fallen are vanquished;

a king may yet be without crown,

A blade that was broken be brandished;

and towers that were strong may fall down.

                                                                                                              - J. R. R. Tolkien