SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF MARIE CURIE

Marie Curie (1867-1934) was a famous Polish scientist. She was born Marya Skoldowska in Warsaw on 7 November 1867. Her father and mother were both teachers. They had 4 other children, all of them older than Marya. She had a brother named Jozef and 3 sisters, Zofia, Bronia and Helena. However Zofia died of typhus in 1874 and her mother died of tuberculosis in 1878. (Both were common diseases in the 19th century). Marya herself proved to be a very bright child and did very well at school. Unfortunately at that time women were not allowed to go to University. That meant Marya would have to study abroad. So in 1885 she made an arrangement with her sister Bronia. Marya would work as a governess (teaching a wealthy family's children in their own home) and she would support Bronia while she studied at University. In turn when Bronia left and got a job she would support Marya while she went to University. So Marya worked as a governess until 1891 when she began studying at Sorbonne University in Paris. (Since she was living in France Marya started calling herself by the French version of her name, Marie). Marie did very well at University and in 1893 she gained a degree in Physics. In 1894 she gained a degree in Maths. In 1894 she met Pierre Curie and she married him in 1895. In 1897 Marie Curie had a daughter called Irene. Meanwhile in 1895 a German named Wilhelm Rontgen discovered X-rays. Then in 1896 Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium gives off mysterious, invisible rays. In 1897 Marie Curie started investigating uranium. (In 1898 she coined the term radioactive to describe any substance that gave off the mysterious rays). Marie also examined a substance called pitchblende, which she realised is much more radioactive than pure uranium. Marie Curie realised that pitchblende must contain some elements that are much more radioactive than pure uranium. In 1898 Marie and her husband Pierre isolated an element they called polonium (after Poland). However they realised there was another element in pitchblende. Finally in 1902 they isolated radium. In 1903 Marie and Pierre Curie were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics along with Henri Becquerel. Winning the prize brought them fame. Unfortunately the Curies did not realise that exposure to radiation was harming their health. Nevertheless in 1904 Marie Curie had a daughter called Eve. Unfortunately in 1905 Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn vehicle. However after his death Marie was offered his post as Professor of Physics at Sorbonne University. In 1911 Marie Curie was given the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Marie continued to research radium and in 1921 she visited the USA and met President Harding. Marie visited the USA again in 1929. However her health was failing. Eventually she was diagnosed with leukaemia. Marie Curie died on 4 July 1934. She was 66. »»» ©Arojo Adesina Sunday via www.localhistories.com/curie.html

THE STORY OF A BLIND GIRL

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend. One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying: “Just take care of my eyes dear.” This is how human brain changes when the status changed. Only few remember what life was before, and who’s always been there even in the most painful situations. Life Is A Gift Today before you think of saying an unkind word– think of someone who can’t speak. Before you complain about the taste of your food– think of someone who has nothing to eat. Before you complain about your husband or wife– think of someone who is crying out to God for a companion. Today before you complain about life– think of someone who went too early to heaven. Before you complain about your children– think of someone who desires children but they’re barren. Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn’t clean or sweep– think of the people who are living in the streets. Before whining about the distance you drive– think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet. And when you are tired and complain about your job– think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job. But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another– remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker. And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down– put a smile on your face and thank God you’re alive and still around.

(A Seed of Honesty) GUESS THE NEXT C.E.O

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you.” The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.” One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however… He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him! When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!” All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. “How could he be the new CEO?” the others said. Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!” * If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. * If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. * If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. * If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment. * If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective. * If you plant hard work, you will reap success. * If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. * If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest. So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.. “Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back”

LEARNING FROM A CARROT,AN EGG AND A CUP OF COFFEE

What can a carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee teach a young woman tired of fighting and struggling with adversity and heartaches? Read on and find out the lesson the young woman received from her mother. 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 when one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to 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 out 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 had 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 thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?” she asked her 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 the 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 death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other 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 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?

ARE YOU BULDING YOUR LIFE

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well. So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

A TRUE LIFE STORY : TRUE WINNERS DON'T GIVE UP

This is a true story of a young woman who went through the most gruesome fire. When you read her story, you’ll realize that your trials are absolutely nothing compared to what this young girl went through. It was September 25, 2000. Maricel Apatan was an 11-year old girl in Zamboanga. On that day, this little girl went with her uncle to draw water. Along the way, four men met them. They were carrying long knives. They told her uncle to face down on the ground, and they hacked him on the neck and killed him. Maricel was in total shock, especially that the men were their neighbors. She tried to escape, but the men ran after her. She cried, “Kuya, ‘wag po, ‘wag n’yo akong tagain! Maawa po kayo sa akin!” (“Don’t kill me! Have mercy on me!”) But they weren’t listening. With a long knife, a man slashed her on the neck too. Maricel fell to the ground and lost consciousness. When she woke up, she saw a lot of blood. She also saw the feet of the men around her, but she pretended to be dead. When they walked away, Maricel ran back home. But along the way, she saw that both her hands were falling off. Because the men hacked them too. She cried but she kept running. Sometimes, she would faint and fall to the ground. But she’d regain consciousness and run again. When she was near her home, Maricel called her mother. Upon seeing her daughter, her mother screamed in terror. She wrapped her bloodied child in a blanket and carried her to the hospital. Here was the problem: From her house to the highway, it was a 12-kilometer walk. It took them 4 hours just to reach the highway. When they arrived in the hospital, the doctors thought Maricel was going to die. But for 5 hours, they operated on her. It took 25 stitches to stitch together the long knife wound in her neck and back. Maricel barely survived. And she lost both of her hands. Ironically, the next day was Maricel’s birthday. She was 12 years old. But tragedy didn’t end there. When they went home, they saw their home was gone. It was ransacked and burned down by the goons. Being very poor, Maricel’s family also didn’t have P50,000 for their hospital bills. But God sent many angels along the way to help them. Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, a distant relative, paid for hospital bills and helped them bring the criminals to court. They were sentenced to prison. Today, she’s staying with the nuns at Regina Rosarii with Sr. Eppie Brasil, O.P. But this is the incredible miracle. Instead of staying down, Maricel kept running. Instead of cursing God why she had no hands, she now uses her wrists in incredible ways that will boggle your mind. Maricel was cited as the most industrious, best in computer, and most courteous in the School for Crippled Children. In 2008, she graduated from a course in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She even received a Gold medal for Arts and Crafts. In 2011, she finished her education to be a chef. Yes, a Chef without hands. Nothing can stop this young lady from reaching her dreams. Real Winners Don’t Give Up! ....do u Truly want to win??....then type ''I WONT GIVE UP'' in the comment box.,

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE

A philosophy professor stood before his classwith some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.” “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to yourhappiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

I MUST AT LEAST TRY

In June 1985, two British mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates made the first-ever climb of the West Face of the 21,000 foot snow-covered Siula Grande mountain in Peru.It was an exceptionally tough assault – but nothing compared to what was to come. Early in the descent, Simpson fell and smashed his right knee. Yates could have abandoned him but managed to find a way of lowering him down the mountain in a series of difficult drops blinded by snow and cold. Then Simpson fell into a crevasse and Yates eventually had no choice but to cut the rope, utterly convinced that his friend was now dead. In his subsequent book on the climb entitled “Touching The Void”, Joe Simpson wrote: “As I gazed at the distant moraines, I knew that I must at least try. I would probably die out there amid those boulders. The thought didn’t alarm me. It seemed reasonable, matter-of-fact. That was how it was. I could aim for something. If I died, well, that wasn’t so surprising, but I wouldn’t have just waitedfor it to happen. The horror of dying no longer affected me as it had in the crevasse. I now had the chance to confront it and struggle against it. It wasn’t a bleak dark terror any more, just fact, like my broken leg and frostbitten fingers, and I couldn’t be afraid of things like that. My leg would hurt when I fell and when I couldn’t get up I would die.” The survival of Yates himself was extraordinary. That Simpson somehow founda way of climbing out of the crevasse after 12hours and then literally crawled and dragged himself six miles back to camp, going three days and nights without food or drink, losingthree stone, and contracting ketoacidosis in the process, would be the stuff of heroic fiction if it was not so true. Indeed, six operations and two years later, he was even back climbing. All because, against all the odds, he tried … Source: “Touching The Void” by Joe Simpson If you find this story useful, please share with a friend!

THE ELEPHANT ROPE

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by onlya small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why theseanimals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, atthat age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe theycannot break away. They believe the rope canstill hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could atany time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life. If you find this story useful, please share with a friend! Facebook? Click here https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=278681122228

THE ELEPHANT ROPE

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by onlya small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why theseanimals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, atthat age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe theycannot break away. They believe the rope canstill hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could atany time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life. If you find this story useful, please share with a friend! Facebook? Click here https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=278681122228

THE ELEPHANT ROPE

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by onlya small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why theseanimals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, atthat age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe theycannot break away. They believe the rope canstill hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could atany time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life. If you find this story useful, please share with a friend! Facebook? Click here https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=278681122228

THE ELEPHANT ROPE

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by onlya small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why theseanimals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, atthat age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe theycannot break away. They believe the rope canstill hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could atany time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life. If you find this story useful, please share with a friend! Facebook? Click here https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=278681122228

TIPS FOR A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

This story contains some “tips” that may bring you a beautiful life. Read them, live by them more fully, and I promise you will experience a beautiful life! Take a 10-30 minute walk every day and while you walk, smile. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, “My purpose is to … today.” Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy, and the 3 F’s: Faith, Family, Friends. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. Dream more while you are awake. Try to make at least three people smile each day. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn, pass all your tests. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagreements. Make peace with your past, so it won’t mess up the present. Don’t compare your life with others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. Forgive everyone for everything. What other people think of you is none of your business. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will stay in touch. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful. The best is yet to come… Believe. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up. Do the right thing! Call your family often. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: “I am thankful for…” – “Today I accomplished…” Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. Make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

THE OTHER SIDE

A father was reading a magazine and his little daughter every now and then distracted him. Trying to keep her busy, he tore out one page on which was printed the map of the world. He then tore the page into pieces and asked her to go to her room and put them together to make the map again. He was sure she would take the whole day to get it done. But the little one came back within minutes with the perfect map… When he asked how she could do it so quickly, she said, “Oh… Dad, there is a man’s face on the other side of the paper… I made the face perfect to get the map right.” She ran outside to play leaving the father surprised. Reflection: There is always the other side to whatever you experience in this world. This story indirectly teaches a lesson. i.e. whenever we come across a challenge or a puzzling situation, look at the other side… You will be surprised to see an easy way to tackle the problem.

THE BLACK DOT

A small town chamber of commerce invited a speaker to address its annual dinner. The community’s economy was bad, people were discouraged, and they wanted this motivational speaker to give them a boost. During her presentation, the speaker took a large piece of white paper and made a small black dot in the centre of it with a marking pen. Then she held the paper up before the group and ask them what they saw. One person quickly replied, “I see a black dot.” “Okay, what else do you see?” Others joined in agreement : “A black dot.” “Don’t you see anything besides the dot?” she asked. A resounding “No” came from the audience. “What about the sheet of paper?” asked the speaker. “I am sure you have all seen it”, she said, “But you have chosen to overlook it.” “In life, we also tend to overlook and take for granted many wonderful things that we have or happen around us and focus our attention and energy on small, dotlike failures and disappointments. The so called ‘problems’ that we have are usually like the black dot on the paper. They are small and insignificant if we can widen our horizon and look at the whole picture.” Are you one of the person who focus your attention and energy on dot-like problems?

A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY

One day, a young guy and a young girl fell in love. But the guy came from a poor family. The girl’s parents weren’t too happy. So the young man decided not only to court the girl but to court her parents as well. In time, the parents saw that he was a good man and was worthy of their daughter’s hand. But there was another problem: The man was a soldier. Soon, war broke out and he was being sent overseas for a year. The week before he left, the man knelt on his knee and asked his lady love, “Will you marry me?” She wiped a tear, said yes, and they were engaged. They agreed that when he got back in one year, they would get married. But tragedy struck. A few days after he left, the girl had a major vehicular accident. It was a head-on collision. When she woke up in the hospital, she saw her father and mother crying. Immediately, she knew there was something wrong. She later found out that she suffered brain injury. The part of her brain that controlled her face muscles was damaged. Her once lovely face was now disfigured. She cried as she saw herself in the mirror. “Yesterday, I was beautiful. Today, I’m a monster.” Herbody was also covered with so many ugly wounds. Right there and then, she decided to release her fiancé from their promise. She knew he wouldn’t want her anymore. She would forget about him and never see him again. For one year, the soldier wrote many letters —but she wouldn’t answer. He phoned her many times but she wouldn’t return her calls. But after one year, the mother walked into her room and announced, “He’s back from the war.” The girl shouted, “No! Please don’t tell him about me. Don’t tell him I’m here!” The mother said, “He’s getting married,” and handed her a wedding invitation. The girl’s heart sank. She knew she still loved him—but she had to forget him now. With great sadness, she opened the wedding invitation. And then she saw her name on it! Confused, she asked, “What is this?” That was when the young man entered her room with a bouquet of flowers. He knelt beside her and asked, “Will you marry me?” The girl covered her face with her hands and said, “I’m ugly!” The man said, “Without your permission, your mother sent me your photos. When I saw your photos, I realized that nothing has changed. You’re still the person I fell in love. You’re still as beautiful as ever. Because I love you!”

Motivational | IMPROVING SELF CONFIDENCE

Are you the type of person who easily get influenced by negative advices? Follow this short self confidence lesson… When Henry Ward Beecher was a young boy in school, he learned a lesson in self confidence which he never forgot. He was called upon to recite in front of the class. He had hardly begun when the teacher interrupted with an emphatic, “No!” He started over and again the teacher thundered, “No!” Humiliated, Henry sat down. The next boy rose to recite and had just begun when the teacher shouted, “No!” This student, however, kept on with the recitation until he completed it. As he sat down, the teacher replied, “Very good!” Henry was irritated. ”I recited just as he did,” he complained to the teacher. But the instructor replied, “It is not enough to know your lesson, you must be sure. When you allowed me to stop you, it meant that you were uncertain. If the world says, ‘No!’ it is your business to say, ‘Yes!’ and prove it. The world will say, ‘No!’ in a thousand ways. ‘No! You can’t do that.’ ‘No! You are wrong.’ ‘No! You are too old.’ ‘No! You are too young.’ ‘No! You are too weak.’ ‘No! It will never work.’ ‘No! You don’t have the education.’ ‘No! You don’t have the background.’ ‘No! You don’t have the money.’ ‘No! It can’t be done.’ And each ‘No!’ you hear has the potential to erode your confidence bit by bit until you quit all together. Though the world says, ‘No!’ to you today, you should be determined to say, ‘Yes!’ and prove it! ”

Moral stories | THE STORY OF AN ANT

One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather across my back terrace. Several times it was confronted by obstacles in its path and after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour. At one point the ant had to negotiate a crack in the concrete about 10mm wide. After brief contemplation the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked across it and picked up the feather on the other side then continued on its way. I was fascinated by the ingenuity of this ant, one of God’s smallest creatures. It served to reinforce the miracle of creation. Here was a minute insect, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome. But this ant, like the two-legged co-residents of this planet, also shares human failings. After some time the ant finally reached its destination – a flower bed at the end of the terrace and a small hole that was the entrance to its underground home. And it was here that the ant finally met its match. How could that large feather possibly fit down that small hole? Of course it couldn’t. So the ant, after all this trouble and exercising great ingenuity, overcoming problems all along the way, just abandoned the feather and went home. The ant had not thought the problem through before it began its epic journey and in the end the feather was nothing more than a burden. Isn’t life like that! We worry about our family, we worry about money or the lack of it, we worry about work, about where we live, about all sorts of things. These are all burdens – the things we pick up along life’s path and lug them around the obstacles and over the crevasses that life will bring, only to find that at the destination they are useless and we can’t take them with us. If you find this story useful, please share with a friend!

Moral stories | THE STORY OF AN ANT

One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather across my back terrace. Several times it was confronted by obstacles in its path and after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour. At one point the ant had to negotiate a crack in the concrete about 10mm wide. After brief contemplation the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked across it and picked up the feather on the other side then continued on its way. I was fascinated by the ingenuity of this ant, one of God’s smallest creatures. It served to reinforce the miracle of creation. Here was a minute insect, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome. But this ant, like the two-legged co-residents of this planet, also shares human failings. After some time the ant finally reached its destination – a flower bed at the end of the terrace and a small hole that was the entrance to its underground home. And it was here that the ant finally met its match. How could that large feather possibly fit down that small hole? Of course it couldn’t. So the ant, after all this trouble and exercising great ingenuity, overcoming problems all along the way, just abandoned the feather and went home. The ant had not thought the problem through before it began its epic journey and in the end the feather was nothing more than a burden. Isn’t life like that! We worry about our family, we worry about money or the lack of it, we worry about work, about where we live, about all sorts of things. These are all burdens – the things we pick up along life’s path and lug them around the obstacles and over the crevasses that life will bring, only to find that at the destination they are useless and we can’t take them with us. If you find this story useful, please share with a friend!

Motivationals| THE STORY OF A WOODCUTTER

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. “Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!” Very motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. “I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…” Reflection: Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy that ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay “sharp”? There’s nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read etc. We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. From: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ....Reach us on facebook ''RAYS of HOPE''