Paying it forward. Red marbles.

                                                 

Red Marbles!

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr.. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'
'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good..'
'They are good, Barry.. How's your Ma?'

'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'
'Good. Anything I can help you with?'

'No, Sir.
Jus' admirin' them peas.'
'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.

                     

'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'
'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'
'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'
'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.
'Not zackley but almost.'
'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy.
'Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller.'

Mrs... Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.
With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever.

When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes...

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about.
They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size.....they came to pay their debt.'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho ..'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral :
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.

Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles:

A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself...
An unexpected phone call from an old friend .....
Green stoplights on your way to work...
The fastest line at the grocery store...
A good sing-along song on the radio...
Your keys found right where you left them.
Share this with the people you'll never forget.
I just Did...
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GATHER, BUT WHAT YOU SCATTER THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF LIFE YOU HAVE LIVED

Story shared by Lata Vaidya.

Why we instal Ganesh idols at home

                                     

Maharishi Vyas had created Mahabharat in a poetry form
but he was unable to write it in prose.

So he requested Llord Ganesh to write  the Mahabharat for him in prose.

Lord Ganesh agreed to do so.

The process of writing would take days and days nonstop, this would have tired Lord Ganesh plus, Ganesh was not to take even water during this writing.
This would have raised the temperature of Ganesh’s body.

To prevent this, Maharishi Vyas applied a paste of mud on Ganesh’s body.

On Bhadrapad Shukla Chaturthi* the writing commenced and ended on Anant Chaturdashi*.

At the end of the writing on Anant Chaturdashi, Maharishi Vyas observed that lord Ganesh’s body temperature had risen and
hence he immersed Ganesh in water to cool him down and wash off the mud.

All through the ten days Maharishi Vyas offered lord Ganesh the best of foods {Naivaidhya} and prayed.

Thus started the practice of *GANESH FESTIVAL,*

bringing lord Ganesh’s idol home,
making him ‘sit’,
offering him the best of foods and

on the

tenth day, immersing the idols.

* dates as per the Hindu calendar.

Buddha Quotes

               

60 Buddhist Quotes

1. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” –Buddha

2. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha

3. “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – Buddha

4. “In the end these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?” – Buddha

5. “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” – Buddha

6. “Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” – Buddha

7. “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha

8. “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

9. “If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.” – Buddha

10. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha

11. “There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.” – Buddha

12. “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” – Buddha

13. “How many ever holy words you read, how many ever you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?” – Buddha

14. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” – Buddha

15. “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

16. “To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

17. “To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.” – Buddha

18. “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha

19. “Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it” – Buddha

20. “You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha

21. “Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” – Buddha

22. “When you dig a well, there’s no sign of water until you reach it, only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. You have removed enough; soon the pure water will flow.” – Buddha

23. “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” – Buddha

24. “You only lose what you cling to.” – Buddha

25. “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”

26. “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” – Buddha

27. “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” – Buddha

28. “Doubt everything. Find your own light.” – Buddha

29. “The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.” – Buddha

30. “Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” – Buddha

31. “A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.” – Buddha

32. “Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.” –Buddha

33. “In a controversy, the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.” – Buddha

34. “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” – Buddha

35. “There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.” – Buddha

36. “All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If the mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?” – Buddha

37. “Purity or impurity depends on oneself, No one can purify another.” – Buddha

38. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” –Buddha

39. “True love is born from understanding.” – Buddha

40. “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others” – Buddha

41. “You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.” – Buddha

42. “There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.” – Buddha

43. “If your compassion does not include yourself it is incomplete.” – Buddha

44. “Pain is certain, suffering is optional.” – Buddha

45. “Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.” – Buddha

46. “To understand everything is to forgive everything” – Buddha

47. “An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” – Buddha

48. “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” – Buddha

49. “Patience is key. Remember: A jug fills drop by drop.” – Buddha

50. “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” – Buddha

51. “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – Buddha

52. “A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.” – Buddha

53. “Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.” – Buddha

54. “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.” – Buddha

55. “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” – Buddha

56. “In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” – Buddha

57. “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” – Buddha

58. “The darkest night is ignorance” – Buddha

59. “I never see what has been done, I only see what remains to be done.” – Buddha

60. “Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.” – Buddha

Sourced from http://addicted2success.com/quotes/the-top-60-buddha-quotes/