IF
and WHEN were friends. Every week
they met and had lunch. Their conversation usually
centered on all the things they were going to
achieve. They both had many dreams and they loved
to talk about them.
This particular
Saturday when they met, WHEN sensed that IF was not in a great mood. As
usual they sat at the table reserved for them
and ordered their lunch.
Once they placed
their order, WHEN questioned IF. "IF what is wrong with you? You
don't seem your usual cheery self?"
IF
looked at WHEN and replied, "I'm not sure, I
just don't feel like I am making any progress.
This last week I
saw a course I wanted to take if only I had the
time to take it."
WHEN
knew exactly how IF felt. "Yeah," replied WHEN,
"I too saw a course and I am going to register
when I get enough money together." WHEN
then said, "well what about that new job you
were going to apply for.
You were so
excited about it last week, did you apply?"
IF
responded, "If my computer didn't break down
last week, I would have applied. But, my
computer is not working, so I could not type my
resume."
"Don't worry about
it IF, when you are ready another job
will come through. I have been thinking about
looking for another job also, but I will wait
and when the weather gets nicer I will look
then.
" WHEN then went on to tell IF
about his week, hoping that it would cheer him
up a bit.
The man at the next
table couldn't help overhear WHEN and IF.
They both were
talking about when this and if that, finally he
couldn't take it anymore. "Excuse me gentlemen,"
the man said.
IF
and WHEN both looked at the man and
wondered what he wanted. The man continued, "I'm
sorry, but I couldn't help hearing your
conversation.
I think I
know how you could solve your problems."
IF
smiled and thought, how could a complete
stranger know how to solve all of their
problems. If only he knew.
When he realized
the challenges they faced there was no way he
could solve their problems! Curious, IF
asked the gentleman, "How do you think you can
solve our problems?"
The gentleman
smiled and said, "You only need listen to
yourselves. It reminds me of an old proverb: 'If
and When were planted, and Nothing
grew'."
IF
and WHEN looked puzzled. The gentleman
smiled and said, "Start counting how many times
you use the words 'if' and 'when'.
Rather than
thinking 'if and when', start doing, take
action, stop talking about 'if and when'."
IF
and WHEN both looked surprised, and
suddenly realized that what the gentleman had
said was so true.
Both of them were
guilty of thinking, acting and living their life
for the "ifs and whens". The gentleman left and
IF
and WHEN's conversation changed.
They made a pact
that when they met for lunch next week, there
would be no "ifs and whens"; they would only
talk about what they accomplished!
For as long as I can remember, my
aunt had stained glass hanging in her window.
She had pieces from all over the
world, each one hand crafted by a stained glass
artist.
She loved them all, but there was one piece that
hung in her kitchen window and she often
referred to it as her "motivational stained
glass".
She told me that she hung this
particular piece in her kitchen window where she
would see it every day.
The stained glass piece, which she was referring
to, was a rainbow.
And on the rainbow someone
had written the saying: "Remember, to make
rainbows you need sun and rain."
The motivational stained glass piece was one of
the smaller pieces of her wonderful collection,
and was not particularly well done.
I asked her why she kept it
there.
She said it gave her
motivation on days when life presented
challenges.
It reminded her that we need
to have some bad times to appreciate the good
times.
And, on the days when life
was good, it always reminded her that life
doesn't get any better than this.
I was at our local farmers market and found a
stained glass rainbow similar to the one my aunt
had hanging in her window.
The one I bought did not have the
saying on it; but every time I look at it I can
remember my aunt's words and the saying,
"To make rainbows you need sun
and rain."
The Mouse Trap
--
Author Unknown
A mouse looked through the crack in
the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
What food might this contain, the
mouse wondered.
He was devastated to discover
it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard,
the mouse proclaimed the warning, "There is a
mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in
the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched,
raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell
this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no
consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and
told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said, "I
am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is
nothing I can do about it but pray.
Be assured you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow and
said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There
is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm
sorry for you, but it's no skin off my
nose."
So, the mouse returned to the
house, head down and dejected, to face the
farmer's mousetrap alone.
That very night a sound was heard
throughout the house -- like the sound of a
mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see
what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not
see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap
had caught.
The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the
hospital, and she returned home with a
fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his
hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main
ingredient.
But his wife's sickness continued,
so friends and neighbors came to sit with her
around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered
the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she
died.
So many people came for her
funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to
provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from
his crack in the wall with great sadness.
