DETERMINATION

To persevere is always a reflection of the state of one’s inner life, one’s philosophy and one’s perspective.”

- David Guterson Snow in Falling on Cedars.

Conversation of Johnny and Mamma after having observed Fr Bartholomew Dassano.

 Johnny Bosco: “If I were a priest, I should always be in the midst of the children – calling them around me – making them love me. In their ears I would whisper a word of good advice: my whole life would be consecrated to them. Oh, how I wish I could have the consolation of speaking, if only for a few minutes, with the Parish Priest. I want him to give me just one good though; one little piece of advice. It surely could not take him more than a minute.

Mamma: “Don’t you see that he’s got sermons to preach, confessions to hear and all the others cares of the parish on his shoulders?”

Johnny Bosco: “I know all this, but surely we, boys, are also of his flock.”

Mamma: “Yes, indeed you are, but he has no time to waste on you.”

Johnny Bosco: “Then was Jesus losing time when He called the little ones to His saying, ‘Allow little children come to Me. “When I am a priest you will see that I will give myself up entirely to the children. You will not see me walking about with a serious face. But I will hasten to them and be always the first to speak to them.”

Rest of the story we all know how Johnny Bosco moves along and becomes a priest who gives his life for the poor and abandoned youth. He is able to pave the way to fulfill his dream and determination. He is ever ready to die for his boys. His motto “Give me souls, take away the rest”, summarizes his determination and the words he uttered when he had a bad experience with Fr Dassano his parish priest then.

Don Bosco did not allow the incident to go off like that but he made a firm determination that he will not be like Fr Dassano. He made use of this bad experience into something enriching for himself.

Dear friends, are we able to enrich ourselves when we come across any bad experiences in our lives? How determined are we? Have we thought of becoming someone especial? Do you want to float on the river bank or do you want to swim against the current?

Remember, the words of Abraham Lincoln;

  “Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.”

TIME IS EVERYTHING IN LIFE,

 MAKE THE BEST USE OF IT

Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it all is possible; without it, nothing. The supply of time is truly a daily miracle, and affair genuinely astonishing when one examine it. You wake up in the morning, and lo! Your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of the unmanufactured tissues of the universe of your life! It is yours. It is the most precious of possessions…No one can take it form you. It is unstealable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.

In the realm of time there is no aristocracy of wealth, and no aristocracy of intellect. Genius is never rewarded by even an extra hour a day. And there is no punishment. Waste your infinitely precious commodity as much as you will, and the supply will never be withheld form you… Moreover, you cannot draw on the future. Impossible to get waste to-morrow; it is kept for you. You cannot waste the nest hour; it is kept for you.

- Arnold Bennett

Dear friends how do we make use of our time? Do we make use of it or do we waste it? Today let's make use of it to the full capacity. 

The Praying Hands

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer, the Elder's, children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one -- no one - - ever makes it alone!

Remember to sincerely thank those who have helped you to get where you are!

Source: www.astrogemswww.astrogems.com/stories.php.com/stories.php

I was 20 and had just finished my first degree when I aksed my father's advice on how to approach the world of work. He had a long and distinguished career in the Indian Army and rose to become commander-in-chief of a million men. He was a soldier's soldier and his men adored him. His manner was strict and firm, but he was very friendly. He appreciated and trusted people and gave then freedom.

"Come and see me in my office if you want to talk to me about work" he said. So I made an appointment with his ADC and went to see him. He had a huge office and I felt very small.

"You are starting out and you will be given a lot of tasks to fulfill" he said. "The first thing is always to do something to the best of your ability. Then the second time you do it, give it that little bit extra". What he was saying was: "Take the initiative; be innovative; be creative. Always go the extra mile."

Source: Karan Bilimoria, founder and chief executive of Cobra Beer, speaking to Sheridan Winn for "Business Life".

Dear friends, even in the Gospel we come across Jesus telling His disciples to go an extra mile if somebody ask them to go with them."If someone takes your coat, give him your cloak as well; if he makes you go a mile with him, go with him two." [Mathew]  It is always good to put our energy and strength or heart fully into what we do. We can do better if we put a bit extra effort from our side. So today let's "Take the initiative; be innovative; be creative. Always go the extra mile."

Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be.  -Mandino, Og

---

THE BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN ON TIME MANAGEMENT

Charles M. Schwab, who transformed Bethlehem Steel Company into the largest indendent steel producer in the world in the world, once issued a challenge over the dinner table to a management consultant name Ivy Lee: “Show me a way to get more things done with my time and I’ll pay you any fee within reason.” Lee handed him a pad of blank paper.

“Each evening write down the things you have to do tomorrow, he said, “and number them in order of importance. First thing in the morning start working on item one and two…then the same with three…then four. Don’t be worried if you haven’t finished them all, if you can’t do it by this method you can’t do it by any other. Use this system every day.” Shortly afterwards Schwab sent Lee a cheque for $25, 000. He said later that it was the most profitable lesson he had ever learnt in his business career.

-John Adair

Hey! friends how do you manage your time? Do you plan ahead or do you do the things as they come your way? It is good that we need to plan our time ahead and if we do so we will save lot of time and will achieve many things within a short span of time. Let's try to plan our day, week and months ahead of time. If you do so you will see what you can achieve and how much time you will have in your hand.  

Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you don’t let other people spend it for you.
~ John Dryden

REST IF YOU MUST, BUT DON’T YOU QUIT

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns.

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow-

You may succeed with another blow!

Success is failure turned inside out-

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell just how close you are.

If may be near when it seems so far.

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Every bucket counts

One day, having learned that the King of Fez was hunting lions in the neighbourhood, they decided to invite him and his court, and killed a number of sheep in his honour. The sovereign had dinner and went to bed. Wishing to show their generosity, they placed a huge goatskin bottle before his door and agreed to fill it up with milk for the royal breakfast.

The villagers all had to milk their goats and then each of them had to tip his bucket into the container. Given its great size, each of them said to himself that he might just as well dilute his milk with a good quantity of water without anyone noticing.

To the extent that, in the morning, such a thin liquid was poured out for the king and his court that it had no taste than the taste of meanness and greed.

Source: "Leo The African" by Amin Maalouf

Dear friends, at times we too think like the villagers. We do stay, work with lots of people in our offices, schools and communities. When times comes to share or to be generous we tend to be like the villagers saying to ourselves, 'who will notice if I do not give my best'. Every individual makes a difference in one's life and every individual counts much in the community or society. Their share and contribution counts a lot. If one does not do his/her part the whole community suffers and as a consequence all the members suffer. Remember we are called to be sharers of God's love and mercy. We are called to be generous. We need to share what we can afford and remember God loves a cheerful giver. So let's not be selfish today and give what we can to others. Let's be sincere and generous. Every bucket counts and every generous act matters.