True Wealth

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how the poor people live so he could be thankful for his wealth. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh yeah” said the son. “So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.” “We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.” “Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.” “We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.” “We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.” “We buy our food, but they grow theirs.” “We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.” With this the boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are.

Sand and Stone

John and James were best friends. They fight for many reasons and but never gave up their friendship. They went in search of a job and visited many places to earn more money. They passed through various places, villages, towns, forests, beaches, and were supporting each other all the way through out their journey. One day they reached a desert and they had a very little food and water. John told James to eat half the quantity of food and then once they get very tired and feel like they cannot make a step they can eat another half and save water for the late. However, James disagreed. He wanted to drink water as he was very thirsty. They quarrelled among each other to have water. John slapped James and they walked in silent. They decided to have food and continue their journey. James wrote in sand, ‘My best friend slapped me!’ They shared the meagre amount of food and water and finally reached an oasis. They were very tired after passing through the dry and hot desert. James was so happy to see the oasis and had a lot of fun in the water. While they both were bathing, James was a bit careless and began to drown. John rushed to him and saved James. James hugged his friend and thanked him. They had a little nap and decided to leave the place. They were about to leave and James carved something on the rock. It was ‘My best friend saved my life!’ John asked ‘why you were marking all these here James?’ James replied, ‘You slapped me, I wrote in sand. It was definitely not good. However, if you go and see the sand you can find no letter wrote on the sand. Now I carved the good thing on the stone, and it will remain forever!’ We have to forget the bad things done to us and engrave the good things in the stone.

Strong Or Weak

There was a proud teak tree in the forest. He was tall and strong. There was a small herb next to the tree. The teak tree said, “I am very handsome and strong. No one can defeat me”. Hearing this the herb replied, “Dear friend, too much pride is harmful. Even the strong will fall one day”. The teak ignored the herb’s words. He continued to praise himself. A strong wind blew. The teak stood firmly. Even when it rained, the teak stood strong by spreading its leaves. At the same time, the herb bowed low. The teak made fun of the herb. One day there was a storm in the forest. The herb bowed low. As usual the teak did not want to bow. The storm kept growing stronger. The teak could no longer bear it. He felt his strength giving way. He fell down. This was the end of the proud tree. When everything was calm the herb stood straight. He looked around. He saw the proud teak had fallen.

Friends

Bunny rabbit lived in the forest. He had many friends. He was proud of his friends. One day Bunny rabbit heard the loud barking of the wild dogs. He was very scared. He decided to ask for help. He quickly went to his friend deer. He said: “Dear friend, some wild dogs are chasing me. Can you chase them away with your sharp antlers?” Dear said: “That is right, I can. But now I am busy. Why don’t you ask bear for help?” Bunny rabbit ran to the bear. “My dear friend you are very strong, please help me. Some wild dogs are after me. Please chase them away,” he requested the bear. Bear replied: “I am sorry. I am hungry and tired. I need to find some food. Please ask the monkey for help”. Poor Bunny went to the monkey, elephant, goat and all his friends. Bunny felt sad that nobody was ready to help him. He understood that he has to think of a way out. He hid under a bush. He lay still the wild dogs went their way.

The Goose with the Golden Eggs

Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough. They imagined that if the bird must be able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird. However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose! MORAL: THINK BEFORE YOU ACT

The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King!" cried the little Mouse, "Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, but I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Sometime later a few hunters captured the King and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse, very happy to help the Lion. MORAL: Little friends may prove great friends.

The Banker and The Pauper

Once upon a time there lived a pauper and a banker. The first was as poor as the second was rich. So it was inevitable that the rich man will be happier than the pauper. But their natures were opposite, for the poor man was happy whereas the banker was not. The banker was annoyed of the fact that while he tossed and turned in his bed at night, the pauper slept peacefully and always awoke rested and full of energy. One day the banker could stand it no longer. He decided to find out why the pauper was a happy man inspite of his poverty. So he summoned him to his house and asked him his yearly income because he believed that happiness could only be measured in terms of wealth. "I don't count too well, nor do I really care. I live each day as it comes and never worry about the next." "Well, then, just tell me how much you earn in one day," insisted the rich man. "I earn what I need. And even that would be too much were it not for all the Sundays and holidays when I must close my shop." The banker liked the pauper. He wished to thank him for coming to his house, so he presented the poor man with a bag of hundred gold coins. Now, to the pauper these coins, which meant so little to the banker, seemed a great fortune. He decided to hide the bag, so that he would have the money if ever he should need it. So, when he returned to his house, he dug a big hole in a secluded corner of the garden, threw the bag into it, and covered it with dirt. But from that day on, the poor man's life changed- he began to worry about the safety of his money. Every night he slept a little less, and each time he heard the slightest sound, he became anxious about the safety of his coins. Finally, he could bear his unhappiness no longer. He went to the garden, dug up the coins and returned them to the banker. The pauper had learned an important lesson, and so has the banker.

The Donkey and The Little Dog

A man had a little dog, and he was very fond of it. He would pat its head, and take it on his knee, and talk to it. Then he would give it little bits of food from his own plate.

A donkey looked in at the window and saw the man and the dog.

"Why does he not make a pet of me?" said the donkey.

"It is not fair. I work hard, and the dog only wags its tail, and barks, and jumps on its master's knee. It is not fair."

Then the donkey said to himself, "If I do what the dog does, he may make a pet of me."

So the donkey ran into the room. It brayed as loudly as it could. It wagged its tail so hard that it knocked over a jar on the table. Then it tried to jump on to its master's knee.

The master thought the donkey was mad, and he shouted, "Help! Help!" Men came running in with sticks, and they beat the donkey till it ran out of the house, and they drove it back to the field.

"I only did what the dog does," said the donkey," and yet they make a pet of the dog, and they beat me with sticks. It is not fair."

The Crooked Hyena

In a thick bamboo jungle, two young pandas had started their new life. Both of them were very cute and chubby. They were born only a few days ago. Their mother had lovingly christened them Jackie and Mickey.

Jackie and Mickey were pretty young and weak. They were not even big enough to take care of themselves. Therefore their mother said, "Kids, you are growing now, you should be able to differentiate between a friend and a foe."

"Mother, who are friends and foes?" asked Jackie and Mickey.

"One who helps us and stands by us in all our odds is our friend. And one who harms us, kills innocent animals and birds, is our enemy. Do you understand anything?" asked their mother.

"Yes mother, we do understand. We will maintain a safe distance from our enemies and not even let them come near us, "Jackie and Mickey assured their mother.

"Good, my children. I was expecting the same understanding from both of you. Now I can leave you alone as you have grown wise, "said their mother and she gave her children a hug.

The next day Mother Panda went to visit her sister. She left Jackie and Mickey alone and went away.

All this while a Hyena was keeping an evil eye on Jackie and Mickey. He was looking for a right opportunity for the past few days. The Hyena's mouth watered when he saw the young and chubby pandas. With their mother away, the Hyena found that much-awaited opportunity.

The Hyena came near the bamboo and said, "Hello friends, what are you doing on the bamboo. Come near me, I will sing you a song and take you both for a jungle-ride."

The pandas were surprised to hear the Hyena. On seeing the dangerous -looking Hyena down-below, Jackie whispered, "This cannot be our friend. He has a big teeth. Our mother had asked us to stay away from enemies. We have to be careful and don't have to go near the Hyena.

On hearing what Jackie had to say, Mickey cried aloud, "You wicked Hyena ,you are our enemy, you want to eat us to satisfy your hunger. We will never get down."

"Are you out of your mind? Believe me I am not your enemy, I am your friend, "the Hyena tried to convince the young pandas.

Mickey heard the Hyena and understood clearly that his intentions were not correct. He thought, "This devil will not leave us peacefully. We have to think about some other trick to get rid of him for some time."

Suddenly his eyes fell on the bamboo and he said, "Our mother had advised us not to make friends with anybody till flowers bloomed on the bamboo. So you will have to wait till the bamboo flowers."

"All right then, I will wait. All the young children should obey their mothers, "said the crooked Hyena grimacing.

The Hyena realized that his luring the young pandas had back-fired. Totally dejected, he went away. Jackie and Mickey heaved a sigh of relief as the Hyena went away. They once again got busy eating fresh soft leaves of bamboo.

The flowers bloomed on the bamboo within a week's time.

The Hyena's happiness knew no bounds and he said aloud to himself, "Wonderful, flowers on the bamboo have brought me good luck. Now both the young pandas have to be friends with me. I will lure them away and feast on them."

The Hyena once again came to the pandas and said, "Now the flowers have bloomed on the bamboo. Hurry up and get down to shake hands with me."

Mickey was very upset and was at his wit's end as to how to get rid of the beast this time. Jackie however, was least afraid of the Hyena. He was busy sharpening a thick bamboo pointed at both its ends. When the bamboo became pointed, he hurled it towards the Hyena.

He pointed towards the pointed bamboo and said, "We can become friends only when you put the bamboo in your mouth and jump from that cliff."

The flabbergasted Hyena asked, "But why should I jump with bamboo in my mouth? Can't we become friends without this exercise?"

"Absolutely not. Our mother had said that if the Hyena does not jump with the bamboo in his mouth ,we should not be friends with him. If you have to be our friend then you have to do as I say", said Jackie very seriously.

The Hyena became thoughtful. He was thoroughly trapped in Jackey's trap. If he refused to do what was being told, he had to retreat. Finally, under compulsion he decided to jump with the bamboo in his mouth.

Despite his reluctance, the Hyena inserted the pointed end of the bamboo in his mouth and climbed the cliff and jumped.

The moment he landed on the ground, the Hyena shouted loudly in pain, "Oh my God! I am dead. The bamboo has pierced through my neck."

The panda brothers jumped with joy. Meanwhile the Mother Panda had also returned after visiting her sister. She saw the Hyena writhing in pain. Jackey and Mickey told her everything. When she came to know everything, she applauded her sons and said, "Well done, you have proved that both of you are brave and intelligent and can defend yourself from prying enemies."

The Hyena, with the bamboo stuck in his mouth, was in a really bad shape. He ran away as fast as he could and was never seen in the jungle again.

The Ass's Shadow

A man hired an ass from another man. He paid him two shillings to lend him the ass for the day.

It was a very hot day, and both men wanted to stand in the ass's shadow, so that they might be cool. But there was only room for one of them.

"Go away," said the man who had hired the ass. "Go away! It is my shadow today. I have hired the ass."
" You hired the ass," said the owner," but you did not hire his shadow. It is my shadow."

They went on, the hirer saying one thing and the owner saying the other. Then they began to fight, and while they were fighting one of them happened to hit the ass. Then the ass ran away. And it took its shadow with it !

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

by A. B. Mitford (Tales of Old Japan)

Once upon a time there lived a little old man and a little old woman. The little old man had a kind heart, and he kept a young sparrow, which he cared for tenderly. Every morning it used to sing at the door of his house.

Now, the little old woman was a cross old thing, and one day when she was going to starch her linen, the sparrow pecked at her paste. Then she flew into a great rage and cut the sparrow's tongue and let the bird fly away.

When the little old man came home from the hills, where he had been chopping wood, he found the sparrow gone.

"Where is my little sparrow?" asked he.

"It pecked at my starching-paste," answered the little old woman, "so I cut its evil tongue and let it fly away."

"Alas! Alas!" cried the little old man. "Poor thing! Poor thing! Poor little tongue-cut sparrow! Where is your home now?"

And then he wandered far and wide seeking his pet and crying,

"Mr. Sparrow, Mr. Sparrow, where are you living?"

And he wandered on and on, over mountain and valley, and dale and river, until one day at the foot of a certain mountain he met the lost bird. The little old man was filled with joy and the sparrow welcomed him with its sweetest song.

It led the little old man to its nest-house, introduced him to its wife and small sparrows, and set before him all sorts of good things to eat and drink.

"Please partake of our humble fare," sang the sparrow, "poor as it is, you are welcome."

"What a polite sparrow," answered the little old man, and he stayed for a long time as the bird's guest. At last one day the little old man said that he must take his leave and return home.

"Wait a bit," said the sparrow.

And it went into the house and brought out two wicker baskets. One was very heavy and the other light.

"Take the one you wish," said the sparrow, "and good fortune go with you."

"I am very feeble," answered the little old man, "so I will take the light one."

He thanked the sparrow, and, shouldering the basket, said good-bye. Then he trudged off leaving the sparrow family sad and lonely.

When he reached home the little old woman was very angry, and began to scold him, saying,

"Well, and pray where have you been all these days? A pretty thing, indeed, for you to be gadding about like this!"

"Oh," he replied, "I have been on a visit to the tongue-cut sparrow, and when I came away it gave me this wicker basket as a parting gift."

Then they opened the basket to see what was inside, and lo and behold! it was full of gold, silver, and other precious things!

The little old woman was as greedy as she was cross, and when she saw all the riches spread before her, she could not contain herself for joy.

"Ho! Ho!" cried she. "Now I'll go and call on the sparrow, and get a pretty present, too!"

She asked the old man the way to the sparrow's house and set forth on her journey. And she wandered on and on over mountain and valley, and dale and river, until at last she saw the tongue-cut sparrow.

"Well met, well met, Mr. Sparrow," cried she. "I have been looking forward with much pleasure to seeing you." And then she tried to flatter it with soft, sweet words.

So the bird had to invite her to its nest-house, but it did not feast her nor say anything about a parting gift. At last the little old woman had to go, and she asked for something to carry with her to remember the visit by. The sparrow, as before, brought out two wicker baskets. One was very heavy and the other light.

The greedy little old woman, choosing the heavy one, carried it off with her.

She hurried home as fast as she was able, and closing her doors and windows so that no one might see, opened the basket. And, lo and behold! out jumped all sorts of wicked hobgoblins and imps, and they scratched and pinched her to death.

As for the little old man he adopted a son, and his family grew rich and prosperous.

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child's future.
Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, ... and those you love, ... today, and everyday!

A Box Full of Kisses

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

CROOKED JACKAL

Long ago, there lived a crooked jackal named 'Sam' in a forest. He had no friends as he behaved like a crooked animal. Even animal of his gene like fox, dog, wolf did not mingle with him. They all avoided the jackal.
During the night, he terrorized other animals in the forest by howling loudly. In the calm, serene atmosphere the howling of 'Sam' became a nuisance. The little animals used to carve into their burrows as soon as the jackal produces the ugly sound. It was pure sadism, which followed the wicked animal. 'No, other animal in this jungle can howl louder than me, my mere voice will horrify all other animals', he added.
The harassment of the jackal continued un-abated. Unfortunately, none of the animals in the forest dared to ask 'Sam' to stop this menace. The pressure tactics of the jackal, to bewilder the animals, took a quiver turn one day. He got a mask of the giant animal dinosaur, left out by a group of tourists. After adorning the mask, the jackal shouted at other animals, 'Look, now onwards I am a dinosaur, with the strength and courage, I can sabotage the entire universe'. I will walk always wearing this mask, he announced.
The little animals shivered and frightened. They could not withstand the extent of damage to be caused by a dinosaur. The 'Sam' ruled the jungle like a king adorning the mask of a dinosaur. Days passed, One day the jackal in an inebriated condition traveled to the remote corner of the forest. He was alone. He could not howl, suddenly a huge rock like creature came in front of him. The jackal could not believe his eyes. It was a dinosaur. He was not at all a match for the real dinosaur. He had heard about these giant animals, which lived on the earth, centuries ago. Sam tried to howl loudly for help, but was in vain. The real dinosaur crushed the jackal under his feet and walked away.

Naaman The Leper

Naaman was the captain of the host of King of Syria.  He was a great and honourable man but he had a disease called Leprosy.  The little maid that served Naaman's wife told her if her master, Naaman, was with the prophet in Samaria, he would be healed.  So the King of Syria sent Naaman, along with a letter to the King of Israel.  When the King of Israel received the letter, he tore his clothes.  The King was upset because he knew that he could not heal Naaman.  When Elisha(a man of God) heard that the King of Israel was so upset, he told him to let Naaman come to him.

So Naaman went to Elisha's door, and Elisha sent out a messenger to tell Naaman to go and dip in the Jordan River seven times, and he would be healed.  Naaman was very angry because Elisha did not come out himself and heal him right there.  Naaman wanted to dip in some of the other rivers that were cleaner then the Jordan River.  Therefore, he went away
very mad.  His servants told him that if he had been asked to do some great thing, would he not have done it?  So he wnet and dipped in the Jordan River according to what the man of God had told him, and he was healed.

 *****The Lesson behind this story*****
It had nothing to do with the water that healed Naaman, but the obedience to God that made him well.