Collection Of Spiritual Short Stories

Collection of spiritual short story From www.spiritual-short-story.com

 

A Ba ag of Nails s Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn There once e was a young boy with a veryy bad temper. The boy's fathe er wanted to te each him a lessson, so he gave e him a bag of na ails and told him m that every tim me he lost his temper t he musst hammer a na ail into their wooden fence. On the firstt day of this les sson, the little boy b had driven 37 nails into th he fence. He was w really mad! Over the co ourse of the ne ext few weeks, the little boy be egan to control his temper, so o the number of o nails that were hammered d into the fence dramatically decreased. d It wasn't long before the little boy discovvered it was ea asier to hold hiss temper than to t drive those nails n into the fence. d finally came when the littlle boy didn't losse his temper even e once, and d he became so o proud of himself, Then, the day he couldn'tt wait to tell his father. Pleased, his father sugge ested that he no ow pull out one e nail for each day d that he cou uld hold his tem mper. eeks went by and the day fina ally came when n the young boyy was able to te ell his father th ha all the nails were w Several we gone. Very gentlyy, the father too ok his son by th he hand and le ed him to the fe ence. "You have done very well, my son," he smiled, s "but loo ok at the holes in the fence. The T fence will never n be the sa ame." The little bo oy listened carrefully as his fatther continued to speak. "When you u say things in anger, a they lea ave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how ma any times you say you're sorry, the wounds will still be therre."

 

A Fo ox an nd a Tiger T Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn One day a tiger was hun nting around in n a forest. An unlucky fox was met and ca aught by the tiger. For the fo ox, the inescapablle destination was w very clear -- death. Despite the danger, the fox though ht hard to find a way out. Promptly, the t fox declared to the tiger, "How " dare you kill me!" On hearing g the words th he tiger was su urprised and assked for the re eason" The foxx raised his vo oice a bit highe er and declared arrogantly: "To tell t you the trutth, it's I who wa as accredited by b God to the forest f as the kin ng of all the an nimals! If you kill me, m that will be against the Go od's will, you kn now?" Seeing tha at the tiger beca ame suspicionss, the fox adde ed: "Let's have a test. Let's go o through the fo orest. Follow me m and you will see e HOW THE ANIMALS A ARE FRIGHTENED D OF ME." The tiger agreed. So the fox walked ahead d of the tiger proudly p through h the forest. Ass you can ima agine, the anim mals, seeing the e tiger behind, we ere all terribly frightened f and ran away. Th hen the fox said proudly: "There is no doub bt that what I said s is true, isn't itt?" The tiger had h nothing to say s but to ackn nowledge the re esult. So the tig ger nodded and d said: "You are right. You are th he king."

 

 

A Glass of o Millk Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn One day, a poor boy who o was selling goods from doo or to door to pa ay his way through school, found he had on nly one thin dime le eft, and he was s hungry. He decided d he would as sk for a meal at a the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman w opened the e door. Instead of a meal he ask ked for a drink of water! She thought he loo oked hungry so o brought him a large glass of o milk. He drank itt so slowly, and d then asked, How H much do I owe you?" You don't owe o me anythin ng," she replied d. "Mother has taught us neve er to accept pa ay for a kindnesss." He said ... "Then I thank you y from my he eart." As Howard d Kelly left that house, he not only felt strong ger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong alsso. He had been ready r to give up and quit. Many year's later that sam me young wom man became critically ill. The local l doctors were w baffled. Th hey finally sent her to the big cityy, where they ca alled in speciallists to study he er rare disease e. Dr. Howard d Kelly was ca alled in for the consultation. c W When he heard d the name of the t town she came c from, a strange light filled his h eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the e hall of the hosspital to her roo om. n his doctor's go own he went in n to see her. He e recognized her at once. Dressed in He went back b to the con nsultation room m determined to t do his best to save her liffe. From that day d he gave special s attention to o her case. After a long g struggle, the battle was won n. Dr. Kelly re equested the business b office to pass the final bill to him fo or approval. He e looked at it, th hen wrote som mething on the edge, and the bill was w sent to her room. She feared to open itt, for she was sure s it would ta ake the rest of her h life to pay for itt all. Finally she e looked, and something s caught her attentio on on the side of the bill. She read these wo ords ... "Paid in full with one glass of milk" (Signed) Dr. D Howard Kelly.

A Most Im mporttant Quest Q tion Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn During my second month h of nursing sch hool, our professsor gave us a pop quiz. I wa as a conscientious student an nd had breezed through the ques stions, until I re ead the last one e: "What is th he first name off the woman wh ho cleans the school?" s Surely this was some kin nd of joke. I had d seen the clea aning woman several s times. She S was tall, darkhaired d and in her 50s, but ho ow would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving g the last questtion blank. Befo ore class ended, one student askked if the last question q would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutelyy," said the pro ofessor. "In your careers you u will meet many people. All are significantt. They deserve e your attention and care, even if all you do is smile s and say hello." I've nevver forgotten tha at lesson... I also learn ned her name was w Ruthie.

 

 

A Prrayer Away y Spirittual Sto ory by Glenys G s Cunnin ngham m The woman sat, watching g the people around her, feeling the pain of the child who o fell off his biccycle the tiredn ness of the old man who was slow wly making hiss way home. Sh he felt the joy of o the children playing together on the jungle gym and saw th he happiness of the young cou uple walking ha and in hand. Some glan nced her way as a they passed d the bench sh he was sitting on, o but they ne ever spared he er a thought. No N one noticed the e unshed tears in her eyes as she sat there watching and feeling. f So much pain p in the world d, so much hap ppiness and so o much loneline ess. So many people p doing so s many thingss, so involved in their own moments. m There e just wasn't space for thoug ghts of others. And as she e watched, her mind drifted to o another place e, another time. A time when she was like th hem -- wrapped d up in her own life e her own mise ery. Sometimess she wished she could return n to those dayss, and yet... Just then her h attention was w caught by a face she had dn't noticed in a long time. A face which re eflected contentment, joy, peace and love. Wiping away the remnants r of the e tears, she sto ood up and witth a final glancce into the pond next to the bencch, she headed toward the fallen f child, helped him up, wiped w his tearss, returned his smile and offe ered to help the old d man home with w his shoppin ng No, she did dn't want to return to the old days. Those were w the days when loneliness was unbearrable. Now, altthough still lonely for f human com mpany, she had d love in her he eart and comforrt was just a prayer away.

A Ra abbi and a a Ghost Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn It was New w Year's night, and the Rabbii was walking to t his home wh hen he met a shadowy s figure e. He was stunned to see that it was a man of o the city who o had recently died! "What are a you doing here?" the Ra abbi asked, "yo ou are supposed to t be dead." "Rabbi, you u know," replied the ghost, "th hat this is the night n when souls reincarnate on o earth. I am such a soul." "And why were w you sent back b again?" "I led a perrfectly blameles ss life here on earth," the dea ad man told him m. "And yet," remarked the Rabbi, R "you we ere forced to be e born here aga ain?" "Yes," said d the other, "when I passed on o I thought about everything I had done and a I found it so s good; I had d done everything just right. My heart h swelled with w pride, and just j then I died d. So I was sen nt back to pay for that." The figure disappeared and a the Rabbi, pondering, went on to his home. Shortly aftter, a son was born to his wife e. The child becam me Rabbi Wolff, who was an extremely e humble man.

 

 

A Re esolv ved Fiight Spirittual Sto ory by Amand A da Garb butt Shortly afte er reading A Course in Miracles for the first time, I was sta anding on my balcony b and I saw s a fight bre eak out with my on ne son's friend and a boy who o didn't even livve here but had d lived in a building across fro om us. This bo oy was hurting my son's friend. I began to pray... At first it didn't work beca ause the boy was w still hurting g my son's friend and then I saw our Superrintendent's so on who had alwayss been a bully with my three e children. I pra ayed for him to o help out my son's friend bu ut to use his fiighting ways for a good purpose e, and to my su urprise, he wen nt over and helped my son's friend f by firmlyy squeezing the e back of the outsider's neck. As he did this t I prayed for no overly forcce but to use his fighting abilities for good... he let go and the outsider lefft. The moral of the story is that I taught someo one, through prrayer, how to use u his fighting abilities for good. It ended th he fight with just on ne grip of his ha and, as a resullt of my prayerss.

A Siimple e Truth Spirittual Sto ory by Osho O A great master was sitting on the sea ashore, on the e beach, and a man who wa as seeking forr truth came to o him, touched hiss feet and aske ed, "If I am nott disturbing you u, I would like to t do anything you suggest which w can help me to find the truth." The master simply closed d his eyes and remained silen nt. The man shook his head. He H said in his own o mind, "Thiis man seems to be b crazy. I am asking him a question q and he e is closing hiss eyes." He sho ook the man an nd said, "Whatt about my questio on?" The maste er said, "I answ wered it. Just sit silently... do on't do anythin ng, and the grrass grows by itself. You nee ed not bother abo out it—everythin ng will happen.. You just sit silently, enjoy sillence." The man said, "Can you give g it a name— —because peo ople will be askking me, "What are you doing? ?" So he wrotte on the sand with his finger:: meditation. The man said, "This is too o short an answ wer. Be a little more elaborate e." etters: MEDITA ATION. The master wrote in big le The man said, "But these e are simply big g letters. You are a writing the same s thing." aster said, "If I say more than that, then it will be wrong. If you can underrstand, then jusst do what I havve told The old ma you and yo ou will know."

 

 

A Sttory of o Sorrrow Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn The mall was w over-crowded, shoppers rushed r from sto ore to store Nobody pa aid attention as she crouched there on the floor. She didn't look in trouble and she didn't seem afraid Apparentlyy she stopped to rest, she did not need my aid. a A little girl of o 8 or 9 and cute as she cou uld be I wondered d, should I stop p and ask if she e needs help fro om me? I wondered d if her mother had just left he er there alone I thought, as a I walked by her, in my hastte to get back home. h As I left the e mall I could not n get her off my m mind Did that litttle girl need help? Was I just acting a blind? It bothered d me so much, I had to go bacck in the mall I have to get this settled in my mind oncce and for all. The mall began to close, I heard some chain c doors coming down oked the little girl g was no whe ere to be found.. But as I loo Is it my ima agination that again a is running g wild Thinking I had h lost my chance to help th his poor lost child. I guess she e must be fine or she would still s be sitting he ere I get way to oo emotional at a Christmas tim me each year. I had to lea ave and get bac ck home where e it is safe and warm The weather forecast for that night -- a chilling c winter storm. s Late that night it happene ed as the weath her station said d Frigid cold and heavy sno ow while I was snug in bed. In the morn ning I awoke to o winter's nastyy caper The only place I'd go thatt day was out to o get the paperr. Cozy in myy kitchen with my m news and cup of tea But as I saw the front pag ge, it just devassted me. On the fron nt page down below, b a little he eadline read "At the loca al shopping ma all a little girl found dead". It was 4 A.M. this morning g when police received r the ca all The caller said s "A little girrl was dead behind the mall". It was the chilling c elemen nts that broughtt her close to death d As she lay down she fell asleep a and bre eathed her final breath. I could not read the rest of o it as I began to weep pt safe a little girl g had frozen in her sleep. While I slep Many yearss have passed me now, but itt still haunts myy dreams Was the litttle girl they fou und the same one o I had seen? ? I can't forge et that little girl no matter how w I try But now wh hen someone seems s in need I never pass them by. The lesson n I have learned d from this wass difficult but tru ue. The last ch hance that som meone may havve could very well w be you.

 

 

A Us seles ss Life e Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A farmer got so old that he h couldn't worrk the fields anymore. So he would w spend th he day just sittiing on the porcch. His son, still wo orking the farm m, would look up from time to time and see his h father sitting g there. "He's of o no use any more," m the son tho ought to himsellf, "he doesn't do d anything!" One day th he son got so frustrated f by th his, that he built a wood coffin n, dragged it ovver to the porch, and told his father to get in. Without W saying anything, the father climbed d inside. After closing the lid d the son dragg ged the coffin to the edge of the e farm where there t was a hiigh cliff. As he approached the drop, he he eard a light tap pping on the lid d from inside the coffin. c He opened d it up. Still lyin ng there peace efully, the fathe er looked up at his son. "I kno ow you are goiing to throw me over the cliff, bu ut before you do o, may I sugge est something?" "What is it? ?" replied the son. s "Throw me e over the cliff, if you like," sa aid the father, "but save this good wood co offin... Your ch hildren might ne eed to use it."

And d May ybe No ot Spirittual Sto ory by Louis L S Szabo Sometimess, insights com me in unexpectted ways and that t is what ha appened to me e recently. I wa as quietly sittin ng in a bus when two t young wom men stepped in n and sat, one beside me and the other one in front of me e and to my le eft (this part of the bus had 4 sea ats, two seats were face to fa ace). The ladyy sitting beside me wore a ruccksack, and th he lady across movved seats so th hat the woman would have a place to put he er rucksack. The lady with w the rucksac ck then spoke up and said, "O Oh, I'm used to o it and I keep it with me in case c someone wants to sit here". The other one e responded " And maybe no ot." I wouldn't have h been morre surprised if I had a Buddhiist master facin ng me. That wa as the most su urprising insightt I had for a long time. t I discoverred suddenly th hat my inner ta alk with a dread dful tendency to t picture the worst w – you kno ow the little story you y keep telling g yourself – could be wrong (or at least a ne egative outcom me). And what if all that could be a big mista ake? And what if I didn't alwayys have to believe in it? I disccovered that all I had i a sim mple "and mayb be not." to do was introduce What a reliief...

Ang gel of Grass Spirittual Sto ory by Rose R B Benning gton An old lege end says that in the beginnin ng, when God created the wo orld, He gave every e living thing an angel to o bless and guard it - an angel fo or man, one fo or the birds, on ne for the beasts of the forestt one for the trrees, and one for f the flowers. c grass had an angel. But the angell of the grass was w not please ed. Humiliated, he said, "I willl have Even the common nothing to do with it. Thatt old, homely grass can grow by itself!" The season passed. The grass shrivele ed, the flowers died because the grass held no dew, the dee in the foressts and the cattle in n the fields died d because therre was no grasss. Then God turned His eye es upon the angel of the grasss and asked, "Was " it a smalll thing, or a gre eat thing that I asked thee to do? ?" In shame the t angel of the e grass fell at the Lord's feett and begged His H forgivenesss, for he saw now n the unsusp pected greatness of his seemingly lowly task.

Thanks to Malladi for sha aring this spiritu ual story!

 

 

Bea auty of o A Child's s Kiss s Spirittual Sto ory by Geetika G a Choprra I met Kumkum at a child dren's home in Delhi. It is a home h where children c who arre sick are pro ovided treatmen nt and care before e being sent to o some other orphanage. Kum mkum was 7 ye ears old, and a very brave so oul. Despite suffering from tubercculosis, I never saw her cryin ng. She had losst her parents to this terrible disease and was w herself stru uggling through it. aken instant likking for each other. o Every Saturday I would visit Kumkum m and play witth her. Upon meeting, we had ta She would d love to sit in n my lap. It was w one such moment that the child felt like kissing me... m and I sud ddenly remembere ed that she wa as suffering fro om tuberculosiss which is a co ommunicable disease. d I tried d to stop her but she really wantted to show he er affection forr me, so in tha at one instance e I overcame my m fear and lett her place the e most gentle, swe eetest kiss on my m cheek that I ever had. Although I overcame my fear at that moment, m I have not forgiven myself m for refussing her initiallyy. Although the e child kissed me, I think she sen nsed my relucttance because she has neverr kissed me again. I will neverr forget that the e most beautiful th hing in this world is a child's kiss... so full of love and innoccence.

Blin ndnes ss Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn There wass a blind girl who hated herse elf because sh he was blind. She S hated eve eryone, except her loving boyyfriend who was always there forr her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see theWorld, I will marry you u.' s dona ated a pair of eyes e to her. When W the band dages came offf, she was ablle to see everyything, One day, someone including her h boyfriend. He asked her,'Now h that you y can see th he world, will yo ou marry Me?' The girl looked at her boyfrie end and saw that he was blind. o his closed eyelids shocked d her. She had dn't expected th hat, and the thought of lookin ng at hem the rest of The sight of her life led Her to refuse to t marry him. Her boyfrie end left in tears s and days later wrote a note to her that said d: 'Take good d care of your eyes, e my dear, for before theyy Were yours, they t were mine e.'

Boy y and the Socce S r Gam me Spirittual Sto ory by Shiv S Kh hera Once there e lived a boy who w was very interested in football. f Along with his fathe er he would go o everyday go to the playing field. Both of them m would sit in different d places. Days passed by and the day of tournam ment was coming near, but the boy sudden nly stopped com ming to the gro ounds. appeared and asked a his coach to let him pla ay. Then after 15 days he unexpectedly rea Although th he coach was in i a dilema whether the boy could c play, he decided to let him h play. In facc, the team wo on as a result of the boy's signific cant contributions. Later, the coach c asked th he boy how he could perform so well in spite e of not practiciing a single dayy. The boy said d, "Coach, myy father was watching me." The coach was very clearly annoyed. The boy th hen continued, "Sir I used to daily d come with h my father but he was blind. I stopped playing because I knew he couldn'tt see me play. Recently my m father died, and now I know w that he can see s me from the abode of Go od."

 

 

Buillding Yourr Hom me Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn An elderly carpenter was s ready to retire. He told hiss employer-con ntractor of his plans to leave e the house-bu uilding business to o live a more leisurely life with his wife and d enjoy his extended family. He would misss the paycheckk each week, but he h wanted to re etire. They cou uld get by. The contra actor was sorry y to see his good worker go and a asked if he could build just one more house as a pe ersonal favor. The carpenter said d yes, but ove er time it was easy e to see th hat his heart was w not in his work. w He resorrted to shoddy wo orkmanship and d used inferior materials. It wa as an unfortuna ate way to end a dedicated ca areer. When the carpenter c finish hed his work, his h employer ca ame to inspect the house. Th hen he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, “T This is your hou use… my gift to you.”The carrpenter was sho ocked! What a sha ame! If he had only known he e was building his h own house,, he would have done it all so o differently.

Burden Spirittual Sto ory by Amir A Sa aleem He could hardly h walk. He was carrying an a unseen burd den. His feet we ere heavy, as if there were a million passag ges clung to hiss tired shoes. His H heart was heavy, as if a million sinful thoug ghts were stufffed into his inte entions. His eyyes were heavyy, as if a million n repentant tea ars flooded the e gates of his life. His hands werre heavy, as if holding a milliion page book of decaying deeds. d His head was heavy, as if a million evil plans were stu uck in his tomo orrow. His lips were w heavy, ass if a million com mplaints buzze ed in silence. With so mu uch burden — that t slowed down his speed to t redemption — he entered the t sacred placce God was waiting w for him since s long — th hey talked. When he came c out, he went away flying g.

Callling Card C Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Keichu, the e great Zen tea acher of the Me eiji era, was the e head of Tofuku, a cathedral in Kyoto. One e day the goverrnor of Kyoto calle ed upon him forr the first time. His attenda ant presented the t card of the governor, whicch read: Kitaga aki, Governor of o Kyoto. "I have no business with such s a fellow," said Keichu to o his attendant.. "Tell him to ge et out of here."" The attend dant carried the card back with w apologies. "That was myy error," said the governor, and a with a pen ncil he scratched out o the words Governor G of Kyyoto. "Ask yourr teacher again." "Oh, is thatt Kitagaki?" exc claimed the tea acher when he saw the card. "I want to see that fellow."

 

 

Con nfiden nce Le evel Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A man had d been on a lon ng flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: "Fasten your seat belts." Th hen, after a while, a calm voicce said, "We sh hall not be servving the bevera ages at this time ass we are expec cting a little turb bulence. Please be sure yourr seat belt is fasstened." As he lookked around the e aircraft, it be ecame obviouss that many of the passengers were beco oming apprehe ensive. Later, the voice of the announcer a said d, "We are so sorry that we are unable to o serve the me eal at this time e. The turbulence is still ahead of o us." And then the t storm brok ke. The omino ous cracks of thunder could be heard eve en above the roar of the en ngines. Lightening lit up the darke ening skies and d within moments that great plane p was like a cork tossed around a on a ce elestial e moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of airr; the next, it drropped as if it were about to crash. ocean. One The man confessed c that he shared the discomfort and d fear of those around a him. As he lookked around the e plane, he could see that nearly all the pa assengers werre upset and alarmed. a Some e were praying. Th he future seemed ominous an nd many were wondering w if th hey would make e it through the e storm. And then, he suddenly saw s a girl to wh hom the storm meant nothing g. She had tuccked her feet beneath b her ass she sat on he er seat and was re eading a book. Everything within her small world w was calm and orderly. Sometimess she closed her eyes, then she s would read d again; then she s would straighten her legss, but worry an nd fear were not in n her world. Wh hen the plane was w being bufffeted by the terrrible storm, wh hen it lurched this t way and th hat, as it rose and d fell with frigh htening severitty, when all the adults were scared half to o death, that marvelous m child was completelyy composed and unafraid. The man could c hardly believe b his eye es. It was nott surprising the erefore, that when w the plane e finally reach hed its destination n and all the pa assengers were e hurrying to disembark, he lin ngered to spea ak to the girl wh hom he had wa atched for such a long time. Hav ving commente ed about the sto orm and behavvior of the plan ne, he asked why she had not been afraid. The e sweet child re eplied: "Sir, my Da ad is the pilot and a he is taking g me home."

Cros ssing g the Water W r Spirittual Sto ory by Sri S Ram makrish hna A farmer's daughter duty y was to carry fresh f milk to cu ustomers in va arious villages had, h one of wh hom was a prie est. To reach his house, h the milk kmaid had to cross c a good-siized stream. People P crossed I by a sort of ferry raft, for a small fee. he priest, who performed wo orship daily witth the offering to God of fressh milk, finding g it arrived verry late, One day th scolded the e poor woman. "What can I do?" d she said, "I start out early from my ho ouse, but I have to wait a long time for the boa atman to come." Then the priest p said (pretending to be serious), s "Wha at! People have e even walked across the oce ean by repeating the name of God, G and you ca an't cross this little river?" Th his milkmaid took him very se eriously. From then on she brought the priest'ss milk punctually every mornin ng. He became e curious abou ut it and asked her how it wass that she was never late anymo ore. "I cross the e river repeating the name of the Lord," she replied, "just as a you told me to do, without waiting for the ferry." The priest didn't believe her, and aske ed, "Can you show s me this, how you crosss the river on foot?" So theyy went together to o the water an nd the milkmaid began to wa alk over it. Looking back, th he woman saw w that the priesst had started to follow f her and was w floundering in the water. "Sir!" she cried, c "You are uttering the na ame of God, ye et all the while you are holdin ng up your cloth hes from gettin ng wet. That is not trusting in God d!"

 

 

Digg ging a Welll Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A man wan nted to dig a well w to water hiss farm. After dig gging for some e time in a placce recommende ed by water-divviners, he found no water and go ot disgusted. He had dug onlyy about fifteen feet. f Along cam me another man n who laughed at him for digg ging there, and d pointed to an nother place. The T farmer wen nt over to that spo ot and dug and dug, for aboutt twenty feet. Still S no water, and a very tired, he finally took the advice of an old neighbor who w assured him m there was wa ater at yet anotther place After he ha ad given up tha at one too, his wife w came out and said, "Whe ere are your brrains? Does an nyone sink a we ell that way? Stay in one place and a go deeper and deeper there!" Next dayy, rested the farrmer spent all day on one ho ole and found abun ndant water.

Do Not N Questi Q ion th he Sea arch Spirittual Sto ory by Sri S Ram makrish hna A man wass about the cro oss a river, whe en master Bibh hishana came over, wrote a name n on a leaf, tied it to the man’s back, and said: s "Don’t be afraid. a Your faitth will help you walk on the waters. But the minute m you lose e faith, you will drown." The man trusted Bibhish hana, and bega an to walk on the t waters, witthout any difficculty. At a certain point, he had h an ming desire to know what his master m had writtten on the leaff tied to his bacck. overwhelm He took it and a read what was written: “Oh god Ra ama, help this man to cross the river.” “Is that all? ?” thought the man. m “And who o is this god Ra ama, anyway?” The mome ent this doubt became lodged in his mind, he e was submerg ged and drowne ed in the strong g current

Drag gonfly y Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Once, in a little pond, in the t muddy watter under the lily pads, there lived a little wa ater beetle in a community off water beetles. Th hey lived a simple and comforrtable life in the e pond with few w disturbances and interruptio ons. Once in a while, w sadness s would come to o the communiity when one off their fellow be eetles would climb the stem of o a lily pad and wo ould never be seen s again. Th hey knew when n this happened d; their friend was w dead, gone e forever. Then, one day, one little water beetle fe elt an irresistiblle urge to climb b up that stem. However, he was determine ed that n leave foreve er. He would co ome back and tell his friends what he had fo ound at the top. he would not When he reached r the top p and climbed out of the wate er onto the surrface of the lilyy pad, he was so s tired, and th he sun felt so warrm, that he decided he mustt take a nap. As A he slept, his body change ed and when he woke up, he h had turned into a beautiful blu ue-tailed dragon nfly with broad wings and a slender s body de esigned for flyin ng. So, fly he did! d And, as he e soared he saw w the beauty off a whole new world and a far superior way o life to what he h had never know wn existed. Then he re emembered his s beetle friendss and how theyy were thinking g by now he was w dead. He wanted w to go back b to tell them, and a explain to them that he was w now more e alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled f rather than n ended. But, his ne ew body would not go down in nto the water. He H could not ge et back to tell his h friends the good news. Th hen he understood d that their time e would come, when they, too o, would know what w he now knew. So, he raissed his wings and a flew off into o his joyous new w life!

 

 

Drea am Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn An old storry tells of a wom man who dream ms every night that she is beiing chased, thrroughout a big haunted house e, by a hulking mo onster. Night affter night, the hideous thing ru uns after her, its breath like accid on the backk of her neck... It all seemss so real... Finally one e night, the dre eam begins ag gain, but this tim me the beast corners c the po oor terrified woman, and just as it's about to tear her apart, th he woman findss her voice and d shrieks: "What are you! Why are you y chasing me e! What will you do to me!" At that, the e monster stop ps, straightens up, and with a puzzled expre ession, puts itss hands on its hips and says,, "How should I kn now? It's your dream." d

Drow wning g Man n Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn While out to t sea, a large boat became shipwrecked s an nd there was only o a single su urvivor. This ma an prayed and asked God to savve his life. Soon n thereafter, an nother boat cam me by and offered the man so ome help. "No thankss," he said. "I'm m waiting for Go od to save me."" The men on o the boat shrrugged their sh houlders and co ontinued. As th he man becam me more deeplyy concerned, another boat came by. Again, the people aboard d offered this man m some help, and agai he politely p decline. "I'm waiting fo or God to save me e," he said agaiin. After some e time, the ma an began to lose his faith, and soon after that he died. Upon reaching g Heaven, he had a chance to speak s with God d briefly. "Why did you y let me die? Why didn't you u answer my prayers?" "Dummy, I sent you two boats!" b w out fo or the best inte erests of our sp piritual evolutio on, even when we are too na arrowly The Univerrse is always watching focused to see all the other opportunitie es it presents uss. Sometimes, all that is need ded is a change e of perspectivve.

Exp pect An A Ans swer Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn As a droug ght continued for f what seeme ed an eternity, a small comm munity of farmerrs was in a qua andary as to what w to do. Rain was w important to o keep their cro ops healthy and d sustain the way w of life of the e townspeople.. As the prob blem became more m acute, a local pastor callled a prayer meeting m to ask for f rain. Many peop ple arrived. The pastor greetted most of the em as they file ed in. As he walked w to the frront of the chu urch to officially be egin the meetin ng he noticed most m people we ere chatting accross the aisless and socializing with friends. When he reached d the front his thoughts were on o quieting the e attendee and starting the me eeting. His eyes scanned the cro owd as he askked for quiet. He H noticed an eleven e year-old d girl sitting quietly in the fron nt row. Her face was w beaming with w excitementt. Next to her, poised and ready for use, was w a bright red d umbrella. Th he little girl's beautty and innocen nce made the pastor p smile ass he realized ho ow much faith she possessed d. No one else in the congregation had brought an umbrella. All came to o pray for rain, but the little girrl had come exxpecting God to o answer…

 

 

Foo otstep ps Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Deep in hiss slumber, one e night a man had a very rea al, yet surreal dream. d He dreamt that he wa as walking along the beach with h God. As he lo ooked up at the e sky, he saw all a the scenes of o his life flash by b along with tw wo sets of foottprints: one set forr himself, and another a for God d. After all th he scenes had d flashed befo ore him, he lo ooked back at those footprrints and noticced something g quite disturbing: At the most diffficult times in his h life, he saw w only one set of o footprints. This deeplyy troubled the man, so he turned and said to God: "You said s that if I folllowed you, the en you would always a walk with me m through thic ck and thin. In looking back, I see that durin ng the most pa ainful times the ere is only one set of footprints. Why W did you le eave me when I needed you the t most?" "I love you and would nev ver leave. It wa as during those e times when yo ou suffered the e most that I ca arried you." Though thiis was originally y a religious pa arable, it is also o one of great spiritual s depth even for the no on-religious. On ne need only replace r "God" with any word they use, be it "Allah," "Unive ersal Connecte edness," "Consciousness," "H Higher Self," or oth hers, to see tha at we are not alone, a and that there is an ene ergy that is alw ways looking ou ut for the best interests off our spiritual evolution. e

Frie ends in the Dese ert Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Two friends were walking g through the desert. d During some s point of the t journey, the ey had an argu ument and one friend e other one in the t face. The one o who got sla apped was hurrt, but without saying s anything g, wrote in the sand: s slapped the "Today myy best friend sla apped me in the e face." They kept on walking, un ntil they found an oasis, wherre they decided d to take a batth. The one wh ho had been slapped got stuck in n the mire and d started drown ning, but the friiend saved him m. After he reco overed from th he near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "Today myy best friend sav ved my life." The friend who had slapp ped and saved d his best friend asked him, "After " I hurt yo ou, you wrote in n the sand and d now, you write on o a stone, why y?" The friend replied, when n someone hurrts us we shou uld write it dow wn in sand, wh here the windss of forgivenesss can erase it aw way. But, when someone doess something go ood for us, we must engrave it in stone whe ere no wind can ever erase it."

Frog g and d the Scorp S pion Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn One day, a scorpion stoo od on the side of o a stream and d asked a frog to carry it to the other side. 'How do I know k you won'tt sting me?' the e frog asked. 'B Because if I stin ng you, I'll drow wn,' the scorpio on said. The frog th hought about it and realized that the scorp pion was right. So he put the e scorpion on his h back and started s ferrying him m. But midway across the strream, the scorp pion plunged its stinger into the frog's back.. As they both began to drown, the frog gasped d,'Why?' The scorpion replied, 'Because it is my nature.' Thanks to Ayaaki A O. for sharing s this sto ory!

 

 

God d As Mothe M er Spirittual Sto ory by Sri S Ram makrish hna There are some temples s where God is worshipped d as Mother. In one of thesse, in the state e of Bengal, She S is represente ed by a large stone s image. The T sculptor ha as carved in sttone his idea of o the Mother of o the Universe e, and many piouss people, findin ng it attractive and a inspiring, go g there to payy their respects or make offerings. One day an old monk wh ho used a cane e came into the e temple. Appro oaching the alttar he said, spe eaking aloud to o God, "Mother, you are said to o be God; tell me the truth: are you solid like stone — this image? Or O are you form mless, indescribab ble and imposs sible to touch?"" "Take yourr cane," the mo onk heard a so oft voice saying g, "and strike my m body on the e left side." He did and the ca ane hit the stone with w a clack. "N Now strike me from f the other side," She said d. When the ca ane reached the e sculpture it passed p right throug gh it as if it werre air.

Hold d My Hand d Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Once a littlle girl and her father were cro ossing a bridge e. The father was w kind of sca ared so he aske ed his little dau ughter, "Sweethea art , please hold d my hand so that you don’ ™t fall into the river." The little giirl said, "No, Da ad. You hold my m hand." "What’s the difference?" asked the puzzle father. "There’ ™s a big difference," replied th he little girl. "If I hold yo our hand and something s happ pens to me, ch hances are thatt I may let yourr hand go. But if you hold myy hand, I know for sure s that no ma atter what happ pens, you will never n let my ha and go."

Special tha anks to Sandee ep B. for sharin ng this spirituall story with us!

I Ca an Sle eep When W T Wind The W B Blows s Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Years ago a farmer owne ed land along the Atlantic se eacoast. He co onstantly adverrtised for hired hands. Most people p were relucctant to work on o farms along the Atlantic. They T dreaded the awful storrms that raged across the Attlantic, wreaking havoc h on the bu uildings and cro ops. As the farm mer interviewed d applicants fo or the job, he received r a stea ady stream of refusals. r Finallly, a short, thin n man, well past middle m age, app proached the farmer. f "Are yo ou a good farm m hand?" the fa armer asked him m. "Well, I can n sleep when the wind w blows," an nswered the litttle man. Althou ugh puzzled by this answer, th he farmer, desp perate for help, hired him. The little man m worked well around the fa arm, busy from m dawn to dusk,, and the farme er felt satisfied with the man'ss work. Then one night n the wind howled loudly in from offshorre. Jumping outt of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed r next door to t the hired han nd's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and a yelled, "Get up! A storm m is coming! Tie things down before they blow b away!" Th he little man rolled over in bed an nd said firmly, "No " sir. I told yo ou, I can sleep when the wind d blows." Enraged byy the response e, the farmer was w tempted to o fire him on the spot. Instead d, he hurried outside o to prepa are for the storm. To his amazem ment, he discovvered that all of the haystackss had been covvered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the ba arn, the chicke ens were in the e coops, and the t doors were e barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything E was s tied down. Nothing N could blow away. Th he farmer then n understood what w his hired d hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also o sleep while th he wind blew

 

 

Integrity and Marbl M es Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A boy and a girl were pla aying together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl g had some sweets s with he er. The boy told the e girl that he will w give her all his h marbles in exchange e for her h sweets. The e girl agreed. The boy ke ept the biggestt and the most beautiful marb ble aside and gave g the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised. ut the boy cou uldn't sleep ass he kept wond dering if the girl had hidden some That night,, the girl slept peacefully. Bu sweets from m him the way he had hidden n his best marb ble. Special tha anks to Dr. C P Giri Shankar for f sharing thiss spiritual story!!

Is Man M Frree Spirittual Sto ory by Osho O A man com mes to a maste er to ask how much man is independent, free. f Is he tota ally free, or is there t a limitation? Is there some ething like fate,, kismet, destin ny, a God who makes a limitation beyond wh hich you canno ot be free? The mysticc answered in his h own way - not n logically butt existentially. He H said, "Stand d up." The man must m have felt this was a stupid kind of answ wer, "I am askin ng a simple que estion and he is asking me to o stand up." But he e said, "Let us see s what happens." He stood d. And the mysttic said, "Now, raise e one of your le egs up." The man, by this time must m have bee en thinking he had come to a madman; what w has this to do with freedom, independence? But now that he has co ome... and therre must have been b a crowd of o disciples, an nd the mystic was w so respected; not to follow him would be disrespectful, and there wass no harm. So o he lifted one of his legs fro om the earth, so one foot was in the air and he was standing on o one foot. And then th he master said, "That's perfecctly good. Just one thing more e. Now take the other foot up p also." "That is im mpossible!" the e man said, "Y You are asking g something im mpossible. I ha ave taken my right foot up. Now I cannot take e my left foot up." u The maste er said, "But yo ou were free. In the beginnin ng you could have taken the left foot up. There was no binding b order. You were complete ely free to choo ose whether to o take the left fo oot up or the right foot up. I had h not said an nything about it; yo ou just decided. You took the right foot up. In your verry decision, you u made it impo ossible for the le eft foot to be liffted up. Don't bother b about fa ate kismet, God d. Just think of sim mple things."

Killiing Trruth Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn One day Mara, M who is the e ancient Budd dhist god of ign norance and evvil, was travellin ng through the villages of India with his attenda ants. Along the e way, he noticced a man doing a walking meditation. m The e man's face was w lit up in wonder. Apparentlyy, the man had just discovered d something on n the ground in n front of him. Mara's atte endants, noticin ng the glow em manating from the man, asked d Mara what it was w the man had h discovered. Mara replied, "He e has discoverred a piece of truth." "But evil on ne!" exclaimed one of his ento ourage, "Doesn n't this bother you y when some eone finds a piece of the truth h?" "No," said Mara. "I am no ot troubled in th he least." "But why not?"insisted his s attendants. "Because,"" replied Mara, chuckling, "Rig ght after they discover d some truth, they usually make a be elief out of it."

 

 

Life as a Jewe el Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn One aftern noon Guru Nan nak and his company were re esting on the banks b of the Gan nges at Patna. Mardana was idly inspecting a stone he e had picked up along the road d, thinking of th he vast throngs who had com me to G "Master," said Mardana, "you teach a way for every e hear the Guru. person to find f liberation. But many of th hose who listen n still seem to spend s much of th heir time in co onflict, and in seeking s out exxcitement and other idle pursuitts. Why do they y waste away their t lives so?" "Most peo ople don't reco ognize its valu ue," replied th he Guru, "alth hough human life is the dearest treasure on thiis earth." e," said Mardan na. "Surly everryone can see the value of life "No," said Nanak. "Each man places his h own value on o things acco ording to what he e thinks. A diffe erent man with h different knowledge will pla ace a different value. v That sto one you found in the dirt will make a good example. Take T it to the marketplace m and d see what you u can get for it."" Puzzled, Mardana M took the t stone to th he marketplace e and at a stalll that sold sweetts asked what the vendor would trade for it. The man laug ghed. "Go away, you're wasting g my time." He next trie ed a produce seller. s "I have paying p custome ers to wait on,"" said the grocer. "I'll give you an a onion for it ju ust to get you out o of here." Mardana tried several more m shops witth no better re esponse. Finallly he came to the shop of Salis s Raj, the jewe eler. Salis Raj'ss eyes opened wide when he sa aw the stone. "I'm " sorry," he said, "I don't have h enough money m to buy you ur gem. But I will w give you a hundred rupee es if you will le et me look at it a while longer." Mardana hurried h back to the Guru to tell him what had d happened. "See," said d Guru Nanak k, "how when we are ignorant we mista ake a valuable gem for a worthless stone. Iff someone had d told you its value v before you u knew what it was, you wou uld have thought they were crazy. c Such a jew wel is human liffe, and whateve er you've trade ed for it, that is what is yours."

 

 

Life Explained d Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A boat doccked in a tiny Mexican M village e. An American n tourist compllimented the Mexican M fisherm man on the qua ality of his fish and d asked how lo ong it took him to t catch them. "Not very lo ong," answered d the Mexican. "But then, why w didn't you stay out longer and catch mo ore?" asked the e American. The Mexica an explained th hat his small ca atch was sufficient to meet hiss needs and th hose of his family. The Americcan asked, "Bu ut what do you do with the resst of your time? ?" "I sleep late, fish a little, play p with my ch hildren, and takke a siesta with my wife. In th he evenings, I go into the village to see my frie ends, have a fe ew drinks, play the guitar, and d sing a few son ngs. I have a fu ull life." The Americcan interrupted d, "I have an MBA M from Harva ard and I can help h you! You should s start byy fishing longerr every day. You can c then sell the e extra fish you u catch. With th he extra revenu ue, you can buy a bigger boatt." "And after that?" asked th he Mexican. "With the extra e money the larger boat will w bring, you can c buy a seco ond one and a third one and so on until you u have an entire fleet f of trawlerrs. Instead of selling your fissh to a middle e man, you ca an then negotiate directly wiith the processing g plants and maybe m even ope en your own plant. p You can then leave this little village and a move to Mexico M City, Los Angeles, A or eve en New York Ciity! From there you can directt your huge new w enterprise." "How long would that take e?" asked the Mexican. M "Twenty, perhaps twenty--five years," rep plied the Amerrican. "And after that?" "Afterwardss? Well my friend, that's when it gets reallly interesting,"" answered the e American, la aughing. "When n your business gets g really big, you y can start buying b and selliing stocks and make millions!!" "Millions? Really? R And aftter that?" asked the Mexican.. "After that you'll be able to retire, live in n a tiny village near the coasst, sleep late, play p with your children, c catch a few fish, take a siesta with yo our wife and spe end your eveniings drinking and enjoying yo our friends."

Liza ards Have H D Done It Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn In Japan, a man breaks s open the wa all to renovate his house. Ja apanese houses normally have a hollow space between th he wooden wa alls, and when when tearing down the wallls, he found that there was a lizard stuckk there because a nail from outs side had been hammered h into o one of its fee et. The man se ees this, feels pity, p and at the e same time is curiious because upon u checking the nail he realized it had bee en there since the house wass built ten yearss ago. What happ pened? The lizard had survived in that position n for ten yearss! In a dark wa all partition for 10 years witho out moving, the e man found this to be impossiible and mind boggling. The en he wondere ed how this lizard survived fo or ten years without w moving a single s step--since its foot was nailed! So the man n stopped his work w and obse erved the lizard d, what it had been b doing, and d what and how w it has been eating. e Later, not knowing k from where w it came, appeared anotther lizard... with food in its mouth. m

 

 

Mas sks Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Don't be fo ooled by the fa ace I wear, for I wear a thousand masks, And none of them are me. Don't be foole ed, for goodness sake, s don't be fooled. I give you the impression n that I'm securre, that confide ence is my nam me and coolness is my game e, And that I ne eed no on't believe me e. Beneath dwe ells the real me e in confusion, in aloneness, in fear. That's why I create a mask one. But do to hide beh hind, to shield me m from the gla ance that know ws. But such a glance is prec cisely my salva ation. That is, iff it's followed by b acceptance, if it's followed by love. It's th he only thing that can c liberate me e from my own n self-built priso on walls. I'm affraid that deep p down I'm noth hing and that I''m just no good, And A that you will reject me. And so be egins the parad de of masks. I idly chatter to o you. I tell you everything that's really nothing and noth hing of what's everything, of wha at's crying withiin me. Please listen carefully and try to hea ar what I'm not saying. I'd rea ally like to be genuine and sponta aneous, and me e. But you've got g to help me. You've got to hold h out your hand. h Each time you're kind an nd gentle, and encouraging, Each time you u try to undersstand because you really carre, my heart begins to grow wings, w feeble wings, w but win ngs. With yourr sensitivity an nd sympathy, and your pow wer of understand ding, you alone e can release me m from my sha allow world of uncertainty. u It will not be easy for yo ou. The nearer you approacch me, the blin nder I may strike back. But I'm told that Love L is stronger th han strong walls, And in this lies my only hope. h Please try to beat dow wn these walls with firm hand ds, but gentle hands, for a child is very sensitive. Who am I, you wonder... I am every man you meett. I am every woman w that you meet. And I am also a you.

Not A On ne Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Little Chad d was a shy, quiet q young man. m One day he came hom me and told hiss mother that he'd like to make m a valentine for f everyone in n his class. He er heart sank. She thought, "I wish he wo ouldn't do thatt!" because sh he had watched th he children when they walked d home from school. s Her Ch had was alwayys behind them m. They laughe ed and hung on to o each other an nd talked to eacch other. But Chad C was neve er included. Ne evertheless, she e decided she would go along with w her son. So she purchassed the paper and a glue and crayons. c For th hree weeks, nig ght after night, Chad painstaking gly made 35 va alentines. Valentine'ss Day dawned, and Chad wass beside himse elf with excitem ment. He carefu ully stacked the em up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mothe er decided to ba ake him his favvorite cookies and a serve them m nice and warm m with a cool glasss of milk when n he came hom me from school. She just knew w he would be disappointed d and maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hu urt her to think that he wouldn n't get many va alentines--mayb be none at all. That aftern noon she had the t cookies and milk on the table. t When sh he heard the children outside e, she looked out o the window. Sure enough, th here they came e, laughing and having the best b time. And as always, the ere was Chad in the alked a little faster than usual. She fully exp pected him to burst b into tears as soon as he e got inside. Hiss arms rear. He wa were emptyy, she noticed, and when the door opened she s choked bacck the tears. "Mommy has some cookiies and milk forr you," she said d. But he hard dly heard her words. w He just marched right on by, his face e aglow, and all he could say was: "Not a on ne, Not a one." Her heart sank. s And then he h added, "I did dn't forget a one e, not a single one!"

 

 

On The T Other O Side Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A sick man n turned to his doctor, as he was leaving th he room after paying p a visit, and a said, "Docctor, am afraid to die. Tell me wh hat lies on the other o side." Verry quietly the doctor said, "I don't know." "Yo ou don't know? ?" the man said d. "You, a Ch hristian man, do o not know wha at is on the other side?" The doctorr was holding the t handle of the door, on the other side off which came a sound of scra atching and wh hining. As he open ned the door, a dog sprang in nto the room an nd leaped on him wit an eage er show of gladn ness. Turning to the patient, the e doctor said, "Did you notice e my dog? He''s never been in i this room be efore. He didn'tt know what was inside. He knew w nothing exce ept that his masster was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without w fear." "I know littlle of what is on n the other side e of death," the e doctor contin nued, "but I do know one thing: I know my Master M is there, an nd that is enoug gh. And when the t door openss, I shall pass through with no o fear, but with gladness."

Para able of o the e Spoo ons Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A holy man n was having a conversation with the Lord one o day and said, "Lord, I wo ould like to kno ow what Heave en and Hell are like e. "The Lord le ed the holy man n to two doors. He opened d one of the do oors and the holy h man looke ed in. In the miiddle of the roo om was a large e round table. In the middle of th he table was a large pot of stew which smellled delicious and a made the holy h man's mou uth water. The people e sitting around d the table were thin and sicckly. They appe eared to be fam mished. They were w holding spoons s with very lo ong handles an nd each found it possible to reach r into the pot of stew and d take a spoon nful, but because the handle wass longer than their arms, theyy could not get the spoons ba ack into their mouths. m The holy man shudde ered at the sight off their misery and a suffering. The T Lord said, "You " have seen Hell." They went to the next roo om and opened d the door. It was w exactly the same as the fiirst one. There e was the large round table with the t large pot of o stew which made m the holy man's mouth water. The peo ople were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, butt here the peop ple were well nourished and plump, p laughing g and talking. The holy man m said, "I do on't understand d." "It is simple e" said the Lorrd, "it requires but one skill. You see, theyy have learned to feed each othe er. While the grreedy think onlyy of themselve es."

Rea al Mea aning of Pe eace Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn There once e was a king who w offered a prize p to the artisst who would paint p the best picture p of peacce. Many artistss tried. The king lo ooked at all the e pictures. But there were w only two he really liked, and he had to t choose betw ween them. On ne picture was of a calm lake e. The lake was a perfect mirro or for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhea ad was a blue sky with fluffyy white clouds. All who saw this picture p thoughtt that it was a perfect p picture of o peace. The other picture p had mo ountains, too. But B these were rugged and ba are. Above was an angry skyy, from which ra ain fell and in whicch lightning pla ayed. Down the e side of the mountain m tumble ed a foaming waterfall. w This did d not look pe eaceful at all. But when the t king looked d closely, he sa aw behind the waterfall w a tiny bush growing in a crack in th he rock. In the bush b a mother bird d had built her nest. There, in the midst of o the rush of angry a water, sa the mother bird b on her ne est - in perfect pea ace. The king ch hose the secon nd picture.

 

 

Selling th he Be earskin Spirittual Sto ory by James J Fadima an and Robertt Frage er Ali and Ha asan went out bear hunting. For four dayss they saw notthing. Each night they slept in a nearby village, v pledging pa art of the bear's skin against the cost of the eir lodging. On n the fifth day a huge bear ap ppeared, and Ali A said nervously to t his friend, "I don't mind con nfessing that I'm m afraid to take e this bear." Ha asan laughed, "Just " leave it to o me." So Ali scra ambled like lig ghtning up the nearest tree, and Hasan sttood with his gun g at the rea ady. The bear came lumbering on, and Hasan n began to gro ow more and more m scared. Att length he raissed his gun to his shoulder, but by now he wa as trembling so much that, beffore he could ta ake proper aim m, his gun wentt off and missed d the target. Hasan, rem membering that bears never touch t a dead body, b threw him mself flat and held h his breath. The bear cam me up, sniffed all around a him and d finally made off. Ali, who ha ad been watching the whole affair a from his trree, now came e down and, congrratulating Hasa an on his escap pe asked him, "What " did the bear b whisper in your year?" "Don't sell the bearskin be efore you have e caught the be ear."

Sha aring Happ H iness s Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Two men, both seriously ill, occupied th he same hospital room. One man was allow wed to sit up in n his bed for an hour noon to help drrain the fluid fro om his lungs. His H bed was ne ext to the room's only window w. The other ma an had each aftern to spend all a his time flat on his back. The T men talked for hours on end. e They spokke of their wive es and familiess, their homes, the eir jobs, their in nvolvement in th he military servvice, where the ey had been on n vacation. Every afterrnoon when th he man in the bed b by the win ndow could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he h could see outside the wind dow. The man in the other be ed began to livve for those one e hour here his world would w be broad dened and enlivvened by all the e activity and color c of the worrld outside. periods wh The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Du ucks and swan ns played on th he water while children sailed d their model boats. Young love ers walked arm m in arm amidstt flowers of eve ery color and a fine view of the t city skyline e could be seen in the distance. As A the man byy the window de escribed all this in exquisite detail, d the man n on the other side s of the room would w close his eyes and imag gine the picture esque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window w describ bed a parade passing p by. Alth hough the othe er man couldn't hear the band - he could see itt in his mind's eye e as the gentleman by the window w portrayyed it with desccriptive words. Days and weeks w passed. One morniing, the day nu urse arrived to o bring water fo or their baths, only to find th he lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died pe eacefully in his sleep. She wa as saddened and called the hospital h attenda ants to take the e body s as it seem med appropriatte, the other man m asked if he e could be movved next to the e window. The nurse away. As soon was happyy to make the switch, and afte er making sure he was comforrtable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he prop pped himself up on one elbo ow to take his first f look at the e real world ou utside He strained to slowly turn n to look out the window besiide the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man n asked the nurse what could d have compelled his deceased d roommate who w had descrribed such wo onderful thingss outside this window. The nurse w blind and could c not even see the wall. responded that the man was " he jus st wanted to en ncourage you."" She said, "Perhaps

 

 

Sho ould He H Bitte Me Spirittual Sto ory by Roger R D Abra D. ahams One time a large stone fe ell upon Snake and covered her h so that she could not rise. A white man, it is said, came e upon her and lifted the stone, but b when he ha ad done so, she wanted to bitte him. The Wh hite Man said, "Stop! Let us first f go to someone wise." They went w to Hyena a, and the White e Man asked him, h "Is it right that Snake sho ould want to bite me, even thoug gh I helped herr so much?" Hyena (wh ho was looking for his own sh hare of the White Man's bodyy) said, "If you were bitten, what would it ma atter?" So Snake thought t that se ettled it, but the e White Man sa aid again, "Wait a little, and le et us go to othe er wise people, that I may hear whether w this is right." They we ent and met Ja ackal, and the White W Man put the same quesstion to him. Jackal repllied, "I don't be elieve that Snakke could ever be b so covered by a stone that she could nott rise. Unless I saw it with my tw wo eyes, I wou uldn't believe itt. Take me to the place whe ere you say it happened so I can see for myself m whether it can c possibly be e true." They went together to tha at place, and Jackal J said, "Sn nake, lie down, and let yoursself be covered d." Snake did so, and the White man covered her h with the sto one; and although she tried with w all her strength Snake couldn't c get up. Then the White Man M wanted to o let Snake go again, a but Jackkal stopped him m saying, "Don n't life the stone e. She wanted to bite you, thereffore, let her gett up and lift it herself." Then they both went awa ay and left Snakke there, just as a before.

Ston ne an nd the e Flow wer Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn "You have hardened", sa aid the flower, bending b her pe etals downward d toward the half stone at he er roots. "These e rains u more fertile and receptive e to the seedss of the fields; but no. You u have should havve softened you, made you accumulate ed minerals an nd have becom me more silent and full of calcium. Why do you stay here e? Why do you resist the brook that t gives us water?" The stone said nothing. A number of clouds pass sed by, the sun set and the night arrived with w an immen nse bronze-colo oured freckled moon s upon herr worn face and d in this manne er reflected dow wn upon the silent stone which still had nott fallen with acne scars asleep. Th he flower, by now, n had tucked-in her peta als and slept profoundly, p and d at this time the stone beg gan to answer: e because you ur roots have made m me yourss. I stay here because b it is no o longer about my feeling the e earth "I stay here rather beca ause I have be ecome part of that t which funcctions as a sup pport of your sttem which resiists the wind and the rain. Everyything changes s, my sweet flo ower", said the stone, "but I stay s here because love is tha at microscopic space between yo our feet and my y salted skin. You Y would onlyy be able to fee el it if destiny we ere ever to sep parate the two of o us." The moon followed the fa ade of the stars. Dawn gave a yawn as the e sun began to burn its horizo on on the lower lip of the mouth of a new day. The flower aw woke and extended her beau utiful petals. "G Good morning", she said, "I dreamt d that you we ere singing to me. m How foolish of me, don't you y think?" The stone said nothing.

 

 

Stru uggle Spirittual Sto ory by Unkn nown A man found a cocoon of o a butterfly. He H sat and wattched the butterfly for several hours as it strruggled to forcce its body through the little holle at the end. Eventually,, the butterfly y stopped ma aking progresss. It appeared as a if it had gottten as far as itt could and it could c go no farth her. The man decided to help the butterfly, so s he took a pairr of scissors an nd snipped off the t remaining bit of the cocoon n. The butterfly then emerged d easily, but it had h a swollen body and small, shriveled s wingss. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, t at any moment, m the wiings would enlarge and expan nd to be able to t support the body, which would w contract in time. Neither happened! In factt, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawlin ng around with h a swollen body b and shrivveled wings. It ne ever was able to t fly. What the man in his kindness an nd haste did not understand d was that the t restricting cocoon and the struggle re equired for the e butterfly to get through the e tiny opening we ere nature's wa ay of forcing flu uid from the bo ody of the butterffly into its wing gs so that it would w be read dy for flight once it achieved its freedom from the t cocoon. Sometimess struggles are e exactly what we w need in our life. If nature allowed a us to go through our o life withoutt any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as sttrong as what we e could have be een And we co ould never fly...

Ten Millio on Do ollars Spirittual Sto ory by Unkn nown A reporter was attemptin ng to get a hu uman interest story out of a ve ery, very old man in a govern nment-run hom me for the aged. "Grandpa,"" said the youn ng reporter, "ho ow would you feel f if you suddenly got a letterr telling you tha at a distant rellative had left you u ten million do ollars?" "Son," said d the old man slowly, s "I would d still be ninetyy-five years old, wouldn't w I?"

 

 

That's No ot My Prob blem Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A mouse lo ooked through a crack in the wall w to see the farmer and hiss wife openin ng a package; wha food migh ht it contain? He was aghast to discove er that it was a mouse trap! Retreating to the farmy yard, the mou use proclaimed d the warning g, "There is a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the e house." en clucked and d scratched, ra aised her head and said, "Mrr. The chicke Mouse, I can c tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no o consequen nce to me; I can nnot be bothere ed by it." The mouse e turned to the pig and told him, h "There is a mouse trap in n the house." pathized the pig g, "but there iss "I am so vvery sorry Mr. Mouse," symp nothing I can c do about iti but pray; be e assured that you are in myy prayers." The mouse e turned to the cow, who repllied, "Like wow w, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap p; am I in grave e danger, Duh? ?" So the mo ouse returned to the house, head down and a dejected to o face the farmer's mouse trap t alone. That very night a sound was heard th hroughout the house, like the e sound of a mouse trap ca atching its preyy. The farmer'ss wife rushed to o see what was w caught. In the darrkness, she did d not see tha at it was a venomous snake e whose tail the trap had ca aught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmerr rushed her to the hospital. She return ned home with a fever. Now everyone kno ows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the fa armer took hiss hatchet to the e farmyard fo or the soup's main m ingredient.. His wife's sickness s contin nued so that frriends and neig ghbors came to o sit with herr around the clo ock. To feed th hem, the farmer butchered the e pig. ot get well, in fact, she died, and so manyy The farmer's wife did no people cam me for her fune eral the farmer had the cow slaughtered to o provide me eat for all of the em to eat. So the nexxt time you he ear that someo one is facing a problem and d think that it does not con ncern you, rem member that wh hen the least of o us is threattened, we are all a at risk. Thanks to Dr. C P Giri Sh hankar for sharring this story!

 

 

The 100th h Mon nkey Spirittual Sto ory by Ken K Ke eyes Jr.. The Japan nese monkey, Macaca M fuscatta, had been observed o in the e wild for a perriod of over 30 0years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, K scienttists were provviding monkeyss with sweet potatoes p dropp ped in the sand. The monkey liked the t taste of the raw sweet pottatoes, but theyy found the dirtt unpleasant. An 18-mon nth-old female named Imo fo ound she coulld solve the prroblem by wasshing the pota atoes in a nearby stre eam. She taug ght this trick to o her mother. Her H playmatess also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too. w gradually picked up by various monke eys before the e eyes of the scientists. s This culturral innovation was Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys m learn ned to wash the e sandy sweet potatoes to make them mitated their children learned this social imp provement. Oth her adults more palattable. Only the adults who im kept eating g the dirty swee et potatoes. Then some ething startling took place. In the autumn off 1958, a certa ain number of Koshima K monkkeys were washing sw weet potatoes — the exact number n is not known. k Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning th here were 99 monkeys m on Ko oshima Island who w had learne ed to wash the eir sweet potato oes. Let's further sup ppose that laterr that morning, the hundredth monkey learne ed to wash potatoes. THEN IT HAPPENED! H By that eve ening almost everyone in the tribe was wasshing sweet potatoes before eating e them. The added energy of this t hundredth monkey someh how created an n ideological brreakthrough! But notice: A most surprising thing ob bserved by the ese scientists was w that the habit h of washing sweet hen jumped ov ver the sea...C Colonies of mo onkeys on othe er islands and d the mainland d troop of potatoes th monkeys at a Takasakiyam ma began wasshing their swe eet potatoes. Thus, T when a certain critica al number from mind to mind. achieves an a awareness, this t new aware eness may be communicated c m This story was w shared by y CG Walters, author a of

The Barb ber Sh hop Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A man wen nt to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimm med. As the ba arber began to work, they began to have a goo od conversation and talked about a so many things and various subjects.. When they evventually touch hed on the subjectt of God, the ba arber said: "I do on't believe tha at God exists." "Why do yo ou say that?" asked a the custo omer. "Well, you just have to go o out in the street to realize that t God doesn n't exist. Tell me, m if God existts, would there be so many sick people? Would there be aba andoned childrren? If God exiisted, there wo ould be neitherr suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving Go od who would allow a all of thesse things." The custom mer thought fo or a moment, but b didn't respond because he didn't wantt to start an arrgument. The barber b finished hiss job and the customer left the shop. Just affter he left the barbershop, he e saw a man in n the street with h long, stringy, dirtty hair and an untrimmed bea ard. He looked d dirty and unke empt. The custtomer turned back b and entered the barber sho op again and he e said to the ba arber: "You kno ow what? Barbers do not exisst." "How can you y say that?" asked the surp prised barber. "I am here,, and I am a ba arber. And I jusst worked on yo ou!" "No!" the customer c exclaimed. "Barberss don't exist be ecause if they did, d there would be no people with dirty lon ng hair and untrimmed beards, like that man ou utside. "Ah, but ba arbers DO existt! That's what happens h when people do not come to me." "Exactly!" affirmed a the customer. "That'ss the point! Go od, too, DOES exist! e Because e people do nott look to God fo or help is why therre's so much pa ain and sufferin ng in the world."

 

 

The Battlle Witthin Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn An old Che erokee describe es an experien nce going on insside himself.... "It is a terrrible fight and iti is between tw wo wolves. On ne is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regre et, greed, arrog gance, self-pity, gu uilt, resentment, inferiority, lie es, false pride, superiority, and d ego. The other is i good - he is joy, j peace, lovve, hope, seren nity, humility, kindness, benevvolence, empatthy, generosity, truth, compassio on, and faith. Th his same fight is i going on inside you - and inside everry other person n, too." The grandsson thought ab bout it for a min nute and then asked a his grand dfather: "Which h wolf will win?"" The old Ch herokee simply replied, "The one o you feed."

The Blind d Bus s Pass senge er Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn The passe engers on the bus b watched sympathetically s y as the attracttive young wom man with the white w cane mad de her way carefu ully up the steps s. She paid the e driver, and ussing her hands to feel the loca ation of the sea ats, walked dow wn the aisle and fo ound the seat he'd told her was w empty. The en she settled in, i placed her briefcase b on he er lap and reste ed her cane again nst her leg. It had h been a yea ar since Susan n, thirty-four, became blind. Due D to a mediccal misdiagnossis she had been rendered r sightless, and she was w suddenly th hrown into a wo orld of darknesss, anger, frustration and self--pity. Once a fierrcely independ dent woman, Susan now felt condemned c byy this terrible tw wist of fate to become b a powe erless, helpless bu urden on every yone around he er. "How could this have happ pened to me?" she would plea ad, her heart knotted k with anger. But no matte er how much she cried or ran nted or prayed, she knew the e painful truth: her sight was never eturn. A cloud of o depression hung h over Susa an's once optim mistic spirit. Jusst getting throu ugh each day was w an going to re exercise in n frustration and d exhaustion. And all she e had to cling to was her hu usband Mark. Mark M was an Air A Force office er and he love ed Susan with all his heart. Whe en she first los st her sight, he e watched her sink into despa air and was de etermined to help his wife ga ain the strength an nd confidence she needed to o become indep pendent again. Mark's militarry background had trained him m well to deal with h sensitive situations, and yett he knew this was w the most difficult d battle he would ever fa ace. Finally, Susan felt ready to return to he er job, but how w would she ge et there? She used u to take the bus, but wa as now too frighten ned to get around the city byy herself. Markk volunteered to t drive her to work each da ay, even though they worked at opposite o ends of the city. At first, f this comfo orted Susan and fulfilled Markk's need to prottect his sightlesss wife who was so insecure abo out performing the t slightest ta ask. wever, Mark rea alized that this arrangement a w wasn't working - it was hectic, and costly. Su usan is going to o have Soon, how to start taking the bus aga ain, he admitte ed to himself. But B just the thou ught of mention ning it to her made m him cringe e. She was still so o fragile, so ang gry. How would d she react? Just as Ma ark predicted, Susan S was horrified at the id dea of taking th he bus again. "I'm blind!" she e responded bitterly. b "How am I supposed to know k where I'm m going? I feel like you're ab bandoning me." Mark's heart broke to hearr these words, but he knew whatt had to be don ne. He promise ed Susan that each e morning and evening he would ride th he bus with her, fo or as long as itt took, until she e got the hang g of it. And thatt is exactly what happened. For F two solid weeks, w Mark, milita ary uniform and d all, accompanied Susan to and from workk each day. He taught her how w to rely on herr other senses esp pecially her hea aring, to determ mine where she e was and how w to adapt to he er new environm ment. He helped her befriend th he bus drivers who w could watcch out for her and a save her a seat. He made her laugh, evven on those not-sso-good days when she wou uld trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefca ase. Each morrning they mad de the journey tog gether, and Mark would take e a cab back to his office. Although A this routine r was evven more costly and exhausting g than the previous one, Markk knew it was only o a matter off time before Susan S would be e able to ride th he bus on her own n. He believed in her, in the Susan he use ed to know befo ore she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any challenge and a who would d never, ever qu uit.

 

  Finally, Susan decided th hat she was re eady to try the trip on her ow wn. Monday mo orning arrived, and before sh he left, she threw her h arms aroun nd Mark, her te emporary bus riding companio on, her husban nd, and her besst friend. Her eyes filled f with tears s of gratitude for f his loyalty, his patience and a his love. She S said goodb bye, and for th he first time, they went w their sepa arate ways. Mo onday, Tuesda ay, Wednesdayy, Thursday. Ea ach day on herr own went perrfectly, and Susan n had never feltt better. She wa as doing it! She e was going to work all by herself! On Friday morning, Susa an took the buss as usual. As she s was paying g for her fare to o exit the bus, the t driver said,, "Boy, I sure envyy you." Susan wasn't w sure if the driver was speaking s to he er or not. After all a who on eartth would ever envy e a blind woma an who had strruggled just to find the courag ge to live the past p year? Curiious she asked d the driver, "W Why do you say that you envy me?" m The driverr responded, "IIt must feel so good to be ta aken care of an nd protected likke you are." Susan had no idea what w the driverr was talking ab bout, and asked again, "Whatt do you mean? ?" The driver answered, "Yo ou know, everyy morning for th he past week, a fine looking gentleman g in a military uniforrm has been stand ding across the e corner watch hing you when you get off the e bus. He makes sure you crross the street safely and he wa atches you until you enter you ur office buildin ng. Then he bllows you a kiss, and gives you a little salutte and walks away. You are one e lucky lady." Tears of happiness poured down d Susan's cheeks. For although a she co ouldn't physically see s him, she had always felt Mark's presencce. She was lucky, so lucky, for f he had give en her a gift mo ore powerful th han sight, a giftt she didn't nee ed to see to be elieve - the gift of love that ca an bring light where w there had d been darkness.

The Hom meless s Man n Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn It was a cold winter’s da ay that Sundayy. The parking g lot to the church was filling g up quickly. I noticed n as I go ot out of my ca ar that fellow church memberrs were whispe ering among the emselves as they walked to th he church. As I got closer, I saw a man lea aned up against the wall outsid de the church. He H was almostt lying down ass if he was asleep. He had on n a long trench h coat that wass almost in shrreds, and a ha at topped his head, h pulled dow wn so you could not see his face. He wore shoes that loo oked 30 years old, too small fo or his feet, with h holes all overr them. His toess stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless and asleep, so I walked w on by th hrough the doo ors of the church. We all gatherred for fellowsh hip for a few minutes, m and so omeone brough ht up the man lying outside. Pe eople snickered d and gossiped d, but no one bothered b to askk him to come in,, including me. A few mom ments later, church began. We W all waited fo or the preache er to take his place p and to give e us the Word, when the doors to the churcch opened. In came c the home eless man walkin ng down the ais sle with his hea ad down. People gassped and whispered and mad de faces. He made m his way down d the aisle and up onto th he pulpit. He took t off his ha at and coat. My M heart sankk. There stood our preacher. . .he was the “h homeless man..” No one saiid a word. The preach her took his Biible and laid it on the stand. “Folks, I don’t think I have to o tell you what I am preaching about today.

 

 

The Obsttacles s In Our O Pa ath Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn In ancient times, a King g had a boulde er placed on a roadway. Th hen he hid himself and d watched to see s if anyone would remove e the huge rockk. Some of the king's wealthiest me erchants and courtiers c came e by and simply walked b the Kin ng for not kee eping the roadss clear but around it. Many loudly blamed none did anything about getting g the ston ne out of the way. w Then a pea asant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulde er, the peasant laid down his burden and trried to move th he stone to the side of the road. Afterr much pushing g and straining, he finally succceeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he e noticed a purse lying in the road where w the bould der had been. The purse co ontained many gold coins and a note e from the Kin ng indicating that t the gold was w for the person who removed th he boulder from m the roadway. The peasa ant learned wh hat many of us u never understand - "Everry obstacle presents an opportunity to o improve our condition."

The Sealw woma an Spirittual Sto ory by Clariss C sa Pinko ola Estes s This story is about a sea alwoman who has her sealsskin stolen from m her by a lonely fishe erman. He pro omises to returrn it after 7 ye ears as long ass she lives with him for f this time. The woman agrees a and re eturns to his home. h The sealwoman n has a child and a although content c enoug gh, she feels in ncreasingly uncomforta able in the outter world. Her hair starts falling out, her eyyelids start peeling and d her skin crac cks. One night the child wakes up to hear arguing. It ha as been 7 yea ars and the n is demanding g that she havve her sealskin n back. “I want what I am sealwoman made of re eturned to me” cries the sealw woman. The hu usband refusess to give his wife back the t sealskin fo or fear that she e will lose him.. The child goe es to sleep but wakes up in the night to hear the sound s of the wind and goes out o into the dark. He comes upon his mothers’ sealskin and returns it to o her. The sealwoman n pulls on her sealskin, s grabss her child and heads for the ocean. o She breathes in nto the child’s mouth 3 timess and then divves deep into the t waters. Together th hey swim until they are home e with her familyy.

The Ston ne Cuttter Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn There wass once a stone cutter who wa as dissatisfied with himself and with his possition in life. One O day he passsed a wealthy me erchant's hous se. Through the e open gatewa ay, he saw many fine possesssions and imp portant visitors.. "How powerful th hat merchant must m be!" thoug ght the stone cu utter. He becam me very enviou us and wished that he could be b like the mercha ant. To his gre eat surprise, he suddenly be ecame the me erchant, enjoying more luxurries and powe er than he had d ever imagined, but envied and d detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high h official passsed by, carrie ed in a sedan chair, accompanie ed by attendantts and escorted by soldiers beating b gongs. Everyone, no matter how we ealthy, had to bow w low before the e procession. "How " powerful that official is!"" he thought. "I wish that I cou uld be a high offficial!"

 

  Then he be ecame the high h official, carrie ed everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and d hated by the people p all around. It was a hot summer day, so o the official felt very uncomfo ortable in the sticky s sedan ch hair. He looked d up at the sun. It shone proudly y in the sky, unaffected by hiss presence. "How powerful th he sun is!" he thought. "I wish h that I could be th he sun!" Then he became b the su un, shining fie ercely down on n everyone, scorching the fields, f cursed by the farmerrs and laborers. But B a huge bla ack cloud movved between him h and the earth, so that his h light could no longer shiine on everything below. "How powerful p that sttorm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish w that I coulld be a cloud!" Then he be ecame the clou ud, flooding the fields and villlages, shouted d at by everyon ne. But soon he h found that he h was being push hed away by some great forcce, and realized that it was th he wind. "How w powerful it is!" he thought. "I " wish that I could d be the wind!" Then he be ecame the win nd, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared f and hatted by all below w him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would w not move e, no matter ho ow forcefully he h blew againsst it - a huge, towe ering rock. "How w powerful thatt rock is!" he th hought. "I wish that I could be a rock!" Then he be ecame the rock k, more powerfful than anythin ng else on eartth. But as he sttood there, he heard the soun nd of a hammer po ounding a chisel into the hard d surface, and felt himself be eing changed. "What " could be e more powerfu ul than I, the rock? ?" he thought. He looked down and saw w far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

The Trou uble Tree T Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn The carpenter I hired to help me resto ore an old farm mhouse had ju ust finished a rough first day on the job b. A flat tire ma ade him lose an a hour of work, his electric saw quit, and a now his ancient a pickup truck refused to start. While e I drove him home, he sat s in stony sile ence. On arriving g, he invited me m in to meet his h family. As we w walked tow ward the front door, he paused p briefly at a small tree e, touching the e tips of the branches b with both handss. When opening the door he h underwent an a amazing tra ansformation. His tanned d face was wre eathed in smile es and he hug gged his two small s children and gave his h wife a kiss. Afterward he h walked me to the car. We e passed the trree and my curriosity got the better of me. m I asked him about what I had h seen him do d earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied."" I know I can't help having tro oubles on the job, but on ne thing's for su ure, troubles do on't belong in the t house with h my wife and the childre en. So I just ha ang them on the t tree every night when I come home. Then in the e morning I pick them up agaiin." He paused d. "Funny thing g is," he smiled, "when I come e out in the mo orning to pick 'em up, the ere ain't nearly as many as I remember r hang ging up the night before."

 

 

The Wate er Pum mp Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn There once e was a man with a water pump. p To a frie end he said, "This water pum mp will provide you with all the water you u need. Here, it is yours." The friend was delighted d to receive it, since he was thirstyy as well as nee eding water forr his dying gard den. The next day d the man came c by again n. His friend accused him, "This pump doess not supply an ny water. You lied to me." The man asked, a "Did you u plug the pump p into power?" "No." "Plug it into o power and yo ou shall have all a the water you u need." The next day d the man ca ame by again to t see how hiss friend was do oing. "You lied," his friend said. "I plugged it into power and it gave no water." "Did you le et a pipe into the well so that the t pump could d draw water?" "No." e down into th he well and it will give you all the water you "Let a pipe need." The next day d the man vis sited once morre and again his friend said, "You " lied; I still have h no water."" "Did you prrime the pump with water?" "No!" all drink indeed d." "Prime the pump with watter and you sha The following day the ma an visited his friend f and the friend rejoiced d for er. The friend said s "Did I not te ell you the truth h?" all his wate "Yes," said d the man. "Why then did you call me e a liar?" "That's how w it seemed; I did not realizze it was my own o ignorance that made yourr word a lie to me." m

Thin ngs Aren't A Alwa ays What W T They Seem Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Two traveling angels stop pped to spend the night in the e home of a we ealthy family. The T family wass rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's gue est room. Instea ad the angels were w given a sm mall space in th he cold basement. As they ma ade their bed on o the hard flo oor, the older angel a saw a ho ole in the wall and repaired itt. When the yo ounger angel aske ed why, the olde er angel replied d, "Things aren n't always whatt they seem." The next night the pair ca ame to rest at the t house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his h wife. After sharing s what little food f they had the couple let th he angels sleep in their bed where w they cou uld have a good d night's rest.

 

  When the sun came up the t next morniing the angels found the farm mer and his wiife in tears. Th heir only cow, whose w milk had be een their sole income, lay dea ad in the field. The younger angel was in nfuriated and asked a the olderr angel: "How could c you have e let this happen? The first ma an had ed him", she acccused. "The second s family had h little but was w willing to sh hare everything, and everything,, yet you helpe you let the cow die." "Things are en't always wh hat they seem,"" the older ang gel replied. "Wh hen we stayed in the baseme ent of the man nsion, I noticed the ere was gold sttored in that ho ole in the wall. Since the own ner was so obsessed with grreed and unwillling to share his good g fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn n't find it." "Then last night as we slept in the farm mer's bed, the angel of death h came for hiss wife. I gave him h the cow in nstead. Things aren't always wha at they seem.

Thre ee Blo ocks of Sto one Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A wizard was w strolling wiith his three sissters when the e most famous warrior of the region came up to him. "I want w to marry one of these beauttiful girls," he sa aid. "If one of them gets marrried, the otherss are going to think they are ugly. I am lookking for a tribe e whose warriors can have three wives," answe ered the wizard d as he walked away. And for ma any a year he trraveled all over the Australian n continent but never manage ed to find such a tribe. "At least one of us could have been ha appy," said one e of the sisterss when they we ere already old d and weary frrom so dering. much wand "I was wron ng, "answered the wizard. "Bu ut now it’s too late." And he turn ned the three sisters s into bloccks of stone. Visitors to the Blue Moun ntains National Park near Syd dney can see them t - and und derstand that the happiness of one does not mean m the sadne ess of others.

Thre ee Ha airs Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn There once e was a woma an who woke up one morning g, looked in the e mirror, and noticed n she had d only three ha airs on her head. "Well," " she said d, "I think I'll bra aid my hair tod day." So she did d and she had a wonderful da ay. The next day she woke up, u looked in the mirror and sa aw that she ha ad only two hairrs on her head. "H-M-M, " she e said, "I think I'll part p my hair do own the middle today." So she e did and she had h a grand da ay. The next day d she woke up, u looked in th he mirror and noticed n that she e had only one e hair on her he ead "Well," she e said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a po ony tail." So sh he did and she had a fun, fun day. The next day she woke up, looked in the e mirror and no oticed that therre wasn't a sing gle hair on her head.... "YEAH!" sh he exclaimed, "I " don't have to o fix my hair tod day!"

 

 

Two o Kind ds of Food d Spirittual Sto ory by C.M. C Ka ay One day while w travelling with a compa anion, Nanak to ook shelter in the house of a poor, low-ca aste Hindu carpenter named Lalo. He took a liking to Lalo an nd stayed with him for two we eeks. Then he heard that peo ople were gosssiping. They said, "Nanak is a high-caste Hindu u; why should he h be staying with w a low-caste e man? It is no ot proper." One day a wealthy landlo ord of the neigh hborhood decid ded to give a big feast and to invite all the fo ou castes of Hindus - brahmins, military, merc chants and man nual laborers. A brahmin frien nd of Guru Nan nak came to him m and told him about the feast. "You " really mu ust go," he said d. But Nanak did d not believe in castes, and d considered all men equal. He H did not like the e idea, and said d, "I do not belo ong to any of the four castes, so why invite me?" "Ah," said the brahmin, "now I see why people call you u a 'heretic'. Malik, the landlo ord, will be veryy displeased with w you if you refuse r his invitation." And he walked away. f and, sure e enough, afte erwards Malik came c and conffronted him. "W Why did you disshonor Nanak did not go to the feast, me by stayying away?" "W Well," replied Nanak, N "I do not crave fine foo od. But if this offends o you, th hen I will eat so ome of your food."" But Malik was still not happ py, and accuse ed Nanak o ign noring his own caste and eatting and stayin ng with Lalo, a low w-caste man. "Then give e me my share of elegant foo od from your ba anquet," said Nanak," N and turrning to Lalo he asked him to o bring him something from his stock s of simple e food. When both b foods werre set before Guru G Nanak, he took Lalo's coarse c food in his right hand and d Malik's fine fo ood in his left, and squeezed d them both. Lo o and behold, from f Lalo's foo od milk flowed out,, and from Maliik's, blood!

Two o Rabbis Spirittual Sto ory by Christin C na Feld dman an nd Jack k Kornfield In the courrse of their long g wanderings, the two brothe ers, Rabbi Zusyya and Rabbi Elimelekh, E often came to the city of Ludmir. Th here they alway ys slept in the house h of a poo or, devout man n. Years later when w their reputation had spre ead all over the co ountry they cam me to Ludmir ag gai, not on foott as before, butt in a carriage. The wealth hiest man in that little town, who w had never wanted to havve anything to do with them, came to meet them, the momen nt he heard the ey had arrived, and begged th hem to lodge in his house. But they said: "Nothing has h changed in n us to make you respect us u more than before. What is new is just the horses an nd the carriage. Take T them for your y guests, but let us stop with our old host, as usual.

Wav ves In n An Ocean O n Spirittual Sto ory by Mitch M A Albom A little wavve was bobbing g along in the ocean, o having a grand old tim me. He's enjoying the wind an nd the fresh air--until he notip'=cces the other waves w in front off him, crashing g against the sh hore. "My God, this is terrible," the wave sayss. "Look what's going to happe en to me!" Then along g comes anothe er wave. It see es the first wave e, looking grim, and it says to o him, "Why do you look so sa ad?" The first wa ave says, "You u don't understa and! We're all going g to crash!! All of us wave es are going to be nothing! Isn't this terrible?" The second wave says, "No, YOU don'tt understand. You're Y not a wa ave, you're partt of the ocean.""

 

 

Wett Pantts Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A nine-yea ar-old was kid sitting s at his desk when sudde enly there is a puddle betwee en his feet and the front of hiss pants are wet. He thinks his he eart is going to o stop because e he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he e knows that when w the boys find f out he will never hear the end of it. Wh hen the girls fin nd out, they'll neve er speak to him m again as long as he lives. The boy believes b his he eart is going to o stop; he putss his head dow wn and prays this prayer, "D Dear God, thiss is an emergencyy! I need help now! n Five minutes from now I'm dead meat" He looks up from his pray yer and here co omes the teach her with a look in her eyes tha at says he has been discoverred. As the teacher is walking g toward him, a classmate na amed Susie iss carrying a goldfish bowl tha at is filled with water. nexplicably dumps the bowl of o water in the e boy's lap. The e boy pretendss to be Susie trips in front of the teacher and in angry, but all the while is saying to himsself, "Thank you u, Lord! Thankk you, Lord!" Now all of a sudden, inste ead of being th he object of ridiicule, the boy iss the object of sympathy. The e teacher rushe es him downstairss and gives him m gym short to o put on while his pants dry out. o All the oth her children are e on their hand ds and knees clea aning up around d his desk. The e sympathy is wonderful. w But as life would have h it, the ridiccule that should d have been his ha as been transfe erred to someo one else - Susie. She tries to o help, but they y tell her to get out. "You've done enough, you y klutz!" Finally, at the t end of the day, as they arre waiting for th he bus, the boyy walks over to o Susie and wh hispers, "You did d that on purpose e, didn't you?" Susie whisspers back, "I wet w my pants on nce too."

Wha at It Means M s To Be B Ad dopted d Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn Teacher Debbie Moon's first-graders were w discussing g a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had diffferent color hair than the other family f members. One child suggested tha at he was adopted, and a litttle girl named Jocelynn Jayy said, "I know w all about ado options because I'm m adopted." "What doess it mean to be e adopted?" askked another ch hild. "It means,"" said Jocelynn n, "that you grew w in your moth her's heart inste ead of her tumm my."

 

 

Whiisper or Brrick Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A young an nd successful executive was traveling down n a neighborho ood street, goin ng a bit too fasst in his new Jaguar. He was watching w for kids darting out from betwee en parked carrs and slowed d down when he thought he e saw something.. As his car pas ssed, no children appeared. Instead, a brickk smashed into o the Jag's side e door! He slamme ed on the brake es and spun th he Jag back to the spot from where the bricck had been thrrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some e kid and pushe ed him up again nst a parked ca ar shouting, "What wass that all about and who are you? y Just whatt do you think you are doing? ?" Building up a head of stea am, he went on. "T That's a new ca ar and that bricck you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do d it?" "Please, mister, m please. I'm sorry, butt I didn't know w what else to o do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the e brick because no o one else wou uld stop." Tearss were dripping g down the boyy's chin as he pointed p around d the parked ca ar. "It's my brotherr," he said. "He e rolled off the e curb and fell out of his whe eelchair and I can't c lift him up p." Sobbing, th he boy asked the executive, "Wo ould you please help me get him back into his wheelchairr? He's hurt an nd he's too hea avy for me." Moved beyyond words, the e driver tried to o swallow the rapidly r swelling g lump in his th hroat. He lifted the young man n back into the wh heelchair and took t out his ha andkerchief an nd wiped the scrapes and cu uts checking to o see that everrything was going to be okay. "Thank you and God bless you u," the grateful child said to hiim. The man th hen watched th he little boy push his h brother dow wn the sidewalkk toward their home. h It was a long walk back for f the man to his Jaguar...a long, slow wallk. He never did repair the sid de door. He ke ept the dent to rem mind him not to go through life e so fast that so omeone has to o throw a brick at you to get yo our attention.

Who ose liffe wo ould you y lik ke to be livin ng Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A spiritual leader got very y tired of her flock arguing ab bout whose suffferings was wo orst. Week afte er week, not on nly did they procla aim the suprem macy of their ow wn suffering, but b they demea aned their neighbors as not being b justified in their personal su uffering. They each thought, "If my pain was as little as theirs, I could laugh and be joyouss, rather than be b forced to go about with this pa ained look in my m eye." The leaderr called her floc ck together aro ound a gnarly little tree one winter w day and handed each person a penccil and an envelop pe with a string through a hole e in the corner, and a blank piece of paper in nside. "I have bee en very trouble ed that many of o you feel thatt Spirit has givven you a more e severe burde en to carry than your neighbors. I took this hea artfelt concern to t prayer with me, m and Spirit has h offered a solution. s We will eacch take the bla ank paper out of o the envelope e, write down our o personal suffering, and put p the paper back b in the envelop pe. Write your name on the frront of the enve elope and find a limb to tie yo our envelope on n. This is ourr suffering tree.. When you tie your envelope e, your sufferin ng, onto the tre ee, Spirit has promised that you will be free of it. i However, as s you have left a suffering on the tree, you must m take one from the tree. Every person will be allowed to exchange the eir suffering fo or any other th hat they pick off o this tree ass we walk aro ound it. Once all a the sufferings have h been take en back from th his tree, we willl be done, and d Spirit promise es that each of us will then be e more content witth the suffering we bear." It took quitte a long time of o walking arou und the tree be efore anyone to ook any suffering to be their own. But even ntually, the first envelope was cla aimed. Little byy little, every en nvelope came off the tree, ea ach person claiming the suffering of e. their choice And each person p claimed d the very sam me suffering the ey had hung on n the tree... bu ut Spirit was co orrect. Each on ne was more conte ent with what was w theirs to be ear. This story was w contributed by C.G. Waltters. For more spiritual materrial, you can vissit his blog.

 

 

Why y We Shou ut Whe en In Ange er Spirittual Sto ory by Unknow U wn A Hindu sa aint who was visiting river Ga anges to take bath b found a grroup of family members m on th he banks, shou uting in anger at ea ach other. He turned to his dissciples smiled and asked. 'Why do pe eople shout in anger a shout at each other?' Disciples th hought for a wh hile, one of them said, 'Becau use we lose our calm, we sho out.' 'But, why should s you shout when the other person is ju ust next to you? You can as well w tell him wh ha you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the e saint g some othe er answers but none satisfied d the other disciples. Disciples gave Finally the saint explained d, . 'When two people are an ngry at each otther, their hearrts distance a lot. To cover th hat distance th hey must shoutt to be able to hea ar each other. The angrier th hey are, the stronger they wiill have to shou ut to hear each h other to cove er that great distance. What happ pens when two o people fall in love? They do on't shout at ea ach other but ta alk softly, Beca ause their hearrts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexxistent or very small...' The saint continued, c 'Wh hen they love each e other eve en more, what happens? The ey do not spea ak, only whispe er and they get evven closer to each other in th heir love. Finally they even ne eed not whispe er, they only loo ok at each othe er and that's all. That T is how clos se two people are a when they love each othe er.' He looked at his disciples s and said. 'So when you y argue do not n let your hea arts get distant,, Do not say wo ords that distan nce each otherr more, Or else e there will come a day when the distance is so s great that you will not find d the path to re eturn. They ma ay end up in divorce d courts, for instance.' Thanks to Malladi Venkatta Krishna Murrthy for sharing g this story!

Won ndrou us Pow wers Spirittual Sto ory by Roger R D Abra D. ahams An old man n had three chiildren, all boys.. When they ha ad grown up to o manhood, he called them together and told d them that now he was very old d and no longe er able to proviide, even for himself. h He ordered them to go g out and brin ng him food and clothing. The three brothers set ou ut, and after a very long whille they came to o a large river. As they had gone g on togeth her for such a time, they decide ed that once th hey got across they would se eparate. The eldest told the youngest y to take the middle road, and th eseco ond to go to the right, while he h himself would go to the leftt. Then, in a ye ear's time, they would come backk to the same spot. s So they pa arted, and at the end of a yea ar, as agreed, they t found theiir way back to the riverside. The T eldest asked the youngest what w he had go otten during hiss travels, and th he boy replied:: "I have nothin ng but a mirror,, but it has won nderful power. If yo ou look into it, you can see alll over the coun ntry no matter how h far away." When aske ed in turn whatt he had gotten n, the second brother b replied:: "Only a pair of o sandals that are so full of power, p that if one puts them on one o can walk att once to any place p in the cou untry in one ste ep." Then the eldest e himself, said: "I, too, ha ave obtained but b little, a sma all calabash of medicine, m that is all. But let us u look into the mirrror and see ho ow father fares." The youngest produced his h mirror, and they all looked d into it and saw w that their fath her was alreadyy dead and tha at even the funeral custom was finished. Then the t elder said: "Let us hasten n home and se ee what we can n do." So the second s brought ou ut his sandals, and a all three placed their feett inside them and, a immediate ely, they were borne b to their fa ather's grave. The en the eldest sh hook the mediccine out of his bag, b and poure ed it over the grave. g At once their t father aro ose, as if nothing had h been the matter m with him.. Now which h of these three e sons has perfformed the besst?