River of Thoughts...

Obstacles in life are like logs in your path.

You can step over it or move it out of the way.

You could cut it up and make firewood.

FORGETTING THE BASICS...

It was one week before Christmas in 2001. My son Benjamin was five years old at the time. He seemed healthy, but he had large lumps on the side of his neck; the doctor had been running blood and ultrasound tests on them, trying to determine a diagnosis. I was on a morning commuter train heading downtown for a rather important meeting about a company merger that had just been announced. My wife Toni called on my cell. I could tell immediately something was wrong. The doctor, not the doctor's office, had called. He needed to see both of us immediately. He would not tell Toni why. We both started thinking the worst.

As soon as I was off the train I arranged for a rental car and headed straight back home. Toni and I met at the doctor's office within an hour of the phone call. He informed us that Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto did not have any available beds. He had already made arrangements for us to attend a similar hospital in Kingston. This was two hours east of us. He informed us they had a concern that Ben had lymphoma. We would be meeting a pediatric oncologist in Kingston and we should pack for staying overnight. We walked out of the doctor's office and to our separate cars to head home and pack.

Dad and Linda had been making arrangements to purchase our family a membership at a private alpine ski club as a Christmas present. The first thing I thought of was the need to call them and tell them not to. We wouldn't be available to go skiing this year due to the news about Ben. I called and Linda answered the phone.

I remember sitting in this unknown car and the emotion of the moment hitting me like a brick wall. I told Linda the news and told her to cancel the ski membership plans. Shortly after I hung up with Linda, Dad phoned me back. He was compassionate but firm. He told me they were going ahead with the membership and for me to get my thinking straight. He said Ben is fine and not to give energy to any thought but that. He had been teaching me that my whole life, but it can be so easy to forget in the moment. He was even more emphatic that we not show any emotional weakness in front of Ben. The last thing we should do was to make him fearful.

We arrived at the Kingston hospital and as we walked through the front doors the doctor came up to us and asked if we were the Proctors. My immediate thought was "it's bad." When do you ever get greeted like that at a hospital? I stopped my thought and pictured Ben healthy and skiing. Ben had a CT scan that evening then a biopsy the next morning. We waited patiently for the results from the pathologist. They came back negative for cancer. We were incredibly relieved and exhausted. The entire experience left me in awe as to the personal character of the pediatric nurses. What incredible interpersonal skills they have to do what they do every day. Dad's words, of putting my thoughts on the right track, were all the easier with the wonderful support of the nursing staff.

I realized that day the importance of positive thinking. Whether or not it made a difference in my son's diagnosis I will never truly know. However, I know it made a difference for my son. Being strong for Ben allowed me to properly address my concerns for his well being. My first thought had been one of emotion and worry. Imagine the damaging impression I would have made on Ben, had I expressed my fear and worry in front of him. Those emotions really would not have been about his well being, but my own. If I had taken a moment to reflect, I would have realized that positive thoughts and attitude are the only things that would express my concern for his well being. I appreciate the fact that dad called back that day to remind me what I needed to do: Think positive.

Five days later we had the most grateful Christmas we had ever had and started skiing as a family the next week. We ski as a family today.

Ray Proctor
Excerpt from Inspired: The Secret of Bob Proctor

By POST A RESUME (www.postaresume.co.in)

River of Thoughts...

Hope is like a road in the country; there wasn't ever a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.

When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all. We all need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation - it empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams.

River of Thoughts...

Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do.

Niagara Falls...

The Niagara Falls are voluminous waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, the majority of which lies on the Canadian side of the border, and American Falls on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island.

Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow,[1] and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.[2]

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Managing the balance between recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 1800s.