This is empathy...

A boy went to the pet store to buy a puppy. Four of them were sitting together, priced at Rs. 5000 each. Then there was one sitting alone in a corner. 

The boy asked if that was from the same litter, if it was for sale, and why it was sitting alone. The store owner replied that it was from the same litter, it was a deformed one, and not for sale. The boy asked what the deformity was. 

The store owner replied that the puppy was born without a hip socket and had a leg missing. The boy asked, "What will you do with this one?" The reply was it would be put to sleep. The boy asked if he could play with that puppy. 

The store owner said, "Sure." The boy picked the puppy up and the puppy licked him on the ear. Instantly the boy decided that was the puppy he wanted to buy. The store owner said "That is not for sale!" The boy insisted. 
The store owner agreed. 

The boy pulled out RS. 200 from his pocket and ran to get RS. 4800 from his mother. As he reached the door the store owner shouted after him, "I don't understand why you would pay full money for this one when you could buy a good one for the same price." The boy didn't say a word. He just lifted his left trouser leg and he was wearing a brace. The pet store owner said, "I understand. Go ahead, take this one."

Motivation...!!

A farmer discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long while, he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded. Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch.

Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough."

 

Therefore, the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while, the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was happy and surprised, So he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction."

 

Moral:

 

Silence is a source of Great Strength. A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be...!

 

Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence, and silence is full of music. True silence brings answers to so many unanswered questions in life; Silence is golden. In the silence of the heart God speaks. We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.

Motivation....

One-day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just was not worth it to retrieve the donkey. Therefore, the farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.

All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. However, they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!

MORAL:

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. However, each trouble can be a stepping-stone. What happens to you is not nearly as important as how you react to it. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up!

Shake it off, and take a step up!

What is Bigger - Your Dreams or Your Excuses?

 

Raksha Bandhan (The bond of protection)

Raksha Bandhan, (The bond of protection) or Rakhi, is a festival primarily observed in India , which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is also called Rakhi Purnima in most of India . It is also celebrated in some parts of Pakistan . The festival is observed by Hindus, Sikhs and some Muslims. The central ceremony involves the tying of a rakhi (sacred thread) by a sister on her brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her. The festival falls on the full moon day (Shravan Poornima) of the Shravan month of the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It grew in popularity after Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of Chittor, sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun when she required his help.

 

Historical occurrences and mentions:

Santoshi Ma, Krishna and Draupadi, King Bali and Goddess Laxmi, Yama and the Yamuna, Alexander the Great and King Puru, Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun

 

Other festivals on this day: In southern & Central parts of India including Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Orissa, this day (i.e. Shravan Poornima day), is when the Brahmin community performs the rituals of Avani Avittam or Upakarma. Balarama Jayanti, Rakhi Purnima, Gamha Purnima, Narali Purnima, Jandhyam Poornima, Kajari Purnima, Pavitropana, Jhulan Purnima, Poonal/Jandhya Poornima/ Janyu,