The Bank Savings Passbook

She married him today. At the end of the wedding party, her mother gave her a newly opened bank savings passbook, with $1000 deposited in it. She told her, "My dear daughter, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your married life. Whenever something happy and memorable happens in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to the amount. The more memorabl e the event is, the more money you can put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with your husband. When you look back after years, you will know how much happiness you've both shared.' She shared this with him after getting home. Both of them thought it was a great idea and couldn't wait to make the next deposit! This is what the passbook looked like after a while: - 7 Feb: $100, his first birthday celebration after marriage - 1 Mar: $300, she gets a salary raise - 20 Mar: $200, vacation to Bali - 15 Apr: $2000, She's pregnant! - 1 Jun: $1000, He gets the big promotion and so on... However, as the years went by, they began fighting and arguing over trivial things. They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the most nasty person in the world...There was no more love. One day she talked to her Mother. 'Mom, we can't stand it anymore. We have decided to divorce. I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!' Her mother replied, 'Sure, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want, if you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing. Remember the savings passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.' She agreed with her. So she went to the bank, and was waiting in the queue to cancel the account. While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joyful moments came back to her. Her eyes were filled with tears. She left and went home. When she got home, she handed the passbook to him and asked him to spend the money before getting divorced. So the next day, he went to the bank, and was waiting in the queue to cancel the account. While he was waiting, he took a look at the passbook record. He looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joyful moments came back to him. His eyes were filled with tears. He left and went home. He gave the passbook back to her. She found a new deposit of $5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I realized how much I've loved you throughout all these years. How much happiness you've brought me.' They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back into the safe. If you like this story then from now on give a print out of this story to every couple who is getting married along with a nice notebook to record their happy times...who know you may just be able to help them !!

A Story of Appreciation

A young academically excellent person applied for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from  secondary school until the postgraduate research,
 never did he have a year when he did not score highest marks.

The director asked,
"Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"
The youth answered "none".

The director asked,
 " Was it your father who paid  your school fees?"
The youth answered,
"My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid all my school fees.

The director asked,
 " Where did your mother work?"
The youth answered,
 "My mother works as a washer of clothes.
The director requested the youth to show his hands.
The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked,
 " Have you ever helped your mother wash clothes?"
The youth answered,
"Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books.
Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”

The director said,
"I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tears fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many cuts and bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed other people’s clothes everyday which had enabled him to pay his school fees. The bruises in his mother's hands was the price that the mother was paying for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After cleaning his mother's hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked:
" Please tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday?"

The youth answered,
 " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also washed all the remaining clothes”

The Director asked,
 " please tell me what you felt."

The youth said,
 
Number 1,
 I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not be the successful me today.
 
Number 2,
 by working together and helping my mother, I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.
 
Number 3,
I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationships.

The director said,
" This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”

Later on, this young person worked very hard and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

..................................................................................................................................................................

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wants, will develop the "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts.

When he starts work, he would assume that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others.

This kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not find achievement.

He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying our  kids instead?

You can let your kids live in a big house, give them a Driver & Car for going around, Eat  Good Meals, learn to play the Piano, Watch a Big Screen TV. But when you are Cutting Grass or cleaning the car or working, please let them experience it. After a Meal, let them Wash their Plates and Bowls together with their Brothers and Sisters. Tell them to Travel in Public Bus, It is not because you do not have Money for Car or to Hire a Maid, but it is because you want to LOVE them in the right way.

You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair too will Grow Grey, same as the Mother of that young person. The most important thing is that your kids learn how to appreciate the efforts of their parents and others and experience the difficulty that goes into giving them every luxury and learn the ability to work with others to get things done.

Love

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of
keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I
had started to go out with another woman. It was
really my wife's idea.
 
"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking
me by surprise. "But I love YOU," I protested. "I
know, but you also love her." The other woman that my
wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a
widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my
three children had made it possible to visit her only
occasionally.
 
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner
and a movie. "What's wrong, are you well?" she asked.
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a
late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of
bad news. "I thought that it would be pleasant to pass
some time with you," I responded. " Just the two of
us."
 
She thought about it for a moment then said "I would
like that very much." That Friday after work, as I
drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I
arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed
to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door
with her coat on.
 
She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that
she had worn to celebrate her last wedding
anniversary. She smiled from a face that
was as radiant as an angel's. "I told my friends that
I was going to go out with my son, and they were
impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They
can't wait to hear about our meeting". We went to a
restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice
and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the
First Lady.
 
After we sat down, I had to read the menu to her. Her
eyes could only read large print. Half way through the
entree, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there
staring at me.
 
A nostalgic smile was on her lips. "It was I who used
to have to read the menu when you were small," she
said. "Then it's time for you to relax and let me
return the favor," I responded.
 
During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation,
nothing extraordinary - but catching up on recent
events of each others lives. We talked so much that we
missed the movie.
 
As we arrived at her house later, she said "I'll go
out with you again, but only if you let me invite
you". I agreed. "How was your dinner date?" asked my
wife when I got home. "Very nice. Much more so than I
could have imagined," I answered.
 
A few days later my mother died of a massive heart
attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a
chance to do anything for her.
 
Some time later I received an envelope with a copy of
a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I
had dined.
 
An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I
was almost sure that I couldn't be there but,
nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and
the other for your wife. You will never know what that
night meant to me. I love you."
 
At that moment I understood the importance of saying,
in time: "I LOVE YOU" and giving our loved ones the
time that they deserve.
 
Nothing in life is more important than God and your
family and friends.
 
Give them the time they deserve, because these things
cannot be put off 'till "some other time".
 
Someone once said "I've learned that, regardless of
your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them
when they're gone from your life.
 
I think this is true with your in-laws, grandchildren,
sisters, brothers and your friends. Anyone that means
something to you-you should spend time with them and
let them know how much they mean to you as often as
you can.
 
Please pass this along to your friends and family.
Touch their hearts. It has touched mine. I am glad
that you are my friend.

What Happens In Heaven

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around.
We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.

My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is
the Receiving Section Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are
received."

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many
angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and
scraps
from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second
section.

The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section.
Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and
delivered to the living persons who asked for them."

I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working
hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and
were
being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door
of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated

there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section," my
angel
friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed "How is it that
there
is no work going on here?" I asked.

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that
they
asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked.
"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord."

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof
overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If
you
have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you
are
among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy."
"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the

world who has that opportunity."

Also "If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...you
are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of
imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are

ahead of 700 million people in the world."

"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest,
torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion

people in the world."

"If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare."

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're
unique to all those in doubt and despair."

Ok, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in
that
someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed
than
over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along
to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

ATTN:

Acknowledge Dept.: "Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share
this message and for giving me so many wonderful people to share it
with"