THE TEACHERS' HANDS

Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment — to draw a picture
of something for which they were thankful.

Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the
holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be
the subjects of most of her student’s art. And they were.

But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’s
true child of misery, frail and unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand
close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.

Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he
drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an empty hand.

His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be One child guessed it
was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the
police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds us. And so
the discussion went — until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas’ desk, bent down, and
asked him whose hand it was.

The little boy looked away and muttered, It’s yours, teacher.

She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other
students. How often had she said, Take my hand, Douglas, we’ll go outside. Or, Let me show you how to
hold your pencil. Or, Let’s do this together. Douglas was most thankful for his teacher’s hand.

Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.

THE MARBLE STATUE

In the middle of a beautiful city, there was a museum laid with beautiful marble tiles and with a huge
marble statue as a part of the display. Many people from all over the world visited the museum every
day and admired the beautifully crafted statue. One night, the marble tiles started talking to the marble
statue.

Marble Tiles: Hey statue, Don’t you think that it is just not fair that everybody from all over the world
come all the way here to admire you while ignoring and stepping on me.

Marble Statue: My dear brother, marble tile, Don’t you remember we are actually from the same cave.

Marble Tile: Yes! I do, that is why i feel it is even more unfair. Both of us were born from the same cave
and yet the world treats us so differently now. This is so unfair!

Marble Statue: Yes you are right my brother. But, do you still remember the day when the sculptor tried
to work on you but you resisted his tools.

Marble Tiles: Yes, I despise that guy. How could he use those nasty tools on me.

Marble Statue: Well, Since you resisted his tools he couldn’t work on you. When he decided to give up
on you, he started working on me instead. I knew at once that i would be something different and
unique after his efforts. I bore all the painful tools he used on me and allowed him craft me as he
wanted!

Marble Tiles: But those tools were so painful.

Marble Statue: My brother, there is a price for everything in life. Since, you decided to resist and gave up
half way, you can’t blame anybody who steps on you now.!

The marble tiles silently listened to his brothers words. and started to reflect on it.

THE WARRIOR'S DESTINY

A great Japanese warrior named Nobunaga was going to war with a fierce enemy with only one-tenth
the number of men the opposition commanded. He knew that he could win the fight with a well planned
strategy, but his soldiers were in doubt.

On the way the leader stopped at a Shinto shrine and told his men: “After my visit to the shrine I will toss
a coin. If the head comes, we will win; if tails, we will lose. Destiny holds us in her hand.”

Nobunaga entered the shrine and offered his prayers. Then he came forth and tossed a coin in front of
his men. Heads appeared. The soldiers were filled with confident and were eager to win the battle.

“No one can change the hand of destiny,” one of his attendants told him after the battle.

“Indeed not,” said Nobunaga and showed the coin which was doubled with heads on the both side.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?

More than a decade ago, a man was reading his morning newspaper. To his surprise and horror, he read
his name in the obituary column. The news papers had mistakenly reported the death of the wrong
person for sure. He was shocked to read news headline about his death. When he regained his
composure, He read it to find out what people had said about him.

The obituary included sentences like, “Dynamite King Dies.” and “He was the merchant of death.”. The
man was the inventor of dynamite and when he read the words “merchant of death,” he asked himself a
question,

“Is this how I am going to be remembered?” he asked himself. He decided that this was not the way he
wanted to be remembered and he decided to change.

From that day on, he started working toward world peace. His name was Alfred Nobel and he is
remembered today by the great Nobel Prize, the greatest of all the prizes.

The Nobel Prize has been honoring men and women from all corners of the globe for outstanding
achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace since 1901. The
foundations for the prize were laid in 1895 when Alfred Nobel wrote his last will, leaving much of his
wealth to the establishment of the Nobel Prize.

Moral : It is never late to start over.

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

Once upon a time, there lived a wise man. He was the head of the local administration of a small village.
Everyone respected him and his views and opinions were well regarded. Many people came to him
seeking for advice.

His son, however, was very lazy and wasted his time sleeping and spending time with his friends. No
amount of advice or threat made any difference to him. He wouldn’t change at all.

The years passed, and with time faded the youth of the wise man. As he grew older, he began to worry
about his son’s future. He recognized the need to give something to his son so that he can take care of
himself and his family to be.

One day, he called his son to his room and said-“My son, you are no more a kid now. You must learn to
take responsibilities and understand life.”

“I want you to find the real purpose of your life and when you find it remember it always and you will
lead a life full of happiness and joy.”

Then he handed his son a bag. When the son opened the bag, he was surprised to see 4 pair of clothes,
one for each season. There also were some raw food, grains, lentils, little money and a map. His father
continued-“I want you to go find a treasure. I have drawn a map of the place where the treasure is
hidden, you need to go and find it.”

The son loved this idea. The next day, he eagerly set out on a journey to find the treasure. He had to
travel really far across borders, forests, plateaus and mountains.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Along the way, he met a lot of people. He was
helped by some with food and by some with shelter. He also came across robbers who tried to rob him.

Slowly the season changed and so did the landscapes along with it. When the weather was unpleasant,
he halted for the day and continued his journey when the weather cleared.

PURPOSE. OF LIFE
Finally, after a long year, he reached his destination. It was a cliff. The map showed the treasure being
placed below the cliff under the tree. Upon spotting the tree, he began to dig the ground. He searched
and searched- around it, under it, on it- but found nothing. He spent two days looking and digging for the
treasure. By the third day, he was so exhausted that he decided to leave.

Disappointed over his father’s lie, he headed back to his home. On his way back, he experienced the
same changing landscapes and seasons. This time, however, he halted to enjoy the blooming flowers in
spring and the dancing birds in monsoon. He stayed in places only to watch the sun set in paradise or to
enjoy pleasant summer evenings.

Since, the supplies he carried were over by then, he learned to hunt and make arrangement for his
meals. He also learned how to sew his clothes and shelter himself. He was now able to determine the
hour of the day by the position of the sun and plan his journey accordingly. He also learned how to
protect himself from wild animals.

He met the same people who had helped him earlier. This time he stayed a few days with them and
helped them in some or the other way to repay them. He realized how nice they were to an ordinary
passerby who had nothing to offer to them in return.

When he reached home, he realized it had been two years since he left the place. He walked straight
into his father’s room. “Father”, – He said

The father immediately jumped to his feet and hugged his son.

“So how was your journey my son, did you find the treasure” he asked.

“The journey was fascinating father. But forgive me for I wasn’t able to find the treasure. Maybe
somebody took it before I reached.” He surprised himself by what he just said. He wasn’t angry at his
father. Instead, he was asking for forgiveness.

“There wasn’t’ any treasure in the very first place my son”-father answered smiling.
“But why did you send me to find it then”, he asked.

“I will surely tell you why, but first you tell me, how was your journey to the place? Did you enjoy it?”

“Of course not father! I had no time. I was worried someone else would find the treasure before I did. I
was in a hurry to reach the cliff.” He continued-“but I did enjoy the journey on my way back home. I
made many friends and witnessed miracles every day. I learned so many different skills and the art of
survival. There was so much I learnt that it made me forget the pain of not finding the treasure.”

The father said to him- “Exactly my son. Want you to lead your life with a goal. But if you remain too
focused on the goal, then you will miss out the real treasures of life. The truth is, life has no goal at all,
other than to just experience it and grow with it every single day.”

Moral: It is when we set out in life without trying to associate any meaning or greater purpose to it that
we find the treasure of true joy in each moment.

THE BEGGAR AND THE LADY

As a woman walked down the streets one day, she spotted a beggar. The man looked pretty old,
unshaven and ill-dressed. Every passerby looked at him with contempt; Not like they had anything
against him, but merely because of who he was- a filthy beggar.

But when this particular woman saw him, she was filled with compassion
The beggar was improperly dressed for a weather so cold. Precisely, he wasn’t dressed by wrapped up in
what looked like a coat from a very old and not-so-warm suit. She kindly asked the man “Sir? Are you all
right?”

The man looked at the women, who, clearly by her appearance was a demonstration of what people
from a wealthy background looked like. The old beggar thought that she, like every other person, was
mocking him. “Leave me alone,” he growled.

The women did not move. Instead, to his surprise, she smiled at him and gently asked if he was hungry.

“No, I’ve just come from dining with the president. Now go away.”-the beggar replied with a notable
sarcasm. The woman’s smile did not fade. She slid her hands under the beggar’s arm and tried to pick
him up.

“Woman, what do you think you are doing?” the beggar sounded annoyed.

“Is there a problem ma’am?” a policeman shouted, walking towards the lady and the beggar.

“Not at all officer. I’m just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?”-the women replied

The policeman looked at her with surprise- “that man is old jack and has been here for years. What have
you got to do with him anyway?”

“I am taking him to a cafeteria to eat something and to get him out of the cold for a while”- The women
answered.

“Are you crazy, lady?” the homeless man resisted. “I don’t want to go in there!” Then he felt strong
hands grab his other arm and lift him up. “Let me go, officer. I didn’t do anything.”

“It’s a good chance to feed yourself jack. Don’t blow it.”- The officer advised.
After a lot of difficulty, the woman and the officer managed to drag jack into the cafeteria. It was past
breakfast and too early for lunch hour of the day. The manager strode towards the table and asked
“What’s going on here, officer?” he asked. “Is this man in trouble?”

“She brought old jack in here to be fed,” the policeman answered.

“Not in my cafeteria! People like him are bad for business.”-the manager angrily retorted.

“Now you know why I didn’t want to come in here woman.”- Jack said to the lady-“now let me go. I
never wanted to be here in the first place.”

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. “Sir, I reckon you know Eddy and Associates,
the banking firm down the street?”

“Of course I do, ” the manager answered impatiently. “They hold their weekly meetings in one of my
banquet rooms.”

“And I guess you make a good amount of money through those meetings.”

“Why does it concern you, I anyway?”

“Because I am the CEO of the company” the women replied, showing no sign of pride in her statement.
“Oh.”- it was all that the manager managed to say.

She looked at the officer- “Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?”

“No thanks, ma’am,” the officer replied. “I’m on duty.”

“Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?”

“Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice.”

“I’ll get your coffee for you right away, officer.”-the manager immediately replied.

“You served him right,” he said.

“Oh, believe me officer, that was not what I intended. I have a reason behind all this.” She stared at Jack
intently, and asked “Jack, do you remember me?”

Old Jack examined her face- “well you do look familiar.”- He thoughtfully added.

“Do you remember a cold and hungry girl who frequently visited this place when you worked here?” the
women asked – “she has perhaps grown old hasn’t she?”

The officer looked surprised. He couldn’t imagine this fine looking woman as a poor and hungry woman.

“I had just graduated and had come to the city looking for a job. Didn’t find one for a really long time. I
was running out of cash and had been asked to vacate my apartment too. I lived on these streets for
days. It was the cold month of February, I still remember. And that’s when I found this place and walked
in hoping to find eatable my little budget could afford.”

Jack’s face suddenly lit up- “now I remember you. I used to be at the counter. You came up and asked me
if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.”
“I know,” the woman said. “Then you offered me the biggest roast beef sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a
table for me to sit and enjoy the meal. I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register”

“So you started your own business?” Old Jack asked.

“No, not exactly. That very afternoon I got a job. I worked my way up. Then, I started my own business.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. “Please pay a visit to the personnel director of my
company. I’ll go talk to him now. I am sure there is something in my office for which we can use your
help. We can even pay you a certain amount of your salary in advance.”

Fighting back the tears, Jack asked-“How can I ever repay your kindness?”

“You don’t have to” the woman answered. “Thank Jesus. He led me to you.”

“Thank you for all your help, officer,” she said to him as they both walked out the door.

“On the contrary, Ms. Eddy, thank you. I saw a miracle today. And of course, thank you for the coffee”

She frowned. “I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That’s black.”

“I do use cream and more sugar than what is good for my health”- He replied

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Please don’t be. I have a feeling that this coffee is going to taste as sweet as sugar”- He replied with a
smile.
THOMAS EDISON AND THE NOTE

One day the young Thomas Edison came home and handed a paper to his mother from his school. He
told her, “My teacher gave this paper to me and told me to give it only to you.”

His mother’s eyes were tearful as she read the letter out loud to her son. “ Your son is a genius. This
school is too small for him and doesn’t have good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.”

After years, Edison’s mother died and he was renowned as one of the greatest inventors of the century.
One day he was going through his old family things. Suddenly, he noticed a folded paper in the corner of
a drawer. He took it and opened it up.

On the paper was written: “Your son is addled. We won’t let him come to school any more.”
Thomas Edison cried for hours and then he wrote in his diary: “Thomas Alva Edison was an addled child
that, by a hero mother, became the genius of the century.”

THE FIGHT WITH FATE

Once, a small village farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender.
The moneylender was old, unmarried and fancied of marrying the farmer’s beautiful daughter. One day
the farmer went to the moneylender to ask him for some more time to return the loan. The money
lender pretended to be furious for a while and then proposed a bargain. He said that if the farmer would
not repay his debt, he would be punished or he had an option to let the money lender marry his
daughter and all his debt would be waived.

Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. There was no way the farmer could pay
back the money soon and he did not want his beautiful daughter to marry the old and cruel money
lender.

The cunning moneylender suggested that they let the providence decide the matter. In an attempt to
persuade the farmer to accept his deal, the money lender made an attractive condition in deciding the
fate of the father and daughter. He would keep a black and a white pebble in a bag. The girl then had to
choose a pebble which would decide her fate. If she picked the black pebble, she would have to marry
the money lender and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she did not
need marry the money lender and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. If she refuses t pick the
pebble, the farmer would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a path scattered with pebbles. The moneylender even called the nearby villagers
to witness the event, so that no party could walk away from their words. The money lender bent over,
picked two pebbles and kept it in a money bag. The sharp eyed girl noticed that he had picked two black
pebbles instead of a black and a white. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

The girl was confused what to do. She knew that she was being cheated by the money lender. She
thought for a while and then kept her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking
or showing it to anyone, she fumbled and let it fall into the pebble-strewn path where it got lost among
the other pebbles.

“ Oh, I am sorry, how clumsy of me”, she said. “ But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that
is left, we will know which pebble I picked.”

The moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty in front of the villagers. The black pebble in the bag
made it look like the girl had chosen the white pebble. She did not have to marry the old moneylender
and her father ‘s debt was waived. The villagers were there to witness the whole event which made the
moneylender to keep his words.

The girl changed seemingly impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

There is always a way out of problems, don’t give up your hopes and keep trying to look for solutions.
THE BAMBOO TREE

A man got frustrated with life. Despite all the hard work and effort, failure was all that he learnt. Feeling
defeated with life, he left everything and exiled himself in the woods. There he met a Hermit. The
disappointed man shared is failure with the hermit. “Give me one good reason not to quit?”- He pleaded
the Hermit

“Look”, the hermit said, pointing towards two plants. “Do you see that fern and bamboo there?

“Yes”, the man nodded.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them water, light
and fertilizer. Within a short period of time the fern quickly grew from the earth”, the hermit continued.

“But despite the Bamboo seed being watered and nurtured for years, it did not outwardly grow as much
as an inch. In fact, nothing at all happened in the first year. There was no sign of growth. But, I did not
give up on the Bamboo seed and continued to water and nurture it. By the fifth year, a tiny sprout
emerged from the earth. And within six months, the tree grew a hundred feet tall.”
“So, did the bamboo tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth?” the hermit
asked. Baffled by the question the man kept quiet. “The answer is quite obvious. The little tree was
growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward
growth in the fifth year and beyond. Had the tree not developed a strong foundation, it would not have
sustained its life as it grew.”

“Did you know that all the time you had been struggling, you were growing strong roots”, remarked the
hermit

The man learned his lesson that day. He learnt the value of persistence and hard work. The fern and the
bamboo stood right in front of him as he walked towards his life to continue to work on his dreams.

THE EMPEROR AND THE BEGGAR

In the dusty streets of a large city lived a beggar procuring alms and rice daily from passersby. Most of
the days he was he was unable to gain enough food for a meal, and enough coppers to buy some
firewood to cook and keep him warm. At night, he slept under the sky with only a rag to cover him. His
life was difficult, but he had grown used to it over the many years.

One day, the beggar heard the news that the emperor was coming to town for a rare visit. “I am sure the
generous emperor will see the state I am in and grant a generous gift. The richest of all men will bestow
some sympathy and relief on me in a manner that would undoubtedly surpass the paltry givings of the
regular citizens.”, he thought.

He made plans to seat himself along the route the Emperor will be traversing, so that the emperor do
not miss to notice the beggar’s misery. He gathered all his belongings and set his spot on the street
before the night before the procession.

The royal caravan finally approached and stopped right in front of him around the midday. While the
beggar had expected no more than a little gift to support his life on the streets from the Emperor’s
servants, he was speechless when the cavalcade halted beside him, and the great ruler himself emerged
in front of him.

The Emperor approached the beggar shook the poor man’s hand, touched him gently on the shoulder
and looked into his eyes , he said “Tell me, kind sir, May I have a little gift of rice?”
For a moment, the beggar didn’t understand what the Emperor had just said. The Emperor motioned to
his bowl with some rice, urging him on. “Can you please spare some grains of rice?” the powerful man
insisted.

The beggar could barely believe what was happening to him. He was expecting the great Emperor to ask
him anything. He had only a handful of grains to his name but he was being beseeched by he who had
everything. The beggar slowly took the bowl into his hands and stared at the little rice he had.

He knew he could not deny the Emperor’s request by any means. He was barely able to hide his
indignation but he reluctantly counted out five grains of rice and dropped them into the hands of the
Emperor.

The Emperor thanked him and shook his hand once more and went on his way. Confused, hurt and
angry, the beggar watched the caravan disappeared into the dust and left him alone with nothing more
than he had before.

That night, while he was cleaning his rice for his dinner, he noticed something glinting in his bowl. He
looked closer and a thrill shot through him when he dug put the tiny gold nugget out of his bowl.

The gold nugget was enough for him to buy him a few months off the street.

“There must be more of it” he thought and started to sift through the rice in search of more gold. He
found four more pieces of gold nuggets inside his rice bowl.

As he stared down at the small fortune in his bowl, it dawned on him: there were five gold nuggets. One
for each grain of rice he had offered the Emperor.
SHINE IN YOUR OWN WAY

A samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a monk to ask him for his advice.

When the monk had finished his prayers, the Samurai asked, “Why do I feel so inferior? I have faced
death many times, have defended those who are weak. Nevertheless, upon seeing you meditating, I felt
that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever.”

“Wait. Once I have attended to all those who come to see me today, I shall answer you.” – replied the
monk.

The samurai spent the whole day sitting in the temple gardens, watching the people go in and out in
search of advice. He saw how the monk received them all with the same patience and the same
illuminated smile on his face.

At nightfall, when everyone had gone, he demanded: “Now can you teach me?”

The master invited him in and led him to his room. The full moon shone in the sky, and the atmosphere
was one of profound tranquility.

“Do you see the moon, how beautiful it is? It will cross the entire firmament, and tomorrow the sun will
shine once again.”
“But sunlight is much brighter, and can show the details of the landscape around us: trees, mountains,
clouds.”

“I have contemplated the two for years, and have never heard the moon say: why do I not shine like the
sun? Is it because I am inferior?”

“Of course not.” – answered the samurai. “The moon and the sun are different things; each has its own
beauty. You cannot compare the two.”

“So you know the answer. We are two different people, each fighting in his own way for that which he
believes, and making it possible to make the world a better place; the rest are mere appearances.”
THE BLACK DOT

One day a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They
waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor walked around the class and handed
the question papers with the text facing downwards.

Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone’s surprise,
there were no questions, but just a black dot in the center of the page. The professor thoroughly read
through everyone’s bewildered expressions and said- “I want you to write what you see there.”