AMMA SAYS - STORIES & JOKES

[Guest guest]

OM AMRITESWARYAI NAMAH

 

AMMA SAYS - STORY

 

The Power of a Smile

 

A man stood by the roadside feeling totally dejected. A passer-by

saw him and smiled at him. For this man who felt devoid of all hope,

abandoned by all, that one smile had a tremendous effect. The very

thought that there was someone who cared enough to look at him and

smile gave him renewed energy.

 

At that moment, he remembered a friend he hadn't seen for a long

time, and he wrote him a letter. The friend was so happy to receive

the letter that he gave ten rupees to a poor woman standing nearby.

 

The woman went and bought a lottery ticket with the money. And,

wonder of wonders, she won the lottery! While walking home with her

price money, she saw a sick beggar lying on the pavement. She

thought, "It is thanks to God that I received this windfall. Let me

use some of it to help this poor man." She took the beggar to a

hospital and arranged for his treatment.

 

When the beggar was released from the hospital, he happened to see

an abandoned puppy that was cold and hungry and too weak to walk.

The puppy whimpered piteously, and the beggar's heart melted. The

beggar picked it up. He wrapped the puppy in a piece of cloth and

lit a small fire by the roadside to warm it. He shared his food with

the little dog, who after all that love and care, soon regained its

strength. The puppy followed the beggar.

 

That night, the beggar stopped in front of a house and asked if he

could spend the night there. The family allowed the beggar and the

little dog to sleep on their porch. During the night the beggar and

the people of the house were awakened by the incessant barking of

the puppy. They discovered that the house was on fire - right near

the child's bedroom! At the very last moment they managed to rescue

the child, and, working together, they put out the fire.

 

So, one good turn led to another. Giving shelter to the beggar and

his dog saved the family. The child grew up to be a saint. Countless

people found joy and peace through their association with him.

 

If we analyse this story, we will see that all these good deeds

stemmed from one person's smile. That person didn't spend a single

paise - all he did was smile at a man on the street. And that one

smile affected the lives of many people. That one smile illumined

people's lives.

 

"Children, even the smallest things we do for others can bring about

a great transformatin in society. We may not be aware of it right

away, but every good deed certainly bears fruit. We should therefore

make sure that we perform our every action in a way that will

benefit others. Even a smile has tremendous value. And a smile costs

us nothing. Unfortunately, these days people often laugh just to

redicule others. That is not what we need. On the other hand, we

should be able to laugh at our own faults and foibles.

 

No one is an isolated island. We are all joined to one another like

the links of a chain. Whether we are aware of it or not, we

influence others with our actions. The changes that take place in

one individual will be reflected in other people."

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AMMA SHARANAM