...great stories with profound meaning

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difficulties.'The young students had a problem in accepting this statement at

its face value. 'If we are truly in difficulty, how is it possible for us to

smile under such conditions?' they asked the Rabbi.The Rabbi took off his

spectacles and looked at his young pupils thoughtfully. 'To be perfectly honest

with you,' he said, 'I myself cannot answer that question. The truth is that I,

too, cannot smile when I am in the midst of difficulties. At such moments, I

seem to forget how to smile.'Silence prevailed in the class as the teacher and

the students pondered over the issue. The Rabbi continued after a pause,

'However, I believe there is someone who can give you the answer.' He proceeded

to tell his students of an old man who lived in their city, not far from the

synagogue. He had been an abandoned child - an orphan. When he grew up, both

his legs were paralyzed in an accident. His life had been a series of

struggles, a saga of pain and suffering. 'And yet,'

concluded the rabbi, 'he always wears a lovely smile! He is a wonderful human

being. You must go to him and ask him to answer our question.'The students were

amazed to hear of this brave man. In a group, they went and knocked at his door.

The door was opened by the man himself moving briskly on a wheel-chair. He

welcomed the young students cordially, and asked them the purpose of their

visit.'Sir, It's this text we are discussing in the class,' said one of them

hesitantly. 'It's all about how one must continue to smile amidst the greatest

of difficulties in life. The Rabbi told us that you were the best person to

talk to.' 'Tell us please, sir,' added another. 'How do you continue to smile

amidst so much pain and suffering'.'I'm afraid you've come to the wrong

address!' replied the old man, with genuine surprise. 'I am 73 years old, and

in all these years I have never had to face any difficulty! The Lord has always

been good to me, and protected me in His

mercy. How can I teach you how to smile in the midst of difficulties'. This was

indeed a man who lived in close proximity with God!In times of difficulties,

don't ever say, 'God, I have a big problem!' Instead say, 'Hey problem, I have

a big God!' and everything will be all right. BOX OF KISSESThe story goes that

some time ago, a man punished his three-year old daughter for wasting a roll of

gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child

tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.Nevertheless, the

little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, 'This is

for you, Daddy.' He was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction, but his anger

flared again when he found the box was empty. He yelled at her, 'Don't you know

that when you give someone

a present, there's supposed to be something inside it'.The little girl looked up

at him with tears in her eyes and said, 'Oh, Daddy, it is not empty. I blew

kisses into the box. All for you.' The father was crushed. He put his arms

around his little girl, and he asked for her forgiveness. It is told that the

man kept that gold box by his bed for years and whenever he was discouraged, he

would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put

it there.In a very real sense, each of us as humans have been given a gold

container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, friends,

family or God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.Aren't

they nice stories? Jai Sai RamWith Love and Regards,"Heart2Heart"RadioSai's

e-Journal Team,In Sai Service. Source: radiosai

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