(Erik's Webhome Online)

Note : This is a place where you can read compiled stories and poetry that I find truly reveal the truth in us. This is a place where emotions are honored as god-given rights. Feel free to delve deep into your inner being and learn that there is still peace within you. Most of the master pieces below have been obtained from Chicken Soup for the Soul : Home Delivery. I would like to take this opportunity to thank a special friend who subscribed me to this free service.

Index
Poetry
What Are Friend's Like
Stories
A Picture's Worth...
Billy
Get A Life

    A little old man came into the store holding a torn, green, vinyl double picture frame with pictures of a young couple inside. The frame had been damaged and was torn down the center. It looked like someone had tried to repair it by using stiff, letter clicker tape, which was unsuccessful. In fear of causing more damage the man brought it to the frame shop. The expert framer was not able to repair the frame. I could not help but overhear the request, and I asked if I might take a look at the frame. I was not really sure what I was going to do, but I asked him if I could keep the picture frame overnight. The man sighed and said yes. He bowed his head as he walked out the door.

    I carefully removed the stiff tape and glued the fragments back together. Next, I applied an artificial binding and cosmetically repaired the outer surface with a little bias tape and DMC floss.

    The next day, the little old man came into the store and I handed him the frame. As I looked at him I said, "No charge." I paid for the supplies out of my own pocket. He was impressed by the craftsmanship and he started to cry. The pictures were of him and his wife. He pointed to the picture and said, "This is my wife, she just passed away. She put this frame together in the 1920s and I was so afraid it was ruined." As a result, tears came to my eyes and I said, "Well, you come back to see us anytime." As he walked out the door, he said, "I will never forget you, Christine."

    He walked into my life at a time I was feeling uncertain about my job and I wanted to quit. He made me realize where I needed to be and what purpose my life really held. It is so much of a blessing to give from the heart. What that little old man did for me meant more to me than I could ever express. Later that year, I was quickly promoted to a high-paying position as a craft coordinator. Sometimes, God brings people into our lives for a reason. I don't even know his name, but I will never forget my little picture frame man.

By Christine James
from A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk

    A number of years ago (1983-1987), I had the opportunity to play the character of Ronald McDonald for the McDonald’s Corporation. My marketplace covered most of Arizona and a portion of Southern California.

    One of our standard events was "Ronald Day." One day each month, we visited as many of the community hospitals as possible, bringing a little happiness into a place where no one ever looks forward to going. I was very proud to be able to make a difference for children and adults who were experiencing some "down time." The warmth and gratification I would receive stayed with me for weeks. I loved the project, McDonald’s loved the project, the kids and adults loved it and so did the nursing and hospital staffs.

    There were two restrictions placed on me during a visit. First I could not go anywhere in the hospital without McDonald’s personnel (my handlers) as well as hospital personnel. That way, if I were to walk into a room and frighten a child, there was someone there to address the issue immediately. And second, I could not physically touch anyone within the hospital. They did not want me transferring germs from one patient to another. I understood why they had this "don’t touch" rule, but I didn’t like it. I believe that touching is the most honest form of communication we will ever know. Printed and spoken words can lie; it is impossible to lie with a warm hug.

    Breaking either of these rules, I was told, meant I could lose my job.

    Toward the end of my fourth year of "Ronald Days," as I was heading down a hallway after a long day in grease paint and on my way home, I heard a little voice. "Ronald, Ronald."

    I stopped. The soft little voice was coming through a half-opened door. I pushed the door open and saw a young boy, about five years old, lying in his dad’s arms, hooked up to more medical equipment than I had ever seen. Mom was on the other side, along with Grandma, Grandpa and a nurse tending to the equipment.

    I knew by the feeling in the room that the situation was grave. I asked the little boy his name - he told me it was Billy - and I did a few simple magic tricks for him. As I stepped back to say good-bye, I asked Billy if there was anything else I could do for him.

    "Ronald, would you hold me?"

    Such a simple request. But what ran through my mind was that if I touched him, I could lose my job. So I told Billy I could not do that right now, but I suggested that he and I color a picture. Upon completing a wonderful piece of art that we were both very proud of, Billy again asked me to hold him. By this time my heart was screaming "yes!" But my mind was screaming louder. "No! You are going to lose your job!"

    This second time that Billy asked me, I had to ponder why I could not grant the simple request of a little boy who probably would not be going home. I asked myself why was I being logically and emotionally torn apart by someone I had never seen before and probably would never see again.

    "Hold me." It was such a simple request, and yet...

    I searched for any reasonable response that would allow me to leave. I could not come up with a single one. It took me a moment to realize that in this situation, losing my job may not be the disaster I feared.

    Was losing my job the worst thing in the world?

    Did I have enough self-belief that if I did lost my job, I would be able to pick up and start again? The answer was a loud, bold, affirming "yes!" I could pick up and start again.

    So what was the risk?

    Just that if I lost my job, it probably would not be long before I would lost first my car, then my home...and to be honest with you, I really liked those things. But I realized that at the end of my life, the car would have no value and neither would the house. The only things that had steadfast value were experiences. Once I reminded myself that the real reason I was there was to bring a little happiness to an unhappy environment, I realized that I really faced no risk at all.

    I sent Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa out of the room, and my two McDonald’s escorts out to the van. The nurse tending the medical equipment stayed, but Billy asked her to stand and face the corner. Then I picked up this little wonder of a human being. He was so frail and so scared. We laughed and cried for 45 minutes, and talked about the things that worried him.

    Billy was afraid that his little brother might get lost coming home from kindergarten next year, without Billy to show him the way. He worried that his dog wouldn’t get another bone because Billy had hidden the bones in the house before going back to the hospital, and now he couldn’t remember where he put them.

    These are problems to a little boy who knows he is not going home.

    On my way out of the room, with tear-streaked makeup running down my neck, I gave Mom and Dad my real name and phone number (another automatic dismissal for a Ronald McDonald, but I figured that I was gone and had nothing to lose), and said if there was anything the McDonald’s Corporation or I could do, to give me a call and consider it done. Less than 48 hours later, I received a phone call from Billy’s mom. She informed me that Billy had passed away. She and her husband simply wanted to thank me for making a difference in their little boy’s life.

    Billy’s mom told me that shortly after I left the room, Billy looked at her and said, "Momma, I don’t care anymore if I see Santa this year because I was held by Ronald McDonald."

    Sometimes we must do what is right for the moment, regardless of the perceived risk. Only experiences have value, and the one biggest reason people limit their experiences is because of the risk involved.

    For the record, McDonald’s did find out about Billy and me, but given the circumstances, permitted me to retain my job. I continued as Ronald for another year before leaving the corporation to share the story of Billy and how important it is to take risks.

By Jeff McMullen
from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss

    There is a quality that is the possession of every person. It is an inheritance available to all, but claimed by few. This quality is called POTENTIAL. There is a proverb that tells us that "much food [potential] is in the fallow ground of the poor". Just under the surface is an abundant lifestyle, but many people miss it and live frustrated, dissatisfied, under-productive lives.

    Potential is "what might be or could be, but does not yet exist."

    A young child is seen running around the football or baseball park showing extraordinary flair and skill. With incredible agility and the quick thinking of a veteran he steers his team to victory. Talent scouts mark him as someone who "COULD be anything. Several years later we witness that very same person. He’s the overweight storyteller at the bar having one too many drinks, the has-been who COULD HAVE BEEN anything. Through lack of discipline, lack of integrity, lack of determination or wrong choices the young man voted "Most Likely To Succeed" has missed his true potential. In reality this make-believe scenario, is repeated far too many times all around the world.

    What is the difference between "should be" and "should have been", or "might be" and ‘might have been?" It is the fine line between FULFILLED OR FAILED POTENTIAL. It is the fine line between getting a life, or missing it completely.

    One day while I was walking through the streets of Sydney with my father, we were almost knocked over by a drunk man who came flying out the front door of a hotel. The smelly, dishevelled man landed on the pavement in front of us, covered in alcohol and vomit. I thought to myself, "This man’s life appears to represent a series of wrong choices." His life, like all humanity was full of potential, full of could have been’s, but he appeared to be forfeiting his opportunity.

    Many people live captive to a victim mentality. A passive, powerless philosophy. This defeated thinking believes you have no control over your future. "Whatever will be, will be. You get what you are given, and that’s that."

    What a lie! Potential is within every person. Potential to change your world for the better. But in order to have it and utilise it we first have to actively seek it out.

    In the hit movie Forrest Gump, winner of seven Academy Awards, the central character believed that life was like a box of chocolates: "You never know what you’re going to get. Life may hand out challenges and trials and no-one has any influence over the outcome."

    Gump’s philosophy, which he wisely used to deflect any attempt to put him down, was Stupid is as stupid does." In other words, you are rewarded according to what you believe about yourself.

    If you believe that you’re clumsy, you will be. Believe you’re unemployable and you won’t find a job. Believe you are not worthy of success and you will never achieve anything. And if you believe you are stupid, you will do stupid things.

    When I was a young boy at school, a teacher decided to play a game. He lined up the students around the edge of the room and
asked each one to spell a word. Any child who failed had to sit down. The well meaning teacher thought this "game" would teach us to spell better, but the game was actually humiliating, and emphasised weakness. The medium is the message.

    What you believe IS, sets the tone for your life. That belief then establishes foundations in your life which are vitally important. It is possible for a person to live their entire life on a platform of perception which may be ripping them off. It is imperative that you and I genuinely believe that we have a purpose in life and that we are capable of fulfilling it.

    Understanding this then establishes a starting point for realised potential. If you live with a positive foundation and act according to that belief, you will be rewarded.

    Helen Keller once said "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." How many times has somebody emerged from mediocrity to become great because they had MORE courage, MORE perseverance and MORE faith than the average person? We see this in the sporting arena, music industry, the arts, and it is clearly seen in the business world.

    During one of my speaking trips to Queensland, I met a young man who told me his brother lived in my home town of Sydney and captained a football team. I asked which team it was, expecting an answer such as the C Grade Guildford Brawlers, but he replied "The Manly Sea Eagles." Straight away he had my attention. Manly is one of Australia’s finest professional rugby league teams.

When I asked who his brother was, I was again impressed. It turned out that he was a famous international footballer who later became a TV commentator and the host of one of the most popular sports shows in the country.

    This young man explained that he also had had great potential as a footballer, but a heavy tackle damaged his knees and from that moment his rugby league career was reduced to what could have been.

    Rather than take the soft option and retreat to a life of unfulfilled memories and lost potential I’m happy to add that, unlike many people who give up, he changed his focus and is succeeding in other areas. Serious injury could not deter him from achieving great results.

    Realising your potential requires that you ignore:

          • the limitations and expectations of others.

          • the limitations and restraints of your own thinking.

          • the limitations of your environment and upbringing.

    When you subject yourself to these limitations you become an underachiever. But when you choose to live according to your potential, you find yourself going above and beyond, far exceeding all limitations.

          • ABOVE - discovering the higher way

          • BEYOND - going further

          • EXCEEDS - easily surpassing

    These words describe a life of success, a life that impacts others, and a life of plenty. Now that is not the life of an underachiever.

    Napoleon said "Impossible is a word found only in the dictionary of fools." Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. They push past the acceptable levels that many settle for. They push through the barriers that contain and they go over the top in the arena of achievement. They are the kind of people history tends to record.

    Much of today’s established perception stifles potential. It has people thinking "from behind", from the "bottom of the pile".

    Looks at modern day living in the light of wisdom for the heart. It endeavours to reveal the quality of life available to you. It unlocks the process of claiming that potential, living it to it’s maximum and helps you discover fulfilment along the way.

     "You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough." (Joe Lewis)

    GET A LIFE! IT’S YOURS FOR THE TAKING’.’

By Brian Houston