Inspirational Stories

The Touchstone

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the
story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a
valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a
little, bought it for a few coppers.

The book wasn't very interesting, but between its
pages there was something very interesting indeed.
It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written
the secret of the "Touchstone"!

The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn
any common metal into pure gold. The writing
explained that it was lying among thousands and
thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like
it. But the secret was this: The real stone would
feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some
simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began
testing pebbles.

He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and
threw them down again because they were cold, he
might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times.
So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into
the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none
of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on
this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the
sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into
months. One day, however, about midafternoon, he
picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it
into the sea before he realized what he had done.
He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each
pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted
came along, he still threw it away.

So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant, it's
asy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in
hand and it's just as easy to throw it away.

-Author Unknown

The Wolves Within

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eye and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

-Author Unknown

Food for Thought !

"Dream as if you'll live forever...
live as if you'll die today. "

- Anonymous   

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