Apple Tree
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow… He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by…the little boy had grown up, and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
“Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more” -The boy replied.
“I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I do not have money… But you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money".
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned And the tree was excited “Come and play with me” the tree said.
“I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me? "
“ Sorry”, “I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches
To build your house.”
So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, The man returned and the tree was delighted.
“Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” - Said the man.
“Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy”
So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the man returned after many years.
“Sorry, my boy. But I do not have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you…” - The tree said
“No problem, I do not have any teeth to bite” - The man replied.
“No more trunk for you to climb on”
“I am too old for that now” the man said.
“I really cannot give you anything… The only thing left is my dying root,” - the tree said with tears.
“I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years” - the man replied.
“Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest, come, come sit down with me and rest”
The man sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears…
This is you and the tree is your parents!!!
The Dark Candle
A man had a little daughter- an only and much-beloved child. He lived for her- she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health. His best efforts proved unavailing and the child died. The father was totally inconsolable. He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends and refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self. But one night he had a dream.
He was in Heaven, and was witnessing a grand pageant of all the little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne. Every white-robed angelic child carried a candle. He noticed that one child's candle was not lighted. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing to her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and then asked: "How is it, darling that your candle alone is unlighted?" "Father, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out."
Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and its effects were immediate. From that hour on he was not a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears.
"For You have delivered my soul from death. Have you not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the LIGHT of the living?"
Poor people
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.
"Life is too short and friends are too few."
