The Legacy

When my husband, Bob, died very suddenly in January 1994, I received condolences from people I hadn't heard from in years: letters, cards, flowers, calls, visits. I was overwhelmed with grief, yet uplifted by this outpouring of love from family, friends and even mere acquaintances.

One message touched me profoundly. I received a letter from my best friend from sixth grade through high school. We had drifted somewhat since graduation in 1949, as she stayed in our home town and I had not. But it was the kind of friendship that could quickly resume even if we lost touch for five or ten years.

Her husband, Pete, had died perhaps 20 years ago at a young age, leaving her with deep sorrow and heavy responsibilities: finding a job and raising three young children. She and Pete, like Bob and I, had shared one of those rare, close, "love-of- your-life-you-can-never-forget" relationships.

In her letter she shared an anecdote about my mother (now long deceased). She wrote, "When Pete died, your dear mother hugged me and said, 'Trudy, I don't know what to say . . so I'll just say I love you.'"

She closed her letter to me repeating my mother's words of so long ago, "Bonnie, I don't know what to say . . . so I'll just say I love you."

I felt I could almost hear my mother speaking to me now. What a powerful message of sympathy! How dear of my friend to cherish it all those years and then pass it on to me. I love you. Perfect words. A gift. A legacy.

Bonnie J. Thomas
"A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul"
Editor: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk

Wisdom of this day:
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right! -Henry Ford

Nothing but the Truth!

David Casstevens of the Dallas Morning News tells a story about Frank Szymanski, a Notre Dame center in the 1940s, who had been called as a witness in a civil suit at South Bend.

"Are you on the Notre Dame football team this year?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"What position?"

"Center, Your Honor."

"How good a center?"

Szymanski squirmed in his seat, but said firmly: "Sir, I'm the best center Notre Dame has ever had."

Coach Frank Leahy, who was in the courtroom, was surprised. Szymanski always had been modest and unassuming. So when the proceedings were over, he took Szymanski aside and asked why he had made such a statement. Szymanski blushed.

"I hated to do it, Coach," he said. "But, after all, I was under oath."

David Casstevens
"Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul"
Editor: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Patty Hansen

The Waste in Worry

If we were to keep a record of all the things we worried about during a given period of time, we would discover, in reviewing them, that the great majority of our anticipated problems or troubles never come to pass. This means that most of the time we devote to worrying, even the constructive kind that prompts us to try to come up with a solution to what is troubling us, is wasted. Thus, we not only caused ourselves unnecessary mental anguish, but also took up valuable minutes and hours that could have been spent elsewhere.

To avoid this, it is often necessary to subject potential sources of worry to the coldly objective and analytical light of reason. Once, sortly before a major concert before a standing-room-only audience, a member of Arturo Toscanini's orchestra approached the great Italian conductor with an expression of sheer terror on his face. "Maestro," the musician fretted, "my instrument is not working properly. I cannot reach the note of E-flat. Whatever will I do? We are to begin in a few moments."

Toscanini looked at the man with utter amazement. Then he smiled kindly and placed an arm around his shoulders. "My friend," the maestro replied, "Do not worry about it. The note E-flat does not appear anywhere in the music that you will be playing this evening."

The next time we find ourselves in the middle of worrying about some matter, we might be wise to stop and ask ourselves what the odds are of the problem really coming to pass. We may be able to go on to something more constructive.

A Room With a View

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue...
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.

Wisdom if this day:
The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences. -Carl Frederick

Learning to Get Back Up

Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother's womb and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body. From this position it considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from its eyes and ears. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its offspring to the reality of life.

In his book, A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a newborn giraffe learns its first lesson.

The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels.

When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs.

Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they'd get it too, if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it.

The late Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing novelized biographies of such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin.

Stone was once asked if he had found a thread that runs through the lives of all these exceptional people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a vision or dream of something that should be accomplished and they go to work.

"They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified, and for years they get nowhere. But every time they're knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they've accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do."

Ants and the Grasshopper, The

The Ants were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food.

The Ants inquired of him, "Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?'

He replied, "I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing."

They then said in derision: "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed in the winter."

Wisdom of this day:
If we are weak to this life then it become hard to us. But if we are hard to life then it depends on us.

::Join with the way to grow rich NOW!

Penting Untuk Para Wanita! Siapkan Dana Pengsiun Anda

Terkadang para wanita tidak begitu memikirkan mengenai dana pengsiun karena rata-rata wanita menaruh harapannya pada pria yang akan atau sudah menjadi suaminya. Namun sebenarnya mempersiapkan dana pengsiun pribadi sangat penting bagi para wanita. Beberapa fakta yang perlu Anda ketahui berkaitan dengan hal ini adalah:

- 80% pria meninggal dalam keadaan masih memiliki pasangan, sedangkan 80% wanita meninggal dalam keadaan single hal ini dikarenakan rata-rata pria meninggal lebih dahulu dari pada istrinya.
- Selain itu, 75% wanita yang hidup dalam kemiskinan saat ini pernah mengalami masa kemakmuran sebelum dia menjadi seorang janda.
- Menurut survey di Amerika pada tahun 2005, para wanita akan menerima 84 sen dari tiap dolar yang dihasilkan oleh para pria.
- Penghasilan wanita yang telah menikah lebih rendah dari pada wanita single karena wanita menikah lebih banyak mengambil tanggung jawab dalam keluarga.
- Kebanyakan wanita berhenti bekerja atau mengurangi jam kerjanya ketika memiliki anak kecil, itu artinya dia kehilangan dana pengsiunnya yang dipersiapkan oleh perusahaan.
- Tidak banyak wanita yang menjadi wirausahawan, atau memiliki pekerjaan sambilan yang akhirnya membuatnya hanya memiliki sedikit uang tabungan.

Jadi berdasarkan fakta diatas, wanita yang single pada masa tuanya atau dikarenakan menjanda lebih rentan mengalami kemiskinan. Jadi, sebagai wanita Anda perlu mempersiapkan masa-masa yang tidak diduga itu pada tahun-tahun keemasan Anda dimana Anda memiliki penghasilan sendiri.

Jadi untuk Anda yang saat ini masih single, sudah menikah atau bahkan sudah menjadi janda, bisnis women ataupun seorang ibu yang tinggal dirumah untuk mengurus anak-anak, ambil tanggung jawab atas masa depan Anda sendiri, milikilah dana pengsiun mulai hari ini. Dana pengsiun yang akan Anda terima nanti, ditentukan oleh seberapa besar Anda menabung hari ini. Untuk itu jangan tunda lagi.

Temukan persiapan dana pensiun Anda di sini

Secret of an Efficient Secretary, The

Arnold Bennett, the British novelist, had a publisher who boasted about the extraordinary efficiency of his secretary. One day while visiting the publisher's office, Bennett asked her: "Your boss claims you're extremely efficient. What's your secret?"

"It's not my secret," said the secretary, "it's his." Each time she did something for him, no matter how insignificant, she explained, he never failed to acknowledge and appreciate it. Because of this, she took infinite pains with her work.

Wisdom of this day:
"We are all born charming, fresh, and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society." - Judith Martin

Most Important Question, The

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello".

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Maintain Your Integrity

A while back, there was a story about Reuben Gonzolas, who was in the final match of his first professional racquetball tournament. He was playing the perennial champion for his first shot at a victory on the pro circuit. At match point in the fifth and final game, Gonzolas made a super "kill shot" into the front corner to win the tournament. The referee called it good, and one of the linemen confirmed the shot was a winner.

But after a moment's hesitation, Gonzolas turned and declared that his shot had skipped into the wall, hitting the floor first. As a result, the serve went to his opponent, who went on to win the match.

Reuben Gonzolas walked off the court; everyone was stunned. The next issue of a leading racquetball magazine featured Gonzolas on its cover. The lead editorial searched and questioned for an explanation for the first ever occurrence on the professional racquetball circuit. Who could ever imagine it in any sport or endeavor? Here was a player with everything officially in his favor, with victory in his grasp, who disqualifies himself at match point and loses.

When asked why he did it, Gonzolas replied, "It was the only thing I could do to maintain my integrity."

Wisdom of this day:
"Men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all the other alternatives."
- Abba Eban

Admitting Flaws

In the mid-1980's researchers at Cleveland State University made a startling discovery.

They conducted an experiment by creating two fictitious job candidates David and John. The candidates had identical resumes and letters of reference. The only difference was that John's letter included the sentence "Sometimes, John can be difficult to get along with". They showed the resumes to a number of personnel directors. Which candidate did the personnel directors overwhelmingly prefer? Difficult to get along with, John.

The researchers concluded the criticism of John made praise of John more believable. Admitting John's wart actually helped sell John. Admitting flaws gives you more credibility. A key to selling.

Wisdom of this day:
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." - Charlie Chaplin

Just Do It

Author Elbert Hubbard told the story of an incident during the Spanish-American War. It was imperative that the president get a message to the leader of the insurgents. His name was Garcia and he was known to fighting somewhere in the mountains of Cuba, but no mail or telegraph could reach him. Someone said, "There's a fellow by the name of Rowan who will find Garcia for you if anybody can."

Rowan took the letter without hesitation. He sealed it in a leather pouch strapped over his heart. He landed in the dark of night off the coast of Cuba and make his way to the mountains, and after much difficulty, found Garcia. He handed him the letter, turned around and headed home. Hubbard tells this story in "A Letter to Garcia." Rowan didn't ask, "Exactly where is he?" or "I doubt if I can do it." There was a job to be done and he did it.

Instead of making a dozen excuses why you can't complete the task, think about Rowan. Deliver the goods!

Wisdom of this day:
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
- Psalm 118:24

Five Short Chapters on Change

Chapter 1.
I walk down a street and there's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. It takes forever to get out. It's my fault.

Chapter 2.
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It still takes a long time to get out. It's not my fault.

Chapter 3.
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It's becoming a habit. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter 4.
I walk down the same street and see the deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5.
I walk down a different street.

Butterfly Insights

A marvelous lesson appeared for me just now as I was exiting thru the garage, to come to this little playplace they call an office.

As I opened the garage door, I startled a large moth, which, upon spreading it's wings, displayed a bright red "tail" hidden by the motley brown wings, more a "butterfly" than a moth.

It flew immediately to its perceived escape, the circle-topped window where it frantically tried to exit thru the invisible wall of closed glass.

I raised the third-car garage door in hopes of aiding it's escape. That caused it to fly higher and higher and become entangled in a spider web. Fearful that it would remain entangled in the web, I selected a long-handled broom to assist him escaping the tangled threads.

At this, he returned to furiously pumping his wings and banging into the glass, which was, in his perspective, the pathway of escape, but remained his cage.

By simply turning his focus to one side, he would have easily exited his prison. Rather, due to his intent on one direction, he remained confined, captive.


Wisdom of this day:
"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." - Thich Nhat Hanh

The Butterfly

A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.

Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

If God allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

Not only that, we could never fly.


Wisdom of this day:
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

Itu Bukan Tugas Saya!

Ini adalah kisah tentang empat orang bernama Setiap Orang, Seseorang, Tak Seorangpun dan Tidak Ada Orang.

Suatu ketika ada sebuah tugas penting yang harus dikerjakan dan Setiap Orang memastikan bahwa Seseorang akan melakukannya. Tak Seorangpun telah melakukannya karena Tidak Ada Orang yang bisa melakukan tugas itu. Seseorang menjadi marah karenanya sebab itu adalah tugas Setiap Orang. Setiap Orang berpikir bahwa Tak Seorangpun dapat melakukannya karena Tidak Ada Orang menyadari bahwa Setiap Orang tidak dapat melakukannya.

Akhirnya Setiap Orang memarahi Seseorang karena Tidak Seorangpun melakukan apa yang Tidak Ada Orang dapat melakukannya.

Kata Bijak Hari ini:
Berbahagialah. Karena itu adalah salah satu cara menjadi bijak. - Colline

Busy

Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter ask for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The paid was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees

"Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!"

Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter try harder the next day, but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he try even harder, but he only could bring 10 trees.Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

"I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

"When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked.

"Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees..."

by: Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Wisdom of the day:
"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Working Towards What You Already Have

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever- expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Wisdom of the day:
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory." - Betty Smith

A Simple Gesture

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his girlfriend. They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years. Finally the long awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mothers sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more, you saved my life."

Wisdom of the day:
"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." - Victor Hugo

Shake It Off And Step Up

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS--FAITH--PRAYER-- PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!

Wisdom of the day:
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden

A Room With a View

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue...
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.

Wisdom of the day:
I have never heard anything about the resolutions of the apostles, but a good deal about their acts. -Horace Mann

The Obstacle in Our Path

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

Wisdom of the day:
"Ring the bell that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen

Tips Ampuh Menghapus Hutang Kartu Kredit

Berapa banyak orang yang saat ini hidupnya selalu was-was? Mereka yang was-was biasanya disebabkan karena hutang yang selalu melilit hidupnya. Orang-orang ini menjadi tidak berdaya dan merasa tidak memiliki harapan lagi.

Gaya hidup yang serba praktis yang dijalani mayoritas orang-orang perkotaan turut andil dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, seperti penggunaan kartu kredit untuk pembayaran. Sebenarnya tidak ada yang salah menggunakan kartu kredit sebagai proses pembayaran transaksi Anda, hanya saja kepraktisan dan tawaran menarik ini bisa jadi "perangkap". Tidak sedikit orang yang akhirnya masuk dalam "perangkap" ini dan bergulat didalam yang namanya hutang.

Untuk itulah artikel ini dibuat agar Anda bisa mengetahui bagaimana keluar dari "perangkap" benda persegi panjang ini dan menata kembali kehidupan keuangan pribadi/keluarga Anda. Berikut tips-tipsnya:

1. Kenali Hutang Anda. Seseorang tidak akan pernah bisa keluar dari lilitan hutang kartu kredit apabila dirinya tidak pernah mengetahui berapa banyak hutang kartu kreditnya saat ini. Begitupun apabila Anda ingin keluar dari lilitan hutang kartu kredit. Intinya adalah lihat seberapa besar hutang kartu kredit yang harus Anda bayarkan, setelah itu buatlah target waktu kapan Anda akan melunasinya lengkap dengan besar uang yang harus Anda keluarkan secara periodiknya.

2. Berhenti Gesek Kartu. Menghilangkan kebiasaan bukanlah tugas yang mudah untuk dilakukan oleh seseorang. Begitupun bagi Anda yang mungkin saat ini berkata, "saya sudah begitu terikat dengan kartu kredit". Disini perlu komitmen dari diri Anda pribadi. Namun, bila hal ini tidak berhasil, ada baiknya langkah ketiga yang harus Anda pakai.

3. Hubungi Pihak Kartu Kredit. Langkah ketiga ini dapat dikatakan sebagai langkah berani yang harus Anda ambil. Lepaskan gengsi ataupun ketakutan Anda. Bicaralah dengan pihak kreditor Anda dan ungkapkan permasalahan yang sedang melilit Anda secara jujur dan lakukan negoisasi-negoisasi dengan kedudukan posisi sama tinggi. Apabila Anda terlihat melunak atau gampang dimanipulasi maka kesempatan untuk memperpanjang jangka waktu proses pembayaran hutang misalnya akan kecil.

4. Negosiasikan Hutang Anda. Proses negoisasi antara kreditor maupun debitor biasanya sangatlah alot, tetapi sekali lagi ini tergantung pihak-pihak yang berkomunikasi. Ketika Anda dilihat benar-benar tidak sanggup membayar keseluruhan hutang, maka biasanya pihak bank akan menawarkan jadwal cicilan pembayaran baru atau konsolidasi utang Anda ke satu utang dengan bunga yang relatif lebih rendah. Namun, apabila merasa kurang puas, lanjutkan proses negoisasi sampai Anda merasa betul-betul kesepakatan yang diambil menguntungkan Anda.

5. Pindahkan Hutang Anda. Sebenarnya di langkah keempat ini Anda sudah bisa membayar segala hutang kartu kredit Anda. Namun, apabila pihak penyedia kartu kredit masih bersikeras agar Anda tetap membayar sesuai beban bunganya, maka sebaiknya Anda memindahkan hutang ke kartu kredit dengan bunga lebih rendah. Atau bisa juga dengan memanfaatkan program transfer balance dimana program ini menawarkan bunga sangat kecil di 3 bulan pertama, lalu bertambah agak besar di bulan berikutnya. Besar bunga yang kecil di awal akan sangat membantu Anda untuk bernafas sejenak dan membuat strategi baru perencanaan pelunasan hutang kartu kredit Anda.

Semoga artikel ini setidaknya memberikan pencerahan bagi Anda yang saat ini sedang terlilit dengan hutang kartu kredit. Selamat mencoba!!!

Manusia akan bahagia bila….

Manusia akan bahagia bila mau membuka mata untuk melihat bahwa ia memiliki begitu banyak hal yang sangat berarti. Manusia akan bahagia bila ia mau membuka mata hati untuk menyadari betapa ia dicintai. Manusia akan bahagia bila ia mau membuka diri agar orang lain bisa mencintainya dengan tulus.

Manusia tidak bahagia karena tidak mau membuka hati, berusaha meraih yang tidak dapat diraih, memaksa untuk mendapatkan segala yang diinginkan dan tidak mau menerima dengan penuh Syukur apa yang dimiliki. Manusia buta dan egois karena hanya memikirkan diri sendiri; tidak sadar bahwa ia begitu dicintai, tidak sadar bahwa apa yang ada saat ini adalah baik, selalu mau lebih karena keserakahan diri.

Kebahagiaan bersumber di dalam diri kita sendiri. Jika berharap dari orang lain bersiaplah untuk kecewa, bersiaplah untuk dikhianati. Kita akan bahagia bila kita bisa menerima diri apa adanya, mencintai dan menghargai diri sendiri, mau mencintai orang lain dan mau menerima orang lain.

Percayalah kepada Tuhan dan beryukurlah selalu kepada-Nya karena kita senantiasa mendapatkan berkat terindah sesuai apa yang kita butuhkan. Tak perlu berkeras hati karena segala usaha dan kerja keras kita akan mendapatkan balasan terindah dari Tuhan sesuai rencana-NYA indah pada waktunya meskipun bukan hari ini. Teruslah berusaha dan berbahagia karena kita dicintai banyak orang.

Kata Bijak Hari ini:
Sukses berjalan dari satu kegagalan ke kegagalan lainnya tanpa kita kehilangan semangat. (Abraham Lincoln)

Letak Kekuatan

Ada kekuatan dalam cinta. Dan orang yang sanggup memberikan cinta adalah orang yang kuat karena ia mampu mengalahkan keinginan dan kepentingan dirinya sendiri.

Ada kekuatan dalam tawa dan kegembiraan. Dan orang yang tertawa gembira adalah orang yang kuat karena ia tidak pernah larut dalam tantangan dan cobaan.

Ada kekuatan dalam kedamaian diri. Dan orang yang dirinya penuh damai dan kebahagiaan adalah orang yang kuat karena ia tidak pernah tergoyahkan dan terombang-ambingkan.

Ada kekuatan dalam kesabaran. Dan orang yang sabar adalah orang yang kuat karena ia sanggup menanggung segala sesuatu dan tidak pernah merasa tersakiti.

Ada kekuatan dalam kemurahan. Dan orang yang murah hatinya adalah orang yang kuat karena ia tidak pernah menahan mulut dan tangannya untuk melakukan kebaikan bagi sesamanya.

Ada kekuatan dalam kebaikan. Dan orang baik adalah orang yang kuat akrena ia mampu melakukan hal-hal yang bermanfaat dan baik bagi semua orang.

Ada kekuatan dalam kesetiaan. Dan orang yang setia adalah orang yang kuat karena ia bisa mengalahkan nafsu dan keinginan pribadinya dengan kesetiaan kepada Tuhan dan sesama.

Ada kekuatan dalam kelemahlembutan. Danorang yang lemah lembut adalah orang yang kuat karena ia bisa menahan diri untuk tidak balas dendam.

Ada kekuatan dalam penguasaan diri. Dan orang yang menguasai dirinya adalah orang yang kuat karena bisa mengendalikan segala nafsu keduniawian.

Di situlah letak di mana segala kekuatan sejati berada. Dan sadarilah bahwa Anda memiliki kekuatan yang sama untuk mengatasi semua masalah Anda. Di manapun dan kapan pun Anda berada.

Kata Bijak Hari ini:
Seseorang yang sedikit belajar ibarat kodok yang merasa kubangan sebagai bentangan samudera luas. (Peribahasa Myanmar)