(#1) The Most Caring Child"
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was
asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most
caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor
was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing
the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto
his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said
to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing ... I just helped him
cry."
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(#2)"Two Nickels and Five Pennies"
When an ice cream sundae cost much less, a boy entered a coffee shop
and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of
him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty cents," replied the
waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a
number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he
inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table, and the waitress was
impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said angrily.
The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice
cream." The waitress brought the ice cream and walked away. The boy
finished, paid the cashier, and departed. When the waitress came back, she
swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the
empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies-her tip.
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(#3)"Discouraged?"
As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a local
Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my
home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked one of
the boys what the score was.
"We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.
"Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."
"Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."
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(#4)"Roles And How We Play Them"
Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and think
about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a
school play.
His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though he
feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I
went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to
her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.
"Guess what Mum," he shouted, and then said those words that will
remain a lesson to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer!"
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(#5)To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a
final exam.
To realize the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth
to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly
newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to
meet.
To realize the value of one minute: Ask the person who has missed
the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second: Ask a person who has survived
an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won
a silver medal in the Olympics.
Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will
treasure it even more when you share it with someone special.