A sweet lesson on patience.



a NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. :)

[ref]

Dogs are indeed man's best friend. Here in Zamboanga, an "askal" or streetdog, named Kabang, saves 2 kids from being hit by a motorcycle. According to its owner, Kabang saw the kids at the street when a motorcycle was fast approaching. Kabang then went for the motorcycle and dodge it, thus, avoiding the accident to happen.

Sadly, its upper mouth got stuck between the sprackets ripping off its nose area, leaving it dangling with lots of blood. The owner decided to cut of Kabang's whole upper mouth as you can see in the photo. This story was broadcasted in national news and help was given to Kabang by pet owners' organizations. Recently, they discovered that Kabang is a pregnant mother. Yes, Kabang is a girl. Because of this news, Zamboanga got a better image, after having lots of terror-related news. Anyways, here is another heart-melting story of a heroic dog i got from facebook that is also worth sharing:


Pitbull saves 2 women (barangay Lapasan Philippines)



The children in the Fronteras household refer to their dog as "kuya" ("big brother"), and he certainly proved it on the day he sacrificed his life to protect the family.

On Monday, Feb. 12 at around 2 p.m., "Chief", an American Pit Bull Terrier, rescued Liberata la Victoria, 87, and her granddaughter Maria Victoria Fronteras from a deadly cobra which had entered their house through an opening in the kitchen.

Liberata la Victoria and Chief had been watching TV on the sofa when suddenly Chief jumped up and alerted her to the presence of a cobra less than 10 feet away. Maria Victoria rushed in and pulled her grandmother into a separate room, hoping the snake would leave.

But when Maria Victoria later emerged from the room, she was terrified to find the cobra poised about two feet away. Equally startled, the cobra expanded its hood and appeared to be spitting venom as it prepared to strike.

"The snake was in front of us, maneuvering a deadly attack," says Maria Victoria. "I screamed out loud to ask for help." 1

That's when from "out of nowhere", Chief dashed between the cobra and the two women, using himself as a shield against the cobra's attacks. Chief then seized the cobra by the neck and slammed it into the floor, killing it.

But for Chief it was a Pyrrhic victory. In the struggle, he sustained a fatal bite to the jaw, and moments later he began gasping for breath and collapsed.

The family sought the help of a veterinarian, but they were told that nothing could be done. According to the vet, the bite was too close to Chief's brain, and the venom had already spread. Maria Victoria called her husband Marlone who, stunned by the news, rushed home immediately.

Ian de la Rama, a friend of the family, says it was less than 30 minutes from the time Chief had been bitten that he "went wobbly and lost control of his organs," 2 urinating and defecating uncontrollably. Yet he still kept clinging to life.

It wasn't until Marlone arrived that Chief finally let go.

Ian de la Rama describes, "Chief gave his two deep breaths and died. He was fighting and saving his last ounces of breath to see a glimpse of his master for the last two seconds of his life." 1

Ian adds that the last thing Chief did as he gazed up at Marlone was wag his tail.

With all the work and stress we have all day do we still give a little time for our family? Here's a story i got in tumblr and hope you'll get how important time is.


A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door.

SON: ‘Mummy, may I ask you a question?’

MUM: ‘Yeah sure, what it is?’ replied the woman.

SON: ‘Mummy, how much do you make an hour?’

MUM: ‘That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?’ the woman said angrily.

SON: ‘I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?’

MUM: ‘If you must know, I make $20 an hour.’

SON: ‘Oh,’ the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: “Mummy, may I please borrow $5?”

The mother was furious, ‘If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.’

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door…

The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down, and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $5 and he really didn’t ask for money very often.The woman went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

Are you asleep, son?’ She asked.

‘No Mummy, I’m awake,’ replied the boy.

I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier’ said the woman. ‘It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $5 you asked for.’

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. ‘Oh, thank you Mummy!’ he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.

‘Why do you want more money if you already have some?’ the mother grumbled.

‘Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,’ the little boy replied.

‘Mummy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.’

The mother was crushed. She put her arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.

It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $20 worth of your time with someone you love ♥

Seen this story in facebook worthy to be shared. Taken and written by Francisco Merced Andujar.


I almost cried: '(
In the middle of a busy street, a dog was seen taking care of another, a good friend who was hit.

With his leg trying to wake his friend, without knowing it, he was already dead, trying to push him off the road and if someone tries to help, just gave it to her without letting anyone near him.

Despite the traffic, he did not abandon his friend, trying to somehow help him .....

People passed, stopped to appreciate this impressive scene, saw the dog, just a mestizo, no dream, it was loyal companion and ...... SHARE THE IMAGE!

Wanna share this inspiring photos of a couple who were always there for each other against all odds.

 Her name is Katie Kirkpatrick, 21 yrs old. Next to her is her fiancé, Nick, 23. (Pic1)

This picture was taken prior to their wedding January 11th, 2005.
Katie has terminal cancer and spends hours in chemotherapy.
Here Nick awaits while she finishes one of the sessions...(Pic2)

Even in pain and dealing with her organs shutting down, with the help of morphine,
Katie took care of every single part of the wedding planning.
Her dress had to be adjusted several times due to Katie 's constant weight loss. (Pic3)

An expected guest was her oxygen tank. Katie had to use it during the ceremony and reception.
The other couple in this picture is Nick's parents, very emotional with the wedding and to see their
son marrying the girl he fell in love when he was an adolescent. (Pic4)

Katie , in a wheel chair listening to her husband and friends singing to her. (Pic5)

In the middle of the party, Katie had to rest for a bit and catch her breath.
The pain does not allow her to stand for long period of time. (Pic6)

Katie died 5 days after her wedding. To see a fragile woman dress as bride with a beautiful smile
makes you think... happiness is always there within reach, no matter how long it lasts.....
lets enjoy life and don't live a complicated life. Life is too short.
Work as if it was your first day.
Forgive as soon as possible.
Love without boundaries...
Laugh without control
and never stop smiling.
Please pray for those suffering from cancer.
We all have close to our heart.
Keep this going.

Faith in humanity is restored. Let the photo tell the story in this one...

Have you ever doubted God's existence? Here's a story that will explain the logic of his existence.

God Does Exist

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

- Author Unknown

BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS !!!!!!!

~

Also check out my old post about the story of the kid who proved God's existence to his professor.

During our trip in Manila, i met my dad's cousin, uncle Ojing. He's really an inspiring man. He's so smart and has so many stories to tell and words of wisdom to share. He has written a grammar book together with his wife, tita Twinny. For 4 days, they accomodated us warmly and we're so happy and thankful for their generosity.

They have two boys, Rovik and Orvik who are just as impressive as their parents. They study at home with their parents as their teachers for English, Math and Science, and also go to school (Victory Int'l School in BGC) for some subjects like PE and Values Education. These kids are very smart and they speak fluently in English and Tagalog. You may think home-schooled kids are loners or geeks but these two boys are intelligent yet very energetic, active, friendly and outgoing kids. Aside from doing good in their studies, they are also athletes playing football and swimming. The photo above shows Me, Papa and Ate with Orvik and Rovik after their football training.

Uncle showed us one of Rovik's projects, a school paper, all written, designed and printed by him. My mind was just blown away with the structure, organization of thought and advanced level of writing of this kid. Orvik shared an article about his experience in one of their football tournaments and it was a lot of fun to read. Rovik posted the write-ups in his own blog, too. I got to talk with Rovick about flash animation and techie stuff. He said he wants to study Computer Science in college. They boy knows what he wants in his young age.

You might wonder why this post is titled as it is. I'll proceed to that now :). As we were finding our way to the hotel in Pampanga, uncle Ojing, who was driving the van, and Papa were talking about the death of uncle's dad. He shared how his dad was so smart and can do many things in life but chose to be with his chickens (for sabong, perhaps). Rovik even called him Lolo Chicken because of his fondness for sabong (cock-fighting). Uncle, then, shared this story about the eagle and the chickens.~

A long time ago in a remote valley, there lived a farmer. One day he got tired of the daily routine of running the farm and decided to climb the cliffs that brooded above the valley to see what lay beyond.


He climbed all day until he reached a ledge just below the top of the cliff; there, to his amazement was a nest, full of eggs.

Immediately he knew they were eagle's eggs and, even though he knew it was profoundly un-ecological and almost certainly illegal, he carefully took one and stowed it in his pack; then seeing the sun was low in the sky, he realized it was too late in the day to make the top and slowly began to make his way down the cliff to his farm.

When he got home he put the egg in with the few chickens he kept in the yard. The mother hen was the proudest chicken you ever saw, sitting atop this magnificent egg; and the cockerel couldn't have been prouder.

Sure enough, some weeks later, from the egg emerged a fine, healthy eaglet. And as is in the gentle nature of chickens, they didn't balk at the stranger in their midst and raised the majestic bird as one of their own.

So it was that the eagle grew up with its brother and sister chicks. It learned to do all the things chickens do: it clucked and cackled, scratching in the dirt for gritsand worms, flapping its wings furiously, flying just a few feet in the air before crashing down to earth in a pile of dust and feathers.

It believed resolutely and absolutely it was a chicken.

One day, late in its life, the eagle-who-thought-he-was-a-chicken happened to look up at the sky. High overhead, soaring majestically and effortlessly on the thermals with scarcely a single beat of its powerful golden wings, was an eagle!

"What's that?!", cried the old eagle in awe. "It's magnificent! So much power and grace! It's beautiful!"

"That's an eagle", replied a nearby chicken, "That's the King of the Birds. It's a bird of the air... not for the likes of us. We're only chickens, we're birds of the earth".

With that, they all cast their eyes downwards once more and continued digging in the dirt.

And so it was that the eagle lived and died a chicken... because that's all it believed itself to be.

~So there you have it. Uncle shared this story which he compares to his father who had the talent but settled with mediocrity due to the influence of the people who surrounded him. It's a simple story but this is the reality. We are all meant to be great but if we let people dictate who we are and what we will be, we won't go far in life.

We must believe in our capabilities and always do our best in everything we do to be successful in life. Let no one hinder us from making it big and achieving our dreams and aspiration. God already gave us the things we need and it's up for us on how to use them.~

This story was originally written by Dr. Eldon Taylor in NY Times Best-selling book, "Choices and Illusions." I copied the text here. Photo credits: Egg by inuks; Eaglet; Chicken by ugil. You may also watch the story here.

Just want to repost this beautiful story from the blog of Paulo Coelho.




(below the opening page of “The Alchemist”. May every single day of this new year reflect our joy)

The alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus.

The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who knelt daily beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty. He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus.

But this was not how Oscar Wilde, the author of the book, ended the story.

He said that when Narcissus died, the goddesses of the forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

“Why do you weep?” the goddesses asked.

“I weep for Narcissus,” the lake replied.

“Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus,” they said, “for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand.”

“But…was Narcissus beautiful?” the lake asked.

“Who better than you to know that?” the goddesses said in wonder. “After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!”

The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said:

“I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful.
“I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.”

“What a lovely story,” the alchemist thought.

Lily a 6 year old great dane lost his eyesight
due to a rare disease.

He became disheartened
until he met Madison.

They have been together for 5 years
and Madison guides Lily by the leash
and touches him to make sure
he doesn't stumble over anything.

The picture reveals how dependent
and loving they are to each other

A man left alone from all his friends, relatives & also his wife who suffering from Asthama near jipmer hospital, Pondicherry, but see the endless mother love trying to save her son. Its shows, the only love never fades in this world is "Mothers Love".

Her love is instinctual, unconditional, and forever..!!

Hi guys! I'm introducing a new series of post not related to my field of work but worth sharing. These are famous stories shared all over the world to spread the wonderful side of life. These are touching tales from different people all over the world connected together through social platforms like facebook and tumbler.



A mother tiger lost her cubs due to premature labour. Shortly after, she became depressed and her health declined. She was later diagnosed with depression. Since tigers are endangered, every effort was made to secure her health. Zoologists wrapped piglets up in tiger-print cloth, and presented them to the mother tiger. She now loves these piglets and treats them like her own. And needless to mention, her health is back on track. ♥

Yes, they ALL have feelings....just like we do. And yes, their feelings ought to be respected. They shouldn’t have to suffer because of our ignorance and ego.