“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” 
— William Arthur Ward





Be Thankful


Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?


Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.


Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.


Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.


Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.


Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.


Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.


It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.


GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.


~Author Unknown





God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" 
--William A. Ward


P.S:
What if, all of the 86,400 seconds could be utilized for being in a state infinite gratitude....even if, all of it is not used for verbally saying "thank you" ????
Namaste,
Bhagya

" Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness." 
    ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard.


She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."


"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.


"No," she said. "He's out."


"Then we cannot come in," they replied.


In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in.


"We do not go into a House together," they replied.


"Why is that?" she wanted to know.


One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."


The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!" he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"
His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"


Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion:


"Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"


"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.


"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."


The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him.
Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love. Why are you coming in?"


The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"
~Author Unknown





“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. To experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”
- Marianne Williamson




P.S:
What if, we could choose to greet each day remembering that "Love is what we are born with"....and that the love within each one of us, has the power to make a difference ???
Namaste,
Bhagya

dare to be poem

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.”
~ Seneca






“Dare to Be


When a new day begins, 
dare to smile gratefully.


When there is darkness, 
dare to be the first to shine a light.


When there is injustice, 
dare to be the first to condemn it.


When something seems difficult, 
dare to do it anyway.


When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.


When there seems to be no hope, 
dare to find some.


When you’re feeling tired, 
dare to keep going.


When times are tough, 
dare to be tougher.


When love hurts you, 
dare to love again.


When someone is hurting, 
dare to help them heal.


When another is lost, 
dare to help them find the way.


When a friend falls, 
dare to be the first to extend a hand.


When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.


When you feel great, 
dare to help someone else feel great too.


When the day has ended, 
dare to feel as you’ve done your best.


Dare to be the best you can –


At all times, Dare to be!”


― Steve Maraboli, 
Life, the Truth, and Being Free







“The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.”
~ Dale Carnegie




P.S:

"Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!”

It is possible to do so with ease.......
when we choose to live life...
 only one moment at a time.
Namaste,
Bhagya

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” 
― Judy Garland






When the young rabbi succeeded his father everyone began to tell him 
how completely unlike his father he was.


"On the contrary,"replied the young man.


"I'm exactly like the old man.


He imitated no one.


I imitate no one."


~Anthony de Mello






“The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.” 
― Leo Buscaglia




"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."  ~e.e. cummings, 1955

P.S:
They say no two snowflakes are exactly alike.....
This is true of everything God created.....
However, it takes great courage to be our authentic selves.
May we always choose to be who we truly are.....so that we can contribute to the world in our own unique ways...
Namaste,
Bhagya

"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into." - Wayne Dyer




Magically Appearing Cave


A villager was once riding past a cave in a mountain at the precise moment when it made one of its rare magical appearances to all who wished to enrich themselves from its treasures.


He marched into the cave and found whole mountains of jewels and precious stones that he hurriedly stuffed into the saddlebags of his donkey, for he knew the legend according to which the cave would be open for only a very limited period of time so its treasures had to be taken in haste.


The donkey was fully loaded and he set off rejoicing at his good fortune, when he suddenly remembered he had left his stick in the cave. He turned back and rushed into the cave.


But the time for the cave to disappear had arrived and so he disappeared with it and was never seen again.


After waiting for him a year or two, the villagers sold the treasure they found on the donkey and became the beneficiaries of the unfortunate man's good luck.
~ Anthony de Mello













"Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." - Epicurus 
(Greek philosopher, BC 341-270)

















P.S:If one were living from judgement....one would be inclined to say,"Penny wise pound foolish villager.He knew the legend well enough....why did he have to risk everything including his life...... for a mere stick ?"
Choosing to live from a state of awareness....without judgement(which is not the easiest things to do.......)one would be inclined to reflect that finding riches does not necessarily mean that one has an abundance mentality too......if one does not cultivate it.......no amount  would be enough.....
Isn't it amazing that the villagers waited for a year or two......... before they chose to become beneficiaries of the poor man's riches??????
Interesting how there could be so many points of view about the same situation!!!!!!
Namaste,
Bhagya

"The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1." ~Author Unknown

"When you don't know where to look...




look at the bright side
It's the right side
It's the light side


That's when you'll feel happy "in" side


Live like a hero!"


~Terri Marie



P.S: 
According to Mildred Barthel,"Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response." 
Some people search for it all their lives....some  think it is the responsibility of the world to keep them happy,while some others pursue happiness(and as we all know...... whatever is being chased is always running away from the pursuer.)Few choose to create it....they choose to be happy.......no matter what:)
What a great choice!!!!!
Namaste,
Bhagya

"All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired."
~Martin Luther


Do Not Question the Search


A man was about the cross a river, when master Bibhishana came over, wrote a name on a leaf, tied it to the man's back, and said:


"Don't be afraid. Your faith will help you walk on the waters. But the minute you lose faith, you will drown."


The man trusted Bibhishana, and began to walk on the waters, without any difficulty. At a certain point, he had an overwhelming desire to know what his master had written on the leaf tied to his back.


He took it and read what was written:


"Oh god Rama, help this man to cross the river."


"Is that all?" thought the man. "And who is this god Rama, anyway?"


The moment this doubt became lodged in his mind, he was submerged and drowned in the strong current.


~Sri Ramakrishna





"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe."
~Voltaire


P.S:
Our faith or fear.....always determine the outcome.....and there is room only for one.
May faith always prevail......
Let's choose to make it an extraordinary day!
Namaste,
Bhagya

“The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.”

~William Wordsworth

The Return


A small dog, struck by a car and was lying by the side of the road. 
A doctor was driving by and he noticed the dog and saw that he was still alive. He stopped the car, picked up the dog, and took him home with him. 
There he discovered that the dog had been mostly stunned as a result of the accident. 
After a careful examination the doctor concluded that the animal had suffered a few minor cuts and abrasions, but otherwise all right.
He revived the dog, cleaned up the wounds and was carrying the animal from the house to the garage. 
All of a sudden the dog jumped from his arms and scampered off in an instant.
“What an ungrateful little dog,” the doctor said to himself.” After all that I have done for you!”
He did not give the incident a second thought until the next evening when he heard a scratching at the door. He could not imagine who it was. 
When he opened the door, there was the little dog he had treated, accompanied by another hurt dog.
~ Author Unknown 





P.S: In all my life……I have never read/heard about or known an ungrateful dog.
It is not a quality that could be associated with the canine of the species………as the doctor in the story found out eventually. 
Their most inspiring and endearing qualities are unconditional love, acceptance, loyalty and caring.
For those of us who are willing to learn....lessons come from everywhere.
Namaste,
Bhagya

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting".
~ Buddha

Nobody Believes................

Legend has it that right after his Enlightenment, Buddha decided to go for a walk in the country. 
On the way he came upon a farmer, who was impressed at the light shining from the master.

"My friend, who are you?" asked the farmer."Because I have the feeling that I am standing before an angel, or a God."

"I am nothing of the sort," answered Buddha.

"Maybe you're a powerful sorcerer?"

"Not that either."

"So, what makes you so different from the others that even a simple peasant like me notices it?"

"I am just someone who has awoken to life. That's all. But I tell everyone that, and nobody believes me."
~  Paulo Coelho




"Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination."
~Buddha




“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
 Buddha.

P.S:
The path to enlightenment is open to all.It requires determination, commitment......and a journey within.Most importantly we need to understand that we do not have to renounce the world.
"Renunciation is always in the mind, not in going to forests or solitary places or giving up one's duties. The main thing is to see that the mind does not turn outward but inward." 
- Ramana Maharshi
Namaste,
Bhagya

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing."
   ~ Author Unknown.

                                        
The teacher was making out a registration card.

"What is your father's name ? she asked.

"Daddy," answered the little girl.

"Yes, I know......but what does your mother call him?"

"Mother doesn't call him anything," 
the little girl replied.

"She likes him"

~ Author Unknown

P.S:
What if, every child could grow up 
in such an environment of unconditional love,acceptance,trust and respect.????
What if, the words 'dysfunctional family' could be rendered obsolete forever ????
What if, growing up as a part of a loving family .......would make the next generation the best parents the world has ever known?
Is it possible ???????? 
Absolutely..........if each one of us takes responsibility for it............
Improvement.....begins with 'I'
Namaste,
Bhagya

"Goodness is the only investment 
   that never fails."
~Henry David Thoreau


         


A Glass of Milk


One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.


He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.


Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"


You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."


He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."


As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.


Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.


Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.


Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.


Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.


He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.


After a long struggle, the battle was won.


Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...


"Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.


~ Author Unknown

"I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in the kindness of human beings. I am so absorbed in the wonder of earth and the life upon it that I cannot think of heaven and angels."

~Pearl S. Buck

P.S:
Random acts of kindness bring out 
the angelic part in each one of us.
Ever so often, the giver may have no recollection of it....but it has a way of returning to the person multiplied many,many,many times over.......... because kindness received is always remembered.
Namaste,
Bhagya

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."
-Mother Teresa

Sacrifice


A father tried to teach his seven year old daughter the meaning of sacrifice. 


He explained that the finest gift a person can give is some cherished possession,one that the person values very much.


On his birthday the father found pinned to his coat a large sheet of paper on which his daughter had laboriously printed with red crayon:


"You are my faverit Daddy and I luv you heeps.My present to you is what I likes best. It is in your poket."


In his pocket he found a strawberry lollipop that he had given her the week before.It hadn't been licked once.


~Author Unknown



P.S:Young children tend to take literally whatever they are told....and abstract concepts are best shared when they are age appropriate.
When it comes to nurturing children actions always speak louder than words.....
Sometimes what the adult means to convey........and what the child  interprets it as .......are not the same....(and this is not restricted to adult-child communication......it can happen with people of all ages)

I wonder if the father in the story meant to convey exactly what the little girl understood....

Anyway, it is very obvious how very much she loved her father.
What a blessing !!!!!
Namaste,
Bhagya

"A prayer in its simplest definition is merely a wish turned Godward."

Phillips Brooks

God's Wife


An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.


A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'


'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.


The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.


She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.


By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks... Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes..


She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him... She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'


As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her.


'Are you God's wife?'


~ Author Unknown







"Do not make prayer a monologue
-make it a conversation."
Author Unknown 

P.S: There is a part of the Divine in each one of us............which means that every one has the potential to reach out/help/nurture/comfort/
support/uplift another. 
God's miracles are often channelled through us......and  I believe that the Creator enjoys giving us opportunities to "play God" in significant and meaningful ways.
Namaste,
Bhagya

"The living moment is everything."
~D.H. Lawrence

Zen Master Blumise On A Whacking Spree

There was chaos at No Wind Monastery. The monks were running scared and the cause of their fear was none other than the head abbot, Zen Master Blumise. 


They all knew that the only monk who could help them in such desperate times was senior monk Tara, and the monks were running around frantically trying to find her.


Finally, a group located her sitting by the river enjoying the late afternoon sun.


"What's all this ruckus about?" she asked, rather alarmed at seeing a gang of anxious monks approaching her. "And why is one side of each of your faces red?" she continued, noticing the glowing redness on the left cheek of every monk.


"Master Blumise has lost his marbles," replied Chin. "He is running around the monastery asking everyone what time is it? And as soon as you tell him the time, he gives you one tight slap and moves on to the next victim. In fact, he has slapped monk Gzan twice today already, see both his cheeks are red!" Chin exclaimed, while pointing out Gzan's very red face."The old bugger is still pretty strong," muttered Gzan.


Just then a very irritated Master Blumise burst onto the scene.


"Tara!" he yelled, "What time is it?"


Tara looked up calmly, smiled and said, "The time is now, Master," and that was the end of that. 
Master Blumise bowed deeply to his beloved student and left the now awakened congregation of monks to reflect on this right answer.
~Anmol Mehta


"Nothing ever happened in the past; 
it happened in the Now.
Nothing will ever happen in the future; 
it will happen in the Now."
~Eckhart Tolle


P.S: Ever so often we don't feel too good and we wonder why .........
One of the reasons could be the fact that we are either feeling bad about something that happened in the past.....or worrying about the future.
"The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness."said Abraham Maslow. 

Learning to be in the present moment requires mindfulness and practice.......and it is the best present that one can gift oneself.

Namaste,
Bhagya

"We see the world, not the way it is,but the way we are."~Talmud 

Integrity and Marbles             

          

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. 

 The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. 
The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised. 
 That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
~ Author Unknown


“There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience”
 French Proverb

  
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” 
― Anaïs Nin 
P.S:Taking total responsibility for one's thoughts,words, feelings and actions is a 24/7 project. 
It is always hard and uncomfortable.The ego self offers tremendous resistance to acknowledging the fact..... that one could possibly be wrong.
It is so much easier to project stuff on others.........instead of facing the truth about oneself.
However,working on oneself constantly is the only way out,because there is nothing out there............that is not in here.
Namaste,
Bhagya 
               

"Be grateful for whomever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond."
~ Rumi 



Sufi and the Inn


A Sufi of forbidding appearance arrived at the doors of the palace. No one dared to stop him as he made his way right up to the throne on which the saintly Ibrahim ibn Adham sat.


"What is it you want?" asked the King.


"A place to sleep in this inn."


"This is no inn. This is my palace."


"May I ask who owned this place before you?"


"My father. He is dead."


"And who owned it before him?"


"My grandfather. He is dead too."


"And this place where people lodge for a brief while and move on—did I hear you say it was not an inn?"


~ Anthony de Mello





P.S: I love stories....all of them...but once in a while, I come across a story that has the power to shake me to the  very core of my being.....and offer me tremendous food for thought.
This is one such story.
I know for sure, that whoever has chosen to come on this earth plane must some day go.There is no point skirting around this fact.
Keeping it in mind..... I need to ask myself some important questions.
Have I got my priorities right???? ???
Am I enjoying my stay in this inn.......
as much as I could ?????????? 
What can I do to live in a way that this visit turns out to be the most enjoyable one ever????????????????
It's going to be a day of reflection.....
Namaste,
Bhagya

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."~John Wooden

Spilt Milk




     At a busy intersection in New York, a thirty-gallon can fell from a passing truck,spilling milk all over the intersection.The policeman halted traffic while the driver retrieved the can.
            The policeman was about to blow his whistle for the GO signal,when a small white cat crept out on the road and started lapping up the milk.The whistle remained unblown,traffic stood still,and the light changed to green three times.
       Only after the cat had drunk its fill and returned to the sidewalk did the policeman give the signal for traffic to proceed.
~Author Unknown







"Random acts of kindness are those little sweet or grand things we do for no reason except that, momentarily,the best of our humanity has sprung exquisitely, into full bloom."
~ Daphne Rose Kingma

P.S: Such random acts of kindness restore one's faith in miracles and mankind.In the hustle and bustle of daily life...so full of 'shoulds' and 'musts' it is very easy to forget the angelic part of ourselves.....but it is always there... looking for an opportunity to come out.
May your day be as fabulous....... 
as you are :)
Namaste,
Bhagya