“Unconditional love is the greatest gift of all.”

~ Sylvia Massara

 An elderly woman and her little grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws.

"You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a girl in the line said to the little fella. Embarrassed, the little boy dropped his head.

His grandmother knelt down next to him. "I love your freckles. When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles, she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful!"

The boy looked up, "Really?"

"Of course," said the grandmother. "Why, just name me one thing that's prettier than freckles."

The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma's face, and softly whispered, "Wrinkles."

~Author Unknown

“Surely,two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent.”

~Donald A. Norberg

P.S:Seen through the eyes of unconditional love and acceptance………. freckles and wrinkles only add to one’s beauty/ grace and need not be a cause for anxiety or embarrassment.

Unconditional love and acceptance allow life to flow with ease and joy……with great awareness and no judgement.

A wonderful way to choose to live!!!!!!!!

Namaste,

Bhagya

               

 

“The mind is its own place,
and in itself can make
a heaven of hell,
a hell of heaven…”
~John Milton
                                           
             Heaven and Hell
  A violent samurai who was known for picking fights for no reason at all arrived at the door of a Zen monastery and asked to speak to the master.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ryokan came out to meet him.
"They say that intelligence is more powerful than strength," said the samurai. "I wonder if you could explain to me the meaning of heaven and hell."
Ryokan remained silent.
"You see" roared the samurai. "I could explain that very easily: to show what hell is, all I need to do is beat someone up. To show what heaven is, just let a person go free after menacing him a lot."
"I don't argue with stupid people like you," said the Zen master.
This made the samurai's blood boil. His mind was filled with hatred.
"Now, that is hell," said Ryokan, smiling. "Letting yourself be angered by silly things."
The monk's courage disconcerted the warrior, and he relaxed.
"And that is heaven," added Ryokan, inviting him in. "Not reacting to silly provocations."
~Paulo Coelho
 “Did universal charity prevail,earth would be a heaven, and hell,a fable.”
~ Charles Caleb Colton
      
P.S: Life offers us the puzzle with all the pieces……whether we choose to use them to create heaven or hell is up to us. Every moment of our lives offers us an opportunity to make a choice.
Namaste,
Bhagya
                       

“It's good to be blessed. 
It's better to be a blessing.” 
~Author Unknown
 
  Take this quiz:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the top five news stories five years ago.
3. Name ten presidents or leaders of the biggest countries in the world.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor or actress.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
The people who make a difference in your life are not the most powerful ones, nor have the most money or awards. They are the ones that care.
~ Author Unknown
                                                
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
~William James
P.S:In the first quiz I failed miserably……….in the second one… I was astoundingly successful….. 
Strangely enough, I have learned and benefitted the most from people I do not know personally.
Their books/audios have enriched my life in ways that cannot be expressed in words.
To them…and others who have contributed to my life in meaningful ways..I offer grateful thanks several times a day……..everyday.
Namaste,
Bhagya

“I wish I could show you,

When you are lonely

or in darkness,

The astonishing light of

your own being.”

~Hafiz

“My mother sat me down and said, ...you are beautiful to me but must know that you are beautiful for yourself. You should also be aware that true beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that how beautiful you are to other people is always going to be subjective to who is looking at you at that time, and since you will always be looking at yourself first, you should find your own beauty and feel good about who you are.” She went on to tell me that I needed to take the time to identify those things that I found to be beautiful about myself but also celebrate what I thought was weird or unusual because those were the special things that God had given to me that made me different from everybody else. I learned how to appreciate, embrace, and enhance those special things so that they would shine rather than be hidden...We learned to love and identify with what made us uniquely beautiful.”

~BeNeca Ward

                                               

“Be yourself. If you water yourself down to please people or to fit in or to not offend anyone, you lose the power, the passion, the freedom and the joy of being uniquely you. It's much easier to love yourself when you are being yourself.” ~Dan Coppersmith

“Yours is the energy that makes your world. There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in.”~Jane Roberts

                                                                                                

“Someone's opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” ~Les Brown

P.S:There has never been anyone like you….there isn’t anyone like you……there will never be anyone like you. You were born to win….to make the world a happier place……..to leave your special footprints on the sands of time.Have you celebrated your presence on this planet today?????????

Namaste,

Bhagya

“I lose my temper,but it’s all over in a minute,”said the student.
“So is the hydrogen bomb,”
I replied.“But think of the damage 
it produces!”
~Spencer Tracy 
                                             
                                  
            
A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: "Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?"
"You have something very strange," replied Bankei. "Let me see what you have."
"Just now I cannot show it to you" replied the other.
"When can you show it to me?" asked Bankei
"It arises unexpectedly," replied the student.
"Then," concluded Bankei, "it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me any time. When you were born, you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over."
~ Author Unknown
“It takes me a long time to lose my temper,but once lost I could not find it with  a dog.”
~Mark Twain

 
“The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk.”
~ Joseph Joubert
“Temper is a funny thing;it spoils children,ruins adults and strengthens steel !!!”
P.S: What if,we could always be our authentic selves; choosing to live mindfully in accordance with our “own true nature???”
We do not feel balanced/calm/
caring/loving/grateful/happy/ compassionate and angry at the same time.
As someone wisely said,“ANGER is one letter short of  DANGER !!”
It is good to remember temper is good only for steel !!!!!!!!!Namaste,
Bhagya
                                                                                                    
P.P.S: My mantra is…..……………
feel it……………….
acknowledge it…………………..
accept it…………………………..
LET IT GO !!!!!

“How few there are, who have courage to own their faults,or resolution enough to mend them.” ~Benjamin Franklin

Grammar………….

Nasruddin was ferrying a traveller across a lake. As they spoke on various subjects, Nasruddin made a minor grammatical error. The traveller remarked, “You who wears a turban and calls himself a Mulla—have you ever studied grammar extensively?”

“No,” Nasruddin admitted, “I have not covered that subject in depth.”

“Well then,” the traveller replied,” you have wasted half of your life!”

Several minutes later, Nasruddin turned to the traveller and asked, “Have you ever learned how to swim?”

“No,” the traveller responded.

“Well then,” Nasruddin replied, “you have wasted all your life—for there is a hole in the boat, and we are sinking!”

                  

                    

“What we all tend to complain about most in other people are those things we don’t like about ourselves.” – William Wharton

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

– Mother Teresa

P.S:What if, one could focus all one’s time and energies improving oneself….while allowing others to do the same????

What if, one could focus more on appreciating the many,many wonderful things in oneself and others……?

Namaste,

Bhagya

 

 

 

“Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.”

~Norman Vincent Peale

             

 

An old pilgrim was making his way to the Himalayan mountains in the bitter cold of winter when it began to rain.

An innkeeper said to him,“How will you ever get there in this kind of weather,my good man?”

The old man answered cheerfully,“My heart got there first,so it’s easy for the rest of me to follow.”

~Anthony de Mello

                                

“Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.”
― Walter D. Wintle

   
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ― Henry Ford

P.S:What if, we could go with the flow…and allow the Universe to show us the best path for us ????
What if, we choose to allow our hearts to be our guides ???
What if, we were to “follow our bliss”as Joseph Campbell said…..and allow miracles to unfold in our lives ?????
What if, as Infinite Beings we could be more open to the Infinite Possibilities available to us??????

Many questions…..but the best answer could be only one…and that is,“YES.”
Namaste,
Bhagya

"Depend not on another,but lean on thyself.True happiness is born of self-reliance.”~The Laws Of Manu
 THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES
A lark once had her nest in a cornfield. Soon her eggs were hatched, and her babies were born. The lark looked after her babies well; and the young larks grew gradually in size and strength.
One day the lark left her children, and went off to look for food. While she was away, the owner of the field and his son came to see how the corn was growing. Finding the corn was quite ripe, the owner said to his son, before they went away:
“We must ask our friends to come tomorrow morning and cut this corn for us.”
It happened, the young larks heard this remark. They were very worried. When their mother returned, they were quick to inform her.
“I think we had better leave, Mother!” they said in alarm. “If the friends of the owner and his son come tomorrow to cut the corn, they will surely find us and kill us.”
Their mother laughed, and told them not to fear.
She explained: “Since that owner expects his friends to do the job, you can be sure they will not turn up. We have no need to leave.”
True enough, the next morning no friends turned up to cut the corn. The young larks were quite safe.
However, the day after, while the mother lark was out looking for food, the owner and his son visited again.
“What!” cried the owner in surprise to his son “I see our friends did not come to cut the corn. We cannot depend on them. We must ask our relatives to come tomorrow morning and do this job. They will not let us down.” And the two went away.
Once again the young larks heard what was said. They told their mother. They suggested they should leave. But their mother told them not to fear.
She explained: “Since that owner expects his relatives to do the job, you can be sure they will not turn up. We have no need to leave as yet.”
True enough, the next morning no relatives came to cut the corn. The young larks were safe. The day after, while their mother was out looking for food, the owner and his son arrived once more.
“What!” cried the owner in surprise. “I see our relatives have also let us down. It seems we cannot depend on anyone. Tomorrow morning, therefore, we will do this job ourselves.” And away they went.
As usual, the young larks had heard their dialogue and reported it again to their mother when she came. They suggested they should leave. This time their mother agreed.
She said, “Yes, tomorrow we must leave before those two arrive. When a man says he will do his job himself you can be sure he will do it.”
Moral: Rely on yourself and not on others.
" If it is to be,it is up to me.”
~ William H Johnsen


“The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson
 P.S:
We were created with everything that we could possibly need to live extraordinary lives.
The moment we make a decision to take charge of our lives things begin to change….
When we choose to believe in ourselves completely…….. we understand that we can be and do things on our own….
That is when life changes…and gets better and better and better……………………….
Namaste,
Bhagya
                                                                                                         
 
 

“We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be. And our attitudes and behaviours grow out of these assumptions.”

~ Stephen R. Covey

 

 

A storekeeper heard one of his salesman say to a customer,

"No,ma'am,we haven't had any for some weeks now and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.”

Horrified at what he was hearing he rushed over to the customer as she was walking out and said,

“That isn’t true,ma’am.Of course we’ll have some soon.In fact,we placed an order for it a couple of weeks ago.”

Then he drew the salesman aside and growled,

"Never,never,never,never say we don’t have something.If we don’t have it,say we’ve ordered it and it’s on its way.Now what was it she wanted?”

“Rain,” said the salesman.

~Anthony de Mello

       

“You must stick to your conviction, but be ready to abandon your assumptions.”    
~Denis Waitley

  

P.S: What if, we are as quick about jumping at opportunities instead of jumping to conclusions as most of us tend to do??????? What if, we could choose to set aside our assumptions/ presumptions/ conclusions?? What if, we could get out of our own way???????? What if, we could be more willing to listen to ALL of what the other person is saying….before we respond ????? A lot of food for thought today……..if necessary……if not…an interesting story….about how to be and how not to be Namaste, Bhagya