Abraham Lincoln's Letter to his son's Teacher

He will have to learn, I know,
that all men are not just,
all men are not true.
But teach him also that
for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish politician,
there is a dedicated leader.

Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.
It will take time, I know;
but teach him to learn to lose,
and also to enjoy winning.

Steer him away from envy, if you can,
teach him the secret of quiet laughter.
Let him learn early that
the bullies are the easiest to lick.

Teach him, if you can,
the wonder of books;
but also give him quiet time
to ponder the eternal mystery of
birds in the sky, and flowers on a green hillside.

In school, teach him
it is far more honourable to fail
than to cheat.

Teach him to have faith in his
own ideas,
even if everyone tells him they
are wrong.

Teach him to be gentle with gentle
people, and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son
the strength not to follow the crowd
when everyone is getting on the band wagon.

Teach him to listen to all men
but teach him also to filter all
on a screen of truth, and to
take only the good that comes through.

Teach him, if you can,
how to laugh when he is sad.
Teach him there is no shame in tears.

Teach him to scoff at cynics
and to beware of too much sweetness.
Teach him to sell his brawn
and brain to the highest bidders,
but never to put a price tag
on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob,
and to stand and fight
if he thinks he's right.

Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him,
because only the test of fire
makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage to be impatient;
let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always
to have sublime faith in himself,
because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order, but see
what you can do.
He is such a fine little fellow, my son.

EVEN TODAY THESE LINES ARE STRONG TO CONVEY THE ESSENCE OF EMOTIONS, VALUES AND ETHICS.  ONE SHOULD EXPERIENCE IT.

Time Management

Either you run the day or the day runs you.

Learn how to separate the majors and the minors.  A lot of people don't do well simply because they major in minor things.

Don't mistake movement for achievement.  It's easy to get faked out by being busy.  The question is: Busy doing what?

Everyone has the same 24 hours a day to use but accomplish more in making the most of those hours by using the skills of scheduling, prioritizing, and setting goals.

Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it rather than invest it.

What counts is not the hours you put in, but how much you put into the hours.

Our days are like suitcases--all the same size; but some people seem to be able to pack more into them than others.

Holding on to hurt is like grabbing a rattlesnake by the tail: You are going to be bitten.

Forgiveness

Forget what hurt you in the past.
But never forget what it taught you.

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.
Paul Boese

The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi

My idea of resentment is letting go of resentment,....ridding yourself of negative thoughts.  All they do is make you miserable.  Believe me, you can fret and fume all you want, but whoever it was that wronged you is not suffering from your anguish whatsoever.
Della Reese

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
Cherie Carter -Scott

Forgiveness is almost a selfish act because of its immense benefits to the one who forgives.
Lawana Blackwell

He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.
Thomas Fuller

What Happens In Heaven When We Pray?

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ' This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.   
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.   

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.   
The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.   
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed. "How is it that there is no work going on here?”  I asked.   

"So sad," the angel sighed.  "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments"   

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked?   

"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord." 

"What blessings should they acknowledge?"  I asked.   

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. " 

"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity." 

 "If you woke up this morning with more health than illness... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... You are ahead of 700 million people in the world..." 

"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world." "If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare."   

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair..." 

Ok, what now? How can I start?   

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.   

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.   

ATTN:  Acknowledge Dept.   

"Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it."