A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard & probably didn’t even deserve to be in Cambridge.

“We’d like to see the president,” the man said softly.

“He will be busy all day,” the secretar y snapped.

“We will wait,” the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn’t, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted. “Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they’ll leave,” she said to him. He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.

The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him! , “We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.” The president wasn ‘t touched. He was shocked.

“Madam,” he said, gruffly, “we can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died.. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”

“Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly. “We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, “A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.”

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it cost to start a university? Why don’t we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.

A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes

I hope to keep this in mind whenever I start to judge.

Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half wild, fertile and naturally beautiful!

Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe, well developed and open to trade, especially for someone with cash.

Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain, very hot, relaxed and convinced of her own beauty.

Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece, gently aging but still a warm and desirable place to visit.

Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain, with a glorious and all conquering past.

Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel, has been through war and doesn’t make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.

Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada, self-preserving, but open to meeting new people.

After 70, she becomes Tibet, wildly beautiful, with a mysterious past and the wisdom of the ages…only those with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for spiritual knowledge visit there.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN

Between 1 and 70, a man is like Iran, ruled by Nuts.

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN

This is one of the nicest e-mails I have seen, and it really puts things into perspective..

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 want, 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 to share it with.’

If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you not send it on????

I thank God especially for all my family and friends!!

God’s Wings

A little something to put things in perspective…

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park,
forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s
damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes,
perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree.
Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead
mother’s wings.
The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her
offspring
to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings,
instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.
Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body,
the mother had remained steadfast…because she had been willing to die,
so those under the cover of her wings would live.

‘He will cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you will find
refuge.’
(Psalm 91:4)

Being loved this much should make a difference in your life.
Remember the One who loves you, and then be different because of it.

My instructions were to send this to people that I wanted God to bless and I
picked you.
Please pass this on to people you want to be blessed.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.
To realize the value of a friend or loved one…lose one.

Isn’t it amazing that George Carlin – comedian of the

70’s and 80’s – could write something so very eloquent…and so very

appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have

taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower

viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but

less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but

less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but

less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly,

laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get

up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our

values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to

the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new

neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done

larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve

conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn

less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but

not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to

produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,

big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses,

but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers,

throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills

that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when

there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A

time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you

can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because

they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you

in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your

side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you,

because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it

doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ‘ I love you ‘ to your partner and

your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will

mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for

someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to

share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don’t send this to at least 8 people…..Who cares?

George Carlin

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the

70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very

appropriate.

                 A Message by George Carlin:

              The paradox of our time in history is that we have

taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower

viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but

less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but

less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but

less wellness.

              We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly,

laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get

up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

              We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our

values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

              We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to

the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new

neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done

larger things, but not better things.

              We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've

conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn

less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but

not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to

produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

              These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,

big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses,

but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers,

throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills

that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when

there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A

time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you

can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

              Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because

they are not going to be around forever.

              Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you

in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your

side.

              Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you,

because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it

doesn't cost a cent.

              Remember, to say, ' I love you ' to your partner and

your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will

mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

              Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for

someday that person will not be there again.

              Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to

share the precious thoughts in your mind.

              AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

              Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.

              If you don't send this to at least 8 people.....Who cares?

                                     George Carlin

Saggin Pants

Pass this on to Our Youth, Our Parents, Our Black Men and Women

Letter from a college student

The other day, a friend of mine visited me in the lobby of my dorm just to chat while her laundry was drying.  As we were chatting, two young freshmen came by.  One of the boys wanted to ‘talk’ to my friend (as in date).  She asked him how old they were, and both of the boys replied 18.  My friend and I both laughed hysterically because we are both 22 years old.  After my friend left, the young men were still hanging around and one wanted to know how he could gain her interest.

The first thing I told him to do was to pull up his pants!  He asked why, and then said he liked saggin’ his pants.  I told him to come over to my computer and spell the word saggin’.  Then I told him to write the word saggin’ backwards.

S-A-G-G-I-N

N-I-G- G-A-S

I told him the origin of that look was from centuries ago.  It was the intent of slave owners to demoralize the field workers by forbidding them to wear a belt as they worked in the fields or at any other rigorous job.  In addition, men in prison wore their pants low when they were ‘spoken for’.  The other reason their pants looked like that was they were not allowed to have belts because prisoners were likely to try to commit suicide.  And, saggin’ pants prevents you from running.

We as young Black people have to be the ones to effect change.  We are dying.  The media has made a mockery of the Black American.  Even our brothers and sisters from Africa don’t take us seriously.  Something as simple as pulling up your pants and standing with your head held high could make the biggest difference in the world’s perception of us.  It is time to do right by ourselves.  We need to love and embrace each other.  No one is going to do that for us.

It all comes down to perception.  What people perceive is what reality to them is.  We have to change not only the media’s perception of us, but we need to change our perception of ourselves.

Remember all eyes are on you Black Man. All eyes are on you Black Woman.  All eyes are on your Black Child.  People point the finger at us and expect us to engage in negative and illegal activities, to manifest loud, boisterous behavior, to spend our hard earned money in their stores, buying goods we don’t need, or really want.  We have allowed not only the media, but the government and the world to portray us as a ‘sub-culture.’ They have stripped our culture down to the point where the image of Black people is perpetuated as rappers, athletes, drug users, and consumers of junk food, expensive tennis shoes, expensive cars, expensive TVs, cell phones and not investing in homes for our families.

We are so much more!!!!!!!

To all our Black Men:  It’s time to stand up.  There are billions of Black Women who want to do nothing more than worship the ground that you walk on.  We are so in love with your potential.  We want to have your back, we want to love, support and cherish every ounce of your being.  But with that you have to show that you are willing to be the head of our households.  You have to prove yourselves worthy of our submission.  We need you to be hard working…Not a hustler.  We need you to seek higher education, to seek spirituality.  We need you to stand!  And trust us; we will have your back.  We know that it gets hard.  We know you get weary.  Trust and believe that there is nothing that a Black Man and a Black Woman can’t handle with GOD on their side.

To all our Black Women:  It is also time for you to stand up.  It is time for you to stop using our bodies as our primary form of communication.  It is time to be that virtuous woman that Proverbs spoke of.  You cannot sit by the wayside while our men are dying by the masses.  You are the epitome of Black Love.  It starts within you.  You need to speak with conviction to let not only our Black Men know, but the world, that you are the Mothers of this world.  You are so powerful.  You are so beautiful.  You need to love and embrace every blessing God has given us physically, emotionally and spiritually.

For all our Black Children:  We need to love them.  We need to teach them.  We need to stand up for them.  We need to protect them.  We need to show them that there are no ‘get rich quick’ schemes.  We need to tell them that they WILL die trying if they submit to a life of crime and deceit.  We need to teach our children that no one will love them the way we can.  And being a basketball player, a rapper, or a drug dealer is not reality.  It’s not realistic and only a small percentage of people ever make it as a rapper or professional athlete.  We need to teach our children that we can be more than rappers and athletes.  We can be the owners of these sports teams.  We can be the CEO’s of OUR fortune 500 companies.  We need to believe in literacy.  I am almost certain if we were to look back to the 1930’s and 40’s, the literacy rates for Black American Children are probably still the same.

‘This is the year of empowerment.’ God will empower us to accomplish things this year that will be mind blowing’.

Equanimity

“In sacred geometry, the octagon portrays evenness and stability.

In the mental realm, this comes, in part, from equanimity which provides the stability of not being thrown off center.

Any strong judgment or emotional reaction can create a kind of static that interferes with clarity or perception and evenness in the mind and emotional body. Equanimity is the result of not getting caught in these judgments and reactions.

It is the evenness that comes when we neither reject nor cling to the various mental or emotional states that arises.

Fear, resentment and doubt involve contraction. If you are sensitive enough, you may notice their effect in your body. At other times, you many recognize contraction only after it has released and you find yourself in a state that is restful, free  and expansive.

Our  focus  is on acceptance of contraction as a part of life and the cultivation of equanimity to help us deal with uncomfortable states.Equanimity is not an enforced evenness created by flattening your emotions, nor is it a blurring of perceptions.

In equanimity, you are aware of your internal distress, but don’t react to it as much, because you have evenness inside.

Practicing equanimity doesn’t mean that you never get ruffled. You can be totally triggered by an event and yet handle that turmoil with equanimity by feeling your response moment to moment and letting it go. You can put space around it and not get so caught up in the content.

It is this breathing room that allows you to avoid  reacting automatically and lets you decide which action is most skillful in a situation.

There are several ways to practice equanimity.  One,  is to look for the good in disagreeable conditions in your life; it is easier to accept them.

Another method is to step back and observe. With greater detachment, you gain perspective. You step out of the story and see the larger pattern created by the hills and valleys of your life.

A third practice is to observe the oscillation of contractive and expansive states in meditation or in the simple act of breathing.

You may notice that if you can be completely present with a contraction. The contraction will soften and relax into a more expansive state.

It is a natural rhythm: expansion follows contraction and contraction follows expansion.

The person with equanimity honors both.”

Willow Arlenea  Jasmin Lee Cori
www.ettaenterprizes.com

A man from Norfolk, VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.

His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words: A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child.. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said ‘amen,’ we both
heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I c ould, but we still missed her flight. both very upset, we drove home.

I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife’s flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.

My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help.. ‘This is not something I can’t just sit by for; I have to do something.’

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, ‘take good care of my grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father’s name was Jake Matthews. I t old him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, ‘I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.’

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, ‘there is something else you need to know.’

His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves .

When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

This story should help us to realize this: God is always in control..

We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact it may have on someone. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

IT IS ADVISED NOT TO CONSUME THIS DRINK. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS
DRINK!

As a public health safety, please pass on this email to all the
contacts in your address book especially those with teenage children. and make copies to
show to all the people you know.

This drink is SOLD in all the supermarkets IN OUR country.  and our
children ARE CONSUMING IT ON A TRIAL BASIS. IT can be mortal.

RED BULL was created to stimulate the brains in people who are
subjected to great physical force and in “stress coma” and never to be consumed
like an innocent drink or soda pop. RED BULL IS the energizer DRINK that is
commercialized world-wide with its slogan:

‘It increases endurance; awakens the concentration capacity and the
speed of reaction, offers more energy and improves the mood. All this can be found in a
can of RED BULL, the power drink of the millennium.!

‘Red Bull has managed to arrive at almost 100 countries worldwide.  The
RED BULL logo is targeted at young people and sportsmen, two attractive segments that
have been captivated by the stimulus that the drink provides.

It was created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an industrialist of Austrian
origin who discovered the drink by chance. It happened during a business trip to Hong
Kong, when he was working at a factory that manufactured toothbrushes.

The liquid, based on a formula that contained caffeine and taurine,
caused a rage in that country. Imagine the grand success of this drink in Europe where
the product still did not exist, besides it was a superb opportunity to become an
entrepreneur.

BUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS DRINK IS ANOTHER THING:

FRANCE and DENMARK have just prohibited it as a cocktail of death, due
to its vitamin components mixed with GLUCURONOLACTONE’, a highly dangerous chemical,
which was developed by the United States Department of Defense during 60 years to
stimulate the moral of the troops based in VIETNAM, which acted like a hallucinogenic
drug that calmed the stress of the war.

But their effects in the organism were so devastating, that it was
discontinued, because of the high index of cases of migraines, cerebral tumors and
diseases of the liver that was evident in the soldiers who consumed it.

And in spite of it, in the can of RED BULL you can still find as one of
its components: GLUCURONOLACTONE, categorized medically as a stimulant.

But what it does not say on the can of RED BULL, are the consequences
of its consumption, and that has forced us to place a series of WARNINGS:

1. It is dangerous to take it if you do not engage in physical exercise
afterwards, since its energizing function accelerates the heart rate and can cause a
sudden attack.

2. You run the risk of undergoing a cerebral hemorrhage, because RED
BULL contains components that dilute the blood so that the heart utilizes less energy to
pump the blood, and thus be able to deliver physical force with less effort being
exerted.

3. It is prohibited to mix RED BULL with alcohol, because the mixture
turns the drink into a “Deadly Bomb” that attacks the liver directly, causing
the affected area never to regenerate anymore.

4. One of the main components of RED BULL is the B12 vitamin, used in
medicine to recover patients who are in a coma; from here the hypertension and the state
of excitement which is experienced after taking it, as if you were in a drunken state.

5. The regular consumption of RED BULL triggers off symptoms in the
form of a series of irreversible nervous and neuronal diseases.

CONCLUSION: It is a drink that should be prohibited in the countries of
the Caribbean and Latin America, (and the entire world) as it is already waking up other
nations because when it is mixed with alcohol it creates a time bomb for the human body,
mainly between innocent adolescents and adults with little experience.

REPORT of.. D. KHALET GEBARA, Md, UCLA University, California, the USA