Meditation - basic guide

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1. What is meditation?
Meditation means to think continuously of the same thing. Meditation is time that we spend with our inner self. Meditation is a process of regulating the mind. Meditation is a process of calming the mind..

Q2. Why should we meditate?
To be able to release the stress on a daily basis, to balance professional & personal life, to give a pause to the mind & connect with our inner self.

Q3. Who can meditate?
Earlier the perception was that meditation is only meant for elderly people. However, anyone above the age of 15 years can meditate.

Q4. How do we meditate?
Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and start with a thought Divine light is present in your heart.

Q5. How is Heartfulness different from art of living or any other institution?
All missions are working towards helping humanity to deal with everyday life. All are doing a good job. I have experienced Heartfulness Meditation and so can talk only about its benefits.    (Please refrain from giving views about other spiritual or religious practices).

Q6. Do you chant mantras or play music during meditation?
No. Only a suggestion that Divine light is present in my heart.

Q7. Why to meditate on light?
Light is the most subtle form of energy. To reach the subtlest (God) we need to meditate on subtlest.

Q8. When to meditate?
It can be done at any time of the day but should be preferably done in the morning.

Q9. What do we do during meditation?
We sit comfortably & close our eyes & do nothing. There is no physical or mental activity during meditation. Many thoughts may come to our mind during meditation  we are taught not to attend but to ignore them.

Q10. How long do we have to meditate?
We can start with few mins preferably half hour & max 1 hour.

Q11. Why do we meditate on the heart?
Heart is the main organ of the body. It is the pumping station of the blood which sends out the blood after purification to different nerves and cells of the body. We take the heart as the center of meditation as purification of the heart will have an effect on refinement of the entire physical system.

Q 12. What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation streamlines our thoughts and disciplines the mind. This helps in reducing mental stress which is the cause of various illness. Meditation helps to balance our mind and enhances spirituality. It creates an overall wellness.

Q13. Who is the guru of the system?
Shri Kamlesh D. Patel is our Guide. He is the President of our mission. But in Heartfilness Meditation practice, emphasis is more on process of Meditation.

Q 14. What is unique about Heartfulness?
The pranahuti (transmission) is the most unique aspect of this system. As body needs food to survive, Prananhuti is the food for the soul. It is transmitted by the guru into the heart of an aspirant. It removes impurities & impressions & accelerates the spiritual growth. Heart is also the seat of the soul.
Second unique aspect is cleaning. It helps to clean our samskaras.

E.g. Transmitting the inner state of the person, like when we see a child, the childs happiness automatically reflects on us, and we too become happy. In a way the child has transmitted his happiness to us.

Q15. What is samskaras?
Every action has a reaction which leave a trace in the heart. This becomes seeds for future actions. Repeated impressions forms samskaras. (Similar to karma theory) There is a need to clear the seeds so that it does not form future actions.

Q16. Will practicing Heartfulness Meditation improve my health?
Nowadays all illness are psychosomatic, that means starting from mind & then reflecting on the body. So if mind is purified, many diseases will improve considerably. But the goal of the meditation is not only improving health.

Q17. Will my problems be sorted if I practice Heartfulness?
Not necessarily. But the strength to undergo our own problems grows a great deal.

Q18 How do we start the practice?
Our trainers are available all over Mumbai and they help us in getting initiated into the system. Politely we can ask for their details (name, number, address) and then we can map them to the nearest prefect.

Q19. Are there any charges involved?
There are no charges to experience Heartfulness Meditation. It is all voluntary. We are here only to share the experience that we have felt over the years of our practice. Only competence required to start the practice is willingness.

Q20.  I am following any religious or spiritual practice do I need abandon that to start this?
NO. Whatever we are doing remains the same. Along with that we can experience this also.

Q21. Time period required to feel the effectiveness of the practice?
There is no specific time period. All we can say is at least practice for 3 months heart fully.

Q22. Is there any literature available?
Lot of literature are available at our centres. And also our Heartfulness magazine can be downloaded from our website as e-books.

Q23. Is there anything for children?
We have relaxation technique for children.

Q24. What do we do during cleaning? 
Sit for half an hour with a suggestion to yourself that all complexities and impurities including grossness, darkness, etc. are going out of the whole system through the back in the form of smoke or vapor, and that in their place the sacred current of the Divine is entering your heart. The evening cleaning is to be done at the end of the day, when you are done with the routine daily activities. 

Q25. What is the difference between cleaning and meditation? 
Meditation is a passive process, where you give a supposition that the divine light is present in the heart and wait for the feeling to emerge.  Whereas cleaning is an active process, wherein you use suggestion to clean yourself.

Sometimes Life Is Hard

Sometimes we see things that aren't meant to be seen.
Sometimes things aren't always as they seem.
Sometimes we need someone to call our own,
Especially when we're alone.
Sometimes people just can't understand,
Why things get out of hand.
Sometimes life just isn't fair,
Especially when people just don't care.
And sometimes it's hard to say,
Why things have to be this way.
Sometimes it's all you can do to get by,
Especially when dreams continue to die.
Sometimes it's nice to sit in the rain.
Even to just relieve the pain.
And when we've had a really bad day,
Sometimes we just need to get away.
We never know what's wrong with out pain.
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.

And sometimes when people get hurt,
Even the strongest ones may need comfort.

Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/sometimes-life-is-hard#ixzz3wr5CHMcP
#FamilyFriendPoems 

The Best of George Carlin Quotes

For those who love the philosophy of hypocrisy and ambiguity, a few statements to ponder by a very clever comedian with a knack for the spoken (and written) word. He had a career that spanned over 30 years of making people howl with laughter, and is known by many as the grandfather of stand up comedy. He was also voted the best comedian in history by fellow comedians.

1. Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

2. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.

3. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

4. Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

5. The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.

6. I went to a bookstore and asked the sales woman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

7. Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets aren't going as ghosts, but as mattresses?

8. If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

9. If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him . . . is he still wrong?

10. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

11. Is there another word for synonym?

12. Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice?"

13. Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"

14. What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

15. If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

16. Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

17. Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?

18. If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

19. Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

20. Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

21. If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

22. Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?

23. How do blind people know when they are done wiping?

24. How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?

25. Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?

26. What was the best thing before sliced bread?

27. One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.

28. To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated, but not be able to say it.

29. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

30. The older you get, the better you realize you were.

31. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

32. Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

33. Women like silent men, they think they're listening.

34. Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.

35. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

36. Do pediatricians play miniature golf on Wednesdays?

37. Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

38. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

39. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

40. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

41. If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

42. If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?

43. If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?

44. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Position of Whiskey - Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill was once asked about his position on whisky. Here's how he answered:

"If you mean whisky, the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children;
if you mean that evil drink that topples men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fibre of my being."

"However, if by whisky you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the elixir of life, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes;
if you mean good cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life's great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow;
if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of pounds each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation... then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favour of it..!!!"

"This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of principle.!!!"

Paraprosdokians

First time I heard about paraprosdokians, I liked them. Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected and is frequently humorous. (Winston Churchill loved them).

1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you ... but it's still on my list.

3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

5. We never really grow up -- we only learn how to act in public.

6. War does not determine who is right, only who is left.

7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

9. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

10. In filling out an application, where it says, "In case of emergency, notify..." I answered "a doctor."

11. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

12. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

13. I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.

14. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

15. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian, any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

16. You're never too old to learn something stupid.

17. I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

Quotes - Health and Motivational

Trying to improve your health?

1. "Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will." -Gandhi

2. "Fitness is not about being better than someone else, it's about being better than you used to be."

3. "Excuses don't burn calories."

4. "The difference between try and triumph is a little umph." -Marvin Phillips

5. "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential: these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." -Confucius

6. "Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda

7. "Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different?" -C.S. Lewis

8. "A year from now you'll wish you had started today."

9. "The voice in your head that says that you can't do this is a liar."

10. "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

11. "If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done."

12. "Don't wish it were easier. Wish you were better." -Jim Rohn

13. "The only workout you'll regret is the one that didn't happen." -Bob Harper

14. "Don't put in half of the effort unless you're okay with half of the results."

15. "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' " -Muhammad Ali

16. "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up."

17. "Get comfortable with being uncomfortable." -Jillian Michaels

18. "Suck it up so one day you don't have to suck it in."

19. "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." -Jim Ryun

20. "It doesn't matter what others are doing. It matters what you are doing."

21. "Slow progress is better than no progress."

22. "There are no traffic jams along the extra mile." -Roger Staubach

23. "The secret to getting ahead is getting started."

24. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao Tzu

25. "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -Earl Nightingale

26. "A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." -Colin Powell

27. "Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going." -Jillian Michaels

28. "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." -Confucius

29. "No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone sitting on the couch."

Changing your attitude?
30. "Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it." -Charles Swindall

31. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain."

32. "Life is like photography. You need the negatives to develop."

33. "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, 'I'm possible!' " -Audrey Hepburn

34. "Things work out the best for those who make the best of how things work out." -John Wooden

35. "If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." -Oprah Winfrey

36. "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford

37. "Change your thoughts and you change your world." -Norman Vincent Peale

38. "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." -Booker T. Washington

39. "Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace." -Dalai Lama

40. "Don't fear failure. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail." -Bruce Lee

41. "Believe you can and you're halfway there." -Theodore Roosevelt

42. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish."

Learning to love yourself?
43. "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" -Dr. Seuss

44. "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." -Lao Tzu

45. "I'm not weird, I'm a limited edition."

46. "When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too." -Paulo Coelho

47. "Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln

48. "You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it."

Preparing for a new challenge?
49. "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." -Ralph Marston

50. "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." -Og Mandino

51. "Either you run the day, or the day runs you." -Jim Rohn

52. "If you can dream it, you can do it." -Walt Disney

53. "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -Theodore Roosevelt

54. "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." -Henry Ford

55. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." -Steve Jobs

56. "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand

57. "Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs." -Farrah Gray

58. "I would rather die of passion than of boredom." -Vincent van Gogh

59. "What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." -Bob Dylan

60. "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

61. "There is no substitute for hard work." -Thomas Edison

62. "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." -Les Brown

63. "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill

64. "The only place SUCCESS comes before WORK is in the dictionary." -Mary Smith

65. "No great achiever--even those who made it seem easy--ever succeeded without hard work." -Jonathan Sacks

66. "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." -Henry David Thoreau

Getting a handle on your finances?
67. "Too many people spend money they earned to buy things they don't want to impress people that they don't like." -Will Rogers

68. "You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you." -Dave Ramsey

69. "Every time you borrow money, you're robbing your future self." -Nathan W. Morris

70. "Never spend your money before you have it." -Thomas Jefferson

71. "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I'll tell you what you value." -Joe Biden

72. "The person who doesn't know where his next dollar is coming from usually doesn't know where his last dollar went."

73. "The man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest." -Henry David Thoreau

Dreaming of traveling the world?
74. "If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat. Just get on." -Sheryl Sandberg

75. "Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

76. "You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." -Christopher Columbus

77. "Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear." -George Addair

78. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost

79. "Die with memories, not dreams."

80. "Focus on where you want to go, not where you currently are."

81. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." -Mark Twain

82. "It's better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times."

83. "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

84. "The journey not the arrival matters." -T.S. Eliot

85. "Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey." -Pat Conroy

86. "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." -Henry David Thoreau

87. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine

88. "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." -Robert Louis Stevenson

89. "You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens." -Mandy Hale

Just need general motivation?
90. "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." -Albert Einstein

91. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison

92. "Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." -Pablo Picasso

93. "Don't worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try." -Jack Canfield

94. "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." -William Arthur Ward

95. "I'm gonna make the rest of my life the best of my life."

96. "The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." -Paulo Coelho

97. "We were born to succeed, not to fail." -Henry David Thoreau

98. "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." -Babe Ruth

99. "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." -Jimmy Johnson

100. "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." -Beverly Sills

101. "Courage is looking fear right in the eye and saying, 'Get the hell out of my way, I've got things to do.' "

Forgive and Forget

Beautiful... Must read: Once, a Junior School teacher asked her students to bring some potatoes in a plastic bag to school. Each potato will be given a name of the person whom that child hates. Like this, the number of potatoes will be equal to the number of persons they hate.

On a decided day, the children brought their potatoes well addressed. Some had two, some had three and some had even five potatoes.

The teacher said they have to carry these potatoes with them everywhere they go for a week.

As the days passed the children started to complain about the spoiled smell that started coming from these potatoes. Also some students who had many potatoes complained that it was very heavy to carry them all around. The children got rid of this assignment after a week, when it got over.

The teacher asked, "How did you feel in this one week?"

The children discussed their problems about the smell and weight.

Then the teacher said, "This situation is very similar to what you carry in your heart when you don't like some people. This hatred makes your heart unhealthy and you carry that hatred in your heart everywhere you go. If you can't bear the smell of spoiled potatoes for a week, imagine the impact on your heart of this hatred that you carry throughout your life."

Our heart is a beautiful garden that needs a regular cleaning of unwanted weeds. Forgive those who have not behaved with you as expected and forget the bad things. This also makes room available for storing good things.

Life Lessons

#LifeLessons Advice from an 80 year old man.

1. Have a firm handshake.
2. Look people in the eye.
3. Sing in the shower.
4. Own a great stereo system.
5. If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
6. Keep secrets.
7. Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.
8. Always accept an outstretched hand.
9. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
10. Whistle.
11. Avoid sarcastic remarks.
12. Choose your life's mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery.
13. Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
14. Lend only those books you never care to see again.
15. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
16. When playing games with children, let them win.
17. Give people a second chance, but not a third.
18. Be romantic.
19. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
20. Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.
21. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for our convenience, not the caller's.
22. Be a good loser.
23. Be a good winner.
24. Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
25. When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
26. Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.
27. Keep it simple.
28. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
29. Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.
30. Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets
31. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
32. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
33. Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.
34. Take charge of your attitude. Don't let someone else choose it for you.
35. Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital; you need only stay a few minutes.
36. Begin each day with some of your favourite music.
37. Once in a while, take the scenic route.
38. Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, 'Someone who thinks you're terrific.'
39. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
40. Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
41. Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.
42. Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.
43. Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.
44. Become someone's hero.
45. Marry only for love.
46. Count your blessings.
47. Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.
48. Wave at the children on a school bus.
49. Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.
50. Don't expect life to be fair.

Ten Best Army Quotes

Ten best Indian Army quotes: Must read. Really felt proud just by reading them.

1. "Either I will come back after hoisting the tricolocr, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure.”
– Capt. Vikram Batra, Param Veer Chakra

2. “What is a lifetime adventure for you is a daily routine for us.” – Ladakh Leh highway  sign board Indian Army

3. “If death strikes, before I prove my blood, I swear I’ll kill death.” – Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey, Param Veer Chakra 1/11 Gorkha Rifles

4. “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it, it flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.”

5. “To find us, you must be good, to catch us you must be fast, but to beat us…………you must be kidding.”

6. “May God have mercy on our enemies, because we won’t.”

7. “We live by chance, we love by choice, we kill by profession.” – Officers Training Academy, Chennai

8. “If a man says he’s not afraid of dying, he’s either lying, or he’s a Gorkha.” –
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

9. “It is God’s duty to forgive the enemies, but it’s our duty to convene a meeting between the two.”

10. “I regret I have but one life to give for my country.”

A Soldier's Christmas

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE,
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY,
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO,
IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES,
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT,
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR,
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED,
A TRUE INDIAN SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO,
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALISED THE FAMILIES,
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS,
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE,
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM,
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER,
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE,
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT,
A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES,
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED,
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL,
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED,
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE,
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR,
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

This poem was written by a Peace keeping soldier stationed overseas.

Happy Soul

Who's a "Happy Soul" ?

Definition provided by Buddhist Lamas...

1. A Happy Soul stops trying to change others, but instead focus on changing self.
2. A Happy Soul is one who accepts people for who they are.
3. A Happy Soul is one who understands that everyone is right in one's own perspective.
4. A Happy Soul is one who learns to "let go".
5. A "Happy Soul is one who is able to drop expectations from every relationship and gives for the sake of giving.
6. A Happy Soul is one who understands that whatever we do, we do it for our own peace.
7. A Happy Soul is one who stops proving to the world, how intelligent one is.
8. A Happy Soul is one who does not seek approval from others.
9. A Happy Soul is one who stops comparing with others.
10. A Happy Soul is one who is at peace with oneself.
11. A Happy Soul is one who is able to differentiate between "need" and "want" and is able to let go of one's wants.
12. A Happy Soul is one who stops attaching "happiness" to material things.

Here's wishing you a life of a Happy Soul !!

I have learned....

This quote is so profound. If you will take the time to read these I promise you'll walk away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered, affects us all, on a daily basis:
   
They're  written by Andy Rooney, a man who had the gift of saying so  much with so few words.
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I've  learned ... That  the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly  person.

I've  learned ....  That when you're in love, it shows. 

I've  learned ....  That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!'  makes my day.

I've  learned ....  That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the  most peaceful feelings in the  world.

I've  learned ....  That being kind is more important than being  right.

I've  learned ....  That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've  learned ....  That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the  strength to help him in some other way. 

I've  learned ....  That no matter how serious your life requires you to be,  everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. 

I've  learned ....  That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a  heart to understand.

I've  learned ....  That simple walks with my father around the block on summer  nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an  adult.

I've  learned ....  That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets  to the end, the faster it goes.

I've  learned ....  That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask  for.

I've  learned ....  That money doesn't buy class.

I've  learned ....  That it's those small daily happenings that make life so  spectacular.

I've  learned ....  That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be  appreciated and loved.

I've  learned ....  That to ignore the facts does not change the  facts.

I've  learned ....  That love, not time, heals all  wounds.

I've  learned ....  That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've  learned ...  That life is tough, but I'm tougher. 

I've  learned ....  That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the  ones you miss.

I've  learned ....  That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock  elsewhere.

I've  learned ....  That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one  more time before she passed away.

I've  learned ....  That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because  tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've  learned .....  That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your  looks.

I've  learned .....  That when your newly born grandchild holds your little  finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for  life.

I've  learned ....  That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all  the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing.

Two line stories...

Some of the shortest two line stories, with a beautiful meanings ..

1) Those who had coins, enjoyed in the rain. Those who had notes, were busy looking for shelter.

2) Man and God both met somewhere, Both exclaimed "My creator".

3) He asked are you-"Hindu or Muslim" Response came .. I am hungry

4) The fool didn't know it was impossible .. So he did it.

5) "Wrong number", Said a familiar voice.

6) What if God asks you after you die .. "So how was heaven??"

7) "They told me that to make her fall in love I had to make her laugh. But every time she laughs, I am the one who falls in love."

8) We don't make friends anymore!!!
We `Add' 'em.