A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.

It
had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls,
career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear
across the country in pursuit of his dreams.

There, in the
rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and
often no time to spend with those important to him. He was working on
his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his
mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is
Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as
he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh,
sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him.
I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well,
he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing.
He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over "his side of the
fence" as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.


"He's
the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this
business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me
things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,"
Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught
the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and
uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives
had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing
in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over
into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was
exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture,
every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There
was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must
have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me
was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone.
Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except
for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."


It
had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from
work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required
on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office
within the next three days, the note read.

Early the next day
Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it
had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to
read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser"
it read.  Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package.
There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he
read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box
and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my
life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears
filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he
found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over
the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these
words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack
held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared
his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant
asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the
way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"

Time has a way of getting away from all of us...TAKE THE TIME...NOW.

Strength of a Man The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders. It is seen in the width of his arms that encircle you. The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice. It is in the gentle words he whispers. The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has. It is how good a buddy he is with his kids. The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work. It is in how respected he is at home. The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.. It is in how tender he touches. The strength of a man isn't how many women he's Loved by. It is in can he be true to one woman. The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift. It is in the burdens he can understand and overcome.   Beauty of a Woman The beauty of a woman Is not in the clothes she wears, The figure she carries, Or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman Must be seen from her eyes, Because that is the doorway to her heart, The place where love resides. The beauty of a woman Is not in a facial mole, But true beauty in a woman Is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, The passion that she shows, The beauty of a woman With passing years-only grows.    Lucky is the man who is the first love of a woman, but luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man

Luv
Happens Only Once....

Rest Is Just Life...

Once upon a time there was an island,

where all the feelings lived together.

.

One day there was a storm in the sea and the island was about to get drowned

.
Every feeling was scared but Love made a boat to escape.

Every feeling boarded the boat . Only 1 feeling was left.

Love got down to see who it was..
It was EGO..
Love tried and tried but ego wasn't moving also the water was rising.

Every one asked love to leave him and come in the boat, but love was
made to love.

At last all the feelings escape and Love dies with ego on the island..

BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING


It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that
there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like.
You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two,
but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.


You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends
that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you
have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most
important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that
too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as
confused as you.


You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you
would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you
are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.


Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find
yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have
certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your
list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and
then the next, secure.


You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and
scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on
to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting
further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are
or move forward.


You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such
damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent
enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but
love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because
you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups
start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look
pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and
talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make
a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for
yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just
like to be a contender!


What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We
are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to
figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends...
maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of
confusion...


We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."

Two elderly people living in Trailer Estates, he was a Widower and
she a widow, had known each other for a number of years.



One evening there was a community supper in the big activity center.


The two were at the same table, across from one another as the meal

went on, he took a few admiring glances at her and finally gathered

the courage to ask her, " Will you marry me?"



After about six seconds of ' careful consideration' , she


answered "Yes. Yes, I will. "



The meal ended and, with a few more pleasant exchanges, they went to

Their respective places.



Next morning, he was troubled. "Did she say 'yes' or did she


say 'no'?" He couldn't remember. Try as he might, he just Could not

recall. Not even a faint memory. With trepidation, he went to The

telephone and called her.



First, he explained that he didn't remember as well as he used to.


Then he reviewed the lovely evening past. As he gained a little more

courage, he inquired, "When I asked if you would marry me, did you

say 'Yes' or did you say 'No'?"



He was delighted to hear her say, "Why, I said, 'Yes, yes I will'


and I Meant it with all my heart. " Then she continued, "I am so glad

that you called, because I couldn't remember who had asked me."

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son
on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of
showing his son how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of
what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his
son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked
the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they
had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our
garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have
the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the
whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have
fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they
have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how
poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder
what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything
we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Hey guys!!
i made a mistake in my last post by not writing that it wasnt the story abt me-jus got it in mail.....i wud dare not embarass myself !!!!tk care.

"A SURPRISE PARTY"

One day I met a sweet gentleman and fell in love.

When it became apparent that we would marry, I made the supreme sacrifice and gave up beans. Some months later, on my birthday, my car broke down on the way home from work. Since I lived in the countryside I called my husband and told him that I would be late because I had to walk home. On my way, I passed by a small diner and the odor of baked beans was more than I could stand. With miles to walk, I figured that I would walk off any ill effects by the time I reached home, so I stopped at the diner and before I knew it, I had consumed there large orders of baked beans. All the way home, I made sure that I released all the gas.

Upon my arrival, my husband seemed excited to see me and exclaimed delightedly: "Darling I have a surprise for dinner tonight." He then blindfolded me and led me to my chair at the dinner table. I took a seat and just as he was about to remove my blindfold, the telephone rang. He made me promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned and went to answer the call. The baked beans I had consumed were still affecting me and the pressure was becoming most unbearable, so while my husband was out of the room I seized the opportunity, shifted my weight to one leg and let one go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a pulpwood mill. I took my napkin from my lap and fanned the air around me vigorously. Then, shifting to the other cheek, I ripped off three more. The stink was worse than cooked cabbage. Keeping my ears carefully tuned to the conversation in the other room, I went on like this for another few minutes.

The pleasure was indescribable.

When eventually the telephone farewells signaled the end of my freedom, I quickly fanned the air a few more times with my napkin, placed it on my lap and folded my hands back on it feeling very relieved and pleased with myself. My face must have been the picture of innocence when my husband returned, apologizing for taking so long. He asked me if I had peeked through the blindfold, and I assured him I had not. At this point, he removed the blindfold,

and twelve dinner guests seated around the table chorused: "Happy Birthday!" I fainted!!

Why Women Cry?



A little boy asked his
mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman,"
she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged
him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does
mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad
could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still
wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on
the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so
easily?"

God said:

"When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the
weight of the world,

yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth
and the rejection that many times comes from her
children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep
going when everyone else gives up, and take care of
her family through sickness and fatigue without
complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children
under any and all circumstances, even when her child
has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through
his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect
his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband
never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her
strengths and her resolve to stand beside him
unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is
hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman
is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she
carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart - the place
where love resides."