LIVING WITH ROMANCE

One woman tells this story about her parents. She says that they had
not been out together in quite some time. One Saturday, as her mother
was finishing the dinner dishes, her father stepped up behind her.

"Would you like to go out, girl?" he asked.

Not even turning around, her mother quickly replied, "Oh, yes, I'd
love to!"

They had a wonderful evening, and it wasn't until the end of it that
her dad confessed. His question had actually been directed to the
family dog, lying near her mom's feet on the kitchen floor.

When should romance flicker and die from a caring relationship? When a
couple decides to marry? Or after children are born? Or during the
mature years?

I love the attitude of one woman who believed her life should never be
without romance. She found herself seated at a banquet next to a
gentleman in his eighties -- about her age. She stared at him until
she had his attention.

Finally, she said, "Please forgive me for staring at you like this,
but I can't help it. You see, you look exactly like my third husband!"

"Oh," he responded. "How many times have you been married?"

With a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye, she patted his hand and
answered, "Twice!"

Many find love, but some will also find romance -- and keep it.

A True Story

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated,
to find his 5- year old son waiting for him at the door.

"Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
"Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man.
"Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

"That's none of your business. Why do you ask such
a thing?" the man said angrily. '

"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do
you make an hour?"
Pleaded the little boy. "If you must know, I make $20 an hour."

"Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.
Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I please borrow
$10?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you
asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy
a silly toy or some other non sense, then
you march yourself straight to your room and go to
bed. Think about why you are being so selfish.
I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and
shut the door. The man sat down and started to get
even angrier about the little boy's questions.

How dare he ask such questions only to get some
money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed
down, and started to think:

May be there was something he really needed to buy with
that $10 and he really didn't ask for money very often.
The man went to the door of the little boy's room
and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.
"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you
earlier," said the man,
"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation
on you. Here's the $10 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank
you daddy!" He yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some
crumpled up bills.
The man, seeing that the boy already had money,
started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, then
looked up at his father.
"Why do you want more money if you already have
some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the
little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your
time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to
have dinner with you."
Share this story with someone you like....
But even better, share $20 worth of time with someone you love.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so
hard in life. We should not let time slip through our
fingers without having spent sometime with those who
really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working
for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But
the family & friends we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into
work than to our family ,an unwise investment indeed.

TRUE STORY of John Carmody a successful executive

What is Love (A Touching story)

'How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come here right away and make your darling daughter eat her food?'

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.

Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of Curd Rice!

I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. "Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at me'

I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...' Sindu hesitated.

'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'

'Oh sure, darling'.

'Promise?'

'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal.

'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted. My wife slapped her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise', without any emotion.

Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindumma, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child eat something that she detested.

After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her. 'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand!

'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!'.

'Never in our family!' my mother rasped. 'She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!'

'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality.

'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Sindu was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honour our promises no matter what?'

It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'

'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.

'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honour her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big & beautiful.

On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and

waved. I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!'

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. 'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.

'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!' Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'That boy who is walking along with your

daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from ... ... leukaemia.'

She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue.

But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as

your daughter.'

I stood transfixed. And then, I wept.

'My little Angel, will you grant me a boon? Should there be another birth for me, will you be my mother, and teach me what Love is?'

THE MOUNTAIN STORY

A son and his father were walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"

Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it."

And the moral to this story...
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

Sand and Stone (A Small story about two friends)

A story tells that two friends were walking
through the desert. During some point of the
journey they had an argument,and one friend
slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without
saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis,
where they decided to take a bath. The one who
had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started
drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote
on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend w! ho had slapped and saved his best friend
asked him,
"After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and
now, you write on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we
should write it down in
sand where! winds of forgiveness can erase it away.
But, when someone does something good for us, we
must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase
it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND
AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to
forget them.

.
Do not value the things you have in your life.
But value who you have in your life!

The Gift of Love (A true Love Story)

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive
young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps.
She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the
seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was
empty. Then she's settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and
rested her cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan became blind. Due to a medical
misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly
thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-
pity. 'How could this have happened to me?' she would plead, her
heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted
or prayed, she knew the painful truth, her sight was never going to
return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic!
spirit. All she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart.
When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and
was determined to help his wife gain the strength she needed to
become independent again. Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her
job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was
now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark
volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at
opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan and
fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so
insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however Mark
realized that this arrangement wasn't working - it was hectic, and
costly.

Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to
himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him
cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react? Just
as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus
again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to
know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan
that each day he would ride the bus with her until she got the hang
of it.

And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark,
military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each
day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses to determine where
she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her
befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a
seat. Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would
take a cab back to his office

Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the
previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan
would be able to ride the bus on her own. Finally, Susan decided that
she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and
before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus
riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled
with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his love. She
said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... each day on her own went
perfectly, and Susan had never felt better.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was
paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure
envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or
not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had
struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? "Why do
you envy me?"

The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and
protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was
talking about, "What do you mean?"

The driver said, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine
looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the
corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross
the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office
building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and
walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she
couldn't see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was
blessed, so blessed, for he had given her a gift more powerful than
sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love
that can bring light where there had been darkness.

STUPID QUESTIONS WITH THE SMART ANSWERS:

BOY : May I hold your hand?
GIRL : No thanks, it isn't heavy.

GIRL : Say you love me! Say you love me!
BOY : You love me...

GIRL : If we become engaged will you give me a ring??
BOY : Sure, what's your phone number??

GIRL : I think the poorest people are the happiest.
BOY : Then marry me and we'll be the happiest couple

GIRL : Darling, I want to dance like this forever.
BOY : Don't you ever want to improve??

BOY : I love you and I could die for you!
GIRL : How soon??

BOY : I would go to the end of the world for you!
GIRL : Yes, but would you stay there??

SHARON : Have you ever had a hot passionate, burning kiss??
TRACY : I did once. He'd forgotten to take the cigarette out of his mouth.

MAN : You remind me of the sea.
WOMAN : Because I'm wild, romantic and exciting?

MAN : NO, because you make me sick.
WIFE : You tell a man something, it goes in one ear and comes out of the other.

HUSBAND : You tell a woman something: It goes in both ears and comes out of the mouth. MARY : John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly.What do u think, Peter?
PETER : A bit of both. I think you're pretty ugly.

Girlfriend : "...And are you sure you love me and no one else ?"
Boyfriend : "Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday".
2) Teacher : "Which is more important to us, the sun or the moon?"
Pupil : "The moon". Teacher : "Why?" Pupil : "The moon gives us light at night when we need it but the sun gives us light only in the day time when we don't need it".

3) Teacher : "What do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?"
Pupil : "A teacher".

4) Waiter : "Would you like your coffee black?"
Customer : "What other colors do you have?"

5) My father is so old that when he was in school,
history was called current affairs.

6) Teacher : "Sam, you talk a lot !" Sam : "It's a family tradition".
Teacher : "What do you mean?"
Sam : "Sir, my grandpa was a street hawker, my father is a teacher".
Teacher : "What about your mother?"
Sam : "She's a woman".

7) Tom : "How should I convey the news to my father that I've failed?"
David: "You just send a telegram: Result declared, past year's performance repeated".

8) Teacher : "Now, children, if I saw a man beating a donkey and stopped him, what virtue would I be showing?"
Student : "Brotherly love".

9) Teacher : "Now, Sam, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?"
Sam : "No sir, I don't have to, my mom is a good cook".

10) Patient : "What are the chances of my recovering doctor?"
Doctor : "One hundred percent. Medical records show that nine out of ten people die of the disease you have. Yours is the tenth case I've treated. The others all died".

11) Teacher : " Can anybody give an example of COINCIDENCE?"
One Student : "Sir, my Mother and Father got married on the same day and at the same time."

12) Teacher : " George Washington not only chopped down his father's Cherry tree, but also admitted doing it. Now do you know why his father didn't punish him ?"
One Student: " Because George still had the axe in is hand."

How expressive you are at words

Do our zodiac signs influence how expressive we are when it comes to letter and e-mails? Looks like it, going by the stereotypical styles of each sign and their letters.

Aries: Even if they write mails that contain earth-shattering content, they will break it coolly and with a very run-of-the-mill ‘Hi’ in the subject matter. Expect courteous yet very terse mails from Arians.

Taurus: These folks have two styles. Either they go the whole hog and pour their hearts out or hardsell themselves, as the case maybe. Or they simply desist from writing the mail if they don’t feel like it. It’s best to expect these extremes from them.

Gemini: For them, an e-mail is an e-mail is an e-mail. What can one say in an impersonal e-mail is their favourite refrain. However, should their mail be crucial for the communication, they will take all pains to communicate the same. Their mails are very professionally written and serve the purpose.

Cancer: Cancerians drip honey and syrup, no matter what the core of the content is. They believe in using the sweetest of vocabulary to get their point across. Expect a deluge of words such as ‘request, kindly, solicit etc words in their mails.

Leo: Even if it’s a one-liner in the mail, there are the stuff that you should store in your ‘do not delete’ folder of your mailbox. They display the same wit, charm and sense of humour even in their mails. Even their official mails never go without the familiar Leo spunky touch.

Virgo: Virgos rarely write without reason. Naturally, their mails are usually ‘reply’ mails and neatly list out all the information they want.’ They are good at convincing others and it’s a good idea to get them to write mails where one has to express ones inability or give excuses for not wrapping up a task.

Libra: Terse is synonymous with their mails. They completely dispense with formalities. Don’t be surprised if their mails just have monosyllables in it. But the best bit is that they do manage to convey the information.

Scorpio: These folks often write mails like there are filling in for a classified ad, where every word attracts some money. So each word in their mail is used after a lot of care. No word that is redundant or expresses an irrelevant idea.

Sagittarius: To get them write mails is a big achievement in itself. They are so off mails that the ones they write are usually to inform that the will call up or that they will stop writing mails. A lazy forward from a Sagit is more like it.

Capricorn: If you can catch a Capri in the right mood, you’ve hit the bull’s eye. They are masters of letter writing and are capable of writing the most delightful mails among all the signs. Keep them your e-mail friends and they’ll make your mailbox richer with their interesting mails.

Aquarius: They’re never too excited about being heard. So writing a mail does demand a valid reason from them. They usually write very official sounding mails and never bother to add even a single personal line, even if it’s their buddy they’re writing in to.

Pisces: Pisceans take to extremes. Either they write nice, interesting long mails or simply write terse ones and getaway. But if you’re lucky to catch them in the right frame of mind, there are going to make e-mailing a pleasure for you.

Eight Gifts

Eight Gifts that Do Not Cost A Cent:


1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING . . . But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION . . .Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER . . .Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE . . .It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT . . .A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR . . .Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE . . .There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

8) THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION . . .The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Marketing Tactics

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's very rich. Marry him." That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me." That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich. Will you marry me?" That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich…" That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. Marry me" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. That's Customer Feedback !!!!!

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband.That's Demand and supply gap.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" she turns her face towards you……she is your wife!!! That's competition eating into your market share.

A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically,emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are!
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realise is that our need has been met, ourdesire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON . . .Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.They may teach you something you have never done.They usually give you an unbelievable amountof joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.


LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love theperson, and put what you have learned to use in allother relationships and areas of your life.

Thats why It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.