The Dumb Wolf

The Dumb Wolf

A Mongolian folktale

Once upon a time a wolf was wandering about when he saw a black pudding lying right in his path. The wolf wanted to eat it at once but the black pudding asked: “Mister Wolf, do not eat me! A little further ahead a three-year old mare is stuck in the mud. Why don’t you go there and eat her instead?”

The wolf followed the black pudding’s advice and there really was a mare stuck in the mud. When the wolf saw her, he wanted to eat her but the mare said: “Mister Wolf, if you want to eat me, you’d better pull me from the mud first.” So that was what the wolf did.

He pulled the mare from the mud and was just about to eat her, when the mare said: “Oh, but I am covered in mud. You should lick me clean first before you eat me.” Once again the wolf did as the mare told him and licked her clean.

But when he wanted to eat her, she said: “There is something written on the hoof of my hind leg. Wouldn’t you like to read it before you eat me?” When the wolf went to her hind legs to read what was written there, the mare kicked out. She hit his neck and ran away. The wolf, though, lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

When he came to again and looked about, the mare was already far away. So he got to his feet and with his nose sniffing at the ground he ran to and fro between the bushes and the hills. He could scarcely believe his luck when found a one year old calf on one of the hills.

The wolf went to the calf wanting to eat it but the calf said: “If you eat me up here on the hill, the humans will see you. It would be better if you’d bring me to a small gorge and eat me there!” When the wolf made to do as the calf had said, the little calf said: “Mister Wolf, you seem to be tired and exhausted. Sit on me and I will carry you!” And so the wolf climbed on top of the little calf and let himself be carried.

“When we climb down into the gorge, you’d better close your eyes so you won’t get dizzy,” the calf suggested. And so the wolf closed his eyes. The calf, though, carried the wolf right in front of the ail, an assembly of ger, of a family of Mongolian nomads. Screaming and shouting, the people beat the wolf up and then chased him away.

The wolf fled and thought to himself:

“What am I doing in the distant mountains?

What am I doing near the humans?

I was a fool going along this way.

I was a block head to be tricked by a black pudding.

Am I the owner that I pulled the horse from the mud?

Am I the mother to lick the mare clean?

When did I even learn to read and write?

Do I not have legs of my own to walk with?

I am dumb and now I am dying…”

The Tiger and the Ram

The Tiger and the Ram

Mongolian animal folktale

You think German rams can bluff just as well?

Once upon a time there lived a tiger. When he was strolling around one day, he met a ram and asked:

“What is your name?”

“My name is Ram Wandan,” said the ram. “How is your name?”

“My name is Tiger Wandan,” replied the tiger and then he went on to ask: “What is that on your head?”

“These are my two sabers to kill tigers with,” said the ram.

“And what do you have hanging there in your crotch?” the tiger asked somewhat intimidated.

“Oh, these are my two pouches for garlic and onions to spice my tiger meat with,” the ram replied.

At that, the tiger ran off in panic. On his wild chase he finally met a wolf. “Mister Tiger, mister Tiger, why are you running so?” the wolf asked. “A ram was about to eat me and is chasing after me with his sabers drawn!” the tiger told him.

“Since when do rams kill and eat tigers? No, no, you have been outfoxed. Let us go back there together, catch the ram and eat him,” said the wolf. The tiger agreed and off they went together with the wolf hanging on the tiger’s tail with his teeth.

When the ram saw the two of them, he called: “Oh, my dear tiger, you have brought a friend? How wonderful?” And when he charged them, the tiger turned on the spot and raced off in wild panic.

He had run for quite a while when he turned around and saw that the wolf was hot on his heels, showing him his teeth. “You are smiling while I am so frightened.” And enraged he caught the wolf and killed him.

The Fox and the Little Birdie

The Fox and the Little Birdie

Mongolian animal folktale

Once upon a time, a little birdie had become friends with a fox and he adored him very much. But the fox had a cunning character and thought all the time, how to outsmart him. One day, the fox said: “Let’s sow wheat, the two of us together. We will share the work equally and the wheat as well.”

People say, the birdie agreed. And off they went to the cornfield as it was time to sow the grain. But since the fox was unbelievably lazy, he outfoxed the birdie.

“Oh, this does not look good at all. The sky is about to crumble. I will hurry to climb that mountain and brace the sky. If I don’t do it, then the sky will surely fall down and crush out cornfield,” he told the birdie and the little birdie believed him.

“My friend, how will you be able to do that all by yourself? Can you then lift the sky?” he asked in worry.

“How I will do it? What can I do but to give my very best so that we may live,” said the fox. And so the cunning fox climbed upon the mountain, lay down with his legs folded comfortably beneath him and slept the day away. Meanwhile, the poor birdie did all the hard work – he scattered the grain, he sowed the wheat.

When the seasons turned to fall and it was time, to cut the wheat, the fox helped himself to another trick. “Oh,” he said, “this does not look good at all. It is surely about to rain. And then our wheat will be spoiled. I will have to go again and fence the clouds.” And the birdie believed him again.

“My dear friend, how will you do that all by yourself? Can you really just fence the clouds?” he asked concerned.

“How I will do it? can I do but to give my very best so that we may live,” the fox replied and off he went until he was out of the birdie’s sight. Then he stretched himself and said himself down comfortably, so people say.

The poor little birdie who did not doubt the fox at all, worked in a great to hurry to harvest the wheat. When the time came to bring the cut wheat into their barn, the fox found another excuse.

“If I don’t protect it from the wind, it will surely be blown away!” he announced and went off. And so the poor birdie again worked hard the whole day to bring the cut wheat into the barn and to separate it from the chaff, so it is told. Meanwhile, the fox was lazy and lie in the sun. After the little birdie had finished fanning the wheat and had done away with the chaffs, it called for the fox: “Fox, my dear friend, please come here! Now we want to share the wheat.”

Hearing this, the fox hurried back. When the little birdie saw him, it asked: “Fox, my friend, how will we share the wheat between us?”

The fox pretended to think about and then he said: “I will take nine parts out of ten. I will give you that tenth part. It is so because my work was harder than the work you did. Not everybody can brace the sky, fence the clouds and hold off the wind.”

“That is very true,” said the birdie and gave him nine parts out of ten. But since the tenth part that remained for the little birdie was all too small, it started to cry. When a guard dog saw it crying so bitterly, it came over and asked: „Little birdie, why are you crying? Who has wronged you?”

And so the birdie told him all that had happened. After the dog had heard his tale, he became very angry. “Why have you become friends with a fox who is such a bad, bad animal? Oh well, I will think of something and teach him a lesson!”

When the fox came to see after his wheat the next day to get it grinded, a big ear peaked out from the pile. The fox thought this would be a tasty meal. But when he bit into the ear, the big dog jumped up from beneath the wheat, pounced on him and grabbed him.

“You can’t outfox me the way you did the poor birdie again and again!” he said. The fox was suddenly very afraid and as soon as the dog let him go he raced off as fast as his legs would carry him.

And this is the story of how the dog helped the birdie. Together they brought the wheat home that the fox had obtained by his trickery, so people say. And from this time on, the little birdie is no longer friends with the fox.

The Two Good Horses

The Two Good Horses

A Mongolian animal folktale

In times long past, two horses that had been sold to a place far away longed for home. But while they were on their way home, one of the horses had grown old and then one day it stayed behind as it could not go any further.

...and so the young horse walked on alone

“Now, little brother, be good and always follow the road. Your aged, older brother is going to die. Little brother, do not wander off the road. Do not approach things that you can only dimly see. Do not untie a bundle’s opening.” In this way the old horse instructed his brother and then it fell behind.

The young horse slowly and hesitantly continued on its way. But then it saw the shape of something it could only dimly see, it is told. The horse wanted to explore the mysterious thing and ran impatiently towards the shape. It turned out to be a bundle and whatever was inside it, made it move about. “Whatever that may be,” thought the young horse. It could not wait any longer and untied the opening at once. Immediately, a big, hungry, brown wolf jumped out.

“What sort of horse are you that you untied my bundle. When I captured sheep from a rich ail and ate them, the owner hunted me down on his fast horse – one just like you – caught me and put me into this bundle. Now I will eat you!” said the wolf. But as he was about to do as he had said, a hare came along and when it saw the two of them, it asked:

“What sort of horse and wolf are the two of you?” After the two of them had truthfully recounted what had happened, the hare contemplated a way to save the horse’s life. Finally, the hare said:

“But no, Mister Wolf! You are such a handsome, tall man. It must surely be a lie that you came out of this tiny bundle. But if it is true after all, then I will offer myself to you along with the horse.”

The wolf answered: “It is true. I was inside that bundle.”

But the hare was not convinced. “Honored Wolf, how would you have ever fit? Ich cannot believe it until I have seen it with my own eyes.”

And because the wolf was so eager to eat both the horse and the hare, he did not hesitate but to crawl back into the bundle until only his head was still visible.

“See, your head does not fit into the bundle!” cried the hare. The wolf hurried to pull his head inside the bundle. The hare, though, rushed to tie the opening closed again.

And this is how the horse was saved by the grace of the clever if small hare and it lived well and happy, so people say.

The Legend of Blind Tarvaa

The Legend of Blind Tarvaa

Mongolian folktale

It is told, that many years ago the black plaque spread out among the Mongols killing hundreds, no thousands of people. Those who were still healthy ran away to save their own lives leaving behind their sick loved ones to let fate decide their futures.

Among those left behind there was also a fifteen year old boy called Blind Tarvaa. When he lost consciousness, his soul left his body and came to the khaan of hell. The khaan of hell was astonished upon seeing the soul and said: “Why have you come here? You’re body isn’t dead yet.”

“They left me behind because they thought my body was already dead,” the soul answered, “And so I didn’t wait any longer but came right here.”

The obedience and the patience of the soul pleased the khaan and he said: “Your time hasn’t come yet. You have to return to your master. But before you go, you shall make a wish.”

The khaan lead the soul through hell and there were all the things which humans can encounter in life: wealth, fortune and contentment, sorrow and grief, happiness and pleasure, songs and music, dance, tales and legends. The soul of the blind Tarvaa looked at everything and finally asked for the tales. The khaan gave them to him and sent him back to earth.

The soul went back to the body which was showing no signs of life. A crow had already picked out the body’s eyes. The soul was very sad to see the body he had been born in like that but he did not dare disobeying the khaan’s order. And so the soul had to slip back into the body.

After that Blind Tarvaa lead a very long life and knew all the magic and tales in the world. Although he was blind, he could still see what would happen in the future. He went throughout Mongolia, told his tales and with them he taught people. And since that time, it is told, there are tales being told by the Mongols.

The Khulan, the Crow and the Wolf

The Khulan, the Crow and the Wolf

Mongolian Folktale

This Mongolian animal tale one is actually representing a particular type of the genre: three friends, one gets trapped, another one wants to eat him, the last one comes to the rescue. Sounds kind of like the tale about the lame magpie? Yeah, no. Not really. But read for yourselves. Especially since you can never read too many Mongolian animal tales.

The Khulan, the Crow and the Wolf

In times long ago, a khulan – that is a Mongolian wild ass –, a crow and a wolf lived together as brothers. One day they went in search of a new place to live and the crow said: “There is this place where every one of us would find plenty to eat. But there lives a skilled hunter with his bow and his traps. The traps would be a danger for us.”

little khulan all relaxed

The wolf thought: “If the khulan would happen to get caught in one of the hunter’s traps, I could eat as much as I want.” So he said out loud: “Let’s move to this beautiful place and live there. Or are you afraid of one hunter?”

Therefore the three friends moved to that place and for a while they lived there in peace. But one day the khulan got caught in a trap. As soon as the wolf heard about it, he hurried to get to the trapped animal before the crow would find him. When he arrived there, the wolf asked the khulan: “How did this happen?”

“How did I got caught in this trap? I don’t really know. I was just walking along when I suddenly fell into it,” the khulan answered, “How will I get out of it again?”

The wolf told him: “Jump up and down! You will surely be able to free yourself that way!” And with that the wolf left the khulan alone. He thought it would be better to wait a bit longer before eating the khulan and so he hid himself behind a bush.

But just then the crow came flying along and when she saw the khulan she asked her friend: “Why are you jumping up and down like that?”

“Why do I do it? I got caught in one of the hunter’s traps and the wolf came along and said: ‘Jump up and down and you will be free soon!’ That’s why I jump like this. But now my legs are hurting and I’m very tired,” the khulan said.

The crow gave him the following piece of advise: “Stop jumping up and down. You will break your legs and then you will probably die soon. You mustn’t move at all! Play dead! When the hunter believes that you’re dead already, he will set you free. And when he does, then you can flee. But you will have to run as fast as you can.” The khulan nodded and did what the crow had told him.

The crow flew up into the air, ever higher, and started circling above the ger of the hunter croaking to draw his attention. The experienced hunter thought: “Oh, an animal must have gotten caught in my trap.” And so he took his bow and his quiver and went to take a look.

In the meanwhile the wolf thought: “That annoying crow has come and opened the khulan’s eyes.” He got up to get back to the still trapped khulan when he caught sight of the approaching hunter. “Now the time has come to fill my belly,” the wolf said to himself and crouched behind the bush again.

When the hunter saw that it was a khulan who he had caught, he was very happy. And since he believed that the animal was dead, he set him free. Then he sat down to smoke his pipe. At this moment the khulan jumped up and ran away as fast as he could. The hunter shot many arrows after him. But because the khulan had run into the direction of the bush behind which the wolf hid himself, the arrows didn’t hit the khulan but the wolf who died when one of them hit him fatally at the head.

The Cat Who Pretended To Be A Lama

The Cat Who Pretended To Be A Lama 

Mongolian Folktale

A long time ago there was a lama, a Buddhist monk, who spent his time in deep meditation. Next to him there lay a cat. One day the cat stole the lama’s snuff bottle and the lama went after the cat and got his snuff bottle back. Then another time the cat stole the lama’s rosary and hid in a hole. When the lama grabbed the cat by the tail, the tail suddenly got torn off.

not a Mongolian snuff-bottle but close enough

The cat went away and came upon a place where many mice lived. There she made herself comfortable and put the rosary around her neck. One day some mice came along the way and circled the cat warily. So the cat said: “Don’t be afraid of me! I’m one of those lama cats. Let me teach you the holy doctrine saying not to kill another living being. Come! Come here!”

So the mice went to the cat and let her teach them. After a few days had passed Khuchin tuct, the khaan of the mice, told them: “Oh, it seems as if our teacher is eating us. In her excrements there are traces of bone and hair. Go back home and get a bell.” He sent a few mice to carry out his request.

The mice went home and came back with a bell. They said to the cat: “Teacher, please accept this jewellery from us!” And they put the bell around her neck. Khuchin tuct told his mice: “After today’s lesson will be over, we will exit one after another. If the bell should ring, we’ll turn around and hurry back.”

So when the lesson was finished, the mice went out together when suddenly they heard the bell ringing. The mice hurried back, and there the cat had caught one of the mice and was just about to eat it. Kuchin tuct said mournfully: “We believed the lies of our false, hypocritical teacher and so we lost several of our brothers and sisters.” And so the mice moved to another place.

The cat thought remorsefully: “If I had hidden my excrements, who would have ever found out about me?” And since then, it is told, cats hide their excrements by burying them.

The Four Peaceful Animals

The Four Peaceful Animals

Mongolian animal folktale

In times long past, in a beautiful forest in India, a dove, a hare, a monkey and an elephant had lived together for many a year now.

“Since the four of us live together so well and so peacefully, let us honour the oldest one of us and fulfill his wishes.” So they said and asked one another, whom was the oldest. So it is told.

The elephant pointed at a big, big tree that grew there and he said: “When I was but a little calf, the tree was as small as I was. I used to rub and scratch myself at his bark.”

The monkey looked at the tree and said: “When I was still tiny, this tree did not yet have any branches on whom I could have played jumped around. And since it was only as tall as I was, its shadow only just covered me.”

“When I was still small, the tree had only just stricken its roots. So I could dig them up and eat them,” said the hare.

“Well, it was me who brought the tree’s grain here. I carried it in my beak and let it fall down right here. And so the tree could grow,” said the dove.

And so the dove was the oldest, the hare was the second oldest, then came the monkey and the elephant was the youngest. So it is told.

The younger siblings wondered how they could honour their eldest properly, but finally they found a way. And so the elephant took the monkey upon his back to honour him. And the monkey took the hare on this shoulders to honour him. And when the hare then took the dove upon his head, the dove picked fruits from just that three and shared them with his younger siblings.

And this is how these four animals perfected the traditions to honour and help each and lived happy and peaceful. So it is told.

Love and Time

 Inspirational love stories

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, 

"Richness, can you take me with you?"

Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"

"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."

"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her. 

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder, 

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

Dads Blessings

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.  Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called  him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.  Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and  wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go  to  him.  He had not seen him since that graduation day.  Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.  He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it  years ago.  With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.  And as he did, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible.  It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss Spirit's blessings and answers to our prayers  because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected?

TODAY'S's affirmation:  "Today I look beyond the obvious and allow miracles to be created in my life." 

Alexander Fleming

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow

and terrifying death. 

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. 

What saved him? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.

His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said what goes around comes around.

The Making Of A Mother

By the time the Lord made mothers, He was into the sixth day working overtime.  An Angel  appeared and said "Why are you spending so much  time on this one?" 

And the Lord answered and  said, "Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not elastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No way!"  said the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem.  It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"  

"And that's on the standard model?" the Angel asked. 

The Lord nodded in agreement, "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head.  They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word." 

The Angel tried to stop the Lord  "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish." 

"But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself  when she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower."  

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord." 

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the Angel.  

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like You have a leak with this model. I told You that You were trying to put too much into  this one."

"That's not a leak." the Lord objected.  "That's a tear!" 

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.  

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."   

The Angel was impressed.  "You are a genius, Lord.  You thought of everything for this one.  You even created the tear!"

The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again.  I created the woman, but she created the tear!"

Mothers day

Inspiring story about mothers

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. 

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.

But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars." 

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose."

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. 

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. 

She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother." 

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

Sand and Stone

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 the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

The friend who 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

The Buzzard, The Bat, and the Bumblebee

An Indian story about insects and animals

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them.

Eagles in A storm

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

 The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them.

God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

The Praying Hands

Below is a touching story about DURERS Praying Hands that is circulated widely.

It tells of DURER doing his creation in appreciation of a brother who went to work in the mines to support Albrecht's education.

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

        After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

        They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

        When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

        All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."

        Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ...

for me it is too late."

        More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

        One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

        The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - - ever makes it alone!

Parable Of The Pencil

Parable Of The Pencil

A short inspirational pencil story

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. 

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.  Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be. 

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person. 

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. 

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Good things don't stay together, but often stay apart

Moments that we’ve shared, cannot be jotted down on paper,

But nevertheless it was chemistry, not vapor,

You walked into my life, and made the deepest mark,

This ignited my fire, which gave birth to a spark,

When you are here, I have the world with me,

It is heaven; I wish it could be eternity,

We walked side by side,

Hand in hand, under the moonlight,

The touch of your hand, your presence worthwhile,

The warmth that you give me makes me feel so secure,

I will be with you in pain; I will be with you in cure!

As the sun rose, and a new day just began,

You leave my hand and told me it’s all done,

I know you have to go, but you’ll stay by my side,

That look in your eyes, just seems to tell me more,

Though, the parting is a pain, our love seems to grow,

You tell me not to cry, but, keep a positive heart,

“Because all good things don’t stay together, but often stay apart.”

The day is finally here, when you leave me all alone,

Like an orphan misses a mother, and a homeless misses a home,

The depth in your eyes, your touch and your feel,

Is what I’ll miss, I’ll miss you for real,

That passion and that care, you’ve showered on me,

Are all those special moments, and that’s what they are going to be.

If I had to give you something, that would remind you of me,

I’d give you a house full of memories,

Because memories are things that go deeper into time,

We can look back at them and revive all that, lasting for years to go,

We’ll build it together and cherish it forever,

All that we shared, we’d capture under lock and key,

And make a life in that house, which is ideal for you and me.

Its time for us to part, you’ll be at the other end of the world,

Both of us with a totally shattered heart,

My heart bleeds to see you depart,

I will wait for you with bated breath,

I will lead my life, but I will also fret,

Cause without you I am incomplete, the emptiness is there,

Only when you are with me again, will that hollowness disappear,

As the sun goes down, with autumn all around,

Till the waters are blue, I will wait for you,

I wish you luck for the times we‘re apart,

I will miss you, don’t worry I will convince my heart.

Copyright©2002. Nisha Malhotra. All rights reserved 

Another man's folly

Motivating story to read

.......He paid the price for another man’s folly.

One life gone, 2 people dead !

A mother is devastated, she is howling with pain, yelling all she can in that dark and dingy corner of her four by four kholi. There was nobody to hear her yell and not a soul to pacify her, because outside her shack is a long winding lonely road. There was no existence of mankind for miles and miles ahead. The wind was at rest, the leaves didn’t rustle and no resonance of a barking dog, silence filled the air. Loneliness was already killing her, but no one knows what made her cry?

Losing something you love with all your heart isn’t really the grief you can ever overcome. Radha lost her baby. Her only means to live. She saw her child getting crushed under a car in front of her own eyes. Blood was all over and the accident was terrible. One lonely night, she was walking  down the street t get a breath of fresh air with her child cuddled tight in her arms. She walked a long time s till she saw the face of mankind (in the evilest form).

The whole time she walked with her child in her arms the only thing that worried her was Aryans (her son’s) future. What kind of a person will he be? Will he make me proud? How much light is life going to bring in his existence? She was imagining and feeling every day of the Childs growth, and what she had in store for him. But who knows what’s in store for us tomorrow, life can change in the splits of a second. Talk about destiny, all those dreams hopes and expectations were snatched away from her in an instant. Her smiles were frowns and her faith just crumbled, like a deal soul in a living, rather breathing body.

This is how it happened…. On that abandoned road, were a few streetlights barely sufficient? There was this one light  that was visible from a distance, but as it came closer it got brighter and brighter. That light changed radha’s life into darkness forever. A speeding car came down that road, as if the driver had jammed the accelerator, cutting across the wind. He came at a speek of 110kmph throwing beer bottles out of his half open window. He was definitely drunk, the speed took everything in its path.  Just then, there was a loud cry, and silence set in again. The cry of a baby and no sight of a child.

Ironically the mother wasn’t hurt, not a scratch on a body, not a bruise on her arm. She opened her eyes and didn’t she Aryan, her vision was blur. After a few minutes when her sight cleared up she looked all over frantically for her baby, but alas! There was nothing. Just then she noticed something about then feet away it was blood draining into the gutter’s, and pieces of minced flesh, laying there saying so much without saying anything at all. The blood of her baby, the child who hadn’t even seen life,

He paid the price for another man’s folly. The same little child whose future was just being planned.

Simple, don’t drink and drive. You could take a life, but kill a number of people.

Copyright©2002. Nisha Malhotra. All rights reserved

The Rose Within

The Rose Within

An inspiring love story

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom... it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God-like qualities planted in us at birth, grow amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns of another, and find the rose within them.

This is one of the characteristic of love... to look at a person, know their true faults and accepting that person into your life... all the while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help others to realize they can overcome their faults. If we show them the "rose" within themselves, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

Building Your House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by. 

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. 

When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked! 

What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. 

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!

Mountain Story

Story of the year, Mountain Story - An interesting short 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?"

And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"

The voice answers: "I admire 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."

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."

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!"

-- Unknown Author

Two frogs

A short inspirational story

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them 

fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit 

was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The 

two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit 

with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, 

that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took 

heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down 

and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, 

the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He 

jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the 

other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to 

them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the 

entire time.

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging 

word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it 

through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes 

to kill them.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your 

path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand 

that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak 

words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in 

difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time 

to encourage another.

Trees That Wood

One of the stories that inspire!

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child's future.

Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, ... and those you love, ... today, and everyday!

A Box Full of Kisses

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." 

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness. 

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

Wait For The Brick

Inspirational God story

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?

Just what the heck are you doing? 

That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.

Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded.

"I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.

"It's my brother," he said.

"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!

Puppies for Sale

Inspirational Indian Story

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about Nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he Felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy. 

Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies." 

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money." 

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. 

And with that he let out a whistle,"Here,Dolly!" he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this One noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. 

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need Someone who understands."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

The 4 Wives

The 4 Wives

Motivational Indian Story

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives

a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament

Momonokotarou, the Peach Boy

ももの子たろう Momonokotarou 

Momonokotarou, the Peach Boy 

This edition of Momotarou is evidently intended for adults, not children. Even the art in the book does not appeal to children. The style of the Japanese is very difficult, using very old and dialectic words and phrases. Even Japanese adults find it difficult to read. So this text is not recommended for Japanese study. All the other texts on this web page are in a more modern style of Japanese.

ISBN4-591-00387-6 C8739 P980E 

Translation by Tom Ray and Sachiko Matsubara 

ぶん おおかわ えっせい 

え みた げんじろう 

words by: o^kawa essei 

pictures by: mita genjiro^ 

page 1 

じろ も さぶろ も おはる も こい。 

いろり さ きて、火っこ（ひっこ） あたれ。 

おら が わらし （子ども） で あった とき、 

まいばん、おら の じいさま やら ばあさま やら に 

きかされた もも の 子 むかし を かたる から...... 

とん と むかし あった そう な。 

ある ところ に、じいさま と ばあさま と おって、 

じいさま は まいにち 山 へ たきぎ とり、 

ばあさま は まいにち 川 へ せんたく に いって おった。 

-- 

じろ も さぶろ も おはる も こい。 

Jiro and Saburo and Oharu come! 

いろり さ きて、 

come to the fireplace 

火っこ（ひっこ） あたれ。 

warm yourself at the fire 

おら が わらし （子ども） で あった とき、 

at the time I was a child 

まいばん、 

every evening 

おら の じいさま やら ばあさま やら に きかされた 

my grandfather or grandmother ... forced me to listen 

もも の 子 むかし を かたる から...... 

I will tell the old peach child (story) 

とん と むかし あった そう な。 

as it was said long long ago 

ある ところ に、 

some (unknown) place 

じいさま と ばあさま と おって、 

there was an old man and woman 

じいさま は まいにち 山 へ たきぎ とり、 

each day the old man went to the mountain to collect firewood 

ばあさま は まいにち 川 へ せんたく に いって おった。 

each day the old woman was going to the river to wash clothes. 

-- 

じろ = a man's name 

も = also 

さぶろ = a man's name 

おはる = a woman's (girl's) name 

こい = come, imperative 

いろり = a fireplace 

さ = Tohoku dialect, not much meaning, acts like a noun 

きて = きます 

火っこ（ひっこ）= fire (dialect form) 

あたれ = get sunshine, warm oneself (imperative form) 

おら = old country man's form of わたし 

わらし = dialect for こども 

（子ども） 

あった = あります 

とき = time 

まいばん = every evening 

じいさま = おじいさん, old man 

おじさん = middle aged man, or uncle 

やら = and, or 

ばあさま = おばあさん, old woman, or grandmother 

おばさん = middle aged woman, or aunt 

きかされた = listen, causative passive 

~させられる = being forced to do something 

もも = peach 

子 = child 

むかし = old time 

かたる = speak 

から = because 

page 2 

ある 日, 

ばあさま が 川 で せんたく を して おったら、 

かみ の ほう から、 

もも が つんぶら つんぶら と ながれて きた。 

ひとつ ひろって 

たべて みる と、 たいそう よく 

うれた うまい もも で あった から、 

「これぁ うまい ももっこ だ。 

じいさま に も もって って 

やり たい が......」 

そう おもって、 

うまい ももっこ こっちゃ こい 

にがい ももっこ あっちゃ いけ 

と いったら、あかい おおきな 

もも が ながれて きて、 ばあさま の 

まえ で とまった そうな。 

-- 

ある 日、 

one day 

ばあさま が 川 で せんたく を して おったら、 

when the old woman was washing clothes at the river, 

かみ の ほう から、 

from upstream 

もも が つんぶら つんぶら と ながれて きた。 

a peach floating (sound) and came and flowed 

ひとつ ひろって たべて みる と、 

when she picked up and tried to eat the peach, 

たいそう よく うれた うまい もも で あった から、 

it was a very well ripened and delicious peach therefore, 

「これぁ うまい ももっこ だ。 

``this is a delicious little peach!'' 

じいさま に も もって って やり たい が......」 

``I also want to take the peach for my husband.'' 

そう おもって、 

she thought that 

うまい ももっこ こっちゃ こい 

``delicious little peach come this way 

にがい ももっこ あっちゃ いけ 

bitter little peach go that way'' 

と いったら、 

when she said (the above) 

あかい おおきな もも が ながれて きて、 

a big red peach came and flowed, 

ばあさま の まえ で とまった そうな。 

it is said that it stopped in front of the woman. 

page 3 

「あや きた きた。 おっきくて 

いい の が きた ど。」 

ばあさま は おおよろこび。 

もも を ひろって よっこらせ 

と もって かえり、とだな の 

おく へ しまって おいた。 

ゆうがた に なる と、じいさま 

が たきもの の しば を 

いっぱい しょって もどってきた。 

-- 

「あ