Wait For The Brick

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!

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.

Love and Time

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."

Welcome Death By G.S.Vasukumar

"You will never know when or how your end is going to come. But, all you can do is get yourself prepared for it as and when it finally does come..... "

________________________________________

"I don’t know how to tell you this ? " Said the Doctor, looking seriously at him.

"Its Ok, Doctor, I am ready to hear whatever it is. So, just tell me." said Deepak.

" I am really sorry and sad to tell you that you have brain tumor, advanced stage." he said.

"So, how long am I going to live ?" he asked.

"Three months from tomorrow, to be precise." he said.

"So, I will have to change my plans now." he said

"Plans ?" he asked.

"Well, I thought that I am going to live atleast 60 or 70 years and i had planned for that. Now, since i am going to live only 3 months so naturally I will have to alter my plans. Anyway, thanks, Doctor." he said, smiling at him.

"For what ? Aren’t you scared of death ?" he asked him surprised.

"For telling me the truth. Why should i be scared of dying, doctor ? as a matter of fact, every one of us has to die one day or the other. Today I might and tomorrow you will !" he said.

"We plan for everything in our lives. But, not for one thing and that’s death. I will see you later, bye." he said.

"You are always welcome." he said, smiling at him.

So, he walked home instead of taking the town bus. As he had to do a lot of thinking now. On the way, he suddenly stopped by a lottery ticket shop and purchased a lottery ticket and continued to walk and reached home and took a pen and paper and started writing his resignation letter to his company. Later, he had his dinner and went to sleep.

Next day morning, he was going through the newspaper and found out that the lottery ticket which he had purchased the other night had won the first prize.

"Hey ! My fate is teasing me, right ?" he asked himself, laughing , he picked up the phone and dialed a number and it started ringing.

"Hello, can you please book a ticket for the world tour for one person and you can collect the payment by cheque. Thank you." he said.

Later, he had his breakfast and walked to his office. On the way, he had to pass by a graveyard. he just stood and watched for a while and then entered the graveyard and talked to the person in charge :-

"You know, i always liked this graveyard and especially that space below that Banyan Tree and i always wanted that space. But, feared that not only that space but, the entire commentary would get filled in Anita 60 or 70 years time." he said.

he listened to him in shock and surprise.

"But, now I need not worry about that. Can you please book me that space under that Banyan Tree for the next three months and i will pay you in advance for the same. here is the cheque, fill in the amount you want to. But, remember, that space is now mine !" he said.

"Sure. But, may i know who is going to die in the next three months time ?" he asked.

" That you will know when the right time comes !" he said, smiling at him, "By the way, the grave should be 5 .9”. Since, the person who is going to fill in that space is of my height." he said.

he went to his office and handed over his resignation letter and went back home.

he will make advertisements in the newspapers and on the internet stating that he is going to die in another three months time. But, kept is name anonymous and told them that he is going to announce his name in the last week of his life. he will also ask them to send him the messages for their loved ones who are no more. So that he can convey the same to them when he reaches the other world.

Later, in the evening , his door bell rang and he went and opened it and found Latha standing outside the door :-

"Come in , Latha." e said.

"So you have resigned your job." She said, "I came to know that you have won the jackpot prize in a lottery of yesterday. Is that the reason for it ?" She asked.

"Maybe." he said.

"Are you going to start some business or something ?" she asked him.

"No, I don't think that would be necessary." he replied.

"Anyway, the reason why i dropped in here is that my parents are looking for a suitable bridegroom for me. So..."

"Well, then marry the person your parents chose for you."

"Do you know how much i like you ?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Unfortunately, it is one sided story." he replied, trying to avoid her eyes contact, " I never saw you in that way, to be frank with you."

"Are you sure about it ?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm." He replied.

"Then i am extremely very sorry for wasting your precious time. No wonder money has brought this change in you." she said, standing up, to leave.

"If you think so then be it." he replied.

"Bye forever." she said, leaving.

"Bye..." he said, closing the door behind her and he sank on the sofa and started weeping, tears rolled down his cheeks. He too had loved her very much and was infact thinking to propose to her on his coming birthday. But, now he had to reject her proposal for the reason she didn't know nor will know.

"Come on, Deepak, stop crying." he told himself, wiping his tears, "Whatever happens happens for your good only. You always wanted her to live happily. Now, she will be more happy marrying someone else...Just forget her buddy."

He went on the world tour and came back after eighty days after visiting many important places in many countries around the world, including the eight wonders of the world.

He went through the old issues of the newspapers and net and found many messages waiting for him in response to that advertisement he had made and most of those messages were common like :-

"We all love you and will miss you a lot !"

Later, he went to a whore house and hired a woman for a night and took her to his apartment, to know the experience of how it feels to make love to a woman and in his bedroom :-

"Get undressed." he told her, smiling at her.

She listened to him and removed all her cloths one by one and soon stood before him naked. He saw many cut marks and cigarette but marks on her body.

"Who did this to you ?" he asked her.

"People like you, Babuji." she replied.

"I'm Sorry. I'm really very sorry. Now, get dressed." he told her, taking her cloths and handing them to her.

"Why ? Am I not beautiful ?" she asked him.

"You are...you are beautiful...very beautiful." he told her, " But, i have changed my mind. Now, please get dressed."

"Ok," she said, dressing again.

"Take this money and start a new life." he told her, handing her a bundle of currency notes.

"But, you never slept with me." she told him.

"It's ok. You have opened my eyes." he told her.

"Thank you." she told him, was about to leave.

"You can sleep here on my bed to night and leave in the morning. While I'II sleep in the hall." he told her.

Next day, morning, by the time he woke up, she was gone. He took money in two brief cases and reached the whore house that he had visited the last night and opened one of them before the owner of that house. He took out some currency bundles and dropped them on the table.

"it’ll be yours if you let everyone go." he said, looking at her.

"That isn't enough. I would make more money with them around." she replied.

"Then take this entire brief case of money and let them all go." He said, pushing that briefcase towards her.

He will remember when he was ten years old, he had taken his savings and his pocket money and had purchased a cage of birds with that money. Then he opened the cage door and let out the birds one by one.

"Well, this gentleman over here has purchased all of you and now you are all free to go with him." said that lady.

"No-No, you have mistaken me," he said, "I have only paid the price of your freedom and i am leaving this briefcase of money for you people, Everyone of you please divide the money among yourselves and start a new life." He opened the briefcase and left.

"Thank You, sir, You are our God !" they said together.

"No-No, let me be what I am." he said, walking away from there.

On his last birthday, he signed some papers donating his eyes and other useful organs of his body after his death.

He got the wedding card of Latha and he opened and saw it. The marriage was fixed on the next day at 11.30 AM. He felt happy for her.

Next day, morning, in the clinic :-

"Deepak, I am really very happy that you finally came now atleast." said the doctor, "There was some mix-up in your report and you are perfectly alright."

"Does that mean I won't die ?" he asked, surprised.

"No. You are going to live more than sixty or seventy years and i can give you that in writing." he replied, smiling at him.

"Thank you, doctor." he said, with tears in his eyes, "By the way, may i know the name of the person who is actually suffering from it ?"

"S.Deepak Kumar and you are P.Deepak Kumar and the sad thing is that he had collected your report instead of his and vise versa. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know that he is suffering from that disease." said the Doctor.

"So sad." he said, "I'II see you later, doctor."

"Bye, take care." said the doctor.

As he walked downstairs, his mind was wondering where he had heard that name, which the doctor had said. It seemed to be somewhat familiar to him. Suddenly, he remembered Latha's wedding card and he rushed towards the marriage hall. He saw his wrist watch and it showed 11.15 Am already. Finally, he reached the street and he rushed to cross the road. Suddenly a big truck came and knocked him off the ground and he crash landed on the windshield of the car coming in the opposite direction. The car driver applied sudden breaks and he dropped dead on the ground, with a pool of blood surrounding his body.

Some distance away, was the marriage hall with a big board, decorated with rose petals saying :

LATHA

JOY...by Anton Chekhov

IT was twelve o'clock at night.

Mitya Kuldarov, with excited face and ruffled hair, flew into his parents' flat, and hurriedly ran through all the rooms. His parents had already gone to bed. His sister was in bed, finishing the last page of a novel. His schoolboy brothers were asleep.

"Where have you come from?" cried his parents in amazement. "What is the matter with you?

"Oh, don't ask! I never expected it; no, I never expected it! It's . . . it's positively incredible!"

Mitya laughed and sank into an armchair, so overcome by happiness that he could not stand on his legs.

"It's incredible! You can't imagine! Look!"

His sister jumped out of bed and, throwing a quilt round her, went in to her brother. The schoolboys woke up.

"What's the matter? You don't look like yourself!"

"It's because I am so delighted, Mamma! Do you know, now all Russia knows of me! All Russia! Till now only you knew that there was a registration clerk called Dmitry Kuldarov, and now all Russia knows it! Mamma! Oh, Lord!"

Mitya jumped up, ran up and down all the rooms, and then sat down again.

"Why, what has happened? Tell us sensibly!"

"You live like wild beasts, you don't read the newspapers and take no notice of what's published, and there's so much that is interesting in the papers. If anything happens it's all known at once, nothing is hidden! How happy I am! Oh, Lord! You know it's only celebrated people whose names are published in the papers, and now they have gone and published mine!"

"What do you mean? Where?"

The papa turned pale. The mamma glanced at the holy image and crossed herself. The schoolboys jumped out of bed and, just as they were, in short nightshirts, went up to their brother.

"Yes! My name has been published! Now all Russia knows of me! Keep the paper, mamma, in memory of it! We will read it sometimes! Look!"

Mitya pulled out of his pocket a copy of the paper, gave it to his father, and pointed with his finger to a passage marked with blue pencil.

"Read it!"

The father put on his spectacles.

"Do read it!"

The mamma glanced at the holy image and crossed herself. The papa cleared his throat and began to read: "At eleven o'clock on the evening of the 29th of December, a registration clerk of the name of Dmitry Kuldarov . . ."

"You see, you see! Go on!"

". . . a registration clerk of the name of Dmitry Kuldarov, coming from the beershop in Kozihin's buildings in Little Bronnaia in an intoxicated condition. . ."

"That's me and Semyon Petrovitch. . . . It's all described exactly! Go on! Listen!"

". . . intoxicated condition, slipped and fell under a horse belonging to a sledge-driver, a peasant of the village of Durikino in the Yuhnovsky district, called Ivan Drotov. The frightened horse, stepping over Kuldarov and drawing the sledge over him, together with a Moscow merchant of the second guild called Stepan Lukov, who was in it, dashed along the street and was caught by some house-porters. Kuldarov, at first in an unconscious condition, was taken to the police station and there examined by the doctor. The blow he had received on the back of his head. . ."

"It was from the shaft, papa. Go on! Read the rest!"

". . . he had received on the back of his head turned out not to be serious. The incident was duly reported. Medical aid was given to the injured man. . . ."

"They told me to foment the back of my head with cold water. You have read it now? Ah! So you see. Now it's all over Russia! Give it here!"

Mitya seized the paper, folded it up and put it into his pocket.

"I'll run round to the Makarovs and show it to them. . . . I must show it to the Ivanitskys too, Natasya Ivanovna, and Anisim Vassilyitch. . . . I'll run! Good-bye!"

Mitya put on his cap with its cockade and, joyful and triumphant, ran into the street.