Net wisdom

An interview with God

"COME in," God said. "So, you would like to interview me?" "If you have the time," I requested. God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

I asked God, "What surprises you most about mankind?" God answered: "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..."

God held my hand and we were silent for while, and then I asked, "As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons children should learn?" God replied with a smile:

a. To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved.

b. To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.

c. To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis!

d. To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

e. To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.

f. To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.

g. To learn that money can buy everything except happiness.

h. To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different.

i. To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them...and likes them anyway.

j. To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked God for the interview and for all that He has done for everyone. God replied, "Anytime. I’m here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I’ll answer. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Writing on the wall

A weary mother returned from the store, Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.

Awaiting her arrival was her 8-year-old son, anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call, T. J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!

It’s on the new paper you just hung in the den. I told him you’d be mad at having to do it again."

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow, "Where is your little brother right now?"

She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride, She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room. He trembled with fear—he knew that meant doom!!

For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved about the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work it would take to repair, She condemned his actions and total lack of care.

The more she scolded, the madder she got, then stomped from his room, totally distraught!

She headed for the den to confirm her fears. When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.

The message she read pierced her soul with a dart. It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it, With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.

A reminder to her and indeed to all.

Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

— Compiled by Roopinder Singh