Story : 1
What goes around comes around

One day, a boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young girl opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk.

He drank it slowly and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother taught us never to accept payment for a kindness."

"Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart," he replied.

As the boy left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith had been restored. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Year's later that young girl became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. After meeting her, he went back to the consultation room determined to save her life. From that day he gave all his attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, and then wrote something in the margin and the bill was sent to her room.

She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words….

Paid in full with one glass of milk. Signed…..Dr. Howard Kelly.

Story : 2
When Papa Scolded Me

"Baby, come for breakfast. Your milk is getting cold," called Bhaiya, my elder brother. I quickly put on my slippers, picked up my favorite doll, Beeta and rushed out into the verandah. It was a beautiful day. The morning air was most refreshing. "Ah, how lovely!" I said aloud, taking a deep breath. I ran across the verandah, with Beeta tucked under my arm.

While I gulped down the milk, I heard Papa calling out to the driver.

"Papa is still here, Bhaiya. He hasn't gone to the clinic, today," I said overwhelmed with joy.

Being engrossed in a magazine, Bhaiya did not reply, but I could see Papa talking to someone in his room, which was opposite the dining hall facing the verandah.

"Papa! Papa! I don't have to go to school, it's a holiday. Do you have a holiday, too? Look, Beeta has got fever," I said, all in one breath.

"No, my dear child, I don't have a holiday today. You go and play while I talk to Mr. Singh.

He is very ill. I'll ask the compounder to give your doll some medicine," Papa said lovingly.

It was quite unusual to find my father at home at that time. Normally he was in his clinic before I woke up. So I was very happy. My father wiped his spectacles with the kerchief as he listened to his patient carefully.

I was on the balcony when I heard, "Baby! Baby! Come here, see this." It was my brother from the verandah. He had spread himself on an easy chair and our dog, Tom, was dancing round on his hind legs. I burst out laughing.

"Papa will give medicine to Beeta," I said, showing off.

"And I'll ask Papa to give some medicine to his darling daughter, because. . . .Because she laughs and laughs," said Bhaiya, tickling me and sending me into fits of laughter. Being the youngest child in the family I received everyone's attention and affection. Papa of course, was the most affectionate.

I ran from one end of the verandah to the other and then onto the balcony, staying close to Papa's room to attract his attention while I played. I swung on the curtain, thumped on the door, tapped on the table, pulled and pushed the chair.

"Look, Bhaiya, what a variety of sounds they make," I said, pulling the chair, then leaping up and rapping on the door, clapping my hands, jumping all the while.

"Don't," pleaded Bhaiya, not taking his eyes off the book in his hand.

Racing back to the window of Papa's room, I saw him still busy with the patient. I loved to see him there before me, while I played. 'He must like it, too,' I thought, 'to see me play around in his room.'

I dragged a chair and climbed onto the table.

This at last drew Papa's attention.

"Baby, be careful, you'll fall down," he said tenderly.

"Look, Papa, I am taller than everyone," I grinned from ear to ear making my eyes disappear.

All one could see was a set of white teeth and chubby cheeks.

Both Mr. Singh and Papa smiled. Papa did not look convinced. So I said again raising my hands above my head. "Papa I'm a big girl, now."

He nodded with a smile and continued talking to the patient.

I touched all that I could reach with my hands till I got to the black switch. 'No, you should not touch it.' I was imagining what my mother would have said.

'If you touch it, you'll get hurt,' Bhaiya had told me once. This was a 'forbidden' article for me, but how attractive it looked — black against the light blue wall. Unable to resist the temptation to touch it, I pressed the switch and the light came on. I immediately switched it off. I was scared, I looked at Papa with large anxious eyes, but he was busy writing. He did not see me. I looked at Papa again and then at the switch which begged my hands to touch it again.

'I'll do it just once more, okay?' I said softly to myself. I repeated the mischief once more and was unable to stop myself from doing it again and again. I seemed to have disturbed Papa who concentrating on the patient's problem. Without looking up from the book, he said in a serious voice, "Don't do that, you might get a shock."

The klick-klack of the switch and the glowing bulb fascinated me, "Baby, come here, let Papa do his work," called my brother.

I ignored everybody. This was the most fascinating game for me at the moment.

How fantastic! I press — the light is on, I push — the light goes off', I muttered.

The patient, obviously, had some serious problem.

My father sat with four books open in front of him. My running around had certainly disturbed him. Completely exasperated, he put down his pen and spectacles and shouted at me, "You're not listening to me. GET DOWN FROM THERE!"

His loud voice broke my trance. I gaped at him wide-eyed. He fixed his gaze on me, expecting to be obeyed instantly. I was shocked at being scolded so loudly by him — scolded by Papa. Papa, a very soft spoken person, who was known never to raise his voice, had SHOUTED in anger at his darling daughter. I was very angry with him.

I jumped down from the table with a loud thud and raced up and down the balcony. My breath quickened, my face went red with anger and my eyes felt hot with unshed tears. Throwing my hands about, I raced up and down wanting to destroy everything that came in my way.

Hearing the commotion Bhaiya came out.

"What is it?" he asked. My fury found a ready victim and I ran towards him and pushed him. I felt like bursting into tears. I rushed and pulled at the curtain in Papa's room, which came down with the force. I saw Papa talking to the patient with his usual patience.

How unthoughtful of him! He is not a bit bothered about my being so angry with him. I was fuming all the more.

I went back into the room, stamping my feet noisily in anger. Standing close to Papa, I raged vehemently, "Why couldn't you say it softly?

Why did you speak so loudly to me?"

The next moment I came out on the balcony and stood beside the money-plant pot. My eyes were now full of tears. I plucked a leaf and shredded it to pieces. The sound of a chair being pushed in Papa's room reached my ears and then I heard his footsteps coming closer to me. I tried to run away in annoyance, but Papa caught me. He pulled my face towards his and picked me up. Tears came rolling down my plump cheeks. He patted my head lovingly and wiped my tears.

"Oh, you big cat!" said Papa, ruffling my hair.

This affectionate gesture melted my wrath. A moment later I was once again happy playing round the house.

Story : 3
Why the sky is far away

Raman looked at the food in his lunch box and made a face. "Idli and chutney and chutney and idli again," he said to his friend Bhim."

Bhim gave his own lunch a critical look and frowned. "You think that's bad," he said, "I've got bread and jam again. It's the third time this week!"

They pushed the food aside. "We can get something at the burger place after school," Raman said. They concentrated on studying for their English test instead of eating. English was next period, and Mr. Frank had a reputation for giving difficult tests. When the bell rang, they dropped their uneaten lunches into the garbage. Mr. Frank was standing nearby. "Not hungry, guys?" he asked. They shook their heads and hurried off to class.

When the test was over, there were still ten minutes left in the period. Mr. Frank stood at the front of the class. "Before you leave today," he said, leaning against the desk, "I'd like to share an old African folktale with you. I think you'll find this one interesting. It's called 'Why the Sky Is Far Away'"

Long ago the sky was close to the Earth. Men and women did not have to plant their own food. Instead, when they were hungry, they just reached up and broke off a piece of the sky to eat. Sometimes the sky tasted like ripe bananas. Other times it tasted like roasted potatoes. The sky was always delicious.

People spent their time making beautiful cloth. They painted beautiful pictures and sang songs at night. The grand king, Oba, had a wonderful palace. His servants made beautiful shapes out of pieces of sky.

Many people in the kingdom did not use the gift of the sky wisely. When they took more than they could eat, the sky became angry. Some people threw the extra pieces into the garbage.

Early one morning the angry sky turned dark. Black clouds hung over the land and a great sky voice said to all the people, "You are wasting my gift of food. Do not take more than you can eat. I don't want to see pieces of me in the garbage anymore or I will take my gift away."

The king and the people trembled with fear. King Oba said, "Let's be careful about how much food we take." For a long time, all the people were careful.

But one man named Adami wasn't careful. At festival time, he took so many delicious pieces of sky that he couldn't eat them all. He knew he must not throw them away.

He tried to give the pieces to his wife. "Here, wife," Adami said. "You eat the rest."

"I can't," Adami's wife said. "I'm too full."

Adami asked all his children to help him eat the delicious pieces of sky, but the children couldn't eat one more bite. So Adami decided to try to hide the pieces at the bottom of the garbage pile.

Suddenly, the sky became angry and the clouds turned black. "You have wasted my gift of food again," yelled the sky.

"This time I will go away so you cannot waste me anymore."

All of the people cried, "What will we eat? We might starve!"

The sky said, "You will have to learn how to plant crops in the ground and hunt in the forests. If you work hard, you may learn not to waste the gifts of nature."

Everyone watched as the sky sailed away. From that time on, they worked hard to grow their food and cook their meals. They always tried to remember not to waste the gifts of nature.

The bell rang for the next period. "That's the end," Mr. Frank said, smiling. He looked at Raman and Bhim.

"What did you think of the story?" he asked. They slouched in their chairs and looked apologetic.

"We get the message," they said, smiling. "No more lunches in the garbage!"

Story : 4
Her Dream Bicycle

Malar lived at Keeranur village in Pudukottai district with her family. Malar was studying in class VI. She was eleven years old. She had two elder sisters and a younger brother. His name was Arul. Malar’s father was Kathirvel. Kathirvel was a hard-working farmer. Of late, the rains were irregular and he could not always cultivate the two acres they owned. Her eldest sister was Ponni. Ponni was married to a mason and lived in Mathur with her little son Vikram. Malar’s second sister was Mallika. Mallika decided to do tailoring after Class X and was attending a tailoring course in Mathur. Attending the course also gave Mallika a chance to visit her sister Ponni. But walking all the way made her tired and she often missed the tailoring classes.

Her mother used to scold Mallika. "OH! Why are you so lazy? You must attend your classes regularly".

Mallika would reply, "I walk 9 kilometers everyday - 4 kilometers to the tailoring classes, 2 kilometers to fetch water and 3 milometers to take lunch for father when you are busy. You can not call me lazy."

In fact, nobody in their home was lazy. Malar would walk 1 kilometer with her friends to school and back. She and her friends would chat and play all the way back.

One day, when Arul and Malar had just come back from school, her father came in looking upset. He said to his wife, "Shanthi, it seems that the collector is not satisfied with teaching only Math’s and Tamil. She even wants women to learn cycling.

Malar was excited. She asked, "father, Is it only for mother? Can I learn?"

Mallika was interested too. She said, "If there is anyone who needs bicycle, it is me."

Arul said, "This is really good. I can teach both of you to cycle, if you buy me a cycle."

Their father was angry.

"Keep quiet!" he said. "No woman in my house will learn to cycle".

A week passed. What their father had heard was true. Women were being taught to cycle at all. In many homes across the villages in Pudukottai district, there was a lot of discussion on women learning to cycle.

In Keeranur too, women beginning to use bicycle to do many things. One day, Shanthi told Mallika softly, "Borrow Radhamma's old bicycle and bring it here. We are going to learn to ride it."

When Malar's father returned, he saw Mallika smiling widely and guessed why.

He said gruffly, "All right...But be careful."

He looked at Shanthi and smiled. "Have you started learning?"

"Yes." she said. "It takes things much easier."

Malar was busy, dreaming of the future. She saw herself riding a brand new bicycle along a smooth long road to school and to college and then who knows? May be even on a rainbow to the clouds.

Story : 5
Powerful Advice From A Dying Man

I am only 24 years old, yet I have actually already chosen my last tie. It’s the one that I will wear on my funeral a few months from now. It may not match my suit, but I think it’s perfect for the occasion.

The cancer diagnosis came too late to give me at least a tenuous hope for a long life, but I realized that the most important thing abut death is to ensure that you leave this world a little better than it was before you existed with your contributions.

The way I’ve lived my life so far, my existence or more precisely the loss of it, will not matter because I have lived without doing anything impactful you existed with your contributions.

Before, there were so many things that occupied my mind. When I learned now much time I had left, however, it became clear which things are really important So, I am writing to you for a selfish reason….I want to give meaning to my life by sharing with you what I have realized: you existed with your contributions.

Don’t waste your time on work that you don’t enjoy. It is obvious that you cannot succeed in something that you don’t like. Patience, passion and dedication come easily only when you love what you do.

It’s stupid to be afraid of others’ opinions. Fear weakens and paralyzes you. If you let it, it can grow worse and worse every day until there is nothing left of you, but a shell of yourself. Listen to your inner voice and go with it Some people may call you crazy, but some may even think you're a legend.

Take control of your life. Take full responsibility for the things that happen to you. Limit bad habits and try to lead a healthier life. Find a sport that makes you happy. Most of all, don’t procrastinate. Let your life be shaped by decisions you made, not by the ones you didn’t.

Appreciate the people around you. Your friends and relatives will always be an infinite source of strength and love. That is why you shouldn’t take them for granted.

It is difficult for me to fully express my feelings about the importance of these simple realizations, but I hope that you will listen to someone who has experienced how valuable time is. I’m not upset because I understand that the last days of my life have become meaningful. I only regret that I will not be able to see a lot of cool stuff that should happen soon like the creation of AI or Elon Musks next awesome project. I also hope that the war in Syria and Ukraine will end soon. We care so much about the health and integrity of our body that until death, we don’t notice that the body is nothing more than a box - a parcel for delivering our personality, thoughts, beliefs and intentions to this world. If there is nothing in this box that can change the world, then it doesn’t matter if it disappears. I believe that we all have potential, but it also takes a lot of courage to realize it. You can float through a life created by circumstances, missing day after day, hour after hour. Or, you can fight for what you believe in and write the great story of your life. I hope you will make the right choice. Leave a mark in this world. Have a meaningful life, whatever definition it has for you. Go towards it The place we are leaving is a beautiful playground, where everything is possible. Yet, we are not here forever. Our life is a short spark in this beautiful little planet that mess with incredible speed to the endless darkness of the unknown universe. So, enjoy your time here with passion. Make it interesting. Make it count!

Story : 6
Reward for bravery

There was once a kind Duke. He was loved and respected by his subjects. This Duke had a wicked brother. His name was Frederick. Frederick rebelled against his brother. He drove away the Duke. The Duke was a peace loving person. He left the Dukedom. He went to the forest called Arden. His followers also went with him. There he led a peaceful life with his followers. Frederick became the Duke.

The Duke had a daughter. Her name was Rosalind. Frederick also had a daughter. Her name was Celia. Rosalind and Celia were fond each other from their childhood. Celia wanted Rosalind to be with her in the palace. Frederick allowed Rosalind to be in the palace with his daughter. This was for the sake of his own daughter, Celia.

Sir Rowland De Boys was friend of the elder Duke who was in the forest. Sir Rowland died leaving all his property to his eldest son whose name was Oliver. Oliver was jealous of his younger brother whose name was Orlando. Oliver did not give any part of the property or money to Orlando. He did not even educate Orlando either.

In Duke Frederick’s court, there was a powerful wrestler. His name was Charles. No young man dared to challenge Charles. But Orlando accepted the challenge. Oliver met Charles secretly. He instructed Charles to do the worst to Orlando.

At the wrestling place there were many people. Duke Frederick was also there. In the earlier matches Charles threw little challengers one after another. All the three challengers had broken their ribs. They were struggling for life. Celia and Rosalind also had come there. Duke Frederick asked the girls to talk to the young man, Orlando. Frederick had felt that Charles would throw Orlando down in the fight. The girls approached Orlando. They requested him not to fight. Orlando refused gently. He said, “I have no one to care for me. I do not care even to die."

The match began. Orlando was much stronger than Charles. Orlando lifted Charles above his shoulders. Then he threw him down. Charles became unconscious after falling. Frederick and all others were happy. They congratulated Orlando. Orlando told Frederick, “I am the second son of late Sir Rowland de Boys."

Frederick did not like Orlando from that minute onwards, because Frederick had not liked Sir Rowland de Boys.

The two girls on the contrary praised Orlando. Rosalind was happy. Sit Rowland had been her father’s friend. She then took out a chain from her neck and presented it to Orlando. This was the reward for his bravery.

Story : 7
Positive Thinking

Sometimes life can be tough, and it is easy to focus on the negative. However, those who are true to the positive and joys of life will see this story for what it really is — The true way we should view life and all its wonders.

Read the story below and let it change your thinking about life!

Two men are seriously ill and in the same hospital room. For an hour each day, the nurses would let the man closest to the room’s only window sit up in order to help drain the fluid in his lungs.

The other man in the room spent all his time flat on his back.

As you can imagine, with little else to do, the men would talk for hours. They spoke about their families, homes, their lives in the military and where they had traveled.

And each day, the man sitting away from the window longed for the hour when his roommate would be able to sit up and describe the details of the world outside their room.

He would speak of children playing, of animals peacefully roaming and of happy families playing in the water.

Sadly, after months of this, the day arrived when the man closest to the window died in his sleep. After his body had been removed from the room and some time had passed, the other man asked if he could take the bed by the window. The nurses were happy to oblige him and they made the switch.

Once they were gone, the man slowly and painfully pulled himself up so he could take his first good look at the world outside the hospital room, the world whose description had brought him so much comfort.

To his dismay, he found that the view was not as vibrant as he’d been told; in fact, the window faced a blank wall.

Upset, the man called for the nurse and explained the situation.

“Why would he lie to me?" he questioned the nurse.

After thinking for a moment, the nurse looked at him and said:

“Maybe he just wanted to encourage you."

This should be a lesson to all of us that no matter our situation, we can do tremendous good for those around us by looking on the bright side of every situation.

Even when we’re faced with what seems like an impenetrable brick wall, we can bring so much happiness and joy to those around us if we find positive ways of looking at the world.

The man in the story could just as easily have described the bland, brick wall that stood outside the window but instead of simply passing along his misery and grief, he shared whatever happiness he did have, doubling it.

Story : 8
Perceptive

Two twin boys were raised by an alcoholic father. One grew up to be an alcoholic and when asked what happened, he said “I watched my father."

The other grew up and never drank in his life. When asked what happened, he said “I watched my father."

Two boys, same dad, two different perspectives.

Your perspective in life will determine your destination.

Today is a new day.

Story : 9
Owning Mistakes

Simon was a curious boy. He was fond of reading adventure stories. He lived with his grandfather. One night, he stealthily entered the store room where his grandfather kept his priceless antiques. Simon knew his grandfather did not like anyone to touch his rare collections.

Once inside the room, Simon stood on a chair. He lifted the box wherein his grandfather had kept many wrist-watches bought from different countries he had visited.

While getting down from the chair, Simon’s elbow struck against the chair. The box slipped out of his hands and fell onto the floor. All the watched lay scattered all around. To his utter shock, he found the glass of his grandfather’s favorite watch broken.

Simon got frightened lest his grandfather should come to know about the broken glass. He started picking up the pieces of glass.

Simon thought, “How will I tell my grandfather that his favorite watch had got broken? He will be angry with me. If I do not tell him, he will not come to know about it."

Simon got nervous. His heart started beating faster. He put the broken watch back into the box and placed the box back on the shelf. Afterwards, he went to sleep. He tossed and turned in bed. He could not sleep in peace throughout the whole night.

The next morning, Simon got up early. He gathered courage to go and admit his fault to his grandfather. Reaching his grandfather’s bedroom he told him everything. The grandfather looked thoughtful. He did not say anything to Simon. He went over to the store room. Simon kept standing with his head down.

Having returned from the store the grandfather said to Simon, “I felt very angry when you had broken my precious watch. Your grandmother gifted it to me on our first wedding anniversary. But you need not worry. Only the glass is broken. I shall have it replaced."

Simon felt relieved. After some time, his grandfather went into kitchen and bought a glass of milk for him.

While giving the milk to Simon, his grandfather said, “It was brave enough of you to tell me about the broken watch. You knew that I would scold you, did not you?"

Simon said, “I was scared at first. But I dared not tell a lie. I should not have touched your things without your permission."

Simon’s grandfather further remarked, “When I was at your age, I also broke my mother’s precious flower-case. I was scared to own up my mistake. But, when I went to confess, she said that she already knew about it."

It is brave to admit your mistake. You may be scared of being scolded. But it is the only way for you to be free from guilt.

Story : 10
My Time is Coming

An elephant and a dog became pregnant at same time.

Three months down the line the dog gave birth to six puppies.

Six months later the dog was pregnant again.

And nine months on it gave birth to another dozen puppies.

The pattern continued.

On the eighteenth month the dog approached the elephant questioning.

"Are you sure that you are pregnant? We became pregnant on the same date. I have given birth three times to a dozen puppies and they are now grown to become big dogs. Yet you are still pregnant. What’s going on?"

The elephant replied.

"There is something I want you to understand. What I am carrying is not a puppy but an elephant. I only give birth to one in two years. When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it. When my baby crosses the road, human beings stop and watch in admiration. What I carry draws attention. So what I'm carrying is mighty and great."

LESSON : Don't lose faith when you see others receive answers to their prayers.

LESSON : If you haven't received your own blessings, don't despair.

LESSON : Say to yourself - My Time is Coming. My blessings are being processed, prepared, packaged and wrapped up in God's glory.

-- The End --