RAMNATH 

The story began when I was a child; I was born as a son of a poor family. Even for eating, we often got lack of food. Whenever the time for eating, mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was removing her rice into my bowl, she would say “Eat this rice, son. I’m not hungry”.
 That was Mother’s First Lie. 

When I was getting to grow up, the persevering mother gave her spare time for fishing in a river near our house, she hoped that from the fishes she got, she could gave me a little bit nutritious food for my growth. After fishing, she would cook the fishes to be a fresh fish soup, which raised my appetite. While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat 
the rest meat of fish, which was still on the bone of the fish I ate. My heart was touched when I saw it. I then used my chopstick and gave the other fish to her. But she immediately refused it and said “Eat this fish, son. I don’t really like fish.” 
That was Mother’s Second Lie. 

Then, when I was in Junior High School, to fund my study, mother went to an economic enterprise to bring some used-matches boxes that would be stuck in. It gave her some money for covering our needs. As the winter came, I woke up from my sleep and looked at my mother who was still awoke, supported by a little candlelight and within her perseverance she continued the work of sticking some used-matches box. I said, “Mother, go to sleep, it’s late, tomorrow morning you still have to go for work.” Mother smiled 
and said “Go to sleep, dear. I’m not tired.” 
That was Mother’s Third Lie.

At the time of final term, mother asked for a leave from her work in order to accompany me. While the daytime was coming and the heat of the sun was starting to shine, the strong and persevering mother waited for me under the heat of the sun’s shine for several hours. As the bell rang, which indicated that the final exam had finished, mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared before in a cold bottle. The very thick 
tea was not as thick as my mother’s love, which was much thicker. Seeing my mother covering with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said “Drink, son. I’m not thirsty!”. 
 That was Mother’s Fourth Lie. 

After the death of my father because of illness, my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent. By held on her former job, she had to fund our needs alone. Our family’s life was more complicated. No days without sufferance. Seeing our family’s condition that was getting worse, there was a nice uncle who lived near my house came to help us, either in a big problem and a small problem. 

Our other neighbors who lived next to us saw that our family’s life was so unfortunate, they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother, who was stubborn, didn’t care to their advice, she said “I don’t need love.” 
That was Mother’s Fifth Lie.

After I had finished my study and then got a job, it was the time for my old mother to retire. But she didn’t want to; she was sincere to go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetable for fulfilling her needs. I, who worked in the other city, often sent her some money to help her in fulfilling her needs, but she was stubborn for not accepting the money. She even sent the money back to me. She said “I have enough money.” 
That was Mother’s Sixth Lie.

After graduated from Bachelor Degree, I then continued my study to Master Degree. I took the degree, which was funded by a company through a scholarship program, from a famous University in America. I finally worked in the company. Within a quite high salary, I intended to take my mother to enjoy her life in America. But my lovely mother didn’t want to bother her son, she said to me “I’m not used to.” 
That was Mother’s Seventh Lie.

After entering her old age, mother got a flank cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived in miles away and across the ocean, directly went home to visit my dearest mother. She lied down in weakness on her bed after having an operation. Mother, who looked so old, was staring at me in deep yearn. She tried to spread her smile on her face; even it looked so stiff because of the disease she held out. It was clear enough to see how the disease broke my mother’s body, thus she looked so weak and thin. I stared at my mother within tears flowing on my face. My heart was hurt, so hurt, seeing my mother on that condition. But mother, with her strength, said “Don’t cry,  my dear. I’m not in pain.” 
That was Mother’s Eight Lie.

After saying her eighth lie, my dearest mother closed her eyes forever 

ANGELS AROUND US IS M - O - T - H - E -R

  M - O - T - H - E - R
“ M” is for the million things she gave me,
“ O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining, 
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
  Put them all together, they spell
         ”MOTHER,”
     A word that means the world to me

For those who are lucky to still be blessed with your Mom this is beautiful. For those who aren’t, this is even more beautiful.

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RAMNATH 

Hippopotamus & Tortoise - Love

A baby Hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

“It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a ‘mother’,” ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

“After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together,” the ecologist added. “The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother,” Kahumbu added

“The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years,” he explained.

This is a real story that shows that our differences don’t matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.

Unconditional Love - motivating story

The next day, the judge told the old man: ‘Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.’

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RAMNATH

An office worker named Ramesh came home from his demanding job at a late hour, feeling very tired. All he wanted to do is rest from the grueling day; but on going inside the home he finds his 7-year-old son, Gopal, waiting for him. Ramesh sees the look in Gopal’s eyes and knows that his son wants his attention – but he just does not have the energy. 
Gopal says to his father “Daddy, may I ask you a question.” Ramesh parries this as he is feeling very thirsty after a long journey home, “Hold on, I want to get a drink” but his son ignores this and asks “Dad, how much money do you make in an hour?” 
Ramesh feels rather put out at this strange question and answers gruffly, “That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” But Gopal is not to be put off and continues “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”

“Oh”, the little boy replies, with his head down. Looking up, he says, “Dad, may I please borrow Rs. 300?” 
Ramesh becomes irritated at this untimely request when all he wants to do is put his feet up and watch TV, “I told you so many times that we are not going to have a dog and 500 rupees is far too less to buy one anyway – now get to bed! Why are you being so selfish? Do you think I have time to walk a dog when I am working so hard to keep everything going?” Gopal is a little shaken at his father’s outburst and so goes to his room and has a little cry.

Ramesh sits down, relaxes and watches TV and gradually gets into a better mood. After about an hour or so, he feels calmer and a little guilty as he turns to thinking about his son “Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs. 300 - and he really does not ask for money very often!”

So he goes to the door of the boy’s room and asks “Are you asleep Gopal?” 
“No Daddy, I’m awake.” He goes in and says, 

”Hey look, I was feeling so tired from work and I should not have shouted at you. What do you need that 300 rupees for?”

“Parents must learn how to love their children. Whenever they go astray parents should immediately correct their faults. Parents today lavish too much affection on their children. Affection alone is not enough. There should be control over the children as well. There should be both love and law; only then will the love prove beneficial. The obligations of parents do not end with providing food, schooling and the knowledge of worldly matters. The children should also be provided with right values.” (Gems of Wisdom, p. 215)

“The father must encourage the son more by example than by precept.”(Gems of Wisdom, p. 213)

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RAMNATH 

THE ANT & THE CONTACT LENS!!! 
 
Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens . 
  
“Great”, she thought. “Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.” 

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow the lens had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn’t there. 

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. 

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. 

She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me..” 

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?” 

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it! 

 Brenda’s father was a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, “Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.” 

I think it would do all of us some good to say, “God, I don’t know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it’s awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.” 

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. 

Sairam