Phoenix

The Brooklyn Bridge that spans the river between Manhattan and Brooklyn is simply an engineering miracle.

In 1883, a creative engineer, John Roebling, was inspired by an idea for this spectacular bridge project. However, bridge-building experts told him to forget it, it just was not possible. Roebling convinced his son, Washington, an upandcoming engineer, that the bridge could be built. The two of them conceived the concept of how it could be accomplished, and how to overcome the obstacles. Somehow they convinced bankers to finance the project. Now with unharnessed excitement and energy, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project was only a few months under way when a tragic on-site accident killed John Roebling and severely injured his son. Washington was severely brain-damaged, unable to talk or walk. Everyone thought that the project would have been scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who understood how the bridge could be built.
Though Washington Roebling was unable to move or talk, his mind was as sharp as ever. One day, as he lay in his hospital bed, an idea flashed in his mind as to how to develop a communication code. All he could move was one finger, so he touched the arm of his wife with that finger. He tapped out the code to communicate to her what she was to tell the engineers who continued building the bridge. For 13 years, Washington tapped out his instructions with one finger until the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge was
finally completed.

The miracle bridge

Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-known German composer, was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a grostesque hunchback.

One day, he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Fromet. Moses fell hopelessly in love with her. But Fromet was repulsed by his misshapen appearance.

When it came time for him to leave, Moses gathered his courage and climbed the stairs to her room to take one last opportunity to speak with her. She was a vision of heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her refusal to look at him. After several attempts at conversation, Moses shyly asked, “Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?”

“Yes,” she answered, still looking at floor. “And do you?”

“Yes I do,” he replied. “you see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord announces which girl he will marry. When I was born, my future bride was pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, “But your wife will be humpbacked. Right then and there I called out, ‘Oh Lord, a humpbacked woman would be a tragedy. Please, Lord, give me the hump and let her be beautiful.”

Then Fromet looked up into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory. She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his devoted wife.

- Barry and Joyce Vissell

True love

Thomas Edison's laboratory was virtually destroyed by fire in December, 1914. Although the damage exceeded two million dollars, the buildings were only insured for $238,000 because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison's life's work went up in spectacular flames that December night.

At the height of the fire, Edison's 24-year-old son, Charles, frantically searched for his father among the smoke and debris. He finally found him, calmly watching the scene, his red face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.

"My heart ached for him," said Charles. "He was 67 - no longer a young man to start life when everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, 'Charles, where's your mother?' When I told him I didn't know, he said, 'Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long
as she lives.'“

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver his first phonograph.

Great value in disaster

Don't force a fit. If something is meant to be, it will come together naturally.

When things aren't going so well, take a break. Everything will look different when you return.

Be sure to look at the big picture. Getting hung up on the little pieces only leads to frustration.

Perseverance pays off. Every important puzzle went together bit by bit, piece by piece.

When one spot stops working, move to another. But be sure to come back later.

Establish the border first. Boundaries give a sense of security and order.

Don't be afraid to try different combinations. Some matches are surprising.

Anything worth doing takes time and effort. A great puzzle can't be rushed.

Take time to celebrate your successes, even little ones. They will encourage you to go ahead.

Life is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.
- Jose Ortegay Gasset

Lessons from a jigsaw puzzle

In fantasy, we can be all-powerful—invincible in conflict and irresistible in love—an omnipotent force in an imagined universe where even the laws of physics cease to apply. Imagine flying, moving mountains, traveling to the far side of the galaxy at faster than light speed. The mind can do these things without breaking a sweat. Our bodies are confined by limitations and laws on all sides, but in our imaginations, we can be free.

Imagine you have a single chance to freeze time and walk about the world as if it were a wax museum. You can do whatever you like. Just what is it you would like to do before the clock’s hand thaws?

Source: Kokology - The Game of Self-Discovery

Frozen in Time

Hugging is healthy. It helps the immune system, cures depression, reduces stress and induces sleep. It’s invigorating, rejuvenating and has no unpleasant side effects. Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.

Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet, no artificial ingredients, non-polluting, environmentally friendly and 100 percent wholesome.

Hugging is the ideal gift. Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive, shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, fully returnable.

Hugging is practically perfect. No batteries to wear out, inflation-proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments, theft-proof and nontaxable.

Hugging is an underutilized resource with magical powers. When we open our hearts and arms we encourage others to do the same.

Think of the people in your life. Are there any words you’d like to say? Are there any hugs you want to share? Are you waiting and hoping someone else will ask first? Please don’t wait! Initiate!

- Charles Faraone

We need four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, and twelve hugs a day for growth.
- Virgina Satir

Hugging is

Being engrossed in chasing the lights in your thoughts, you didn't realize when your best friend drove up and stood at the door. She brought a Christmas gift for you: A vase of pink lotus flowers made of beautiful fabric. You think to yourself, "What could be warmer than having a vase of pink lotus in the middle of winter?" You struggled to find a suitable place to put the vase in your home.

Which place do you choose?

By the airy and romantic window
On dad's desk
Put it in the kitchen so mom can cook while looking at the flowers
Placed in the middle of a bright living room

A vase of pink lotus

In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe), "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married.”

In 1889, Rudyard Kipling - an author won the Literature Nobel Prize in 1907 received the following rejection letter from the San Francisco Examiner. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language.”

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He did not become Prime Minister of England until he was 62, and then only after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks. His greatest contributions came when he was a "senior citizen.”

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn't read until he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was expelled and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 in chemistry.

General Douglas MacArthur was turned down for admission to West Point not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.

While turning down the British rock group called The Beatles, one executive of Decca Recording Company said, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.”

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere... son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck.”

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. President Rutherford Hayes said, "That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, "I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process.”

After years of progressive hearing loss, by age 46 German composer Ludwig van Beethoven had become completely deaf. Nevertheless, he wrote his greatest music - including five symphonies - during his later years.

- Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

- Henry Ford

Consider this

Bright electric lights, full of funny or warm colors, flashing or pensive, are all signs of human life. On special occasions such as Christmas or New Year, the lights are even more meaningful to signal the joy of gathering or show the bustling atmosphere that surrounds everyone. You are sitting at home waiting for your best friend coming and hanging out on Christmas Eve. You rest your chin and dreamily think about the meaning of the lights in your life.

Close your eyes for a few seconds, and what kind of lights do you think of?

Street lights
Table lamp
Mount ceiling lights
Chandeliers

Lights

They huddled inside the storm door - two children in ragged outgrown coats.
"Any old papers, lady?”
I was busy. I wanted to say no - until I looked down at their feet. Thin little sandals, sopped with sleet.
"Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa." There was no conversation. Their soggy sandals left marks upon the hearthstone.

Cocoa and toast with jam to fortify against the chill outside. I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget...
The silence in the front room struck through to me. I looked in.
The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in flat voice, "Lady... are you rich?”
"Am I rich? Mercy, no!" I looked at my shabby slipcovers.
The girl put her cup back in its saucer - carefully. "Your cups match your saucers." Her voice was old with a hunger that was not of the stomach.
They left then, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said thank you. They didn't need to. They had done more than that. Plain blue pottery cups and saucers. But they matched. I tested the potatoes and stirred the gravy. Potatoes and brown gravy - a roof over our heads - my man with a good steady job - these things matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and tidied the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my hearth. I let them be. I want them there in case I ever forget again how very rich I am.

- Marion Doolan

Lady, are you rich?

There was a great man who married the woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a little lovely girl.

When the little girl was growing up, the great man would hug her and tell her, “I love you, little girl.” The little girl would pout and say, “I’m not a little girl anymore.” Then the man would laugh and say, “but to me, you’ll always be my little girl.”

The little girl who-was-not-little-anymore decided to leave her home and went into the world. As she learned more about herself, she learned more about the man. One of his strengths was his ability to express his love to his family. It didn’t matter where she went in the world, the man would call her and say, “I love you, little girl.”

The day came when the little girl who-was-not-little-anymore received an unexpected phone call. The great man was damaged. He had had a stroke. He couldn’t talk, smile, walk, hug, dance or tell the little girl who-was-not little-anymore that he loved her.

And so she went to the side of the great man. When she walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and not strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not. The little girl did the only thing she could do. She sat next to the great man, and drew her arms around the useless shoulders of her father. Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She remembered she had always felt protected and cherished by the great man. She felt grief for the loss she was to endure, the words of love that had comforted her.

And then she heard from within the man, the beat of his heart. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about the damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested there, the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.

His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say… I love you, little girl… I love you, little girl… and she was comforted.

- Patty Hansen

Heart song

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with the relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and paused. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.

Everyone in the stadium stood and the cheering went on for ten minutes.

- Bob French

What's really important?

We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they
offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: The last of his freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

- Viktor E. Frankl

Obstacles

For a young child, the first trip to summer camp can be exciting, but it can also be a very frightening experience. The first day, everyone else seems to know what they’re doing, to belong to a circle of friends, and to have decided already which bunk they’re going to sleep in. But with the help of the counselors and a few newfound friends, most kids seem to make it through that adjustment period without suffering any permanent damage, and it isn’t unusual for a child who screamed, “I wanna go home!” on day one to cry, “I never wanna leave!” when the summer finally ends.

Imagine you’re a counselor at a summer camp. A young first-timer knocks on your cabin door one night after lights-out and, with tears in his eyes, tells you he wants to go home. What do you say to the child?

Source: Kokology - The Game of Self-Discovery

A Shoulder to Cry On

A lesson in "heart" is my little, 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in "field day" - that's where they have lots of races and other competitive events.

Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down - but before I could get a word out, she said, "Daddy, I won two of the races!”

I couldn't believe it! And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage.”

Ahh! I knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start... some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, "Daddy, I didn't get a head start... my advantage was I had to try harder!”

- Stan Frager

A lesson in heart

A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strode through his backyard, baseball cap in place and toting ball and bat.

"I'm the greatest baseball player in the world," he said proudly.

Then he tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed. Undaunted, he picked up the ball, threw it into the air and said to himself, "I'm the greatest baseball player ever!" He swung at the ball again, and again he missed. He paused a moment to examine the bat and ball carefully. Then once again he threw the ball into the air and said, "I'm the greatest baseball player who ever lived." He swung the bat hard and again missed the ball.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "What a pitcher!”

Covering all the bases

Sometimes when I'm flying from one speaking engagement to another, I find myself lucky when sitting next to someone who's quite talkative. This is often a pleasant experience for me because I'm an inveterate people-watcher. I've heard stories of sadness, delight, fear, rivals and many other interesting stories.
Sad to say, there are times when I'm sitting next to someone who just wants to vent his spleen on a captive audience for 600 miles. It was one of those days. I settled in, resignedly, as my seatmate began his disquisition on the terrible state of the world with, "You know, kids today are..." He went on and on, sharing vague notions of the terrible state of teens and young adults, based on watching the six o'clock news rather selectively.
I gratefully disembarked the plane and bought a local paper on the way to the hotel. There, on an inside page, was an article that I believe ought to have been the front-page headline news.

The article wrote about a 15-year-old boy with a brain tumor. He was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments. As a result of those treatments, he had lost all of his hair. I remember how I would have felt about that at his age - I would have been mortified!
This young man's classmates spontaneously came to the rescue: all the boys in his grade asked their family if they could shave their heads so that Brian wouldn't be the only bald boy in the high school. There, on that page, was a photograph of a mother shaving off all of her son's hair, with the family
looking on approvingly.
No, I don't despair about kids today.

- Hanoch McCarty

I don't despair about kids today

The first thing you see in this image might reveal some interesting information!

The Girl's Face
The Wine Glass

Your Personality and Intelligence

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what, Mum," he shouted, and then said those words that remain a lesson to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer.”

- Marie Curling