Inspirational Stories
The Perfect Heart

  One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley.  A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect.  There was not a mark or a flaw in it.  Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.  The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.
  Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, “Why your heart is nearly not as beautiful as mine.”  The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart.  It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn’t fit right and there were deep gouges where whole pieces where missing.  The people stared - how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought?
  The young man looked at the old man’s heart and saw its state and laughed.  “You must be joking,” he said.  “Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”
  “Yes,” said the old man, “yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you.  You see every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love.  I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them.  Often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared.  Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn’t returned a piece of his heart to me.  These are the empty gouges - giving love is taking a chance.  Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting.  So now do you see what true beauty is?”
  The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks.  He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out.  He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.  The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scared heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart.  It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.  The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore, but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into his.  They embraced and walked away side by side.
 
Author Unknown
The Rose

  The first day of school, our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.  I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.  I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
  She said, “Hi handsome.  My name is Rose.  I’m 87 years old.  Can I give you a hug?”
  I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a squeeze.
  “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.  She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel.”
  “No seriously,” I asked.  I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
  “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
  After class, we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.  We became instant friends.  Every day for the next 3 months we would leave class together and talk nonstop.
  I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.  Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.  She loved to dress up and reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from other students.  She was living it up.
  At the end of the semester, we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.  I’ll never forget what she taught us.  She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.  As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her 3x5 cards on the floor.
  Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m so sorry I’m jittery.  I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me!  I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”
  As we laughed she cleared her throat and began:
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.  There are only 4 secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success.  You have to laugh and find humor everyday.  You’ve got to have a dream.  When you lose your dreams, you die.  We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t know it!  There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.  If you are 19 years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old.  If I am 87 years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88.  Anybody can grow older.  That doesn’t take any talent or ability.  The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.  Have no regrets.  The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do.  The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
  She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose’.  She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
  At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.  One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.  Over 2000 college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.                  
Author Unknown
....... A Friend....

  (A)ccepts you as you are
  (B)elieves in "you"
  (C)alls you just to say "HI"
  (D)oesn't give up ! ! on you
  (E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
  (F)orgives your mistakes
  (G)ives unconditionally
  (H)elps you
  (I)nvites you over
  (J)ust "be" with you
  (K)eeps you close at heart
  (L)oves you for who you are
  (M)akes a difference in your life
  (N)ever Judges
  (O)ffer support
  (P)icks you up
  (Q)uiets your fears
  (R)aises your spirits
  (S)ays nice things about you
  (T)ells you the truth when you need tohear it
  (U)nderstands you
  (V)alues you 
  (W)alks beside you
  (X)-plains thing you don't understand
  (Y)ells when you won't listen and
  (Z)aps you back to reality

Author Unknown