…amplified…

      Two  traveling angels stopped to spend the night      in the  home of a wealthy family.

      The family  was rude and refused to let the angels      stay in  the mansion's guest room.

      Instead  the angels were given a small space in      the cold  basement.

      As they  made their bed on the hard floor, the      older  angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

      When the  younger angel asked why, the older angel      replied,

      "Things  aren't always what they seem."

      The next  night the pair came to rest at the house      of a very  poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

      After  sharing what little food they had the couple      let the  angels sleep in their bed where they could      have a  good night's rest.

      When the  sun came up the next morning the angels      found the  farmer and his wife in tears.

      Their only  cow, whose milk had been their sole      income,  lay dead in the field.

      The  younger angel was infuriated and asked the      older  angel how could you have let this happen?

      The first  man had everything, yet you helped him,      she  accused.

      The second  family had little but was willing to      share  everything, and you let the cow die.

      "Things  aren't always what they seem," the older      angel  replied.

      "When we  stayed in the basement of the mansion, I      noticed  there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.

      Since the  owner was so obsessed with greed and      unwilling  to share his good fortune, I sealed the      wall so he  wouldn't find it."

      "Then last  night as we slept in the farmers bed,      the angel  of death came for his wife. I gave him      the cow  instead.

      Things  aren't always what they seem."

      Sometimes  that is exactly what happens when things      don't turn  out the way they should. If you have      faith, you  just need to trust that every out come      is always  to your advantage. You just might not      know it  until some time later...

(*a message from aree, i love it.*)

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day
are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar… and the coffee…

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of
him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf
balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was
full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then
produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents
into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The
students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you
to
recognise that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things. Your family, your children,
your faith, your health, your friends, and your favourite passions.
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your
life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter.
Your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. The
small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no
room
for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend
all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room
for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play
with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to
dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and
fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really
matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented.

The professor smiled. "I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups
of coffee with a friend."