THE TROUBLE TREE

A carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farm house has just finished a rough day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his ancient truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family, as we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me so I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong at home with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then  in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is," he smiled,"when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

CHOOSING THE NEGATIVE

A hunter purchased a rare one of a kind bird dog. This dog could walk on water. The hunter couldn't believe his eyes when he saw this miracle. He was excited to show off his new acquisition to his friends. He invited a friend to go duck hunting. After some time, they shot a few ducks and the man ordered his dog to fetch the birds. All day long the dog ran on the water and kept fetching the birds. The owner was expecting a comment or complaint about his amazing dog, but never got one. As they were returning home, he asked his friend if he had noticed anything unusual about his dog. The friend replied,"Yes, in fact , I did notice something unusual. Your dog can't swim!"

Some people live miserable lives because they habitually look for and always find the negative in every experience. 

RECOGNIZING LOVE

There was once a young woman who had two boyfriends, Bill and Charlie. Both of them were madly in love with her. Every Friday night she would go out with Bill and every Saturday night she had a date with Charlie. The young woman knew that one day she would marry either Bill or Charlie, but she was in no rush to take the next step. One weekend everything abruptly changed. It started on Friday, when she was having dinner with Bill. Right before dessert, Bill proposed to her. The woman was so startled that all she could say was, "Let me think about it." Bill was so disappointed that he took her home immediately. Saturday night she had her usual date with Charlie. Right after dessert, Charlie proposed. She was so startled that all she could say was, "Let me think about it." Charlie was so disappointed that he took her immediately home. Later that night, the woman realized that she had to make the biggest decision of her life. Suddenly, the only person who could help her magically appeared - her Fairy Godmother. The young woman explained her dilemma and asked if the Fairy Godmother could help. "Of course I can help." the Fairy Godmother said, "here's what you need to do. Get a sheet of paper and a pen. Determine the one thing you love most about being with Bill and write it down. Then determine the one thing you love most about being with Charlie and write that down. Then read what you wrote about Bill and Charlie, close your eyes, and the name of your future husband will magically pop into your mind."

The woman did exactly as she was told by her Fairy Godmother. At the point where she closed her eyes, the name "Charlie" popped into her mind. The woman was ecstatic! She realized that Charlie was indeed the right choice. The Fairy Godmother suddenly reappeared and inquired as to the success of her magic. "The magic worked perfectly and I've discovered that I'm going to marry Charlie", said the woman. The Fairy Godmother asked, "what did you write about Bill?" She responded,"when I'm with Bill, he makes me feel like he is the most wonderful person in the whole world." The Fairy Godmother was confused. "I don't understand." She said. "You wrote that when your with Bill he makes you feel like he is the most wonderful person in the whole world!! Why are you marrying Charlie?" "Oh, that's easy," the woman replied,"when I'm with Charlie, he makes me feel like I AM the most wonderful person in the whole world."

MOTIVATION

There were two warring tribes in the Andes, one that lived on the lowlands and the other in the mountains. The mountain people invaded the lowlands one day, and as part of their plundering of the people, they kidnapped a baby of one of the lowlander families and took the infant with them back up into the mountains. The lowlanders didn't know how to climb the mountains. They didn't know any of the trails that the mountain people used and they didn't know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain. Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby  home. The men tried first one method of climbing and then another. They tried one trail and then another. After several days of effort, however, they had climbed only several hundred feet. Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlander men decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below. As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby's mother walking toward them. They realized that she was coming down the mountain that they hadn't figured out how to climb. And then they saw that she had the baby strapped to her back. How could that be? One man greeted her and asked, "We couldn't climb the mountain. How did you do this when we the strongest and most able men in the village couldn't do it?" She shrugged her shoulders and said,"It wasn't your baby."

WALKING THE TALK

Late one night on a lonesome Texas prairie, three cowboys were sitting around a campfire. Then the stories began... The first cowboy said," I must be the meanest cowboy in the world. Just the other day, a bull got loose in the corral and gored six men to death. I immediately jumped over the fence and wrestled the bull to the ground with my bare hands." The second cowboy not wanting to be outdone said," That's nothing! I must be the meanest toughest cowboy in the world. Just the other day, I was walking down a trail when a 15 foot rattlesnake slid out from under a rock and made a move toward me. When he was just about to bite me, I grabbed the snake by the neck and choked him to death with my bare hands." The third cowboy listened intently and remained silent while he stirred the orange hot coals in the campfire with his bare hands. 

HALL OF FAME

During the winter of 1993, workers at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, made a remarkable, heartwarming discovery. 

While renovating a section of the museum they found a photograph that had been hidden in a crevice underneath a display case. The man in the picture had a bat resting on his shoulder, he's wearing a uniform with the words "Sinclair Oil" printed across his chest; his demeanor is gentle and friendly. Stapled to the picture is a note, scribbled in pen by an adoring fan. The note reads, "You were never too tired to play ball. On your days off, you helped build the Little League Field. You always came to watch me play. You were a Hall of Fame Dad. I wish I could share this moment with you. Your son, Peter. 

Peter found a way to put his father in the Hall of Fame. 

HOW CAN I CHANGE THE WORLD?

Each of us, in our own way, wants to do something BIG! We want to leave our mark. We want our life to stand for something. We want to change the world. 

Here's some advice written by an unknown monk in 1100 A.D.; "When I was a young man I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize that the only thing I can change is myself, and that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. That impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world."