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Tuesday, May 26, 7:37:31 [ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, [7], 8, 9, 10 ]

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Date Posted: 03:01:02 01/26/04 Mon
Author: Martina
Subject: Something to think about, with a smile*g*


This makes us realize the screwed up sense of perceptions we have.
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son,
"How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

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Replies:

[> What a zinger. I was brought up upper middle class and my mother was always so proud of all her things, and the importance she thought my father's position gave her, and jealous of all that her very wealthy sister had, to the point that she was embittered trying to keep up. I married a man that she considered below my station, both in education and class. We don't have much, we don't care about our things for the sake of their value, we love each other and are each other's best friends. My mother has even lied to our extended family, her friends and acquaintances about our jobs, incomes and home out of her shame for us. But we feel so blessed in our lives. Today's little anecdote packs a lot of punch. -- Anonymous for today......., 12:45:22 01/26/04 Mon


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[> [> It's especially strange when a woman is proud of the position of the husband instead of working hard to become wealthy herself.*g* How wonderful for you that this attitude didn't rub off on you! It is not easy to live with those high standards, because one is always afraid of losing it. Do you still have close contact with your mother? I think it is to laugh about that she tells others wrong stories about you. What happens if those people found out it was a lie? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing for her? -- Martina, 04:45:45 01/27/04 Tue


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[> My parents are no longer allowed in my home, on Doctor's orders. When they come to visit they stay in a hotel - of course it is the only one in town that my mother considers worthy of them. As to her reputation, she was quite a joke and very sincerely disliked by my father's professional contacts. My husband, who worked in a much lower position in the same institution, but who was very well liked and who knew "where all the bodies were buried" had it on good authority that my father was left out of consideration for the top job because of her. As for family, my father's family detests her. Since my illness and because both parents are in their 80's now and the dynamic has changed, they need me to love them and I can receive love from them as I never could before, wholeheartedly and without censure. -- anonymous for today, too, 13:22:07 01/27/04 Tue


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[> [> Oh that is wonderful for you! It all comes down to love anyway. Even the rich and arrogant do need love, which they can't buy. -- Martina, 12:41:46 01/28/04 Wed


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