My mom only had one eye

Is the title of today's inspirational message

My mom only had one eye. I hated her… She

was such an embarrassment. She cooked for

students and teachers to support the family.

There was this one day during elementary

school where my mom came to say hello to

me. I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I ignored her,

threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next

day at school one of my classmates said, “EEEE,

your mom only has one eye!”

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom

to just disappear. I confronted her that day and

said, “If you’re only gonna make me a laughing

stock, why don’t you just die?”

My mom did not respond… I didn’t even stop to

think for a second about what I had said,

because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to

her feelings.

I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to

do with her. So I studied real hard, got a

chance to go abroad to study.

Then, I got married. I bought a house of my

own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with

my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one

day, my Mother came to visit me. She hadn’t

seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her

grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children

laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming

over uninvited. I screamed at her, “How dare

you come to my house and scare my children!

GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!”

And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Oh,

I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong

address.” – and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion

came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I

was going on a business trip. After the reunion,

I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.

My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed

a single tear. They handed me a letter that she

had wanted me to have.

“My dearest son,

I think of you all the time. I’m sorry that I came

to your house and scared your children.

I was so glad when I heard you were coming

for the reunion. But I may not be able to even

get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was a

constant embarrassment to you when you were

growing up.

You see……..when you were very little, you got

into an accident, and lost your eye. As a

mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to

grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine.

I was so proud of my son who was seeing a

whole new world for me, in my place, with that

eye.

With all my love to you,

Your mother.”

Learn and Earn

m
Is the title of today's inspirational message.

Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company
together just after graduation. Both worked very
hard.
After several years, the boss promoted Jing to
sales executive but Chuan remained a sales
rep. One day Chuan could not take it anymore,
tender resignation to the boss and complained
the boss did not value hard working staff, but
only promoted those who flattered him.
The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for
the years, but in order to help Chuan realize the
difference between him and Jing, the boss
asked Chuan to do the following. Go and find
out anyone selling water melon in the market?
Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked
how much per kg? Chuan went back to the
market to ask and returned to inform boss the
$12 per kg.
Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same
question? Jing went, returned and said, boss,
only one person selling water melon. $12 per
kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340
melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon
weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two
days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.
Chuan was very impressed and realized the
difference between himself and Jing. He decided
not to resign but to learn from Jing.
My dear friends, a more successful person is
more observant, think more and understand in
depth. For the same matter, a more successful
person sees several years ahead, while you see
only tomorrow. The difference between a year
and a day is 365 times, how could you win?
Think! how far have you seen ahead in your life?
How thoughtful in depth are you?

True Story : Real Winner Never Give Up!

Is the title of today's inspirational message

This is a true story of a young woman who
went through the most gruesome fire. When you
read her story, you’ll realize that your trials are
absolutely nothing compared to what this young
girl went through.
It was September 25, 2000. Maricel Apatan was
an 11-year old girl in Zamboanga. On that day,
this little girl went with her uncle to draw water.
Along the way, four men met them. They were
carrying long knives. They told her uncle to face
down on the ground, and they hacked him on
the neck and killed him.
Maricel was in total shock, especially that the
men were their neighbors. She tried to escape,
but the men ran after her.
She cried, “Kuya, ‘wag po, ‘wag n’yo akong
tagain! Maawa po kayo sa akin!” (“Don’t kill
me! Have mercy on me!”)
But they weren’t listening. With a long knife, a
man slashed her on the neck too.
Maricel fell to the ground and lost
consciousness.
When she woke up, she saw a lot of blood. She
also saw the feet of the men around her, but
she pretended to be dead.
When they walked away, Maricel ran back
home. But along the way, she saw that both her
hands were falling off. Because the men hacked
them too. She cried but she kept running.
Sometimes, she would faint and fall to the
ground. But she’d regain consciousness and
run again.
When she was near her home, Maricel called
her mother.
Upon seeing her daughter, her mother
screamed in terror. She wrapped her bloodied
child in a blanket and carried her to the
hospital.
Here was the problem: From her house to the
highway, it was a 12-kilometer walk. It took
them 4 hours just to reach the highway.
When they arrived in the hospital, the doctors
thought Maricel was going to die. But for 5
hours, they operated on her. It took 25 stitches
to stitch together the long knife wound in her
neck and back.
Maricel barely survived. And she lost both of
her hands.
Ironically, the next day was Maricel’s
birthday. She was 12 years old.
But tragedy didn’t end there. When they went
home, they saw their home was gone. It was
ransacked and burned down by the goons.
Being very poor, Maricel’s family also didn’t
have P50,000 for their hospital bills.
But God sent many angels along the way to
help them.
Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, a distant relative,
paid for hospital bills and helped them bring the
criminals to court. They were sentenced to
prison.
Today, she’s staying with the nuns at Regina
Rosarii with Sr. Eppie Brasil, O.P.
But this is the incredible miracle. Instead of
staying down, Maricel kept running.
Instead of cursing God why she had no hands,
she now uses her wrists in incredible ways that
will boggle your mind.
Maricel was
cited as the
most
industrious,
best in
computer, and
most
courteous in
the School for
Crippled
Children.
In 2008, she
graduated
from a course
in Hotel and
Restaurant
Management. She even received a Gold medal
for Arts and Crafts.
In 2011, she finished her education to be a
chef. Yes, a Chef without hands.
Nothing can stop this young lady from reaching
her dreams.

The Cookie Thief

Is the title of today's inspirational message

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
with several long hours before her flight. She
hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a
bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book but happened
to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold
as could be. . .grabbed a cookie or two from
the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to
avoid a scene.
So she munched the cookies and watched the
clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her
stock. She was getting more irritated as the
minutes ticked by, thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice,
I would blacken his eye.”
With each cookie she took, he took one too,
when only one was left, she wondered what he
would do. With a smile on his face, and a
nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and
broke it in half.
He offered her half, as he ate the other, she
snatched it from him and thought… oooh,
brother. This guy has some nerve and he’s also
rude, why he didn’t even show any gratitude!
She had never known when she had been so
galled, and sighed with relief when her flight
was called. She gathered her belongings and
headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the
thieving ingrate.
She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
then she sought her book, which was almost
complete. As she reached in her baggage, she
gasped with surprise, there was her bag of
cookies, in front of her eyes.
If mine are here, she moaned in despair, the
others were his, and he tried to share. Too late
to apologize, she realized with grief, that she
was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

Is the title of today's inspirational message.

There may be days when you get up in the
morning and things aren’t the way you had
hoped they would be.
That’s when you have to tell yourself that things
will get better. There are times when people
disappoint you and let you down.
But those are the times when you must remind
yourself to trust your own judgments and
opinions, to keep your life focused on believing
in yourself.
There will be challenges to face and changes to
make in your life, and it is up to you to accept
them.
Constantly keep yourself headed in the right
direction for you. It may not be easy at times,
but in those times of struggle you will find a
stronger sense of who you are.
So when the days come that are filled with
frustration and unexpected responsibilities,
remember to believe in yourself and all you
want your life to be.
Because the challenges and changes will only
help you to find the goals that you know are
meant to come true for you.
Keep Believing in Yourself!

Gift of love!

Is the title of today's inspirational message.

The passengers on the bus watched
sympathetically as the attractive young woman
with the white cane made her way carefully up
the steps. She paid the driver and, using her
hands to feel the location of the seats, walked
down the aisle and found the seat he’d told her
was empty. Then she settled in, placed her
briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against
her leg.
It had been a year since Susan, 34, became
blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had
been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly
thrown into a world of darkness, anger,
frustration and self-pity. And all she had to
cling to was her husband, Mark.
Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved
Susan with all his heart. When she first lost her
sight, he watched her sink into despair and was
determined to help his wife gain the strength
and confidence she needed to become
independent again.
Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but
how would she get there? She used to take the
bus, but was now too frightened to get around
the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive
her to work each day, even though they worked
at opposite ends of the city. At first, this
comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark’s need to
protect his sightless wife who was so insecure
about performing the slightest task. Soon,
however, Mark realized the arrangement wasn’t
working. Susan is going to have to start taking
the bus again, he admitted to himself. But she
was still so fragile, so angry-how would she
react?
Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the
idea of taking the bus again. “I’m blind!,” she
responded bitterly. “How am I supposed to
know where I am going? I feel like you’re
abandoning me.”
Mark’s heart broke to hear these words, but he
knew what had to be done. He promised Susan
that each morning and evening he would ride
the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she
got the hang of it. And that is exactly what
happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military
uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from
work each day. He taught her how to rely on
her other senses, specifically her hearing, to
determine where she was and how to adapt her
new environment. He helped her befriend the
bus drivers who could watch out for her, and
save her a seat.
Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try
the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived,
and before she left, she threw her arms around
Mark, her temporary bus-riding companion, her
husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled
with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his
patience, and his love. She said good-bye, and
for the first time, they went their separate ways.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… Each
day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had
never felt better. She was doing it! She was
going to work all by herself.
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work
as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the
bus, the driver said, “Boy, I sure do envy you.”
Susan wasn’t sure if the driver was speaking to
her or not. After all, who on earth would ever
envy a blind woman who had struggled just to
find the courage to live for the past year?
Curious, she asked the driver, “Why do you say
that you envy me?” The driver responded, “It
must feel good to be taken care of and
protected like you are.”
Susan had no idea what the driver was talking
about, and again asked, “What do you mean?”
The driver answered, “You know, every morning
for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a
military uniform has been standing across the
corner watching you as you get off the bus. He
makes sure you cross the street safely and he
watches until you enter your office building.
Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little
salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady.”
Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s
cheeks. For although she couldn’t physically
see him, she had always felt Mark’s presence.
She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a
gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn’t
need to see to believe-the gift of love that can
bring light where there is darkness.

SPECIAL EDITION! THE HOSPITAL WINDOW

Is the title of today's inspirational
message.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up
in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help
drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next
to the room’s only window. The other man had
to spend all his time flat on his back. The men
talked for hours on end. They spoke of their
wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their
involvement in the military service, where they
had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the
window could sit up, he would pass the time by
describing to his roommate all the things he
could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those
one hour periods where his world would be
broadened and enlivened by all the activity and
color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely
lake. Ducks and swans played on the water
while children sailed their model boats. Young
lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of
every color and a fine view of the city skyline
could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in
exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the
room would close his eyes and imagine the
picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window
described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn’t hear the band
– he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the
gentleman by th! e window portrayed it with
descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring
water for their baths only to find the lifeless
body of the man by the window, who had died
peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and
called the hospital attendants to take the body
away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other
man asked if he could be moved next to the
window. The nurse was happy to make the
switch, and after making sure he was
comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one
elbow to take his first look at the real world
outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the
window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse
what could have compelled his deceased
roommate who had described such wonderful
things outside this window
The nurse responded that the man was blind
and could not even see the wall.
She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage
you.”

DEDICATED TO YOU SISTER
Bernice Mabelyn Adams