Chasing Moons February

(The Arty Spider) Once upon a time, there was an Arty spider, who lived in the basement of the local museum and gallery. He lived there among the many paintings that were stored there forgotten. He had found the perfect place to weave one of the best and most artistic of webs. All of his efforts went into keeping this web looking magnificent. However, as time moved on, the museum began reorganising the paintings, moving some of the basement painting upstairs to the gallery for display. Arty did not concern himself at first thinking it would only be one or two paintings and he would be fine. However, more and more paintings were removed. Arty kept working on his marvellous web. Then early one morning when, too quick for him to react, his painting was moved. He realised if he did not move quickly, he would end up in the gallery. Without much thought he abandoned his magnificent web. Fortunately for him, this was a wise decision because as the painting entered the gallery, th...

Searching for Tails Johnny the Lizard lived between some rocks out in the country. Like all lizards, he loved to just lie in the sun, laid out on some flat stone. He felt so relaxed doing so, more than once he fell asleep doing just this. That is exactly what had happened on the day he lost his tail. Some children caught him, and Johnny could only escape by losing his tail and running and hiding. Shocked and frightened, he listened to how the children laughed at seeing his tail continue to move, even though it was no longer attached to his body. After a bit, they threw the tail away.  When the children had gone, Johnny started looking everywhere for his tail, wanting to reattach it to its rightful place. However, the countryside was very big, and as much as he searched for it, Johnny could find no sign of his tail.  He forgot everything else in his life, devoting himself to the search. He forgot about his home, his possessions, his friends. Days and...

Holding Memories Two friends were walking through the desert, at some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand.  “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone.  “TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.” The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other friend replied: “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can blow it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.” ...

Priorities A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So, 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 rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  The students laughed. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognise that this is your life. The rocks are the important things, your family, your partner, your health, your children anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are...

Being a Patient Very few of us are fortunate enough to go through life without becoming a patient in a hospital. There is a lovely tale of an event that came about because of somebody being in the hospital. A sweet grandmother telephoned Kirkcaldy Hospital.  She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?" The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, Dear.  What's the name and ward number?"  The grandmother in her weak tremulous voice said, "Holly Bell, ward  3. The Operator replied, "Let me check.  Oh, good news.  Her record says that Holly is doing very well.  Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged Tuesday."  The Grandmother said, "Thank you.  That's wonderful!  I was so worried!  God bless you for the good news."  The operator replie...

Finding Peace Since the beginning of recorded history, the entire world has been at peace less than eight per cent of the time! In its study, of 3530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace. Moreover, in excess of 8000 peace treaties were made, and broken.  If this is the case inner peace becomes more important. Knowing what we by mean by inner peace is also important. Here are a few things I would consider important in the search for inner peace. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge is a major factor in unhappiness, and that is a sure sign of a lack of inner peace.  Not living in the past. Living in the past reminds us of old mistakes and failures and leads to depression.  Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.  Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets thro...

Choices I remember the day I was spoiled for choice. In this case, there were three sports programmes I could watch on television, I made a choice and later discovered I would have been better entertained. I had chosen football, should have chosen to watch another sport. I had listened earlier that day to the War of the Worlds and the haunting voice of Richard Burton. This made me wonder what the men from Mars might have thought about 60,000 people paying £50 each to watch twenty-two men being paid a £1000 a week in a stadium that cost millions, chasing a little ball around a marked field. The ball costing only about £20.  The choices we make. The words of Eleanor Roosevelt are so true,  "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." There is no escaping...

It is not the cost When I was an assistant minister and not very wealthy, I saw an advertisement in the local paper, somebody was selling German Shepherd puppies at what looked a very cheap price for such a dog. On visiting, I was able to purchase a pure white pup. This pup lived with me for the next thirteen years and played a big part in my family’s life. A group of elderly, cultured gentlemen met often to exchange wisdom and drink tea, before doing so they have a little tea ceremony with a Chinse teapot and little cups. Each host tried to find the finest and most costly varieties, to create exotic blends that would arouse the admiration of his guests. When the most venerable and respected of the group entertained, he served his tea with unprecedented ceremony, measuring the leaves from a golden box. The assembled epicures praised this exquisite tea. The host smiled and said, "The tea you have found so delightful is the same tea our peasants drink. I ho...

Attachment A  visitor to the Niagra Falls wrote the following account.  It was spring, and ice was rushing down the river. As I viewed the large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls, I could see that there were carcasses of dead fish embedded in the ice. Gulls by the score were riding down the river feeding on the fish. As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would go out, and they would escape from the falls.  I watched one gull which seemed to delay and wondered when it would leave. It was engrossed in the carcass of a fish, and when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings. The bird flapped and flapped and even lifted the ice out of the water, and I thought it would escape. But it had delayed too long so that its claws had frozen into the ice. The weight of the ice was too great, and the gull plunged into the abyss. One of the finest attractions in this world had become deadly.  The bird had become...

Let Us Form a Committee Over the years I have been a member of a great many committees, and in all honesty, I am not so sure I was ever part of one the achieved a great amount. To highlight its annual picnic one year, a company rented two racing boats and challenged a rival company to a boat race. The rival company accepted. On the day of the picnic, everyone entered into the spirit of the event. Women wore colourful summer dresses and big, floppy hats. Men wore straw hats and white pants. Bands played and banners waved. All were enjoying themselves and participating. At last, the race began. To the consternation of the host company, the rival team immediately moved to the front and was never caught. It won by eleven lengths.  The management of the host company was embarrassed by its showing and promptly appointed a committee to place responsibility for the failure and make recommendations to improve the host team's chances in a rematch the following year. The co...

The Two Monks One day, two monks were walking through the countryside. They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops. As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own.  The first monk kindly offered, "We will carry you across if you would like."  "Thank you," she said gratefully, accepting their help.  So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river. When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.  After they had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain. "Look at my clothes," he said. "They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river. And my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff."  The first monk just smiled and nodded his head. A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped...

  How We See Life When Beethoven discovered that his hearing could not be saved, and he would soon hear not a sound he continued to compose some of his best ever music. With all distractions shut out, melodies flooded in on him as fast as his pen could write them down. His deafness became a great asset.  It sounds insincere to make light comments about what often seems tragic moments. But there is much to be said for making the most that we can from even the greatest of what often seems like a disaster.  A friend was looking really miserable and downcast as she spoke of her daughter.  For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made tea for her each morning, then left for work, knowing that in the evening the daughter would be there when she arrived home. But the daughter had died, and the grieving mother was alone and miserable. The home was not "home" anymore. The answer came in a change of attitude...

Silence I was out walking at the same time as three groups of girls doing their bronze outdoor hiking experience. How good it was to see so many trying to learn new skills. There were two groups to my rear and one up ahead. I knew this not because I could see them all, but I certainly could hear them.  The sounds around were being drowned out by the noise they were making, talking and screaming among themselves. As I passed, I asked them what the bronze award was all about, I still do not know because they all answered at the same time. I suggested that part of it might be listening to the sound of nature. Once on a railway journey, my father unintentionally perpetrated some slight infraction and was unmercifully bawled out by a minor train employee. I was young then and hotly told my father  afterwards  that he should have given the man a piece of his mind.  My father smiled, "Oh," he said, "if a man like that can stand himself all his life, sure...