A Soulful Journey

A child was once careless with the words she spoke and the promises she made.   She drove away all of her friends until, bereft and lonely, she visited her Rabbi to ask why they had abandoned her.   “They have left you,” the Rabbi said, “because the words you speak are hurtful and cause pain.   Change your language and attitude and you will find companionship.” As the girl turned to leave, the Rabbi said to her: “There is something else I want you to do.   Take the pillow on which you sleep, bring it to the place where your friends gather, tear the pillow case open, and let the wind pick up and scatter the feathers across the sky.” The girl did as she was asked and returned to the Rabbi and told him what she had accomplished.   “Now,” said the Rabbi to the child, “Go and gather up all the feathers and put them back into the pillow case.”   The girl explained that the task was impossible.   The Rabbi responded: “You are right.   Once we speak,...

“A young preacher came to his first church the day of a funeral and, not having known the deceased, asked if anyone would care to offer a eulogy.   From the back pew a voice called: “His brother was even worse.”   -Newsweek 4/1982 We do not speak ill of the dead.  We remember the kindest things about them.  Tell me then, why do we do less for the living?

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”   -Rumi

"I began to realize my doctor doesn't believe I'm going to live.... It takes me two weeks to recover from a visit to him. He leaves me depressed and feeling sick.  But after two weeks have passed, I always begin to feel terrific.  Then, when it's time to return for an appointment, a feeling of dread overwhelms me.  I have to make myself keep my appointment.  After the visit the cycle repeats itself...Why do I feel like my own physician is killing me?"  AIDS patient, Healing Words The power of words is such that we can heal or kill with them.  Think first.

"Let him write a bestseller," they say, "then we'll call him a success."  -Clive Sinclair There are times when you wanted to achieve something great, something you knew you could do.  But people stood in your way and told you to come back when you "had made it."  Catch 22. Let no one get away with saying that.  Be what you can be.

When the obvious is right in front of us, we often ignore it, preferring to over-analyze and over-interpret the decisions facing us.   Comedian Mel Brooks tells the story of a man named John who had a maddening compulsion to tear paper.   After years of psychoanalysis, John was still tearing paper. And his family was losing hope.   They finally took him to a new therapist.   The fellow walked with John around the room and talked quietly to him.   When John left, he was cured. A year later, John’s compulsion had not returned.   The grateful family asked the therapist what he had said to John.   The therapist responded, “I told him, “Don’t tear paper!” -R. Robert Cueni, The Vital Church Leader Sometimes it is enough just to say, “No.”

Once upon a time there were two turkeys, an old turkey and a young turkey. The old turkey had been cock of the walk for many years and the young turkey wanted to take his place.   I’ll knock that old buzzard cold one of these days,” the young turkey told his friends.   “Sure you will, Joe, sure you will,” his friends said, for Joe was treating them to some corn he had found.   Then the friends went and told the old turkey what the young turkey had said.   “Why, I’ll have his gizzard!” said the old turkey, setting out some corn for his visitors.   “Sure you will, Doc, sure you will,” said the visitors. One day the young turkey walked over to where the old turkey was telling tales of his prowess in battle "I'll bat your teeth into your crop," said the young turkey. "You and who else?" said the old turkey. They began circling around each other, sparring for an opening. Just then the farmer swept up the young one and carried him off and wrung his neck.  Mo...

A Jew and an Arab sat side by side on a plane.   The Jew was scared.   The Arab spit on his shoe.   The Jew was too terrified to move.   Finally the Arab fell asleep.   The air grew turbulent and suddenly the Jew lost his lunch all over the dozing Arab.   The Jew thinks and begins to pray, “Help me God!”   On descent, the Arab woke up.   And the Jew got sudden inspiration from Above, “So do you feel better now?”