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How to Live

There is a story about an old man who loved books.   It was a joy for him in his old age.  all his life he had worked hard to collect this great collection of works.  Carefully, he hand picked each volume and meticulously placed on his shelf.  Every day he would reach out into his vast library and pick out a tome to poke his nose into and become lost in its pages.   Hours would pass unnoticed as he sat curled in his quiet chair, reading.

With time came problems.  First his vision failed.  It was all he could do now to walk through his collection and touch each binding.  The old man remembered where they all were and he derived pleasure from touching and holding his treasures.
Soon came the next problem.  Finances became stretched taut to the point of breaking.  The old man's children met to discuss what to do:  They decided to sell all the precious books and replace them with bound volumes that held blank pages.
"Papa will not know the difference" they told one another.  The old blind man never knew he was holding empty books.

Give the best.
Do the best.
Be the best.

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