I received this story from a friend who generally sends me really great jokes. So it was a surprise to find myself starting to cry at the sweetness of this story. I’ve noticed I treat old people differently now; more patient, more helpful, more willing to talk and make them feel important. And I notice I always end an interaction hoping they have someone at home who loves them. I hope you enjoy this as much as I and my friends have. Please send your friends who would enjoy it to this page.
===================
The Wooden Bowl
I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.
The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. ‘We must do something about father,’ said the son. ‘I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.’
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl
When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, ‘What are you making?’ Just as sweetly, the boy responded, ‘Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.’ The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled
On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I’ve learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life
I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life..’
I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you
I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.
I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.
People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I’ve l earned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about I just did.
NOTICE AT THE END, THE DATE THIS WAS STARTED.
I am not going to be the one who lets it die. I found it believable –
angels have walked beside me all my life–and they still do
*********************
This is to all of you who mean something to me, I pray for your happiness.
The Gift Of Love, Hope & Friendship
This email was started on the 15th of September, 1998
Someone who loves you has helped keep it alive by sending it to you. Don’t let The Gift of Love, Hope and Friendship die Pass It On To All Of Your Friends and Everyone You Love! May God richly bless you!
_____
Ann Marie Lapointe
====================
From my heart to yours,
The Heart Whisperer™
WomanToWomanHeartToHeart.com
SecretsToDatingSuccess.com
Kara Oh, Director
Relationship Success Systems, Inc.
29438 Quailwood Drive
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 93121
For private coaching: 805-705-0561
My reaction to Barach Obama’s speech last night surprised me. I was happy that he won, but the sobbing was from a very deep place. I am The Heart Whisperer and I preach about how essential for good relationships it is to open our hearts to each other. I sobbed because I sense a rising of our consciousness, a rising of your combined humanity and an opening of our hearts like no other time in history.
Thank you to all of you who voted for this history making event. I am so hopeful that love and acceptance can flow without having the color of someone’s skin making a difference. In my coaching of women to awaken to the beutiful light that they are, I talk about how each of us is, at our core, a light being, a miracle and a gift from God… and in that, we are all a little piece of God. A person’s color, economic circumstances or cultural heritage has no impact on the pure light, pure love beings that each of us is.
In my advice to women who are dating, I ask that you open your heart to what is inside, to who the man is, separate from his career, his bank account, how tall he is and how much hair he has. I encourage you to look at who the man is inside, at his character and spirit. This is an opportunity to offer the same to everyone, not just a potential mate. I also ask, when you know a man is not right for you, to remind yourself that he’s just like you. He’s simply looking for love, appreciation and acceptance for who he is. Remember that everyone is looking for those same things.
I hope this moment in history will open the door to a new way for us to be with each other.
From my heart to yours,
The Heart Whisperer
SecretsToDatingSuccess.com
MenMadeEasyEbook.com
I think I understand where “warm-fuzzies” came from. I am just finishing “Marley & Me” and each time I pick it up, I cry deep, heartfelt tears. If you ever struggle with finding your daily heart connection here’s a bit from John Grogan’s book: “Was it possible for a dog––any dog, but especially a nutty, wildly uncontrollable one like ours––to point humans to the things that really matter in life? I believe it was. Loyalty. Courage. Devotion. Simplicity. Joy. and the things that did not matter, too. A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.”
After writing about the death of Marley in his newspaper column Mr. Grogan received over 800 emails responding with deeply touched hearts. This one, from Elaine, touched my heart the most: “Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.”
If you are dating and searching for Ms. or Mr. Right, I recommend you borrow or rent a puppy. Take it out where there will be lots of people, and watch how easily fears, insecurities and judgments just float away. People will come up to you, smile, share their joy and connect their hearts to yours, if only for those brief furry moments that you bask in the pure, unadulterated sweetness of an innocent puppy. You don’t even have to like animals to fall under the spell of a puppy. But if you don’t like animals, you might want to take a look at what that’s about. I suspect there’s a “Heart Condition” needing a little T.L.C.
From my heart to yours,
Kara Oh
The Heart Whisperer™
WomanToWomanHeartToHeart.com
When your heart is wide open and celebrating life, it feels wonderful. It’s like you’re in love with everything and everyone. But when money worries slip in your open heart can clamp down hard. Everyone has a ruling Heart Condition that keeps trying to run the show and interfere with your ability to love and enjoy life. But there are other, general heart conditions that can hit us all, even at the same time. Right now, with what is going on in the economy, and the uncertainty, we’re all at risk of suffering from the same heart condition. When there’s a mass heart attack going on, like now, we either open our hearts to each other, as happened to a lot of people during the Katrina crisis, or, they can shut off from each other, which is more likely to happen during a financial crisis.
Men are especially vulnerable to shutting off when financial fears are in the forefront. Not because you don’t have fears as well, but for men, it cuts at the core of who they are as men. It has to do with ego (sense of self), providing, image, face, security and capability. So when you interact with men, especially if he is a husband or boyfriend, know that they are not feeling very manly, that they are insecure, which they don’t like. So, to avoid being too vulnerable and revealing their fears to you, the close down. Don’t take it personally. Most men simply don’t know how to reach out at the times they need conneciton the most. And if they want to have sex, say yes because for many man, actually most men, that’s they only way they know how to be intimate. And they need the connection that intimacy brings. Give your husbands and boyfriends that connection and you’ll benefit by feeling closer.
For coaching and free access to all my books, courses and audio programs to assist you in datin
From my heart to yours,
The Heart Whisperer™
5 Ways a Woman Can Instantly Improve Her Relationship
Women are the leaders in the relationship. Men know it better than women do. A woman can change the tone and energy more easily then they realize… and it’s fun to watch him respond.
The quickest way to shift the energy in the moment, or as the primary way you interact with each other, is to remember that beneath the surface, down in his and your hearts, is a desire to be loved, accepted and appreciated.
If you open your heart for a moment, let go of the hurt and resentment, and imagine loving energy being exchanged between you, you will instantly shatter any negative feelings. That’s because it’s not possible to hold love in your heart at the same time you’re feeling anything negative. If you choose not to do this, I would invite you to look at why. That would be a good topic for coaching.
1) Instead of complaining, whining, or raising your voice, speak softly with clear, concise, respectful, gracious, beautiful and loving language.
How do you do that? Before you “react” stop for however long you need in order to calm yourself. Walk away, explaining that you need to collect your thoughts before continuing. Remind yourself that you love each other, open your heart to his and allow those negative feelings to dissipate.
Next, plan what you want to say. Sometimes I even write down what I need to communicate so I remember what I need to say. Then, when it’s time to talk about it, I ask that I be allowed to finish before he speaks. You’ll be surprised how well this works. He’ll stay open to what you need to say, you’ll be heard, and if you continue throughout the conversation as two people who love each other your relationship will begin to blossom.
2 The benefit to you? You will get his attention, his cooperation, and his respect.
2 Why does it work? Men need clear, concise, unemotional language to be able to hear you. Otherwise, they shut it out completely. And we all know how good they can be at doing that.
2) Look for ways he makes you happy and let him know… regularly. Some examples might be: “It makes me happy that you like solving problems for me,” or, “You make me feel wonderful when you tell me you love me,” or, “It makes me happy that you help with the kids…and they love it.” One of the chapters in my book, Men Made Easy (free to members of WomanToWomanHeartToHeart.com) is titled: “Why Men Are Driven To Make Women Happy.” Letting him know you’re happy makes him feel successful. He needs that and you can give it to him.
2 What’s the benefit to you? He’ll start looking for more ways to make you happy.
2 Why does it work? If you’re not happy he feels like a failure and men hate to fail.
3) Appreciate him often, especially for his masculine qualities and those things you know he likes about himself, things he’s proud of.
Examples could be: “I really appreciate what a nice home you’ve been able to give us. I don’t think I tell you enough,” or, “I love how strong you are. I like watching you work,” or, “The way you make love to me is so perfect, mmmmmm.”
2 What’s the benefit to you? He’ll fall in love each time you do it and you’ll make him feel like a hero. (The last secret in Men Made Easy is “A man wants to be with a woman who makes him feel like a man.”)
2 Why does it work? Men compete with other men and need to measure up. You can validate his worth as a man.
4) Give him romantic kisses instead of pecks. Long hello kisses tell him you’re glad to see him, long good-bye kisses tell him you can’t wait until he returns, long thank-you kisses tell him you really appreciate what he did for you, and “hey you, kiss me” kisses tell him you want him.
2 Benefit to you? He’ll feel more connected to you and look forward to being with you.
2 Why does it work? Physical connection is the only way most men know how to be intimate and physical intimacy is what makes your relationship special from all other relationships.
5) Flirt with him. Be playful, tease him, say slightly naughty things once in a while, and gaze into his eyes with a “come here, big boy” twinkle.
Why do we think we can quit doing the things we did when we were first falling in love? The relationships that endure are those where the couple stays “in love”. That means flirting, being playful, being sexy and sensual, and remembering why we fell in love in the first place.
2 Benefit to you? You’ll both feel younger, friskier, and more in love and you won’t end up in divorce court.
2 Why does it work? Flirting is a kind of play and playfulness helps cement your bond.
If you do all these things on a regular basis, you can repair a lot of damage and bring back the in-love sparkles. You can look at this as work or you can look it as fun. It’s all in your desire and your attitude. Remember, you’re the engine that runs the relationship.
From my heart to yours,
Kara Oh
The Heart Whisperer™
WomanToWomanHeartToHeart.com
CommittedCouplesSupportCenter.com
The point of this post is to help us soften our hearts. Because if we can’t do that, we can’t attract or keep the love we want.
A heart connection with traffic? This may seem impossible, at least for those who drive in LA traffic, but it really did happen to me and I want to share my experience with you.
I was sitting in a doctor’s office last week. I had to be there for an 8 a.m. appt. Bad time for planning around the traffic. So I had to leave 40 minutes early for a 20 minute drive.
While I was sitting there, looking out at Pacific Coast Highway, I had this moment of awareness. That wasn’t traffic out there, it was a huge number of people with hearts that were all seeking love, appreciation and acknowledgment. They just happened to be going somewhere all at the same time. Thus, traffic and congestion. I realized I would never look at traffic the same way again. Yes, I’m sure I’ll get angry once in a while but that usually only happens when I don’t plan well enough. But I won’t forget that every one of those people in each of those cars is a person who simply wants love.
I hope that helps keep your blood pressure down the next time you get caught on a busy street. And I hope it’s a reminder of how easy it is to keep our hearts open, soft and loving.
From my heart to yours,
Kara Oh
The Heart Whisperer™
WomanToWomanHeartToHeart.com
The home of Heart Mapping™
2 Stages Of Confidence Building
Is shyness or insecurity keeping you from meeting your soulmate? Here’s a simple way to stop doing that to yourself and start having more fun.
2 Stages Of Confidence
Men agree that one of the most attractive qualities in a woman is when she’s self-assured, likes herself, is comfortable with who she is, likes how she looks and most importantly, she’s happy. And one of the sexiest things about a woman is one who loves her body… not how skinny she is. It’s impossible to be all those things when you’re shy or insecure. And being happy and being shy are polar opposites.
Being shy is a state of mind and can be changed with practice. The more you describe yourself as shy, the more you believe that it’s true. Shyness stops you from having fun. I know because I used to be painfully shy and insecure. It was so bad that I assumed people would rather not have me around.
Then, one day, like a bolt of lightening, I realized that I was being very self-centered. As this idea took hold I discovered that I was focusing on what others thought of ME, worrying about how other people saw ME, how they felt about ME, and how they might be judging ME.
I was a student of human nature. I realized in that moment the truth about most people. We’re all shy (albeit at different degrees in different situations) and simply waiting for someone to make the first move. Don’t you admire people who can go up to anyone, introduce themselves, and begin a conversation? Well, you can become that kind of person, the kind of person people enjoy having around.
Here’s how to get rid of that totally useless shyness that is holding you back from having what you want and being happy.
First, here’s what will make all the difference. To truly shift from worrying about how you’re coming across (which causes shyness, fear of embarrassment and lack of confidence) you need to literally open your heart. The simplest way to do that is to realize that beneath the surface of what you see, their appearance, their clothes, their car, where they live, what they do for a living, is a person who simply wants to be loved, accepted and appreciated. Everyone. So keep that in mind, consciously open your heart and imagine loving energy emanating from your heart to theirs, and this whole process that I’m about to explain will be easier than you could ever imagine. You can become a warm, loving, confident person in “a heart beat.”
Stage One – Don’t forget, they’re a little bit shy too and waiting for someone to make the first move.
Smiling:
1) Practice smiling in front of the mirror. Often, when we’re shy we think we’re smiling but our mouths don’t show it. Try what I did. Imagine you’ve got a slight smile on your face, then look in a mirror. How big is the smile you thought was on your face? My experience is that it’s never as big as I think it is and usually no one would be able to tell I was smiling.
Another thing I noticed was that it wasn’t until I started purposefully smiling that I realized I didn’t usually smile at people other than a polite smile. But a polite smile doesn’t have any energy that emanates. You want people to feel good because of the warm smile you’ve offered. Your conscious effort to open your heart will cause this to work beautifully.
To develop the kind of smile that causes people to relax you must not only smile with your mouth, you must also smile with your eyes… and as long as you’re at it, smile with every inch of you. Imagine even your toes smiling. Notice that this actually feels pretty darned good.
2) Now that you’ve become an expert at the warm smile, begin smiling at strangers who don’t intimidate you. Smile at people in the super market, on your walk, as you’re rushing to work… smile at eveyone young and old.
3) When that becomes completely comfortable, start smiling at people who do intimidate you. This will vary with each individual but you might be intimidated by anyone in expensive clothes, anyone who is attractive to you, anyone who is beautiful or handsome or anyone who looks important. or authoritative.
Hello-ing:
4) The next step is to say hello to people. Start with those who don’t intimidate you, just like when you practiced smiling. And remember to keep your heart energy emanating out to theirs.
5) When that feels comfortable, start saying hello to people who do intimidate you, working up to the scariest.
Complimenting:
6) Next, start complimenting people who don’t intimidate you. Find something about them like a color they’re wearing, a dress, a tie, whatever. It doesn’t matter as long as your intention is to sincerely make them feel good.
7) Compliment scarier and scarier people as you become comfortable with each new level.
Flirting:
Now, start flirting with people who don’t intimidate you. I don’t mean sexual flirting. I mean get them to laugh, play with them, compliment them and tease them in nice ways. A great way to learn to flirt in this way is to start with kids. The same kinds of silly, friendly things you can say to a child (or even a cute dog) is what Friendly Flirting is all about.
9) Then start flirting with more and more intimidating people. Learn how fun it can be to bring smiles and laughter into people’s lives. You don’t have to be a comedian to get people to laugh. Watch others, rent movies that have people who act like what I’m talking about and practice till it’s comfortable. And always practice each new level on people who are completely unintimidating to you.
Just to remind you that this can work if you really want it to, I used to be afraid of approaching anyone I didn’t know. Now I look forward to meeting new people because I know that I make them feel better for having met me. That’s because my heart is reaching out to theirs all the time.
Stage Two – Another reminder that everyone is waiting for someone to make the first move.
Conversing:
1) Start conversations with strangers who don’t intimidate you: People in line with you at the supermarket, people in parks, waitresses, secretaries. Whenever you want to practice, go out and find someone to talk to. Watch what other people talk about. Notice things around you. Make comments, ask questions and keep your heart open to the part of them that simply wants to be loved, accepted and appreciated.
2) As you become more comfortable, start conversations with more intimidating people.
3) Now that you’re pretty comfortable with other people, start walking up to people (when it’s appropriate) and introduce yourself and begin a conversation. It’s all about intention (wanting it) and lots of practice. But as you get more and more comfortable doing these things you’ll start having fun.
If you practice all these steps, I guarantee you’ll get over most, if not all, of your shyness. Sure, everyone gets insecure and intimidated occasionally, but they simply acknowledge the feeling and go ahead and do it anyway. You can do this if you really want to. It’s up to you to put in the time and work. But trust me, because this is how I got over being shy, it works.
From my heart to yours,
Kara Oh, The Heart Whisperer™
www.WomanToWomanHeartToHeart.com
