You reap what you sow

A truly inspirational story! You will never know when you will require help from others in the future. So, go on and lend others a helping hand today! Spend some time and enjoy the story!

-----------------------------------------------------

The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life.

Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president.. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader. "Leave me alone," he growled... To his amazement, the woman continued standing.

She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone." Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked...

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years.

What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.

"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.."

"This is a good deal for you,Jack," the officer answered.

"Don't blow it." Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table.

"What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?" "This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled.

"Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company." "Oh.."

The woman smiled again.. "I thought that might make a difference."

She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty." "Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice." The cafeteria manager turned on his heel.

"I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away.

"You certainly put him in his place," he said. "That was not my intent... Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.
"Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. "I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything.

Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter.
You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble.

Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon.I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.."

She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr... Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he asked..

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways..

"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And....And thank you for the coffee." "Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always and don't forget that when you 'cast your bread upon the waters,' you never know how it will be returned to you."

God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.

Only 1 of 2 things will happen: either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!

The power of one sentence: God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favour. God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close.

Be a People Person

Be a People Person - John C. Maxwell

What does it takes to be a people person? Some may mentioned that by giving in to others' requests, we will become a people person to them; while others may said that we must be authoritative in order to gain the respect from others; and a few others believed that we have to respect others first before earning back the respect. Which category do you belong to? Quite a tough question I must say.

In this book titled "Be a People Person", John C. Maxwell highlighted various principles on how we can be a people person.

1. Are we quick to respond to others' needs?
2. Do we run from problems or face them?
3. Do we talk more about bad news or good news?
4. Do we give people the benefit of doubt or do we assume the worst?

John also mentioned that the key to relate to others is putting yourself in someone else's place instead of putting them in their place. He said that Christ gave the perfect rule for establishing quality human relationships, which was called the Golden Rule, a name it got sometime around the seventeeth century. Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ summed up a series of profound thoughts on human conduct by saying, "Therefore whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them..." (Matthew 7:12).

This book will be a must-read if you wish to become a people person. The principles shared can help you to:

• develop the qualities of an effective leader
• understand and help people with difficult personalities
• use your skills to inspire others to excellence and success
• and much more!

Grab a copy of this book from major bookstores or borrow it from me now!

It's your dream. Live it!

Many a time, when you share with other people about your dreams and goals to retire in 5 years time, the majority of them will be cycnical, sniggling at your naiveness, while others will probably laugh over it. Well, these people are those who will most probably destroy your dream and tear it into a million pieces, and you probably feel dejected and depressed over it, and eventually heed your "friends'" advices to forego your dream.

That's something very foolish isn't it? Well, in the first place, it is your dream - and I say again - your dream. Others do not have the right to take away something from you which do not belong to them! If you feel that you have a morally-right goal and dream in life, work hard to achieve it! Prove it to the sceptics that you are right! Never ever under-estimate your own potential to achieve that goal!

A colleague recently sent a video to me, which was one of the episode of Britain's Got Talent. One of the contestant, Susan Boyle, was given weird and funny stares when she stepped onto the stage, just because she was 47 years old and she did not have the superstar look. When she mentioned that she wanted to be a star, almost everyone in the audience gave looks of disbelief, including the judges. Eventually, when she opened her mouth and sang, her voice was so melodic and beautiful that everyone in the theatre was mesmerised! They eventually gave her a standing ovation when she finished the song. The judges even commented that her performance was stunning!

Therefore my friend, do not ever judge a book by its cover. Just because you do not look attractive, or you do not have an impressive education qualification, that does not mean you cannot succeed in life. Opportunity belongs to those who see it, and sucess only belong to those who work hard to achieve it despite all the negative influence. You can do it!

This video has indeed touched my heart. I hope it does the same for you. Enjoy it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY.

God Bless.

Macheda puts United on top

Liverpool scored a last-grasp goal in the 91st minute to defeat Fulham 1-0 on Saturday... Not to be outdone, Man Utd also scored a crucial goal in the 93rd minute to claim a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in a pulsating match! Below is the match report:

Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa

Macheda the hero on dream United debut
Updated: April 5, 2009, 6:11 PM UK

Federico Macheda enjoyed a truly remarkable introduction to English football as he curled home an injury-time winner to give Manchester United a 3-2 win over Aston Villa which sends them back to the Premier League summit.

It seemed the Red Devils would have to settle for a point after Cristiano Ronaldo's brace had only proved enough to keep United level against a Villa side that thoroughly deserved a lead provided by John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

But Macheda, a former member of the Lazio academy who arrived at Old Trafford in 2007, was to have the last word.

At exactly the same moment as Yossi Benayoun struck for Liverpool at Fulham last night, Macheda turned onto Ryan Giggs' low pass before unleashing a stunning shot that curled past Brad Friedel and sent Old Trafford into ecstasy.

With Rio Ferdinand's groin injury failing to ease in time for him to be considered, United were without their first-choice defenders and their first-choice strikers amid six missing men that included Wayne Rooney.

Gary Neville's first appearance for two months was expected to come at right-back, so it was something of a surprise to see him line up alongside Jonny Evans in the centre of United's defence.

Carew's eyes certainly lit up, given his vast height advantage, which he duly exploited to the full.

On the back of an eight-match winless streak, Villa's confidence was a bit fragile too but their dominance in the 14 minutes before Ronaldo's wonder-goal provided enough evidence for them to retain self-belief even after they had gone behind.

During that opening flurry of attacks, Fletcher kneed a Carew header onto a post and Agbonlahor sped clear of Neville only to fail in his quest to find a team-mate with a low cross.
It is difficult to understand why a team that swept all before it for virtually three months should suddenly appear to be so poor.

Beyond question is the individual ability they possess, although the brutal nature of Ronaldo's 19th goal of the season still took the breath away.

Normally the kind of opportunity provided when James Milner and Friedel got themselves into a muddle, forcing the Villa keeper to handle a back pass, could be a bit of a negative given its proximity to the opponents' goal. Not on this occasion.

Ryan Giggs brushed the ball to his illustrious young team-mate, who sent it over the wall and into the roof of Friedel's net in a flash.

A sense of calm should have spread across home ranks. Instead, Villa merely came again.
Showing the form that established them in the Champions League positions at Arsenal's expense by the end of January, Agbonlahor and Ashley Young terrorised the United defence.

Edwin van der Sar was called upon to keep Villa out on three occasions but there was nothing he could do to deny Carew when Gareth Barry wriggled his way into space by the touchline.

The Norwegian crept between Neville and O'Shea to steer a deft header into the bottom corner.
Ferguson responded by putting Neville back to full-back, giving up the unequal struggle of competing with Carew. He also urged the United fans to make more noise, indicating a fear that talent on its own was not going to be enough.

The response was patchy and failed to curb Villa's enthusiasm.

Ronaldo excels at many things. Chasing back is not one of them. And when he gifted possession to Stiliyan Petrov inside the visitors' half just before the hour, he allowed the Bulgarian to sweep upfield unopposed.

Agbonlahor hung around waiting for the cross Petrov presented Carew with the opportunity to supply, then rose majestically to find the bottom corner, just as his strike partner had done earlier.

Ferguson's response was to introduce 17-year-old Macheda, which in itself said something about United's plight.

It did however bring an immediate improvement and when Michael Carrick exchanged first-time passes with Giggs on the edge of the Villa box, he then presented Ronaldo with a lay-off.
The world player of the year did not have a lot to aim at but he found the one small gap Friedel was unable to cover.

Still, when Friedel denied Danny Welbeck two minutes from time, it seemed United would have to settle for a point.

Macheda, however, had other ideas.

Source: www.soccernet.com

Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People

I've recently just finished reading this book and I must say that this is one of the best book I've ever read.  The content and the message it delivered was so simple, but it was delivered with a powerful impact!  This book is readily available at all major bookstores and I strongly urge you to purchase it if you feel that you need to do something positive to enhance your life and those around you!

Introducing... Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People by Rich DeVos

The simple act of offering a kind word can have the power to change lives in positive and profound ways.

Successful businessman, philanthropist, and motivational speaker Rich DeVos has learned the value of maintaining a positive attitude and offering encouragement to others.  Now, with the knowledge and wisdom he has gained from his experiences and the influential people he has met, BeVos offers you the key he has discovered in unlocking the powerful potential ten ordinary yet lifechanging phrases.  Simply by adding these phrases into your daily conversations you can help to build relationships, motivate achievement, instill confidence, and change attitudes in your work and family life.

Beyond these practical but profound phrases, DeVos delivers an inspiring message of building hope that resonates in the heart of every human being.  Your decision to live with a positive attitude can change your life, your community, even the world.  Start today with one small phrase: You can do it.

About the Author:
Rich DeVos is the cofounder of Amway and chairman of the NBA Orlando Magic.  He is the author of the bestsellers Hope from my Heart and Compassionate Capitalism.