My reading homework 23/5/10

The Legend of the Rice  35min   pages  1-10

In the days when the earth is young and all things are better than they now are when men and women are stronger and of greater beauty and the fruit of the trees is larger and sweeter than that which we now eat, rice, the food of the people is of larger grain. One grain is all a man can eat and in those early days such, too, is the merit of the people they never have to toil gathering the rice, for, when ripe it fall from the stalks and roll into the villages even unto the granaries. And upon a year when the rice is larger and more plentiful than ever before a widow said to her daughter. Our granaries are too small. We will pull them down and build larger.When the old granaries are pull down and the new one not yet ready for use the rice is ripe in the fields. Great haste was made, but the rice came rolling in where the work is going on and the widow, anger, struck a grain and cry "Can you not wait in the fields until we are ready? You shouldn't bother us now when you are not want." The rice broke into thousands of pieces and said "From this time forth, we will wait in the fields until we are want," and from that time the rice has been of small grain and the people of the earth must gather it into the granary from the fields.

My reading homework 22/5/10

STORY :  The Lord Krishna and the Lapwing's Nest  PAGE 1-10   30MIN

It is the battle of Kurukshetra. The white conch shells were about to sound,

the elephants to march forward, and the attack of the archers to commence. 

The moment was brief and terrible. Banners were flying and the charioteers preparing

for the advance. Suddenly a little lapwing, who has built her nest in the turf of a hillock 

in the midst of the battlefield draw the attention of the Lord Krishna by her cries of

anxiety and distress for her young. Poor little mother! he said tenderly let this be

thy protection! And lifting a great elephant-bell that had fallen near he place it over

the lapwing's nest. And so through the eighteen days of raging battle that follow a

lapwing and her nestlings were keep in safety in their nest by the mercy of the lord

even in the midst of the raging field of Kurukshetra.

My reading homework 21/5/10

 STORY : THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH

  PAGE 1-10 30MIN 

In ancient times, a king has a boulder place on a roadway. 

Then he hide himself and watch to see if anyone will remove the huge rock.

Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers come by and simply walk

around it.Many loudly blame the king for not keeping the roads clear but not did

anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant come along

carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant lay down

his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing

and straining he finally succeed. As the peasant pick up his load of vegetables he

notice a purse lying in the road where the boulder has been. The purse contain many

gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who

remove the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learn what many others never understand.

My reading homework 20/5/10

 STORY : BUTTERFLY PAGES  1-12   30MIN

A man find a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appear. He watches the butterfly for several hours as it struggle to force its body through that little hole. Then it seem to stop making any progress. It appear as if it has get as far as it can and it can go no further.So the man decide to help the butterfly. He take a pair of scissors and snip off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

Then the butterfly  emerge easily. But it has a swollen body and small shriveled wings.

The man continue to watch the butterfly because he expects that at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body which will contract in time.

Neither happen, in fact the butterfly spend the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never be able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste don't understand is that the restricting cocoon and the struggle require for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it will be ready for flight once it achieve its freedom from the cocoon.

My reading homework 19/5/10

STORY :  GENEROSITY PAGES 1-10 30MIN

Mahatma Gandhi go from city to city, village to village collecting fund for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his tour he address a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman get up. She is bent with age her hair is grey and her clothes are in tatters. The volunteer try to stop her but she fight her way to the place where Gandhiji is sitting. "I must see him" she insist and going up to Gandhiji touch his feet. Then from the fold of her sari she bring out a copper coin and place it at his feet. Gandhiji pick up the copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds are under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He ask Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. "I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh" Jamnalal Bajaj said laughing "This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands," Gandhiji said. "If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two it doesn't mean much. But this coin is perhaps all that the poor woman possess. She gives me all she has. That is very generous of her, What a great sacrifice she made. That is why Im value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees.

My reading homework 18/5/10

  STORY : The Buzzard, The Bat, and the Bumblebee  pages 1-10    35min 

 

 If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top the bird in spite of his ability to fly will be an absolute prisoner.The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit he won't even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. The ordinary bat that flies around at night a remarkable nimble creature in the air can't take off from a level place. If it is place on the floor or flat ground all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt painfully until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.A Bumblebee if drop into an open tumbler will be there until it die unless it is take out. It never sees the mean of escape at the top but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.In many ways there are lot of people like the buzzard the bat and the bee. They are struggling about with all their problem and frustrations not realizing that the answer is right there above them.

My reading homework 17/5/10

STORY: INVITATION PAGES 1-14  35MIN 

A woman come out of her house and see 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She do not recognize them. She said I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.

In the evening when her husband come home, she tell him what has happen. Go tell them I am home and invite them in! The woman go out and invited the men in. We do not go into a House together they replied. Why is that? she want to know.

One of the old men explain his name is Wealth he said pointing to one of his friends and said pointing to another one he is Success and I am Love. Then he add now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.Since that is the case let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth.

His wife disagree. My dear why don't we invite Success? Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jump in with her own suggestion.Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be fill with love! Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice said the husband to his wife. Go out and invite Love to be our guest.The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.Love get up and start walking toward the house. The other 2 also get up and follow him. Surprise the lady ask Wealth and Success. I only invite Love Why are you coming in?

The old men replied together If you had invite Wealth or Success the other two of us would've stay out, but since you invite Love, Wherever He goes we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success.

They say this is our wish for you! Where there is pain we wish you peace and mercy.

Where there is self-doubting we wish you a renew confidence in your ability to work through them.

Where there is tiredness or exhaustion we wish you understanding, patience, and renew strength.

Where there is fear we wish you love, and courage.