Great Stories with Great Lessons.

I have two stories to share with you.  While you read this story, enjoy this music clip.  (Just in case you're confused, click on the underlined orange words)

A rabbi once asked a prominent member of his congregation, "Whenever I see you, you're always in a hurry. Tell me, where are you running all the time?" The man answered, "I'm running after success, I'm running after fulfillment, I'm running after the reward for all my hard work." The rabbi responded, "That's a good answer if you assume that all those blessings are somewhere ahead of you, trying to elude you and if you run fast enough, you may catch up with them. But isn't it possible that those blessings are behind you, that they're looking for you, and the more you run, the harder you make it for them to find you? Isn't it possible indeed that God has all sorts of wonderful presents for us--good food and beautiful sunsets and flowers budding in the spring and leaves turning in the fall and quiet moments of sharing--but we in our pursuits of happiness are so constantly on the go that He can't find us at home to deliver them?"

Here is the other story.

Harold Kushner, the rabbi with such a profound outlook on life, shares a lesson he learned one day at the beach. He was watching two children, a boy and a girl, build an elaborate sandcastle with everything a good castle needs--moats and turrets and passages. Just when it looked as if the castle might be finished, a big wave came unexpectedly and knocked it down. Kushner says he fully expected tears from the children. He was surprised when they laughed, grabbed hands, and moved off to more stable ground to build another castle. Here is the lesson he learned: "All the things in our lives, all the complicated structures we spend so much time and energy creating, are built on sand. Only our relationships to other people endure. Sooner or later, the wave will come along and knock down what we have worked so hard to build up. When that happens, only the person who has somebody's hand to hold will be able to laugh."