My Child...

My child isn't my easel to paint,

Nor my diamond to polish!

My child isn't my trophy to flaunt,

Nor my dummy to taunt!

My child isn't my badge or my honour,

Nor my respect that he/she must protect!

My child isn't an idea or a fantasy,

Nor my reflection or legacy!

My child isn't my puppet or my project,

Nor my pawn or my cadet!

My child is here to fumble & stumble

To get in & out of trouble!

My child is here to try,

To fall & to cry!

My child is here to unravel the mysteries,

To educate oneself & rewrite histories!

My child is here to make his/her own choices,

To exercise his/her freewill & experience the consequences!

As a Parent,
My task is to make my child able & capable,

To keep aside my ego & be by his/her side!

My task is to guide & educate,

To let be & not frustrate!
My task is allow him/her to ponder,

And see my child grow into a Wonder!

Inspiring Short Stories...

1. FALL and RISE
 
Today, when I slipped on the wet tile floor a boy in a wheelchair caught me before I slammed my head on the ground.  He said, “Believe it or not, that’s almost exactly how I injured my back 3 years ago .

2. A FATHER'S ADVICE

Today, my father told me, “Just go for it and give it a try!  You don’t have to be a professional to build a successful product.  Amateurs started Google and Apple.  Professionals built the Titanic

3. The POWER of UNIQUENESS

Today, I asked my mentor – a very successful business man in his 70’s – what his top 3 tips are for success.  He smiled and said, “Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.

4. LOOKING BACK

Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I’m working on for my Psychology class.  When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, “Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.

5. TRY and YOU shall KNOW

I am blind by birth. When I was 8 years old, I wanted to play baseball. I asked my father- "Dad, can I play baseball?" He said "You'll never know until you try." When I was a teenager, I asked him, - "Dad Can I become a surgeon?". He replied "Son, you'll never know until you try." Today I am a Surgeon, just because I tried!

6. GOODNESS & GRATITUDE

Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug.  When I tensed up, she realized I didn’t recognize her.  She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, “On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of world trade centre.
 

7. LOOKING BACK

Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother’s hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, “I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often.”

8. AFFECTION

Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed.  About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.



9. SHARING

Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe.  He said he hadn’t eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy.  Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating.  The first thing the man said was, “We can share it.”