You can’t keep a good man down

Sir Douglas Bader was a pilot who lost both his legs in a plane crash before WW2. He was fitted with artificial legs & resumed flying. In 1939, when Germany & England went to war, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force.


Flying with two artificial legs, he shot down 22 enemy airplanes in the Battle of Britain. He became a national hero, & an example of how even a handicapped man could still be able to serve his country.


Then in 1941 his plane was shot down over France & he parachuted into enemy territory. In the process, both of his artificial legs were destroyed. Helpless, he was captured by a German patrol & made a prisoner of war.


Bader was so respected by his German captors that, amazingly, they contacted the British government to airdrop his two spare artificial legs so that he could have the use of his legs once again. And the British did.


The Germans soon realized that they had made a big mistake, for as soon as Bader received his legs, he started trying to escape. After 4 escape attempts his captors decided that there was only one thing to do. So every night when he went to bed, they took his artificial legs away from him & locked them up. That was the only way they knew to keep him from trying to escape.


We’ve got to admire a man like that, don’t we? He gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "You can’t keep a good man down."

​खाली पेट -​ (लघुकथा)

​खाली पेट -​ (लघुकथा)

लगभग दस साल का बालक राधा का गेट बजा रहा है।

राधा ने बाहर आकर पूंछा

"क्या है ? "

"आंटी जी क्या मैं आपका गार्डन साफ कर दूं ?"

"नहीं, हमें नहीं करवाना।"

हाथ जोड़ते हुए दयनीय स्वर में "प्लीज आंटी जी करा लीजिये न, अच्छे से साफ करूंगा।"

द्रवित होते हुए "अच्छा ठीक है, कितने पैसा लेगा ?"

"पैसा नहीं आंटी जी, खाना दे देना।"

" ओह !! अच्छे से काम करना।"

"लगता है, बेचारा भूखा है।पहले खाना दे देती हूँ। राधा बुदबुदायी।"

"ऐ  लड़के ! पहले खाना खा ले, फिर काम करना।

"नहीं आंटी जी, पहले काम कर लूँ फिर आप खाना दे देना।"

"ठीक है ! कहकर राधा अपने काम में लग गयी।"

एक घंटे बाद "आंटी जी देख लीजिए, सफाई अच्छे से हुई कि नहीं।"

"अरे वाह! तूने तो बहुत बढ़िया सफाई की है, गमले भी करीने से जमा दिए।यहाॅं बैठ, मैं खाना लाती हूँ।"

जैसे ही राधा ने उसे खाना दिया वह जेब से पन्नी निकाल कर उसमें खाना रखने लगा।"

"भूखे काम किया है, अब खाना तो यहीं बैठकर खा ले।जरूरत होगी तो और दे दूंगी।"

"नहीं आंटी, मेरी बीमार माँ घर पर है।सरकारी अस्पताल से दवा तो मिल गयी है,पर डाॅ साहब ने कहा है दवा खाली पेट नहीं खाना है।"

राधा रो पड़ी..

और अपने हाथों से मासुम को उसकी दुसरी माँ बनकर खाना खिलाया..

फिर... उसकी माँ के लिए रोटियां बनाई .. और साथ उसके घर जाकर उसकी माँ को रोटियां दे आयी .. 

और कह आयी .. बहन आप बहुत अमीर हो ..

जो दौलत आपने अपने बेटे को दी है वो हम अपने बच्चो को भी नहीं दे पाते ..

खुद्धारी की ...

Using All Your Strength

A young boy was walking with his father along a country road. When they came across a very large tree branch the boy asked, “Do you think I could move that branch?”

His father answered, “If you use all your strength, I’m sure you can.”

So the boy tried mightily to lift, pull and push the branch but he couldn’t move it. Discouraged he said, “Dad, you were wrong. I can’t do it.”

His dad said, “Try again.” This time, as the boy struggled with the branch his father joined him and together they pushed the branch aside.

“Son,” the father said, “the first time you didn’t use all your strength. You didn’t ask me to help.”

This is an important lesson. There are many things we can’t do alone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get them done. We all are surrounded by resources that can be mobilized to help us achieve our goals – including family, friends and faith. Sometimes we fail to ask for help because of pride or stubbornness. Sometimes we think it’s a sign of weakness to admit we need a hand. And sometimes we don’t even think about asking for help. Whatever the reason, it’s a waste.

It’s important that we learn to use all our strength; this includes inner resources such as discipline, courage and even love. But it also includes outer resources. Just as we should willing help others we should be willing to ask the help of others. It’s one of the great things about being human.

Michael Josephson
www.whatwillmatter.com

*The story is derived from a story told by David Wolpe in Teaching Your Children About God (Harper Perennial, 1995)

Puppies for Sale

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”

Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

Report this ad

The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.”

The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said;

“I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

A Dish of Ice Cream

A Dish of Ice Cream

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.

The Elephant Rope

The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

 

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

Better to Ask Than Assume

Better to Ask than Assume

The late Bill Love used to tell the story of a psychiatrist, engineer, and doctor who got lost in the Canadian woods. Stumbling on a trapper's cabin but getting no response at the door, they went inside for shelter and waited for his return.

In the corner, on a crude platform at the waist-high level, was a wood-burning stove. It quickly became not only the focus of interest for their half-frozen bodies but the center of their conversation as well.

The psychiatrist explained the stove's unusual position as evidence of psychological problems brought on by isolation. The engineer, on the other hand, saw it as an ingenious form of forced-air heating. The physician surmised the poor fellow had arthritis and found it too painful to bend over to fuel his stove.

When the trapper finally arrived, they could not resist asking about the stove whose warmth had saved them. "Simple," he said. "My stove pipe was too short."

I wasn't along for that hunting trip, but I've been where those guys were that day. I've tried to read someone's mind. I've seen motives that weren't there. I've walked into situations, caught a snippet of what was happening, and made a fool of myself by some badly chosen response. Or I've used a perfectly innocent slip of the tongue as my excuse to take offense. I can be a real jerk at times!

On occasion, the victim has been a stranger. At other times, it was a friend from church or colleague at work. Most often, it has been my wife or child.

Communication is a wonderful thing - when it happens. But there are so many barriers. Each of us brings baggage to every situation. Words can be vague or carry very different nuances for people from different backgrounds. Then there are the prejudices and blind spots all of us have.

Lots of confusion could be eliminated and far more progress made this week by following this simple rule: When something isn't clear, ask. Don't assume. Don't guess. Don't mind-read. Try swallowing your pride and say, "I'm not sure I understand. Do you mind explaining that to me?"

This simple strategy could save you embarrassment, time, and money. More important still, it might save one of your life's most important relationships.