A Carrot, an Egg, and a Cup of Coffee

Bon Siman!

Today I will share with you a message that arrived from one of our fellow subscribers.

Thanks much, Peggy Daal!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.
She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water andplaced each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last sheplaced ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.
She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water.
Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting.
However, after being subjected to the boilingwater, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile.
It's thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through theboiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however.
After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?
Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water the very circumstance that brings the pain.
When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"


This is so true - may we all be COFFEE.

Love grows when you pass it on!

If you need more Love, than its time to pass more Love on to others.

As you receive goodness from others, pass it on.

Now say this:

As I take a breath, I imagine myself receiving goodness from everyone I meet.

In my mind's eye I see myself surrounded by positive and loving people.

I imagine myself going through my day sharing a positive and loving expression with everyone I greet.

I see the positive responses from other people that my loving actions attract.

I combine these images with the feelings of joy and let them go, knowing that they will create the good things I am visualizing and thinking.

Today, I complete the circle of goodness by sharing my gifts with others.

Say Goodbye to failure!

Don’t let failure stop you!

Accept the fact that failure is an inevitable part of life.
But realize that it is also a valuable learning tool.
Understand that experiencing failure doesn’t mean that you’re a failure as a person; it simply means you tried something that didn’t work at a particular moment in time.

Study what went wrong to see what you can learn from the experience.


Remember that failure can teach you: to depend on God, to be humble, that you can’t always get what you want, to correct your course of action, to have strong character, to persevere, and to realize that you can survive.

After failing, try again, and keep trying as long as God urges you to do so.
Yama Danki tòg!, and remember that you may be just one more effort away from success.