Chicken Soup for the soul

[ivonpika]

Aku : Zzzzz......

Tuhan : Bangun !!!

Aku : Hmmm.... siapa ya ?

Tuhan : Aku ??? Aku Tuhan, aku dengar di doamu,
kau ingin bicara langsung denganku, maka doamu
Kukabulkan.
Aku : (tertegun) Oh, aku tidak menyangka doaku
dikabulkan, lalu kita ada di mana ?

Tuhan : Di dalam mimpimu, ini media paling
mudah
untuk berbicara.

Aku : (tertegun) Oh...

Tuhan : Kudengar di doamu, kau ingin mengajukan
pertanyaan kepada-Ku, aku ingin mendengarnya
sekarang.

Aku : Benar, bisakah sekarang kumulai ?

Tuhan : Tentu.

Aku : Tuhan, tahukah Engkau bahwa dunia yg Kau
ciptakan ini penuh dengan ketidakadilan, banyak
orang percaya dianiaya, orang benar menderita,
itu tidak adil Tuhan !

Tuhan : menurutmu, apakah adil, ketika Aku mati
di
kayu salib untuk menebus dosa-dosamu ?

Aku : Kalau begitu, semua orang benar harus
menderita di dunia, begitu ?

Tuhan : Apakah penderitaan itu selamanya ?
Mengapa ketika menderita manusia selalu
bertanya "mengapa harus aku?". Tetapi, ketika
senang, mereka tidak pernah bertsnya "mengapa
harus aku ?"

Aku : Kalau begitu, mengapa banyak orang jahat
hidup senang ?

Tuhan : Kau yakin ?

Aku : Ya, walaupun tidak semua ...

Tuhan : Kalau begitu, cobalah jadi jahat, dan
lihatlah seberapa lama kau akan senang, kau bisa
membuktikannya sendiri.

Aku : Hidup ini terlalu rumit untuk dijalani,
mengapa
Kau selalu mendatangkan cobaan dan masalah ?

Tuhan : Masalah kudatangkan bukan untuk
disesali
dan dikeluhi, tapi untuk dselesaikan, cobaan
kudatangkan untuk menunjukkan adanya diri-Ku,
dan perlunya berserah pada-Ku.

Aku : Tapi, setiap masalah datang, Aku selalu
berdoa meminta jalan keluar, tetapi kadang, kau
tidak memberinya ? Mengapa ?

Tuhan : Mengapa ? Pertanyaan bagus, mengapa
setiap firman yang Kuperintahkan padamu, kau
tidak pernah melakukannya atau selalu menunda-
nunda ? Sebelum engkau menuai, menaburlah
terlebih dahulu.

Aku : Mengapa manusia tidak pernah puas
terhadap dirinya ?

Tuhan : Manusia tidak akan menyadari betapa
berharganya sesuatu, sampai mereka kehilangan
semuanya.

Aku : Karena itulah Tuhan, mengapa penyesalan
selalu datang terlambat ? Itu menyebalkan...

Tuhan : Kalau belum terlambat, bukan penyesalan
namanya. kalau belum menyesal, manusia tidak
akan pernah tahu dimana letak kesalahannya.

Aku : Memang benar, tapi penyesalan selalu
mendatangkan penderitaan.

Tuhan : Ketika penyesalan datang, manusia diberi
2 pilihan. Pertama, segera bangkit dan
meninggalkan duka-citanya. Itu membuat manusia
makin kuat dan terasah. Kedua, berkata : "aku
tidak kuat, beban ini terlalu berat untuk dijalani".
itu mendatangkan penderitaan.

Aku : Perlukah aku memelihara doa dan waktu
untukMu setiap harinya ?

Tuhan : perlukah Aku mejagamu dan
mengawasimu
setiap harinya ?

Aku : Tuhan, seringkali aku sudah berusaha dan
berusaha, tapi selau gagal ! Mengapa ?

Tuhan : berapa kali kau mencoba ?

Aku : Katakanlah 10 kali!

Tuhan : Bagus, kalu begitu kau sudah mngetahui
10 cara yg tidak berhasil. Jangan samakan
kegagalan dengan pengalaman. Manusia tidak
pernah gagal, sampai dia berhenti berusaha.

Aku : Tapi, semua itu terlalu beresiko Tuhan.
Setiap
usaha mempunyai resiko.

Tuhan : Sesungguhnya, ketika kau takut
mengambil
satu resiko, kau telah mengambil resiko yang
tersisa, yaitu kau tidak akan pernah berhasil !

Aku : Kalau begitu, bagaimana cara mendapat
kesenangan hidup ?

Tuhan : Cintailah dirimu sendiri, dan senantiasa
bersyukur. Hidup ini sebenarnya indah. Jika
masalah datang, jangan biarkan masalah
menguasai dirimu, tetapi belajarlah menguasai
masalah. Ah, waktu kita habis, kau sudah harus
bangun pagi...

Aku : Kapan kita bisa berbicara sperti ini lagi ?

Tuhan : Kapanpun, sebenarnya jarak kita hanya
dipisahkan oleh doa.

[ivonpika]

Hari pertama kuliah di kampus, profesor
memperkenalkan diri dan menantang kami untuk
berkenalan dengan seseorang yang belum kami
kenal. Saya berdiri dan melihat sekeliling ketika
sebuah tangan lembut menyentuh bahu
saya. Saya menengok dan mendapati seorang
wanita tua, kecil, dan berkeriput, memandang
dengan wajah yang berseri-seri dengan senyum
yang cerah. Ia menyapa, "Halo anak cakep.
Namaku Rose. Aku berusia delapan puluh tujuh.
Maukah kamu memelukku ?" Saya tertawa dan
dengan antusias menyambutnya, "Tentu saja
boleh !" Diapun memberi saya pelukan yang
sangat erat. "Mengapa kamu ada di kampus pada
usia yang masih muda dan tak berdosa seperti
ini ?" tanya saya berolok-olok. Dengan bercanda
dia menjawab, "Saya di sini untuk menemukan
suami yang kaya, menikah, mempunyai beberapa
anak, kemudian pensiun dan bepergian." "Ah yang
serius ?" pinta saya. Saya sangat ingin tahu apa
yang telah memotivasinya untuk mengambil
tantangan ini di usianya. "Saya selalu bermimpi
untuk mendapatkan pendidikan tinggi dan kini saya
sedang mengambilnya !" katanya. Setelah jam
kuliah usai, kami berjalan menuju kantor senat
mahasiswa dan berbagi segelas chocolate
milkshake. Kami segera akrab. Dalam tiga bulan
kemudian, setiap hari kami pulang bersama-sama
dan bercakap-cakap tiada henti. Saya selalu
terpesona mendengarkannya berbagi pengalaman
dan kebijaksanaannya. Setelah setahun berlalu,
Rose menjadi bintang kampus dan dengan mudah
dia berkawan dengan siapapun. Dia suka
berdandan dan segera mendapatkan perhatian dari
para mahasiswa lain. Dia pandai sekali
menghidupkan suasana.
Pada akhir semester, kami mengundang Rose
untuk berbicara di acara makan malam klub sepak
bola kami. Saya tidak akan pernah lupa apa yang
diajarkannya kepada kami. Dia diperkenalkan dan
naik ke podium. Begitu dia mulai menyampaikan
pidato yang telah dipersiapkannya, tiga dari lima
kartu pidatonya terjatuh ke lantai. Dengan gugup
dan sedikit malu dia bercanda pada mikrofon.
Dengan ringan berkata, "Maafkan saya sangat
gugup. Saya sudah tidak minum bir. Tetapi wiski
ini membunuh saya. Saya tidak bisa menyusun
pidato saya kembali, maka ijinkan saya
menyampaikan apa yang saya tahu."
Saat kami tertawa dia membersihkan
kerongkongannya dan mulai, "Kita tidak pernah
berhenti bermain karena kita tua; kita menjadi tua
karena kita berhenti bermain. Hanya ada empat
rahasia untuk tetap awet muda, tetap bahagia, dan
meraih sukses. Kamu harus tertawa dan
menemukan humor setiap hari. Kamu harus
mempunyai mimpi. Bila kamu kehilangan mimpi-
mimpimu, kamu mati. Ada banyak sekali orang
yang berjalan di sekitar kita yang mati namun
tidak mengetahuinya !" "Sungguh jauh berbeda
antara menjadi tua dan menjadi dewasa. Bila kamu
berumur sembilan belas tahun dan berbaring di
tempat tidur selama satu tahun penuh, tidak
melakukan apa-apa, kamu tetap akan berubah
menjadi dua puluh tahun. Bila saya berusia
delapan puluh tujuh tahun dan tinggal di tempat
tidur selama satu tahun, tidak melakukan apapun,
saya tetap akan menjadi
delapan puluh delapan. Setiap orang pasti menjadi
tua. Itu tidak membutuhkan suatu keahlian atau
bakat. Tumbuhlah dewasa dengan selalu mencari
kesempatan dalam perubahan. Jangan pernah
menyesal. Orang-orang tua seperti kami
biasanya tidak menyesali apa yang telah
diperbuatnya, tetapi lebih menyesali apa yang
tidak kami perbuat. Orang-orang yang takut mati
adalah mereka yang hidup dengan penyesalan."

Rose mengakhiri pidatonya dengan bernyanyi "The
Rose". Dia menantang setiap orang untuk
mempelajari liriknya dan menghidupkannya dalam
kehidupan sehari-hari.
Akhirnya Rose meraih gelar sarjana yang telah
diupayakannya sejak beberapa tahun lalu.
Seminggu setelah wisuda, Rose meninggal dunia
dengan damai. Lebih dari dua ribu mahasiswa
menghadiri upacara pemakamannya sebagai
penghormatan pada wanita luar biasa yang
mengajari kami dengan memberikan teladan bahwa
tidak ada yang terlambat untuk apapun yang bisa
kau lakukan.

Ingatlah, Mjd Tua adlh biasa. Tp mjd Dewasa adlh
Pilihan!

[chaosbeowulf]

Got this one from kaskus forum:


This is an interesting thought. The Difference Between Rich/Poor People?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!

[Ben2]

Mary's Christmas Dream

I had a dream Joseph. I don't understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about. The people had been preparing for about six weeks.

They had decorated the house and bought new clothes. They'd gone shopping and bought elaborate gifts. it was peculiar though, because the presents were not for our Son.

They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows, and stacked them under a tree. Yes, a tree Joseph, right in their house. They decorated the tree also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. They was a figure on top of the tree. It looked like and angel might look. Oh, It was so beautiful. Everyone was laughing and were very happy. They were all excited about the gifts.

They gave the gifts to each other Joseph, not to our Son. I don't think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name. Doesn't it seem odd for people to go to all that trouble to celebrate someone's birthday if they don't know Him? I had the the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration, He would have been intruding. Everything was so beautiful Joseph and, and everyone was so happy, but it made me want to cry. How sad for Jesus not to be wanted at His own birthday party. I'm glad it was just a dream. How terrible Joseph, if it had been real!

-------------------------------------------------------

Ini ceritanya sudah beredar dari tahun 1999. Tapi aku baru tahu setelah baca di Catholic News (Vol 55 no 26). Momen ini sangat tepat.. Dimana selesai retreat CSS, aku kembali diingatkan untuk "kembali kepada Tuhan" (reconciliation)..

[ivonpika]

At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is
Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from
Des Moines, Iowa. I've always supplemented my income by teaching
piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years
I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've
never had the pleasure of having a prodigy though I have taught some
talented students.

However I've also had my share of what I call "musically challenged"
pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his
mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I
prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age,
which I explained to Robby.

But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear
him play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began
with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a
hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of
tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his
scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to
learn.

Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and
tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always
say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed
hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his
mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her
aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never
stopped in.

Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons.

I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of
ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was
glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my
teaching!

Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the
upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked
me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was
for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not
qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take
him to piano lessons but he was still practicing "Miss Hondorf I've
just got to play!" he insisted.

I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe
it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying
that it would be all right. The night for the recital came. The high
school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I
put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank
all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any
damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could
always salvage his poor performance through my "curtain closer."

Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been
practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes
were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through
it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought.
"Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this
special night?"

Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when
he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I
was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on
the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from
pianissimo to fortissimo. >From allegro to virtuoso. His suspended
chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard
Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half
minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet
in wild applause.
Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby
in joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it?
" Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf . . ..
Remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer
and passed away this morning And well . . . She was born deaf so
tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make
it special."

There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from
Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster
care, noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought
to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my
pupil.

No, I've never had a prodigy but that night I became a prodigy. . .
Of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil for it is he that
taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in
yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't
know why.

Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995

[ceka]

What would you do? You make the choice! Don't look for
a punch line;
There isn't one! Read it anyway. My question to all of
you is:
Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves
learning disabled children,the father of one of the students delivered a
speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After
extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences,
everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot
learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other
children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe,that when a child
like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an
opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in
the way other people treat that child."Then he told the following
story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some
boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think
they'll let me play?"

Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not
want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood
that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field
and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around
for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the
eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him
in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench put on a team
shirt with a broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and
warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being
accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few
runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay
put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came
his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the
field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the
stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on
base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away
their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.
Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher,
recognizing the other team putting winning aside for this moment in
Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could
at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung
clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to
toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung
at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up
the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first
baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the
end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the
head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from
the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run
to first!"

Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made
it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and
startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards
second, gleaming and struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the
smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman
for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and he too
intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman' s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled
the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way
Shay"

Shay reached third base, the opposing shortstop ran to
help him and
turned him in the direction of third base, and
shouted, "Run to third!

Shay, run to third" As Shay rounded third, the boys
from both teams and
those watching were on their feet were screaming,
"Shay, run home! Shay
ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as
the hero who hit
the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

That day, said the father softly with tears now
rolling down his face,
the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true
love and humanity
into this world.

Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that
winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so
happy and coming home
and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little
hero of the day!

[ceka]

Greed is not simply having more than we need. It is
the overwhelming
desire for more. We don't tame greed by cutting back
on our "wish lists"
or on our shopping. We tame it by having a change of
heart.

I did a quick Internet search for stories on greed,
and found a page
with some good links. But it was filled with annoying
pop up ads telling
me I had won a free plasma TV, another one offering a
free laptop, if I
would just click on the link. The pop up ads played on
my greed. They
were the kind that you couldn't click away from
without clicking on the
item! For a moment, I was ensnared.

The Internet itself is now literally a bottomless pit
of items to bid
on or buy outright. Bidding on eBay can be addicting.
Worse, the lure of
24-hour-a-day gambling has proved tragically
overwhelming for some.

But this story really gets at the true nature of
greed, by an unknown
author. An emperor was coming out of his palace for
his morning walk
when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, "What do
you want?"

The beggar laughed and said, "You are asking me as
though you can
fulfill my desire!"

The king was offended. He was a powerful and rich king
with every
earthly good at his disposal. He said, "Of course I
can fulfill your desire.
What is it? Just tell me."

The beggar said, "It is a very simple desire. You see
this begging
bowl? Can you fill it with something?"

The emperor said, "Of course!" He called one of his
advisors and told
him, "Fill this man's begging bowl with money." The
advisor went and got
some money and poured it into the bowl, and it
disappeared. And he
poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it,
it would disappear.
And the begging bowl remained always empty.

The whole palace gathered. The story went throughout
the whole capital,
and a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the emperor
was at stake. He
said to his advisors, "If the whole kingdom is lost, I
am ready to lose
it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar."

Diamonds and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were
becoming empty.
The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything
that was put into
it immediately disappeared, went out of existence.
Everything! Finally
it was evening, and the people were standing there in
utter silence. The
king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted
his defeat. He
said, "Just tell me one thing. You are victorious, but
before you leave,
just fulfill my curiosity. What is the begging bowl
made of?"

The beggar laughed and said, "It is made up of the
human mind. There is
no secret. It is simply made up of human desire."

Even though this story is a fable, I think we all know
something about
the emptiness of the begging bowl. Each time we get
the next thing on
our list there may be a temporary lift, pleasure, or
excitement. But
soon we are longing for the next item on our mental
list. The item we have
just been granted or gained in our begging bowl
disappears. It no
longer has importance. That is greed. And it is a part
of human nature.

When we get to the point that we understand that
things will never
satisfy us, we have made a great discovery. When we
are truly content with
what we have, we are truly rich.

The beggar, even though he asked for something, was
not as greedy as
the emperor who had something to prove. So it is with
the things we have;
there is nothing wrong with them in and of themselves;
it is our
longing for more and feeling proud of our possessions
that constitutes greed.

[ceka]

"By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household-and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith"

Did you ever notice that in Genesis when God is giving Noah the instructions on how to build the ark, he never told him about the rudder? Every great ship that I have ever known has had a rudder. Every ship I have been on I hope, by faith, has a rudder and it is in working order.

Why did God not put a rudder on the ark? Can you imagine Noah saying 'umm, God, I have a question. Do you think we can put a rudder on this thing?'. Instead Noah answered in faith and said 'yes God; I will do as you command. I will get out of my comfort zone, I will do what you have asked me to do and I will do your will.'

The reason that Noah did not ask for the rudder is because he knew that no matter what was going on around them that God was going to steer the boat to safety and that God was in charge. All Noah and his family had to do was be faithful to the calling God put on Noah and wait.

Is God calling you on to do something that takes a great deal of courage and takes you out of your comfort zone? I can assure you that Noah's comfort zone was not on the ark with hundreds of animals who smelled like a really bad day at the zoo. Noah stepped out anyway, and thanks to him, we are all here today. I challenge you to step out and do that which God is calling you to do. I mean, it is not like he is calling you to build an ark or anything. God is in charge and as such God will provide. What an awesome thing to grasp.

[Ben2]

Tetaplah Berbuat Baik

Danil membawa piringnya, seperti biasa, mengantri setiap pagi untuk sarapan pagi. Wajahnya selalu tersenyum pada setiap orang. Walaupun dia masih muda, nampak kerut-kerut di wajahnya, yang membuat dia kelihatan lebih tua dari umurnya. Karena kasus manipulasi, Danil harus mendekam di penjara ini. Hukum memang tak kenal belas kasihan. Orang yang mengenal Danil dari dekat pasti tak tega, kenapa orang sebaik dia harus masuk penjara.

Sebelum masuk penjara ini, dia adalah akuntan sebuah perusahaan besar. Dari gajinya bekerja, dia dapat menghidupi anak dan istrinya, mempunyai rumah dan kendaraan. Dia juga punya sebidang tanah untuk sekedar berkebun, warisan orangtuanya. Hidupnya betul-betul bahagia.

Sampai akhirnya, suatu tragedi telah berlaku padanya. Urusannya hanya sepele, pada mulanya. Sebagai seorang karyawan dengan posisi basah di sebuah perusahaan, sedikit banyak pasti menimbulkan kecemburuan antara sesama rekan kerjanya.

Adalah Sinta, seorang sekretaris boss, wanita pintar tapi liar, yang membikin gara-gara. Sudah lama dia memendam rasa iri pada Danil. Karena posisinya, sebagai sekretaris direktur, ternyata tak bisa memanipulasi uang belanja perusahaan. Sebab setiap kali dia membujuk Danil, tak bisa juga dapat, walaupun satu sen. Danil memang tak bisa sembarangan mengeluarkan uang sebelum disetujuiatasan.

Sebagai wanita pintar dan licik, Sinta tahu kelemahan lelaki, dan mengetahui pula kelebihannya sebagai wanita. Disebarkannya gossip ke seluruh karyawan, kalau dia menjalin hubungan dengan Danil. Dan dengan aktingnya yang meyakinkan Sinta berhasil mengelabui seluruh karyawan, kalau dia sudah betul-betul dekat dengan Danil. Dengan berbagai bujuk rayu dan kata yang manis pada staff bawahan Danil pula, dia berhasil mempunyai akses ke bagian keuangan, bagian yang dikepalai Danil.

Danil tak suka dengan sifat Sinta, tapi dia juga tak bisa bersikap kasar, apalagi Sinta adalah sekretaris boss. Dengan halus ditegurnya sikap Sinta tersebut. Tapi, Sinta memang sudah nekat. Entah bagaimana, tiba-tiba saja uang sebesar lebih dari 1 milyar tak diketahui keberadaannya. Tak ada kwitansi, tak ada nota, tak ada barang hasil pembelian dan sebagainya.

Danil yakin, ini ulah Sinta, tapi dia tak bisa membuktikannya. Seluruh transaksi keluar dan masuk uang, selalu memakai nama dia. Akhirnya vonis menimpa dia, didakwa menggelapkan uang perusahaan. Bukan itu saja, ternyata gossip yang disebarkan Sinta sudah sampai ke rumah-tangga Danil. Istri Danil dibakar cemburu lalu pergi dari rumah bersama anak kesayangannya.

Ketika sidang pun, istrinya tak datang, apalagi selama dia dipenjara. Kawan-kawan dan tetangganya juga menjaga jarak, mereka tak menyangka, ternyata orang pendiam dan baik itu, bisa berbuat kriminal. Padahal tak terhitung kebaikan-kebaikan selama ini pada tetangga dan teman-temannya.

Seluruh hartanya bendanya, termasuk kebun warisan orangtuanya, dirampas untuk mengganti seluruh kerugian perusahaan. Bahkan di dalam penjara, Danil selalu menerima perlakuan-perlakuan yang tidak adil dari sesama penghuni. Sering dia tidak kebagian jatah makanan, uang kerajinan hasil membuat ukiran dipalak dan lain-lain, tapi itu semua tak menyurutkannya tersenyum dan menyapa setiap orang serta berbuat baik.

Suatu malam, di dalam kamar penjara, aku mengobrol dengannya. Bertanya penuh ingin tahu, akan sikapnya selama ini. Kenapa dia tak mau melawan ketika dipukul seorang penghuni yg sok jagoan, kenapa dia diam saja ketika jatah makanannya direbut, kenapa dia tak membalas dendam segala sikap tidak adil yang diterimanya selama ini, baik sebelum atau sesudah dia dipenjara.

Maka, kucatat segala perkataannya, yang tak akan kulupakan seumur hidupku:

"Manusia memang sering kali bertindak tak masuk akal dan egois, bagaimanapun juga, maafkanlah mereka."


-------------------------------------------------------
“People will criticize you for doing good, but do it anyway”
~Mother Teresa

[evan]

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each
square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw
hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole
here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, 'Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.'

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!
God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you....When there is nothing left but God that is when you find out that God is all you need.

Take 60 seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent you this. Father, God bless all my
friends in whatever it is that you know they may need this day! And may their life be full of your peace and power as he/she seeks to have a closer
relationship with you.

Amen!

forwarded from CSSexco18 mailing list

[Ben2]

Monica Sonia Gal
wrote at 4:19pm on October 6th 2008 in reply to Alphonsus Josemaria Soh

i agree that the pilgrims of all over the world were a sign of God's Love toward Australia!!!
we went on mission in Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney several days before the Mass in Randwick. On the last day, when we had not enough courage to tell the people on the streets that God loves them, we were just walking 4 or 5 streets without telling anybody the Good News. and were praying to God to give us courage to talk about His Love For Us.suddenly we stopped a lady, Suzanne, and told her that God Loves Her, and after a dialogue we found out that she tried to kill herself, because her husband has left her.she stayed in coma, and God truly loved her, because she is back in life. she couldn't stop thanking, that we stopped her, and gave her the Good News, because she really needed it. She just kept asking 'But why did you stop me, exactly me, how did you know that i needed this???' So God has really spoken to the Australians, nobody could remain untouched by the crowds of pilgrims... and this mission gave us freedom, and joy, and peace, and maybe one more vocation... who knows...

Maaf kalo ada typo atau ga jelas, tapi ni bener2 dari kisah nyata jadi aku ga mau nge-ganti / nge-benerin apapun.