To some of the Coffee Beans in my life....thanks.

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee ...You will never look at a cup of
coffee the same way again. 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 and
placed 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 she placed
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 do 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 boiling water,
it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell
had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling
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?

Count your blessings, not your problems...... Putting others first makes
relationships last. There are moments in life when you miss someone so much
that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!
When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often times we look so
long at the closed door that we don't see the one, which has been opened for
us.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades
away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to
make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.
Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to
be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you
want to do. May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials
to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make
you happy. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their
way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When
you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live
your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around
you is crying. You might want to send this message to those people who mean
something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one
way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to
those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down;
to those whose friendship you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in
your life.

Don't count the years-count the memories........... Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away!

Oh Vicki, thanks for sharing. I love this! I need to print it and ponder it during one of my prayer times. Lots to think about...

Also a great one to share with the kids.

Vicki that was quite an inspiration to read...like Dotsie, I'm printing it out to keep it handy for when I need a lift. Wonderful words...and that quote at the end is one of my favorites of all time - as many times as I've seen it posted here and there and everywhere, it never ceases to touch me!

My first time seeing this but not my last time reading it. Printing it and placing it above my desk to read each morning....Thank you and what a way to begin the day....

Thank You,
Will print for me and send to my friends.
Maggie

I loved this. I have just recently experienced a broken relationship and was resembling a boiled egg! I'm going to try and become more of a coffee bean! Thanks so much for this piece of inspiration. It got me thinking!
Serendipity

Wonderful piece! Thank you so much. Will be printing this off for several people I know, my mom and dad, included.

serendipity, Isn't it amazing how a different perspective allows freedom? Glad these words helped you.