And...

The past is history.
The future, a mystery.
The here and now is a gift.
That is why it's called the present!


In Every Journey ...

In every journey there is meaning.
In every conflict, there is growth.
In every action, there is purpose.
In every moment of doubt, remember to believe in yourself!


What Is Courage?

Confronting the dragons
Overcoming the obstacles
Understanding the risks
Really living
Always believing
Going the distance
Expecting the Best !

Some Thoughts on Peace...

"If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace." Thich Nhat Hanh

"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." Mother Teresa

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."Black Elk

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When my heart is at peace, the world is at peace."Chinese Proverb

"There never was a good war or bad peace."Benjamin Franklin

"Peace is always beautiful."Walt Whitman

"If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world."Thomas Merton

"If you scramble about in search of inner peace, you will lose your inner peace."Lao Tzu

"It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace, and live in peace." Shenandoah proverb

"Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace."Bhagavad Gita 12:12
"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work."Thich Naht Hanh

If there is to be peace in the world, There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations, There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities, There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors, There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart.
Lao Tzu

"This is the way of peace: overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."Peace Pilgrim

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."Mother Teresa

"Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace."Buddha

"Peace is the altar of God, the condition in which happiness exists."Paramahansa Yogananda

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."John Muir

Helen Keller Biography


Helen Keller (1880-1968)



Imagine that you couldn't see these words or hear them spoken. But you could still talk, write, read, and make friends. In fact, you went to college, wrote nearly a dozen books, traveled all over the world, met 12 U.S. presidents, and lived to be 87. Well, there was such a person, and she was born over a hundred years ago!Meet Helen Keller, a woman from the small farm town of Tuscumbia, Alabama who taught the world to respect people who are blind and deaf. Her mission came from her own life; when she was 1 1/2, she was extremely ill, and she lost both her vision and hearing. It was like entering a different world, with completely new rules, and she got very frustrated. By the time she was 7, her parents knew they needed help, so they hired a tutor named Anne Sullivan.

Anne was strict, but she had a lot of energy. In just a few days, she taught Helen how to spell
words with her hands (called the manual alphabet, which is part of the sign language that deaf people use.) The trouble was, Helen didn't understand what the words meant—until one morning at the water pump (like an outdoor water fountain) she got a whole new attitude.

Anne had Helen hold one hand under the water. Then she spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into Helen's other hand. It was electric! The feeling turned into a word. Immediately, Helen bent down and tapped the ground; Anne spelled "earth." Helen's brain flew; that day, she learned 30 words.

From then on, Helen's mind raced ahead. She learned to speak when she was ten by feeling her teacher's mouth when she talked. Often people found it hard to understand her, but she never gave up trying. Meanwhile, she learned to read French, German, Greek, and Latin in braille! When she was 20, she entered Radcliffe College, the women's branch of Harvard University. Her first book, called The Story of My Life, was translated into 50 languages. (She used two typewriters: one regular, one braille.) She wrote ten more books and a lot more articles! How did
she find the time?
Helen also did research, gave speeches, and helped raise money for many organizations, such as the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Foundation for the Overseas Blind, which is now called Helen Keller Worldwide. From 1946 and 1957, she went around the world, speaking about the experiences and rights of people who are blind. She wound up visiting 39 countries on five different continents! Helen also inspired many works of art, including two Oscar-winning movies, and received dozens of awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that an American civilian can receive. She died in her sleep in 1968.
Helen became an exceptional leader, once she saw the potential in her own mind.



Learn even more about Helen Keller at http://www.afb.org/htm_asp/collectionid=1/info_documents.htm!

Peace

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King,

"peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Weakness or Strength ?

Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength.

Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.
"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"
"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grap your left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

"A Dangerous Dream"

Have you ever experienced any sleepwalking? It is something interesting and somehow dangerous which happens to some people specially, in their childhood.
I am one of those who had a tragic experience of such sleepwalking. Being seven years old, I was sleeping in the first floor of the house and nobody was there. I had a dream, maybe a strange one that I can not remember well, which made me walk. I felt nothing. I was completely asleep and unconscious so, I couldn't distinguish between my dream and reality. I started walking toward the stairs because I wanted to go to the second floor. It was about twelve stairs. I was still in my dream but actually I was walking. I walked up to the eighth stair and suddenly I fell down. I didn't realize anything. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the hospital,near my mom.
Fortunately that dangerous sleepwalking didn't have any bad concequences for me. Surprisingly after two days in coma, I came back home sound and safe.

Get up!The day has come!

There are a lot of customs among Kurdish people. The most interesting one that attracts me is the way they celebrate Eide Fetr. Everybody appreciates this day.

After one month of fasting, now people want to thank God for the given opportunities during the Ramadan. Any body, no matter how old she or he is, gets up early about 5 or 6 in the morning. All the people put on their beautiful clothes and clean their houses in the best possible way. After the special Azan is done,the majority of people go to mosques to say the prayer of Eide Fetr, while the others do it at home. Coming back home, they congratulate the day to their family members. Then they go to visit their relatives, neighbors and friends. The doors of the houses are open during the day. Every family, poor or rich, makes the most delicious food, specially, Ghorme Sabzi or Khoresh Khalal, for this day. They prefer to eat the food in the morning, since they want to have a different day. The elders give Eidy to the young ones. People are kind, happy and energetic, so they enjoy their time very much.

In fact, the day of Eide Fetr is a special and different one for Kurdish people. Every body tries to do his or her best on this day.

I think, this day is a symbol for those who think of having a meaningful life.

Every day should be like this day!