I have spent three years teaching grade-school kids and though it wasn’t the most glamorous job on the planet I had my share of fun, tears, ups and downs.

Not only that but during those three years I spent with fifth and sixth graders, I have taught them a lot of things from proper cursive writing to spelling and basic grammar rules. In a lot of ways they in turn have also taught me the basics of life’s biggest and most important lessons. Here’s what I have learned from them, young as they are:

PATIENCE: Franklin Jones said “You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance” and let me just say, he is completely right. A classroom of hyper kids with different levels of intelligence and contrasting personalities is enough to drive one crazy. But a teacher should be patient…it is a must; or else he or she will not have the right to be called a teacher at all. It was just but three years and I feel as if my kids have done so much to stretch my patience to the limit. But I am thankful for it because in a way, it was a great lesson especially for a short-tempered person like me.

FAITH: Not all the kids in my classes were perfect little angels. Far from it, many of them were naughty and dull and incompetent. But having imperfect beings in my class taught me a valuable lesson on faith. No matter how bad or dull they were, I just had to believe in them the way they believed that I was a good teacher. In grade school, I learned to believe in the smallest dream and to have faith in the smallest of positive change each child manifests. And when I believed, the kids also did their best to live up to what I believed in them. This I have proven over and over again.

LOVE: A child’s love is like no other. I’m glad that I was lucky enough to receive such kind of love and at the same time, learned how to love in such a way. My kids taught me how to love completely and unconditionally. I remember one particular time when I spent at least fifteen minutes scolding my Grade V kids because of their bad behavior. They were not speaking at all, just sitting there contritely listening to me scold them. But when I was saying goodbye (coldly) before leaving for my next class, one of them shouted out, “Goodbye teacher, I love you!” It was enough for me to forgive them right on the spot. Tell me, is there an adult who would display such kind of love? After a scolding and criticism, who in the’r right minds would tell their perpetrator the words “I love you”? But I think that’s the kind of love more of us should demonstrate: unconditional, complete and unwavering.

More than the grammar lessons or the writing exercises I have given to them, I feel so blessed that they had given me these wonderful lessons in exchange. They are young and seemingly unaware but in their harum-scarum ways, they have also become teachers of life’s essential lessons.

Lines

There are lines of people everywhere,

Standing and waiting to be served;

Some long, some short, here and there,

Crooked ones, broken and curved –

Lines of people that must spare

Little patience unreserved.

I look beyond the literal stage

Of lines as physical as these,

Contemplate the lines of age

In numbers that will never cease,

Where those behind are full of rage

And those ahead are ill at ease.

Ship Of Hope

My ship of hope is far from port

Where sweet success awaits me;

Where eager souls that never quit,

But gather, glad and free.

My mind is firmly set upon

The compass and the rudder,

And while my heart may flutter yet,

My soul shall never shudder.

No howling wind nor billows wild

Shall make me yearn for shore

Wherefrom my ship of hope had left

For reasons to explore.

Staunch members of the crew on board –

Faith, Love and sweet Desire –

Soul mates on my ship of hope,

That strengthen and inspire.

And when my ship shall anchor

At its final port of call,

I shall unload the cargo of

My efforts, all in all.

Mountain Tops

Melting snows renew themselves

On mountain tops so high

That they gather fast and solid

Beneath an angry sky.

So do souls brave, unafraid

Of life’s winds that blow,

Standing permanent and firm,

Gathering like the snow.

Lagging spirits may rejoin

Life’s great marathon,

With eyes open to the sun,

Past life’s break of dawn.

Failures whip the snows of love

That in time abound,

Holding fast the texture of

Fulfillment’s that surround.

Let new hope, love and desire

Blend, in spite of strife,

Forming snows of sweet success

On mountain tops of life.

Inner Beauty

It doesn’t matter how so plain

Or rough the crust may be,

The kernel is what truly counts –

The part we cannot see.

A piece of land perceived as good

And ripe for human toil

May yet prove unproductive

Without the proper soil.

Can we appraise the sabre

While still within its sheath,

Or comprehend the ocean

Unless we look beneath?

Sights we often fail to see

And thoughtlessly pass by

May yet be those that satisfy

The palate, not the eye.

                           ========================

 Patience  and Patient:  The Chambers  Dictionary explains it respectively, as – able calmly to  

endure, not easily provoked or in a hurry.

The liberal use of the vehicle horn is one of the most common  causes of road rage. It  

is a usual sight to see and hear wordy combats over this  noise irritant. This is also likely to escalate and could end up in blows. For onlookers, it is open amusement, for those involved, an ego clash.

We have seen on numerous occasions, the amber gamblers on the road, the sudden spurt in

acceleration to beat, and blatantly disregard  the traffic lights, more often than not, the rider displaying a wolfish  triumphant smile. Time has assumed such   importance, for drivers, that in the few seconds of signal changeover, any number of foolhardy characters attempt and succeed in getting across the momentarily vacant  space. Many a time, a majority have been  stranded, due to their misjudgment, then their   looks of utter foolishness and comical grimaces evoke only contempt. That they are endangering lives, including their own, will never have crossed their minds.

 The two- wheeler riders, mounted on a variety of models, are most innovative in getting out

of a traffic jam or a vehicle gridlock. The footpaths or sidewalks are not sacrosanct, it is to be 

used as and when the roads are chock-a-block with vehicles. A familiar sight in cities, where the two wheeler count is spiraling upwards. They are the worst traffic offenders and the most aggressive. They follow the maxim, that rules are made to be broken. But their overbearing attitude, waters down to a faint meow, and they cut a ridiculous cringing sight  when hauled up for their gross violations. Patience on the part of the riders would have   spared them a fair amount of embarrassment and penal costs, not forgetting the loud curses heaped on them by the scattering  pedestrians.

Preethi and Neethi, two sisters, both in college, were speeding away on their two wheeler to the

bus station, as both  were going on a excursion. It was an hour past dawn; traffic was scanty, in

their hurry and eagerness, they cut a red light, misjudged the speed and distance of the vehicle

moving across, being driven too, at a fairly high clip. The collision occurred, resulting in

fatalities. Had they been patient?  A few seconds, the difference between life and death.

Interesting observations could be drawn from two persons conversing. Invariably, both want  

to be heard at the same time. The first few words invite interruptions, an interaction that 

could be completed in a few minutes, then continues and gets sidetracked. At times, decibel  

levels rise. Patience is again, needed. Similarly, in an interactive discussion, quite a few wait for  

a momentary pause from the speaker, to seize the opportunity for voicing of   individual views. Now it’s become a course in etiquette, The Art of Listening. How about  A Lesson in Patience? Second guessing is very common. A real dampener   whether chatting   or recounting jokes, it’s a spoiler. Is it one-upmanship?  Yes, it is. The saying works well  here – hold your tongue. As in movie theatres, where it is common to get a running commentary  on the scenes to unfold, till the spoilsport  is advised  in colourful terms  to ‘zip his lips’.

 The television talk shows are a great source of entertainment. A well conducted interview is a  

pleasure to hear and watch, the attention paid, the replies, generally not instant. The reverse is  

true in group discussions before an invited audience. Participants are drawn from different  

strata of society, proficient in their fields, including those from the political class. Here we find,  

the norm is to interrupt, impose their views, by usage of considerable lung power, and many a

time the moderator leads, by rudely cutting off the speaker in midsentence. It is then natural  

that watching leading figures and supposedly role models indulging in such crass  behaviour, the antics, and the daily, real life impatient soap operas, we witness and indulge in,  should come as no surprise. 

 Be it the railway station, bus stop, while alighting from a train, or as an aircraft taxies to a  

stop, passengers are in too much of a hurry to disembark.

The urge to be up, about and away is contagious, and like cattle, it is follow the leader.  

These are unnecessary painful add- ons in the path of a pleasant journey or trip. Do we need to  

rush, unless absolutely necessary? Despite the fast getaway, it is quite common to find,  

these dashers end up idling away their time, bellyaching all the while, their impatience and

rudeness on display. The ‘me first’ attitude.

 At home, why are parents at times, brusque with their children, why is it that the gentleness  

and the patience, not visible. There is more of short temperedness at home. There are  

innumerable write ups, being forwarded over the internet on the subject of interaction with  

children. Invariably, it is always the child’s gesture or an innocent question or remark that  

jerks the parent into reality.

 It has been said that leaders spend seventy percent of their time listening. How is it that  

 spectators are unusally quiet, while witnessing an absorbing game, like tennis, football or a  

limited overs cricket match? The tension and the silence is very palpable in crunch situations  

of the contest. Does this silence not come from within?  It indicates that it is possible to  

maintain ‘pin drop silence.‘

Is the lack or this deficiency, if we may call it that, in patience, all that bleak? Not so. We need  

to just look at our homemakers, the epitome of patience, very  hard working, efficient,  having  loads of patience, though many may disagree, their efforts are normally unacknowledged. Another sphere where, patience plays a large role, is in the kitchen. The cooks, chefs, well versed in their craft, if a mite hasty, the rebukes will never cease.  

Everything has to be just right, for which, patience plays a large role. We need to learn from them.

There is a distinct lack of self-discipline in ourselves. This needs to be inculcated at all 

levels, be it in at school, college, at work, at home, on the sports field, travelling,  

wherever one is.

 A course in Behaviourial Science is absolutely essential right through the educational  

phase, and should be made a compulsory subject in the syllabus. Organisations, could conduct  

Workshops and seminars on these aspects. Activate the visual and print media, to create  

extensive awareness. Use advertisement hoardings to get across messages, coin; new catchy

slogans. The onus lies in each individual to improve, bring about a transformation in our  

everyday lives. Life then, will definitely  change for the better. A saying goes ‘Charity

begins at  home,‘ so too does, kindness, courtesy and concern – all which come about  with a fair 

amount of patience. Just as we have  Mother’s  Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day we could 

soon end up, having Patience Day.  

                                                        End 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

This is the real meaning of love. If all the people on earth will learn to practice what this kind of love dictates, will there still be chaos, war and hate? Will these evil continue to prevail if love is taught, learned and practiced according to this standard from the bible? It may not be perfectly done, but if more and more people will learn to love this way, the world we live in will be such a beautiful place for everyone.

You must be patient.  Don’t press her for personal information like her real name or where she lives.  Keep your conversations light and fun until she feels comfortable talking with you online.  Don’t try to rush her into meeting face-to-face.  She will think you are desperate or a pervert.  Patience.  Patience. Patience.  

Be absolutely honest about your physical appearance and job.  A good relationship has never been, and will never be, built on lies and deceit.  Eventually she will find out the truth anyway and there you are back at square one.  

A picture really is worth a thousand words.  Post many pictures of yourself doing your everyday activities and make them full body shots, not just head shots.  If you were dating a girl in the real world she wouldn’t just see your head.  

Once the discussion has been opened about meeting face-to-face for the first time, suggest that you meet in a very public place, during daylight hours  and that she bring a friend with her.  After all, you have nothing to hide.  You’ve told her the truth about yourself and she has already seen a lot of pictures of you.  The only thing left is to make her feel safe meeting you.

     The people who don’t listen to others are the most pessimistic and unsocial human beings . Being a good listener is the key to be a good speaker and to succeed in life . It helps to build your life ease and sound .

     If you think about something , your opinion counts and you need more opinions to approve it . So, there is no way to go ahead , just begin listening others . Who knows you gonna get a valuable decision from others’ tongue .

    It doesn’t mean that you have to listen to all the people who come across your way, but if any voice comes to you focusing at you , then first listen to it . Figure out what’s the matter is ? Useless ? Ignore it . If it is for the betterment of  life , just note it . And try to follow it directly or indirectly .

    Listen to kids , listen to your elders , listen to poor, listen to your heart . Just keep on practising and think about  ”how to be  a good listener .” It’s one of the most important characteristics in your personality .

Storms, fire and weather disturbances come sometimes suddenly and most people are very much unprepared as well as unaware of what is and has taken place. It leaves some people despondent, angry, confused, and disillusioned, wondering what did I do to have this happen to me.  It is the same way spiritually when trials, circumstances and attacks come up against the people of God. They began to think that the Lord is angry at them or lied by forsaking them. The Lord promised to NEVER leave us nor FORSAKE us. The situations have you feeling like you are in a forsaken and in a very dark place, when actually it’s a blessed place. Once you realize the season (trial) you then will be able to realize the reason (purpose).

Your destiny will probably need a fire whiles others may need a tornado. The both of them are terrible and could be deadly but that is the true purpose of them ALL. We must really and truly die (spiritually) from the flesh and circumstances in order for the Father to get what He wants from and out of us ALL. Our mind tells us that we really wished or hoped that we were actually dead (physically). The attacks and catastrophes are just that upsetting and devastating sometimes to most of us.  If you could only see or get the revelation of your mishap, you will relax, STOP kicking and complaining, be still and KNOW that He is God and want His desires fulfilled in and through you for His purpose and for your happiness, always.

When catastrophes or certain seasons come; people from ALL walk of life will come together to lend a helping hand for the betterment of the injured or victims. This pattern is so recognizable when trials come to test or buffet you; the ministering angels are there to do what is needed on your behalf, as well.  You do not accept the help readily, for you want out and for the hard wind to stop blowing against you. The Lord PROMISED that He would NOT leave us ever but because of the present pain from the trial, we forget the help, and PROMISES FOR BEING TOO FOCUSED ON THE PROBLEM. Let the pain, mishaps, trials, attacks and every encounter takes its course as you allow the process to be fully completed without interruptions from your emotions of whining, rejecting and fighting it. Eventually you will come to understand and know that it was NOT that horrible as it seems.

The pain will last ONLY as long as you allow yourself, to feel the sting, focus on the attack from the pressure of it all, rather than the victorious expected outcome or end. You know it came, it is, and shall be resolved, for that too MUST pass where the Lord gets the glory and you get the reward of being the OVERCOMER as you were created to be. SO whenever a catastrophe come your way just say Lord what will you have me to DO and rest in HIM knowing that He has your best interest at heart and as long as you have breathe in your body, you will make it to that place called VICTORY.

NEVER doubt the journey that the Lord puts you on but ALWAYS doubt it when you have decided to take a journey without Him, and His approval. Your pleasure comes from your divine purpose and therefore He KNOWS the directions you should take and embark upon. STAY PUT and continue FORWARD-NO MATTER WHAT, NO MATTER HOW HOT OR PAINFUL, for it does subside in due season.

With all those modern gadgets — cell phones, speed dials, e-mails, search engines, websites, Facebook, and similar stuffs, it’s impossible not to have a word from him. If a guy really wants to be with you or would want to talk to you (if only because he thinks his voice is glorious to you), he will find a way to connect : no alibis.

An alibi is worse than no alibi; it makes the fault worse than the alibi. Alibis are forms of deceit. Deception is deception in any language. There is no justification for it; it just does not happen. On the other hand an alibi could be a form of polite rejection or polite evasion. Either way it hurts, definitely not in the job description of true love. If you have lost him to someone else, remember that no man is stolen or allows himself to be stolen. Nagging him would only give him a chance to say NO louder—- to inflict the wound deeper. It’s like beating yourself, digging the hole deeper for your grave. It’s painful to be left licking his chops. Unfair.

Missing someone is a sign of a healthy relationship. If he likes or loves you enough he won’t forget how nice you are. Ever. He promised to call or come but didn’t, making you appear like a creep. All right, he did call but told you that he had an insanely busy day. That’s a load of crap. You should be after a guy who’s good as his word. To waste time with a guy who’s not serious is to waste time and feeling— feeling stupid. “There’s no cure for stupid.” Time enough to sniff the bad news: he’s just not interested. A guy who wants a woman to be part of his life will work for it.

While those omniscient books advice patience and understanding, this time it should not be the case. Listen to the knell of parting. Assume rejection no matter how much he is worth dying for. Being dumped or taken for granted is an insult. He makes you feel so unattractive and meaningless. Why should you feel needy and obsessed and allow yourself to be stepped on like a doormat?

Don’t allow the fall-off to rattle your world. Cut him off. Get on the saddle again. Don’t ever give him the chance to ever reject you again. You are simply fabulous in your own way. Out there is a guy who can’t wait to love you. Find him, keep moving. Look no farther than your own happiness. ###

In these days of retrenchment, stress, deadlines, and 24 hours of the day falling short, our temperament has changed drastically. Have we forgotten to be patient? Have we forgotten to be compassionate, understanding, and least of all – loving? Most alarmingly, the answer to both of my above questions will be a YES for most of us. Don’t blame yourself…the everyday grinding that all of us go through give us this state of mind. Most obviously you vent out your frustration on people weaker than you or whose relationship you take for granted.

Let us take the closest person to you…your spouse or better half. You have a hurried stressed out day, the boss randomly targets you, you end up late for collecting your children from school, the grocery store is packed with people and you wait a long time to get through, you get home and hurriedly prepare dinner to the best of your ability, then your hubby dear comes home at 9 in the night, has a comfortable bath, spends some time with the children and then comes to the dinner table and says “Honey is this dinner?” BOOM! This acts like a prick of pin on a full blown balloon…!. Now, take a scenario, where you are home the whole day, relaxing out, then if the same dialogue came from your hubby, would your reaction be the same? Maybe not!

Sometimes, we do the same thing with our children, parents, grandparents……Now stop right there! All this does not mean, we have become mean people. It is just that we are pressurized. The level of expectation is very high from us. We are running pillar to post every single day, morning to night to meet those expectations. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes we are not…these “are not” times are the ones that put us into tantrums. But for a minute, pause your thoughts. Get into the boots of the person on whom you are venting. It will surprise you that even they are in the same mode as we are. PRESSURIZED! Maybe we don’t think so……but remember the saying: The other side of the river always looks greener!!

At this point, I want to share a personal experience, which changed the way I thought. Only the other day, after a long tiring day, when we sat for dinner, a petty issue rose up and I ended up venting on my spouse…for sometime he tried to calm me down, then I left my food half eaten, stormed into my bedroom, hit the bed…..and believe me, I do not recollect anything after that. I was so tired – I FELL ASLEEP! Next morning, when I woke up, I felt really sorry for what I had done…I told my hubby so. To my utter disbelief, my husband, who is generally very short tempered, in a soothing voice told me “it is okay…..I know you are trying very hard. Take some rest.” It brought tears to my eyes. He realizes my condition, do I realize his?

We are human beings, we tend to make mistakes, but being human we have the responsibility to rectify it also. Patience and Love are the key things for any relationship. If you love your relations, you can never think of hurting them and if by chance you do, there is no harm in a simple SORRY. It will not make you bow down in front of any one, instead it will grow the love.

Do not take any relationship for granted. Every relationship needs care. Quitting is an easy way to shrug away your responsibilities but being in a relationship, where making it work and keeping it happy is in your hands……takes a lot of efforts. We are excelling in all our outside ventures, then can’t we excel in our family life also? If both the people start thinking in this way, life would be such a wonderful journey. If my article makes a difference in even one family life, I would think I am successful. My husband’s thoughts influenced me to think in this way and my endeavor is to influence at least one mind, who would take up the task of keeping a relationship healthy with his or her efforts. Let us try……Will We? Every time you are angry on a person, SHUT UP, and just think how much you love him or her…..Which weighs heavier?? THINK and then go ahead and react!!! Have a happy life!

`Everyone is responsible to promote love with respect, love with self- control and love with LOVE. How can you love with out love? of course by disrespecting your partner.

`But, there is one thing for sure we are agreeing with; media have forgotten to promote love, morality and character, instead they are promoting sex, crimes, violence, abortion, divorce, disrespect, hatred and a lot more.

`What included media? television, internet, radio, newspaper, magazine and technologies. Most of their shows are really hazardous to children. Poisoning the mind of everyone through ads that saying “it is alright, everyone does it”.

`Unfortunately, everyone loves media. We need it. But media are irresponsible in many ways.

`Who will love waiting? Who will love the idea of sex after marriage? Who will engage himself to a promise and vow, no kissing until we reach the altar?

`Hard! right? But this is God’s plan in humanity, to enjoy  sex with his presence, blessings and favor. Sex is sacred and holy thing before God, because He is the maker of sex. 

`Because of our disobedience to God, we are now experiencing poverty, illness and sicknesses, broken family, no peace in heart, and ruin.

`Maybe waiting is not easy but it is worth trying for.

  Sex is awesome feeling, and it will be more awesome in God’s perfect timing.