Inspirational Stories

The Importance of Being Danny

by Daphne Dykeman

It was my first year teaching high school drama. My class and I had decided to tackle Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Several of the boys auditioned for the plum role of "Jack," the straight man character to the witty "Algernon." As much as the other students wanted the role, Danny wanted it most of all, and I wanted nothing more than to give it to him.

Danny, as far as I had seen, had never cared about anything in school before. Although he was often in danger of failing a subject, it never seemed to bother him. He coasted along, smiling and charming. He was one of the nicest boys in the school, but I often wondered what would happen if he cared more. Now I had the chance to find out.

I was ecstatic when Danny nailed his audition. His lines weren't always right on, but he brought life to the character with his intensity and perfect earnestness. I thought the lines would come later. Right now, I had my Earnest.

The lines, however, did not come. As each memorization deadline passed, Danny was falling further and further behind. I took my free classes to go over the text with him, breaking it down, giving him every memory aid that I could think of. We recorded the lines and he played them over and over again at home, but they just wouldn't stick. Opening night was approaching, and I was losing my patience. Didn't he care? Why wouldn't he work harder?

Shortly before dress rehearsals, Danny was, quite by coincidence, brought up for discussion at our weekly staff meeting. His mother had always worried about his failures at school and had finally taken Danny to be assessed for learning disabilities. She asked permission to share the results at our meeting, and we discovered that Danny hadn't been coasting through school-he had been drowning, and no one had realized it.

She didn't have a label for the difficulties that Danny was facing, but it boiled down to a processing problem. He had difficulty storing and retrieving information in his memory. Hearing that, all I could think was, "I cast him as the lead in our play!"

It was too late to recast. I couldn't do that to him, anyway. His heart was set on the role, and he was still working heroically through the lines. I headed into the last week of rehearsals not knowing if he could get through, but knowing that I had to let him try.

The dress rehearsal was a disaster. Danny was still fumbling, and the rest of the cast, dealing with their own nerves, were missing cues and losing the thread of the dialogue when Danny forgot his lines. We went through the play twice, ran out of time, and then sat down to pray together briefly. Danny went home to cram for the next evening. I went home knowing that the situation was entirely out of my hands. I was terribly afraid that the role that was supposed to energize Danny would, instead, destroy him.

Finally the time had come, it was opening night. Danny's first scene was a bit ragged, but passable. As the play progressed, however, the cast seemed to be coming together in a way I had never seen in rehearsals. Danny's costars were improvising brilliantly to make up for any lines that he dropped, while Danny himself doggedly plowed through. Some lines he made up, some he dropped, and some particularly vital ones he read off cheat sheets taped to props. I felt a wonderful atmosphere in the auditorium. The entire audience seemed to be pulling for Danny, willing him along. And he, with the wonderful earnestness of his own personality, fought every inch of the way to the play's hilarious climax and won the evening with persistence and courage and a smile.

Ode To Nan

by Michael Moore

The small brick, wartime house, on the quiet suburban street with an addition built onto the back always brought back fond memories for me.

Memories of water fights fought under the old maple tree that still stood proudly in the front yard. Of the numerous afternoons spent playing road hockey in the street with the neighbor's kids, or quietly learning how to pick rhubarb, while my Nan gave me sound advice.

Whenever I found myself walking up her front steps, the memories would always flood my mind and bringing a smile to my face.

My Nan was no longer able to garden or even get out of bed. In fact, she could barely string together three sentences without coughing up phlegm.

"Hi, Nan, it's Mike!" I would yell, upon entering the house. Since Nan couldn't get out of bed to see who was there, I only thought it polite.

From around the corner would come her reply, beckoning me into the bedroom where she lay. Often she would have a pile of yarn in her lap, a crossword puzzle, or a dog-eared book and she always had a smile for me.

However, that smile couldn't cover up the fact that her body was crumbling around her. Tired, watery eyes and a body, which looked like it was made of sharp angles of bone with no flesh, were always the first things I noticed...Continue reading here.

My Most Important Lesson

When I was in high school, I took a sociology course. The teacher, Mrs. Naylor, was quite good and the students liked her. In particular, we enjoyed her class because we could discuss any and all aspects of human behavior with her. She led the lessons in an open forum, where nothing was too taboo or improper to bring up and explore.

One day, as we entered the classroom and sat down in our usual places, we found a substitute teacher there instead of our instructor. When we asked where Mrs. Naylor was, we were informed that her father had just passed away and that she would be away for a week.

After a week had passed, Mrs. Naylor returned. Seeing her in class for the first time since her father's funeral, I wanted to go up and give my condolences. But I was frozen; I simply couldn't do it. Instead, I hurriedly took a seat at one of the desks, waiting impatiently for class to start. Secretly, I hoped that maybe the other students would go up and give her their sympathies. Yet, as student after student filed into the classroom, the same thing occurred: everyone quietly took their seats, saying nothing... continue reading here.

My Bike

by Amy Black

It was my tenth birthday. The day before my father had promised me a ten speed bicycle. I had wanted a ten speed ever since I was tall enough for my feet to reach the pedals. So, when he told me he would give me one for my birthday, I was excited.

My mother, who had divorced him a year earlier, knew he had a tendency to lie. Since she loved me, she didn't want me to get my hopes up. She knew if he lied that I would get hurt. The thing was I knew that he lied a lot, but I still wanted to believe him.

The day finally arrived... Continue reading click here.

Thank God for Donna

by Karen Amato Schwartz

Not only was Donna my very first supervisor, she was also 35 years older than I-and my role model. Her zest for life was reflected in her part time career as a clown, her fashionable wardrobe, and a pet monkey. We were sisters under the skin because we both disliked her boss, and since this boss disliked us, we became allies.

Donna commended and defended my work performance with the documentation she made sure to retain, and often debated her boss’s opinions about me. I am forever grateful to Donna for setting my life along its path. For, in my third year, our company initiated an employee management aptitude test. Donna submitted my name because she recognized skills in me that even I didn’t know I had. She felt that I deserved an opportunity, even though it meant exposing herself to wrath and possible ridicule from her boss, should I fail. How could I ever repay her for that selflessness? The only way would be to not let her down, so I didn’t.

My resulting promotion into supervisory and management ...Continue reading here.

Scratch Resistant

by Tammy Ruggles

"Slow down, Joey! You're going to get hurt!"

He didn't hear me, of course. What four-year-old does when he has a towel fastened around his neck pretending to be Batman?

I was busy cooking lunch in our on-campus family housing unit. Baked chicken, roasted potatoes, and sweet corn, one of the family's favorites, especially Joey's.

The day was like any other Saturday. I finally had time off to rest and spend time with my little boy. After lunch we usually went to feed the ducks at the lake, or a bike ride, or a walk down to the campus art museum and science display. He was fascinated with the paintings, statues, rocks, and bugs.

"I'm Batman, Mommy!" he cried happily as he and his friend Chris ran past me and flew outside to play.

"I know you are!" I yelled back as I stirred the corn. "Just slow down!"

We had just seen Batman the weekend before. This was Joey's very first feature-length movie in a theater. Ever since then, it was a Batman world for him. He liked the comics, the toys, the trading cards, anything Batman.

"If you save all of this stuff," I told him, "you could make a lot of money off of it one day."

"Really?" he asked as he looked up at me with his blue-gray eyes and innocent face. "Will I be rich?"

"I don't know about rich, but collectors pay a pretty penny for stuff like this."

I began to think about how I myself had been a Batman fan when I was little. It was the first thing I watched when I got home from school. I remember playing just like that when I was his age, except that my cape was a sheet of yellow tarp-like plastic that looked more like Robin's cape than Batman's.

The chicken, corn, and potatoes were done, so I turned the stove off and walked toward the door to call for Joey to come and eat, but they were already on their way. Two colorful streaks headed for the front door before I could even open my mouth.

Chris was in the lead. He pushed open my front door and let it swing back, and Joey, right behind him, put his arms out to catch it. But instead of catching it, his momentum propelled him through the glass....continue reading here.

The Smallest Gestures

I have a phobia about dentists. I don't remember exactly when it started because as a child I was I fine. Sitting in the dentist's chair didn't scare me at all. As an adult however even the thought of having to go for a routine check-up would create nausea and lack of sleep. A toothache was the last thing I needed!

The ache started gently enough, just a twinge. But then it quickly escalated into a pain that was hardly bearable. I tried heat pads to the side of my face. I tried over-the-counter medication and old wife's tales. I even used soluble painkillers as a mouthwash hoping that the tooth would sort itself out and I could forget about it. It didn't. Nothing works. Eventually I had to give in and make an appointment at the nearest dentist office.

The dentist knew about my phobia and was reassuring when I arrived for my examination. The only problem the dentist found was a tooth at the back that needed to be pulled. We made a time for the next day.

After another sleepless night, I arrived again at the dentist office where the offending tooth was removed. As I passed back through the reception area I saw my mom sitting there. She'd not mentioned that she was coming but she knew about my phobia and had come to make sure that I was ok.

I was so happy to see her there. Even though the tooth was out, the pain gone and the dental trauma over with, the fact that she'd take the time to come to the dentist's office, especially when she does not drive, to be there when I came out was the best surprise ever.

A lot has happened since then, but 10 years later I can still remember the feeling that "everything's going to be ok" that came over me when I saw her sitting in that room.

Sometimes it is the smallest gestures that mean the most.

The Journey

Time, how we all wish we could have more time. Ultimately, this is the single most important commodity in life. Among all of the things we value most, time is the only thing that can never be regained or replaced once it has been spent. Life is a hard teacher. It shows us that we can have anything we want, but not everything we want.

Physically each of us can only put his or her body in one place at one time. There are only 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and each of us only have an allotted number of years to do what we want in life. These are real limits that we cannot change. These time limits are also compounded by the fact that we are forced to spend most of our time taking care of ourselves; like eating, sleeping, washing, and of course making money to take care of ourselves. When you think about it, you could ask how we have any time to spend on anything else. Since our time here is limited it is important that we use this time well. Life provides no dress rehearsals; each one of us gets only one chance at this life.

The best thing we can do for ourselves is to carefully choose how we spend our time, right from the beginning, and if we make mistakes, we should learn from them and rectify them if possible. Once we are sure of our choices, then we should commit to them, act on them, and never look back. We can have anything but not everything. We should not look back. This is the past and you cannot change the past. Looking back provides nothing of value, and only makes you second guess the future. I believe that we are doing the best we can with the knowledge we have.

It is important to remember that life is a succession of choices. Many of us avoid risks that are involved in moving toward what we want. We do this to be safe and stay comfortable. The fear of finding ourselves outside of our comfort zones only leads to more fear. We will find ourselves trapped in lives that we do now want and doing things we really do not want to do. If we should chose to fight the fear we have inside, we will end up doing something new, something different, and maybe something hard, but we will conquer that fear and move ahead. If we go outside of our comfort zones enough, we can gradually overcome the fear of attempting the unknown. Helen Keller wrote that "life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing." Think about that.

You fight your fears; you feel them and act on them. When this happens it is called courage. Some of the choices you have made and will make may be difficult. Remember to have faith in yourself that you will make the best decision you can at the time. Do not regret what you cannot change. Remember life is a journey, enjoy the scenery along the way. Love yourself, respect yourself, and believe in yourself for this will make the journey fun, exciting and worth the trip.

Have courage, be strong, and always look ahead. The future is waiting.

Home Remedies for the Soul

When I was young my mother would look for remedies to cure my hurts and sickness. Some of these remedies worked while others did not. Among all of the home remedies she tried, the ones that seemed to work best were the ones that made me feel loved, important and wanted. There was just something about feeling loved and knowing I was important that made all of my problems seem to go away. The best home remedy for the soul I have ever encountered is knowing how much my life mattered, knowing that I was important and someone cared.

Unfortunately as I grew older I felt my life did not matter. The pressures of life left me feeling that I was no good, not important, and not needed. Self-doubt filled me; thoughts of not being good enough consumed me. I longed for someone to prove to me that I was worth living. My soul ached for the remedies I knew as a child, and I thought I would never see them again.

Fortunately the human spirit has a resolve that can be found in the darkest despair. If you look hard enough within, you will meet the person who will show you the reason you are here. It will not come from a place you expect, but rather a quiet inner voice of someone familiar. If you listen, you will discover that it is not someone else who will remedy your soul, just you.

Once I discovered that feeling needed and wanted had to come from within first, I was able to move on with my life. I met someone who could understand me and made me feel wanted. I married and had children of my own. Looking inside myself I discovered that what I was looking for was already inside me. I did not have to look to others to find love or feelings of being needed. They were there inside of me all along. As I spend time trying to find remedies that would cure my own children's sickness. I find again that love and making them feel wanted seems to be the best medicine for any hurt.

Of all the things I have experience in life; I have learned that life is much easier when you know you matter, but first you have to matter to yourself. To find remedies for the soul you could try going to others, buy it in a bottle, but relying on other devices to make you feel good will not lead you to find true happiness. First you must look deep into yourself. There you will discover the best home remedy for the soul there is, you. Love yourself, take care of yourself, be persistent, and remember you are special there is no one else quite like you.

Infinite Possibilities

May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of the universe....
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is here for every one of us.--Unknown

The Crayola Bomb

Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with their imagination.

Robert Fulghum

If A Dog Were Your Teacher

If a dog were your teacher these are some of the lessons you might learn...

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest. practice obedience. Let others know when they've invaded your territory. Take naps and stretch before rising. Run romp and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do. On warm days stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree. When you're happy dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded don't buy into the guilt thing and pout run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day be silent ..... ...sit close by.

...and nuzzle them gently.

Author Unknown

THE OTHER SIDE

One day a young Buddhist on his journey home, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher, "Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river"? The teacher ponders for a moment looks up and down the river and yells back, "My son, you are on the other side".

Things to Remember

Your life was a gift to the world, take that gift and use it wisely. You are unique and one of a kind, no one else is quite like you. You can make your life be anything you want it to be. Remember to take one day at a time. Count your blessings, not your troubles. You will make it through whatever comes along. Within you are so many answers. Understand, have courage, be strong. Do not put limits on yourself. So many dreams are waiting to be realized. Decisions are too important to leave to chance. Reach for your peak, your goal and you prize. Nothing wastes more energy than worrying. The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets. Do not take things too seriously. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets. Remember that a little love goes a long way. Remember that a lot of love … goes on forever. Remember that friendship is a wise investment. Life’s treasure are people together. Realize that it is never too late. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way. Have hearth and hope and happiness. Take the time to wish upon a start. and most importantly do not forget …. not even for a second just how special you are!