Recently I read a true story about a young man, Ted Bengermino, who was a non-commissioned officer for the 94th Division, after the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Stressed to the max, Ted collapsed and had to be sent to a hospital.

After examining the young soldier, an Army doctor said, "Think of your life as an hourglass.
There are thousands of grains of sand in the top of the hourglass; and they all pass slowly and
evenly through the narrow neck in the middle. Nothing you or I can do would make more than
one grain of sand pass through this narrow neck without impairing the hourglass. When we
start in the morning, there are hundreds of tasks that we feel we must accomplish that day. But
if we do not take them one at a time and let them pass through the day slowly and evenly, as
do the grains of sand passing through the narrow neck of the hourglass, then we are bound to
break our own physical or mental structure."

Life is very demanding and stressful at best. What Ted learned is to take a step at a time
and realize that he couldn't fix everything and make it perfect. What he could control is how he
responded to his conditions and varying situations, dealing with one condition at a time. When
he related this story to Dale Carnegie, many years ago, he had achieved a high level of
success in his life, living according to this wisdom shared by a wise physician.

We live in very stressful times today. Assaulted by fears from every corner of life we can
tremble and become immobilized as Ted did or learn the lesson of insight given by a caring
physician. Our future is made by what we create and do today.

Empower yourself. Today is your diamond of wealth, your sacred possession. It is yours to
live fully; to be painted, sculpted, as you desire. You are the boss of your personal world, take
charge and enjoy it.
Donna Seebo

The Dalai Lama Personality Test ~~ "Make a wish before starting the test."

Answer each question step by step. This test has only 4 questions. It is designed to tell you
a lot about yourself.

First, list the following animals according to your preference: (A) Cow; (B) Tiger; (C) Sheep;
(D) Horse; (E) Pig.

Second, write a word that describes each of the following: (A) Dog; (B) Cat; (C) Rat; (D)
Coffee; (E) Ocean.

Third, think about someone (who also knows you and is important to you,) that can be
related to the following colors (do not repeat your answers). Do not repeat your colors. (A)
Yellow; (B) Orange; (C) Red; (D) White (E) Green.

Fourth, write down your favorite number, as well as your favorite weekday. Did you finish? Verify that all your answers are accurate. Last chance now, look at the answers at the end of this newsletter. Submitted by Rev. Suzi

"Halloween is a big deal in our neighborhood, even for the adults. One year when my
children went trick-or-treating, a woman answered her door wearing an outlandish dress, along
with garish makeup and a wild hairdo. We made joking comments about her costume as the
kids got their candy, and then we went on our way.

A month later I bumped into the same lady at the grocery store. I had no trouble recognizing
her immediately-she looked exactly the same." L. Allin Cannady

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that
she didn't know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the
time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each
on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the
second pot, and ground coffee in the third pot. He let them sit and boil, with out saying a word
to his daughter.

The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After 20
minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed t hem in a
bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and
placed it into a cup. Turning to her he asked, "Daughter, what do you see?"

"Potatoes, eggs and coffee!" she hastily replied.

"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes." She did and noted that they were soft. He
then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the
hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. It's rich aroma brought a smile to her
face.

"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same
adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was
fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water.
Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique.
After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something
new.

"Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you
respond? Are you a potato, an egg or a coffee bean?

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is
what happens with in us. Which one are you?