ENJOY YOUR COFFEE

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, gottogether for a visit with their old university professor. The conversationsoon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life ingeneral. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchenand soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment ofcups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, somequite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the oldprofessor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address thesmall gathering. "You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cupswere taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While itis only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that isactually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued, "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. Then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this:

Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!"

The happiest people don't have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have. So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. And remember- the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

I'm thankful for the special flavor you add to my coffee.

A Story of Baby Jesus

It was the day AFTER Christmas at a church in San Francisco . The pastor of the church was looking at the manger scene, when he noticed that the baby Jesus figure was missing from the cradle.

He immediately turned and went outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon walking down the street. And in the wagon, was the figure of the infant Jesus.

So he walked up to the boy and said, 'Son, where did you get that little baby Jesus that's in your wagon?' The little boy replied, 'I got him from the church.' 'And why did you take him?'asked the pastor. The little boy replied, 'Well, about a week before Christmas, I prayed to the little Lord Jesus.

I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give him a ride around the block in it.' Smile!