The need to persist.....

I will never forget this story of the boy who was walking home one day from school. His journey home had to pass a beach and in the dim evening twilight, he started kicking at the many stones that littered his way. One of these 'stones' turned out to be a lamp where a genie suddenly emerged from it. The boy excitedly asked the genie if he could be granted a wish. "But I am not that kind of a genie," was the reply. "However for freeing me from this prison I will give you a sound piece of advice. Pick up all the stones you see along the way home," whereupon the genie disappeared.

The boy did as the genie said and he loaded up his empty school bag with stones. As he did this, the bag get heavier and heavier. Soon his shoulders hurt and he started to throw one stone away and then another and yet another. Soon he had thrown away almost all the stones. When he reached home, he thought nothing of what had happened and he tossed his bag to his mother to be washed.

After a while, his mother excitedly ran in and asked him where he had found his stones. she exclaimed that there was one small little stone there and it was piece of gold nugget. The boy realized the fantastic advice of the genie and he quickly ran back to pick back all the stones he had thrown away but alas, there were none that could be found. All of the 'gold' that were his were all gone.

Opportunities like this story of the boy's stones come once in a long while. The big question is our response to the opportunities that come our way. How often do we miss out on what we could have been because we were put off by the difficulties and the loads!

Nothing ever comes easy and those who are afraid of carrying the burdens can never hope to build the dreams that could have so readily be theirs.