A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a

cup of coffee the same way again.

 

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and

how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going

to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and

struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

 

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with

water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.

In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and

in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and

boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off

the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.

She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled

the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter,

she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

 

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her

closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that

they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg

and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard

boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the

coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The

daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

 

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same

adversity - boiling water - each reacted differently. The carrot

went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being

subjected to the

boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had

been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid

interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside

became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however.

After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

 

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on

your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a

coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems

strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and

lose my strength?

 

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with

the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup,a

financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and

stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter

and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

 

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot

water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water

gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the

bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the

situation around you.

 

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you

elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? Count your blessings,

not your problems..... Putting others first makes relationships

last. You might want to send this message to those people who mean

something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life

in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really

need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when

you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; to

those who are so meaningful in your life.

 

If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to

brighten someone's day with this message!!!

 

Don't count the years-count the memories...........

 

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the

moments that take our breath away!