What Goes Around Comes Around! (Waitress Story)

 One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road,

but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard...

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

Ethical Stories: What Goes Around Comes Around! (Carpenter Story)

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire, and he told his boss of his plans to leave and live a more leisurely life with his wife. He would miss the paycheck, he could get by, but he needed to retire.

The contractor was sorry to see such a good worker go, and he asked the carpenter to build just one more house as a personal favor.

The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, the contractor came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," contractor said. "It is my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built.

If we could do it over, we would do it much differently. But we cannot go back...

You are the carpenter of your life. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Your attitudes and the choices you make today build your "house" for tomorrow...

Ethical Stories: Everything happens for a reason (African king Story or Ethics in Islam)

Once upon a time an African king who had a close friend that he grew with. The friend had a habit to face each situation that happened in its life (positive or negative) saying: "That is good! Almighty Allah knows more".

The king and his friend one day left for a hunt. The friend loaded and prepared the weapons for the king. Apparently, the friend had made something missed in the preparation of one of the weapons, the king shot and it took his thumb away. When examining the situation, the friend observed as always: "That is good! Almighty Allah knows more". The king answered, "No, this is not good", he commanded the soldiers who arrested his friend and put him in the prison. After one year, the king was hunting in a region where, cannibals appeared, and captured the king and took him to their village. They tied his hands, and piled up the firewood. When the cannibals came closer to the fire they noticed that the king did not have the thumb. As they were superstitious, they never ate who had a part of his body missing.

Thus, after setting the king free, they banished him from the village. When the king arrived at its palace, remembered the incident about his thumb and felt remorse for the treatment given to his friend. Immediately, he pays a visit to the prisoner to speak with his friend. "You were right", said the king. "It was good that I lost my thumb". The king started to tell his friend everything that happened to him. "I am sorry that I have ordered you to prison for such a long period. It was a great mistake". "No", the friend said, "That was the good decision, because Almighty Allah knows more". "What do you mean by that? How it can be good decision? I ordered my best friend to prison?" The friend answered: "Remember that Almighty Allah knows more and if I was not in the prison certainly I would be with you in the hunt". Then you know what would have happened with me?

"He knows what is before them and what is behind them and to Allah are all affairs turned back". Noble Qur'an, Surah Al Hajj (22:76)

Do not judge the facts or events for the immediate results! Almighty Allah, the Highest, the Omniscient and the Wise, knows more.

When we faced by circumstances that are no good, we react quickly, "This is not good." but, perhaps we did not know the reason behind it. It can become a good thing also. Hence, from next time onward, when we face any type of situation. Let us not jump into any conclusion, always remember. This life is a test. The good and the bad, nothing happen without any reason. Our mind is not prepared to understand the reason.

Ethical Stories: Cats and Roosters Story (What Goes Around Comes Around!)

Once upon a time in Africa, roosters ruled cats. The cats worked hard all day and at night they had to bring all they had gathered for the roosters. The king of the roosters would take all the food for himself and for the other roosters.

The roosters loved to eat ants. Thus, every cat had a purse hung round its neck, which it filled with ants for the king of the roosters.

The cats did not like the situation. They wanted to rid themselves of the king so that the food they gathered through hard work and great difficulty would be their own. But they were afraid of the roosters.

The roosters had told the cats that rooster's combs were made out of fire and that the fire of their combs would burn anyone who disobeyed them! The cats believed them and therefore worked from early morning until night for the roosters.

One night, the fire on the house of Mrs. Cat went out. She told her kitten, Fluffy, to bring some fire from Mr. Rooster's house.

When Fluffy went into the house of the rooster, she saw that Mr. Rooster was fast asleep, his stomach swollen with the ants he had eaten. The kitten was afraid to wake the rooster, so she returned home empty handed and told her mother what had happened.

Mrs. Cat said, "Now that the rooster is asleep, gather some dry twigs and place them near his comb. As soon as the twigs catch fire, bring them home."

Fluffy gathered some dry twigs and took them to the rooster's house. He was still asleep. Fluffy fearfully put the dry twigs near the rooster's comb but it was no use, the twigs did not catch fire. Fluffy rubbed the twigs against the rooster's comb again but it was no use they would not catch fire. Fluffy returned home without any fire and told her mother, "The roost's comb does not set twigs on fire."

Mrs. Cat answered "Why can't you do anything right! Come with me I'll show you how to make fire with the rooster's comb." So together they went to the house of Mr. Rooster.

He was still asleep. Mrs. Cat put the twigs as near to the rooster's comb as she could. But the twigs did not catch fire. Then, shaking with fear, she put her paw near the rooster's comb and gently touched it. To her surprise, the comb was not hot, it was very cold, and it was just red colored.

As soon as Mrs. Cat realized that the roosters had lied to the cats about their combs, she joyfully went out and told the other cats about the rooster's tricks. From that day on, the cats no longer worked for the roosters.

At first, the king of the roosters became very angry and said to the cats; "I will burn all of your houses if you do not work for me!"

But the cats said, "Your comb is not made of fire. It is just the color of fire. We touched it when you were sleep. You lied to us.

When the king of the roosters found out that the cats knew that he had lied to them, he ran away. Now, whenever roosters see a cat, they scurry away, because to this very day they are afraid of cats.