posted February 13, 2008 04:24 PM         

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers,
got together for a visit with their old university
professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the
endless stress of work and life in general...

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and
soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of
cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive,
some quite 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 old
professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address
the small gathering...

''You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up
first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is
only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is
actually 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.

posted February 17, 2008 02:24 PM         

as my beloved mother used to love to opine....

money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery a whole lot nicer...

posted February 17, 2008 08:02 PM         

Another corollary by singer David Lee Roth of Van Halen: