A cup of coffee . . .

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother, told her about her life and howthings were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going tomake it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting andstruggling. It seemed as though every time one problem was solved, anew one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with waterand placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In thefirst she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in thelast 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 thecarrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out andplaced them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it ina bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. Shedid and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughterto take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observedthe hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip thecoffee. 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 sameadversity, boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. But after beingsubjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected itsliquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, itsinside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in theboiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks onyour door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffeebean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, butwith pain and adversity do I wilt, become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes withthe heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break-up, afinancial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened andstiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, am I bitter andtough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hotwater, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water getshot, it releases the fragrance and flavour. If you are like the bean,when things are at their worst, you get better and change thesituation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do youelevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Areyou a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?


May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best or most ofeverything; they just make the most of everything that comes alongtheir way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgottenpast; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your pastfailures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you wassmiling. Live your life so that, at the end, you're the one who issmiling and everyone around you is crying.

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult. This is so true…May we all be like the COFFEE!

$ $ $