For today’s perspective builder, I’m going to indulge in a more personal message than usual.  This would have been my mother’s birthday.  She passed away several years ago and in tribute to her memory, I wanted to share something today that embodies who she was and the legacy she left with her family.

She went through many trials in her life as many people are these days, but through her example I learned that no matter how difficult things may seem, there is never a time so difficult that you cannot find peace and fulfillment in the moments of your days.    

Have a peaceful week, everyone. 

Lynn

 The Real Meaning of Peace

~Author Unknown

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it.  Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.  All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest – in perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

“Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”