The missing brick

Not feeling very well this morning I stayed several hours in, lying on my couch, doing some web-surfing and reading my 2-reasons favourite book. I uploaded some more segments from it in my blog and here is another one that, at the moment, drawn my attention:

“Once, when I and my wife were travelling, I received a fax from my secretary.

‘There’s one glass brick missing for the work on the kitchen renovation’, she said. ‘I’m sending you the original plan as well as the plan the builder has come up with to compensate for it.’

On the one hand, there was the design my wife had made: harmonious lines of bricks with an opening for ventilation. On the other, there was the plan drawn up to resolve the problem of the missing brick: a real jigsaw puzzle in which the glass squares were arranged in a high-gledy-piggledy fashion that defied aesthetics.

‘Just buy another brick,’ wrote my wife. And so they did, and thus stuck to the original design.

That afternoon, I thought for a long time about what had happened; how often, for the lack of one brick, we completely distort the original plan of our lives.”

(Paulo Coelho’s Like the flowing river)

... and God created the mother!

When I started this blog one of the texts I had chosen to post was Coelho's story in Greek as it was a gift to me from my daughters.
Today I found the English version via Facebook from the author's blog: http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/05/08/character-of-the-week-the-mother/

I was surprised by the fact that he calls the angel as female...

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into his sixth day of “overtime” when an angel appeared and said:
“You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And the Lord said, “Have you read the specs on this order?

* She has to be completely washable, but not plastic;
* Have 180 movable parts… all replaceable;
* Run on black coffee and leftovers;
* Have a lap that disappears when she stands up;
* A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair;
* And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands… no way.”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” said the Lord. “It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel.

The Lord nodded.
“One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ’What are you kids doing in there?’
“Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know.
“And of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, ’I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”

“Lord,” said the angel, touching His sleeve gently, “Go to bed. Tomorrow…”

“I can’t,” said the Lord, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick
“…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger
“… and can get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

“But she’s tough!” said the Lord excitedly. “You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

“Can she think?”

“Not only can she think, but she can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.
“There’s a leak,” she said. “I told You were trying to push too much into this model.”

“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “It’s a tear.”

“What’s it for?”

“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”

And the Mother was created – a work of genius.

unanswered questions, by P. Coelho, the googliest

Climbing up a track in the Pyrenees in search of somewhere to practice archery, I came upon a small French army camp, where I met a colonel who asks me if I am the writer. And then, getting over his almost visible shyness, he tells me that he too has written a book and begins to explain me the curious genesis of his work.

He and his wife made donations for a leper child who originally lived in India but was later transferred to France. One fine day, curious to meet the little girl, they went to the convent where the nuns took care of the child. One of the nuns asked if he would help in the spiritual education of the group of children who lived there. Jean Paul Sétau (the officer’s name) said that he had no experience teaching the catechism but that he would give it some thought and ask God what he should do.

That night, after saying his prayers, he heard the answer: “instead of offering answers, try to find out what the children want to ask.”

From then on Sétau had the idea of visiting several schools, asking children for the questions to be put in writing, so that the more timid among the pupils would lose their fear of exposing themselves.

Here are some of them:

Where do we go after we die?

Why are we afraid of strangers?

Are there extra-terrestrial beings?

Why do accidents happen even to people who believe in God?

Why are we born, if in the end we die?

Who invented war and happiness?

Does the Lord also listen to those who do not believe in the same (Catholic) God?

Why are there poor and sick people?

Why did God create mosquitoes and flies?

Why isn’t the guardian angel close by when we are sad?

Why do we love some people and hate others?

Who gave names to the colors?

If God is in heaven and my mother is up there too because she died, how can He be alive?

I hope that some teachers or parents who read feel stimulated to do the same thing. In that way, instead of trying to impose our adult understanding of the universe, we will end up remembering some of our questions as children – and which were never really answered.

Welcome to Share with Friends – Free Texts for a Free Internet

How to climb mountains, P. Coelho

….Learn from someone who has been there before

However unique you may think you are, there is always someone who has had the same dream before, and who will have left signs behind that will make the climb less arduous: the best place to attach a rope, trodden paths, branches broken off to make it easier to pass. It is your climb and it is your responsibility too, but never forget that other people’s experiences are always helpful.

Dangers, seen from close to, are controllable

When you start to climb the mountain of your dreams, pay attention to what is around yo. There are, of course, precipices. There are almost imperceptible cracks. There are stones polished so smooth by rain and wind that they have become as slippery as ice. But if you know where you are putting your foot, you will see any traps and be able to avoid them.

…. Be prepared to go the extra mile

The distance to the top of the mountain is always greater than you think. There is bound to come to a moment when what seemed close is still very far away. But since you are prepared to go still further, this should not be a problem.

…. Make a promise

Now that you have discovered a strength you did not even know you had, tell yourself that you will use it for the rest of your days; promise yourself, too, to discover another mountain and set off on a new adventure.

Paulo Coelho, tribute

    Χειρότερο από το να περπατάμε μόνοι και δυστυχισμένοι είναι να έχουμε κάποιον πλάι μας και να τον κάνουμε να νιώθει ότι δεν είναι ούτε στο τόσο σημαντικός για τη ζωή μας…

… Στο δόμο της επιστροφής συνάντησα κι άλλους ανθρώπους στην ίδια κατάσταση με μένα και πρόσεξα ότι είχαν δύο ειδών βλέμματα: υπεροπτικά γιατί ήθελαν να προσποιηθούν ότι είχαν επιλέξει τη μοναξιά εκείνη την όμορφη νύχτα, ή θλιμμένα γιατί ντρέπονταν που ήταν μόνοι...

The Zahir  

Ο χρόνος μας σε τούτη τη γη είναι ιερός και πρέπει να γιορτάζουμε την κάθε στιγμή…

Ο χρόνος μου έδειξε και κάτι άλλο παράξενο. Μπορεί κανείς να αγαπήσει πάνω από ένα άτομο στη ζωή του. Πρέπει όμως να φανώ προσεκτικός και να μην προσπαθήσω ποτέ να συγκρίνω τις δυο εμπειρίες… η αγάπη δε μετριέται όπως μετράμε ένα δρόμο ή το ύψος ενός κτιρίου.

«…Έχω αποδεχτεί τις σφυριές που μου δίνει η ζωή και κάποιες φορές νιώθω κρύος και αναίσθητος σαν το νερό που κάνει το χάλυβα να υποφέρει. Θεέ μου, μην παραιτηθείς μέχρις ότου πάρω τη μορφή που περιμένεις από μένα… Ποτέ όμως μη με βάλεις στο σωρό με τα παλιοσίδερα των ψυχών»

…κι ο Χριστός θα της απάντησε: κοίτα, κόρη μου, κι εγώ απ’ έξω είμαι. Πάει πολύς καιρός που δεν με αφήνουν να μπω εκεί μέσα. (εν. εκκλησία)

The witch of Portobello

Κανείς δεν μπορεί να κρίνει. Ο καθένας γνωρίζει τις διαστάσεις του πόνου του ή της απόλυτης απουσίας νοήματος στη ζωή του.

…Σταμάτα να σκέφτεσαι όλη την ώρα ότι ενοχλείς το διπλανό σου. Αν οι άνθρωποι δε σε θέλουν, θα διαμαρτυρηθούν. Κι αν δεν έχουν το θάρρος να το κάνουν, δικό τους πρόβλημα!... 

…οι νόμοι δεν κατασκευάστηκαν για να λύνουν προβλήματα αλλά για να παρατείνουν τις δικαστικές διαμάχες επ’ αόριστον… (! σας λέει κάτι αυτή η σκέψη;)

Veronika decides to die

(apparently my favourite writer!)

"The kingdom of this world" By Paulo Coelho

An old hermit was once invited to visit the court of the most powerful king of those times.

- I envy such a saintly man, who is content with so little – said the ruler.

- I envy Your Majesty, who is content with even less that I – responded the hermit.

- How can you say such a thing, if this entire country belongs to me? – said the offended king.

- For precisely that reason. I have the music of the celestial spheres, I have the rivers and mountains of the whole world, I have the moon and the sun, because I have God in my soul. Your Majesty, on the other hand, has only this kingdom.

Paulo Coelho (in “Like a flowing river” )

…The boy was walking to buy bread when the mayor of the city crossed the street.

‘The reason he is so powerful, is because, he’s made pact with the devil,’ a very devout woman in the street told the boy, and he was intrigued.

Some time later, when travelling to another town, the boy saw a beautiful corn field. He asked who the owner was as soon as he arrived at his destination

‘All this land belongs to the same man. I’d say the Devil had a hand in that.’ – answered someone.

Later the same day, a beautiful woman walked past the boy.

‘That woman is in the services of Satan!’ cried a preacher angrily.

From then on, the boy decided to seek the Devil out. One day he managed to see him face to face.

‘They say you can make people powerful, rich, and beautiful.’

‘Not really,’ replied the Devil. ‘You have just been listening to the views of those who are trying to promote me.’

(... creation of Adam, detail)

ΚΑΙ Ο ΘΕΟΣ ΕΠΛΑΣΕ ΤΗ ΜΗΤΕΡΑ

Ο Θεός κάλεσε τον πιο αγαπημένο του άγγελο και του παρουσίασε ένα πρότυπο μητέρας. Στον άγγελο δεν άρεσε αυτό που είδε.
- Εργαστήκατε πολύ, Κύριε, δεν ξέρετε πλέον τι κάνετε, είπε ο άγγελος. Κοιτάξτε! Φιλί ειδικό, που θεραπεύει όλες τις αρρώστιες, έξι ζευγάρια χέρια για να μαγειρεύει, να πλένει, να σιδερώνει, να φροντίζει, να ελέγχει, να καθαρίζει. Δεν θα δουλέψει!
- Το πρόβλημα δεν είναι τα χέρια, αντέτεινε ο Θεός. Είναι τα τρια ζευγάρια μάτια που χρειάστηκε να βάλω: ένα για να βλέπει το παιδί τηςπίσω από κλειστές πόρτες και να το προστατεύει από ανοιχτά παράθυρα, ένα άλλο για να το κοιτάζει με αυστηρότητα όταν πρέπει να του μάθει κάτι ουσιώδες και το τρίτο για να του δείχνει διαρκώς τρυφερότητα και αγάπη, όση δουλειά κι αν έχει εκείνη!
Ο άγγελος εξέτασε το πρότυπο της μητέρας πιο προσεκτικά.
- Κι αυτό τι είναι;
- Ένας μηχανισμός αυτοθεραπείας. Δεν θα έχει χρόνο να αρρωσταίνει.
- Νομίζω ότι πρέπει να ξεκουραστείτε λίγο, Κύριε, είπε ο άγγελος. Και να επιστρέψετε στο κλασσικό πρότυπο με τα δύο χέρια, τα δύο μάτια κ.λ.π.
Ο Θεός συμφώνησε με τον άγγελο. Αφού ξεκουράστηκε, μεταμόρφωσε τη μητέρα σε κανονική γυναίκα. Εξομολογήθηκε όμως στον άγγελο:
- Χρειάστηκε να της δώσω μια τόσο δυνατή θέληση, ώστε να νομίζει ότι θα έχει έξι χέρια, τρία ζευγάρια μάτια και ικανότητα αυτοθεραπείας. Αλλιώς δεν θα καταφέρει να εκπληρώσει το καθήκον της.
Ο άγγελος την εξέτασε από κοντά. Κατά τη γνώμη του, αυτή φορά ο Θεός είχε πετύχει. Ξαφνικά όμως πρόσεξε ένα λάθος:
- Αδειάζει. Αναρωτιέμαι, Κύριε, μήπως βάλατε ξανά υπερβολικά πολλά πράγματα σ' αυτό το πρότυπο μητέρας!
- Δεν αδειάζει. Αυτό ονομάζεται δάκρυ.
- Και σε τι χρησιμεύει;
- Για να δείχνει χαρά, λύπη, απογοήτευση, πόνο, θυμό, ενθουσισμό!
- Κύριε, είστε μεγαλοφυία! αναφώνησε ο άγγελος. Ακριβώς αυτό ήταν που έλειπε για να συμπληρωθεί το πρότυπο.
Ο Θεός πρόσθεσε με ύφος μελαγχολικό:
- Δεν το έβαλα εγώ. Όταν συναρμολόγησα όλα τα μέρη, το δάκρυ εμφανίστηκε από μόνο του.