Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never
look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her
life and how things were so hard for her, She did not know how
she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of
fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one
arose..

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots
with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to
boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs,
and in the last 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 the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled
the
eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee
out
and placed it in a 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. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then
asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling
off
the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee.
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 same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The

carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after
being
subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The

egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its
liquid
interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its
inside
became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,
however. After they were in the boiling water,
they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity
knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems
strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft
and
lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but
changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a

death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial,
have I
become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on
the
inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened
heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes
the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When

the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If
you
are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get
better
and change the situation around you When the hour is the darkest

and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another

level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or
a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best
of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes
along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a
forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of

your past failures and heartaches.

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

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!