A certain daughter complained to her father about her life<BR> and how things have been so hard for her. She did not know<BR> how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She<BR> was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved another arose.<P>Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high. Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans.<P>He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.<BR>The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what<BR>he was trying to do. She had problems, and he was making this strange concoction. In half an hour he walked over to the oven and turned down the fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.<P>Turning to her he asked. "Darling what do you see."<P>Smartly, she replied. "Carrots, eggs, and coffee."<P>He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She<BR>did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take<BR>an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee.<P>Her face frowned from the strength of the coffee.<P> Humbly, she asked. "What does it mean Father."<P>He explained. "Each of them faced the same adversity, 212<BR>degrees of boiling water. However each reacted differently."<P>"The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after<BR>going through boiling water, it softened and became weak."<P> "The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid<BR>center. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened."<P> "The coffee beans are unique however. After they were in<BR> the boiling water, it became stronger and richer."<P> "Which are you," he asked his daughter.<P>When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?<BR>Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?<P>Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with the smallest<BR>amount of pain, adversity, heat you wilt and become soft<BR>with no strength?<P>Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart?<BR>A fluid spirit. But after a death, a breakup, a divorce, a<BR>layoff you became hardened and stiff. Your shell looks<BR>the same, but you are so bitter and tough with a stiff<BR>spirit and heart, internally.<P> Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean does not get<BR>its peak flavor and robust until it reaches 212 degrees<BR>Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes<BR>better. When things are there worst, you get better. When<BR>people talk the most, your praises increase. When the hour<BR>is the darkest, trials are their greatest, your worship<BR>elevates to another level.<P>How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or<BR>a coffee bean?<P>We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are<BR>perplexed, but not in despair.<BR>

thanks for sharing that.....I am going to print this out to save it....<P>here's a shorter version for you:<P>"The same sun that hardens the clay, melts the snow"<P>[censored] from Texas

So true...so true...<P>I'm glad you liked it.

This is an interesting little story. I would like to say that I'm coffee beans, and I think I am becoming coffee beans, but the truth of the matter is that I'm probably more like the egg. <P>Before this all started off, I know I had a soft heart and wanted to share it. Now I feel like my heart is constantly semi-hard and I have to break through a pretty tough shell to reveal it. Does this mean I'm poached?????<P>Thanks for making me think!<P><BR>CJ<P>------------------<BR>Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

I see great minds think a like...<P>I posted this same thread sometime last week, it was titled: Which one are you?<P><BR>If you want to check out some of the replies....<BR> <A HREF="http://www.marriagebuilders.com/forum/Forum34/HTML/002409.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.marriagebuilders.com/forum/Forum34/HTML/002409.html</A> <P>------------------<BR><B>God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...Courage to change the things I can...And the wisdom to know the difference.</B><P>lady_divine77@yahoo.com

Carrot juice!<P>Or egg salad...<P>Or iced coffee...<P>

Someone else once said that you don't know what's in a person's heart until it is squeezed hard by adversity. Then either bitterness or sweetness flows out of it via words and deeds.

I thought I was coffe beans, but lately I'm starting to feel like the egg.