YOU'LL NEVER GO WRONG

WHEN YOU LIVE BY THE GOLDEN RULE

My good and sweet friend Peggy aka "Queenmothermamaw" posted this morning the most amazing little story. A couple of her readers stated that this had been around for at least 20 years but I had never read it and when I did, I asked Peggy if I could re-post it because it made me think so strongly of Jake.

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you." The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.
I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one
I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still
nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at
the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his youngexecutives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new
Chief Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

Jake was like that. Many times life was just not fair to Jake and there were also times when having been treated poorly and the opportunity to get a little even presented itself he was tempted to strike back. But he was a thinker and you could see him pondering greatly and see the far away look in his eyes as he considered whether to go right or left. Then mind made up he'd shake his head and strongly say "Nah...........it wouldn't be right". I think Jake might be gathering some little SEEDS in heaven for the Gold Crown he might one day wear!

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.


Before Jake unpacked his dishes, he PLANTED in the front of his little trailer to show that it was his "home".

THE GOLDEN RULE...it will simply never fail you. Oh of course there will be many times when you've treated someone as you wish to be treated only to be slammed to the floor. We all know that doing the right thing will not guarantee that everyone will do the right thing in return. But we are guaranteed to please Our Father each and every time we do the right thing as long as we're not doing it for our own glory.

As Oprah says and I believe the quote came from her friend Mya Angelou "When You Know Better, You Do Better". I wish this were true in all cases don't you.

THE GOLDEN RULE...............just a downright good rule to live by.