eRipples v2.11

eRipples: a free weekly dose of inspiration
[see bottom for subscription information]
version 2.11 [Monday, March 13, 2000]
©2000 The Ripples Project


PEBBLE ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kind words can be short and easy to speak,
but their echoes are truly endless.
-original source: Mother Theresa

BOULDER ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Weight of Nothing.
"Tell me the weight of a snowflake," a coal mouse asked a wild dove.
"Nothing more than nothing," was the answer.
"In that case I must tell a marvelous story," the coal mouse said.
"I sat on the branch of a Fir, close to its trunk, when it began to snow,
not heavily, not in a raging blizzard, no, just like in a dream, without
any violence. Since I didn't have anything better to do, I counted the
snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch, their number was
exactly 3,741,952. When the next snowflake dropped onto the branch -
nothing more than nothing, as you say - the branch broke off."
The dove, since Noah's time an authority on the matter, thought about the
story for awhile and finally said to herself; "Perhaps there is only one
person's voice lacking for peace to come about in the world."
-original source unknown

SMALL WAVES ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Another True Story by an eRipples Subscriber

It was ten days before Christmas, and the mall was jam-packed with busy
shoppers. I was window-shopping; I didn't really have a lot of money to
spend at the time. Everywhere I looked, people seemed frustrated and tired.
It made me really sad that so many people who were doing such a wonderful
thing -- buying gifts for their loved ones -- were so caught up in the
frenzy, and had lost sight of what I believe is the true Christmas spirit.

As I entered a store, a certain stuffed bear caught my eye, and I got an
idea. I bought two of them, walked out to the food court, and approached a
father with his young boy. I asked the man, "Sir, may I give this bear to
your son?" He looked at me, puzzled, and said, "Uh, sure." I handed it to
the adorable blonde boy and said, "Merry Christmas!" The father asked me if
I owed him anything, but I just smiled and said again, "Merry Christmas!"

As I turned around to walk away, the love and joy and warmth that I felt
overwhelmed me, and I started to cry.
I kept the other bear, and I named him Charity. He's a constant reminder to
me of how easy it is to surprise someone with kindness, and how wonderful
it can make me feel.


PONDER ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Ripples Project: A Foundation to Inspire Small Waves of Kind Acts

What do you think? A small and steadily growing number of people are
helping to develop this project, and our next step is to finalize its
mission. I think we are getting closer, but we wanted your feedback.

eRipples now DEPENDS on a steady stream of inspiration from readers. We
have updated the format to only highlight the original source of the
quotes, since so many people wish to remain anonymous. The "SMALL WAVES"
section will be reserved for true stories submitted by eRipples readers who
were part of giving or receiving kindness. Can you spend just a moment
thinking of a "ripple" you've created or received? SEND IT TODAY so we can
inspire even more kind acts!

Peace to you!