A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life an 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 a 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 do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," her daughter replied.

She brought her daughter closer and asked her to feel the carrots.The
daughter noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and
break it. After pulling off the shell, the daughter observed the hard-boiled
egg. Finally, the mother asked her daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. Then the daughter asked, "What does it
mean, mother?"

Her mother explained, "Each of these objects has faced the same
adversity -- boiling water -- but 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. They 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 once have a fluid spirit, but after death, breakup,
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 a 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. When things are at their
worst, do I get better and change the situation around me?

How do you handle adversity?  When the hours are the darkest and trials
are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? What
gives you the greatest opportunity for long term happiness?  That is
your highest choice.

May you be blessed and bless others By Always making your Highest
Choice