"Tracht gut vet zain gut"

What would you do if a fly fell into your coffee?

Russian- take it out and drink the coffee.

Chinese- take it out, eat the fly and throw out the coffee.

Israeli- take it out, sell the fly to the Chinese, sell the coffee to the Russian, and then invent a machine that will prevent flies from falling into coffee.

It is all about perspectives. How do you view things? In what light does your mind process events?

Walter Lantz and his wife, Gracie, were honeymooning in Sherwood Lake, California. A noisy woodpecker outside their cabin kept the couple awake at night, and when a heavy rain started, they learned that the bird had bored holes in their cabin's roof. Walter wanted to shoot the thing, but Gracie suggested that her husband make a cartoon about the bird, and thus Woody Woodpecker was born. They went on to make millions of dollars, and on their 50th wedding anniversary they said that the woodpecker was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Something positive came out of something negative.

A story is told in Navi about the prophet Eli. He used to travel a lot, and when he came to a certain city he would stay at the same couple's house every time. They were very hospitable and eventually the wife had her husband build a special loft where Eli could stay every time he came.

During one of his visits, he asked the kind lady how he could repay her. But she refused, saying she had everything she needed.

Eli's servant found out that the couple was childless, and so he blessed them that within the year they would have a child.

And so it was.

Years later, when the child was 9, he was out in the field with his father when he complained of a headache. His father sent him back to the house so his mother could take care of him. He fell ill quickly, and within a few hours, he died.

The mother picked up his lifeless form, brought him to the loft and put him into Eli's bed. Then she saddled her donkey and set out to go to the prophet. Her husband saw her rushing away and inquired as to where she was going. She told him she was going to see Eli and he asked why. She said don't worry, everything is fine, I just have to go.

When she was arriving in the town, Eli saw her coming and sent his servant to go greet her. He relayed to his servant to ask her 3 things: How are you? How is your husband? How is your son?

The servant met her and asked her these 3 things. She responded 'Shalom', good, to all 3 things.

How can she say her child is good when he is lying dead??

She told the servant to please take her right away to the prophet. She rushed into the prophet's house and fell down at his feet crying. She told him that her child died. "He is not my child. I did not ask for him. You gave him to me! How could you let him die??"

He left with her and they rushed back to her house, where Eli went up to the loft and revived the dead child. He performed a miracle and the child lived many more years.

Now we ask, who in their right mind would rush off without telling her husband that their child died? Why did she not stop to tell Eli's servant about what happened? How could she have answered that everything was okay?

Because she knew that if she stopped she would waste time and she would be deterred. She would lose hope and would not do what she had to do.

In life we have to think positive. That does not mean that bad things won't happen to us. But when bad things happen, how will you react to it?

Will you see a dead fly in your coffee, or will you see opportunity?

There's a famous saying in yidish, "Tracht gut, vet zain gut"- think good, and it will be good.

The choice, my friends, is up to you.