A candle loses nothing if it is used to light another one.

A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.
Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."

Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do." Mr Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li,
"You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody will suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to be actively friendly towards her. "Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen." Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.
The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."
There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others will also be loved in return."

This is from my friend and mentor Dr Ng in Halifax, and I thank him.

THE CAB RIDE                                                            



    Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One night I took a fare at 2:30 am, when I

 arrived to collect, the building was dark except for a single 

light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once 

or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.                                                             



But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means 

of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of      

danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance,

 I reasoned to myself.                              



    So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice.

 I could hear something being dragged across the floor.   



After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me.

She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned

on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.                       



By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no   one had lived in 

it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.                                                                 



    There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the 

corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. 'Would you carry my bag out 

to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.                          



    She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.                   



She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I  just try to treat my

 passengers the way I would want my mother         treated'.                                                               



    'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she  gave me an address, 

and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 



'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.                        



    'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a  hospice'.                                                               



I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' 

she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have  very long.' I quietly

 reached over and shut off the meter.              



    'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.  For the next two hours, we drove

 through the city. She showed me the building where she had

once worked as an elevator operator.             



    We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when 

they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture 

warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.                                                                   



    Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and

 would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.         



    As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. 

Let's go now'                                               



    We drove in silence to the address she had given me.It was a low   building, 

like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed  under a portico.   



    Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous

 and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.                                                          



    I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was

 already seated in a wheelchair.                                     



    'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.            



    'Nothing,' I said.                                                      



    'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' 

I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. 

She held onto me tightly.                                        



    'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.              



    'Thank you.'                                                           



    I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door

 shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.



    I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. 

For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman

 had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?                                                                  







    What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?                                                                   







    On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more  important in my life. 

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. 



    But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may 

consider a small one.                                        



    PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT 'YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT 

THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.                                                                                                                                        



    Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.