May we all be coffee

I received this story in an email today. Usually I just delete forwarded things, but the lady that sent it with me really liked it and she knows how I feel about coffee so she told me I really should read it. I did, and I liked it, so I thought I would share it with you today.

Enjoy........... (By now you are probably thinking what is this girls deal with coffee. Right?)

Carrot,  Egg , Or Coffee

A young woman went to her mother and told her

 about her life and

  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 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 you

   see."

   "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she

replied.

   Her mother brought  her closer and

asked her to feel the carrots.

   She did and noted that they  were

soft. The mother then asked the

   daughter to take an egg and break

it.  After pulling off the shell,

   she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the  mother asked the

   daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter

   smiled as she  tasted its rich

aroma.

   The daughter then asked, "What does it

mean,  mother?"

   Her mother explained that each of these

objects had faced  the same

   adversity - boiling water. 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. After they were in

   the boiling  water, they had 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 have a fluid spirit,

but  after a death, a breakup,

   a 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 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. If you are like the

   bean, when things are at their

worst, you get better and change the

   situation around you.

  May you have enough happiness to make you

sweet,

 enough  trials to

make you strong,

enough sorrow to keep

you human

and enough hope  to

 make you happy.