A true life story, best told by the person himself in his own words:
My name is Brian Boyle, and I am living proof that miracles happen.

A month after I graduated high school in 2004, I was coming home from swim practice and was involved in a near fatal car accident with a dump truck. The impact of the crash violently ripped my heart across my chest, shattering my ribs/clavicle/pelvis, collapsing my lungs, causing damage to every single organ, failure of my kidneys and liver, removal of spleen and gallbladder, resulting in the loss of  60% of my blood, severe nerve damage to my left shoulder, and leaving me in a coma where I was on life support for over two months at Prince Georges Hospital Center in Cheverly, MD.

I don"t have a memory of the accident, or the few days before the day of the accident. The first thing that I remember after the collision, which is still so vivid in my mind even today, is being in this very large white tube. In this tube was a boy sitting to my left, and many other boys and girls on my right side (I use the term "boys and girls" because they appeared to be my age.)  I didn"t know why I was there or how I even got there in the first place. The more I sat there, the more I was able to visualize my surroundings. The boy to my left had a cell phone, and he asked me if I needed him to call anyone for me. I told him "yes, can you call my parents and tell them that I love them." The next thing that I remember is waking up in a hospital bed, chemically paralyzed and hooked up to all these machines. Through all the buzzes and beeps going off from the medical equipment that was saving my life at that instant, I could hear my mom and dad telling me in between dramatic pauses of crying hysterically that I was going to be okay. Only moments before I believe I was waiting in line to meet my final judgment, but it must have not been my time. Moments later, I had come back to life. This was just the beginning of my suffering.

I died eight times while I was in the intensive care unit and even when I woke up from my coma, I couldn"t talk or communicate. No one knew for sure if I would leave my room in a wheelchair or a body bag. As far as the future, it didn"t exist. Walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries and because of the shattered pelvis. The thought of swimming was just that, only a thought. Just like my body, my dreams were shattered. But, I didn"t give up because I knew that God had a plan for me.

After spending two months in a coma, 14 operations, 36 blood transfusions, 13 plasma treatments, I lost a total of 100 pounds and had to go to a rehabilitation center in Baltimore. I had to learn how to talk, eat, walk, shower, and live independently again. After that agonizing experience, I had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, MD. After spending a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own. It was a miracle that I could walk again, but I wanted to prove the doctors wrong and not only walk, but run. After I accomplished that, I wanted to get back in the pool again. After a few lung tests, I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week.

Before the accident I had three goals: to go to college, swim on the team, and compete in an ironman triathlon one day. After a few months of swimming a few laps here and there with my training partner and good buddy, Sam Fleming, I decided that I was not going to let my injuries stop me from living my dream. Six months after that I began my freshman year at St. Mary"s  College of Maryland - and became a proud member of the swim team.

It"s very easy to go through and list these facts and make it look like everything just seemed to easily fall in it"s own perfect little place, but the truth of the matter is that it didn"t. It wasn"t easy, not then, and not now. The pain and the agony was real and it existed all the way through - in the good times and the very bad.

It was not an easy situation to be laying in a bed, staring at the ceiling, knowing that your life is over while you"re looking at a priest give you the last rights. I thought to myself over and over, why did this happen to me. I was always a good kid, received good grades in school, and went to church. Why would something as horrific as this happen to me? Why would God allow this? I went on and on for days asking why? And, then it hit me. All that thinking and pondering on the what-if scenarios and the questionable doubt only stirred up another question - why was I saved? I didn"t have anymore questions after that. I finally understood my purpose in life.

With the 50 year life expectancy I was given from the doctors, I am now just trying to live each day to the fullest and motivate and hopefully inspire other people in their lives and faith. Some people say I am like "Lazarus" because God brought me back to life. All I know is that I want to take full advantage of the precious time we are given.

My story is about the recovery and the comeback, but I want to make it much more than that. I want to make a positive impact on the world. I want to motivate and hopefully inspire other people through my endeavors to never give up on their dreams and to never stop believing in their faith in God no matter how bad a situation may appear.

Update: Brian recently completed the Steelhead 70.3 half-ironman race in Michigan and was also given the inspirational athlete media slot to compete in the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship where his story appeared on NBC"s  "Ironman" show as the main feature. 

Please excuse me if I"m a little pensive today.
Dev is leaving, and I"m feeling kind of sad.

You probably don"t know Dev, but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him. He"s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years, combining exemplary professional skills with a sweet nature and gentle disposition. He"s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does. He just wants to do his job, and to do it superbly well.

And now he"s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity. It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime, and we"re genuinely, sincerely pleased for him. But that doesn"t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague.
 
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation, something comes along to alter the recipe. A terrific neighbor moves away. Someone in the family graduates. A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage. The family"s principle bread-winner is laid off.

Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines, to a great degree, our peace, happiness and contentment in life.

But how do we do that? Philosophers have considered the question for centuries, and their responses have been varied. According to the author of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, comfort can be found in remembering that "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Kahlil Gibran urged his listeners to "let today embrace the past with remembrance, and the future with longing."

A friend of mine who works for the government is fond of reminding his fellow bureaucrats that "survivability depends upon adaptability. "And then there"s my friend Sri who once told me that the answer to life"s problems can be summed up in four words: "Go with the flow."

"It"s like surfing," Sri explained. "You can"t organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride "em where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you"re always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get, like, you know, totally tubular. But mostly you just take "em the way they come. It"s not like you"re trying to nail Jell-O to a tree, you know?"

I"m not exactly sure, but I think Sri was saying that life is a series of events -- both good and bad. No matter how deft your organizational skills, there will always be life-influencing factors over which you have no control. The truly successful person expects the unexpected, and is prepared to make adjustments should the need arise -- as it almost always does.

That doesn"t mean you don"t keep trying to make all your dreams come true. It just means that when things come up that aren"t exactly in your plan, you work around them -- and then you move on. Of course, some bumps along the road of life are easier to take than others. A rained-out picnic, for example, is easier to cope with than the sudden death of a loved one. But the principle is the same.

"Change, indeed, is painful, yet ever needful," said philosopher Thomas Carlyle. "And if memory have its force and worth, so also has hope."

We"re going to miss Dev, just like you"ll miss that graduate, that neighbor or that newlywed. But rather than dwell on the sadness of our parting, we"ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future - for him, and for us. And then we"ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen,
Until our plans change - again.

He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in this small, mid-western community, was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levis factory closed, he"d been unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home.

It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country.

He could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working, that came in handy. It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He"d better get a move on.

You know, he almost didn"t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn"t look safe, he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill that only fear can put in you. He said, "I"m here to help you ma"am. Why don"t you wait in the car where it"s warm. By the way, my name is Joe."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Joe crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down her window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn"t thank him enough for coming to her aid. Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk.

She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Joe never thought twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed, and Joe added "...and think of me."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The cash register was like the telephone of an out of work actor, it didn"t ring much.

Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn"t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe.

After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went to get her change from a hundred dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. She wondered where the lady could be, and then she noticed something written on a napkin. There were tears in her eyes, when she read what the lady wrote. It said, "You don"t owe me a thing, I"ve been there too. Someone once helped me out, the way I"m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here"s what you do. Don"t let the chain of love end with you."

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could she have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything"s gonna be all right. I love you, Joe."

(shared what was shared with me)

If you patiently read this latest real-news item in entirety, you may have the satisfaction of having read a mini Perry Mason novel.

"A borrowed cell phone, a cryptic question, a lawyer who unwittingly gave a man directions to a bank that was later held up and cooperation from several people led authorities to a man accused of robbing a motel and a bank, according to law enforcement reports.
It started back on Oct. 26 after a night clerk at Red Roof Inn at 5 Regency Parkway on Hilton Head Island was robbed.

The employee had let a man into the locked lobby when he called about 5 a.m., saying he needed to rent a room. He showed up about 15 minutes later and once inside the hotel lobby, he pointed a handgun at the clerk and made off with $50 from the cash register.

At about 10 a.m. that same morning, Samuel Ervin Jr., 42, came home to an Oceanwalk Villas condo and returned a cell phone he had borrowed from his roommate, according to two Beaufort County Sheriff"s reports released Sunday.

 Ervin told his roommate he was also on his way to the bank that morning to cash a check and would return with rent money he owed him, sheriff"s reports state.

About 11 a.m., a lone robber walked into the Regions Bank on Pope Avenue and presented a teller with a note demanding cash in "10"s and 20"s only." She complied, handing over about $500 in cash. He then asked for the note back and left.

Ervin came home the following morning without the rent money. So, his roommate asked him to move out. As Ervin packed his belongings, he asked the roommate if he had read the newspaper, which had published a security camera photograph of the robber, who was not wearing a mask.

 The roommate had in fact read The Island Packet that morning, but said he hadn"t, hoping to get Ervin to talk about the robbery, the reports said. Ervin said he would explain later and left.

Two days passed.

The property manager of Ocean-walk Villas --who was also an acquaintance of the roommate -- called investigators and set up a meeting between detectives and the roommate. Security footage from the condo complex showed Ervin returning home in clothing that matched the description of what the suspect was wearing at the motel robbery.

On Halloween, the roommate met with investigators. He turned over his cell phone, which showed a call to the motel that was made about 15 minutes before it was robbed, a report said.

That same day, a photo lineup was given to the motel clerk. She couldn"t identify the motel robber.

But two other people who saw the bank robber made a positive identification.

Moments before the bank heist, a man fitting the description of the suspect mistakenly entered the law offices of Jones, Patterson, Simpson & Newton P.A. -- Beaufort County Council Chairman Weston Newton"s law firm -- which is located next to the Regions Bank. A lawyer at the firm unwittingly gave the suspect directions to the bank.

A receptionist at the law office and the teller who was robbed picked Ervin"s photograph out of the lineup, according to a report.

Ervin turned himself in three days later and the Sheriff"s Office says he confessed to both crimes.

Without the help of the public, one or both the cases could very well be stagnant, according to authorities.

"The information we got was crucial, not only in helping us with the bank robbery, but also in giving us a direction to go on in regards to the Red Roof Inn case," said Cpl. Robin McIntosh, spokeswoman for the Beaufort County Sheriff"s Office. "That"s how (investigators) were able to get the two connected."

The investigation was a joint effort with the FBI, one that moved quickly once people began stepping forward.

"We got a bunch of information, we connected it and bang," said FBI special agent Dave Calore.

Ervin -- who has prior convictions for instigating a riot, drug possession, criminal domestic violence and a slew of traffic charges --was charged with armed robbery, federal bank robbery and possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime. He could face 60 years if convicted on all charges.

He remains in the Beaufort County Detention Center, and will eventually be transferred to a federal prison to await trial."

What really surprised me was the willingness of so many of the public (who had information about the robber) to come forward and testify even though the magnitude of the robbery was not significant. Will it happen in India with the attendant red tapism and resultant harassment of the witnesses at the hands of the police as well as the defending advocates?

A beggar lived near the king"s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. "Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?"

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king"s face. "You have been wise in coming to me," the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. "Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes."

The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.

"You are now eligible to attend the king"s banquet tomorrow night," said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever."

The beggar dropped to his knees. "Oh, thank you," he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again. Quickly he gathered them up.

The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.

One day as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king"s face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed.

Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince"s words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly.

We have been invited into a royal family -- the family of God. To feast at God"s dinner table, all we have to do is shed our old rags and put on the "new clothes" of faith. We cannot hold onto our old rags. When we put our faith in God. we must let go of the sin in our life, and our old ways of living.

December 10 is World Human Rights Day.

A message, given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a couple of years back, very much holds good today too.

"Human rights is protecting another"s freedom, seeing that the other person is also like oneself. Human rights is giving someone security, letting them live.

If one is not happy, compassionate or friendly, will he ever protect another"s human rights? It is not possible. Who violates human rights? Those who do not respect human values hurt others and violate human rights. Even a terrorist has human values. He is concerned about his family. We only have to make him realise that others are also his family.

In today"s world, we have become so formal in our dealings with others that it becomes almost mechanical. We need to shift to being more cordial and informal. This is the basis of human values.                     

What are human values? Compassion, friendliness, cooperation, peace of mind, joy and a smile that lasts throughout our life. The sign of success is freedom, a tendency to help and cooperate. We need to ask ourselves: Do we see these values increasing in our society?

Often, we find a crisis that is based on identity. Groups form to assert their identity.

When they do this, somewhere they lose a sense of belongingness with the human race.   For example, when people say, "I am a Hindu," or "I am a Buddhist," or  "I am a Muslim," or "I am a Christian."

In the process, they are also saying, "Those who are not Hindus/Muslims/Christians do not belong to me."  They take a position: "I am somebody."

In order to maintain this limited identity, some are ready to lose their life. The same with culture, tribe and nationality. If the emphasis was on being a human, then there would be more peace in society. We need to help people see that before being a Jew, or a Muslim, he is a human being.  And as a human being, the whole of humanity is part of you and belongs to you.

Today, people who are looking for some identity often move into religious dimensions and get caught up in fanaticism or fundamentalism. When there is a lack of proper spiritual education or knowledge about the oneness of the human race, people take a direction that is not beneficial to the welfare of mankind. Friendliness needs to be fostered especially at the educational level.

Neither at home nor in school are we taught how to get anger out of our system, how to handle our emotions.

How can we get anger, violence and the sense of hatred out of the hearts of people?  This is the problem that is facing us today. We know the answer philosophically, but what are the practical steps and how do we begin? It is here that something very basic to our life comes into play -- our breath. Breath is the link between body, mind and emotions.

By attending to it, we can calm our minds." 

Woman knocks husband out with potato

The potato was later mashed

All couples have their arguments, but usually vegetables aren"t used as weapons.

When things got heated between a husband and wife in Nicholson, Georgia, she reached for the first thing that came to hand - a spud.

We have heard of many instances where attempts of bank - robbery have been foiled. But this one makes an interesting reading for the queer way it has been accomplished.

"A Salt Lake City bank robbery was foiled Friday when someone threw a chair from a second-story balcony, striking the would-be bandit.
    About 4:30 p.m., a masked suspect entered Home Savings Bank at 1455 E. 2100 South. When he drew a knife, police say, someone on the bank"s second floor saw what was happening and activated the alarm.
    A second person grabbed a chair and hurled it off the balcony, striking the suspect in the back and knocking him to the ground. The suspect rose, yelled something at the chair-tosser and ran out of the bank, heading north between houses on Redondo Avenue.
   

Mr.Ashok Tiwari, in one of his posts on "Angel" had stated, "I had read in some books that each individual has an "ANGEL" of his/her own." This reminded me of a story I read sometime back, author of which is unknown. Here it is:

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God: "How am I going to live on earth being so small and helpless?"

God replied, "Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

"But tell me, here in Heaven, I don"t do anything else but sing and smile, that"s enough for me to be happy."

"Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel"s love and be happy."

"And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don"t know the language that men talk?"

"Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

"Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"I"ve heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?"

"Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

"Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard, and the child in a hurry asked softly:

"Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel"s name."

"Your angel"s name is of no importance, you will call your angel: Mommy.

Engine detaches from rest of the train (http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/25/stories/2007112557810100.htm)Kolkata: The engine of the Howrah bound New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express via Patna got detached from the rest of the train at Jamtara station in Jharkhand on Saturday. The engine was brought back and re-attached.

P.S: It is reliably learnt that the driver of the train belongs to Howra and his wife who hails from New Delhi was bringing her mother to Howra and was travelling in the first compartment of that train. The investigation to find out the real cause for the detachment of the engine is being investigated.

N.B: The P.S is my presumption for the real reason.

II P.S: On reading this news item, my wife quipped that probably fearing the situation in West Bengal, the mother-in-law got disenchanted in going over to Howra and hence the detachment. She smells of some fishy maneuvers between New Delhi and Howra. That view point also needs investigation.