### <center>Short Stories</center>
***
### <center>Conquering The World</center>
At hand formerly lived a compelling ruler who undertook an expedition to triumph over overseas lands. His clever psychotherapist asked him, “Great king, to I'm sorry? Resolve solve your backdrop out on this endeavor?” “To happen to master of Asia”, the emperor replied. “And therefore what?” asked the counselor. “I shall invade Arabia”, believed the king. “And after that?” “I shall dominate Europe and Africa; and finally, after the total humankind is under me, I shall put your feet up and live at ease.” To this the prudent psychotherapist retorted, “But I'm sorry? Keeps you from resting and active at assist at this point and now, if that are every one you want? You may settle up down this fantastically day without the vex and risks.”
***
### <center>Daddy Hands</center>
I awoke in the night to observe my husband, Marty, gently rocking our baby son, Noah.
I stood for a second in the doorway, inspection this amazing guy with whom I was as a result blessed to part my life, amorously stroke Noah’s fat pink cheeks in a force to comfort him.
I felt in my hub that a bit was fatally injury with Noah. This was one of quite a lot of nights Noah had been up, burning with a high spot fever.
Tears fill my eyes as I watched my scenic companion realignment Noah’s a small amount cheek up against his possess chest, therefore that Noah may handle the ambiance of his voice. Noah is deaf. Knowledge to comfort him has brought on an entire new road of belief for us. We relied on our voices, a calming lullaby, audio toys, and music to comfort our other children. But with Noah, we call for to avail yourself of touch, his subtle blank, sight, the texture of our voices, and as a rule importantly, the bring into play of road sign language to commune emotions and a get the impression of comfort to him. My spouse ready the poster for “I dearest you” with his laborer and I axiom a tear cylinder down his cheek as he sited Noah’s tiny, weak laborer on outdo of his.
We had full Noah to the general practitioner supplementary epoch than I preserve remember. It had been a week and a partly and Noah’s fever remained exact distinguished and exceedingly dangerous, although the lot the general practitioner, or we had tried. I knew in my soul the lane barely a nurse know how to know, that Noah was in trouble.
I gently touched my husband’s shoulder, and we looked into every other’s eyes with the identical alarm and information that Noah’s wasn’t in receipt of any better. I accessible to purchase over for him, but he shook his head, and some time ago again, I was amazed at this breathtaking gentleman who is the member of the clergy of my children. After countless fathers would obtain gladly handed over the parenting duties for a little a large amount considered necessary sleep, my spouse stayed mulishly and definitely with our child.
When morning to end with came, we called the physician and were told to give him in again. We before now knew that he would almost certainly put Noah in the hospital. So, we completed preparations for the other children, packed bags for every one three of us, and tearfully throng to the doctor’s organization after again. Our hearts crammed with dread, we waited in a little room, out of the ordinary from the accustomed groping scope we had developed into second-hand to. Our doctor of medicine ultimately came in, looked Noah over, and told us the news is dead. Noah had to be admitted to the hospital. Now.
The push to the infirmary in a close township seemed surreal. I couldn’t focus on anything, couldn’t think, couldn’t break crying. My companion reassured me that he felt in his hub that Noah would be okay. We admitted Noah and were full to his extent healthy away. It was a twisted night, crammed with dreadful tests that complete my son’s tiny minor power of speech echo through the halls as he screamed over and over.
I felt as if I were catastrophic from the inside out. My partner by no means wavered in his faith. He reassured me and Noah, and everybody who called to test out on Noah. He was a rock.
As the initial batch of tests were done, the nurse educated us that a spinal tap would be performed soon. Meningitis was suspected. Marty and I had prayer calm with Noah. Our hands intertwined, we detained our teenager and the sweetheart of my existence lifted his say-so to the Lord, indicative him how indebted we were for this splendid not very force with whom he had entrusted us. With tears streaming down his face, he humbly asked the noble to restore to health our son. My concern overflowing with comfort and gratitude.
A quick time later, the inhabitant medical doctor came in. He told us that Noah’s former consequences were back, and that he had respiratory tract infection A. No spinal tap was needed! Noah would recuperate and before long be provided backing to his zesty, cyclone not much self. And Noah was by now footing up in the infirmary crib, lively like he was on a trampoline. My husband’s crack with the aristocrat was before now life form answered.
Marty and I grinned at apiece other through our tears, and waited for Noah to be at large from the hospital. Finally, in the core of the night, our hold general practitioner came in and told us that it was perceptive to engage Noah home. We couldn’t flock rapid enough!
A a few time later, I was cooking dinner. Noah was healing, at a snail's pace but surely. I felt at freedom from strife and knew my partner was the peak minister I might always mean for my children. I peeked around the surround into the active room, and chuckled at the describe I saw. In attendance was my husband, meeting in his “daddy chair”, Noah in his lap. They were conception a book, dad enchanting Noah’s small hands to aid him create the secret language for the lexis in the book. They in cooperation looked up and fixed me inspection them, and my companion and I at once signed “I be devoted to you” to all other, in that case to Noah. And at that moment Noah put his tiny armrest up, tiresome to figure his tiny tender in his be the owner of strength to poster “I darling you” to his daddy. I watched with tears as my spouse prudently helped him manner his tiny fingers into the notice with his private gentle hands. Daddy hands.
***
### <center>Dealing With Adversity</center>
A daughter who was commerce with difficulty complained to her minister about her verve and how effects were subsequently fast for her. She did not recognize how she was disappearing to turn into it and sought to award up. She was drained of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one challenge was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. The full three pots with dampen and positioned all on an important fire. Rapidly the pots came to a boil. In one, he located carrots, in the second he positioned eggs, and in the continue he positioned keep in brunette beans. He allows them to sit down and boil, without maxim a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and hurriedly waited, wondering come again? He was doing. In about twenty minutes he curved off the burners. He fished the carrots out and positioned them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and sited them in a bowl. Afterward he ladled the auburn out and positioned it in a mug. Spinning to her he asked, “Daring, pardon? Act you see?” she replied: “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,”
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. She humbly asked. “What does it mean, Father?”
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But 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 to the water. “Which are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
***
