A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a
> cup of coffee the same way again.
>
> 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. When the hour is the darkest and
> trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another
> level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a
> coffee bean?
>
> 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.
>
> The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of
> everything; they just make the most of everything that comes
> along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a
> forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of
> your past failures and heartaches.
>
> When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
>
> Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and
> everyone around you is crying.
>
> You might want to send this message to those people who mean
> something to you _(I JUST DID);_ to those who have touched your
> life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you
> really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of
> things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you
> appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in your life.
>
> If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity
> to brighten someone's day with this message! /
> //
> *May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!*/
> ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

This was great :)