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WIT & WISDOM - November 13, 1998 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded. - Ralph Waldo Emerson [1] ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: A CANCER SURVIVOR'S POEM by Carol Jordan, a cancer survivor Grief is a jagged rock that you bury deep in your pocket. Its sharp edges force you to take it out and examine it from time to time, even when you don't want to. And when it is too heavy to carry you must ask a friend to hold it so you can rest. As time passes it is a little easier to take the rock out of your pocket. It doesn't seem to weigh as much. Now you show it to a circle of friends and, occasionally, even a stranger. One day you pull out the rock and, surprisingly, it doesn't even hurt. For the edges are no longer jagged but smoothed by time, touch, and tears. [2] ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Written by Naomi Williamson and shared at a staff retreat in Hongkong in October 1998. LETTERS TO PAUL #1 Dear Paul, reetings from all the sisters in the church here at Philippi. We are daily remembering you in our prayers during these difficult days of your imprisonment there in Rome. We trust Epaphroditus arrived safely and that you now have received the gifts we sent. We remembered how much you enjoyed the honey cakes when you were here last so a group of the women spent one morning in my kitchen fixing a box for you. I hope you are enjoying the wool coat. The morning prayer group donated the funds to buy it for you. We had a bit of a discussion as to just what to buy with the money. Euodia felt strongly that we should just send the money and let Epaphroditus buy something for you there in Rome, however I was sure you would rather have something directly from Philippi. The new curtains for the Synagogue are almost finished. They will be lovely. Again, I must confess we had quite a time choosing the color. Euodia tried to insist we buy blue violet but we (that is, most of us) felt a deep maroon would be much more effective, and after all, Euodia got her way over the carpeting. I surely can't agree on the choice made on that. We are very busy here and eager to do anything we can to help you there. Please remember us to Timothy. We look forward to his visit. Your sister in the Lord Syntyche P.S. Perhaps in your next letter you could casually suggest that E. try to be a bit more cooperative. LETTER #2 Dear Paul, reetings from the sisters here in the church at Philippi. We are sorry to hear of your suffering there in prison, but are comforted by your joyful spirit. By now you have probably received the gifts we sent via Epaphroditus. I trust they are satisfactory. Did you receive any honey cakes? Syntyche once mentioned having the women come to her house to bake them, but she didn't notify me when they did it. I hope you weren't too disappointed with the coat. Perhaps you needed one, Did it fit? The renovations for the Synagogue are almost complete. I'm very disappointed in the curtains, but they carpeting is beautiful! Everyone manages to keep busy, especially Syntyche, particularly when it comes to running things. We will continue to pray for you. Do let us know if there is anything you need. Your Sister in Christ, Euodia P.S. Confidentially, I think just a word from you to Syntyche might help her be a little easier to work with. [3] ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: St. Peter was taking care of the Pearly Gates one day. As he looked down the pathway, he saw Tommy (an All-star High School Football Player) coming up the path. He told Tommy, "There's got to be some mistake, I wasn't expecting you so soon." "Your suppose to go to college, and play in either the Rose Bowl or Cotton Bowl as the M.V.P." "From there you would go into the pro's as a number one draft choice, what happened?" "Graduation gift and my girlfriend, said Tommy." "I don't think I understand said St. Peter." "Well Tina, my girlfriend and I were driving around in my new Trans Am, that I received for graduation. That's when she said, " Tommy, be an angel, let me drive." [4] ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: The 3M Company encourages creativity from its employees. The company allows its researchers to spend 15 percent of their time on any project that interests them. It seems that Art Fry dealt with a small irritation every Sunday as he sang in the church choir. After marking his pages in the hymnal with small bits of paper, the small pieces would invariably fall out all over the floor. Suddenly, an idea struck Fry. He remembered an adhesive developed by a colleague that everyone thought was a failure because it did not stick very well. "I coated the adhesive on a paper sample," Fry recalls, "and I found that it was not only a good bookmark, but it was great for writing notes. It will stay in place as long as you want it to, and then you can remove it without damage." Yes, Art Fry hit the jackpot. The resulting product was called Post-it! and has become one of 3M's most successful office products. [5] ~~~~~~~ CONTRIBUTORS: [1] ("This and That" [2] (Evelyn Hall) [3] (MONDAY FODDER [4] (Walter Smith) [5] (Louise Maxwell) |