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WIT & WISDOM - January 29, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody's hand and squeeze it, while there's time." - Dale Dauten [1] ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: I have gradually learned practical tools that keep my anger from reaching the toxic stage. I learned that thinking through scenarios and determining my responses before they occur helps to prepare me for stressful situations. Honestly admitting my angry feelings when they start defuses the intensity of the emotion - accepting my feelings frees me to discharge them. If I am frustrated with the kids, I acknowledge it mentally. When the grocery bag breaks, I concede, "That irritates me." Once I admit that I am angry, I picture myself handing my feelings to Christ: "Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7, KJV Then I ask God to give me the ability to see my situation from his perspective. This may not change my circumstances, but it greatly affects my response. For the inevitable times when I feel overwhelmed and need to vent, I have developed a habit that I learned from David's example in Psalms 55:16- 18,22. He poured his heart out to God. If David could do it, I can too! Before I go to sleep, I dump my "toxic waste" - frustrations, irritations, disappointments and hurts - onto God. I may ramble, and I often cry, but I get it out. I cast even the unknown onto Him and simply wait for Him. It is a relief to go to Him as I am, without the pressure to clean myself up or to figure myself out. I can almost hear Him say, "It's OK - I'm here with you - let it go . . ." And I relax in the comfort of a God who deeply cares about my feelings. I thank Him for loving me enough to listen to me. I ask for His cleansing, His healing and His wisdom. And then I get a good night's sleep. By Colleen Jennings Fraioli, DECISION, August 1997 [2] ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Recently a Ft. Lauderdale advertising agency launched a billboard campaign (including the inside and outside of buses) that included 17 different messages from God. This non-denominational campaign started in September sponsored by an anonymous client. 1. "Let's Meet At My House Sunday Before the Game " - God 2. "C'mon Over And Bring The Kids " - God 3. "What Part of "Thou Shalt Not..." Didn't You Understand?" - God 4. "We Need To Talk" - God 5. "Keep Using My Name in Vain And I'll Make Rush Hour Longer" - God 6. "Loved The Wedding, Invite Me To The Marriage" - God 7. "That "Love Thy Neighbor" Thing, I Meant It." - God 8. "I Love You...I Love You...I Love You..." - God 9. "Will The Road You're On Get You To My Place?" - God 10. "Follow Me." - God 11. "Big Bang Theory, You've Got To Be Kidding." - God 12. "My Way Is The Highway." - God 13. "Need Directions?" - God 14. "Tell The Kids I Love Them." - God 15. "Need a Marriage Counselor? I'm Available." - God 16. "Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be A Test." - God (The Howells, Jon B. Roberts) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A family came home from Church where the sermon was on Adam and Eve. The Mother noticed the boy sitting on the bed feeling his ribs. She asked what he was doing. He said, "I counted these things 3 times now. Ma ! I think I'm having a wife." [4] ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How was the potato chip invented? . . . Potato chips were invented in 1853 by a chef who was trying to get revenge on a complaining diner. At the elegant Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, New York, a customer found chef George Crum's French fries too thick and sent them back for a thinner batch. Obligingly, Crum cut his potatoes thinner the second time, but the customer refused them again. Frustrated this time, Crum decided to teach the diner a lesson by cutting his French fries so thin that they couldn't be stabbed with a fork. To his surprise, the diner loved the thin chips and didn't mind getting his hands dirty while eating them. Crum was even encouraged to open his own restaurant. When he did, Sarasota Chips, as they appeared on the menu, were the house specialty and they attracted the era's rich and famous. The invention of the mechanical potato peeler in the 1920s, allowed Crum to mass-produce his chips, sending them on the road to becoming a staple of the couch potato's diet. Sources: PANATI'S EXTRAORDINARY ORIGINS OF EVERYDAY THINGS by Charles Panati [5] ~~~~~~~ CONTRIBUTORS: [1] (Martin Lee) [2] (Magazine: DECISION http://www.graham-assn.org/decision/) [4] (Internet: GRANNY'S FUNNIES http://members.aol.com/grannyx7/DGF.html) [5] (E-zine: MAILBITS.COM http://www.MailBits.com/Trivia) |