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WITandWISDOM(tm) - July 26, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: I've learned that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains. (James Rhinehart) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Story by Chaplain Robinson: In 1949, my father had just returned home from the war. On every American highway you could see soldiers in uniform hitchhiking home to their families, as was the custom at that time in America. Sadly, the thrill of his reunion with his family was soon overshadowed. My grandmother became very ill and had to be hospitalized. It was her kidneys, and the doctors told my father that she needed a blood transfusion immediately or she would not live through the night. The problem was that Grandmother's blood type was AB-, a very rare type even today, but even harder to get then because there were no blood banks or air flights to ship blood. All the family members were typed, but not one member was a match. So the doctors gave the family no hope; my grandmother was dying. My father left the hospital in tears to gather up all the family members, so that everyone would get a chance to tell Grandmother good-bye. As my father was driving down the highway, he passed a soldier in uniform hitchhiking home to his family. Deep in grief, my father had no inclination at that moment to do a good deed. Yet it was almost as if something outside himself pulled him to a stop, and he waited as the stranger climbed into the car. My father was too upset to even ask the soldier his name, but the soldier noticed my father's tears right away and inquired about them. Through his tears, my father told this total stranger that his mother was lying in a hospital dying because the doctors had been unable to locate her blood type, AB-, and if they did not locate her blood type before nightfall, she would surely die. It got very quiet in the car. Then this unidentified soldier extended his hand out to my father, palm up. Resting in the palm of his hand were the dog tags from around his neck. The blood type on the tags was AB-. The soldier told my father to turn the car around and get him to the hospital. My grandmother lived until 1996, 47 years later, and to this day no one in our family knows the soldier's name. But my father has often wondered, was he a soldier or an angel in uniform? Sometimes, we never know who God will bring into our lives to carry out a special mission nor do we know whose lives God will have us touch. (E-zine: Sermon Fodder ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: INTERESTING STATE LAWS These may be true. :) TEXAS - An anticrime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed. FLORIDA - Unmarried women who parachute on Sundays may be jailed. . . In Saratoga, it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit. NEVADA - It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway. CALIFORNIA - It is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting license. MICHIGAN - A state law stipulates that a woman's hair legally belongs to her husband. ARKANSAS - Flirtation between the members of the opposite sex on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term. UTAH - A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence. . . BALTIMORE - It is illegal to mistreat oysters; It is illegal to wash or scrub sinks, no matter how dirty they get. TENNESSEE - It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish In Dyersburg, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date. In Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists." RHODE ISLAND - In Providence it is illegal to sell toothpaste and toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday. OKLAHOMA - Whale hunting is strictly forbidden throughout the entire state. MASSACHUSETTS - In Boston it is illegal to take a bath unless one has been ordered by a physician to do so. (Heidi Webber) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Overheard on the public-address system at a supermarket in Alphareta, Ga.: "Would the person with a leaky bag of sugar please stop your shopping cart where you are so that our custodian can catch up to you." (Lynda Walcker) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: In ancient times a fever reducer was derived from the bark of willow trees. It contained a natural chemical, salicylic acid. In 1853, Charles Von Gerhardt synthesized acetylsalicylic acid using a compound of willow and meadowsweet (a relative of the rose). It wasn't until 1893 that Felix Hoffmann, a chemist at the Bayer Drug firm in Dusseldorf, Germany, found that the mixture dramatically helped his father's rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to easing the crippling arthritis, it was found to be an exceptional painkiller, fever reducer, and anti-inflammatory agent. This loose powder, which Bayer named Aspirin, became a worldwide success. This wonder drug was so highly valued that it was included in the reparations demanded by the Allies at the end of World War I. The Bayer Company unsuccessfully sued in the U.S. courts to retain exclusive ownership of the name Aspirin, but Judge Learned Hand ruled that aspirin belonged to the world. Source: Bits & Pieces, April 1, 1993, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., www.epinc.com via http://www.witandwisdom.org |