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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 21, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: The minute a man ceases to grow, no matter what his years, that minute he begins to be old. - William James (E- zine: INSPIRE http://www.infoadvn.com/inspire/) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Consider this story that came over the wires of the Associated Press on May 23, 1983: As a child, Mary Groda did not learn to read and write. EXPERTS labeled her 'retarded'. As an adolescent, she "earned" an additional label, "incorrigible," and was sentenced to two years in a reformatory. It was here, ironically, in this closed-in place, that Mary. . . bending to the challenge to learn...worked at her task for as long as 16 hours a day. Her hard work paid off: She was awarded her (GED) high school diploma. But more misfortune was to visit Mary Groda. After leaving the reformatory, she became pregnant without benefit of marriage. Then, two years later a second pregnancy resulted in a stroke, erasing her hard-earned powers of reading and writing. With the help and support of her father, Mary battled back, regaining what she had lost. In dire financial straits, Mary went on welfare. Finally, to make ends meet, she took in seven foster children. It was during this period that she started taking courses at a community college. Upon completion of her course work, she applied to and was accepted by the Albany Medical School to study medicine. In the spring of 1984 in Oregon, Mary Groda Lewis. . . she's married now. . . paraded in full academic regalia across the graduation stage. No one can know what private thoughts went through Mary's mind as she reached out to grasp this eloquent testimony to her self-belief and perseverance, her diploma that announced to all the world: Here stands on this small point of planet Earth a person who dared to dream the impossible dream . . . Here stands Mary Groda Lewis, M.D. By James E. Conner, Chicken Soup (E-zine: THIS AND THAT Mailto:milady@mediaone.net) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: AGE BAROMETER (See how many of these you remember and then see your age calculation below) 1. Blackjack chewing gum 2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water 3. Candy cigarettes 4. Soda pop machines that dispensed bottles 5. Coffee shops with table-side jukeboxes 6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers 7. Party lines 8. Newsreels before the movie 9. P.F. Flyers 10. Butch wax 11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (Olive - 6933) 12. Peashooters 13. Howdy Doody 14. 45 RPM records 15. S&H Green Stamps 16. Hi-fi's 17. Metal ice trays with levers 18. Mimeograph paper 19. Blue flashbulbs 20. Beanie and Cecil 21. Roller skate keys 22. Cork popguns 23. Drive-ins 24. Studebakers 25. Wash tub wringers If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young If you remembered 6-10 = you are getting older If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt! (Diana Endresen via E-zine: KEITH'S MOSTLY CLEAN HUMOR Mailto:maiser@mail.otherwhen.com?body=subscribe%20mchawlist%0d%0aexit) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: KIDS JOKES Q: What do you get if you cross a bear with a skunk? A: Winnie the Phew! Q: What did the Arithmetic textbook say to the Reading textbook? A: "Don't tell me your sad stories, I'm the one with the problems!" Q: What is the difference between an elephant and a flea? A: An elephant can have fleas but a flea can't have elephants! Q: What did the picture say to the wall? A: I've been framed! Q: What did the wall say to the picture? A: Hi Art! (E-zine: FAMILY FUN LINKS Mailto:family-fun-links-subscribe@onelist.com) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How about a page that promises to teach you something new . . . everyday? At "Learn Something New" you'll find several links to information. So, Learn Something New at: http://www.holotech.net/learnsomethingnew/ (E-zine: SuPeR-SiTeS Mailto:patty@lawtonok.net?subject=subscribe) |