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WITandWISDOM(tm) - November 15, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "We should keep so close to the facts that we never have to remember the second time what we said the first time." - F. Marion Smith (E- zine: GAGLER'S QUOTE OF THE DAY Mailto:signup@gagler.com) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: I WANT TO KNOW By Oriah Mountain Dreamer, a woman who leads retreats, workshops and ceremonies throughout the U. S. and Canada. It was originally published in Dreams of Desire, (Toronto, Mountain Dreaming, (C) 1995). This prose poem has been expanded into a book by the same title (HarperSanFrancisco, 1999) It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking the fool for love, for your dreams and for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow, if you have been opened up by life's betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not a pretty day, and if you can source your life from God's presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver light of a full moon, "Yes!" It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children. It doesn't matter who you are, or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. (E-zine: INTERNET FOR CHRISTIANS http://www.gospelcom.net/ifc/subscribe.html ) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: MINNESOTA SLOGANS Minnesota had a contest to give the state a New state slogan. Here are some of the ones that didn't make it: I Came, I Thawed, I Transferred . . . . Survive Minnesota And The Rest Of The World Is Easy. Minnesota - Where Visitors Turn Blue With Envy. Minnesota - Home Of The Blonde Hair And Blue Ears. Minnesota - Mosquito Supplier To The Free World. Minnesota - Come Fall In Love With A Loon. Land Of Many Cultures - Mostly Throat. Minnesota - Have You Jump Started Your Kid Today? There Are Only 3 Things You Can Grow In Minnesota: Colder, Older, & Fatter. Many Are Cold, But Few Are Frozen. Why Minnesota? To Protect Ontario From Iowa! Land Of 10,000 Petersons. 10,000 Lakes And No Sharks! (E-zine: THE FUNNIES Mailto:andychaps_the-funnies-subscribe@egroups.com) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My face in the mirror Isn't wrinkled or drawn. My house isn't dirty. The cobwebs are gone. My garden looks lovely, And so does my lawn. I think I might never Put my glasses back on. (E-zine: KITTY'S DAILY MEWS Mailto:kittysdailymews-subscribe@topica.com) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Who was Typhoid Mary? . . . Pity poor Mary Mallon, a cook in the New York City area at the turn of the century. She meant no harm, but nevertheless managed to infect at least 51 people, possibly more, killing at least three with the dread disease that has forever been linked to her name. Mary herself was immune to Typhoid fever, but as a carrier her effectiveness was deadly. A 1904 epidemic on Long Island was traced to her, but she disappeared before she could be quarantined. Mary was caught in 1907 (again working as a cook) and was put in isolation. She was released three years later only after promising not to seek employment in a kitchen again. But a 1914 outbreak of Typhoid was traced to - you guessed it. This time she was held in isolation until her death from a stroke, in 1938, with her name living on in infamy. - Source: ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA (E-zine: MAILBITS.COM http://www.MailBits.com/Trivia ) |