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WITandWISDOM(tm) - January 29, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "I studied the lives of great men and famous women, and I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm." - Henry Truman Source: Awesome Quotes, www.coolnewsletters.com ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: As a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Nigeria, I often faced a cash crunch due to the meager monthly allowance we received and the fact that I received even that little bit only when the authorities concerned deemed fit. On that fateful day, I was at the State Ministry of Works and Transport, my place of primary assignment. I hadn't a kobo on me because my payday was still coming, so I wasn't sure I would eat that day. I had a strong conviction that I would, but I didn't know how the food would come. Naomi, an older woman whom I respect, worked in the same department I did. We'd gone on field work together on at least three occasions since I assumed duty there. On this particular day, she was selling bananas. She came to the workplace with a good number of them, and in no time, all but a bunch worth N10 were sold. Naomi gave me that bunch. I thanked her immediately and then offered Mamoud - a NYSC member working with me - a banana, which he accepted. Just then, someone who had come to see the head of my department entered the room. He noticed the bananas and asked to have one. Mamoud immediately gave him one. He took it and went into the department head's office. I wasn't all that pleased. Mamoud was giving out something that wasn't his. But I kept mute and just watched. After a few minutes our visitor came out from my boss's office, dropped something on the table, and left. Curious, Mamoud and I looked at what he'd left for us - and, behold, it was a N50 note! What a surprise! We had never before met this man, we hadn't asked him to pay for the banana he took, and the whole bunch had cost only N10. I realized that God had not only provided the food I needed that morning but also, through this man, He had taught me the importance of generosity. Though the banana was mine, it was obvious that our visitor had intended the money for both Mamoud and me. So we agreed that I would get N30 and Mamoud would take the remaining N20. I took the N50 note and went looking for a place where I could get change. On my way back, I found someone who needed money too. Without hesitation, I gave her N10 from my N30. Why shouldn't I? Since someone had been generous to me, I should treat others the same way. Now I had enough money to feed myself that day, but God had more in store for me. During the day, my boss gave me another N60. And on my way home, I visited a friend of my father who was working in that same town, and he gave me N100! So I went home smiling, with N180 in my pocket - enough to feed me for the next two days! You see, God was teaching me that it pays to share. He was saying to me: " 'Give, and it will be given to you.' " - Luke 6:38 By Goodhope 0. Hezekiah who writes from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) June 2000, Pacific Press, www.pacificpress.com/signs ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: There is this rather old-fashioned lady, always quite delicate and elegant especially in language. She and her husband were planning a week's vacation in Florida, so she wrote to a particular campground and asked for a reservation. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn't quite know how to ask about the toilet facilities. She just couldn't bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old-fashioned term "bathroom commode." But when she wrote it down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again, rewrote the entire letter and referred to the bathroom commode as the "B.C." "Does the campground have its own B.C.?" is what she actually wrote. Well, the campground owner wasn't old-fashioned at all and when he got the letter he just couldn't figure out what the old woman was talking about. That "B.C." business really stumped him. After worrying about it for a while, he showed the letter to several campers, but they couldn't imagine what the lady meant either. So the camp owner, finally coming to the conclusion that the lady must be asking about the local Baptist Church, sat down and wrote the following reply: Dear Madam, I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that a B.C. is located 9 miles north of the campground, and is capable of seating 250 people at the same time. It is located at a beautiful pine grove and is open only on Sundays and Wednesdays. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunch along and make a day of it. They usually arrive early and stay late. My daughter met her husband in the B.C. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago and it was so crowded, we had to stand up the whole time we were there. Sometimes it is so crowded, there are 5 to a seat. It may interest you to know that right now there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats. They're going to hold it in the basement of the B.C. I would like to say that it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely due to the lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in the cold weather. If you do decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit you down and introduce you to all the other folks. We will be sure to have a seat up front where you can be seen by everyone. Remember, we are a friendly community. Sincerely yours, (The campground owner) Submitted by Larry Brown ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A youngster was telling his parents what he had learned in school about George Washington. "Was George Washington a soldier or a sailor?" asked his father. The child thought for a moment. "I don't know," he said, "but I think he must have been a soldier. I saw a picture of him crossing the Delaware and any sailor knows better than to stand up in a rowboat." Source: Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., www.epinc.com ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Before there ever were any dot.coms, there was dot-dash. The telegraph, the beginning of the electronic media, was invented by Samuel Morse, who also gave his name to the code used to send messages by wire. Would you believe that for most of his life the telegraph was not what made Morse famous? He was in middle age in the 1830s when he perfected his invention. Before that he was one of America's most successful portrait painters and founded the National Academy of Design. Who knew? Nothing in his earlier life telegraphed what was to come. From: FABULOUS FALLACIES Source: MailBits.com Copyright (c) 1998-2001. All rights reserved. Trivia- subscribe@mailbits.com |