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WITandWISDOM(tm) - March 9, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand. - Chinese Proverb ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: During the Nazi blitz of London in 1940, Matthew Sands received a telegram from the British War Office, stating that his son, David, had been reported missing and was believed dead. The report proved true. Heartbroken, Sands wrote on the back of the telegram: "All that I have and all that I am, I give to God for His service." Not long after he received the terrible news, someone telephoned Sands to remind him he had an important engagement coming up. On his way to his appointment, he walked by an old abandoned church and noticed a sign that read, "For sale by auction." He entered the building to pray before going on, and was impressed to buy it and restore it as a house of worship. Unbeknown to him, another man, Andres Jelks, had also seen the sign and decided to buy the building and convert it into "Andy's Amusement Arcade." On the day of the auction, both men showed up. Sands had prepared a letter with a formal bid for the property, but in his grief and confused state of mind he inadvertently handed in the wire from the War Office instead of the bid. The auctioneer silently read the telegram as well as Sands's message dedicating his all to God's service. Finally, when all the bids were in, he announced that the church had been sold to Matthew Sands, the highest bidder. Asked why, he read the words on the back of the telegram. Those present agreed with the auctioneer's decision. By Donald E. and Vesta W. Mansell, "Sure As The Dawn" Copyright (c) 1993 ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Things You NEVER Want to Hear the Orkin Man Say: "EEEEEKKK!!!!!!" "Exterminator down! Exterminator down! Send backup!!! Extermin..." "The GOOD news is... you have termites." "Do you happen to have a large net?" "You know, I'm also a taxidermist." "Ma'am, I'm afraid you need to let me take the oatmeal raisin cookies with me." "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" "Hi, I'm Willie Nelson and I'll be your exterminator today." Source: Clean Laugh, cleanlaugh- 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... Source: Monday Fodder dgaufaaa@iohk.com?subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: What makes something a "red letter day"? Guessing won't help on this one. For example, it has not the slightest connection to Communism or to Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter. And it certainly has nothing to do with the ugly red letters that appeared at the top of your school papers after your teachers got through with them. In fact, its origins are in the Roman Catholic Church. In the Middle Ages, monks working as scribes marked Saint's days and other religious observances in red on the calendar. Such dates needed to stand out because they were special and sometimes required preparation. Modern calendar makers have preserved that practice, marking holidays in red. By extension, any day that's really special for you, because you did something great or had some good fortune, is a red letter day. From: Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by W. & M. Morris Source: MailBits.com Trivia, Copyright (c) 1998-2001. All rights reserved. Trivia-subscribe@mailbits.com |