| Prior Date | Back to Archive Index | Next Date |
|
WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 17, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: If you have a great ambition, take as big a step as possible in the direction of fulfilling it, but if the step is only a tiny one, don't worry if it is the largest one now possible. - Mildred McAfee Source: Bits & Pieces, November 12, 1992, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., http://www.epinc.com ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: The Shoe Lady By Debra Galant Dumpsters contain a lot of unsavory things, but that hasn't stopped Ranya Kelly from rummaging around in them. The 42-year-old wife and mother, known in her Arvada, Colorado, USA, community as the Shoe Lady, runs the Redistribution Center, a nonprofit organization that gives discarded shoes, clothes and other items to the needy. In 1998 the center gave away $4.5 million worth of goods. Kelly's hunt began on a winter day in 1986 when she discovered 500 mostly brand-new pairs of shoes discarded behind a Payless ShoeSource store. She took them to Samaritan House, a Denver homeless shelter. There she spied a pregnant woman walking through the shelter in her stocking feet. Kelly asked the priest in charge why she wasn't wearing shoes. "We don't have any that fit her," he answered. "His words changed my life," says Kelly. "I found out that retailers regularly throw away unsold merchandise to make room for new inventory. So I decided I'd redirect this 'garbage.' " She checked dumpsters for shoes and clothes. Along with a handful of volunteers, she bagged the goods, then delivered them to shelters, churches and other organizations. Kelly credits her husband and 15-year-old son, Justin, for their support. "One day at a shelter Justin saw that a boy needed something warm to wear. He took off his own coat and gave it to him," she says. "That was pretty humbling." From: Good Housekeeping, http://goodhousekeeping.com/ Source: Reader's Digest, Copyright (c) April 1999, http://www.readersdigest.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: When You Don't Know What to Say Part 1 of 7 [Aug 17, 27, Sep 7, 17, 27, Oct 8, 18] Many are familiar with Richard Lederer's wonderful collection of student bloopers collected from exams and papers he has graded over the years. Witness these bloopers from earlier in the 20th century that were collected by Lewis Copeland. To keep in good health, inhale and exhale once a day, and do gymlastics. Oboe: an American tramp. (An English definition) The dodo was a bird the size of a pigeon that is wholly distinguished now. A litre is a lot of newborn puppies. Nitrogen is not found in a free state. It has been discovered in England but not in Ireland. Rotation of crops is so that they can get the sun on all sides. Seats of Congressmen are vaccinated every two years. The hardships of Puritans were what they came over in. Natural immunity is catching a disease without the aid of a physician. The Acropolis of Athens contained the Parthian, the Erectum, and the Esophagus, a temple to the war-god. The Crusades was trips to drive the turkey out of the Holy Land. A mammal is an animal that succors its ancestors. Samuel Johnson was a hypodermic, who did not have real diseases but only thought he had. Edison is the inventor of the phonograf and the indecent lamp. Mercury was the god of weather, because he is found in thermometers. The chief invention in Egypt was dams to irrigate the Nile. An omelet is a charm worn around the neck in India. Martyr is the Latin for mother. From: "The World's Best Jokes," Lewis Copeland, Editor, copyright (c) 1936 by Garden City Books, pages 295-303 Source: Gentle Humor, mailto:words@iop.com?subject=Subscribe ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My dog chewed the tongue on one of my new, very expensive running shoes. I hoped to save my investment, so I took the sneakers to a shoe repair shop. I placed them on the counter and told the man, "My dog got hold of this." The repairman picked up the shoe, looked it over, and placed it back down on the counter. "Well, what do you recommend?" I asked. He looked at me and replied, "Give your dog the other shoe." Source: Kitty's Daily Mews, Copyright (c) 1997-2001 All rights reserved worldwide, http://www.katscratch.com/ ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Information About United States Cities Thinking about moving to another city? Would you like to know more about where an Internet friend lives? Here is an excellent reference source to learn much about cities. The information includes items such as: City Facts, Maps, Pictures, Local Sports, TV and Radio, Things To Do, Travel Info, Yellow Pages, Schools, Store Locations, Classifieds, Restaurants, Real Estate, etc. Visit Digital-Neighbors http://www.digital-neighbor.com/ |