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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 11, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: It's the little things in life that determine the big things. Source: God's Little Instruction Book for Women, By Honor Books Publishing Staff (editor), Published by Honor Books, Copyright (c) 1995, ISBN: 156292222X, http://isbn.nu/156292222X/price Submitted by Nancy Simpson Subjects: Details, Importance ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: In December 1997 Elizabeth Clay was driving home from Boston University to spend the holiday break with her parents in Myrtle Beach, S.C. An hour south of Boston, her old Toyota got a flat. The 22-year-old senior pulled off I-95 in the winter twilight and opened the trunk. No spare. Meantime, a car had stopped. Paul and Diane Woodcock told Clay to follow them to a service station near their house. They arrived to see that it had closed. "Follow us home," said Paul. The couple called around to find a tire. No luck. They decided to make their own luck. "Here," Paul said, handing Clay a set of keys, "take our Ford Escort. We won't be using it over the holidays." Clay was dumbfounded. "But I'm going all the way to South Carolina, and I'll be gone for two weeks," she reminded them. "We know," Paul said. "We'll be here when you get back. Here's our number if you need to contact us." Incredulous, Clay watched as the couple put her bags into the car and then sent her off. Two weeks later she returned to find the old Toyota cleaned inside and out, with three new tires and the radio fixed. "Thank you so much," she said. "How much do I owe you?" "Oh, no," Paul said, "we don't want any money. It's our pleasure." Clay realizes that while it may have been their pleasure, it is now her responsibility to pass on their "do unto others" spirit. By Vidal Clay Source: Reader's Digest, Copyright (c) November 1999, http://www.readersdigest.com Subjects: Kindness, Benevolence, Automobiles ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: HEY !!! CHEER UP... The parachute company says you'll get a full refund. They say the house didn't float very far at all. We're all amazed that you go on living each day. Well, at least the operation was a partial success. The insects hardly touched your other eyebrow. With the lights dimmed, it looks almost normal. The District Attorney says he only has a few more questions. At least the passenger side air bag inflated. The reward for your capture has reached fifty thousand dollars. At least we never thought you were guilty like that Jury did. The insurance pays the full book value ($ 312) for your 1956 T Bird. The thieves left the push lawn mower and hedge trimmers. Those Grand Juries always over-react. Don't worry about it. The boss said while you're sick, he'd do all your work personally. Source: Sebastian Humor List Subjects: One Liners, Encouragement, Parody ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A burglar broke into the house of a Quaker in the middle of the night and started to rob it. The Quaker heard the noise and went downstairs with his shotgun. When he found the burglar he pointed his gun at him and said gently, "Friend, I mean thee no harm, but thou standest where I am about to shoot!" Source: Clean Laffs, http://www.shagmail.com/sub/sub- jokes.html Subjects: Burglars, Guns ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Why do we say that coming upon something by accident is "serendipitous?" I love the sound of this word -- especially the "dip" part, which seems to launch it from one's mouth. Where could it have come from? Latin? Medieval German? Old French? Anglo-Saxon? Groucho Marx? Actually the last is the closest, since someone did make it up. Eighteenth century English author Horace Walpole, most famous for the engaging letters he wrote to his fortunate friends, coined the word serendipity. He got the idea from a book of fiction called The Three Princes of Serendip, in which the protagonists were constantly discovering things by tripping over them while looking for something else. Serendip came from "Serendib," once the name of Ceylon, which was once the name of the country we now call Sri Lanka. And so, serendipitously, you've learned a little place-name history in the bargain. From: The Secret Lives of Words, by Paul West, Published by Harcourt Inc (Jul 1, 2001) ISBN: 0156014092, http://isbn.nu/0156014092 Source: MailBits.com Trivia, Copyright (c) 1998-2001 All rights reserved http://MailBits.com/ Subjects: Language, Definitions, Etymology |