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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 12, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it! Source: Dave's Daily Chuckle, http://www.Daily-Chuckle.com Subjects: Success ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: CHRISTMAS LOVE By Candy Chand Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in 10 minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas", I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love", I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas", a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy", and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love". The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her — a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down — totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood — the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: CHRIST WAS LOVE. And, I believe, He still is. By Candy Chand PatCan85@aol.com (c) Copyright 1998 Candy says: "This happened when my son was in Kindergarten, two years ago. There were a few hundred people in the audience - teachers, kids and a few parents, who saw this happen. The school is North Country Elementary School in Antelope, California, where we used to live." Candy Chand's book of miraculous true stories, "Under God's Wings" is available at http://www.amazon.com/ Submitted by Carol Blum Subjects: Christmas, Signs, Kindergarten ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: To: All Employees From: Management Subject: Office conduct during the Christmas season Effective immediately, employees should keep in mind the following guidelines in compliance with FROLIC (the Federal Revelry Office and Leisure Industry Council). Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is discouraged. Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden. (It runs up an incredible long distance bill.) Egg nog will NOT be dispensed in vending machines. Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house. All fruitcake is to be eaten BEFORE July 25. Work requests are not to be filed under "Bah humbug." In spite of all this, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday. Source: Monday Fodder dgaufaaa@iohk.com?subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder Subjects: Christmas, Rules, Office ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My pastor-husband Scott has a sweet tooth, so I knew the chocolate chip cookies I'd just baked might disappear before I returned from running errands. To discourage him, I taped a verse on the wrapped goodies: "'Everything is permissible for me' -- but not everything is beneficial." - 1 Cor. 6:12. When I returned I found half the cookies gone and another verse attached: "The righteous eat to their heart's content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry" - Prov. 13:25. From: Christian Reader "Lite Fare," http://www.christianitytoday.com/spiritual/ Source: Monday Fodder dgaufaaa@iohk.com?subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder Subjects: Christmas, Bible, Diet ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT® The Nobel Prize For a century, the world's most respected prizes have been awarded each year on Dec. 10, the date of the 1896 death of the inventor of dynamite. Swedish chemist Alfred Bernhard Nobel was experimenting in his father's factory, seeking a safe way to use nitroglycerin, when he created the new explosive (whose name comes from the Greek word for power). He wanted the profits to reward human ingenuity, so his will established a fund to give annual prizes to those whose work most benefits mankind. To the initial list of prizes in chemistry, literature, medicine/physiology, physics and peace - first awarded 100 years ago this week - an economics prize was added in 1969. Can you take the prize in this quick quiz by Kenneth C Davis, the author of Don't Know Much About History? Answers below. 1. How many US. presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize? 2. Who was the last American to win the peace prize? 3. What American last won the prize for literature? 4. Who was the first Woman to win a Nobel prize? 5. Albert Einstein Won the prize (in 1921) for what achievement? 6. Who presents the Nobel prizes to the honorees? ANSWERS 1.Two: Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919). 2. Jody Williams, who shared the '97 prize with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines for their work to eliminate mines. 3.Toni Morrison ('93), whose novels include Beloved. 4. Marie Curie, the Pole who shared the 1903 physics prize with her French husband, Pierre, for their work on radiation. She also won the 1911 chemistry prize for her work with radium. 5. Not for E=mc2, as is often assumed, but for his service to theoretical physics and the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. 6. The king of Sweden. Source: USA Weekend, December 7-9, 2001, http://usaweekend.com Subjects: Nobel Prize |