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WITandWISDOM(tm) - May 10, 2002 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Actress Meryl Streep had this reply when asked about the possibility of winning a third Oscar: "I'd rather be voted mother of the year by my family, because nobody realizes that being a good mother is harder than making a movie. Being a housewife and a mother is much more difficult." Source: Bits & Pieces, February 1, 1996, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., http://www.epinc.com Subjects: Mothers, Actors ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckled faced image of innocence. Her Mom looked like someone from the Walton's or a moment captured by Norman Rockwell. Not that she was old fashioned. Her brown hair was ear length with enough curl to appear natural. She had on a pair of tan shorts and light blue knit shirt. Her sneakers were white with a blue trim. She looked like a Mom. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to capacity and some were blocked so that huge puddles surrounded the parked cars. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others aggravated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rain fall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked. "Let's run through the rain!" she repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated her statement. "Mom, let's run through the rain." "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?" "Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, "If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything!" The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few believers who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. Perhaps inspired by their faith and trust. I want to believe that somewhere down the road in life, Mom will find herself reflecting back on moments they spent together, captured like pictures in the scrapbook of her cherished memories. Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the world they love each other. But only two people will share that precious moment when they ran through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. "They Ran Through The Rain...," By ©Bob Perks, Bob@BobPerks.com , Bob has a free weekly e-mail message, "I Believe In YOU!" http://www.bobperks.com.cnchost.com/Messages.htm Source: Christian Voices, http://www.christianvoices.org/ Subjects: Cancer, Faith ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Boston, Massachusetts (Reuters): Picnics and packed school lunches may never be the same again, thanks to the latest breakthrough by military science -- the non-soggy sandwich. Spurred on by rather unappetizing U.S. battlefield food known as Meals Ready to Eat, scientists at the Army Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts have devised a vacuum-sealed sandwich that stays edible for up to three years. "The water activity of the different sandwich components needs to complement each other," project officer Michelle Richardson told New Scientist magazine. "If the water activity of the meat is too high you might get soggy bread." Using an array of chemicals to seal the meat and inhibit bacterial growth, the scientists already have produced pepperoni and barbecue chicken indestructible sandwiches, which have been given a cautious welcome by soldiers who agreed to try them. Inspired by their apparent breakthrough, the scientists are now experimenting with pizzas, bagels, burritos and even the staple peanut butter sandwich. Source: WhiteBoard News for April 12, 2002, http://www.joeha.com/whiteboard Subjects: Food, Army ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: As I approached a tollbooth, I rummaged around in my purse for the $2.10 toll. I checked my change purse, then the car's change holder, and finally under the floor mat. The result: $1.72, which left me 38 cents short. When I pulled up to the booth, I explained my situation and asked the toll taker if he accepted credit cards. He shook his head no, but then pointed to the lollipop I was holding. "You got another one of those?" "Yeah," I replied. "I'll buy one off you for 38 cents to pay the rest of the toll for you." So I dug into my bag, gave the man a lollipop and was on my way. Michelle Rice, Cheektowaga, N.Y., USA Subjects: Tolls ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: The speed of rotation of the Earth's surface increases steadily from zero at the poles to a bit over 1,000 miles an hour at the equator. Source: Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts by Isaac Asimov, Published by Random House Value Publishing, Incorporated, Sep 1991, ISBN: 0517065037 http://isbn.nu/0517065037/price Submitted by Ward Batty Subjects: Speed, Earth |