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WITandWISDOM(tm) - May 21, 2002 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. - Helen Keller From: A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, By Canfield, Jack; Hansen, Mark Victor, Published by Health Communications, Inc. Copyright (c) April 1995, ISBN: 1558743316, http://isbn.nu/1558743316/price Submitted by Alice Bryan Subjects: Character, Difficulties ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Jean sat at her kitchen table, teacup in hand, amazed. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but a pleasant one. Her mind wandered back to the events of the morning. Her eight-year-old son Bryan had begun the day with his usual waking-up shenanigans. He sulked and pouted his way to the breakfast table, announcing, "I'm not going to school - and no one's going to make me!" Normally Jean would have either tried to talk Bryan into attending school, or blown up at him in frustration. However, this morning was different. Jean simply said, "You're right. Honey. No one can make you go to school. That has to be something you choose to do. However, if you don't choose to go to school, you are choosing to stay in your room all day with no TV. But that's something you'll have to decide for yourself, like you did last week." Bryan hesitated in his tantrum. He was thinking about when Morn had made him stay in his room and miss dinner when he had refused to set the table. Finally, he said, "Well, I'll go - but I don't have to like it!" "Absolutely," Jean agreed. "You don't have to like a lot of things like school. But I'm sure you've made the right choice." She helped Bryan on with his jacket and watched him walk to the carpool ride outside. Not ten minutes later, Jean had received a call from her husband, Jerry, who had driven to work early. "Honey," he said. "I just found out I have a meeting after work. The last time I showed up late for dinner, there wasn't any. Think you could save some this time?" Jean laughed. "Last time, you never called me to let me know. I really appreciate your telling me in advance. I'll feed the kids, and you and I'll eat together later." My son makes it to school, even with a cranky attitude. My husband calls me to inform me about schedule changes. I'm dreaming, aren't I, Lord? Jean wasn't dreaming. She was, for the first time in her life, experiencing the rewards of setting and maintaining clear boundaries in her life. A great deal of hard work and risk-taking had gone into them. But it was worth it. She rose up from the table and began to ready herself for work. Boundaries: When to Say Yes-When to Say No-To Take Control of Your Life, By Cloud, Henry; Townsend, John, Published by Zondervan (Jan 1, 1999), ISBN: 0310224535 http://isbn.nu/0310224535 Subjects: Parenting, Marriage, Boundaries ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: YOU MAY NEED TO TRADE IN YOUR CAR WHEN . . . You pull over to let a fire truck go by, and it stops behind you. You have to go to a repair center every thousand miles to get the duct tape replaced. You accidentally drive into a junkyard, and when you try to drive out, and get accused of stealing. The Blue Book lists your car under "Health Risk." The only thing holding your bumper on is the "Nixon for President" sticker. You return to your car and find someone broke in and left a hundred dollars and a new stereo. Evel Kneivel refuses a free lift. The valet puts on a crash helmet and full-body armor before parking your car. The guys at the repair shop keep calling you Dr. Kevorkian. The last ticket you got was for going 12-mph on the super highway. Source: Gentle Humor, mailto:words@iop.com?subject=Subscribe Subjects: Automobiles ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My wife and I were traveling on the Kansas Turnpike, bucking 30 to 45 m.p.h. crosswinds. At the tollbooth, I asked the attendant, "What do you people do in Kansas when the wind quits?" She didn't miss a beat. "We take the rocks out of our pockets." From: Reader's Digest, Copyright (c) September 1999 http://www.readersdigest.com Source: Sermon Fodder, http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Sermon_Fodder Subjects: Wind ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Cat Facts Part 2 of 2 [May 20, 21] 6 When a cat brings you a dead mouse, it's not a present, but a teaching tool. Your cat thinks you are her child and need to be taught to hunt. The first time you'll get a dead mouse. The second time it will be partly alive so she can show you how to kill it. The third time you'll get a live mouse and your cat will watch and wait for you to hunt it. 7 The average cat will eat 20 times her own weight in food each year. 8 When cats drink, their tongues scoop the liquid up backwards. 9 The ancient Egyptians were the first to tame the cat. The Pilgrims were the first to introduce cats to North America. 10 Cats readily respond to names ending in an "ee" sound. 11 In an average year, cat owners in the U.S. spend $2.15 billion on cat food and $295 million on cat litter. 12 Cats have more bones (236) than humans, who only have 206. Source: Your Cat, Winter 2002, (c) Copyright The Iams Company, http://www.iams.com Subjects: Cats |