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WITandWISDOM(tm) - March 25, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Somewhere deep inside, we all still long to chase butterflies, dance in flower beds, and sing to the stars. Take time today to celebrate the child inside. Submitted by Robbi Mikkola ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: As a teenager Henry Smith played in a high school band like many boys in the 1960s. He says, "I was playing things I wouldn't play or sing now, Jimi Hendrix and all that. I'd rather not go into that." But while in college a spiritual revolution in his life brought him to Richmond to attend Union Theological Seminary. "God really touched my heart," he says. "I'd been a Christian since I was a child, but he changed my way of thinking." Then his eyes went bad. In 1978, Henry returned from seminary to work in his home church as a layperson. He had to take odd jobs to support himself as his career choices were limited by a degenerative eye disease. Nevertheless, he remembers "being extremely thankful" during that time in his life. He had discovered that in the darkest winter there was within him an invincible summer. One Sunday his pastor quoted 2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." Henry decided to write a song about it: Give thanks with a grateful heart; Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son. And now, let the weak say, "I am strong"; Let the poor say "I am rich" Because of what the Lord has done for us. "Give Thanks" was published in 1986 by Integrity Music and recorded on the album Heal Our Land in 1989. Since then it has been recorded around the world. Henry eventually lost his sight, but not his gratitude for God's unfailing love. He has written over 100 other songs to fit Scripture passages. Today he runs Outback, a recording studio in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Source: The Quiet Hour Echoes, http://www.thequiethour.org ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: What Is a Grandmother . . . (Taken from papers written by a class of 8 year olds) A grandmother is a lady who has no little children of her own. She likes other people's. A grandfather is a man grandmother. Grandmothers don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also don't step on "cracks." They don't say, "Hurry up." Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out. Grandmothers have to be smart. They have to answer questions like "Why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?" When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again. Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television, because they are the only grown-ups who like to spend time with us. They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we've acted bad. Source: The Funnies, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/andychaps_the-funnies ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Back in high school, I worked part-time in the front office delivering mail. One day a package arrived addressed to "Effison Frank A.R.A" at the school address. Not having anyone by that name, the package sat in the front office waiting for someone to claim it. The mystery was unsolved for several weeks until I happened to overhear a phone conversation. "Yes, this is Mrs. Fara. I ordered a package several weeks ago and it hasn't arrived yet. Fara: F as in Frank, A - R - A." Mystery solved. Source: Kitty's Daily Mews, Copyright (c) 1997-2003, Compilation Rights, http://www.katscratch.com/ ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: There are two independent nations, both in Europe, that are smaller than Central Park in New York City. They are Vatican City and Monaco. Each is less than one square mile. The next three smallest countries are Bauru, eight square miles, in the western Pacific Ocean; Tuvalu, ten square miles, the Southwest Pacific; and San Marino, 24 square miles, in Europe. Source: Knowledge in a Nutshell, By Reichblum, Charles, Published by Arpr Inc (Jan 1, 1999), ISBN: 0966099184, http://isbn.nu/0966099184 |