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WITandWISDOM(tm) - April 9, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: The one who fears suffering is already suffering from what they fear. - Author Unknown ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Young Private Winneger was with the U.S. Army as it marched through Europe at the end of World War II. His unit was assigned to a European village with the orders to secure the town, search for any hiding Nazis and to help the villagers in any way they could. Winneger was on patrol one night when he saw a person running through a field just outside the village. "Halt or I'll shoot," he shouted. Instead of stopping with hands in the air, the person darted for the nearest tree, where he hid in the dark. Cautious of any danger, Winneger hid and waited. Soon, feeling the way was clear, a dark shadow made its way from behind the tree, to a spot near a large tree, where he started to dig. Winneger waited until he had finished digging and was once more on the move before he stepped out and again shouted, "Halt or I'll shoot!" But, instead of stopping, the person took off, again. Winneger decided not to shoot but to try to catch the furtive figure. Out of breath, he caught up and tackled it to the ground. To his surprise he found he had captured a young boy. An ornate menorah had fallen from the boy's hands in the scuffle. Winneger picked up the menorah. The boy tried to grab it back shouting, "Give it to me. It's mine!" Winneger assured the boy that he was among friends. Furthermore, he himself was Jewish. The boy who had just survived several years of the Holocaust and had been in a concentration camp, was mistrustful of all men in uniforms. He had been forced to watch the shooting of his father. He had no idea what had become of his mother. In the weeks that followed, Winneger took the young boy, whose name was David, under his wing. As they became closer and closer, Winneger's heart went out to the boy. He offered David the opportunity to come back to New York City with him. David accepted and Winneger went through all the necessary paperwork and officially adopted David. Winneger was active in the New York Jewish community. An acquaintance of his, a curator of the Jewish Museum in Manhattan, saw the menorah. He told David it was a very valuable historic, European Menorah and should be shared with the entire Jewish Community. He offered David $50,000 for the menorah. But David refused the generous offer saying the menorah had been in his family for over 200 years and that no amount of money could ever make him sell it. When Chanukah came, David and Winneger lit the menorah in the window of their home in New York City. David went upstairs to his room to study, and Winneger stayed downstairs in the room with the menorah. There was a knock on the door and Winneger went to answer. He found a woman with a strong German accent who said that she was walking down the street when she saw the menorah in the window. She said that she had once had one just like it in her family and had never seen any other like it. Could she come and take a closer look? Winneger invited her in and said that the menorah belonged to his son who could perhaps tell her more about it. Winneger went upstairs and called David down to talk to the woman. As David entered the room, he watched from behind as he saw the woman tenderly touch the beautiful, ornate masterpiece. "May I help you?" asked David. As the woman turned to reply, David gasped. "MOTHER!" Tears flowed freely, and thanks were given to God, as David and his Mother held each other close. They would never be separated, again. Source: the Story of Encouragement, http://www.pbnradio.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Who supports whom in this marriage? Warren Straatmann of Owasso, Oklahoma, will haul his wife of seven years, Wendy, across a 253.5-meter course in Finland this July in the eight annual Wife Carrying World Championships. Warren weighs 172 pounds, Wendy 109. Warren and Wendy beat 15 other teams for the North American title in Maine last October. The Straatmanns finished the 278-yard course - they had to jump two hurdles and wade through a water pit - in a record one minute, 15 seconds. Warren, 36, a civil engineer, and Wendy, 33, a geologist, are recreational runners and cyclists. When they saw a story in a running magazine last July about wife carrying, Warren told Wendy, "We'd be good at that." Soon after, they heard on the radio that the Oklahoma championships would be held in Tulsa. "It was destiny," Wendy says. The Straatmanns hone their technique on the track at a nearby highschool in deference to Kate, 6, and Grant, 2. "The kinds don't want us doing it out in the yard," Wendy says. By Melissa Segura For more on the story including pictures visit: http://www.sundayriver.com/summer2003/wifecarry.html Source: Sports Illustrated, March 17, 2003, http://www.si.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: If you fear change, leave it here. -Sign on a restaurant tip jar Source: Smile a Day Newsletter©, http://www.net153.com/best.htm ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How DSL Works DSL transmits data over phone lines without interfering with voice service. Find out how it uses extra bandwidth to provide a fast Internet connection without taking over your phone. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/dsl.htm Source: How Stuff Works, http://www.howstuffworks.com |