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WITandWISDOM(tm) - April 18, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character."- W. Somerset Maugham Source: Net 153 Weekly, http://www.net153.com/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: A Strawberry Malt and Three Squeezes, Please! By Larry James In their later years, both my mom and dad lived in a life-care retirement center. Partially due to the stress of my mom's Alzheimer's condition, my dad became ill and was no longer able to care for her. They lived in separate rooms yet were together as much as they could be. They loved each other so much. Hand-in-hand, those silver-haired lovers would stroll the halls, visiting their friends, passing out love. They were the "romantics" of the retirement center. When I realized that my mother's condition was worsening, I wrote her a letter of acknowledgment. I told her how much I loved her. I apologized for my orneriness when I was growing up. I told her that she was a great mother and I was proud to be her son. I told her things I had wanted to say for a long time but had been too stubborn to say until I realized she might not be in a position to comprehend the love behind the words. It was a detailed letter of love and of completion. My dad told me she often spent hours reading and re-reading that letter. It saddened me to know that my mom no longer knew I was her son. She would often ask, "Now, what was your name?" and I would proudly reply that my name was Larry and I was her son. She would smile and reach for my hand. I wish I could once again experience that special touch. On one of my visits, I stopped by the local malt shop and bought my mother and father each a strawberry malt. I stopped by her room first, re-introduced myself to her, chatted for a few minutes and then took the other strawberry malt to my dad's room. By the time I returned, she had almost finished the malt. She had lain down on the bed for a rest. She was awake. We both smiled when she saw me come into the room. Without a word, I pulled a chair close to the bed and reached over to hold her hand. It was a divine connection. I silently affirmed my love for her. In the quiet I could feel the magic of our unconditional love, even though I knew she was quite unaware of who was holding her hand. Or was she holding my hand? After about 10 minutes, I felt her give my hand a tender squeeze...three squeezes. They were brief and instantly I knew what she was saying without having to hear any words. The miracle of unconditional love is nurtured by the power of the Divine and our own imagination. I couldn't believe it! Even though she could no longer express her innermost thoughts like she used to, no words were necessary. It was as though she came back for a brief moment. Many years ago when my father and she were dating, she had invented this special way of telling my dad, "I love you!" while they were sitting in church. He would softly give her hand two squeezes to say, "Me too!" I gave her hand two soft squeezes. She turned her head and gave me a loving smile I shall never forget. Her countenance radiated love. I remembered her expressions of unconditional love for my father, our family and her countless friends. Her love continues to profoundly influence my life. Another eight to ten minutes went by. No words were spoken. Suddenly, she turned to me and quietly spoke these words: "It's important to have someone who loves you." I wept. They were tears of joy. I gave her a warm and tender hug, told her how very much I loved her and left. My mother passed away shortly after that. Very few words were spoken that day; those she spoke were words of gold. I will always treasure those special moments. Source: A Moment to Consider, mailto:Mexschneiders@compuserve.com?subject=Subscrib e_-_A_Moment_to_Consider ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Geezer Exam Part 2 of 2 [Apr 17, 18] 11. What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940's? a. Smallpox b. AIDS c. Polio 12. "I'll be down to get you in a ________, Honey" a. SUV b. Taxi c. Streetcar 13. What was the name of Caroline Kennedy's pet pony? a. Old Blue b. Paint c. Macaroni 14. What was a Duck-and-Cover Drill? a. Part of the game of hide and seek b. What you did when your mom called you in to do chores c. Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill 15. What was the name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show? a. Princess Summerfallwinterspring b. Princess Sacajewea c. Princess Moonshadow 16. What did all the really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school? a. Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this was believed to get you high b. Made paper airplanes to see who could sail theirs out the window c. Wrote another pupil's name on the top, to avoid your failure 17. Why did your Mom shop in stores that gave Green Stamps with purchases? a. To keep you out of mischief by licking the backs, which tasted like bubble gum b. They could be put in special books and redeemed for various household items c. They were given to the kids to be used as stick-on tattoos 18. Praise the Lord, and pass the _________? a. Meatballs b. Dames c. Ammunition 19. What was the name of the singing group that made the song "Cabdriver" a hit? a. The Ink Spots b. The Supremes c. The Esquires 20. Who left his heart in San Francisco? a. Tony Bennett b. Zavier Cugat c. George Gershwin ANSWERS 11. c) Polio. In beginning of August, swimming pools were closed, movies and other public gathering places were closed to try to prevent spread of the disease. 12. b) Taxi. Better be ready by half-past eight! 13. c) Macaroni. 14. c) Hiding under your desk, and covering your head with your arms in an A-bomb drill. 15. a) Princess Summerfallwinterspring. She was another puppet. 16. a) Immediately sniffed the purple ink to get a high. 17. b) Put in a special stamp book, they could be traded for household items at the Green Stamp store. 18. c) Ammunition, and we'll all be free. 19. a) The all male, all black group: The Inkspots 20. a) Tony Bennett, and he sounds just as good today. (or bad, depending on your taste) How Did You Score? 17- 20 correct: You are not only older than dirt, but obviously gifted with mind bloat. Now if you could only find your glasses. 12 -16 correct: Not quite dirt yet, but your mind is definitely muddy. 0 -11 correct: You are a sad excuse for a geezer or you are younger than springtime! Source: Colorado Comments, http://coloradocomments.com/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: At a boat-rental concession, the manager went to the lake's edge and yelled through his megaphone, "Number 99, come in, please. Your time is up." Several minutes passed, but the boat didn't return. "Boat number 99," he again hollered, "return to the dock immediately or I'll have to charge you overtime." "Something is wrong here, boss," his assistant said. "We only have 75 boats. There is no number 99." The manager thought for a moment and then raised his megaphone: "Boat number 66," he yelled. "Are you having trouble out there?" Source: Sunday Funnies, http://www.net153.com/best.htm ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How come Americans use a donkey and an elephant as symbols for the Democratic and Republican parties? The donkey started with President Andrew Jackson, a Democrat. He used the symbol for his party after his opponents in the 1828 presidential election called him a "jackass." Illustrator Thomas Nast made Jackson's donkey famous in his political cartoons. Nast himself came up with the Republican elephant in an 1874 cartoon. The elephant initially was meant only to represent the strength of the "Republican Vote," but it soon came to stand for the party as a whole. Source: DailyInBox: Trivia, http://your.dailyinbox.com/trivia/ |