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WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 6, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all. - Sam Ewing Source: Carol's Thought for Today, http://www.kalama.com/~carola/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Dr. Frederic Loomis faced the most difficult decision a physician could ever make - whether to allow a deformed baby to live or die. He had only seconds to decide. Dr. Loomis had delivered hundreds of babies, but this one was different. The infant lay in a breech position, promising at best a difficult and dangerous birth. One of its feet stretched only to the knee of the other leg. Furthermore, it was missing a thigh. The mother, a frail person visiting the sterile delivery room for her first time, was not aware of the grossly deformed child struggling to survive. Dr. Loomis closed his eyes; at his fingertips squirmed a pitiful creature yet unborn. Would not the most loving thing be to detain the birth long enough to cause the child to be stillborn? He agonized within himself. Will this kid not be considered a freak, a twisted burden to its delicate mother? How can I justify playing a part in such a cruel drama? Surely no one will ever know if I spare this family from inevitable pain. The doctor, through the baby's cord, felt its heartbeat - dancing in rhythm to his own wildly racing heart. As Dr. Loomis continued to prevent the birth, he felt the normal foot pressing for passage into the world. Suddenly, he could no longer justify "playing God." Instead, he would trust God to care for this child against what seemed to be impossible odds. Dr. Loomis delivered the infant into the world, which, he sensed, would be very unkind. In the years that followed. Dr. Loomis often second-guessed his decision. He watched the anguish of the family as desperate parents sought in vain to find some correction for their child's deformity. Even after they moved away Dr. Loomis continued to lament the burden that he had saddled upon the family. The heartache, he often himself, was his fault. In time, however, Dr. Loomis would find peace. It came at an unexpected time and place - the hospital Christmas party. Typically, it was during the holiday season when his pain seemed most severe. He could not shake the image of that unfortunate child from his mind. While the world celebrated the greatest birth ever known, Dr. Loomis obsessed over the saddest birth he had ever known. At this particular party, the most heavenly music filled the room. The sadness seemed to dissipate as the rich tones of "Silent Night" washed Dr. Loomis' anguished spirit. Following the concert, a woman approached him. "Doctor," she said excitedly. "You saw her." Dr. Loomis studied the woman's face, wanting to recognize her but unable to recall the memory. "I'm sorry. I should know you, but you may need to help me." "Don't you remember the little girl with only one good leg, 17 years ago?" Remember. . . it was the one thing in his life that he couldn't forget! In disbelief, he listened to her story. "That baby was my daughter, doctor. And I saw you watching her play the harp tonight! She has an artificial leg. She's doing well." At her Mom's bidding, the lovely harpist walked toward them. With soppy eyes, Dr. Loomis enveloped the girl in his arms. "Please" he said in a tightening voice, "please play ‘Silent Night' for me one time." The young lady returned to her harp and played his request with poise and perfection. As she played, Dr. Loomis reflected on the incredible gift of life. He thought about the sanctity in every person. And he exhaled 17 years of questions and wondering whether or not it was wise to grant a baby its life. By Karl Haffner, College Place, WA Source: Gleaner, August 2003, ISSN 0746-5874, mailto:gleaner@npuc.org Submitted by Nancy Simpson ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Depth Defying Marilyn vos Savant writes a column for Parade using logic to answer her readers' puzzling questions about life. There are some questions, however, that even Marilyn can't answer: Is there an implied time limit on fortune-cookie predictions? If so, how long is it? Is it true that when two bull moose compete for a lady moose, the one with the smaller antlers concedes? I see how a moose can tell the size of his opponent's antlers, but how does he know how big his own are? Why does lipstick last on my lips for only ten minutes but remain on my glass even after it's been through the dishwasher? Is it true there is not one square inch of dirt anywhere on this planet that has not passed through an earthworm? Has all this evolution been worth it? Source: Reader's Digest, Copyright (c) June 2000, http://www.readersdigest.com/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A college student with a young child was pleased when her daughter became eligible to attend the day care center at the University. The director of the day care gave the mother a tour of the facilities. To assure herself of the center's high standards, the young mother asked about the curriculum. "Well," said the director, eyes twinkling, "today we are studying the children's favorite philosopher: Play-Doh." Source: The Funnies, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/andychaps_the-funnies ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How did a temporary job lead to bullet-resistant vests? Stephanie Louise Kwolek really wanted to study medicine but didn't have enough money to enter medical school. She joined Du Pont as a temporary measure, but the work turned out to be so interesting that she stayed on. The most famous product of her discovery was Kevlar, a polymer fiber five times stronger than the same weight of steel. The material of choice for bullet-resistant vests and many other applications generates hundreds of millions of dollars in sales worldwide each year. Source: ArcaMax Trivia, http://www.arcamax.com |