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WITandWISDOM(tm) - October 16, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Well done is better than well said. - Ben Franklin ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: From Erma Bombeck's Column: "I was listening to the radio one day to a child psychologist who said that parents should treat their children with respect as they would treat their best friend - with courtesy, dignity, and diplomacy. I've never treated my children any other way, I told myself. But later that night, I got to thinking about it. "Suppose our good friends, Fred and Eleanor, came over and I treated them as I sometimes do my children? Dinner might go like this: 'Well, it's about time you two got here! What have you been doing, dawdling? Shut the door, Fred; were you born in a barn?' 'Well, Eleanor, how have you been? I've been meaning to have you folks over for ages' 'Fred, take it easy on the dip, or it will ruin your dinner.' 'Have you heard from any of the old gang lately? I got a card from the Martins just the other day. They're in Fort Lauderdale again.' 'What's the matter, Fred? You're fidgeting! . . . It's down the hall, the first door on the left, and I don't want to see a towel in the middle of the floor when you're finished, either!' 'How are the children doing?' 'Well, if everybody's hungry, why don't we go in to dinner? You all wash up, and I'll dish up the food. Don't tell me your hands are clean, Eleanor. I saw you playing with the dog.' 'Fred, you sit there, and Eleanor, you sit with the half glass of milk. You know you're all elbows when it comes to milk.' 'Fred, I don't see any cauliflower on your plate. You don't like cauliflower? Have you tried it like I fix it? Well, you try a spoonful. If you don't like it I won't make you finish it, but if you don't try it, forget the dessert!' 'Now, what were we talking about? Oh yes, the Gruebers. They sold their house. I understand they took quite a loss on it.' 'Eleanor, don't talk with food in your mouth; and use your napkin!' "At that moment in my fantasy, my son walked into the room. 'How nice of you to come,' I said pleasantly. 'Now what did I do?' he sighed." Respect. It is a powerful component in mercy. Source: Call to Joy, By Don Jacobsen, Copyright (c) 2001, ISBN 0828016240 Submitted by Al Stober ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: For years my wife was highly skilled in knitting. She designed exotic patterns with ease. Once we had lunch in a real Chinese restaurant (only one person spoke partial English, all menus were in Chinese). When she saw the handwritten menu she was so impressed with the calligraphy she tucked the menu in her purse. Some months later I saw the result, a stunning white sweater with the Chinese symbols hand-stitched down the front. She received compliments galore until one cocktail party when we met a distinguished Chinese physician who asked my wife where she got the symbols. He then wanted to know if she knew what they meant. "I'm afraid to ask," she said, "but tell me anyway." Even she had to laugh when he told her they read, "This is a cheap dish--but good." Source: Chapnotes, http://www.chaplainsnotes.org/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A friend asked me to replace the rotted post that her mailbox sat on, and to save the beloved old box. I managed to extract all but one of the rusty nails in the bottom of the mailbox. To free the last nail, I wrapped my arms around the box in a bear hug and started yanking up. Just then a truck came by, and the driver stuck his head out of the window. "I tried that,' he said, 'but the bills keep on coming." Source: Smile a Day Newsletter©, http://www.net153.com/best.htm ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: On a boat trip, my friend accidentally dropped his wallet overboard. A few days later it was returned in the mail with this note: "Dear Sir, I sincerely hope your wallet was not in your pocket when it reached the water." Contributed by Stanley Faksons Source: Reader's Digest, Copyright (c) September, http://www.readersdigest.com/ |