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WITandWISDOM(tm) - April 16, 2004 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Three Kinds Of People Those who make things happen. Those who watch things happen. And those who have no idea that anything has happened! Source: Weekend Encounter, by Dick Innes, Copyright (c) ACTS International, 2004, http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.htm ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: You Are Not Alone By Cheryn Salazar Since I was 12 years old, I've suffered with a condition called Trichotillomania, which is layman's terms for, Compulsive Hair Pulling. The physical devastation was severe, but the emotional damage was worse. When I was young, no one, including my doctor, knew how to help. I was alone. Growing up, I didn't fit in anywhere and suffered great shame knowing I'd brought this affliction upon myself. My hands seemed to have a mind of their own. "What's wrong with me," I'd often wonder. Sometimes, people inquired about my lack of eyelashes and eyebrows. It was tough being a teen without the added torment of my condition. Although I was lonely, I kept people at a distance. But each night, before I fell asleep, I'd pray for wisdom, and for God to send someone who understood. In 1985, when I was 25, I read a letter, in Ann Landers, from a mom whose child suffered from compulsive hair pulling. I could hardly believe my eyes. After all these years, I discovered, I was not alone. In fact, my condition even had a medical name. Ann Landers pointed out, over a million people suffered from this syndrome. At that moment, my journey for healing began. I took small steps at first--telling only a few friends. Some said, "Ew", but others tried to understand. Then, they began to share their secrets with me. I learned to see myself the way God saw me, someone deserving of love. Then one day, my miracle happened. A friend called with wonderful news. She'd just met a woman with Trich—someone just like me. She gave me her phone number. I was ecstatic. I quickly dialed, and from the minute Christina answered, we began to chat like old friends, both thrilled to find someone who understood our pain. We planned to meet soon, but in the mean time, she wanted to mail me some literature. When I gave her my address, she let out a piercing scream. Even though I resided in the lightly populated, rural area, of Soquel, California, it turned out, we lived only two houses away. We immediately dropped our phones, and in the dark of the night, ran outside in our pajamas, where we hugged, cried and talked for hours. She shared her dream about opening a Trich. learning center, and I shared mine - to write a book about my lonely experience. I felt I'd just met my long lost twin, someone who understood my pain and struggles. There was no doubt about it, I was looking into the eyes of a miracle. When we walked back to my house, and into the light, Christina slowly lifted her long hair revealing patchy, bald spots. Then with a deep breath, I took off my makeup and let her see me as no one else ever had, not even my husband of 10 years. In that moment, I knew, my childhood prayer had been answered. Yes, it was true. I was not alone. Cheryn Salazar mailto:cheryn@cheryn.com Cheryn Salazar is the author of, You Are Not Alone, and a founding member of the Trichotillomania Learning Center, http://www.trich.org Her own website, with information on the book or other supportive product line, is available at: http://www.cheryn.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, please; My assistant the lovely Louise With her figure curvaceous Will make an audacious Descent from the flying trapeze. While still in mid air she will leap Twenty meters and splash in this steep Sided tank full of vicious Piranha type fishes And man eating sharks from the deep. And then to the rescue I'll go; It will make a spectacular show. But before we begin it Pray silence a minute For Thursday's assistant, dear Flo. Source: Judy's Jokes for Sunday, mailto:JJs4Sunday-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A minister was calling on parishioners late one afternoon, around the time the men came home from work. Knocking on a door, he heard a woman’s voice call out, “Is that you, angel?” Came the pastor’s immediate reply, “No, but I’m from the same department.” From: Serve Him With Mirth by Leslie B Flynn http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/mirth.php Source: Online Evangelism by Tony Whittaker http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/index.php#intro ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Iris-Scanning At Frankfurt Airport The future arrived at Frankfurt airport with the introduction of the first high-tech biometric iris-scanning system at border controls capable of recognizing people by their irises. Considered the most accurate system in biometrics -- the process of identifying people through their unique biological factors -- the iris scanning technology is meant to both speed up conventional passport controls as well as enhance existing security procedures. As a first step, passengers first have to have their iris photographed by a special high-resolution digital camera -- fitted with an infrared imager to illuminate the eye even behind glasses or lens. A computer will then process the digital images with the help of a software that will carefully map the iris in a spiral form working from the outside to the inside and record the unique spots and pigments. That data will then be transferred onto the passenger's machine-readable passport. Once they have their iris blueprint in the system, passengers in future will simply have to feed in their machine-readable passports, glance at the camera, and once the iris scan matches the passport data, the exit doors will automatically swing open. The entire procedure is expected to last 20 seconds. German Interior Minister Otto Schily said the iris scan would initially be in place as a pilot project for six months. It would help officials gather information about biometric procedures for their border control routines, as well as help Germany gain important insights for improving its domestic security. Source: Nybble Bi-Weekly Newsletter, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nybble |