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WITandWISDOM(tm) - June 20, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size? - Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) Journalist Source: DailyInBox Presents, http://dailyinbox.com ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: There was grandfather. His little grandson often came in the evenings to sit at his knee and ask the many questions that children ask. One day the grandson came to his grandfather with a look of anger on his face. Grandfather said, "Come, sit, tell me what has happened today." The child sat and leaned his chin on his Grandfather's knee. Looking up into the wrinkled, nut brown face and the kind dark eyes, the child's anger turned to quiet tears. The boy said, "I went to the town today with my father, to trade the furs he has collected over the past several months. I was happy to go, because father said that since I had helped him with the trapping, I could get something for me. Something that I wanted. I was so excited to be in the trading post. I have not been there before. I looked at many things and finally found a metal knife. It was small, but a good size for me, so father got it for me." Here the boy laid his head against his grandfather's knee and became silent. The Grandfather, softly placed his hand on the boy's raven hair and said, "And then what happened?" Without lifting his head, the boy said, "I went outside to wait for father, and to admire my new knife in the sunlight. Some town boys came by and saw me. They got all around me and started saying bad things. They called me dirty and stupid and said that I should not have such a fine knife. The largest of these boys pushed me back and I fell over one of the other boys. I dropped my knife and one of them snatched it up, and they all ran away, laughing." Here the boy's anger returned, "I hate them, I hate them all." The Grandfather, with eyes that have seen too much, lifted his grandson's face so his eyes looked into the boys. Grandfather said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. "But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is white and one is black. The White Wolf is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. But will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way. "But the Black Wolf is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. "Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit." The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins Grandfather?" The Grandfather, smiled and said, "The one I feed." By Vicki Smith - "I am American Indian, and I wrote this story from truths I learned as I battled to control my own anger and bad temper. That battle taught me a lot. I am surprised sometimes when I hear from people like you, at how far my story has spread. Thank you for your compliments on my story. I would be honored if it were shared with others. Perhaps it can help someone else who battles with anger." Submitted by Patricia Ann Haring ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: You can do anything if you want it bad enough. That is why we see so many people who can fly. (Elden Carnahan, Laurel) A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Of course, so does falling down a flight of stairs. (Richard Doty, Washington) Never say die. I've tried, and it doesn't actually make people die. (Tom McCudden, Durham, N.C.) Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability. (Donna Lewis, Vienna) Laughter is the best medicine, but in certain situations the Heimlich maneuver may be more appropriate. (Chuck Smith, Woodbridge) You have to learn to crawl before you can grovel. (Art Grinath, Takoma Park) If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you're probably the executioner. (Elden Carnahan, Laurel) Every dog has his day. Of course, his day consists of smelling other dogs' bottoms. (Mark Briscoe, Arlington) You've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the prince. But he probably isn't going to be interested in some frog-kisser. (Amanda Richards, Palatine, Ill.) Aspire to greatness. But remember that no one ever assassinated a refrigerator repairman. (Bird Waring, New York) A high tide lifts all boats, except those with a big gaping hole in the bottom. There are none so blind as those who have been in an accident at a fertilizer factory. (Elden Carnahan, Laurel) You can run but you can't hide, except apparently along the Afghan-Pakistani border. (Bob Wallace, Reston) Say not that honor is the child of boldness, nor believe that the hazard of life alone can pay the price of it; it is not the action that is due, but to the manner of performing it. You got all that? Me neither. (Chris Doyle, Forsyth, Mo.) Every failure is a step to success up a ladder that will eventually collapse under the weight of all those failures. (Stephen Dudzik, Olney) Source: Top Greetings ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: As Jan stood in the pharmacy line waiting to turn in a prescription, her squirming three-year old daughter, Kate, said, "Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom." "Honey, I can't take you right now because I'm in line, so just wait a minute," Jan said. Her eight-year old son, Michael volunteered to take his sister to the bathroom, and off the two siblings went. When they returned Jan asked Michael, "Which bathroom did you use?" "The men's because if was closer than the ladies," he replied. "But don't worry, Mom. Nobody knew she was a girl because I called her Brian while we were in there." Submitted by Betsy ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Is someone in your family in the military? Well, if that person is stationed in Iraq, you can keep in touch via video. HomeMovie.Com's Operation Enduring Love will post videos for service members to view. Best of all, it’s free. Simply mail in your home movie. HomeMovie will post it on the Web – in a password-protected area, of course. Your loved one will be notified when it’s ready to view. The video will stay up a year, and you’ll get your tape back. There’s no better way to tell them you care and appreciate their sacrifice. Note: Broadband is required to view the video. http://www.operationenduringlove.com Copyright 2005, The Kim Komando Show. All rights reserved. Kim Komando's Cool Site of the Day http://www.komando.com/newsletter.asp