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WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 26, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out? - Rene Descarte Source: Carol's Thought for Today, http://users.adelphia.net/~mrs.carol ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: My son loved going to church. He attended everything the church offered. He served as an usher and youth church board member and thrived on helping others. When the long-hair craze swept the nation during his mid-teens, he let his hair grow down to his shoulders. But he still went to church each week freshly bathed, wearing a white shirt, tie, suit, polished shoes, and a smile on his face. The "pillars" were rude to him, putting him down for the, length of his hair—my son, who one day, I hoped, would become a minister. He endured this treatment for a long time, then one day as we were ready to leave for church, my normally neat son stood before me wearing soiled jeans, torn and patched; an old, sleeveless denim jacket; and a blue work shirt. His hair had not been washed or brushed. I was stunned and speechless. "I don't want to walk in with you, Morn," he said as we got out of the car. "Go on ahead of me." Later, he told how he had been welcomed with open arms, smiles, and handshakes. No one recognized him. They thought he had come off the streets to find Jesus. The next week he went to church dressed in his suit and tie, properly groomed, once again the butt of cruel remarks. During a church retreat months later the presence of that "long-haired kid in church that day" came up in conversation. My son listened, and asked if anyone knew who the person was. No one did. So he announced, "It was me." He never went back to church. Today he avoids organized religion, preferring his own private walk with God. By Shirley Gast Lynn Source: Adventist Review, ISSN 0161-1119, (c) December 16, 2004, http://www.adventistreview.org/ Submitted by Mary Thayne ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Advice From The Wise Man Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor. Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Meanness don't jes' happen overnight. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads. Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you. You cannot unsay a cruel word. Every path has a few puddles. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. The best sermons are lived, not preached. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'. Always drink upstream from the herd. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in. Submitted by B.B. ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Our Granddaughter, Joselyn, age 3 and ½ , made my wife’s life the other day. My wife and daughter-in-law and the grandchildren, including Joselyn, were out visiting garage sales. At one home a little boy met them when they got out of the car and he was enthusiastically describing all of the things that were at his home for sale. After he described several items Joselyn stepped up and stated enthusiastically . . . well we got mamaw!! - Bill Bates ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Police in South Africa tracked down 20 of their most wanted criminals - by inviting them to a party. They sent a VIP party invite, with the promise of spectacular prizes, to the last known addresses of nearly 200 offenders - and 20 turned up. Police in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, invited 190 of the province's most wanted criminals to the party at the local town hall in an operation dubbed Operation Nice Surprise. The invites promised surprise celebrity guests and top entertainment provided by a local DJ, as well as a guaranteed prize for all those with invitations. It was enough to tempt 20 of the hardened criminals out of hiding, who got more than they bargained for when, shortly after the prizes had been dished out, police burst in and arrested them. Police spokeswoman Mashay Gamieldien said the idea was to get all the criminals under the same roof and arrest them at the same time. Source: Ananova http://www.ananova.com