Prior Date

Archive Index

Next Date

WITandWISDOM(tm) - January 24, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going. - Professor Irwin Corey Source: Quotes of the Day, http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: A friend and I were standing in line at the grocery store the other day, and I was telling her how lazy my children were. I had come in from work that morning, and like most times, my house was wrecked. "I believe children nowadays are just out for what they can get. I bend over backwards for them, and they can't even help keep our house clean. It wouldn't bother me so, but it's the woman who looks bad if the house is a mess." "Do you know how blessed you are?" a woman behind us asked. "I would love to go home and find my house a mess. I wouldn't mind my carpet being ruined or the dishes left everywhere. I wouldn't mind the dirty clothes being piled high or the many socks to match. I wouldn't even mind anyone talking about my dirty home. Matter of fact, I would love it. I would dearly love to kick my way through the house just to get to my kids and be able to hug them, kiss them and tell them how much I love them. You see, my two children were killed in an auto accident and now it's just my husband and me. My house stays clean, my clothes stay put up, the dishes are done. There are no fingerprints on my walls, no mysterious spots on my carpets. There are no sounds of arguing, no slamming doors, no laughter, no 'I love you Mom.' So you see, you are very blessed. What I would give to be going through what you are right now. How I would love to be able to hold my kids, wipe away their tears, share their dreams. Just to watch them play. If I had my children, I wouldn't care how my house looked. I would be happy just to have them." Now if you come into my house and see a big old mess, you can think bad thoughts if you want, but I feel greatly blessed. Blessed by Tammy Laws Lawson (c) 1999 from Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell Autio. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved. Visit us and read other sample stories and meet the authors. http://www.chickensoup.com Source: Beliefnet Chicken Soup, http://www.beliefnet.com/newsletter/step1.aspx ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A cow that escaped last week from a Montana slaughterhouse, leading workers and police on a six-hour chase, will be spared following a wave of popular support, officials said on Tuesday. Del Morris, manager of Mickey's Packing Plant in Great Falls, said he decided to let the cow live the instant he saw it cross the Missouri River through Great Falls. Town residents will now decide through a telephone poll whether the cow will remain a resident of Montana, where it will live out its life on pastureland surrounding the packing plant, or be shipped to an animal sanctuary in Seattle. Morris said the heifer he calls Molly and her escape effort attained celebrity status with television and news organizations requesting interviews and calls pouring in from across the country and overseas. Source: Reuters, http://reuters.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: "Would the person who lost a fat roll of hundred dollar bills, wrapped in a rubber band, please report to the Lost & Found Department. We found your rubber band." Submitted by B. B. ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Defeating Depression If you're blue, hop on your mountain bike or go for a brisk walk. A recent study at UT Southwestern Medical Center of adults aged 20 to 45 found that depressive symptoms were reduced almost 50 percent in those individuals who participated in 30-minute aerobic exercise sessions three to five times a week. The results were comparable to other studies in which patients with mild to moderate depression were treated with antidepressants or cognitive therapy, reports Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, professor of psychiatry and director of UT Southwesterns mood disorders research program. From: Southwestern News Submitted by Mary Thayne