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WITandWISDOM(tm) - March 30, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: “People tend to return to the last place they felt love.” – Tom Sanford, Project Patch, http://www.projectpatch.org/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Is it difficult for you to forgive? To let the past be past? It is for me. Nearly impossible sometimes. I'm a little like the elderly Virginian woman who lived to see her beloved Richmond occupied by Union troops after the American Civil War. The matron was walking down a Richmond street when she tripped over a step and fell. A Union soldier courteously helped her up. "How very kind of you, young man," she said acidly. "If there is a cool spot in hell, I hope you get it." Maybe it was still a bit early for her to let go of those deep- seated resentments. But angry and bitter lives are never happy lives. A beautiful legend tells of an African tribe that ritualizes forgiveness. When a tribe member acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he/she is taken to the center of the village. All work ceases and every man, woman and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused. Then the tribe bombards the rejected person with affirmations! One at a time, friends and family enumerate all the good the individual has done. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with some detail and accuracy is recounted. All their positive attributes, strengths and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. Finally, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and the outcast is welcomed back into the tribe. What a beautiful ritual of restoration! They replace hurt with happiness; pain with peace. Once again they are family. The rejected one is restored and the village is made whole. Paul Boese has said, "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." As brothers and sisters in our global village, is letting go of those resentments really an option? By: Steve Goodier Steve Goodier is the editor of The Life Support System, a motivational e-newsletter delivered daily to 85,000 subscribers in over 100 nations. His inspirational newsletter and books are available through his website at http://www.lifesupportsystem.com Source: Life Support System, mailto:LifeSupport-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: What Dogs Do for Us Catch Frisbees Keep a night alone from being truly lonely Get us outside on beautiful fall days, rainy days and snowy winter days Listen to our singing Treat us like celebrities when we come home Warm up our beds on cold nights Make our hearts more vigorous Alert us to the arrival of mail Help us live a little longer Make us smile Agree with everything we say Warm our knees with their chins Provide a use for old tennis balls Signal when a thunderstorm is coming Pull sleds Help lower our blood pressure Test how fast we can run Keep the squirrels from overtaking our yards Teach us the meaning of unconditional love. Published in Ann Landers Newspaper column Submitted by B. B. ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: One evening while I was preparing dinner my daughter came into the kitchen asking for help with her homework. "Mom," she asked, "what's a quarter horse?" As I tried to think of a simple explanation, my five-year-old piped up. "I know," he exclaimed. "It's the one they have in front of the grocery store!" Source: Mark Mail, http://mrhumor.net/ ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Could you get a Rolls cheap in '06? Well, relatively so -- The first Rolls-Royce sold for $600.00 in 1906. Today the cheapest model goes for close to $200,000. Source: ArcaMax - Trivia, http://tinyurl.com/9kf44 |
