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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 15, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Assumptions are the termites of relationships. - Henry Winkler Source: Carol's Thought for Today, http://users.adelphia.net/~mrs.carol ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: I'm afraid of thunderstorms. We seldom have thunderstorms here in southern California. And on that day, when a zigzag of lightning clawed at the mulberry sky outside, I knew that my usual panic, born partly of fear but also of concern over how I could hide my fright from a roomful of third-graders, was about to come over me. Calmly, I reached for a storybook and announced that I would read to them. With a silent prayer for steady hands and a serene voice, I tried to smile at the class reassuringly and then began the story. Soon the children were engrossed in the little plot and, to my relief, the storm ended at about the same time the story did. I had forgotten the incident when a couple of days later one of the little girls came up to me on the playground and said words that surprised me: "Know what I do when I'm afraid, teacher?" When I bent down to listen, she said, "I squeeze my eyes shut and remember your face that day of the big storm when you read to us. I knew you weren't afraid, so I wasn't either" I was about to correct her thinking when the beauty of it struck me. Of course! When surrounded by life's storms, all I need to do is close my eyes and see the reassuring face of God! By June Masters Bacher Source: Daily Guideposts 1986, © Copyright by Guideposts Associates, Inc., http://www.guideposts.org ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: The little church in Alaska where I lived about 50 years ago had once been a theater. The floor sloped sharply from the front entrance to the back where the rostrum was. The floors were uncarpeted because we were intending to build a new church. While I was getting change out of my purse for the offering, a silver dollar fell on the floor, and it wasn't quiet. Then, instead of turning on its side as a normal coin would do, it remained upright and started down the aisle, progressing noisily until it was halted by the steps leading up to the rostrum. Our head elder, picked it up and held it high in the air, saying, "I wish I could make money go that far!" Jeannette Saxton Coon, Lahaina, Hawaii ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: I baptized a woman this past summer in Hinckley, Minnesota. It was the first baptism in our new church. Our old church didn't have a baptistry, so this was a new experience for all, including one small girl who approached Sandy after the service and asked loudly, "Why were you taking a bath with that man?" By Jeff Scoggins, Hinckley, Minnesota ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: It has been said that we learn more from our failure than our successes. And, as reported by Reuters, Seo J L Sang-moon may well be the best example of that in the world at that moment. A South Korean, Mr. Seo passed the academic test as the first step of a driver's license examination on his 272nd attempt. Seo was 69, and being illiterate, he decided to use the oral test process to learn the road rules that he was unable to read. During the previous five years Seo took the test as often as he was able, obviously learning a little from each heroic failure. On attempt number 272, he received the minimum score needed to pass the test. The testing officials found themselves part of this quest. "He has been coming here for more than five years, and we regard him almost as being one of the family," said one official. Of course, Seo was yet to actually drive a car, but not only has he learned the road rules, his succession of failure and ultimate success has taught him something more: "Driving seems a bit hard," said Seo. "But after trying 271 times to pass the oral exam, what do I have to be afraid of?" By Nathan Brown