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WITandWISDOM(tm) - January 30, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles. - Doug Larson Source: Marcella's Inspiring Collection http://tinyurl.com/w9nb9 ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Every December since 1992, Morrill Worcester, owner of one of the world's largest holiday wreath companies, has taken time in the midst of his busiest season to haul a truckload of wreaths to the Arlington National Cemetery. Morrill and his band of volunteers spend a day laying wreaths on the graves of over 5,000 soldiers as part of the Wreaths Across America program. Worcester, 56, started the program when one of his warehouses called to report an overproduction of several thousand wreaths. He said: "Well, I'm not just gonna throw them away. That's when I thought of Arlington." He called Washington and asked for permission to lay his wreaths. To his surprise, he got it. "When people hear about what we're doing, they want to know if I'm a veteran," Morrill said on the Wreaths Across America website. "I'm not. But I make it my business never to forget." His wife, Karen, agrees: "We want to honor the veterans, and we do it with the products we make ourselves. We're like the Little Drummer Boy. He had his drum; we have our wreaths." For Morrill and Karen, the program is a way to give back. Christmas wreaths had made them rich. Through Wreaths Across America, they feel they are reclaiming the true meaning of a wreath, showing it as something more than a glitzy holiday ornament: "We wanted to get back to the simple idea of what a wreath represents—respect, honor, and victory." Morrill & Karen Worcester’s Company, http://www.worcesterwreath.com/ From: Rick Hampson, "Gift of Wreaths Touches Nation," USA Today (12-15-06), 1A Source: Preaching Today, http://tinyurl.com/328jd ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Discovering that I'd overslept, I abandoned my usual morning routine and rushed out. In the van, though, I realized I had time to stop for a take-out coffee. I got my coffee and returned to the van, only to find I had not only left it running but had locked it! The day was going from bad to worse. I returned to the shop, sheepishly explained my situation to the clerk and asked if I could borrow a broom. I managed to open a side window and pop the lock on the back door using the broom handle. When I returned the broom, the clerk said, "I know you're having a bad day, but..." "I know, I know," I interrupted. "You want to know how I can unlock my van with a broom." "No," she said. "I wanted to tell you that your shirt is on inside out." Source: Clean Laffs, http://www.cleanlaffs.com/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: One day when my granddaughter, Christina, was about 4-years old she was sitting on the floor playing when she noticed a spider on the wall next to her. Without any hesitation, she reached up and hit the spider, leaving its remains on the wall. She looked up at her mother and said, "Look, Mommy! I made a picture!" Source: The Lame Humor List, http://absoluterobeo.com ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: In an exhibition game a pitcher named Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on seven pitches. Such a feat would predict a great future in the major leagues, but the hurler never made it to the big time. You see, Jackie Mitchell was a girl. For more on the story visit: http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/mitchell.html Submitted by Diana