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WITandWISDOM(tm) - February 9, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you. - Lao-Tzu Source: Inspire, http://www.inspirelist.com/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage? His dad would take him into the forest blindfolded, and leave him - alone. He was required to sit on a stump the whole night...and not take off the blindfold until a ray of sun shone through it. He would be all by himself. He could not cry out for help to anyone. Once he survived the night he would be a MAN... He could not tell the other boys of this experience. Each lad must come into his own manhood. The boy was terrified...could hear all kinds of noise. Beasts were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The wind blew the grass and earth, and it shook his stump. But he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man. Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father - sitting on the stump next to him - at watch the entire night. We are never alone..... Even when we do not know it, our Father is protecting us. He is sitting on the stump beside us. Submitted by Barbara J. Weymouth ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Explanation of life: On the first day, God created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God agreed. On the second day, God created the monkey and said: "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?" And God agreed. On the third day, God created the cow and said: "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years." The cow said: "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?" And God agreed again. On the fourth day, God created man and said: "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." But man said: "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God, "You asked for it." So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has now been explained to you. Source: Pulpit Supply, http://lively.ca/mailman/listinfo/pulpitsupply_lively.ca ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My sister sat at the dining table making funeral plans with our precious 87-year-old mother, who has Alzheimer's. Suzanne asked Mother what hymns she wanted sung and who she wanted to sing. After a while of planning, Mother got excited and exclaimed, "This is really going to be good! Ya'll be sure to come." By Sherrie Murphree, Odessa, Texas Source: Today's Christian, http://tinyurl.com/oqyrc ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: How deep is the ocean? If the world were to become totally flat and the oceans distributed themselves evenly over the earth's surface, the water would be approximately 2 miles deep at every point. Source: ArcaMax - Trivia, http://tinyurl.com/9kf44