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WITandWISDOM(tm) - March 29, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go. - Sylvia Robinson Source: Marcella's Inspiring Collection http://tinyurl.com/w9nb9 ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Dr. Leighton Ford tells the story of when his young daughter got lost years ago. "I was minding the children while my wife was shopping. Debbie Jean had returned from school and was playing with her four-year-old brother in the back yard. When I called them to come in, Debbie Jean was missing. "I walked up and down the street calling her name--fearing the silence. "Later (after she was found) I reflected on the incident. During the nearly two hours that Debbie Jean was missing, nothing else mattered. In my study were books to be read, letters to be answered, articles to be written, planning to be done--but it was all forgotten. I could think of only one thing: my little girl was lost. "I had only one prayer and I prayed it a thousand times: 'O God, help me to find her.' "'How often,' I ask myself, had I felt that same terrible urgency about people who were lost from God?" Submitted by Malladi Murthy in India ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Do You Hear What I Hear? ©Lisa Barker It’s time for our many pets to get their annual check-up and shots. The best way to handle this is to schedule an appointment each week with the vet and bring them in two at a time. As always, I have at least three kids in tow. One of those kidlets is my three-year old who has been seriously studying the vet and all his equipment. He knows how the stethoscope works, how to give shots and pills, and how to look at teeth. Is it any wonder then that at home he follows me around trying to listen to my heart? Did you know that my heart is in my bellybutton? I’ve had several ‘shots’ and I’ve had my teeth checked, too. Good news! I don’t need a chew bone. But I might have another area of concern. I can just see me in the checkout line, receiving my latest round of make-believe rabies shots, when my three-year old will pipe up and say, “Momma, you have worms!” Yeah...that’s a common utterance from small children, isn’t it? It’s right up there with ‘hairplanes’ and ‘basketti’. Sure, all children say such things. Not. I’ll die. Just when I think that there’s not one more thing my kids can do to publicly embarrass me, along comes the impulsive gene that causes kids to pipe up at the most inconvenient time in the most inconvenient places and either point out the obvious or mention something that you really wish hadn’t been said. Things said innocently like, “She’s going to have a baby!” said of an overweight woman, or, “His hair is funny!” said of a teenager with a punk style. One time, when my sisters and I were small and the family was sightseeing, we stopped for ice cream. Suddenly, a group of Hell’s Angels rode up and my youngest sister yelled out, “Those men are so dirty. They need haircuts!” And this sister of mine has never spoken below 20 decibels. My poor dad, the only male in our family and thus our protector, quickly escorted us back to the car. It’s like being in church during a moment of silent prayer, when some poor soul’s body involuntarily makes an announcement to the rest of the congregation that his intestines are disgruntled. Even though grown people are biting back snickers and grins, it will be some small child that will clarify for everyone what just happened – just in case they weren’t paying attention. “Hey, that man just tooted!” G. K. Chesterton once said, “Angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly.” I think children help grown-ups take themselves lightly. That’s why they are such blessings. By Lisa Barker a syndicated humor columnist and mom of five. Her latest book is 'Just Because Your Kids Drive You Insane ... Doesn't Mean You Are A Bad Parent!' http://www.JellyMom.com Please forward this to friends and family. Keep it intact from top to bottom and tell them where they can get more Jelly Mom: http://www.jellymom.com Won't you stop by and sign up for your very own subscription? It's on me! And you will get a new column in your email box every Thursday--something fresh and new before anyone else on the Internet: http://www.jellymom.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A young man wasn't thrilled when he received his draft notice and thought a few well-placed answers could help him fail the physical. Doctor: What do you see on that wall over there? Young Man: What wall? Doctor: Great! You just passed the hearing test. Submitted by The Little Woman ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: U.S. scientists have discovered chaetocin, a byproduct of common wood mold, kills multiple myeloma cancer cells. "This research is only the beginning," said Dr. Keith Bible of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, the study's primary investigator. "But we are very hopeful that chaetocin may someday provide needed help to our patients." Multiple myeloma is an incurable bone marrow cancer that kills more than 11,000 people each year in the United States. Bible's team discovered chaetocin's promise includes the ability to kill myeloma cells harboring a diverse array of genetic abnormalities, as well as the ability to rapidly accumulate in cancer cells. It also reduced myeloma growth in mice. "There were a number of fascinating findings," said graduate student Crescent Isham, lead author of the study. "In addition to observing many favorable aspects of chaetocin, we discovered some avenues for further research into other possible anti-myeloma agents." The research is detailed online in the journal Blood, http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/ Source: Gizmorama, http://www.gophercentral.com/sub/sub-gizmo.html