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WITandWISDOM(tm) - June 28, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it. - Arnold Toynbee ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Kip Keino, an uncoached Nandi tribesman from Kenya, burst onto the world track and field scene at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. There he had a legendary showdown with Jim Ryun of the United States. Ryun, a heavy favorite, hadn't been beaten in the 1500 meters in over three years. Then, on the day of the race, Keino got caught in traffic on the way and was forced to jog the last mile to the stadium. Still, Keino won the race by an astounding 20 meters! Four years later at the Munich Games, after placing second in the 1500 meters, he entered the 3000-meter steeplechase and won the gold medal, setting an Olympic record. But Keino remained humble and used his fortune to help others. Although famous enough to ride in limousines, he chose instead to drive an old four-door Nissan with a busted speedometer and no hubcaps. Over the years, Kip and his wife, Phyllis, have taken in more than 100 orphaned and abandoned children and given them hope and love. Keino says, "I came into this world with nothing. I will leave with nothing. While I'm here, I should be mindful of those people who need help." By Bill McCartney in 4th and Goal, http://isbn.nu/9780842370448 Source: Men of Integrity, http://tinyurl.com/jsmyw ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: A friend was lecturing in Latin America. He was going to use a translator, but to identify with his audience, he wanted to begin his talk by saying in Spanish, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." He arrived at the auditorium a little early and realized he did not know the Spanish words for ladies and gentlemen. Being rather resourceful, he went to the part of the building where the restrooms were, looked at the signs on the two doors, and memorized those two words. When the audience arrived and he was introduced, he stood up and said in Spanish, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." The audience was shocked. He didn't know whether he had offended them or perhaps they hadn't heard him or understood him. So he decided to repeat it. Again in Spanish he said, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." One person in the audience began to snicker. Pretty soon the entire audience was laughing. Finally, someone told him that he had said, "Good evening, bathrooms and broom closets!" Source: Laughter for a Saturday mailto:ed548@yahoo.com?subject=Subscribe_to_Laughter_for_a_Saturday ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Seen on a church bulletin board: WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning. Submitted by Lorraine ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: I read about a paratrooper who always wore a metal cross. He was shot at while making a jump into enemy territory and could feel the bullets penetrating his parachute. When he landed he looked at his cross and noticed a chunk of it was missing. The cross had taken the bullet and saved his life. By Jean Fleming, Editor, http://www.narrowwayonline.org/ Submitted by Malladi Murthy in India