Who's Really Poor?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be.  They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Oh, yeah," said the son. 

"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, but they have friends to protect them.”

With this the boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have. What is one person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It is all based on one's perspective.

Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks to God for all the bounty we have been provided by Him, instead of worrying about wanting more.

May God bless each and every one of you.

Have a great day.

(Taken from an email sent to me several years ago -- author unknown)

What is love? According to children....

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."

- Rebecca, age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

- Billy, age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

- Karl, age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs."

- Chrissy, age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

- Terri, age 4

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss."

- Emily, age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

- Bobby, age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate."

- Nikka, age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

- Noelle, age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

- Tommy, age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

- Cindy, age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

- Clare, age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."

- Elaine, age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt."

- Chris, age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

- Mary Ann, age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

- Lauren, age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."

- Karen, age 7

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

- Jessica, age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

(From an email I received years ago. Source unknown)

What About Abstinence? by Robert Layton

I was holding a notice from my 13-year-old son’s school announcing a special parents’ meeting to preview the new course in human sexuality. Parents could examine the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it would be given to the students.

When I arrived at the school I was surprised to discover only about a dozen parents there. And I was the only Latter-day Saint father. As we waited for the presentation to begin, I thumbed through page after page of instructions in the prevention of pregnancy or disease. I searched for the word abstain and any related words but found the idea of abstinence mentioned only in passing.

When the teacher arrived with the school nurse in tow, she asked if there were any questions before she began. I asked why abstinence did not play a noticeable part in the lesson material.

What happened next was shocking. I was verbally assailed by the other parents. “How stupid are you?” one sneered. “Idiot!” someone else muttered. There was a great deal of laughter, and someone suggested if I thought abstinence had any merit, I should go back to burying my head in the sand.

Through it all, the teacher and the nurse said nothing as I drowned in a sea of embarrassment. My mind had gone blank in the unexpected attack, and I could think of nothing to say.

The teacher explained to me that the job of the school was to teach “facts,” and the home was responsible for moral training. I sat in silence for the next 20 minutes as the course was explained. The other parents seemed to give their unqualified support to the materials presented.

“Donuts at the back,” announced the teacher during the break. “And since we’re all getting along so well, I’d like you to put on the name tags we have prepared—they’re right by the donuts—and mingle with the other parents and get to know them.”

Everyone dutifully stood and moved to the back of the room. As I watched them affixing their name tags and shaking hands, I sat deep in thought. I was ashamed that I had not been able to come up with an argument that would convince them to include a serious discussion of abstinence in the lesson materials. I uttered a silent prayer for guidance.

My thoughts were interrupted by the teacher’s hand on my shoulder. “Won’t you join the others, Mr. Layton?” The nurse smiled sweetly at me. “The donuts are good.”

“Thank you, no,” I replied.

“Well, then, how about a name tag? I’m sure the others would like to meet you.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” I replied.

“Won’t you please join them?” she coaxed.

Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, “Don’t go.” The instruction was unmistakable. “Don’t go!”

“I think I’ll just wait here,” I said.

When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the long table and thanked everyone for putting on their name tags. She ignored me. Then she said, “Now we’re going to give you the same lesson we’ll be giving your children. Everyone please peel off your name tags.”

I watched in silence as the tags came off.

“Now, then, on the back of one of the tags I drew a tiny flower. Who has it, please?”

The gentleman across from me held it up. “Here it is!”

“All right,” she said. “The flower represents disease. Do you recall with whom you shook hands?”

He pointed to a couple of people. “Very good,” she replied. “The handshake in this case represents intimacy. So the two people you had contact with now have the disease.” There was laughter and joking among the parents. The teacher continued, “And who did the two of you shake hands with?”

The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show students how quickly disease was spread.

“Since we all shook hands, we all have the disease, and there is no escaping that fact.”

It was then I heard the still, small voice again. “Speak now,” it said, “but be humble.” I noted wryly the latter admonition, then rose from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier, congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the youth, and concluded by saying I had only one small point I wished to make.

“Not all of us were infected,” I said simply. “One of us … abstained.”

(Taken from The Ensign September 1996)

Three Men Discuss about Their Wives

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties.

The first man had married a woman from Alabama, and bragged that he had told his wife she was going to do all the dishes and house cleaning that needed to be done at their home. He said that it took a couple of days but on the third day he came home to a clean house and the dishes were all washed and put away.

The second man had married a woman from Florida. He bragged that he had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. He told them that the first day he didn't see any results, but the next day it was better. By the third day, his house was clean, the dishes were done and he had a huge dinner on the table.

The third man had married a girl who was an active Marine from Texas. He boasted that he told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal.  He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day most of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye just enough to fix himself a bite to eat, load the dishwasher, and call a landscaper.

(taken from a circulating email some years ago; author unknown)

Thoughts to Make You Think

1.  Love is grand; divorce is a hundred grand.
2. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
3. Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
4. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
5. Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.
6. Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
7. Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
8. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
9. An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.
10. There will always be death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.
11. In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
12. Dijon vu- the same mustard as before.
13. I am a nutritional overachiever.
14. I am having an out of money experience.
15. I plan on living forever. So far, so good.
16. A day without sunshine is like night.
17. If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.
18. It's frustrating when you know all the answers and nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
19. The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
20. Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
21. Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
22. Life not only begins at forty, it also begins to show.
23. You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you've stopped laughing.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmm.....

1.   Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
2.   Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
3.   Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
4.   Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
5.   Why is a boxing ring square?
6.   Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?
7.   Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?
8.   Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
9.   Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
10.   Why is it that to stop Windows 95, you have to click on "Start"?
11.   Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
12.   Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid   made with real lemons?
13.   Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
14.   Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?
15.   Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
16.   Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary?
17.   Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?
18.   Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
19.   You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, Why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
20.   Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can’t drink and drive?

Sam Brooks Sr. (1886-1962), Dixie University's First Student in 1911

(click on photo to enlarge)

The Stranger

(From an email sent to me several years ago, author unknown....)

A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors:  Mom taught me the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger?

He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to her room and read her books. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends, or any visitors. Our long-time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in the home, not even for cooking. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked...  and NEVER asked to leave.

More than 50 years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first.

Still, if you were to walk into my parents' den today you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name? We just call him TV.

(P.S. The same can now be said today about the Internet, electronic devices, etc.)

Analogy: Dentists and Teachers

(From an email I received several years ago, author unknown....)

The Best Dentist---"Absolutely" the Best Dentist

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups.

He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and

I've got all my teeth, so when I ran into him the other day, I was eager

to see if he'd heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it

was great.

"Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of

dentists with their young patients?" I said.

"No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"

"It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of

cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to

determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as Excellent, Good,

Average, Below average, and Unsatisfactory. That way parents will know

which are the best dentists. It will also encourage the less effective

dentists to get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could

lose their licenses to practice."

"That's terrible," he said.

"What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should

try to improve children's dental health in this state?"

"Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is

practicing good dentistry."

"Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all

work with the same clientele; so much depends on things we can't

control? For example," he said, "I work in a rural area with a high

percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues

work in upper middle class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work

with don’t bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem and I

don't get to do much preventive work. Also," he said, "many of the

parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age,

unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship between sugar and

decay. To top it all off," he added, "so many of my clients have well

water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea

how much difference early use of fluoride can make?"

"It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. I couldn't believe my

dentist would be so defensive. He does a great job.

"I am not!" he said. "My best patients are as good as anyone's, my work

is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be

higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where I am

needed most."

"Don't' get touchy," I said.

"Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red and from the way he was

clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage

his teeth. "Try furious. In a system like this, I will end up being

rated average, below average, or worse. My more educated patients who

see these ratings may believe this so-called rating actually is a

measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me,

and I'll be left with only the most needy patients. And my cavity

average score will get even worse. On top of that, how will I attract

good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to my practice if it

is labeled below average?"

"I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse making and

stonewalling won't improve dental health'...I am quoting from a leading

member of the DOC," I noted.

"What's the DOC?" he asked.

"It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of

mostly laypersons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved."

"Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy

it," the said hopefully.

The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you

measure good dentistry?"

"Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."

"That's too complicated and time consuming," I said. "Cavities are the

bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute

measure."

"That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will think.

This can't be happening," he said despairingly.

"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."

"How?" he said.

"If you're rated poorly, they'll send a dentist who is rated excellent

to help straighten you out," I said brightly.

"You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to

show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have

probably had much more experience? Big help."

"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all."

"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools

and teachers on an average score on a test of children's progress

without regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community

served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to

dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."

I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened.

"I'm going to write my representatives and senator," he said. "I'll use

the school analogy--surely they will see the point."

He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed

anger that I see in the mirror so often lately.