- Published on
I can smell the fox, I know there is a fox, it is definitely nearby . . .
On the Trail
Once a long time ago a hound was out with his master trailing a mountain lion. The hound came to a place where a fox had crossed the trail, and the hound decided to follow the fox instead of the lion.
A short time later, a rabbit crossed that of the fox, and again the hound changed direction. Why should he chase a fox when a rabbit might be easier to catch?
When the hunter finally caught up with his hound, the dog was barking at a small hole in the ground. The hound had brought to bay a field mouse instead of a mountain lion.
Well, how about you? Have you set out on a trail to achieve your ambition? Are you able to follow it, or are you sidetracked by easier trails that cross it from time to time?
Don’t be like that hound. Find out what it takes to achieve your ambition, and then get started. The best way to achieve anything in life is to set a true course for it and then stick to that trail.
by Author Unknown
On the Trail
Once a long time ago a hound was out with his master trailing a mountain lion. The hound came to a place where a fox had crossed the trail, and the hound decided to follow the fox instead of the lion.
A short time later, a rabbit crossed that of the fox, and again the hound changed direction. Why should he chase a fox when a rabbit might be easier to catch?
When the hunter finally caught up with his hound, the dog was barking at a small hole in the ground. The hound had brought to bay a field mouse instead of a mountain lion.
Well, how about you? Have you set out on a trail to achieve your ambition? Are you able to follow it, or are you sidetracked by easier trails that cross it from time to time?
Don’t be like that hound. Find out what it takes to achieve your ambition, and then get started. The best way to achieve anything in life is to set a true course for it and then stick to that trail.
by Author Unknown
- Published on
A Little Story
I am going to tell you a little story . . .
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”
“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.
At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from Saint Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Winston Churchill.
by Author Unknown
I am going to tell you a little story . . .
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”
“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.
At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from Saint Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Winston Churchill.
by Author Unknown
- Published on
The Eagle and the Fox
An eagle and a fox long had lived together as good neighbors, the eagle at the top of a high tree and the fox in a hole at the foot of it. One day, however, while the fox was away, the eagle swooped down upon the fox’s cub and carried it away to her nest.
The fox, on her return home, upbraided the eagle for this breach of friendship, and pleaded with the eagle to return the cub to her den. But the eagle, feeling sure her own brood high up in their treetop nest were safe from any possible revenge, ignored the entreaties of the cub’s mother.
Quickly running to the place where she knew an altar fire to be burning, the fox snatched a branch and hurried back to the tree. The mother eagle, who was just on the point of tearing the cub to pieces to feed to her babies, looked down and saw that the fox was going to set fire to the tree and burn it and her eaglets to ashes.
“Hold on, dear neighbor!” she screamed. “Don’t set fire to our tree. I’ll bring back your cub to you safe and sound.”
by Aesop
Moral, or lesson, of the story: Treat others as you want them to treat you.
Aesop may or may not have been an actual person. If real, he would have been born in about 620 B.C.E. He was a fabulist, or storyteller, commonly credited with a number of works known collectively as “Aesop’s Fables.” In some of the stories, animals possess human characteristics, such as the ability to speak. Most of the stories teach a moral lesson. Aesop would have passed on in about 560 B.C.E.
An eagle and a fox long had lived together as good neighbors, the eagle at the top of a high tree and the fox in a hole at the foot of it. One day, however, while the fox was away, the eagle swooped down upon the fox’s cub and carried it away to her nest.
The fox, on her return home, upbraided the eagle for this breach of friendship, and pleaded with the eagle to return the cub to her den. But the eagle, feeling sure her own brood high up in their treetop nest were safe from any possible revenge, ignored the entreaties of the cub’s mother.
Quickly running to the place where she knew an altar fire to be burning, the fox snatched a branch and hurried back to the tree. The mother eagle, who was just on the point of tearing the cub to pieces to feed to her babies, looked down and saw that the fox was going to set fire to the tree and burn it and her eaglets to ashes.
“Hold on, dear neighbor!” she screamed. “Don’t set fire to our tree. I’ll bring back your cub to you safe and sound.”
by Aesop
Moral, or lesson, of the story: Treat others as you want them to treat you.
Aesop may or may not have been an actual person. If real, he would have been born in about 620 B.C.E. He was a fabulist, or storyteller, commonly credited with a number of works known collectively as “Aesop’s Fables.” In some of the stories, animals possess human characteristics, such as the ability to speak. Most of the stories teach a moral lesson. Aesop would have passed on in about 560 B.C.E.
- Published on
Growing Good Corn
This is a short story of a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.
One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.
“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.
“Why sir,” said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”
He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.
So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.
And that is how to grow award winning corn.
The lesson for each of us is this: If we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.
by Author Unknown
This is a short story of a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.
One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.
“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.
“Why sir,” said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”
He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.
So it is with our lives. Those who choose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.
And that is how to grow award winning corn.
The lesson for each of us is this: If we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.
by Author Unknown
- Published on
The Story of Chicken Little
Chicken Little was in the woods one day when an acorn fell on her head. It scared her so much that she trembled all over, and she shook so hard that half of her feathers fell out. Chicken Little cried out, “Help! Help! The sky is falling! I have to go tell the king!” Then, she ran in great fright to tell the king. Along the way, she met Henny Penny.
“Where are you going, Chicken Little?” asked Henny Penny. Chicken Little said, “Oh, help! The sky is falling!” “How do you know?” asked Henny Penny. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” Henny Penny said, “This is terrible, just terrible! We’d better hurry.” So they both ran as fast as they could. Soon, they met Ducky Lucky.
“Where are you going, Chicken Little and Henny Penny?” asked Ducky Lucky. “The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We’re going to tell the king!” cried out Chicken Little and Henny Penny. “How do you know?” asked Ducky Lucky. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head.” “Oh dear, oh dear! We’d better run!” said Ducky Lucky. Then they all ran down the road as fast as they could. Soon they met Goosey Loosey walking down the roadside.
“Hello there. Where are all of you going in such a hurry?” asked Goosey Loosey. Chicken Little said, “We’re running for our lives!” Henny Penny said, “The sky is falling!” Ducky Lucky said, “And we’re running to tell the king!” “How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Goosey Loosey. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” “Goodness! Then I had better run with you,” said Goosey Loosey. They all ran in great fright across a field. Before long, they met Turkey Lurkey strutting back and forth.
Turkey Lurkey said, “Hello, Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Loosey. Where are all of you going in such a hurry?” “Help! Help!” cried Chicken Little. “We’re running for our lives!” cried Henny Penny. “The sky is falling!” cried Ducky Lucky. “And we’re running to tell the king!” cried Goosey Loosey.
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” “Oh dear! I always knew the sky would fall someday. I’d better run with you,” said Turkey Lurkey. So they ran with all their might, until they met Foxy Loxy.
“Well, well. Where are you rushing on such a fine day?” asked Foxy Loxy. Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey all together cried, “Help! Help! It is not a fine day at all. The sky is falling, and we are running to tell the king!” “How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Foxy Loxy. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” “I see. Well then, follow me, and I’ll show you the way to the king,” said Foxy Loxy.
Foxy Loxy led Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey across a field and through the woods. He showed them a hole and said, “I know a shortcut to the king. Follow me into this hole and down the tunnel.” Then Foxy Loxy led them straight into his den, and they never saw the king to tell him that the sky was falling, because Foxy Loxy gobbled them all up.
The End
by Author Unknown
“The Story of Chicken Little” is a cautionary tale about what can happen when we are unwise in choosing which leaders to follow. The first leader, Chicken Little, made an error in judgement and as a result led others into panicky behavior, and the second leader, Foxy Loxy, took advantage of everyone. The group of birds made bad choices about who would lead them, and they came to a bad end as a result. Can you think of real-life instances that are similar to “The Story of Chicken Little,” in which people choose bad leaders? How can people choose good leaders?
Chicken Little was in the woods one day when an acorn fell on her head. It scared her so much that she trembled all over, and she shook so hard that half of her feathers fell out. Chicken Little cried out, “Help! Help! The sky is falling! I have to go tell the king!” Then, she ran in great fright to tell the king. Along the way, she met Henny Penny.
“Where are you going, Chicken Little?” asked Henny Penny. Chicken Little said, “Oh, help! The sky is falling!” “How do you know?” asked Henny Penny. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” Henny Penny said, “This is terrible, just terrible! We’d better hurry.” So they both ran as fast as they could. Soon, they met Ducky Lucky.
“Where are you going, Chicken Little and Henny Penny?” asked Ducky Lucky. “The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We’re going to tell the king!” cried out Chicken Little and Henny Penny. “How do you know?” asked Ducky Lucky. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head.” “Oh dear, oh dear! We’d better run!” said Ducky Lucky. Then they all ran down the road as fast as they could. Soon they met Goosey Loosey walking down the roadside.
“Hello there. Where are all of you going in such a hurry?” asked Goosey Loosey. Chicken Little said, “We’re running for our lives!” Henny Penny said, “The sky is falling!” Ducky Lucky said, “And we’re running to tell the king!” “How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Goosey Loosey. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” “Goodness! Then I had better run with you,” said Goosey Loosey. They all ran in great fright across a field. Before long, they met Turkey Lurkey strutting back and forth.
Turkey Lurkey said, “Hello, Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Loosey. Where are all of you going in such a hurry?” “Help! Help!” cried Chicken Little. “We’re running for our lives!” cried Henny Penny. “The sky is falling!” cried Ducky Lucky. “And we’re running to tell the king!” cried Goosey Loosey.
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” “Oh dear! I always knew the sky would fall someday. I’d better run with you,” said Turkey Lurkey. So they ran with all their might, until they met Foxy Loxy.
“Well, well. Where are you rushing on such a fine day?” asked Foxy Loxy. Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey all together cried, “Help! Help! It is not a fine day at all. The sky is falling, and we are running to tell the king!” “How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Foxy Loxy. Chicken Little said, “I saw it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!” “I see. Well then, follow me, and I’ll show you the way to the king,” said Foxy Loxy.
Foxy Loxy led Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey across a field and through the woods. He showed them a hole and said, “I know a shortcut to the king. Follow me into this hole and down the tunnel.” Then Foxy Loxy led them straight into his den, and they never saw the king to tell him that the sky was falling, because Foxy Loxy gobbled them all up.
The End
by Author Unknown
“The Story of Chicken Little” is a cautionary tale about what can happen when we are unwise in choosing which leaders to follow. The first leader, Chicken Little, made an error in judgement and as a result led others into panicky behavior, and the second leader, Foxy Loxy, took advantage of everyone. The group of birds made bad choices about who would lead them, and they came to a bad end as a result. Can you think of real-life instances that are similar to “The Story of Chicken Little,” in which people choose bad leaders? How can people choose good leaders?
- Published on
A Picture of True Peace
Once there was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw the picture thought it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. However, these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell, and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. However, when the king looked closely, he saw that behind the waterfall a tiny bush was growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There in the midst of the rush of angry water, the mother bird sat on her nest, in perfect peace.
Which picture won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Why? “Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”
by Author Unknown
Once there was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw the picture thought it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. However, these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell, and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. However, when the king looked closely, he saw that behind the waterfall a tiny bush was growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There in the midst of the rush of angry water, the mother bird sat on her nest, in perfect peace.
Which picture won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Why? “Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”
by Author Unknown
- Published on
The Stranger
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 our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play ‘big brother’ and develop the art of teasing.
My parents were complementary instructors - Mom taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries, and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening. If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life-like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched. He was a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular.
The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn’t seem to mind - but sometime Mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places and go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.
You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never quite felt the obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house - not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four-letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge, the stranger was never confronted.
My dad was a teetotaler who didn’t permit alcohol in his home - not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (probably much too freely) about other people. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.
As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive.
He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents’ den today, you would still see him sitting in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him or watch him draw his pictures.
His name? We always just called him television.
by Author Unknown
How are cell phones, computers, video game devices, tablets, and radios similar to the stranger in the story?
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 our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play ‘big brother’ and develop the art of teasing.
My parents were complementary instructors - Mom taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries, and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening. If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life-like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched. He was a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular.
The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn’t seem to mind - but sometime Mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places and go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.
You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never quite felt the obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house - not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four-letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge, the stranger was never confronted.
My dad was a teetotaler who didn’t permit alcohol in his home - not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (probably much too freely) about other people. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.
As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave. More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive.
He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents’ den today, you would still see him sitting in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him or watch him draw his pictures.
His name? We always just called him television.
by Author Unknown
How are cell phones, computers, video game devices, tablets, and radios similar to the stranger in the story?
- Published on
As Good as His Bond
I remember that a good many years ago, when I was a boy, my father, who was a stonemason, did some work for a man named John Haws. When the work was completed, John Haws said he would pay for it on a certain day. It was late in the fall when the work was done, and when the day came on which Mr. Haws had said he would pay for it, a fearful storm of sleet and snow and wind raged from morning until night. We lived nine miles from the Haws’ home, and the road was a very bad one even in good weather. I remember that my father had said at breakfast, “Well, I guess that we shall not see anything of John Haws today. It will not make any difference if he does not come, as I am not in urgent need of the money he owes me. It will make no difference if it is not paid for a month.”
But about noon, Mr. Haws appeared at our door, almost frozen, and covered with sleet and snow.
“Why, John Haws!” exclaimed my father, when he opened the door, and saw who it was that had knocked. “I had not the least idea that you would try to ride all the way out here in this fearful storm.”
“Did I not say that I would come?” asked John Haws abruptly.
“Oh, yes; but I did not regard it as a promise so binding that you must fulfil it on a day like this!”
“Any promise that I make is binding, regardless of wind and weather. I said that I would pay the money today, and I am here to keep my word.”
“But it is only a small sum, and I do not really need it so urgently.”
“I need to keep my word. If the sum had been but ten cents, and you were a millionaire, and I had said that I could pay it today, I would be here to pay it if I had been compelled to ride fifty miles.”
Do you wonder that it was often said of John Haws that his word was as good as his bond? He was as truthful as he was honest. I remember that a neighbor of ours stopped at our house one day on his way home from the town. He had an almost incredible story to tell about a certain matter, and my father said, “Why, it hardly seems possible that such a thing can be true.”
“John Haws told me about it.”
“Oh, then it is true!”
“Yes, or John Haws never would have told it.”
It is a fine thing to have a reputation like that. It is worth more than much worldly glory and honor when such are combined with the distrust of the people. There are men in high positions, with all that wealth can buy at their command, who are much poorer than humble John Haws, because their word is of no value, and they have none of that high sense of honor that glorifies the humblest life.
by Author Unknown
I remember that a good many years ago, when I was a boy, my father, who was a stonemason, did some work for a man named John Haws. When the work was completed, John Haws said he would pay for it on a certain day. It was late in the fall when the work was done, and when the day came on which Mr. Haws had said he would pay for it, a fearful storm of sleet and snow and wind raged from morning until night. We lived nine miles from the Haws’ home, and the road was a very bad one even in good weather. I remember that my father had said at breakfast, “Well, I guess that we shall not see anything of John Haws today. It will not make any difference if he does not come, as I am not in urgent need of the money he owes me. It will make no difference if it is not paid for a month.”
But about noon, Mr. Haws appeared at our door, almost frozen, and covered with sleet and snow.
“Why, John Haws!” exclaimed my father, when he opened the door, and saw who it was that had knocked. “I had not the least idea that you would try to ride all the way out here in this fearful storm.”
“Did I not say that I would come?” asked John Haws abruptly.
“Oh, yes; but I did not regard it as a promise so binding that you must fulfil it on a day like this!”
“Any promise that I make is binding, regardless of wind and weather. I said that I would pay the money today, and I am here to keep my word.”
“But it is only a small sum, and I do not really need it so urgently.”
“I need to keep my word. If the sum had been but ten cents, and you were a millionaire, and I had said that I could pay it today, I would be here to pay it if I had been compelled to ride fifty miles.”
Do you wonder that it was often said of John Haws that his word was as good as his bond? He was as truthful as he was honest. I remember that a neighbor of ours stopped at our house one day on his way home from the town. He had an almost incredible story to tell about a certain matter, and my father said, “Why, it hardly seems possible that such a thing can be true.”
“John Haws told me about it.”
“Oh, then it is true!”
“Yes, or John Haws never would have told it.”
It is a fine thing to have a reputation like that. It is worth more than much worldly glory and honor when such are combined with the distrust of the people. There are men in high positions, with all that wealth can buy at their command, who are much poorer than humble John Haws, because their word is of no value, and they have none of that high sense of honor that glorifies the humblest life.
by Author Unknown
- Published on
A Royal Lesson
Once upon a time long ago, there was a king who ruled a country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant places in the land. When he returned home to his castle, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time he had gone on such a long trip, and the roads that he walked were dirty, rough, and stony. He ordered his subjects to cover every road of the country with leather. Doing so would have required millions of cattle hides, and would have cost a tremendous amount of gold, more gold than was in the entire kingdom. One of the king’s servants said to the king, “Why spend a huge amount of gold on covering the roads with leather? Why not cover just your feet in leather, for a small amount of gold?” The king was surprised by the idea, but he agreed, and so he had ‘shoes’ made for himself.
The lesson of the story is that if you want to make the world a better place, start with yourself.
by Author Unknown
Once upon a time long ago, there was a king who ruled a country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant places in the land. When he returned home to his castle, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time he had gone on such a long trip, and the roads that he walked were dirty, rough, and stony. He ordered his subjects to cover every road of the country with leather. Doing so would have required millions of cattle hides, and would have cost a tremendous amount of gold, more gold than was in the entire kingdom. One of the king’s servants said to the king, “Why spend a huge amount of gold on covering the roads with leather? Why not cover just your feet in leather, for a small amount of gold?” The king was surprised by the idea, but he agreed, and so he had ‘shoes’ made for himself.
The lesson of the story is that if you want to make the world a better place, start with yourself.
by Author Unknown
- Published on
Rich in Wolves
A good positive attitude can truly change the way you approach life and your future. Let me illustrate with a short story.
A few years ago, a wildlife organization out west offered a bounty of $5,000 for captured wolves.
Two friends, Sam and Jed, decided to make their fortune. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests looking for their valuable prey. Exhausted one night, after searching for many days with no luck, they fell asleep dreaming of their potential fortune.
Suddenly, Sam woke up a bit startled, and saw they were surrounded by a huge pack of nearly 70 wolves with searing black eyes, and bared teeth. Low growls rumbled from their throats.
He slowly reached over and nudged his friend and said “Jed, wake up.” “I think we’re rich!”
Sam had a positive attitude. I hope you do, too.
by Author Unknown
A good positive attitude can truly change the way you approach life and your future. Let me illustrate with a short story.
A few years ago, a wildlife organization out west offered a bounty of $5,000 for captured wolves.
Two friends, Sam and Jed, decided to make their fortune. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests looking for their valuable prey. Exhausted one night, after searching for many days with no luck, they fell asleep dreaming of their potential fortune.
Suddenly, Sam woke up a bit startled, and saw they were surrounded by a huge pack of nearly 70 wolves with searing black eyes, and bared teeth. Low growls rumbled from their throats.
He slowly reached over and nudged his friend and said “Jed, wake up.” “I think we’re rich!”
Sam had a positive attitude. I hope you do, too.
by Author Unknown
