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 | | From: | JPF | | Subject: | The Fence | | Date: | Sun, 16 Jan 2005 20:33:33 GMT |
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 | There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a
bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must
hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned
to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually
dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told
his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out
one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days
passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all
the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said,
"You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The
fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a
scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still
there."
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare
jewel. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an
ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their
hearts to us. Be careful how you treat your friends.
author unknown
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