Friendship is a Gift

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives". He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.

As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday"! He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them."I am going to tell you a story."I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

You now have two choices, you can:
1) Pass this on to your friends
2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart.

As you can see, I took choice number 1. "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." There is no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.

It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care.
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND.

Mean Moms

Mean Moms Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates of a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

• I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
• I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
• I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."
• I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
• I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
• I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
• But most of all, I loved you enough . . to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
• Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.
• Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.
• Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.
• She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.
• We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
• She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
• By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!
• Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
• Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
• Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.
• I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

PASS THIS ON TO ALL THE MEAN MOTHERS YOU KNOW (And Their Kids!!!)

Wise Word: Flexible People

Flexible people never get bent out of shape !

Don't delete this just because it looks weird.
Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to
rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,
it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the
olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat
ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can
sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not
raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh?

Origin of "Wet your whistle"

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Origin of "Settle Down"

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."

Origin of the Homeymoon

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink.

Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey mon! th . which we know today as the honeymoon.

"Good Night...Sleep Tight"

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

Fact: Most collect calls are placed on what day?

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day

Fact: What food will never spoil?

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

Q. What do.....?

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

Q: How far must you go for an 'A'?

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand ( 1000 )

Fact: Most popular boat name?

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession

Fact: Where do half of all Americans live?

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace

Fact: Signing of Declaration of Independence

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independenceon July 4th, John Hancock andCharlesThomson.

Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

Fact: Legs on a Horse

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.

If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.

If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Fact: Each king in a deck of playing cards

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs - Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

Fact: America's Only Moving Monuments

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

Fact: The First Novel Typed

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer

Fact: Inteegent People have more..

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

Fact: Airborne over America

The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

Fact: Cost of raising a Dog?

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

Fact: What continent has the most wilderness?

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

Fact: What state has the most avid walkers

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

Fact: Body Licking

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

Who can do it better?

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Fact: Who prints the most money $$$?

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

Sex on TV

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Origin of GOLF

Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English! language.

Neat Things to Know

In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"