There
was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him
a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his
temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day
the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it 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, indeed. 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. Show your
friends how much you care.
Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND even if it means
sending back to the person who sent it to you. Day by day
we can achieve what this little boy achieved through perseverance.
Let us all do our best to be kind to each other and remember
our actions are an example to others. Throughout our day
there is someone watching us and observing our actions whether
we are aware of it or not.
We never know what kind of impact we might have on someone
else by the example we show through our actions.
