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.
