horselady5
Cincinnati, Ohio, Iowa USA
Posted: Jun 27, 2008, 10:20 AM CST
There was no author of this article.
The Boy's Bad Temper
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, he was to hammer a nail in the back fence.
The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over time, 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, then 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. Think about this the next time your anger starts to raise its ugly head.
Friends are very rare jewels, 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 you.