The Socratic Test of Three - Something All Public Officials Should Think About

Socrates was a respected citizen, statesman and philosopher of ancient Greece. Many say he laid the seeds for modern western civilization.  He was revered by his neighbors and fellow Greek citizens for both his wisdom and high moral character. 

One day an acquaintance of his ran over to approach him and asked "Socrates, have you heard the latest news about Marcus?"  Socrates raised his hand slowly and said "Wait! Before you tell me what you have to say about Marcus, let's see if it passes - The Test of Three." 

"The Test of Three?" inquired the man. “Yes” said Socrates. "The Test of Three."

"The first test" Socrates explained "is the test of Truth. Are you absolutely sure that what you are about to share with me about Marcus is the truth?" "Well no I don't know," replied the man, "I just heard it a few minutes ago."

"So," said Socrates "you want to share with me something about Marcus that you yourself have not confirmed as being true". The man replied "Yes".

"Well let's apply the second test" Socrates said, "the test of Goodness". Is what you are about to share with me about Marcus good?" "No, on the contrary Socrates ..." the man began; but Socrates cut him off and said "So You want to tell me something bad about Marcus even though you are not certain it is true?" The man shrugged his shoulders as though he were a little embarrassed.

Socrates smiled and said "Don't be disappointed you may still pass the third test - the test of Usefulness. Will what you share with me about Marcus be of any use or value to me?" "No, not really said the man." 

"Well then," commented Socrates, "If what you want to share with me about Marcus is neither True, nor Good and has no Use or Value for me - why in the world do you want to tell me this?" 

The man, then hung his head, obviously ashamed and just stood silent.  Finally he turned around and just walked away.

As elected officials, civic leader, or business owners would not all of our places of work - especially our seats of local government - be a much better off if we all just remembered and employed the Socratic Test of Three?

Mayor Avoids Tragedy With Help of Township Officer

A local city Mayor narrowly escaped injuries this past weekend as the result of a quick-thinking township officer who was on the scene. We were informed that the Mayor was attempting to mount a horse - a small golden palomino - even though he had never ridden a horse before.    

Bystanders at the scene confirmed that as the mayor was positioning himself in the saddle, the small palomino unexpectedly bolted and took off in a full gallop. Startled by the horse's unexpected actions the Mayor lost control of the reins and began to slide out of the saddle. To stop his sliding, the mayor attempted to grab the horse’s mane but no matter how hard he pulled the Mayor could not stop his downward decent.

Frantic that he would fall under the horse’s galloping hoofs, the Mayor threw his arms around the horse’s neck and held on tight but even then he continued to slide out of the saddle. The horse meanwhile was totally oblivious to the mayor’s plight and continued to gallop at full speed.   

Realizing it was just a matter of time before he would fall off the horse and land under the horses legs, the Mayor decided to leap from the horse and throw himself to safety. Unfortunately, his foot got entangled in one of the stirrups making it impossible to jump from the horse.

Just moments before falling completely off the horse, a local township officer from a nearby community who was entering Wal-Mart at that time saw the Mayor’s plight and quickly ran over to his aid. She unplugged the cord and assisted the Mayor in getting down from the horse.  She then checked him for any injuries. Though the Mayor was considerably shaken up by this horseback riding ordeal, he appeared unhurt - so the township officer left and entered Wal-Mart to continue on with her shopping.

All The Mayor Wanted Was a Quickie

A Mayor from Texas went to attend the Annual Mayor’s Conference which was held in Wisconsin. While in Dairy State the Mayor he entered a small restaurant that served beer.  The hostess seated him at a table and handed him a menu and said your waitress will be with you shortly.  Sure enough in a few minutes an attractive waitresses walked over and asked, "What would you like, sir?" 

The Mayor put down the menu - looked at the waitress. He starred at her beautiful complexion, her amazing facial features and her stunning figure. Then he smiled and said "I think I would like to have a quickie”?

Not amused the waitress turned around and walked away in disgust. After she regained her composure she returned to his table a few minutes later and asked again, "Sir, what would you like?"  The Mayor flashed her another broad smile and answered, "a quickie" is what I really want.

This time the waitress' anger took over; she reached out and slapped the Mayor across the face as hard as she could.  The result was a resounding "SMACK!" and then she stormed away.

An elderly gentleman who was sitting at the next table, sipping on a glass beer overhead everything that transpired.  He leaned over to the young man and said "your not from these pars are you?".  "No I am not, I am from Texas and I am up here on official business."  "I thought so said the gentle; well up here in Wisconsin we pronounce it 'quiche', ". 

The Day Mrs. Thompson Quick Teaching

Mrs. Thompson stood in front of her fifth grade class on the first day of school and told a lie, a big lie - the biggest lie she had ever told as she welcomed the students.  She said that she would treat all the students the same.  But she knew there was one student she would not treat the same - his name was Teddy Stoddard.

The school district had hired Ms. Thompson the year before and she couldn't help but notice Teddy’s behavior throughout the last year.  He was a known problem child with a lousy academic record. He didn’t play well with other children; his clothes were always a mess; everyday he looked like he needed a bath, and he had a bad attitude regarding everything.

Throughout the beginning weeks of the semester, Mrs. Thompson delighted in marking Teddy’s papers with a broad red pen and placing big bold 'X's on all his wrong answers.  She smiled every time she put a large 'F' at the top of his papers as she wanted the other students in class to be able to see his grade when she handed them out.

Unfortunately school policy required every teacher to review the academic records of their students during the first week of December.  Mrs. Thompson held Teddy's file off until last.  When she finally sat down to review his file, she was taken aback.  Teddy’s first grade teacher had written, "Teddy is a bright child who does neat work and has excellent classroom manners. He is a joy to have in my class - I will miss him next year."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an above average student who is well liked by his classmates. He has been having trouble lately at home because of his mother’s illness and life at home is really a struggle for Teddy." 

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's recent death has been very hard on Teddy.  He tries hard to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest in him and I believe his home life is going to be negatively impacted by these events."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a withdrawn child who doesn’t show much interest in school.  He has very few friends, often comes to class unprepared and is frequently disruptive in class.  He generally wears dirty clothes and looks like a mess."

Mrs. Thompson now felt ashamed of her behavior. She felt even worse a few weeks later when her students all brought in their Christmas presents for her.  All were wrapped in brightly colored holiday papers and tied with fancy ribbons except for one. Teddy's was gift was clumsily wrapped in brown paper from a grocery bag and it had no ribbon.  Mrs. Thompson decided to open Teddy’s present first.  Many of the children laughed when they saw a small rhinestone bracelet with several stones missing and an old bottle of perfume which was barely one 1/4 full; but Mrs. Thompson quickly stifled their laughter by commenting on how beautiful the bracelet was as she put in on.  She then dabbed some of the perfume on each of her wrist, inhaled deeply and said it smells wonderful Teddy – Thank You so much for this lovely gift.

Before he left class that afternoon, Teddy slowly walked up to Mrs. Thompson's desk, leaned in and said, "I just want you to know you smell just like my Mom use to."  Then he quickly ran out of the classroom.  When all the other students left, Mrs. Thompson put her head down at the desk and cried. This was the day she vowed to quit teaching.  Never again she said would she teach her students reading, writing or arithmetic, instead she would start teaching children how to live.

The following Monday morning she began to pay special attention to Teddy in class.  As she worked with him, his mind came alive.  The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.  By the end of the school year, Teddy was one of the brightest students in her class. Despite "her lie to treat all students the same," it was obvious Teddy was Mrs. Thompson pet.  The following year, Teddy transferred to the middle school and Mrs. Thompson never saw Teddy again.

Towards the end of the next school year, Mrs. Thompson found a note under her door one night.  It was a note from Teddy.  The note said “Dear Mrs. Thompson you were the best teacher I ever had in my whole life – signed Teddy”. 

Seven years passed before she received another note.  This time Teddy wrote he had just finished high school - third in his class - and that he would be going off to college - and that, by the way Mrs. Thompson, you are still the best teacher I ever had in my whole life.  

Four more years went by when a third note from Teddy arrived.  It stated “I have just graduated from college and am now going to medical school in this fall - and by the way Mrs. Thompson, you are still the best teacher I ever had”.

Several years passed before another letter arrived.  In this typed letter, Teddy stated he met a woman, a beautiful young lady, and he was going to get married in June.  He explained that his father had died a few years earlier and was wondering if she, Mrs. Thompson, would agree to sit in the place of honor reserved for the groom's parents at the head table on the night of his wedding. This letter was signed Theodore J. Stoddard M.D.

Of course Mrs. Thomson agreed. When arrived at the plush wedding ceremony wearing a beautiful dress on her wrist was an old rhinestone bracelet which had several rhinestones missing.  As she walked in the room she carried a scent of a perfume that a young boy once said reminded him of his mother.

Dr. Stoddard saw her and immediately came forward and gave her a big hug.  As he inhaled the fragrance of her perfume, he whispered in her ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for making me feel so important and thank you for making a difference in my life."

With tear filled eyes Mrs. Thompson whispered back "No Teddy you have it wrong.  I need to thank you. I want to thank you for what you taught me. Teddy you taught me I could make a difference in other people’s lives."

Wanted to Share Some Great News I Received - Hope You Enjoy

Your blog post "How Local Government Decisions Are Really Made" was just featured on GovLoop  - Knowledge Network for Government....because it was awesome.

Keep up the awesome
- Steve

To see your blog post featured, visit: http://www.govloop.com

Who Gets the Chair?

During the late 1700's, few American colonists lived on big plantations.  Most eked out extremely meager existences in one-room wooden houses.  Because their houses were so small, family dining generally took place on a table pushed close against one wall.  The young children sat on a long wide board which folded down from the wall while the bigger children and wife sat on a rough sanded bench on the other side. 

Most households only had one chair which was generally very ornate in design.  During the day the wife would use this chair to tend to the children, crochet, knit or mend clothing. However, the chair was always reserved for the man of the house when it was time to eat.

Should a special guest be over when  a meal was served, that special guest was normally offered the chair to sit in while they ate their meal while the rest of the family, including the man of the house, would sit on the board attached to the wall or on the wooden bench.  Consequently, for someone to be asked to sit in the chair meant they were important - either an honored guest or perhaps someone in charge of something. 

The person to sit in the chair was commonly referred to as the 'Chair man' or 'Chair person'.  Today, this same expression or title is used in all levels of government - Federal, State and Local.  We use the word 'Chairman' or 'Chairperson' to signify who is in charge of our board and committee meetings in government.

Are You Cutting Ham or Making a Difference?

It was Christmas Day and Suzie's Mother arose early to start the holiday meal.  Suzy heard Mom in the kitchen and ran down to join her.  As Suzy watched, Mom took a large ham from the refrigerator, unwrapped it, and placed it on a cutting board.  She then took a knife and cut a thick slice off each end of the ham.

 

"Why did you do that, Mom?" Suzy asked. 

"Do what?" Mom replied. 

"Cut those slices off the ends of the ham", Suzy commented.

"Well dear, I learned that from my Mother." Every Christmas my mother cut thick slices off the ends of her ham and she would save them for later.  

"Why?" Suzy asked.  

"I don't know.  It was just a family tradition I guess", Mom said.

A few hours later Grandma arrived.  Suzy walked over and said, "Grandma, this morning I watched Mommy prepare the ham and Mom cut thick slices off the ends of the ham.  When I asked her why, she said because that’s the way you always made a ham."

"Well Suzy", Grandma said.  "When I was a little girl just like you, I would watch my Mother make the holiday dinner and the first thing she always did was cut thick slices off the ends of the Christmas ham.  She did that every Christmas, so it was only natural that I kept up this special family tradition; and now, thank goodness, your Mother is keeping up this wonderful tradition.  Just think, when you get older you can keep up this family tradition as well."

Later that afternoon, Great Grandma arrived.  Once she was comfortably seated on the couch, Suzy sat next to her and commented, "Great Grandma, this morning I watched Mom prepare the Christmas ham and she cut a thick slice off from each end of the ham because that was the way Grandma made her Christmas ham.  When I asked Grandma why she cut slices off the ends of the ham she said because you always cut thick slices off the ends of your Christmas hams. Why do we have this family tradition?"

"Well Suzy", Great Grandma began, "Mommy and Grandma might have gotten this a little wrong.  Yes, I always did cut a thick slice off each end of our Christmas ham but that was not any special family tradition.  You see, when your Great Grandfather and I first got married, we were very poor and all we could afford was a small stove.  The only way I could fit a Christmas ham in our small oven was to cut off thick slices from each end."

The New Year is now in full swing and March is the perfect time to review all your existing business practices, organizational policies and family rules. Are they really necessary, or are you just cutting ham?

For more great ideas, just visit Pearls of Wisdom

The Trail Ride

An old cowboy was riding his horse down an unfamiliar trail with his faithful dog, Butch, walking along side.  The cowboy was enjoying the day when all of a sudden he remembered being shot in an ambush a way back.  He looked down and realized Butch, who was walking beside him, had died several years earlier as did his horse, Champ, the one he was now riding.  Confused, he wondered where he was riding to on this unfamiliar trail.  

 

 

Around a bend he saw a high, white marble wall.  Down the trail a piece, he saw a large golden gate in the wall that was topped with a huge golden letter "H" that sparkled in the sunlight.   As he rode closer, he saw magnificent streets inside the gate.  Some were painted gold and others were paved with mother of pearl.  As he continued looking inside, he saw a man sitting under a tree.  Parched and plum tuckered out from his trail ride he called out,  "Excuse me Mister.  Where are we?'' 

"Why this is Heaven", the man answered. 

"Wow!" said the cowboy.  "Would you happen to have some water inside?"  

"Of course we do partner", said the old man.  "Come on in, and I’ll pour you a tall glass." 

As the golden gate began to open, the cowboy and his dog and horse started to enter when the man inside jumped up and shouted, "Sorry fella.  "We don't allow animals in here." 

The cowboy thought for a moment, then pulled back on the reins and turned his horse back towards the road.  "Come on Butch, let’s go.   Thanks Mister, but we’ll be getting along." Then the cowboy, Champ and Butch continued down the trail. 

After a very long trail ride, the cowboy was coming down a steep hill and noticed a wooden fence with an open gate.  As he approached the gate, the cowboy saw a man sitting under a tree reading a book.   "Excuse me Mister", he called to the man.  "Do you have any water?'' 

"Sure do.  There's a pump right over there.  Go help yourself to all you want."  

"How about my friends?" the cowboy asked. 

"Why of course!  They look thirsty too; bring em on in", said the man. 

The trio went through the gate and headed straight to the old-fashioned hand pump.   There were buckets beside the pump and the cowboy got down from his horse, pumped the handle and filled two buckets with wonderfully cool water.  He put one down for his horse and the other for his dog.   He then picked up a tin cup, pumped the cup full and took a drink. When all three had quenched their thirst, the cowboy walked over to the man who was sitting under the tree.  "What do you call this place here?" asked the cowboy. 

"Why this is Heaven", the man answered.

"Heaven?  Now ain’t that confusing? The other man down the trail a piece by that big white marble wall said that was Heaven."  

''Oh, you mean the place with the cheap glitzy paint and fake mother of pearl streets?" the old man replied. 

"Yeah", said the cowboy.  

"No son, that was Hell", said the old man.

The cowboy pushed his hat back so it titled up and said, "Well now, doesn’t that make you angry when those folks down there use your name like that?" 

"No, not really", said the old man.  "We’re kind of happy they are down there." 

"You are? Why?" asked the cowboy. 

"Well, to tell you the truth," the old man replied, "They do a good job screening out the folks who’d leave their friends behind just so they could get a drink of water for themselves."

Can You Really Make a Difference?

A young couple from Oregon decided to go to Spain for their honeymoon.  They had an extremely long day and their  flight arrived late at night.  Exhausted from their travel, they immediately checked into their hotel and went directly to bed.

During the night a violent storm erupted.  When they awoke the next day, they had their coffee on the balcony.  Below they saw the terrible damage the storm caused during the night.  The husband suggested they get dressed and walk along the beach.

As they walked down the beach, they saw damaged palm trees and enormous amounts of debris strewn all over; however, the one thing that amazed them most were the hundreds of sea creatures that had been washed up on the shore.

As they continued their walk, they noticed in the distance a man dancing.  As they got closer to him, they realized he wasn’t dancing; rather he was bending over and picking up starfish which he then tossed back into the sea.

As the young couple approached him, the young groom asked, "Excuse me sir, what are you doing?" 

 

The elderly Spaniard replied, "Last night, as you can see, there was a terrible storm and all these starfish were cast up on the shore. It’s early now, 7:00 am, but by 10:00 am when the sun is high in the sky, these starfish will all die unless they are put back into the ocean."

The young man looked back down the beach, then up the beach.  There were literally thousands of starfish on the sand.  He looked back at the old Spaniard and said "Senor, there is no way you are going to get all these starfish back in the ocean in the next few hours." 

The old man bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean and said, "I know." 

 

"Then why in the world are you doing this if you know it won't make a difference?" asked the groom.

The old man stooped down, picked up another starfish and tossed it back into the ocean.  Then he turned to the young groom, smiled and said, "Because I know it definitely made a difference for that one."

There is One Difference



A man died in a violent car accident and found himself standing in front of the Pearly Gates.   Before him stood St. Peter reading from The Book of Deeds.   When St. Peter finished his reading, he closed the book, looked at the man and said, "Your life has not been the best, yet on the other hand, it was by no means the worst.  Where would you prefer to spend your eternity - Heaven or Hell?"

"You mean we have a choice?" asked the man.

 

"Not always, but in your case since your deeds are right on the border, I will make an exception", St. Peter replied.

The man thought silently then asked, "Could I see both Heaven and Hell before I choose?"  St. Peter thought that was an excellent idea and agreed.   He led the man down a hallway that ended with two doors - one was labeled Hell, the other labeled Heaven.   St. Peter pointed to the door labeled Hell and said, "Feel free to go on in."

The man pushed on the door and immediately heard beautiful music playing.  When he entered Hell, he saw a huge banquet hall filled with thousands of long wooden tables.  People wearing beautiful silk robes were seated at the tables.

On each table were large baskets full of fresh fruit and platters made of gold piled high with delicious foods from around the world.   As he walked through Hell, he noticed something odd.   Every person seated at the tables had large wooden knives and forks strapped to their forearms.   The knives and forks were at least three feet long, making it impossible for anyone to eat the food that was placed before them.

When he left Hell, St. Peter pointed to the door labeled Heaven.   As the man pushed open Heaven's door, he once again heard beautiful music.   Upon entering Heaven, he again saw a large banquet hall full of long wooden tables. Again all the people, exquisitely dressed, were sitting at the tables.   On each table again were baskets of fruit and platters of fine foods.  Finally, he noticed that all the people in Heaven also had large three foot wooden knives and forks strapped to their forearms.

Upon stepping back in the hallway, St. Peter asked, "Well, you have seen them both.  Are you ready to make your decision?" 

 

"Well," said the man, "There really doesn't seem to be that much difference between the two; however, I did notice one odd thing."

"What was that?" inquired St. Peter.

 

"Well, the people in Hell all look sad; their bodies are gaunt and frail as if they were all starving. Yet the people in Heaven are laughing and smiling and all look happy, well nourished and healthy. How could that be, St. Peter?  Everything appears to be equal?"

Enthusiasm vs. Experience

One day a huge US Air Force cargo plane was lumbering across the sky over the Pacific Ocean.  It was on its way to a remote Air Force Base in the Philippines.  Out of nowhere came a small jet aircraft streaking across the sky; the young jet jockey wanted to show off his flying skills for his cargo hauling colleagues.

The young pilot flew his smaller craft alongside the bulky transport, came on the radio and said to the transport pilot, “Watch this!”  Immediately the jet pilot went into a steep climb soaring up several thousand feet.  He then nosed his plane down and did a series of spectacular barrel rolls.  After leveling off in front of the cargo plane, he ignited his afterburners and shot across the horizon creating a loud sonic boom.  Finally he returned alongside the transport and asked, “Well what did you think of that?”

The older cargo pilot said, “Very impressive.”

 

“Well old man, show me what you can do with that garbage bucket you are flying.” 

 

“Okay watch this,” said the cargo pilot!  The jet jockey maintained his air speed alongside the cargo plane and waited.  For five minutes, the cargo plane rambled along.  Then the pilot came on the air and said, “Well son, what did you think of that?”

Puzzled, the young jet jockey asked, “What the heck did you do?”

 

The seasoned cargo pilot said, “Well, let’s see.  First, I took off my seat harness.  I then stood up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the plane, said hi to all the crew members, picked up an updated weather forecast, went to the restroom, washed my face, combed my hair, poured a cup of coffee and picked up a cinnamon roll.  I am now seated back behind the controls enjoying a nice cup of coffee and a delicious roll.”

The moral to this story – When one is young and inexperienced, speed and flash are the preferred methods to get a job done.  However, when one matures and acquires wisdom, comfort and dullness are generally the best way to perform most jobs.

Around The Corner

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end.
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friend's face,
For life is a swift and a terrible race.
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.

And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow," I say! "I will call on Jim,
Just to show that I'm thinking of him."
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram Sir, Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end,
For around the corner I have a vanished friend.

A Guard At The Tomb

Most of us know there is monument in Washington DC erected solely to pay homage to unknown soldiers who lost their lives in military battles.  Most of us refer to this monument as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Soldiers; however, its official name, as designated by Congress, is the Tomb of the Unknowns.

To fully appreciate this monument and those who guard it, here is a story you might enjoy.

As Hurricane Isabelle approached the east coast back in 2003 and threatened Washington DC, members of the US Senate and the House scurried to evacuate the area.  For the first time in history the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gave the military sentinels guarding The Tomb permission to suspend their duties and evacuate the city.

Every guard respectfully declined; they all volunteered to man their posts.  For two days, the guards were subjected to hurricane force winds and relentless pelting rain; however, the guards never left their posts.  Their refusal to suspend their duties means The Tomb has been continuously guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since it was inaugurated in 1930. 

If you enjoyed this short story on The Tomb, I am sure you will find the following Tomb trivia of interest.

* Military personnel who apply to be a Tomb Guard must be between 5'10" and 6'2" tall and have a waist size that does not exceed 30".

* Individuals selected for Tomb Guard Duty must agree to serve a two-year assignment.  However, before accepting their post, each sentinel must swear never to drink any alcohol on or off duty during their two-year tour of duty.

* Newly assigned guards are required to study and memorize the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.  Among the notables interned at Arlington are President Taft, Medal of Honor winner Audie L. Murphy (the most decorated soldier of WWII), and Joe Lewis, the great American boxer.

* Tomb guards are issued unique shoes that have special extra thick soles.  The thick soles prevent their feet from being affected by the heat and cold.  In addition, both shoes have metal heel plates that extend all the way to the top of the shoe to ensure a loud, distinctive click is made when the guards come to a halt. 

* Tomb guards must wear gloves while on duty.  Guards wet their gloves before reporting for duty to prevent their hands from losing their grip on the rifle they carry.

* Each guard takes exactly 21 steps to cross The Tomb – the 21 steps symbolize a twenty-one gun salute.

* After walking across The Tomb guards execute an "about- face", then pause for 21 seconds before they begin their return walk back across The Tomb.

* Guards always carry their rifles on the shoulder facing away from The Tomb.  After they walk across The Tomb and execute their "about-face", they ceremoniously transfer their rifle to the outside shoulder. 

* During the summer, guards change shifts every 30 minutes; during winter, every hour.

* The Tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

* When a guard successfully completes his/her two-year assignment, he/she is awarded a lapel pin.  Guards are allowed to wear this pin on their uniform.  The pin is a small wreath.  The wreath signifies to all that they were ...

                  A Guard Of The Tomb

Give`em Only What They Need

A young Minister and his family were transferred to a small rural community.  On the eve of his first Sunday, a major snow storm hit the area.  When he and his family awoke on Sunday morning, there was nearly three feet of snow outside. "Do you think we’ll be able to have a service today?" his wife asked.

 

"Quite honestly, no," he replied.  "I just don't see how anyone will be able to make it to church through all this snow."

Well, two minutes before the start of the scheduled service, a loud engine roar was heard in the distance.  When the family ran to the windows, they saw a farmer driving his big John Deere tractor and he was heading straight for the church. When the farmer arrived in front of the church, he jumped down off the seat.

The Minister ran out to greet him and the farmer said, "Reverend, I hope you don’t mind me driving my tractor this morning, but I just couldn’t make it through all this snow with my car."  Then the farmer realized the parking lot was empty and he was the only person at the church.

"Maybe you weren’t planning on holding services today?" he inquired.

 

"Not at all.  We are glad you are here, please come in.  We would be delighted to hold a service for you," replied the Minister.  As they walked into the church, his wife began to play the organ and his children, who were sitting in the choir loft, began to sing.

About an hour and a half later when the Minister finished his sermon, he walked to the back of the church, stood by the door and personally thanked the farmer for attending his first service in his new community.  Curious as to how he did, the Minister asked the farmer, "Did you enjoy the service this morning?" 

 

"I sure did," said Farmer Brown, "but to tell you the truth Preacher, it may have been just a bit too much."

"Too much?" replied the Minister.  "What do you mean, too much?"

 

"Well you see Preacher, I am just a simple farmer. The only responsibility I have is to feed my cows when they come home from the fields each night.  Once in a while after a big storm like this, only a few cows will make it back to the barn. Whenever that happens, I never ever give them the entire load of hay. I only give 'em what they need."

The Secret of Success

One day, a young man went to the home of Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, and asked, "Sir, I have come to seek your wisdom.  Will you help me?" 

 

Socrates looked at the boy and replied, "How can I be of assistance?"

 

The boy responded, "I want to be a great success. Will you teach me all I need to know so I can be a great success?"

"Certainly, my son," replied Socrates.  "Walk with me."  Socrates began to walk and headed towards the sea.  Once on the sand, Socrates continued to walk straight into the water.  The young man followed.  When both were chest deep in the ocean, Socrates placed his hands on the young man's head and quickly forced it under the water. After about ten seconds, the young man fought his way to the surface and began to gasp for air.  Socrates released the boy’s head, turned and walked away.

The young man was appalled.  He had traveled a great distance to meet with this scholar whom he admired and respected and when he asked for his wisdom all he did was put his head under water.  Never again, vowed the young man, would he seek the advice of Socrates.

However, time as we know, has a way of healing wounds and after a week went by, the young man thought maybe he did something to upset Socrates.  So back he went to visit the scholar.  Again he beseeched Socrates to teach him all he needed to know so he could be a great success.

Socrates smiled and once again agreed. He asked the young man to follow him and again they walked toward the ocean. Just like before, Socrates walked in the water and, when the water was chest high, Socrates grabbed the young man by his head and pushed it under water.  This time, however, the young man was ready.  Before going under, he took a big gulp of air and held his breath for almost for thirty seconds before coming up gasping for air.  As he wiped the water from his eyes, he saw Socrates already on the shore walking away.

Now the young man was livid.  Twice he had approached Socrates for the knowledge he needed to become a great success and twice Socrates took him to the ocean and put his head under water.  Never ever again would he be insulted and humiliated like this.

Well, thirty days passed and the young man had time to reflect. He truly wanted to be a success.  Socrates had the wisdom he needed so he decided to go one final time to see the scholar.  Upon arriving at Socrates’ home, he rapped on the door.  When Socrates appeared, the young man said, "I hope you remember me?" 

 

Socrates flashed a big smile and said, "I do.  You are the young man who wants to be a great success."

 

The young man once again asked Socrates, "Will you please teach me all I need to know and all I need to learn to be a success?" 

 

Socrates nodded and said, "Absolutely."  Then he started walking toward the ocean with the young man following in step.

This time the young man was well prepared.  As soon as Socrates grabbed his head, he took a deep swallow of air, relaxed and was able to hold his breath underwater for almost two minutes. When he finally surfaced for air, Socrates had already walked away.

Furious the young man ran after Socrates.  When he was a few feet from Socrates he shouted, "Socrates, why is it every time I come to you and ask for your help to gain the wisdom and the knowledge on how to be a great success, all you do is take me out in the water and dunk my head?"

Socrates turned around, faced the young man, and said, "Son, I have tried three times now to teach you the secret of being a great success. The secret is simple: When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, you will be a great success."

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Why We Should Never Whine

One day upon a city bus,
I saw a woman with golden hair,
I envied her, cause she looked so fair.

But as she rose to leave the bus,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
With only one foot, she used a crutch,
Yet when she passed, she shared a smile.

O God forgive me if I ever whine.
I have two feet; the world is mine.

Later when I stopped to eat,
an old man grabbed me by my arm.
We spoke at length and then he said,
"Thank you Mister you've been very kind.
You see," he said, "I was born blind."

O God forgive me if I ever whine,
I have two eyes; the world is mine.

Heading home I walked my way,
and saw a girl with eyes so blue.
She stood and watched the others play,
yet seemed to know not what to do.

I asked, "Why don't you join the others, Dear?"
But she looked ahead with a word.
Then I knew she could not hear.

O God forgive me if I ever whine.
I have two ears; the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I want to go,
and eyes to see every sunset's glow, and
ears to hear what I need to know,
I'm blessed indeed - the world is mine.

and God forgive me if I ever whine.