Fun_People Archive
21 Dec
Get out the hankie!

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 97 18:13:38 -0800
To: Fun_People
Precedence: bulk
Subject: Get out the hankie!

{DANGER!  Tear-jerker alert!  Okay, now I feel better.  You've been warned... -psl]

Forwarded-by: "Irene A. Mystery" <LadyHawke@Unforgettable.com>

	"The Most Caring Child"

    Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was
asked to judge.  The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring
child.  The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was
an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.  Upon seeing the man
cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his
lap, and just sat there.  When his mother asked him what he had said to the
neighbor, the little boy said,
    "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Two Nickels and Five Pennies"

Back when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a boy entered a coffee shop
and sat at a table.  A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
    "How much is an ice cream sundae?"	
    "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
    The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number
of coins in it.
    "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?"  he inquired.
    Some people were now waiting for a table, and the waitress was
impatient.
    "Thirty-five cents," she said angrily.
    The little boy again counted the coins.  "I'll have the plain ice cream."
    The waitress brought the ice cream and hurried away.  The boy finished,
paid the cashier, and departed.  When the waitress came back, she swallowed
hard at what she saw.  There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two
nickels and five pennies -- her tip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"What It Means to Be Adopted"

    Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a
family.  One little boy in the picture had a different color hair than the
other family members.
    One child suggested that he was adopted and a little girl named Jocelynn
Jay said, "I know all about adoptions because I was adopted,"
    "What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child.
    "It means," said Jocelynn, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead
of her tummy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Paco Come Home"

    In a small town in Spain, a man named Jorge had a bitter argument with
his young son, Paco.  The next day Jorge discovered that Paco's bed was
empty - he had run away from home.
    Overcome with remorse, Jorge searched his soul and realized that his
son was the most important to him than anything else.  He wanted to start
over.  Jorge went to a well-known store in the center of town and posted a
large sign that read, "Paco, come home.  I love you.  Meet me here tomorrow
morning."
    The next morning Jorge went to the store, where he found no less than
seven young boys named Paco who had also run away from home.  They were all
answering the call for love, hoping it was their father inviting them home
with open arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Rescued"

    A little girl whose parents had died lived with her grandmother and
slept in an upstairs bedroom.
    One night there was a fire in the house and the grandmother perished
while trying to rescue the child.  The fires spread quickly, and the first
floor was engulfed in flames.
    Neighbors called the fire department, then stood helplessly by, unable
to enter the house because flames blocked all the entrances.  The little
girl appeared at an upstairs window, crying for help, just as word spread
among the crowd that firefighters would be delayed a few minutes because
they were all at another fire.
    Suddenly, a man appeared with a ladder, put it up against the side of
the house and disappeared inside.  When he appeared, he had the little girl
in his arms.  He delivered the child to the waiting arms below, then
disappeared into the night.
    An investigation revealed that the child had no living relatives, and
weeks later a meeting was held in the town hall to determine who would take
the child into their home and bring her up.
    A teacher said she would raise the child.  She pointed out she could
ensure her a good education.  A farmer offered her an upbringing on his
farm.  He pointed out that living on a farm was healthy and satisfying.
Others spoke, giving their reasons why it was to the child's advantage to
live with them.
    Finally, the town's richest resident arose and said, "I can give this
child all the advantages that you have mentioned here, plus money and
everything money can buy."
    Throughout all this, the child remained silent, her eyes on the floor.
    "Does anyone else want to speak?" asked the meeting chairman.  A man
came forward from the back of the hall.  His gait was slow and he seemed in
pain.  When he got to the front of the room, he stood directly before the
little girl and held out his arms.  The crowd gasped.  His hand and arms
were terribly scarred.
    The child cried out, "This is the man who rescued me!"  With a leap,
she threw her arms around the man's neck, holding on for dear life, just as
she had that fateful night.  She buried her face on his shoulder and sobbed
for a few moments.  Then she looked up and smiled at him.
    "This meeting is adjourned," said the chairman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Discouraged?"

    As I was driving home from work one day, I stopped to watch a local
Little League baseball game that was being played in a park near my home.
As I sat down behind the bench on the first-baseline, I asked one of the
boys what the score was.
    "We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile.
    "Really," I said.  "I have to say you don't look very discouraged."
    "Discouraged?"  the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face.  "Why
should we be discouraged?  We haven't been up to bat yet."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Roles And How We Play Them"

    Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and think
about little Jamie Scott.  Jamie was trying out for a part in a school play.
His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared
he would not be chosen.  On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her
to collect him after school.  Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with
pride and excitement.  "Guess what Mum," he shouted, and then said those
words that will remain a lesson to me: "I've been chosen to clap and cheer."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	
	"A Lesson In Heart"

    A lesson in "heart" is my little, 10 year old daughter, Sarah, who was
born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time.  She
came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in "field
day"- that's where they have lots of races and other competitive events.
    Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of
encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this
get her down-but before I could get a word out, she said,
    "Daddy, I won two of the races!"
    I couldn't believe it!  And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage."
    Ahh.  I knew it.  I thought she must have been given a head start...
some kind of physical advantage.  But again, before I could say anything,
she said,
    "Daddy, I didn't get a head start...  My advantage was I had to try
harder!"

© 1997 Peter Langston