Too Busy for a Friend.

Post 438 ~ ~ ~ Thursday, 17th April, 2008.

Hello Everybody ~~ I hope all is as well with you,
as it is with me. Plenty of sunshine and a nice easy
day after a lot of cooking yesterday, so the freezer
has some meals in it as well as the fridge. Mike came
and got some for him. So no more cooking for a few
days, when I will make some Pea and ham soup.

I was given another award by my friend Chris B,
and I thank you very much Chris. I am honoured
and appreciate it very much. Say Hi to Embee.
I have to pass this on to other deserving people.

I have tried to select people who have not had an
award from me before, so here goes ~ ~ ~

Gina - - - - Deborah - - - - Hootin' Anni- - - -Jerry --

Janice -- - - Karen - - - -Lucy Stern - - - - Mr. Eddie- -

Mountain Mama - - - - Sma - - - - Sandy AIP .

I hope you all enjoy this award, as I do enjoy reading
all your blogs and learning from you all,

My dear friend Gwen sent me this lovely story, that I
have posted before, but it's worth a re-run. Thanks Gwen.

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of
the other students in the room on two sheets of paper,
leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say
about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assign-
ment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in
their papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each
student on a separate sheet of paper; and listed what everyone
else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long,
the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered.
"I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and " I didn't
know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never
knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents,
but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose,
the students were happy with themselves and one another.
That group of students has moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam
and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.
She had never a serviceman in a military coffin before. He
looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those
who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher
was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there. one of the soldiers who acted as pall-
bearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?"
he asked. She nodded, "Yes."
Then he said, "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went
together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were
there, obviously waiting to speak to his teacher.

"We want to show you something," his father said, taking
out a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark
when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces
of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded
and refolded many times.

The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the
ones on which she had listed all the good things each of
Mark's classmates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said.
"As you can see, Mark treasured it."

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around.
Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my
list, It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

Chuck's wife said, Chuck asked meto put his in our wedding
album."
"I have mine too," said Marilyn, "it's in my diary."

Then Vicki, another classmate,reached into her pocketbook,
took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to
thhe group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said,
and without batting an eyelash, she continued. "I think
we all saved our lists."

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried
for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that
life will one day end. And we don't know when that one day
will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that
they are special and important. Tell them before it's too late.
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First joke tonight came from my son Geoff. Thanks Geoff.

Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with those
expensive, double-pane energy-efficient kind.

Yesterday, I got a letter from the Contractor who installed
them. He was complaining that the windows had been
installed s whole year ago and I had not paid for them yet.

Hellloooo? Now just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that
I am automatically stupid. So I told him exactly what his
fast-talking sales guy had told ME last year. . . .namely
that in just ONE YEAR these windows would pay for
themselves ! "Helloooo" (I told him) It's been a year.)

There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I
finally had to hang up. . . .He hasn't called back, probably
too embarrassed about forgetting the guarantee they made
me. Bet he won't under-estimate a blonde any more !!
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Driver's Test.
It was just another day at the DMV. I had taken a woman
out on her driving test when a police cruiser came up
behind us = = sirens wailing, lights flashing.

"Was I speeding ?" she asked the officer, after both cars
pulled over.
"No ," said the officer, "But you are driving a stolen
vehicle."

Smiling awkwardly, the woman turned to me, "Does
this mean I failed my test?"
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One from Lady Di. Thank you Dianne.
A woman went to a pet shop and immediately spotted
a large, beautiful parrot. The sign on the cage said $50.

"Why so little," she asked the pet store owner.
The owner looked at her and said, "Look, I should tell you
first that that this bird used to live in a house of prostitution
and sometimes it says some very vulgar stuff."

The woman thought about this, but decided she had to
have the bird anyway.
She took it home and hung the bird's cage up in her living
room and waited for it to say something.

The bird looked around the room, then at her, and said,
"New houe, new madam."

The woman was a bit shocked at the implication, but then
thought 'that's not so bad, really.'

When her two teenage daughters returned from school,
the bird saw and said, "New house, new madam, new girls."

The girls and the woman were a bit offended, but then
began to laugh about the situation considering how and
where the parrot had been raised.

Moments later, the woman's husband came home from work.

The bird looked at him and said:

Hi Keith !!"
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Well, I have to leave it there for tonight as my eyes won't
stay open. Better luck next time. Take care, be happy.
Love and Best wishes to you all' Cheers, Merle.

Post 438 ~ ~ ~ Monday, 17th April, 3008.
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