NAIL IN THE FENCE
March 14, 2001
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a
bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must
hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails
hammered daily 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 very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage
you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they
always want to open their hearts to us.
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Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a
Friend, even if it means sending it back to the person who sent it to you.
If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
Now send this to every friend you have!! And to your family. This was sent
to me. Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole in your fence.
YOU ARE MY FRIEND
Author Unknown
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