NAIL IN THE FENCE

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."

It's National Friendship Week. Show your
friends how much you care.