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.
Author: Unknown
Thanks to Krista for finding this story
and thanks to Stan
for sending it to me and for always making
me THINK!
|
