It's Your Turn To Give

A mother was sick and tired of hearing her children always telling her what they wanted Santa to bring them.  On one such occasion she reminded them that Christmas is a time of giving and not receiving.

The children could tell that Mom really believed what sounded like absolute nonsense to them.  They secretly met and tried to figure out what was going through their mother's head.  They finally came to a conclusion as to what must be done.

They went to their mother in a very concerned manner.  The oldest child acted as the spokesperson: "Mom, we've been thinking about what you told us about how important it is to give at Christmas; with all of our talk about Santa, you must have felt left out.  We don't want you to feel this way, Mom.  So I'll tell you what we have decided to do.  Santa doesn't have to get us all the presents; if you want to get us some, too, we're going to let you!"

- Michael Hodgin, Parables, Etc. (December 1993)

Find Time, Even If It's Only A Few Minutes

John Erskine, the well-known author, professor, and lecturer, once wrote that he learned the most valuable lesson of his life when he was fourteen.  His piano teacher asked him how much he practiced and how long at a stretch.  The boy replied that he practiced for an hour or more at a time.

"Don't do that," warned the teacher.  "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches.  Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them--five or ten minutes before school, after lunch, between chores.  Spread the practice throughout the day, and music will become part of your life."

Erskine stated that the observance of this advice enabled him to live a comparatively complete life as a creative writer, outside his regular duties as an instructor.  He wrote most of Helen of Troy, his most famous work, on streetcars while commuting between his home and the university.

- Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)

Appreciate... No Delays

An old gentleman used to stop by an antique shop in New Hampshire to sell furniture.  One day after he left, the antique dealer's wife said she wished she had told him how much she enjoyed his visits.  The husband said, "Next time let's tell him so."

The following summer a young woman came in and introduced herself as the daughter of the old gentleman.  Her father, she said, had died.  Then the wife told her about the conversation she and her husband had after the father's last visit.  The young woman's eyes filled with tears.  "Oh, how much good that would have done for my father," she cried.  "He was a man who needed to be reassured that he was liked."

"Since that day," the shopkeeper said later, "whenever I think something particularly nice about a person, I tell him.  I might never get another chance."

- Sounds, quoted in The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)