Uit Die Hart

There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper.

His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence. On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence. The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased.

He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.

Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the news and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control. 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.

“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 never 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.”

Some things in life, you are unable to take back.

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.” Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner;

How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked. The store owner replied, “Anywhere from R30 to R50.” The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have R2,35,” he said. “Can I please look at them?

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the ails of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?

The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.” The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eye’s, pointing his finger, and said: “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you R2.35 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!

Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said: “This is for you, Daddy.

The man became embarrassed by his overreaction earlier, but his rage continue when he saw that the box was empty. He yelled at her: “Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried: “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness. Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. Her father kept the golden box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

Love is the most precious gift in the world

A farmer was looking for a farm hand. A young man came looking for a job. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, “I can sleep through a storm.”The farmer was angry that instead of work this man was talking about sleeping. However he really needed help so he hired him.

A few weeks later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. He leapt out of bed and called for his new hired hand, but the young man was sleeping soundly and couldn’t be woken up.

Frustrated and angry the farmer determined to fire the farmhand the next day. He and his wife quickly began to check things to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. He sees that the bales of wheat had been bound and wrapped in tarpaulins.

The tractor had been moved into its garage. The barn was properly locked tight. Even the animals were calm and had plenty of feed. All was well.

The farmer suddenly understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep through a storm.”

The farmhand did his work ahead of time so he was prepared for any storm. So when the storm did actually break, he was not concerned or afraid. He could sleep in peace. (Borrowed ……..)

A man who regularly attended family meetings suddenly, without any notice, stopped participating.
After a few weeks, one very cold night the leader of that family decided to visit him.
He found the man at home, alone, sitting in front of a fireplace where a bright fire burned.
The man welcomed the leader. There was a great and calm silence.
The two men only watched the dancing flames around the logs that crackled in the fireplace.
After a few minutes the leader, without saying a word, examined the logs that formed the fire and selected one of them, glowing most brightly of all, and removed it to the side with a pair of tongs. Then he sat down again.
The host was paying attention to everything, fascinated. Before long, the lone member flame subsided, until there was only a momentary glow and the fire soon went out.
In a short time what was previously bright light and heat had become nothing more than a black and a dead piece of wood.
Very few words had been spoken since the greeting.
Before preparing to leave, the leader with the tongs picked up the useless piece of wood and placed it again in the middle of the fire. Immediately, the piece of wood was rekindled, fueled by the light and heat of the burning coals around him.
When the leader reached the door to leave, the host said: ‘Thank you for your visit and for your beautiful lesson. I’ll return to the family soon.’
Why is family important in our lives ?
Very simple:
Because each member that withdraws takes fire and heat from the rest.
It’s worth reminding family members that they are a part of the flame.
It’s also good to remind us that we are all responsible for keeping each other’s flame burning.
And we must promote the union among us so that the fire is really strong, effective and lasting. Keep the fire burning.

What matters is to be connected.
Let’s keep the flame Alive this Christmas season.
(Borrowed …….)

2020 ‘N VERLORE DROOM

‘n Paar dinge staan vas as dit by ons kinders kom.

Elke oggend wat ek wakker word, is ek van vooraf lief vir hom (al wou ek gister daai basvelle afgetrek het). Elke ouer wil sy kind beskerm teen slegte ervarings van die lewe (boelies, vernedering, siekte, diskriminasie ens). Elke ouer wil vir sy kind meer gee as wat hy gehad het. Elke ouer wil dat sy kind sy volle potensiaal bereik.

Ons kinders se talente strek oor vele terreine soos intellektuele vermoëns, musiek, kultuur, sport en vele meer. Vanoggend se klippie in my skoen is die sport en hierby sluit ek in alle wintersport vir 2020. Hokkie, netbal en rugby tree na vore. Spansporte, sporttoere, geborgde opwarmingshempies, strekoefeninge, kameraderie, “Deep Heat” spanpraatjies, pleisters, sweetbande, adrenalien en die “coach” se laaste praatjie voordat hulle deur die tonnel draf ”onthou dit gaan nie alles oor wen nie”.

Daardie tye vorm deel van soveel van ons “kan jy nog onthou” oomblikke. Braaivleisvure, reünies en gesinspraatjies en jare later weerklink dit nog in die gange.

Dit bring my by die twee “C’s”, die Covid-19 en die Cravenweek. Soveel jong manne gaan nooit weet of hul die span sou haal nie. Die groep van hierdie jaar sal nie sy provinsie se wapen op sy bors kan dra nie. En elke ander wintersport sal atlete hê wat dieselfde gaan beleef.

Vir sommiges sou dit ‘n groot-oomblik eerste ervaring wees, en vir ander ‘n groot-oomblik laaste ervaring.

sCool Stuff en sy personeel is teleurgesteld saam met elkeen wat hierdie onvergeetlike 2020-belewenis gaan misloop. Ons is hartseer vir elke onderwyser wat hard gewerk het aan voorbereiding en wat hoë hoogtes gekoester het vir die “dream team”. Ons is hartseer saam met elke ouer wat nie sy kind sal kan sien blom op die sportveld nie.  

Covid-19 het beslis die wêreld op sy kop gedraai en daarmee saam ons beplannings en verwagtings.  U kan egter verseker wees van ons ondersteuning aan elkeen wat staan, sy kop oplig, en die nuwe toekoms sien as ‘n uitdaging wat die hoof gebied moet, en kan, word.

Ons gebed vir elkeen is vrede, kalmte en gesondheid.

sCool Stuff-groete