Sacrifice
One day I was talking to my son Mat about safely crossing the street while trying to incorporate the idea of sacrifice and love at the same time.
I decided to make this little teachable moment an opportunity to have him choose between safety and sacrifice. I asked Mat, who was probably about 6 at the time; “If I were to be walking across the street and didn’t see a car coming and I was about to get hit, would you run out in the street and push me out of the way of the car so I didn’t get hurt even if it meant you would probably get hurt really badly?”
With minimal hesitation Mat replied, “Well, that wouldn’t be very smart.”
Pessimist
An avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him.
He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, the eternal pessimist who refused to be impressed with anything. This, surely, would impress him. He invited him to hunt with him and his new dog.
As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by, they fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet. This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it.
The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but did not say a single word.
On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, “Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?”
“I sure did,” responded the pessimist. “He can’t swim.”
New Home
When the Jones family moved into their new house, a visiting relative asked five-year-old Sammy how he liked the new place.
“It’s terrific,” he said.
“I have my own room, Mike has his own room, and Jamie has her own room.
But poor Mom is still in with Dad.”
