Nails In The Fence

NAILS 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 30 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 said that was great,

and now he suggested that the boy

should 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 then 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. Always remember that

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.

Actually, a verbal wound can take much

longer to heal, than a physical one.



Good 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.