It is 14 days, 20 hours, 22 minutes and 18 seconds until Friday, December 19, 2008 at 4:00:01 PM (Retirement time)
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A Confession
A priest was being honoured at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. A leading local politician, who was also a member of the congregation, was chosen to make the presentation and give a little leaving speech at the dinner. He was delayed so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited.
'I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when stopped by the police, had almost murdered the officer. He had stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his place of business, had an affair with his boss's wife, taken illegal drugs. I was appalled. But as the days went on I knew that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people.'
Just as the priest finished his talk the politician arrived full of apologies at being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and give his speech.
'I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived, 'said the politician.' In fact, I had the honour of being the first one to go to him in confession.'
A few years ago the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise was returning to its base at the Oakland-Alameda Naval Base when the ship's captain, misreading the tides, managed to run the carrier aground on the mud flats of San Francisco bay.
This event went down in history as being one of the finest examples of . . . grounding the warship you walk on.
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Turn about is fair play
The story concerns a butcher who went into a petshop. It seems he fell in love with one the seabirds in the shop. Alas, he had no money to spend, but the shop owner agreed to give him the bird in exchange for some of that delicious German sausage. The deal was made.
Scott's company moved to a new location. In unpacking his office Monday, guess what was at the top of his list of things to find...his coffee grinder and French press. He found it so all was well. His computer monitor was missing but that was okay. He had coffee.
It's funny what you said about Santa. For Matthias, the Tooth Fairy was completely disconcerting. I explained to him why he was putting his tooth under his pillow and what some people think about the Tooth Fairy. He looked me in the eye and said, "Do you mean to tell me that girl (he spat the word girl like it was a sort of curse) is gonna come in my room at night when I'm asleep and I won't know it??"
I roasted my second batch yesterday. This time I let it get darker, to about a French or Italian roast, though since I'm roasting it on the stove it's not completely even. This second roast makes very good Americanos.
I need to. But I take after my mom...we both love the smell of coffee but just can't like to drink it no matter how much I try. Brandon and his parents drink coffee religiously. A Mountain Dew keeps me awake...I just hate to drink it cold in the freezing winter morning.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.
She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see? "Carrots, eggs,and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- BOILING WATER -- but each reacted differently.The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
"Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Oh yes the best gumbo has everything in it, which reminds me of a joke with a punchline about "who threw up in the gumbo".
So what does it mean if you are the dirty ring on the inside of the pot? j/k Nice analogy, I don't recall who said it, but "when God has a difficult job to do, he takes an impossible person and crushes them in the mortar and pestle of adversity". I try to remember that when I meet young people that are really incorrigible.
