The Trouble Pile
The Trouble Pile
"Where do you go today, old man.
With that great load there on your back?"
The old man just grumbled as he hobbled a long
Holding Tight to the bulging sack.

"I say, old man, "cried the boy again
"Do you carry a sack of gold?"
"Nay, lad," the old man whispered.
"Tis just troubles--that's all I hold."
"This sack I've carried, all my life
Each trouble I've had is here.
They've grown till now, my back grows bent
With every passing year.

"There's grief and pain, there's hurt and woe,
There are trials and sins galore
But I'm going now to the trouble pile
and I won't pack these no more."

The boy looked up with a troubled glance.
"Tell me, what's the trouble pile?
I'd like to know, and while we talk You can sit and rest a
while."

"I lack the time," the old man said,
I've got to rush along.
I want to get to the trouble pile
"Fore the little troubles are gone.

"You see, it's a place where all can go
To trade troubles great and small
You can leave yours there and pick new ones up.
Why, I'll trade 'till I've none at all."

The boy glanced down at his twisted leg,
And he blinked to hold back a tear.
"Could I trade this leg for a good one," he asked,
"If the trouble pile was here?"

"Of course, you could," the old man was gruff.
"But there's still a long way to go.
I've got to hurry or I'll be late,
And crippled you'd be too slow."

So the boy sat down and watched the man,
Disappear in the morning light,
The hours wore on and still he watched
As the day moved on to night.

At last, there in the distance,
The old man walked tall and strong,
A bulging sack still on his back,
But on his lips, a song.

"I see you traded, mister,
And lost your heavy load,
His little voice grew wistful
As he looked back down the road.

The old man grinned and tossed his bag
With a thud, in the dusty track.
And he smiled a smile at the little boy
As he sat and leaned lazily back.

"Now, I'll tell you, lad, though you'll not believe--
But that sack is the same as I had.
When I saw the troubles of other folks.
I found mine not half so bad.

"Sure, I've hardly got a trouble now,
And I'll tell you something too--
If you could see that trouble pile,
You'd keep that bad leg too.

"Cause I've done a bit of thinking
As I walked along the way.
And if we worked hard on that leg of yours
It would grow straight and strong to stay,

"Now I've really nothing much to do
And a crutch I could make for a start."
Then he hugged the boy to hide a tear,
And the joy in an old man's heart.

So the boy and the man worked together,
From morning to the last light of day,
And the twisted leg finally was straightened,
And the boy could soon run and play.

It was then the old man knew he must leave,
And again he shouldered his sack,
But no longer did it bulge with his troubles--
It just hung there loose on his back!

For while he was helping another.
His own troubles faded away,
He had truly found the trouble pile,
It's there if you look for the way.

Unknown

The Trouble Pile
The Trouble Pile
"Where do you go today, old man.
With that great load there on your back?"
The old man just grumbled as he hobbled a long
Holding Tight to the bulging sack.

"I say, old man, "cried the boy again
"Do you carry a sack of gold?"
"Nay, lad," the old man whispered.
"Tis just troubles--that's all I hold."
"This sack I've carried, all my life
Each trouble I've had is here.
They've grown till now, my back grows bent
With every passing year.

"There's grief and pain, there's hurt and woe,
There are trials and sins galore
But I'm going now to the trouble pile
and I won't pack these no more."

The boy looked up with a troubled glance.
"Tell me, what's the trouble pile?
I'd like to know, and while we talk You can sit and rest a
while."

"I lack the time," the old man said,
I've got to rush along.
I want to get to the trouble pile
"Fore the little troubles are gone.

"You see, it's a place where all can go
To trade troubles great and small
You can leave yours there and pick new ones up.
Why, I'll trade 'till I've none at all."

The boy glanced down at his twisted leg,
And he blinked to hold back a tear.
"Could I trade this leg for a good one," he asked,
"If the trouble pile was here?"

"Of course, you could," the old man was gruff.
"But there's still a long way to go.
I've got to hurry or I'll be late,
And crippled you'd be too slow."

So the boy sat down and watched the man,
Disappear in the morning light,
The hours wore on and still he watched
As the day moved on to night.

At last, there in the distance,
The old man walked tall and strong,
A bulging sack still on his back,
But on his lips, a song.

"I see you traded, mister,
And lost your heavy load,
His little voice grew wistful
As he looked back down the road.

The old man grinned and tossed his bag
With a thud, in the dusty track.
And he smiled a smile at the little boy
As he sat and leaned lazily back.

"Now, I'll tell you, lad, though you'll not believe--
But that sack is the same as I had.
When I saw the troubles of other folks.
I found mine not half so bad.

"Sure, I've hardly got a trouble now,
And I'll tell you something too--
If you could see that trouble pile,
You'd keep that bad leg too.

"Cause I've done a bit of thinking
As I walked along the way.
And if we worked hard on that leg of yours
It would grow straight and strong to stay,

"Now I've really nothing much to do
And a crutch I could make for a start."
Then he hugged the boy to hide a tear,
And the joy in an old man's heart.

So the boy and the man worked together,
From morning to the last light of day,
And the twisted leg finally was straightened,
And the boy could soon run and play.

It was then the old man knew he must leave,
And again he shouldered his sack,
But no longer did it bulge with his troubles--
It just hung there loose on his back!

For while he was helping another.
His own troubles faded away,
He had truly found the trouble pile,
It's there if you look for the way.

Unknown

The Trouble Pile
The Trouble Pile
"Where do you go today, old man.
With that great load there on your back?"
The old man just grumbled as he hobbled a long
Holding Tight to the bulging sack.

"I say, old man, "cried the boy again
"Do you carry a sack of gold?"
"Nay, lad," the old man whispered.
"Tis just troubles--that's all I hold."
"This sack I've carried, all my life
Each trouble I've had is here.
They've grown till now, my back grows bent
With every passing year.

"There's grief and pain, there's hurt and woe,
There are trials and sins galore
But I'm going now to the trouble pile
and I won't pack these no more."

The boy looked up with a troubled glance.
"Tell me, what's the trouble pile?
I'd like to know, and while we talk You can sit and rest a
while."

"I lack the time," the old man said,
I've got to rush along.
I want to get to the trouble pile
"Fore the little troubles are gone.

"You see, it's a place where all can go
To trade troubles great and small
You can leave yours there and pick new ones up.
Why, I'll trade 'till I've none at all."

The boy glanced down at his twisted leg,
And he blinked to hold back a tear.
"Could I trade this leg for a good one," he asked,
"If the trouble pile was here?"

"Of course, you could," the old man was gruff.
"But there's still a long way to go.
I've got to hurry or I'll be late,
And crippled you'd be too slow."

So the boy sat down and watched the man,
Disappear in the morning light,
The hours wore on and still he watched
As the day moved on to night.

At last, there in the distance,
The old man walked tall and strong,
A bulging sack still on his back,
But on his lips, a song.

"I see you traded, mister,
And lost your heavy load,
His little voice grew wistful
As he looked back down the road.

The old man grinned and tossed his bag
With a thud, in the dusty track.
And he smiled a smile at the little boy
As he sat and leaned lazily back.

"Now, I'll tell you, lad, though you'll not believe--
But that sack is the same as I had.
When I saw the troubles of other folks.
I found mine not half so bad.

"Sure, I've hardly got a trouble now,
And I'll tell you something too--
If you could see that trouble pile,
You'd keep that bad leg too.

"Cause I've done a bit of thinking
As I walked along the way.
And if we worked hard on that leg of yours
It would grow straight and strong to stay,

"Now I've really nothing much to do
And a crutch I could make for a start."
Then he hugged the boy to hide a tear,
And the joy in an old man's heart.

So the boy and the man worked together,
From morning to the last light of day,
And the twisted leg finally was straightened,
And the boy could soon run and play.

It was then the old man knew he must leave,
And again he shouldered his sack,
But no longer did it bulge with his troubles--
It just hung there loose on his back!

For while he was helping another.
His own troubles faded away,
He had truly found the trouble pile,
It's there if you look for the way.

Unknown

What If Microsoft Made Cars?
What if Microsoft made cars

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive, but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again, because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. Oh yeah, and last but not least . . . you'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off!

A couple poems
One Kind Word

Drop a pebble in the water...
Just a splash, and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples
Circling on and on and on...
Spreading, spreading from the center,
Flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling
Where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water...
In a minute you forget,
But there's little waves a-flowing,
And there's ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing
To a great big wave have grown;
You've disturbed a mighty river
Just by dropping in a stone.

Drop an unkind or careless word...
In a minute it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples
Circling on and on and on.
They keep spreading, spreading,
Spreading from the center as they go,
And there is no way to stop them,
Once you've started them to flow.

Drop an unkind or careless word...
In a minute you forget;
But there's little waves a-flowing,
And there's ripples circling yet,
And perhaps in some sad heart
A mighty wave of tears you've stirred,
And disturbed a life that was happy
As you dropped that unkind word.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness...
Just a flash and it is gone;
But there's half-a-hundred ripples
Circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort
on each splashing, dashing wave...
Till you wouldn't believe the volume
Of the one kind word you gave.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness
In a minute you forget;
But there's gladness still a-swelling,
And there's joy circling yet,
And you've rolled a wave of comfort
Whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water
Just by dropping one kind word.

James W. Foley



Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral .

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.



Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

HELP WANTED
A local business was looking for office help. They put a sign in the
window, stating the following: "HELP WANTED. Must be able to type, must
be good with a computer and must be bilingual. We are an Equal
Opportunity Employer."

A short time afterwards, a dog trotted up to the window, saw the sign
and went inside. He looked at the receptionist and wagged his tail,
then
walked over to the sign, looked at it and whined.

Getting the idea, the receptionist got the office manager. The office
manager looked at the dog and was surprised, to say the least.

However, the dog looked determined, so he lead him into the office.
Inside, the dog jumped up on the chair and stared at the manager.

The manager said, "I can't hire you. The sign says you have to be able
to type." The dog jumped down, went to the typewriter and proceeded to
type out a perfect letter. He took out the page and trotted over to the
manager and gave it to him, then jumped back on the chair. The manager
was stunned, but then told the dog, "The sign says you have to be good
with a computer."

The dog jumped down again and went to the computer. The dog proceeded
to
enter and execute a perfect program, that worked flawlessly the first
time. By this time the manager was totally dumbfounded!

He looked at the dog and said, "I realize that you are a very
intelligent dog and have some interesting abilities. However, I still
can't give you the job." The dog jumped down and went to a copy of the
sign and put his paw on the sentences that told about being an Equal
Opportunity Employer. The manager said, "Yes, but the sign also says
that you have to be bilingual".

The dog looked at the manager calmly and said, "Meow".

Why females should avoid a girls night after they are married.

The other night I was invited out for a night with "the girls."
I told my husband that I would be home by midnight, "I promise!"
Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easy.
Around 3 a.m., a bit loaded, I headed for home. Just as I got in the door,
the cuckoo clock in the hall started up and cuckooed 3 times.
Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed
another 9 times. I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a quick-witted solution (even when totally smashed), in order to escape
a possible conflict with him.
The next morning my husband asked me what time I got in, and I told him "Midnight". He didn't seem pissed off at all. Whew! Got away with that one!
Then he said, "We need a new cuckoo clock."
When I asked him why, he said, "Well, last night our clock cuckooed three times, then said, "Oh shit.", cuckooed 4 more times, cleared it's
throat, cuckooed another 3 times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted."

Come Walk With Me
Come walk with me

Come walk with me and take my hand,
if only in a dream;
and I will take you to a place
where you have never been.

Come walk with me along a beach,
where nightfall's tide comes in,
to feel the sand beneath our feet
and smell the sweet salt air.

Come walk with me and hold me close,
and help me feel secure,
for just a moment in this place,
I can let my feelings show.

Come lay with me for in a dream,
my cares and fears subside,
and I shall bare my soul to you
in the safety of your arms.

Come talk with me for in the past,
I retreated deep within.
To dwell behind these walls so high,
I let no others in.

Come walk with me and be my friend,
to comfort my lonely heart.
For friends care not of what you were,
just only what you are.

A friend in you is what I've found,
my dream is now complete.
You make me glad of the day we met,
my heart now skips a beat.

Our dreams are where we two can go,
and bring the joy of love.
A place in time where we can say,
we belong to one another.

The gift you give unknowingly
is far more precious than,
all things in the material world
rolled up into one.

Thank you for your friendship,
and the dreams we now enjoy.
They bring to me a joy so real,
it lightens my very soul.

Our dreams allow us to escape
the burdens of our lives,
and with your hand in mine my friend,
the world will never win.

Bear Remover
A man wakes up one morning to find a bear on his roof. So he looks in the yellow pages and sure enough, there's an ad for "Bear Removers."
He calls the number, and the bear remover says he'll be over in 30 minutes.
The bear remover arrives, and gets out of his van. He's got a ladder, a baseball bat, a shotgun and a mean old pit bull.
What are you going to do," the homeowner asks?
"I'm going to put this ladder up against the roof, then I'm going to go up there and knock the bear off the roof with this baseball bat. When the bear
falls off, the pit bull is trained to grab his testicles and not let go.The bear will then be subdued enough for me to put him in the cage in
the back of the van."
He hands the shotgun to the homeowner.
"What's the shotgun for?" asks the homeowner.
"If the bear knocks me off the roof, shoot the dog!"

The Perfect Gift.
The Perfect Gift

A guy wanted to buy a gift for his new girlfriend's birthday. As they had only started dating, after careful consideration, he decided a pair of gloves would strike the right note: personal, but not too personal.

Accompanied by the girlfriend's younger sister, he went to Dillards and bought a pair of white gloves. The sister purchased a pair of panties for herself. During the wrapping, however, the clerk got the items mixed up and the sister got the gloves and the girl friend got the panties.

The guy sent the package to the girl friend with the following note:

I chose these because I noticed you are not in the habit of wearing any in the evening. If it had not been for your sister, I would have chosen the long ones with the buttons, but she wears the short ones that are easier to remove. These are a delicate shade, but the sales clerk that helped me has a pair that she has been wearing for the past three weeks and they are hardly soiled. I had her try yours on for me and she looked really smart.

I wish I was there to put them on for you the first time, as no doubt other hands will come into contact with them before I have a chance to see you again. When you take them off, remember to blow in them before putting them away as they will naturally be a little damp from wearing. Just think how many times I will kiss them during the coming year. I hope you will wear them for me Friday night. All my love.

PS: The latest style is to wear them folded down with a little fur showing.