ONE LAST THING

The Wooden Bowl

From Baloo's Email

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.  A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.  But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult.  Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.  When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son.  "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”  So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.  There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.  Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl! When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.  Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.  The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?”  Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.”  The four-year-old smiled and went back to work

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless.  Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.  Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.  That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.  For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family.

And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Ponderables

From Baloo's Email

ü  Can you cry under water?

ü  If money doesn't grow in trees then why do banks have branches?

ü  Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round?

ü  Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only a "penny for your thoughts?”  Where's that extra penny going to?

ü  Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

ü  Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

ü  What disease did cured ham actually have?

ü  How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

ü  Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

ü  If you drink Pepsi at work in the Coke factory, will they fire you?

ü  Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

ü  Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

ü  How come we choose from just two people for President and fifty for Miss America?

ü  Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

ü  Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I’ll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out!"

ü  Or watch a white thing come out a chicken behind and think, "that ought to taste good."

ü  Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

ü  When your photo is taken for your driver's license, why do they tell you to smile?  If you are stopped buy the police and asked for your license, are you going to be smiling?

ü  If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

ü  Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

ü  If the professor on Gilligan’s island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

ü  Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

ü  What do you call male ballerinas?

ü  If Wyle E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME stuff, why didn't he just buy dinner?

ü  If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

ü  Is Disney World the only people trap operated by a mouse?

ü  Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

ü  Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

ü  Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

ü  Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride; he sticks his head out the window?