Humor 7/19/99: Gifts & The Piano

Hi everyone,

Hope your summer is going well. I was in San Francisco all day on
Saturday, hanging out with classmates and friends from Boston. I
watched "An Ideal Husband", and thought it was pretty good. However,
this summer's movies just don't seem as good as past summers.

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you had to be
represented by an object in your home, what would you choose?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Jennifer Chin, followed by an
inspirational story forwarded by Susan Hasegawa. Enjoy!

-Josh.
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Gifts

It was the end of the school year, and a kindergarten teacher was
receiving gifts from her pupils.

The florist's son handed her a gift. She shook it, held it overhead,
and said, "I bet I know what it is?
Flowers." "That's right" the boy said, "But how did you know?" "Oh,
just a wild guess," she said.

The next pupil was the sweet shop owner's daughter. The teacher held
her gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is? A
box of sweets." "That's right, but how did you know?" asked the girl.
"Oh, just a wild guess," said the teacher.

The next gift was from the son of the liquor store owner. The teacher
held the package overhead, but it was leaking. She touched a drop of
the leakage with her finger and put it to her tongue. "Is it wine?" she
asked.
"No," the boy replied, with some excitement.

The teacher repeated the process, tasting a larger drop of the leakage.
"Is it champagne?" she asked. "No," the boy replied, with more
excitement. The teacher took one more big taste before declaring, "I
give up, what is it?" With great glee, the boy replied, "It's a Puppy!"

____________________________

THE PIANO

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother
took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the
mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to
greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the
concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way
through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the house lights dimmed and
the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and
discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive
Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at
the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At
that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to
the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."
Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began
filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other
side of the child and he added a
running obligatio. Together, the old master and the young novice
transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative
experience. The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with our Heavenly Father. What we can accomplish on
our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't
exactly gracefully flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our
life's work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish
great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master,
whispering in your ear, "Don't quit... Keep playing." Feel His loving
arms around you. Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn
your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.

Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. He'll
always be there to love and guide you on to great things.
--
_____________________________________

Joshua Li
420 James Road #1
Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)565-8674
Permanent Email: joshli@post.harvard.edu
http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/joshua.li/