|
Author: Kenneth Hoffman Article source: http://www.pearlsoup.com/. Used with author's permission.
My father always said that I should think before I act but there are two sides to this advice.
I was twelve and looking forward to the eighth grade bus trip to Washington DC. For Christmas I received a Kodak Brownie Jr. camera and I bought two whole rolls of film to squander on the trip. It was to be an overnight stay and even though my family owned a summer hotel, this was to be my first real hotel experience.
Well, it was a great trip. Some of us even had to sleep in the lobby for dropping water balloons out of a fourth story window. On the bus, after the initial rowdy excitement tapered off, we settled down to sleep. Outside the bus it got dark and rainy, but inside it smelled of wet wool and steam. At one point my buddy asked me what I bought for my parents in the way of a gift. This question shocked me into silence. I had not bought anyone anything, just three souvenirs of Washington DC for myself!
The largest item, a bronze replica of the Washington Monument had a thermometer embedded in one side. It cost about nine dollars which was about one half the money I brought with me. Added to the list was a five-color pen from the Smithsonian Institute and a turquoise stone rosary costing eight dollars. I always liked collecting rocks of strange colors and owning five colors in one pen was irresistible.
Now I had to decide how to divide the souvenirs among my family. I figured that the Washington Monument had to go to Mom and Dad since it was the biggest and cost the most, and the rosary for my sister, Karen, who was the only religious person in the family. I reluctantly decided to part with my magic pen and give it to my younger brother, Allan.
I arrived home at about noon, everyone glad to see me and asking questions. I presented Mom and Dad their Washington Monument gift, remembering that Dad always liked thermometers. Karen was thrilled with the rosary and Allan ran to find some paper to experiment on. Then Mom got a funny look on her face and started crying. She ran upstairs to their bedroom and closed the door. A few minutes later, Dad came storming down the stairs and yelled at me, "Why did you make your mother cry? Where's that thermometer and come with me." He raced me out to the back door, got a hammer and smashed that Washington Monument to bits. By this time I was crying and confused.
Later, I found out that even though Mom never went to church, she always wanted a rosary of her own and thought I gave it to my sister to spite her. Oddly enough, the turquoise beads turned out to be real and quite valuable. My mom often had feelings of persecution and my dad had a terrible Irish temper. Once for her birthday I gave my mom an oval hand-made rag rug for in front of the sink and instead of thanking me she said, "I know why you bought me a rug, it's so you can walk all over me!" Me, I didn't have a clue. My interests include writing, digital art, photography, bicycling and reading. I read four books per week.
Fit or Fat?!
Just tell a fat man or woman "You look fat!" and you are a goner. No fat man or woman would like to use the word "fat". It is either "obese" or "stout" or "on t...
We Have An Emotional Jesus
Jesus Was God born as a man. He had all the emotions we went through, and experienced all we will ever experience. Read this article to find out why this is so ...
Ultimate Weight Loss: Ephedra is Back?
The Ultimate fat burner ephedra is back on the market and flying off the shelves. Research has shown that ephedra helps promote the loss of fat while helping sp...
Saving Family Keepsakes for Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is a great way to preserve family memories. Here are some ideas for saving family keepsakes to capture in your scrapbook pages.
PTO; Justification of the Means and the Ends
Some would say about certain issues that the means do not justify the ends. Well more often the ends do not justify the means. For instance if you are trying to...
Top Ten Tips (Part 1)
Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to know before you begin.
Competition Laws
A. THE PHILOSOPHY OF COMPETITION The aims of competition (anti-trust) laws are to ensure that consumers pay the lowest possible price (=the most efficient pri...
Make Yourself Creative: Two Easy Idea-Generating Methods
Two methods to get you churning out new ideas like a an advertising exec. Methods are "It's X meets Y" and "Redesign This". Suitable for getting new ideas for b...
Designing an Efficient Distribution System
Let us look at a few of the big distribution networks in the US that we use today. The US Post Office for instance is a huge complex chain of symbiotic relation...
How To Pick The Perfect Maternity Wedding Dress
If you're getting married as a mother-to-be, you need to read this article on how to pick your perfect wedding dress.
10 Simple Steps: Its Magic If You can E-Mail You can Update Your Web Page Dynamically
If you can Send an E-Mail you can Dynamically update Your Web Pages. Following 10 simple Steps and the magic of Blogs you can
Dynamically update your web page...
Why Your Email Distribution List is Your Best Source of New Sales
Don't overlook your current customers. After all, they're the ones who give you referrals and potentially come back for future sales.
Are You A One-Dimensional Trainer?
Ever wonder why people who lose a lot of bodyweight rapidly still look fat? Here's why!
Get Rid Of Depression Once And For All
Depression is something that will occur in many people's
lives, for various reasons. But the "normal" occurrence of
a plunge in mood due to stressful events in ...
Religion, Wars and Civilization
Many are quick to point out the benefits of religion in civilization as the bond that keeps us together; a bond, which keeps society from disrupting into chaos ...
7 Steps to Interviews that Win the Job
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it! 1. Investigate the company's...
How Gratitude Works
Want to know what the highest-impact, lowest-cost tool is in your marketing toolkit? First, here are ten reasons to start using this tool right away:
Carbon Nano Tube Sheets for Pipelines
The applications for materials like carbon nanotube sheets are endless, yet one application seems almost to good to be true. Nanotube sheets are light, flexible...
A Real Psychic Life - The True and Magnificent Power of Giving
Psychic's Tips - Benefits of Giving... in Psychic and Real-Life Ways.
How To Give Away Your Personal Information
Identity theft is apparently the "in thing" these days. By media accounts, hackers and evildoers lurk everywhere trying to steal your personal information. In t...
Do You Make These 3 Mistakes In Your Christian Life?
Find out the 3 most commonly held (and damaging) mistakes made by modern Christians! Don't miss this one!
Eggs For Balance
Despite the decline in egg consumption, they still make " ... important nutritional contributions to the American diet".
BB Guns and Your Children
Considerations when answering your children in regard to bb guns...
A Thankful Thanksgiving
You may be wondering why I would call this article a Thankful Thanksgiving. Aren't all Thanksgivings Thankful? Unfortunately, no. As a person who has experience...
|
Print this page