There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father
gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper,
to hammer a nail in the back fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it
gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper
than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the
boy didn't lose his temper at all.
He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy
now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that
all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He
said, "You have done well but see the holes in the fence? It will never
be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like
these. It won't matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', the injury is
still there. A verbal wound is worse than a physical one because it
damages the thinking of the brain."
"People and friends are the very jewels of life. Guard and care
for them. God will not care much about what you have done to improve
yourself or your lot in life, only for what you have done for others."
Anger is a feeling,
Forgiveness is a decision,
Gratitude is the tool with which to master both.