Y2W38 - Valentine's Day
I don't know how it is in your house but in our house, Valentine's Day ranks up there with Christmas and Easter. The girls were up bright and early waking us up to get everything going for the big event. They don't have a Valentine's Day celebration at school so they are always excited to celebrate at home. We had a brunch planned with the Missionaries because Greg had to give a talk in Church this week and he needed their translation help. In exchange for their help, we gave them a Valentine's Day Soiree. This included chocolate fondue of course. What a bummer that as I was getting the fondue stuff out ready to go, I dropped the glass bowl that goes into the fondue pot. It was so disappointing but Greg found a way to make another bowl work. Bailey had a birthday party to go to all afternoon and the rest of us played the Wii (got some great action shots of Greg). After we picked Bailey up, we headed over to Vapiano for a dinner out. It was so nice to go out for a change.
We have a couple English speaking radio stations that we listen to sometimes, the British armed forces and the American armed forces stations. This week I heard a story on one of these stations that made me stop, ponder, and really feel inspired. In a time when having moral character doesn't seem like that popular of a subject on the radio, I was pleasantly surprised enough to come home and look it up on the internet. Here is the story:
"Terry and his dad Glen were walking along the shore and came upon a scorpion struggling in the tide, trying to get back to the sand. Glen tried to scoop the creature up, but the scorpion stung him and fell back into the tide. Glen tried again and was stung again.
Terry said, "Dad, leave him alone! He’s not worth saving."
But Glen tried one more time. This time he was successful and threw it onto the sand.
Terry said, "Why waste time on an ornery critter who’s too stupid to know it’s being helped?"
Glen answered, "Son, the scorpion stings by instinct. It’s his nature. I chose to help him because that’s my nature."
Glen was teaching his son a profound moral lesson about being human. Like other species, we’re born with an instinct for survival and a disposition towards selfishness. Yet, blessed by a sense of compassion and the power to reason, we also have an instinct to think and act beyond our self-interest. Human nature is complex. It’s as much in our nature to be kind, loving and generous as it is to be cruel, selfish and dishonest. We can nurture or ignore our nobler instincts. Some people act like scorpions. Trapped by negative instincts and response patterns, they think it’s their nature and hide behind the belief, "That’s the way I am."No one is born with good or bad character. We’re born with the capacity to have either, to choose our ultimate nature. When we choose to be good, we are good.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts."
It comes from the Josephson Institute.
We have a couple English speaking radio stations that we listen to sometimes, the British armed forces and the American armed forces stations. This week I heard a story on one of these stations that made me stop, ponder, and really feel inspired. In a time when having moral character doesn't seem like that popular of a subject on the radio, I was pleasantly surprised enough to come home and look it up on the internet. Here is the story:
"Terry and his dad Glen were walking along the shore and came upon a scorpion struggling in the tide, trying to get back to the sand. Glen tried to scoop the creature up, but the scorpion stung him and fell back into the tide. Glen tried again and was stung again.
Terry said, "Dad, leave him alone! He’s not worth saving."
But Glen tried one more time. This time he was successful and threw it onto the sand.
Terry said, "Why waste time on an ornery critter who’s too stupid to know it’s being helped?"
Glen answered, "Son, the scorpion stings by instinct. It’s his nature. I chose to help him because that’s my nature."
Glen was teaching his son a profound moral lesson about being human. Like other species, we’re born with an instinct for survival and a disposition towards selfishness. Yet, blessed by a sense of compassion and the power to reason, we also have an instinct to think and act beyond our self-interest. Human nature is complex. It’s as much in our nature to be kind, loving and generous as it is to be cruel, selfish and dishonest. We can nurture or ignore our nobler instincts. Some people act like scorpions. Trapped by negative instincts and response patterns, they think it’s their nature and hide behind the belief, "That’s the way I am."No one is born with good or bad character. We’re born with the capacity to have either, to choose our ultimate nature. When we choose to be good, we are good.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts."
It comes from the Josephson Institute.
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