NAIL IN THE FENCE

*Someone emailed me this story. It made me think of all the times I lashed out to the people I love when I lose my temper.*

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His
Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every
time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into
the back of the fence. The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few
weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number
of nails hammered daily 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, my son, but
look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never
be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave
a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a
man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times
you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.

" A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends
are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and
encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share
words of praise and they always want to open their
hearts to us."