The Fence
 

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, 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 a very rare jewel, indeed. They make yousmile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear,
they share a word of praise, and they always want to open
their hearts to us.

 
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