No girl, you didn't kill this thread. It's a little jewel I miss unless someone pings me. And it's interesting you pinged me today because yesterday I sent Rush my favorite poem of all time. I've sent it to President Bush before too. I used to know it by heart.
IF by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
The following are different answers given by school-age children to the given question:
Why did God make mothers?
- She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
- Think about it, it was the best way to get more people.
- Mostly to clean the house.
- To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
- He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
- Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
- God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
- We're related.
- God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me
What ingredients are mothers made of?
- God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
- They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string. I think.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
- My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
- I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
- They say she used to be nice.
How did your mom meet your dad?
- Mom was working in a store and dad was shoplifting.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
- His last name.
- She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
- My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
- She got too old to do anything else with him.
- My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
What makes a real woman?
- It means you have to be really bossy without looking bossy.
Who's the boss at your house?
- Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goofball.
- Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
- I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.
What's the difference between moms and dads?
- Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just got to work at work.
- Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
- Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you gotta ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
- Mothers don't do spare time.
- To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What's the difference between moms and grandmas?
- About 30 years.
- You can always count on grandmothers for candy. Sometimes moms don't even have bread on them!
Describe the world's greatest mom.
- She would make broccoli taste like ice cream!
- The greatest mom in the world wouldn't make me kiss my fat aunts!
- She'd always be smiling and keep her opinions to herself.
Is anything about your mom perfect?
- Her teeth are perfect, but she bought them from the dentist.
- Her casserole recipes. But we hate them.
- Just her children
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
- On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
- Diet. You know, her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
- She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
