Ray’s Daily
April 22, 2019
“It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop.”
Confucius
One of the things I regret in my life is how I did not realize at the time how much I would owe people who encouraged me to do well. When I was a kid in a boarding school for children from broken homes there were a number of adults who opened my eyes to how much I could do as well how much I could learn. Later when I left high school to attend an electronics institute where my fellow students were veterans who had returned from World War II, one of the instructors took me under his wing and met me early each day to teach me advanced math, I was 15 years old..
I joined the Navy Reserve when I was 14 telling them I was 17, I was called to active duty during the Korean War, I was 16 at the time and when I got to boot camp a retired Chief Petty Officer who was called back to active duty mentored me and put me on special assignments that laid the foundation of my later careers.
The list could on for there were many in the later years who helped guide me to a pretty good life. We all benefit from the people along the way who nurture and guide us. I just wish there was a way that I could thank them all for I owe them so much.
Here is a story that reminded me how much I benefited from the encouragement of others.
The Power of Encouragement
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the famous 19th-century poet and artist, was once approached by an elderly man. The old fellow had some sketches and drawings that he wanted Rossetti to look at and tell him if they were any good, or if they at least showed potential talent.
Rossetti looked them over carefully. After the first few, he knew that they were worthless, showing not the least sign of artistic talent. But Rossetti was a kind man, and he told the elderly man as gently as possible that the pictures were without much value and showed little talent. He was sorry, but he could not lie to the man. The visitor was disappointed, but seemed to expect Rossetti’s judgment.
He then apologized for taking up Rossetti’s time, but would he just look at a few more drawings – these done by a young art student? Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. “These,” he said, “oh, these are good. This young student has great talent. He should be given every help and encouragement in his career as an artist. He has a great future if he will work hard and stick to it.”
Rossetti could see that the old fellow was deeply moved. “Who is this fine young artist?” he asked. “Your son?” “No,” said the old man sadly. “It is me – 40 years ago. If only I had heard your praise then! For you see, I got discouraged and gave up – too soon.”
Author Unknown
~~~
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
Theodore Roosevelt
~~~
For a holiday, an Irishman decided to go to Switzerland to fulfill a lifelong dream and climb the Matterhorn.
He hired a guide and just as they neared the top, the men were caught in a snow slide.
Three hours later, a Saint Bernard plowed through to them, a keg of brandy tied under his chin.
“Hooray!” shouted the guide. “Here comes man’s best friend!”
“Yeah,” said the Irishman. “An’ look at the size of the dog that’s bringin’ it!”
~~~
“I was wise enough to never grow up while fooling most people into believing I had.”
Margaret Mead
~~~
A guy is at the Pearly Gates, hoping to be admitted, and St. Peter says to the guy, “I can’t see that you did anything really good in your life, but you never did anything bad either. I tell you what: if you can tell me one REALLY good deed that you did, you’re in.”
So the guy says, “Once I was driving down the road and saw a gang of bikers assaulting this poor girl. So I pulled over, got out my car, grabbed a tire iron and walked straight up to the gang’s leader – a huge ugly guy with a studded leather jacket, bald head but with hair all over his body, and a chain running from his nose to his ear. “Undaunted, I ripped the chain out of his nose and ear and smashed him over the head with the tire iron. Then I turned around and, wielding my tire iron, yelled to the rest of them, ‘You leave this poor, innocent lady alone! You’re all a bunch of sick,deranged animals! GO HOME BEFORE I TEACH YOU ALL A LESSON IN PAIN!'” Impressed, St. Peter says, “Really? When did this happen?”
“Oh, about two minutes ago.”
~~~
“I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex, and rich food. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself.”
Johnny Carson
~~~
A mother was telling her little girl what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.” The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, “I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!”
~~~
Without time, everything would happen at once!
~~~
Two postal workers had just gotten off their routes for the day when one of the postal workers saw the other step on a snail.
“Why did you step on that snail, Tom?,” asked his perplexed coworker.
“Cause that stupid snail’s been following me around work all day!”
~~~
If absence makes the heart grow fonder, said a minister, a lot of folks must really love our church.
~~~
Being a teenager and getting a tattoo seem to go hand in hand. I wasn’t surprised when a friend of my daughter showed me a Japanese symbol on her hip.
“Please don’t tell my parents,” she begged.
“I won’t,” I promised. “By the way, what does that stand for?”
She replied, “Honesty.”
~~~
“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.”
Author Unknown
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.
Ray's Daily 
Leave a Reply