Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ

   FRIEND OR FOE
 

         There once was a boy who had a very bad temper. His Father
          gave him a bag of nails and told him that from now on, each
            time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into their
              beautiful white picket fence. The first day the boy drove in
        thirty-seven nails.

           Over the next few weeks, he learned to control his anger --
           the number of nails he hammered daily gradually dwindled down.
         He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to go
             outside and drive those nails into the fence. When he told his
             father about this, he suggested that the boy now start pulling
              out a nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
            Finally, the day came when the young boy was able to tell his
                father that all the nails were gone.

            That evening, he took his son by the hand and led him to the
             fence. He said, "Son, you have done well but look at the holes
             you've made here. Our beautiful fence will never be the same.
             When you say things in anger to the people you love, they
           leave deep, ugly holes just like these. It won't matter how
             many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there".