Nail in the Fence

One day a father gave his son 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 son, but look at all the holes in the fence. The fence will
never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like a knife drawn across the skin. It won’t matter how many times you
say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. “

A verbal wound is as bad and often worse than 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. Be sure to let your friends, and friends-to-be, know you care.