FROM TRIAL TO TRIUMPH

THE story has it that Sir Winston Churchill took three years getting through the eight grades because he had trouble learning English. It is somewhat ironic, that years later Oxford University asked him to address its commencement exercises!

He arrived for the event with his usual props a cigar, a cane, and a top hat. As he approached the podium, the crowd rose in appreciative applause .With great dignity, Churchill settled the crowed as he stood confidently before his admirers. He then removed the cigar and carefully placed his top hat on the lectern.
Looking directly at the eager audience and with authority ringing in his voice, he cried, "Never give up!" several seconds passed. He rose to his toes and shouted again, "Never give up!" His words thundered across the audience. There was profound silence as Churchill then reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane, and left the platform. His address was finished. Churchill's six word commencement address was no doubt the shortest and most eloquent address ever given at Oxford. But his message was also one every person present remembered all the days of their lives. A young mother was trying to give liquid medicine to her two-year-old son. The child would not cooperate. He would shut his mouth tightly, shake his head from side to side, and hit at the spoon with both hands.

The young mother coaxed, she pleaded, she threatened, she bribed, to no avail. He would not take his medicine! Finally, worn down, the young mother gave into self-pity. She threw down the spoon, fled into her room, and fell across the bed, sobbing. In a few minutes, she heard loud laughter coming from the kitchen. Curious, she went to investigate and found that Grandmother had solved the problem. She had mixed the medicine with orange juice, put it in a water pistol, and was shooting it into the wide open mouth of the delighted little boy!

A professor once tested his medical class about a medical situation an ethical problem. "Here's the family history: the father has syphilis. The mother has TB. They already have four children. The first is blind. The second had died. The third is deaf. The fourth has TB. Now the mother is pregnant again. The parents come to you for advice. They are willing to have an abortion, if you decide they should. What do you say?" The students gave various individual opinions, and then the professor asked them to break into small groups for "consultation". All of the groups came back to report that they would recommend abortion. "Congratulations," the professor said, "You just took the life of Beethoven!" What is it you are going through? Someone would have gone through the same road and came out tops.