Blog Archives

Follow the Leader

2/27/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A young woman was filling out an application for college when she came across the question: Are you a leader? She thought she had better be brutally honest, so she answered, “No.” She was convinced when she sent the application in that she’d never hear from them because of that answer.

But she received a letter back from the school that read: “We reviewed numerous applications and, to date, there will be some 1,452 new leaders attending school next year. We have decided to accept your application because we felt it was imperative that they have at least one follower.”

One man bought a sign and put it on his office door. The sign read: “I’m the boss.” The next day he came to work he noticed that someone had put a post-it on his sign that said, “Your wife called. She wants her sign back.”

We can’t all be the boss. And what good are leaders without followers? In actuality, we need to be both.

Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow. We lead by example, but we still follow role models. We lead by sharing our expertise, but we remain open to the wisdom of others.

There are numerous courses and lessons on leadership. Yet the best leaders are also excellent followers. They know how to listen, they respect and follow great ideas from those around them, and they are humble enough to seek help when it’s needed.

You may be the boss, but do you know how to follow? This world could use a few good followers.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

An Old Farmer's Advice

2/24/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a
second time.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches
you from the mirror every mornin'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog
around.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Lessons from Geese

2/22/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Fact 1: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Fact 2: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

Fact 3: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

Fact 4: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

Fact 5: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Wet Pants

2/19/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Come with me to a third grade classroom . . . There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants is wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.
The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else -- Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. “You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Lessons on Life

2/17/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Wise as a Serpent, Innocent as a . . .

2/12/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

A woman and a man are involved in a car accident; it’s a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished but amazingly neither of them is hurt.

After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, “So you’re a man. That’s interesting. I’m a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There’s nothing left, but we’re unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days.”

Flattered, the man replied, “Oh yes, I agree with you completely. This must be a sign from God!” The woman continued, “And look at this, here’s another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn’t break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune.”

Then she hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman. The woman takes the bottle and immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, “Aren’t you having any?” The woman replies, “No. I think I’ll just wait for the police. . .”

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

A Great Dog Story

2/11/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact, she was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders.

The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed. When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember...the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, most money, or most awards. They are the ones who care for us.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

In Praise of Curiosity

2/6/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Luther Burbank, the famed horticulturist, invited every guest who visited his home to sign the guest book. Each line in the book had a space for the guest’s name, address, and special interests.

When inventor Thomas Edison visited Burbank, he signed the book and in the space marked “Interested in,” Edison wrote the word, “Everything,” followed by a large exclamation point.

That was almost an understatement. In his lifetime, Edison invented the incandescent light, the phonograph, the wax recording, and the hideaway bed.

He also invented wax paper, a variety of Portland cement, underground electrical wires, an electric railway car, an electric railroad signal, the light socket and light switch, a method for making synthetic rubber from goldenrod plants, the chemical phenol, and the motion picture camera.

He also found time to start the first electric company and gave us the quadruplex telegraph.

A news reporter once complimented Thomas Edison on his inventive genius.

“I am not a great inventor,” said Edison.

“But you have over 1,000 patents to your credit,” protested the reporter.

“Yes,” replied Edison, “but about the only invention I can really claim as absolutely original is the phonograph. I’m an awfully good sponge. I absorb ideas from every source I can and put them to practical use. Then I improve them until they become of some value.”

Then Edison added, “The ideas I use are mostly the ideas of other people who don’t develop them themselves.”

If there is a moral here, it is that curiosity about the world around us can open up opportunities for us that would be undreamed of otherwise.

© 2007, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).

Amazing Grace

2/3/2014

© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.

Grace is truly amazing. It is always coming from the most unexpected sources. When I least expect it, I guess I should . . . expect it!

Once I officiated at the funeral of a gentleman who had been almost 92 years old when he died. He had led, according to the world’s standards, a quite ordinary life. His vocation was nothing unusual. He had no hobbies that made the newspapers.

His particular gift was singing. He sang in churches, both in choirs and sometimes performing solos. His family and friends said that he sang all the time. As is my habit, I asked members of the audience to share stories about some of the times he might break out into song.

A hand went up and a smiling face said, “When waiting in line at a restaurant, he would ask the maitre d’ if he could sing. Sometimes they would say yes, and sometimes, no.” Many heads nodded in agreement. Another said, “when he visited us up north, he would go out in the road in front of our neighbor’s house and start singing early, and loudly, “O What a Beautiful Morning.”

Then a lady in the front row, sitting with the family, slowly raised her hand. She said, “At an older age, I adopted three young children. Randy would call now and then, late in the evening, and just start singing in the phone to me, singing a hymn, something beautiful and restful. When he finished, he would say, “Now, go to bed, and have a good night’s sleep.” And I would.

I couldn’t help but saying right then, what a beautiful drop of Grace that was!

© 2007, John C. Fitts, III. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).