There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a
bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to
hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37
nails into the fence.
Then it 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, my son, but look at the holes in the
fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in
anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a
man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry,
the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical
one." Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and
encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of
praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Never
take a true friend for granted and never forget to show your friends how
much you care.