A lawyer and a blonde are sitting next to each other on a long flight from LA to NY. The lawyer leans over to her and asks if she would like to play a fun game. The blonde just wants to take a nap, so she politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.
The lawyer persists and explains that the game is really easy and a lot of fun. He explains" I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5, and vice-versa." Again, she politely declines and tries to get some sleep.
The lawyer, now somewhat agitated, says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500," figuring that since she is a blonde that he will easily win the match. This catches the blonde's attention and, figuring that there will be no end to this torment unless she plays, agrees to the game.
The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" The blonde doesn't say a word, reaches in to her purse, pulls out a five dollar bill and hands it to the lawyer. Now, it's the blonde's turn.
She asks the lawyer: "What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?" The lawyer looks at her with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. He taps into the Air phone with his modem and searches the Net and the Library of Congress.
Frustrated, he sends E-mails to all his coworkers and friends he knows. After over an hour, he wakes the blonde and hands her $500. The blonde politely takes the $500 and turns away to get back to sleep.
The lawyer, who is more than a little miffed, wakes the blonde and asks, "Well, so what IS the answer!?" Without a word, the blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5, and goes back to sleep!
You're probably wondering what has that got to do with this fella below!
Well I got it from a website dedicated to him - St John Bosco - who dedicated his life to youth. He wanted to help many of them from getting lost in life and for them to get an education and some skills that would help them find work. He used tricks and games and entertainment to reach the youth. But he wanted them to know and love Jesus as well. He knew that only with the Lord in the right place would the lives of the young people flourish.
Also known as Don (or "Father") Bosco
John Bosco was born on August 16, 1815, in a small town not too far from Turin, Italy. His father died when he was two years old. He was raised with tender love yet firm discipline by his mother, Margaret. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1841 and went to work in Turin, where the industrial revolution was attracting waves of young people to the city. The misery and abandonment of these youngsters moved John Bosco deeply. He dedicated his life to them and began youth clubs for them. He then started hostels and boarding schools, where he taught them trades. In 1859 he founded the Salesian Society and in 1872 the Salesian Sisters to work for girls. Three years later, he sent the first missionary group to Argentina. His work spread through-out the mission world, and today more than half the Society works in mission lands. The educational philosophy of John Bosco can be condensed in three words: reason, religion and kindness. The basic principle of his system was a deep understanding and love for young people. John Bosco died on January 31, 1888. Today the Salesian Family numbers in the tens of thousands working in countries all over the globe.
Here are some of his quotes:
"Remember, God does not pay us for results,
but for effort."
"Believe me... nobody can be truly happy in this world unless he is at peace with God."
"Put up
willingly with the faults of others if you wish others to put up with yours."
"Willingly
suffer a bit for God Who suffered so much for you."
"Now let me tell you something about the sacrament of Penance. To draw fruit from this sacrament, it is not enough to go to confession frequently. One must also honestly strive to not sin. In general, go to confession once a month, and not oftener than once a week, unless your confessor advises it, lest you make it hard for others to find time for confession. As for Holy Communion, receive as often as you can, according to your confessor’s advice, whenever your conscience is free from sin."
Sometimes we’d prefer that our lives be a different story than the one God seems to be writing. In our fragile existence it doesn’t take much to turn a romance into a drama, or an adventure into a tragedy. At a glance, the story of Chiara Badano—an only child conceived after 11 years of marriage, who died at 18 after a bout with a painful form of bone cancer—looks like an empty tragedy, but not from the perspective of the Divine Author. 