life lessons courtesy of the fonz

GRATEFUL GIRL'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Those old enough to remember the 1970s sitcom "Happy Days," will recall the character of Arthur Fonzarelli (better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz") as quite the dynamo. Leather-jacket sporting, motorcycle riding, girls-go-gaga-over-him Fonzie was cool before it was cool to be cool. And nobody messed with him. Ever. Well, almost. 

I seem to recall an episode in which some n'er-do-well challenged Fonzie to a fist-fight and he was all ready to wipe the floor with the bad guy when his best pal Richie Cunningham told him violence wasn't the answer. "Turn the other cheek, Fonz," I remember Richie saying. "What, and let him hit me twice?" was Fonzie's response.

And that's sort of our take on things, too, isn't it? When someone hurts us, whether verbally, physically or emotionally, our general reaction as human beings is to put up our dukes and hit back. Hard. But then, that's just double the pain, no?

Sometimes, it takes more courage to work through a disagreement --or even step away from it-- than to launch a counter strike. And more often than not, a cool head and calm tongue are the only ways out of a confrontation. At the end of the day, the best way to mend a fence it to strengthen, support and rebuild it. If you tear it down completely, you'll just have to start over again from scratch.

AYYYYYYYYY ... it's just a little something to consider on a Monday morning.

Gn 4:1-15, 25 The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen...Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field." When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Alleluia Jn 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.