HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-04-24, Page 35Page 1.6—egossroads—Apr. 24, 1905
Let's
Talk
• Avoid
extremes
By REV. LEE TRUMAN
My father is a very hard-
working, unlettered man,
but a very wise gentleman.
When I was a teen-ager,
trying to machine something
in the garage that wasn't
working out, I lost my tem7
per. My father hapened by at
that moment and he ob,
served:
'Son, learn to know what
your weaknesses are. When
you know that, figure out
how to use than' as
strengths." Then he went on:
"The hardest part will be to
never abuse your strengths
into weaknesses."
That night, I wrote those
words in my diary. I'm not
sure I understood them then,
but I have seen a consistent
demonstration of their truth.
He knew that hard work un-
less it is balanced by relaxa-
tion of the mind and body,
could eventually destroy a
person.
Dad knew that someone
that chooses to call himself
candid and pointedly frank
could easily become tactless
and maybe even cruel. It
could even be that the per-
son who prides himself on
being tactful could eventual-
ly become evasive and
deceitful. •
Habits which should lead
to good health, too religious-
ly followed, can make a per-
son a hypochondriac. Free-.
dom can become license.
Confidence can be arrogance
as humility can become ser-
vility. He also knew that. loy-
alty can lead to fanaticsm..
All these are ways that
strength can become weak-
ness, but the other side of
this coin is also true. Dad
knew that destructiveness
based on a desire to find out
how something worked can
become the wisdom to make
it. work better. He also knew
that restlessness can be
turned into versatility as
gullibility can be turned into
understanding and compas-
sion, and extravagance, can
become generosity.
It is out of this. heritage •
that I have learned to lead a
very regulated life, and I
also diliberately break my
habits, change my life pat-
terns, sometimes to make
me avoid the danger of ex-
tremes and sometimes to
open up ways of inner- •
growth I haven't as yet con-
sidered.
I've always thought this
was a pretty good insight for
a man who never finished
the sixth gade. While I've
earned my doctorate, I have
never read or heard anyone
lay out this bit of wisdom be-
fore.
"Learn to know what your
weaknesiei are. When you
know that, figure out how to
use them as strengths. The
hardest part will be to never
abuse your strengths into
weaknesses."
TAX TIP.
OF THE WEEK
A PUBLIC SERVICE OF H&R BLOCK
Q. My daughter who is di-
vorced moved in with my
wife and me. May I claim an
exemption for her? She also
hrought her four-year-old
son with her.
A. If your daughter is un-
der 21 or is infirm of going
to a school or unix,ersity, you
may claim an exemption for
her if her net income was less
than $3,960. However, if she
is over 21 and does not go to
school and is not infirm. you
may ncit claim an exemp
tion. You may claim for
your grandchild providing
your daughter does not
claim the exemption and
yOu report the family allow-
ance for that child as in-
come. You must remember
that if your daughter re
ceives alimony or child sup-
port, she is obliged to report
it as income.
4.
(
H01)UNIT?
The sofa, the stove, the bicycle, the dress
. . . all sold in a day. Who could have done
it? It really isn't a mystery at all. Every fact
poirkts to the Classified Ads: the quick
response, the number of calls, and most
important, the results — sales. Consider
the opportunity . . Crossroads is read
every week by more than_ 92% of the
families in our coverage area. Families
next-door to you and in neighboring com
rnunities. Consider the motive . .
Crossroads Ad Department has a strong
desire to satisfy your needs, whether yo,u're
selling a couch or looking for a job. It's a
smooth operation, one that knows exactly
what it's doing •. but the modus operandi
is too well knOwn, making the solution to
this case elementary. Whodunit?
OSSROADS
CLASSIFIED ADS!
2914660 357-2320 323-1550 595-8921