These texts are again from my friend Elisabeth - you may find the second text tear-jerking (wyciskacz lez innymi slowy) Oba teksty pasuja mi na Swieta - mam nadzieje, ze wam nie przeszkadza ta okolicznosciowa ckliwosc.

Text comprehension (zrozumienie tekstow) - part 2

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Memorize your favorite poem.

3. Don't believe all you hear.

4. Don't spend all you have.

5. Don't sleep all you want.

6. When you say, "I love you", mean it.

7. When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.

8. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

9. Believe in love at first sight.

10. Never laugh at anyone's dreams.

11. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live

life completely.

12. In disagreements, fight fairly (no name calling).

13. Don't judge people by their relatives.

14. Talk slowly, but think quick.

15. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and

ask, "Why do you want to know?"

16. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

17. Call your parents.

18. Say, "God bless you," when you hear someone sneeze.

19. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

20. Remember the three R's: respect for self; respect for others; responsibility

for all your actions.

21. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

22. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

23. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

24. Marry a person you love to talk to. As you get older, his or her conversational

skills will be as important as any other.

25. Spend some time alone.

26. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

27. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

28. Read more books and watch less TV.

29. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back,

you'll get to enjoy it a second time.

30. Trust in God but lock your car.

31. A loving atmosphere in your home is very important. Do all you can

to create a tranquil, harmonious home.

32. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with a current situation. Don't bring

up the past.

33. Read between the lines.

34. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

35. Be gentle with the earth.

36. Pray. There's immeasurable power in it.

37. Never interrupt when you are being flattered. Say, "Thank you."

38. Mind your own business.

39. Don't trust a person who doesn't close his or her eyes when you kiss them.

40. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

41. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you

are living. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction.

42. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes stroke of luck.

43. Learn the rules, then break some.

44. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each

other is greater than your need for each other.

45. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

46. Remember that your character is your destiny.

This is a story of an elementary teacher.  Her name

was Mrs. Thompson.  And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class

on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie.  Like

most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved

them all the same.

But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in

his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he

didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy

and that he constantly needed a bath.  And Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight

in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then

putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review

each child's past records, and she put Teddy's off until last.

However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a

ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a

joy to  be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well

liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a

terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on

him.  He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest

and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't

show much interest in school.  He doesn't have many friends and

sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of

herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas

presents wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for

Teddy's.  His present which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown

paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other

presents.  Some of the children started to laugh when she found a

rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle

that was one quarter full of perfume.  But she stifled the children's

laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on,

and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say,

"Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.  "After

the children left she sat down and cried.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and

arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.  Mrs. Thompson paid particular

attention to Teddy.  As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come

alive.

The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the

year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and,

despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy

became one her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her

that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy.  He then

wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was

still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things

had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and

would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors.  He assured

Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever

had

in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came.  This time he

explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a

little further.  The letter explained that she was still the best and

favorite teacher he ever had.  But now his name was a little longer --

the letter was signed,  Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.

The story doesn't end there.  You see, there was yet another letter

that spring.  Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married.

He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was

wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the

wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did.  And guess what?  She wore that

bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing.  And she made sure

she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on

their last Christmas together.

They hugged each, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear,

"Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me.  Thank you so much for

making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back "Teddy, you have it

all wrong.  You were the one who taught me that I could make a

difference.: I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

***

Merry Christmas (and here in the USA I learned to add Happy Hannukah just in case). Some people (mostly stores which want to flatter everyone) add also "Merry Kwanzaa" (supposedly African celebration of this season).

But certainly I may wish a