Salty CoffeeHe met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised. So as not to appear rude, she went along.As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, "Could you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, "Why put salt in the coffee?" He explained, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the seaside ... I could feel its taste salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there."She was deeply touched. A man who can admit that he's homesick must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible.She talked too, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was tolerant, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee! So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:My dearest, please forgive my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous I asked for salt instead of sugar.It was hard for me to ask for a change, so I just went ahead. I never thought that we would hit it off. Many times, I tried to tell you the truth, but I was afraid that it would ruin everything.Sweetheart, I don't exactly like salty coffee. But as it mattered so much to you, I've learnt to enjoy it. Having you with me was my greatest happiness. If I could live a second time, I hope we can be together again, even if it means that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.Lady FirstFor a long period before the 1960s, women were considered to be the weaker sex,just as Shakespeare said in Hamlet:“Frailty, thy name is women.”In contrast, men were regarded the stronger and the dominant sex.In this light man should undertake the duty to adopt a protective attitude toward the so-called weaker sex.This implied that men should help women on and off with their coats, light their cigarettes,open the doors for them to get on and off the wagon, train, bus, etc. Or to enter the houses.Have you ever seen the movie “Titanic”? Well, when the ship was sinking,it was the women who had the right to get on the lifeboats first,just because men had the responsibility for taking care of and protecting women!This could lead to the conclusion that the custom “Lady First” was developed out of respect in appearance,but in fact it was kind of looking down upon women in nature.In the 1960s, women began to challenge this tradition. Just as one lady put it,“Historically, men should walk on the outside of the pavement so as to prevent thelady’s dress from being spoilt by mud splashed by a carriage. Today a man is supposed to walk on the outside side.A man should walk where he wants to. So should a woman.If out of love and respect, he actually wants to take the blows,he should walk on the inside, because that’s where muggers are hiding these days.”This shows that to treat a woman as inferior just because she is a female is not only insulting but also out of step with contemporary American culture.Women may go to the restaurants Dutch treat.They may refuse such words as chairman, businessmen, policeman.Instead they prefer chairperson, businessperson, police or cop just to show that they are equal in every respect with males!A father's loveDaddy just didn’t know how to show love. It was Mom who held the family together. He just went to work every day and came home; she’d have a list of sins we’d committed and he’d scold us about them.Once when I stole a candy bar, he made me take it back and tell the man I stole it and that I’d pay for it. But it was Mom who understood I was just a kid.I broke my leg once on the playground swing and it was Mom who held me in her arms all the way to the hospital. Dad pulled the car right up to the door of the emergency room and when they asked him to move it saying the space was reserved for emergency vehicles, He shouted, “What do you think this is? A tour bus?”At my birthday parties, Dad always seemed sort of out of place, He just busied himself blowing up balloons, setting up tables, and running errands, it was Mom who carried the cake with the candles on it for me to blow out.When I leaf through picture albums, people always ask, “What does your Dad look like?”“Who knows? He was always fiddling around with the camera taking everyone else’picture. I must have a zillion pictures of Mom and me smiling together.”I remember when Mom told him to teach me how to ride a bicycle. I told him not to let it go, but he said it was time. I fell and Mom ran to pick me up, but he waved her off. I was so mad that I showed him, got right back on that bike and rode it myself. He didn’t even feel embarrassed and just smiled.When I went to college, Mom did all the writing. He just sent checks and a little note about how great his lawn looked now that I wasn’t playing football on it.Whenever I called home, he acted like he wanted to talk, but he always said, “I’ll get your mother.”When I got married, it was Mom who cried. He just blew his nose loudly and left the room. All my life he said, “Where are you going? What time are you coming home? No, you cannot go.”Daddy just didn’t know how to show love, unless…Is it possible he showed it and didn’t recognize it ?The Color of FriendshipOnce upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.Green said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I waschosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."Blue interrupted: "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."Yellow chuckled: "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, and the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."Orange started next to blow her trumpet: "I am the color of health and strength.I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."Red couldn't stand it no longer he shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.Purple rose up to his full height: He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting among yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.Mother's Day and Father's DayPeople in the United States honor their parents with two special days:Mother's Day,on the second Sunday in May,and Father's Day,on the third Sunday in June.Mother's Day was proclaimed a day for national observance by PresidentWoodrow Wilson in 1915.Ann Jarvis from Grafton,West Virginia,had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers.She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation.In 1909,Mrs.Dodd from Spokane,Washington,thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers.She wanted to honor her own father,William Smart.After her mother died,he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter.In 1910,the first Father's Day was observed in Spokane.Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to establish Father's Day as a national commemorative day,in 1972.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents.They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens.They give love and care.These two special days are celebrated in many different ways.On Mother's Day people wear carnations.A red one symbolizes a living mother.A white one shows that the mother is dead.Many people attend religious services to honor parents.It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery.On these days families get together at home,as well as in restaurants.They often have outdoor barbecues for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.Another tradition is to give cards and gifts.Children make them in school.Many people make their own presents.These are valued more than the ones bought in stores.It is not the value of the gift is important,but it is the thought that counts.Greeting card stores,florists,candy makers,bakeries,telephone companies,and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.。
