then read the writing. ...
*****
There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then each day the number of times the boy lost his temper gradually decreased. Over time he discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to walk back to the fence and drive those nails with the hammer.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was eventually able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just these. With your words you can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', the wound will still be there."Many of you kids in the "PTI Program" are making great strides in your behavior and personal decisions. Keep up the good work. You deserve the credit for the progress you have made. We are proud of you.
[Source of writing unknown. Improvized by Jim Hogue, MA, MFT]
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