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Fruit.

A man owned a certain tree that just wasn’t doing well. It was very weak and sickly—nearly withered and dead. It bore one tiny fruit—scrawny and flavorless. So he asked a gardener friend to look at it. The gardener was a very kind and generous man, always giving of himself, sharing not only his time and knowledge, but also fruits …

Mute button.

One of the greatest inventions in all of remote control history has to be the mute button (narrowly winning out over the power button). A few years ago, my wife and I decided to cut the cable and unsubscribe from any kind of packaged television service. Our little satellite dish sadly sits unused, perched next to the house as a …

Braces.

My sister has a really great smile. Hers isn’t just warm and friendly, she also has really great teeth. They’re bright and as straight as can be. Yet, she wasn’t born that way. Instead, she had a problem with crowding. It was like a Super Bowl party in an elevator—everyone was jammed together. It bothered her enough that she decided …

Road Trip.

My wife and I recently celebrated our ten year anniversary as a married couple, although we’ve been together for over thirteen. It’s been an adventure—almost like a road trip across the country. Figuratively speaking, we’ve had moments that felt like being in Florida at the Magic Kingdom. We’ve traveled through the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee and through colorful fall …

Wrecking Ball.

Imagine a world in which people went around vandalizing and knocking down other people’s houses. Sounds ridiculous, right? Yet, that’s what we so often do to other people—we tear them down rather than help lift them up. Do you want to live in a neighborhood surrounded by decimated homes? Be a compassionate carpenter. Be an empathetic engineer. Don’t be a …