Inspiration

If with pleasure you are viewing
Any work a man is doing,
If you like him or you love him tell him now.

Don't withhold your approbation
Till the parson makes oration
And he lies with snowy lilies on his brow,

For no matter how you shout it
He won't really care about it
He won't know how many teardrops you have shed.

"Even the Sun appeared hideous, so that scarcely a third part of it gave light, I believe on account of such deeds of wickedness and the shedding of innocent blood."
- Gregorius Turonensis (referring to the solar eclipse of 24 February AD 453, when Attila the Hun was raiding Italy).

Times of victory bring opportunities for failure.

As the coals from our barbecue burned down, our hosts passed out marshmallows and long roasting forks.

Just then, two fire trucks roared by, sirens blaring, lights flashing. They stopped at a house right down the block.

All twelve of us raced out of the back yard, down the street, where we found the owners of the blazing house standing by helplessly.

They glared at us with looks of disgust.

Suddenly, we realized why.........

We were all still holding our roasting forks with marshmallows on them.