Illustration: Marriage

On their 50th wedding anniversary and during the banquet celebrating it, Tom was asked to give his friends a brief account of the benefits of a marriage of such long duration.

Illustration: Denominations

A Baptist preacher and his wife decided to get a new dog. Ever mindful of the congregation, they knew the dog must also be a Baptist. They visited kennel after kennel and explained their needs. Finally, they found a kennel whose owner assured them he had just the dog they wanted.

Illustration: Perspective

Traveling through New England, a motorist stopped for gas in a tiny village. "What type of town is this?" he asked the station attendant.

Illustration: Life

Erma Bombeck once wrote about what she would do differently If I Had My Life to Live Over:

Illustration: Adversity

More than 2,000 years ago, a young Greek artist named Timanthes studied under a respected tutor. After several years, the teacher's efforts seemed to have paid off when Timanthes painted an exquisite work of art.

Illustration: Habits

The passenger tapped the cab driver on the shoulder to ask him something. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the sidewalk and stopped inches from a department store window.

Illustration: Contentment, Ambition

Chuck Swindoll writes, "You and I are afraid that if we open the door of contentment, two uninvited guests will rush in: loss of prestige and laziness. We really believe 'getting to the top' is worth any sacrifice. To proud Americans, contentment is something to be enjoyed between birth and kindergarten...retirement and the rest home...or (and this will hurt) among those who have no ambition."

Illustration: Christmas

A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable--and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves--she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

Illustration: Apologies, Forgiveness

In the washroom of his London club, British newspaper publisher and politician William Beverbrook happened to meet Edward Heath, then a young member of Parliament, about whom Beverbrook had printed an insulting editorial a few days earlier.