Hickory's Inspirational Archive

Frequently I get e-mails from folks that offer words of encouragement, anecdotal insights into human nature or inspirational words of faith. If you have any of these you would like to share, please e-mail Hickory@webclowns.com with your story.

Myself, Twinkle Toes and Mistletoe, (a teen clown) was going down the street in my VW Convertible Cabriolet. I was in full clown face & etc and Mistletoe was putting on her makeup. We had to go pickup Jellyroll another teen to go do clown ministry at a subdivision Easter egg hunt. Looking for Jellyroll's street, Lost Creek, we realized we were in big trouble. Jellyroll's street was definitely lost. Since it was a beautiful Saturday morning lots of people were available to ask directions to Lost Creek. Unfortunately they didn't know until we came across two men standing in a drive way. One said it was to the left and the other said it was to the right. Since the right one, was the one that lived in the subdivision we followed him.. Upon returning to his house 15 minutes later without finding Lost Creek, I followed him into his house to use the phone. He lead the way and went around a corner telling his wife "Honey there's some clown out here that's lost and wants to use the phone. She started telling him to Hush.... and I walked around the corner. She about had the BIG ONE! Then she started laughing tell she cried. He loved it. At least until the two little kids came in the back door and wanted to know who's birthday it was and could they keep me. Oh the life of a clown! Toot a Lou Lou!

I was gong out to dinner with my husband and a friend and was running late and had to go in full clown. It was the grand opening of a new BBQ restaurant and my friends birthday. Well we entered the place and I slid into the booth and my husband slid in next to me. Wouldn't you just know it, someone had smeared BBQ sauce on the side of the table and my new clown outfit had wiped it up with one fell swoop of me sliding in.

I jumped and ran to the ladies room for damage control.. A little girl followed me in and asked what I was doing frantically scrubbing on my top in the sink water, still had top on of course. I told her my mommy had just made the outfit for me and would be real mad if I messed it up.

The little girl nodded and told me her MOM would be mad at her too and not to feel bad. Then she went on to explain that her Grandma Dorothy would have given her HELL over it if it had happened around her.

We left and returned to our tables across the aisles from each other and I heard her say, "Mommy clowns are real like us, they aren't just in the circus".

Once I was a clown who was doing face painting for under privileged kids in my
community and every little face that I did had a big SMILE on it and that
made me and my heart feel so good knowing that little kids know how to SMILE
and forget about their problems they have. I love making people of all ages
SMILE and it brings great joy for me.

Thank You,
Christopher Williams

Eyes of Love

A grandmother and a little girl whose face was sprinkled with bright red
freckles spent the day at the zoo.

The children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local
artist who was decorating them with tiger paws.

"You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a boy in the
line cried. Embarrassed, the little girl dropped her head.

Her grandmother knelt down next to her. "I love your freckles," she said.

"Not me," the girl replied. "Well," the grandmother said, "when I was a little girl I always
wanted freckles" tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful!"

The girl looked up "Really?"

"Of course," said the grandmother. "Why, just name me one thing that's prettier than freckles."

The little girl peered into the old woman's smiling face.

Wrinkles," she answered softly.

Contributed by Secretary Terry
Terry's Touch Entertainment
"The Home of Fire Cracker the Clown and Friends."

You may e-mail Secretary Terry at secretaryterry@yahoo.com

Just Love

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read. Beneath the long, straggly
branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to
frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath
approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head
tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!" In his hand
was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals all worn - not enough
rain, or too little light.

Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile
and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the
flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells
pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow
or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the
flower, and replied, "Just what I need." But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.

It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could
not see: he was blind. I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun as I
thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and
then ran off to play, Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an
old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his
heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not
with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been
blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's
mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the
fragrance of a beautiful rose

And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand, about to
change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

Author Unknown

A COMPUTER

A computer was something on TV
From a science-fiction show of note
A window was something you hated to clean
And ram was the cousin of a goat

Meg was the name of my girlfriend
And gig was a job for the nights
Now they all mean different things
And that really mega bytes.

An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano.

Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account
And if you had a 3-in. floppy
You hoped nobody found out.

Compress was something you did to the garbage
Not something you did to a file
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for a while.

Log on was adding wood to the fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a backup happened to your commode.

Cut you did with a pocket knife
Paste you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu.

I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
But when it happens they wish they were dead

A CLOWN POEM

I love My clown shoes.
My crazy clown shoes.
They take My stink-a-roos
to bring you good news.
Whatever they doos,these crazy twos,
is make you laugh and carry away
those blues.
_My crazy clown shoes.

I love My nose.
My crazy clown nose.
Wherever I mose
along it goes.
I shall pose with My nose
and My crazy toes.
We will both take away all Your sad woes.

I love Hy hair,with it's bright yellow flair,
it is not rare
for people to stop and stare.
So be aware that I'll take care,
not to scare-I would not dare!
But leave You happy and in good cheer.

"MISS PRISS"
NC

your life holds
unlimited potential
and wonderful dreams
you have the ability
to attain whatever you seek
within you is every potential
you can imagine.
always aim higher than
you believe you can reach.
so often, you'll discover
that when you talents are set free
by your imagination,
you can achieve any goal.
if people offer their
help and wisdom
as you go through life,
accept is gratefully.
you can learn much from those
who have gone before you.
but never be afraid or hesitant
to step off the accepted path
and head off in your own direction
if your heart tells you
that it's the right way for you.
always believe that you will
ultimately succeed
at whatever you do,
and never forget the value
of persistence, discipline
and determination.
you are meant to be
whatever you dream
of becoming.

Subject: Quiz

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."

Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

"Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down
into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children; Your loved ones; Your education; Your
dreams; A worthy cause; Teaching or mentoring others; Doing things that you love; Time for yourself; Your health; Your significant other.

Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.

If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you'll fill your life with little things you
worry about that don't really matter, and you'll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks).

So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this
question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.

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