*November 21st* (with video)

Watch video, then read the writing.
(Share both videos with teen or child if you wish.)



*****
Many of us have fond, yet mixed emotions when we think of John Denver.
So many were sad upon the brilliant singer's unfortunate death years ago off the coast of California in a small plane he formerly helped build.

Here he sings of love in one of many song he personally wrote. John Denver did so in a way that was often so common to him.

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."

To close today we have another video with John Denver singing the same song as shown above. This time he begins by speaking of his feelings upon the death of his father.
Click on: John Denver sings "PERHAPS LOVE" speaking of father 1982

[Source of writing unknown. Improvized by Jim Hogue, MA, MFT]