Inspire 21 Inspiring Words for the 21st Century

By Alvin Richardson -- Published Tuesday, February 28, 2012

My wife told me the other day that Karen Grassle recently turned 70.

For many of you, that tidbit of information may be meaningless, but it was reminiscent of a television show that put a lot of valuable ideas in my head.

Karen Grassle played the role of Carolyn Ingalls in “Little House on the Prairie,” and along with her husband, Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) and their family, portrayed life in a 19th-century rural setting in the Midwest.

There's a bit of truth in this funny little story...

An old prospector shuffled into the town of El Indio, Texas , leading an old tired mule.  The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town, to clear his parched throat.  He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.

As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance ... Never really wanted to."

This very short and enlightening story is like a parable from the Bible. It teaches that it's never to late to learn a lesson in life... especially if it can save a life...-

---- Author unknown

A man was in his cabin in the middle of a terrible snow storm when he heard a feeble scratching at his door.

He opened it to see a half frozen rattle snake on his doorstep begging to be let in from the bitter cold.

The man said to the snake, “I’m not going to let you in! You’re a rattle snake and you’re going to bite me!”

“No I won’t,” hissed the snake. “Just bring me in and get me warm and I’ll be your friend for life.”