True Story

[Guest guest]

I've been in a lot of courts and I've looked " fine " and " fat. " Fine

gets a lot more

cooperation from male judges, but not female judges. Fat actually seems

to have an

almost antagonistic effect on some male judges (i.e., don't have to have

been before them or opened my mouth to get a negative reaction that has

to be overcome with brilliant repartee, hahaha).

For what it's worth. It's not fair but that's the way it is.

Juries, on the other hand, *like* fat lady lawyers, or so it seems.

Maybe we look like mom.

Kind regards,

Donna Schanzenbacher wrote:

>

> Hey just wanted to share a " hhhmmmmmmm....... "

>

> A few months ago I got a speeding ticket-76 in 55, first ticket in 20

> years.

> I had no good excuse, beautiful day, 4 lane highway, no other cars

> around,

> nice smooth running car......what can I say? HEAVY FOOT!

> Anyway, I went to court and sat there thru all the yada, yada, yada

> and lo

> there was a woman who got a ticket for 48 in 25. " Well " , I thought,

> " this

> will give me an idea of what I am in for ($$$). " So, she gave a

> woeful

> story about driving a strange car looking for an address, being from

> out of

> town and (yea!) the judge reduced her ticket to 40 in 25 and she paid

> a $$$

> fine. (Can't remember how much). BTW, this woman was gorgeous and

> built

> " fine " .

> Later, when it was my turn the judge asked me why I was going to fast,

> I

> said, " Sir, I did not realize I was going so fast. I was driving my

> husband's car and did not know it would go so fast and not really feel

> like

> it was going so fast. I also did not see the sign when the speed

> limit

> changed from 70 to 55. I'll watch it from now on. " BLAM, guilty of

> reckless

> driving which will be reduced only if you take a safe driving course

> within

> 30 days. KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER! Took the course and learned

> some

> stuff and paid the fine and the cost for the course and watch my

> speedometer

> closer, BUT, wonder what would have happened if I was gorgeous and

> built

> " fine " ????

> Soon, I too may be " painfully thin " with " Barbie's " beauty and

> grace...then

> I'm hauling butt down the Interstate to see what happens (NOT).

> Just thought I'd share-its been bothering me a little.

>

> Donna in Rapidan

> Wannabe MBG

>

[Guest guest]

> A true story!

>

> (At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is

> Mildred

> Hondorf.

> I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines,

> Iowa.)

>

> I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano

> lessons-something

> I've done for over 30 years. Over the years I found that children have

> many

> levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a

> protege

> though I have taught some talented students. However I've also had

> my share

> of what I call " musically challenged " pupils. One such student was

> Robby.

>

> Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single mom) dropped

> him off

> for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!)

> begin

> at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it

> had

> always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took

> him as a student.

>

> Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I

> thought

> it

> was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the

> sense of tone

> and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales

> and

> some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.

> Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and

> tried to

> encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say,

> " My mom's

> going to hear me play someday. " But it seemed hopeless. He just did

> not have

> any inborn ability.

>

> I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or

> waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled

> but never

> stopped in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I

> thought about

> calling him but assume because of his lack of ability, that he had

> decided to

> pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He

> was a bad

> advertisement for my teaching!

>

> Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the

> upcoming

> recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he

> could be

> in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and

> because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his

> mother

> had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still

> practicing. " Miss Hondorf...I've just got to play! " he insisted. I don't

>

> know

> what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his

> persistence

> or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all

> right.

>

> The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was

> packed with

> parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program

> before I

> was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I

> thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the

> program and

> I could always salvage his poor performance through my " curtain

> closer. "

>

> Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been

> practicing

> and

> it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled

> and his

> hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. " Why didn't he dress

>

> up

> like the other students? " I thought. " Why didn't his mother at least

> make him

> comb his hair for this special night? " Robby pulled out the piano bench

> and

> he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen

> Mozart's

> Concerto #21 in C Major. I was

> not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys,

> they

> even danced nimbly on the ivories.

>

> He went from pianissimo to fortissimo...from allegro to virtuoso. His

> suspended

> chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard

> Mozart played

> so well by people his age After six and a half minutes he ended in a

> grand

> crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.

>

> Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around

> Robby in joy.

> " I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it? "

> Through the microphone Robby explained: " Well Miss

> Hondorf...remember I told

> you my mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed

> away this

> morning. And well....she was born deaf, so tonight was the first time

> she

> ever heard me play.

> I wanted to make it special. " There wasn't a dry eye in the house that

> evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage

> to be

> placed into foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and

> puffy

> and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking

> Robby as

> my pupil. No, I've never had a protege but that night I became a

> protege...of

> Robby's. He was the teacher and I

> was the pupil. For it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance

> and

> love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in

> someone and

> you don't know why.

>

> This is especially meaningful to me since after serving in Desert

> Storm, Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P.

> Murrah

> Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995, where he was

> reportedly....playing the piano.

> And now, a footnote to the story. If you are thinking about forwarding

> this message, you are probably thinking about which people on your

> address

> list aren't the " appropriate " ones to receive this type of message. The

> person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a

> difference. We

> all

> have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize God's plan. So

> many

> seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a

> choice: Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do we pass up

> that

> opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process?