A Few Samples:
- Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr., were friends, but when Sammy started taking cocaine, Frank dropped him as a friend - fast. For three years, they didn't talk, but then they happened to meet again. Frank said, "Sam, I'm so f**king disappointed in you, with that s**t. Dump it. You're breaking your friends' hearts, Sam." Sammy replied, "I'll give it up, Frank." Then he gave it up.
- Someone told Mother Teresa that they would not touch a leper for even a million dollars. Mother Teresa replied, "Neither would I. If it were a case of money, I would not even do it for two million. On the other hand, I do it gladly for love of God."
- In 1948, Israel fought a war for independence, despite shortages of weapons. Sometimes, Israelites were told to pretend that they had weapons. For example, a soldier on guard duty was told to pretend that he had a gun, as no guns were available. That night, he heard someone coming toward him, and he yelled, "Stop! Or I'll shoot!" The person kept coming toward him, and when the person got close enough, the sentry saw with relief that it was another unarmed Israeli soldier. The sentry said, "Why didn't you stop? You could have gotten killed!" The other Israeli soldier replied, "You couldn't have hurt me. I'm a tank."
Author Biography:
It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly a cry rang out, and on a hot summer night in 1954, Josephine, wife of Carl Bruce, gave birth to a boy - me. Unfortunately, this young married couple allowed Reuben Saturday, Josephine's brother, to name their first-born. Reuben, aka "The Joker," decided that Bruce was a nice name, so he decided to name me Bruce Bruce. I have gone by my middle name -- David -- ever since.
Being named Bruce David Bruce hasn't been all bad. Bank tellers remember me very quickly, so I don't often have to show an ID. It can be fun in charades, also. When I was a counselor as a teenager at Camp Echoing Hills in Warsaw, Ohio, a fellow counselor gave the signs for "sounds like" and "two words," then she pointed to a bruise on her leg twice. Bruise Bruise?
Oh yeah, Bruce Bruce is the answer!
Uncle Reuben, by the way, gave me a haircut when I was in kindergarten. He cut my hair short and shaved a small bald spot on the back of my head. My mother wouldn't let me go to school until the bald spot grew out again.
Of all my brothers and sisters (six in all), I am the only transplant to Athens, Ohio. I was born in Newark, Ohio, and have lived all around Southeastern Ohio. However, I moved to Athens to go to Ohio University and have never left.
At Ohio U, I never could make up my mind whether to major in English or Philosophy, so I got a bachelor's degree with a double major in both areas, then I added a Master of Arts degree in English and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy. Yes, I have my MAMA degree.
Currently, and for a long time to come (I eat fruits and veggies), I am spending my retirement writing books such as Nadia Comaneci: Perfect 10, The Funniest People in Comedy, Homer's Iliad: A Retelling in Prose, and William Shakespeare's Hamlet: A Retelling in Prose.
If all goes well, I will publish one or two books a year for the rest of my life. (On the other hand, a good way to make God laugh is to tell Her your plans.)
By the way, my sister Brenda Kennedy writes romances such as A New Beginning and Shattered Dreams.
