daily Justice

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a
day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... & the coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class & had some items in front
of
him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large & empty
mayonnaise jar & proceeded to fill it with golfballs. He then asked the
students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles & poured them into the
jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between
the golfballs.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand & poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the
jar was full. The students responded with a infamous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table &
poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golfballs are the important things. Your family, your children, your
faith, your health, your friends & your favorite passions.

Things that if everything else was lost & only they remained, your life
would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house, &
your
car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff..

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no
room
for the pebbles or the golfballs.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time & energy on the small
stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to
you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be
time
to clean the house & fix the disposal.

Take care of the golfballs first, the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand & inquired what the coffee
represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that
no
matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
cups of coffee with a friend."

Free Today in History Content: "

I got this email this morning from my new special friend and I seem to have lots of special friends like Neil and Kate,not to mention a guy called Jesus and John I feel so lucky to have all this people in my life I just wish I knew where I knew them from.And seemly I'm going out tonight. I'm sure my new friend will let me know if I went and if I had a good time. From :Sarah Tummey passion4jesus@jesustheonlyway.wanadoo.co.uk Sent : Monday, April 3, 2006 2:06 PM To : Lois@hotmail.com

I know there are Days that I just cant remember what I did yesterday and normally I don't worry about this, however last week I got this email and now I'm left to wonder where was I last Monday night.

From : Sarah Tummey Sent : passion4jesus@jesustheonlyway.wanadoo.co.uk Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:56 PM To :

Hi, Lois!

It's Sarah here - from Overcomers. Hope that college went okay for you today.

Well, it was really great to meet you properly last night. I enjoyed having food with everyone.

If ever you fancy giving me a ring, my phone number is 577950. I could give you my mobile-number as well, but it's not on very often and there wouldn't be any point texting 'cos I wouldn't be able to read them!

Got any more job-interviews coming up?

Kate said you were thinking of going along to Time Out at church. I go to that. There are only a few of us; it's nice, and fairly relaxed. If you want to come, maybe I'll see you there tomorrow.

Love Sarah.
"Love one another" - John 13:34.

Liam Fay wrote this in this mornings SundayTimes (SEE BELOW)
and I do agree with him.Taking a case aganist anyone is a gamble even when its the state,everyone knows and is WARNED about the risk.the state will not pay my costs and that of
anyone else' that lose their claims against them,I do feel sorry for Louise o' Keeffe and the many many other people like her ....But this is THE REALITY when you fail in court cases you can lose everything.

The real issue for me here is who in law is responsible for my children while they are in school, and why is it not the state.



Comment: Liam Fay


Truth of O'Keeffe case is mired in cynical politics

Louise O’Keeffe is a fortunate woman. Given the appalling sexual abuse that shattered her childhood, this may seem an insensitive, if not senseless, comment. Following her failed civil action against the department of education, however, O’Keeffe has been lucky — her plight has been adopted as a political cause célèbre.



As often happens when stories disappear into the headlines, the details of the O’Keeffe case have been lost in transit. According to popular perception, she is simply the separated mother-of-two who is being pursued by the state for a legal bill of €500,000, a blameless victim fighting a heartless system.

This image has been cultivated primarily by the outpourings of politicians, all of them eager to prove their humanitarian credentials. Demands that the state waive its costs have been led by Labour’s Jan O’Sullivan and Fine Gael’s Olwyn Enright, and echoed by several government deputies.

Naturally, the media has joined the plaintive chorus, making the government’s refusal to drop its legal bill seem callous. Actually it isn’t. The truth is that O’Keeffe took an informed gamble, and lost.

As an eight-year-old in 1973, she was abused repeatedly by Leo Hickey, her teacher at a Cork school. Having admitted numerous indecent assaults, Hickey was jailed for three years in 1998. O’Keeffe subsequently secured €54,000 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation tribunal, on condition that it be repaid from any further damages she received.

In 2004, she took High Court proceedings against Hickey and the state, which she claimed was vicariously responsible for his actions. The amount of damages to be paid by Hickey to O’Keeffe has yet to be assessed. But the High Court rejected her claim of state responsibility, and was therefore compelled to award costs against her.

In taking her High Court action, O’Keeffe was clearly aware of the risks. Had she sued the Bishop of Cork and Ross, under whose patronage the school was run, she would probably have won, but received limited damages. By targeting the state, she and her lawyers were making a financial, as well as legal, calculation.

The fact that these pertinent realities are so routinely overlooked in favour of emotive grandstanding suggests that our politicians are still playing games with the issue of child sex abuse.