From Uncle Ivan comes this gem....

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the
room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He
said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He
proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, "What if I do this?" And he
dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He
picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands
went into the air. My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No
matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in
value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled,
and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come
our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or
what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or
finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our
lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special-
Don't EVER forget it." If you do not pass this on, you may never know the lives it
touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the hope that it can bring. Count your
blessings, not your problems. And remember: amateurs built the ark ... professionals built the Titanic. If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.