Longevity

The vicar’s Sunday sermon was Forgive Your Enemies. Towards the end of the service, she asked her congregation, “how many of you have forgiven your enemies?”

50% held up their hands.

She asked them all to make a concerted effort to forgive their enemies.

The next week she repeated her question.

This time about 80 percent held up their hands.

The week after she repeated her question once again.

By week 3 all responded that they had forgiven their enemies, except one small elderly man who did not raise either of his hands.

“Mr Welsh?” inquired the vicar, “are you not willing to forgive your enemies?”

“I don’t have any,” he replied, smiling sweetly.

“Mr Welsh, that is very unusual. How old are you?”

“Ninety-six,” he replied.

“Oh Mr Welsh, what a blessing and a lesson to us all you are. Would you please come down in front of this congregation and tell us all how a person can live ninety-six years and not have an enemy in the world.”

The old fellow tottered down the aisle, he turned to face the congregation, and said, “I outlived the bastards.”