Applying [gratitude] to college

BY CARLY JAYNE RULLMAN

There's a story my mother once told me called "The Devil's Auction," which she'd heard somewhere. It goes something like this: The devil was holding an auction to sell off all his implements to the highest bidder. The tools included things like hatred, deceit, jealousy, and revenge.

But there was one special tool he set off to the side. It was a small, wedge-shaped, seemingly harmless tool, and it was more expensive than all the others. Someone asked the devil, "What is that . . . and why is it priced so much higher than the other tools?"

"Ahh . . . that's discouragement," the devil replied. "With that tool, I can pry my way into a person's conscience and do just about anything I want."

About the author

Carly delivered this talk in her religion class last May as part of an assignment she and her classmates had been given by their teacher. She hopes it will help other high-school students who are—or will be—going through the college admissions process. Carly is currently a freshman at the University of Alabama, where she studies radio and television.

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