The little engine that could...

By Vichara

Expect a miracle…we have seen this quick inspirational quote used in pop culture over the years. But what if we did expect one or at least the essence of the healing core that is embedded in these three words. We are given so many reasons not to be hopeful by all of the negativity in 98% of the news on TV, in magazines, Internet and newspapers. But buried in all of these, pushed to the side in our daily lives are the small miracles chugging along like the little train that could. Help in your own way to feed the engine of this ambassador of hope with your own compassion…oh and don’t forget your turn to blow the whistle.

slake • \SLAYK\ • verb
1 : satisfy, quench
2 : to cause (as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate

Example Sentence:
"What an unspeakable luxury it was to slake that thirst with the pure and limpid ice-water of the glacier!" (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad)

Did you know?
"Slake" is no slacker when it comes to obsolete and archaic meanings. Shakespearean scholars may know that in the Bard's day "slake" meant "to subside or abate" ("No flood by raining slaketh. . . ." -- The Rape of Lucrece) or "to lessen the force of " ("It could not slake mine ire, nor ease my heart." -- Henry VI, Part 3). The most erudite word enthusiasts may also be aware of earlier meanings of "slake," such as "to slacken one's efforts" or "to cause to be relaxed or loose." These early meanings recall the word's Old English ancestor "sleac," which not only meant "slack" but is also the source of that modern term