THE UGLY TIE CONTEST
George Hazlett's wife made him a necktie a few years ago that he rarely wore. In fact, George had forgotten about it until one day a local men's store in Salem, Ohio, announced an "ugly tie" contest. George secretly pulled the tie from its resting place and entered it. He never gave it another thought until he saw it hanging in the store window accompanied by a blue ribbon. Uh Oh! His wife's loving creation was now on public display as "the ugly tie of the day!"
George said, "Although I could see the tie hanging there in the window, I could feel it around my neck -- real tight!"
(George A. Hazlett, Salem, OH, "Lite Fare," Christian Reader. From a sermon by C. Philip Green, Grace at Home--Part I, 6/11/2011)