tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10715869047300895902024-02-07T16:22:14.002-05:00Sincere Thoughts in a Troubled Worldforgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-45923337861775557932016-01-05T09:06:00.003-05:002016-01-05T09:14:04.619-05:00FAMOUS QUOTES<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDO3V-gLBlgzkw9BSljs0z2cHd2Dr8LI0kdTSZ5IXO7llXujdg_SO7U_RtF62CSi4A5oOZcL4IgxqYxogbPh2YQli0E5Hy-Bk-SaN0jmKI2rxkdo46cgS90l_gkq3ViWXKNQytBbySeQA/s320/George+Stephanopoulos.jpg" />"THE PRESIDENT HAS KEPT ALL OF THE PROMISES HE INTENDED TO KEEP."</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Clinton aide George Stephanopolous speaking on Larry King Live</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THE POLICE ARE NOT HERE TO CREATE DISORDER, THEY'RE HERE TO PRESERVE DISORDER"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former Chicago mayor Daley during the infamous 1968 convention</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"BECAUSE IT'S NOT THEIR MONEY"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Bill Clinton, when asked why local school districts couldn't decide how to spend federal education dollars</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"IT IS WONDERFUL TO BE HERE IN THE GREAT STATE OF CHICAGO"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S.. Vice-President Dan Quayle</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THE STREETS ARE SAFE IN PHILADELPHIA, IT'S ONLY THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THEM UNSAFE"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former Philadelphia Mayor and Police Chief Frank Rizzo</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"DURING MY SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, I TOOK THE INITIATIVE IN CREATING THE INTERNET"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THE INTERNET IS A GREAT WAY TO GET ON THE NET"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"HE WAS A MAN OF GREAT STATUE"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Boston mayor Thomas Menino on former mayor John Collins</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"IT'S LIKE AN ALCATRAZ AROUND MY NECK"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Boston mayor Menino on the shortage of city parking spaces</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"I WAS RECENTLY ON A TOUR OF LATIN AMERICA, AND THE ONLY REGRET I HAVE WAS THAT I DIDN'T STUDY LATIN HARDER IN SCHOOL SO I COULD CONVERSE WITH THOSE PEOPLE"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"HOW COULD THIS [Y2K] BE A PROBLEM IN A COUNTRY WHERE WE HAVE INTEL AND MICROSOFT?"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THEY'RE MULTIPURPOSE. NOT ONLY DO THEY PUT THE CLIPS ON, BUT THEY TAKE THEM OFF."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Pratt & Whitney spokesperson explaining why the company charged The Air Force nearly $1,000 for an ordinary pair of pliers.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THAT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU DEFINE 'ALONE' . . . THERE WERE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE WERE ALONE, BUT I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT WE WERE."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Bill Clinton, from his grand jury testimony</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"IT'S LIKE DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Yogi Berra</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"CHINA IS A BIG COUNTRY, INHABITED BY MANY CHINESE"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former French President Charles De Gaulle</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THE LOSS OF LIFE WILL BE IRREPLACEABLE."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle on the San Francisco</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">earthquake</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"IT IS NECESSARY FOR ME TO ESTABLISH A WINNER IMAGE. THEREFORE, I HAVE TO BEAT SOMEBODY."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Richard M. Nixon</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT DOING ENOUGH ABOUT CLEANING UP THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS IS A GOOD PLANET."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Mr. New Jersey contestant when asked what he would do with a</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">million dollars.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"WHEN I HAVE BEEN ASKED DURING THESE LAST WEEKS WHO CAUSED THE RIOTS AND THE KILLING IN L.A., MY ANSWER HAS BEEN DIRECT AND SIMPLE: WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE RIOTS? THE RIOTERS ARE TO BLAME. WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE KILLINGS? THE KILLERS ARE TO BLAME."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle on the complex social issues behind the Los Angeles Riots</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THINGS ARE MORE LIKE THEY ARE NOW THAN THEY EVER WERE BEFORE."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE MEANING OF 'IS' IS."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Bill Clinton, from his grand jury testimony</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"A BILLION HERE, A BILLION THERE, SOONER OR LATER IT ADDS UP TO REAL MONEY."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Senator Everett Dirksen</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"A VERBAL CONTRACT ISN'T WORTH THE PAPER IT'S WRITTEN ON."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Samuel Goldwyn</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"REPUBLICANS UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BONDAGE BETWEEN A MOTHER AND CHILD."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle on Republican family values</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"I DON'T FEEL WE DID WRONG IN TAKING THIS GREAT COUNTRY AWAY FROM THEM. THERE WERE GREAT NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO NEEDED NEW LAND, AND THE INDIANS WERE SELFISHLY TRYING TO KEEP IT FOR THEMSELVES."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- John Wayne</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"YOU KNOW THE ONE THING THAT'S WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY? EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO HAVE THEIR FAIR SAY."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Bill Clinton</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"WITHOUT CENSORSHIP, THINGS CAN GET TERRIBLY CONFUSED IN THE PUBLIC MIND."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- General William Westmoreland</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"WHAT A WASTE IT IS TO LOSE ONE'S MIND. OR NOT TO HAVE A MIND IS BEING VERY WASTEFUL. HOW TRUE THAT IS."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle at a fundraising event for The United Negro College Fund. He was attempting to quote the line "a mind is a terrible thing to waste".</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"IF YOU LET THAT SORT OF THING GO ON, YOUR BREAD AND BUTTER WILL BE CUT RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER YOUR FEET."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Former British foreign minister Ernest Bevin</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"THE ROAD TO TYRANNY, WE MUST REMEMBER, BEGINS WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TRUTH."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Bill Clinton, paragon of truth</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"ANY MAN WHO CAN DRIVE SAFELY WHILE KISSING A PRETTY GIRL IS SIMPLY NOT GIVING THE KISS THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Albert Einstein</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"HAWAII IS A UNIQUE STATE. IT IS A SMALL STATE. IT IS A STATE THAT IS BY ITSELF. IT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER 49 STATES. WELL, ALL STATES ARE DIFFERENT, BUT IT'S GOT A PARTICULARLY UNIQUE SITUATION."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Dan Quayle, VP [they made him swim home after that one]</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE ERROR IN LAST WEEK'S PAPER IN WHICH WE STATED THAT MR. ARNOLD DOGBODY WAS A DEFECTIVE IN THE POLICE FORCE. WE MEANT, OF COURSE, THAT MR. DOGBODY IS A DETECTIVE IN THE POLICE FARCE."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Correction Notice in the Ely Standard, a British newspaper</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"A LOT OF WONDERFUL PEOPLE LOVE THEIR COUNTRY AND HATE THE MILITARY."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #474b4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">- Bill Clinton, in a 1969 letter to the National Guard</span>forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-67767611759638912232014-12-04T09:23:00.002-05:002014-12-04T09:23:49.510-05:00This Is The Season Of Giving(Taken from Cee's Thot's)<br />
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/6262/130808948331309/1600/543830/Hauling%20Logs.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/6262/130808948331309/200/869859/Hauling%20Logs.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a><br />
I feel the need to talk about the real meaning of Christmas today. It isn't about presents and fun. It's about our God's love for us, sending the Ultimate perfect gift for us. A sacrificial gift that cost Jesus His life on earth. Please read this story and think of God's selfless gift to us, as this man gave to his neighbors.<br />
<br />
It also reminded me that God wants me to touch my neighbors and family with the love of the Lord. Have I met any needs that I have seen in them this past year? I may or may not have, but in the coming year I'm going to be more aware of any needs that I can see, and do something about them.<br />
<br />
May the Lord richly bless you and yours on Christmas.<br />
<br />
Psalm 136:26 "O Give thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mecry endureth forever."<br />
<br />
Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.<br />
<br />
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that year for Christmas.<br />
<br />
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures.<br />
<br />
But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.<br />
<br />
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight."<br />
<br />
I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this.<br />
<br />
But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.<br />
<br />
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.<br />
<br />
The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy.<br />
<br />
When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me."<br />
<br />
The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.<br />
<br />
When we had exchanged the sideboards Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood---the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"<br />
<br />
"You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked.<br />
<br />
The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "why?"<br />
<br />
"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt."<br />
<br />
That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.<br />
<br />
We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.<br />
<br />
"What's in the little sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."<br />
<br />
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards.<br />
<br />
Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.<br />
<br />
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door.<br />
<br />
We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"<br />
<br />
"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"<br />
<br />
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.<br />
<br />
"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.<br />
<br />
"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said, then he turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."<br />
<br />
I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before.<br />
<br />
I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.<br />
<br />
I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.<br />
<br />
She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."<br />
<br />
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.<br />
<br />
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get.<br />
<br />
Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.<br />
<br />
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug.<br />
<br />
They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.<br />
<br />
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two older brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away.<br />
<br />
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, 'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will."<br />
<br />
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said,"Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunnysacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."<br />
<br />
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.<br />
<br />
For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.<br />
<br />
+++++++++++++++forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-55505659736088782322013-09-12T00:10:00.005-04:002013-09-12T00:10:38.400-04:00Andy Rooney, the Original Blogger<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqcOLBz6P1hmNDxPGCZBI6ycsBAYa1BSuWhNTJ7hW5LFJ270SFssOVx2VI4WHU_zYfVIfXNH6_NJr67uzc0lmsQm9ANApCYTQWq_meIH8rV9vdRJUisLZn1J13oI0FO0uLGgR509d4_4/s1600-h/Andy+Rooney.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5018281604734062850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqcOLBz6P1hmNDxPGCZBI6ycsBAYa1BSuWhNTJ7hW5LFJ270SFssOVx2VI4WHU_zYfVIfXNH6_NJr67uzc0lmsQm9ANApCYTQWq_meIH8rV9vdRJUisLZn1J13oI0FO0uLGgR509d4_4/s200/Andy+Rooney.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a>Did you ever notice how everyone these days is talking about blogs? Well, I looked up the word “blog” in Webster’s, and it turns out it’s not even in the dictionary. By the way, why do dictionaries even bother with the letter “X”? Once you get past xylophone and X-ray, what else is there?<br />
<br />
If blogs aren’t in the dictionary, I don’t see how they can be very important. I know they have something to do with computers, which may explain why they aren’t in the dictionary. Probably some sort of computer glitch at the dictionary factory.<br />
<br />
I got a computer for the first time a few weeks ago, and I have to say that it’s not much of an improvement over my old manual typewriter. First of all, the keyboard hardly makes any noise. I like a lot of noise when I’m typing – makes people think I’m really getting some work done. And there are so many keys on my computer keyboard that I don’t understand at all. Here’s one key down at the bottom that just has “alt” printed on it. Does that stand for “altitude”? Alternator? Altercation? Until I find out for sure, there’s no way I’m touching that key.<br />
<br />
Here’s another key up near the top that’s marked “help.” If you ask me, all of the keys on a computer keyboard should be marked “help.” I touched this key once and the computer started asking me a lot of questions. That’s wasn’t very helpful.<br />
<br />
Now, up here at the very top of the keyboard there’s a whole row of keys marked F1, F2, F3, all the way up to F16. Now, I know what an F16 is – it’s a jet fighter aircraft made by Lockheed Martin. It’s a real beauty. But all those other F-keys have me stumped.<br />
<br />
Speaking of stumps, if one careless match can start a huge forest fire, why does it take me 100 matches to light my charcoal grill? Maybe we should douse all of our national forests with lighter fluid just to be on the safe side. And come to think of it, why does the word “flammable” mean the same thing as the word “inflammable”? Sounds to me like another computer glitch at the dictionary factory.<br />
<br />
But this whole blog thing has me confused. If blogs are so important and they have something to do with computers, why isn’t there a “blog” key on my computer keyboard? I might be willing to sacrifice a few of my F-keys – if I knew what they did.<br />
<br />
My boss at CBS tells me I’m blogging right now and don’t even know it. Somehow, you can just sit down at a computer and type whatever pops into your head and it gets turned into a blog. Doesn’t seem possible, but then again, I said the same thing about jumbo shrimp.<br />
<br />
Which reminds me – if we can send a man to the moon, why can’t we make a bag of potato chips that doesn’t explode when you open it?<br />
<br />
From: The Other End of the Telescopeforgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-59508957991628484132013-09-10T08:37:00.000-04:002013-09-10T08:37:11.379-04:00Maxine on Border Control<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqSY6FmZzBjahnom0r8d7sshxgc0N5_d2O75aPDluQ3dKtmmzxEv62mxk7O93W_-5Hb2MflhFA7uimmdJbjFhbOMUf_21kzSf5afnP-f3-ZoS7S0H8M4Tczp0z1Kg7PmIbUDArshuBJU/s1600/maxine4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqSY6FmZzBjahnom0r8d7sshxgc0N5_d2O75aPDluQ3dKtmmzxEv62mxk7O93W_-5Hb2MflhFA7uimmdJbjFhbOMUf_21kzSf5afnP-f3-ZoS7S0H8M4Tczp0z1Kg7PmIbUDArshuBJU/s320/maxine4a.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 21px;"><strong>Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, wild animals attacking humans in Florida.<br /><br />Not me. I concentrate on solutions to problems. The result is a win-win-win situation:</strong></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 21px;"><strong>* Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border</strong></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 21px;"><strong>* Use the dirt to raise the levies in New Orleans</strong></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 21px;"><strong>* Put the Florida alligators in the moat.<br /><br />Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?</strong></span></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-30965034233409109542013-09-09T12:40:00.004-04:002013-09-09T12:40:49.582-04:00The Wrong Church??<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jj76mEJ1tfu6yaifcOAgS81MlO1Hrc_0xCJ-ZKtqekeeFzSSTCdhGLTAXjIUbThYtgSYyMBYESxcx4UIzUzVefefSNyD1lqA8I07i79J-74jEsU1osURb66Y4tAdOVGwB4I_Mm4sOXM/s1600/Church+clipart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Jj76mEJ1tfu6yaifcOAgS81MlO1Hrc_0xCJ-ZKtqekeeFzSSTCdhGLTAXjIUbThYtgSYyMBYESxcx4UIzUzVefefSNyD1lqA8I07i79J-74jEsU1osURb66Y4tAdOVGwB4I_Mm4sOXM/s200/Church+clipart.jpg" width="155" /></a>ELEVEN WAYS TO KNOW YOU MAY BE IN THE WRONG CHURCH.......<br />
<br />
- The staff consists of Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor, and Socio-Pastor.<br />
<br />
- They have ATM machines in the lobby.<br />
<br />
- No cover charge, but communion is a two drink minimum.<br />
<br />
- Services are B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Snakes)<br />
<br />
- They have karaoke worship time.<br />
<br />
- The guy that takes the minutes in business meeting votes against everything because he can't spell unanimous.<br />
<br />
- The only song the church organist knows is "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".<br />
<br />
- The church bus has gun racks.<br />
<br />
- The Bible they use is the "Dr. Seuss" version.<br />
<br />
- The choir wears leather robes.<br />
<br />
- When you go in ushers ask you, "Do you want smoking or non-smoking?"<br />
<br />
<br />
TEN THINGS YOU NEVER HEAR IN MOST CHURCHES.......<br />
<br />
1. Hey! It's MY turn to sit on the front pew!<br />
<br />
2. I was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermon went over time 25 minutes.<br />
<br />
3. Personally, I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf.<br />
<br />
4. I've decided to give our church the $500.00 a month I used to send to TV evangelists.<br />
<br />
5. I volunteer to be the permanent teacher for the Junior High Sunday School class.<br />
<br />
6. Forget the minimum salary: let's pay our pastor so he can live like we do.<br />
<br />
7. I love it when we sing hymns I've never heard before!<br />
<br />
8. Since we're all here, let's start the worship service early!<br />
<br />
9. Pastor, we'd like to send you to this Bible seminar in the Bahamas.<br />
<br />
10. Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like our annual stewardship campaign!<br />
<br />
<br />
from <a href="http://www.net153.com/illustrations/">www.net153.com/illustrations/</a>forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-24720416685203528312013-09-07T20:23:00.000-04:002013-09-09T12:37:33.302-04:00Sounds Like a Woman<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbjKkeHVUBrDvh4re5OpRcEdz9PK4R4e-dyKAPf7g3hn3sEgpJw8HQMmdwaOG4xACEb4aK0DzMRoweKAKhYH7sufPxJJKoRHHzgGVGpf_UiVODSJs5LfTKh85bwFoR6HsbRob6ShnSe8/s1600-h/Snowplow.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025685669672483490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbjKkeHVUBrDvh4re5OpRcEdz9PK4R4e-dyKAPf7g3hn3sEgpJw8HQMmdwaOG4xACEb4aK0DzMRoweKAKhYH7sufPxJJKoRHHzgGVGpf_UiVODSJs5LfTKh85bwFoR6HsbRob6ShnSe8/s200/Snowplow.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>It was snowing heavily and blowing to the point that visibility was almost zero when the little lady got off work. She made her way to her car and wondered how she was going to make it home. She sat in her car while it warmed up and thought about her situation. She finally remembered her daddy's advice that if she got caught in a blizzard she should wait for a snow plow to come by and follow it.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
That way she would not get stuck in a snow drift. This made her feel much better and sure enough in a little while a snow plow went by and she started to follow it. As she followed the snow plow she was feeling very smug as they continued and she was not having any problem with the blizzard conditions.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
After an hour had passed, she was somewhat surprised when the snowplow stopped and the driver got out and came back to her car and signaled for her to roll down her window.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The snow plow driver wanted to know if she was all right as she had been following him for a long time. She said that she was fine and told him of her daddy's advice to follow a snow plow when caught in a blizzard.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The driver replied that it was OK with him and she could continue if she wanted, but when he was done with the Wal-Mart parking lot he was going over to Sears.</div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-14132347930454932802013-09-06T07:18:00.000-04:002013-09-06T07:18:49.626-04:00Dissatisfied Americans? ... or just ungrateful?<span style="color: red;">Received via e-mail a few years back:</span><br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxNRyUTp8agRtZmgUm7GwbNpFsCnVAsOuQKs5FDv5GW3yT04rMrNFIWj_EA32Y8g3PkV7rQQk9phZGTGZgeOlb42YucK0OHmljITIyz7VElU6q0oF_ajssr3_hCy0z8ibjDEMzLAuU5g/s1600/Dissatisfied.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxNRyUTp8agRtZmgUm7GwbNpFsCnVAsOuQKs5FDv5GW3yT04rMrNFIWj_EA32Y8g3PkV7rQQk9phZGTGZgeOlb42YucK0OHmljITIyz7VElU6q0oF_ajssr3_hCy0z8ibjDEMzLAuU5g/s400/Dissatisfied.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
A recent Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just aren't happy and want a change.<br />
<br />
So being the Die Hard American that I am, I started thinking, ''What are we so unhappy about?''<br />
<br />
Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?<br />
<br />
Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.<br />
<br />
Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This is all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.<br />
<br />
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.<br />
<br />
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.<br />
<br />
I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist<br />
attacks? The commander-in-chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?<br />
<br />
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an “other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.<br />
<br />
So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like<br />
O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife. Insane!<br />
<br />
Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.<br />
<br />
I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953: ''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''<br />
<br />
I suggest we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful, this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-37856314832405188762013-09-05T00:11:00.000-04:002013-09-05T00:11:36.941-04:00The Bible Salesman<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkHEbrZFghaeb-dUqWGAGcKLRrEGJWAw5btoXEdHXRe9yce7wrTLiLEFqLV2KVfymWlbKSSmNY7MVVKGxTZIv4db13VQNJVAq8ec8IdqPEtENRrIL494wTresnN8sKWT8Ko-YQyeJdNM/s1600-h/Bible+Salesman.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026154783180421810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkHEbrZFghaeb-dUqWGAGcKLRrEGJWAw5btoXEdHXRe9yce7wrTLiLEFqLV2KVfymWlbKSSmNY7MVVKGxTZIv4db13VQNJVAq8ec8IdqPEtENRrIL494wTresnN8sKWT8Ko-YQyeJdNM/s1600/Bible+Salesman.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>A pastor concluded that his church was getting into serious financial troubles.<br />
<br />
While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed.<br />
<br />
So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.<br />
<br />
Jack, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task. The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned their living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment.<br />
<br />
Poor Louis stuttered badly. But, not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister decided to let him try anyway.<br />
<br />
He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with bibles.<br />
<br />
He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.<br />
<br />
Eager to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Jack, "Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our bibles last week?"<br />
<br />
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Jack replied, "Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here's the $200 I collected on behalf of the church."<br />
<br />
"Fine job, Jack!" The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. "You are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you."<br />
<br />
Turning to Paul, "And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the church last week?"<br />
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied,"I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and here's $280 I collected."<br />
<br />
The minister responded, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is also indebted to you."<br />
<br />
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, "And Louie, did you manage to sell any bibles last week?" Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope.<br />
<br />
The minister opened it and counted the contents. "What is this?" the minister exclaimed. "Louie, there's $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?"<br />
<br />
Louie just nodded. That's impossible!" both Jack and Paul said in unison. "We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many bibles as we could"<br />
<br />
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister agreed. "I think you'd better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."<br />
<br />
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don't kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.<br />
<br />
Impatiently, Paul interrupted. "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!"<br />
<br />
"A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was," Louis replied , "W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks ---o-o-o-or--- wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you??"forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-26069564782577333472013-09-04T00:34:00.000-04:002013-09-04T00:34:28.666-04:00I Love My Job ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUCGgF1F48z0Bw5XSL46-wvwYapWLH9QFIHF38jD6lT47MY_qD5Q4WMXNk1OCOJ1sBD3UcifSbPoedtPxPVx9woGQCWNPlCQNrq1Wmqpw6M9XOPmGezeTUVwiVryYHB1wD_Hg6yuTQdo/s1600-h/Scuba-Diver-01.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026450388599536322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUCGgF1F48z0Bw5XSL46-wvwYapWLH9QFIHF38jD6lT47MY_qD5Q4WMXNk1OCOJ1sBD3UcifSbPoedtPxPVx9woGQCWNPlCQNrq1Wmqpw6M9XOPmGezeTUVwiVryYHB1wD_Hg6yuTQdo/s200/Scuba-Diver-01.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>If you don't laugh out loud after you read this you are in a coma! This is even funnier when you realize it's real! Next time you have a bad day at work think of this guy.<br />
<br />
Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. He performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs.<br />
<br />
Below is an E-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to radio station 103.2 on FM dial in Fort Wayne, Indiana , who was sponsoring a worst job experience contest. Needless to say, she won.<br />
<br />
<em>Hi Sue,<br /><br />Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother.<br /><br />Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it's not so bad after all .<br /><br />Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job.<br /><br />As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It's a wet suit. This time of year the water is quite cool. So what we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea. It heats it to a delightful temperature.<br /><br />It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose, which is taped to the air hose. Now this sounds like a good plan, and I've used it several times with no complaints.<br /><br />What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It's like working in a Jacuzzi.<br /><br />Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my butt started to itch. So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few seconds my butt started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done. In agony I realized what had happened.<br /><br />The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit. Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't stick to it. However, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate.<br /><br />When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into the crack of my butt.<br /><br />I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he and the five other divers were all laughing hysterically.<br /><br />Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression stops totaling thirty-five minutes before I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression. When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet.<br /><br />As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt as soon as I got in the chamber.<br /><br />The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my butt was swollen shut.<br /></em>So, next time you're having a bad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a jellyfish shoved up your butt.<br />
<br />
Now repeat to yourself, "I love my job, I love my job, I love my job."<br />
<br />
Now whenever you have a bad day, ask yourself, is this a jellyfish bad day?<br />
<br />
May you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day!!!!!forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-43738237952688943202013-09-03T07:14:00.000-04:002013-09-03T07:14:19.326-04:00Three Wishes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzT7AqrvKEOv6KwlHrqIk53hnzaR_j5cI9UUg8XIvpHdN_7UU92LJQwZiTb1XK7UWNFY_NJw2NQGwUw29c1FB_ktYmqRrckMCwWRDHXYREhkCMYvF0yTAyukpT2Hz2suRfeDlg7bCOzg/s1600-h/genie.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024961091509778962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzT7AqrvKEOv6KwlHrqIk53hnzaR_j5cI9UUg8XIvpHdN_7UU92LJQwZiTb1XK7UWNFY_NJw2NQGwUw29c1FB_ktYmqRrckMCwWRDHXYREhkCMYvF0yTAyukpT2Hz2suRfeDlg7bCOzg/s200/genie.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>Three guys -- a Canadian farmer, Osama bin Laden, and an American engineer -- are working together one day. They come across a lamp and a Genie pops out of it.<br />
<br />
"I will give each of you one wish, which is three wishes total" says the Genie.<br />
<br />
The Canadian says, "I am a farmer, my dad was a farmer, and my son will also farm. I want the land to be forever fertile in Canada."<br />
<br />
Pooooof! With the blink of the Genie's eye, the land in Canada was forever made fertile for farming.<br />
<br />
Osama bin Ladin was amazed, so he said, "I want a wall around Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran so that no infidels, Jews or Americans can come into our precious state."<br />
<br />
Pooooof! Again, with the blink of the Genie's eye, there was a huge wall around those countries.<br />
<br />
The American engineer asks, "I am very curious. Please tell me more about this wall".<br />
<br />
The Genie explains, "Well, it's about 5000 feet high, 500 feet thick and completely surrounds the country. Nothing can get in or out -- it's virtually impenetrable."<br />
<br />
The American engineer says, "Fill it with water."forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-9758323396404971752013-09-02T05:54:00.002-04:002013-09-02T05:55:45.931-04:00Funny Newspaper Headlines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVN1K2xYK2vQXr9AZ1pHnUJrs1G9MSA70JTnCQukHOGDhC9vXGj5mUoVwlA4Z2YnxTocXteNBoNwnC0FZ4A2XeYBZZ_8lZQBtb2St9zwbafkP5zlnSx9s5-7uc77oWulFgl0wmKoEvhU/s1600/Newspaper+Headline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVN1K2xYK2vQXr9AZ1pHnUJrs1G9MSA70JTnCQukHOGDhC9vXGj5mUoVwlA4Z2YnxTocXteNBoNwnC0FZ4A2XeYBZZ_8lZQBtb2St9zwbafkP5zlnSx9s5-7uc77oWulFgl0wmKoEvhU/s1600/Newspaper+Headline.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Antique Stripper to Display Wares at Store</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b></b></div>
<br />
<b>Prostitutes Appeal to Pope</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Teacher Strikes Idle Kids</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Lawyers Give Poor Free Legal Advice</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fund Set Up for Beating Victim's Kin in 10 Years</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Cancer Society Honors Marlboro Man</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Nicaragua Sets Goal to Wipe Out Literacy</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Autos Killing 110 a Day--Let's Resolve to Do Better</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>20-Year Friendship Ends at Altar</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>War Dims Hope For Peace</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last A While</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Half of U.S. High Schools Require Some Study for Graduation</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Blind Woman Gets New Kidney from Dad She Hasn't Seen in Years</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Include your Children when Baking Cookies</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Survivor of Siamese Twins Joins Parents</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Farmer Bill Dies in House</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Iraqi Head Seeks Arms</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Shot Off Woman's leg Helps Nicklaus to 66</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax</b>forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-76727469790746842232013-09-01T01:22:00.000-04:002013-09-02T05:50:42.827-04:00Grand Canyon Daredevil<div align="center">
This is a case of photographer photographs photographer. The following photographs were taken by photographer Hans van de Vorst at the Grand Canyon, Arizona. The descriptions are his own The identity of the photographer IN the photos is unknown.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbYqeKfYNk2MIjHOdcOhRsFWYAyNQtu8K63rrI1Oybk-Yjy22m2o7XADim1uGoNsvAQgzF6d5YtnyUccEJTSx2TYOct5DsNcLcN4S94Du6PLSBI7ntC_DfKyWADLaEqSwQ1kbJGh0kGo/s1600/Daredevil1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbYqeKfYNk2MIjHOdcOhRsFWYAyNQtu8K63rrI1Oybk-Yjy22m2o7XADim1uGoNsvAQgzF6d5YtnyUccEJTSx2TYOct5DsNcLcN4S94Du6PLSBI7ntC_DfKyWADLaEqSwQ1kbJGh0kGo/s320/Daredevil1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
I was simply stunned seeing this guy standing on this solitary rock IN the Grand Canyon. The canyon's depth is 900 meters here. The rock on the right is next to the canyon and safe. Watching this guy in his thong sandals, with a camera and a tripod I asked myself 3 questions:</div>
<br />
<div align="center">
1. How did he climb that rock?</div>
<br />
<div align="center">
2. Why not take the sunset picture on that rock</div>
<div align="center">
to the right, which is perfectly safe? And..!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
3. How will he get back?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT2-2m50qJA7n64z1i1LxMzKRJJeMsTHdj7_xJDc-S3HSZZS9w6afV34yyR69uyvNG6KKSJaqYeqklHvUTh5L5B5mM3ADSAhNhPBeZO-ASGzZ4PEE6mLxzBOdsaUQonKjDPVGlbrhCGE/s1600/Daredevil2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT2-2m50qJA7n64z1i1LxMzKRJJeMsTHdj7_xJDc-S3HSZZS9w6afV34yyR69uyvNG6KKSJaqYeqklHvUTh5L5B5mM3ADSAhNhPBeZO-ASGzZ4PEE6mLxzBOdsaUQonKjDPVGlbrhCGE/s320/Daredevil2.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
This is the point of no return. After the sun set behind the canyon's horizon he packed his things. (having only one hand available) and prepared himself for the jump. This took about 2 minutes. At that point he had the full attention of the crowd. After that, he jumped, in his thong sandals. The canyon's depth is 900 meters here. Now you can see that the adjacent rock is higher so he tried to land lower, which is quite steep and tried to use his one hand to grab the rock.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9x4xrQT31n7xZd-QXzGiAdH82lKmF0ciT3kkDoCFqpckxHUUGO6LYZzTCV1fgnkHTVBid1FaHud1Z-U4sXhKjOx6I5rhX13N8YBadNtQqjujbGecHOLYnE8qqnFPmLuZNo2zbjofqhM/s1600/Daredevil3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9x4xrQT31n7xZd-QXzGiAdH82lKmF0ciT3kkDoCFqpckxHUUGO6LYZzTCV1fgnkHTVBid1FaHud1Z-U4sXhKjOx6I5rhX13N8YBadNtQqjujbGecHOLYnE8qqnFPmLuZNo2zbjofqhM/s320/Daredevil3.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
We've come to the end of this little story. Look carefully at the photographer. He has a camera, a tripod and also a plastic bag, all on his shoulder or in his left hand. Only his right hand is available to grab the rock and the weight of his stuff is a problem. He lands low on this flip flops both his right hand and right foot slips away.... At that moment I take this shot. He pushes his body against the rock. He waits for a few seconds, throws his stuff on the rock, climbs and walks away.<br />
<br /></div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025315018289805874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgmJx7FlBDVZJjpbljR8h_RPjyqVnf8lNmQ18qNjRu57JlL2t5Qgqz-DvfoZ-tjOj3cR4B_nT0X2grEmQ6HuZAfCybEszChxMB944neOrkZdYbMgqGrj-n2bT8GuAQ13PCIkTEzIyhu8/s320/Daredevil4.bmp" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><br />
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
Is this one truth or fiction?<br />
<br />
Check it out at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/g/gcdaredevil.htm">http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/g/gcdaredevil.htm</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-86064335708651908972013-08-31T07:36:00.002-04:002013-08-31T07:36:56.551-04:00Las Vegas Churches<div>
<div>
A little known fact:<br />
<br /></div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024587644103391730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIS80aQ-3MjVmdQq0sTePS9oM3AN5_J0rkTrtit80DKnBPcIJhfiHLWoMBViTy0jQmxCoXJDIPAR4xZP_9dXC9ZSqkXzt1yTLNpDXxOGKh9Q0_jbakEUzLHNv8m2ntPiHudepeNVwjCF4/s320/Las+Vegas.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><br />
<br />
Las Vegas Churches<br />
<br />
THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE TO THOSE OF YOU NOT LIVING IN LAS VEGAS , BUT THERE ARE MORE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THAN CASINOS.<br />
<br />
<br />
NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME WORSHIPERS AT SUNDAY SERVICES WILL GIVE CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN CASH WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
SINCE THEY GET CHIPS FROM MANY DIFFERENT CASINOS, THE CHURCHES HAVE DEVISED A METHOD TO COLLECT THE OFFERINGS.</div>
<div>
<br />
THE CHURCHES SEND ALL THEIR COLLECTED CHIPS TO A NEARBY FRANCISCAN MONASTERY FOR SORTING AND THEN THE CHIPS ARE TAKEN TO THE CASINOS OF ORIGIN AND CASHED IN.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
THIS IS DONE BY THE CHIP MONKS.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbALSY_cytN2WURrSMyOLsnCzNbDxEjOQ_TLQoa1AvwceOlaCycYjYyUQL12YQVjpgT_UMVv1nuzgNnkdykIDMcbJiUrqYRkvvHqT2-jKRXhBFv23_JHjqnPUFvbx76jwxu5gO_vdoeI/s1600-h/Jerry+Laughing.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024587154477119970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbALSY_cytN2WURrSMyOLsnCzNbDxEjOQ_TLQoa1AvwceOlaCycYjYyUQL12YQVjpgT_UMVv1nuzgNnkdykIDMcbJiUrqYRkvvHqT2-jKRXhBFv23_JHjqnPUFvbx76jwxu5gO_vdoeI/s200/Jerry+Laughing.gif" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
YOU DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT COMING DID YOU ?<br />
GOTCHA!</div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-76414065863131131302013-08-30T07:26:00.002-04:002013-08-31T07:35:14.448-04:00ICE (In Case of Emergency)<div>
Isn't it true that we all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names/numbers stored in its memory but yet nobody, other than ourselves, know which of these numbers belong to our near and dear ones?<br />
<br />
Let us for a moment create a scenario wherein (God forbid):<br />
<br />
We are involved in an accident or had a heart attack and the people attending us get hold of our mobile phone but don't know which number to call to inform our family members.<br />
<br />
Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYolhhHO89qByaoifU9kDjXfxIZ0O8KaxjcH8m3VvymwXtyfTp18cv25_nWg-VPvZJDA1-Olhkd0v2BVInaRijlrL-RVkQsb0Bugbs227QbTs8gLLqmHxQjvJk6i_lMGtoVb_qQjNiYh4/s1600-h/ICE.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024203566652946882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYolhhHO89qByaoifU9kDjXfxIZ0O8KaxjcH8m3VvymwXtyfTp18cv25_nWg-VPvZJDA1-Olhkd0v2BVInaRijlrL-RVkQsb0Bugbs227QbTs8gLLqmHxQjvJk6i_lMGtoVb_qQjNiYh4/s200/ICE.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a>For this reason, we must have one or more telephone numbers stored under the name ICE (In case of Emergency) in our mobile phones.<br />
<br />
Read below for more details......<br />
<br />
Recently, the concept of "ICE" is catching up quickly. It is simple, an important method of contact during emergency situations.<br />
<br />
As cell phones are carried by majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or person who should be contacted at during emergency as "ICE" (meaning In Case of Emergency).<br />
<br />
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call.<br />
<br />
He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose.<br />
<br />
Following a disaster in London , the East Anglican Ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" campaign.<br />
<br />
In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialing the number stored as "ICE".<br />
<br />
Please forward this. It won't take too many "forwards" before every body will know about this.<br />
<br />
It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.<br />
<br />
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.<br />
<br />
A great idea that will make a difference!<br />
<br />
Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile phones today!</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
**************************************************</div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Here's further info:</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/icephone.asp">http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/icephone.asp</a></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-52730736287015153422013-08-29T05:39:00.003-04:002013-08-29T05:39:50.976-04:00The Wounded Soldier<div>
SMA Jack Tilley described a visit a few years ago to our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington that he will never forget.<br />
<br />
The Special Forces soldier had lost his right hand and had suffered severe wounds of his face and side of his body. As SMA Tilley described, how do you honor such a soldier, showing respect without offending?<br />
<br />
What can you say or do in such a situation that will encourage and uplift? How do you shake the right hand of a soldier who just lost his?<br />
<br />
Finally he told how he acted as though the man had a hand, taking his wrist as though it were his hand and speaking encouragement to him.<br />
<br />
But he said there was another man in that group of visitors who had even brought his wife with him to visit the wounded who knew exactly what to do. This man reverently took this soldier's stump of a hand in both of his hands, bowed at the bedside and prayed for him. When he stood from praying he bent over and kissed the man on the head and told him he loved him.<br />
<br />
What a powerful expression of love for one of our wounded heroes! And what a beautiful Christ-like example! What kind of man would kneel in such humility and submission to the Living God of the Bible?<br />
<br />
It was George W. Bush, President of the United States and Commander in Chief of our Armed forces, a true leader. Where's that kind of love, compassion and respect today?<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."</strong></em></div>
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008257071196476770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Dmc14FRtRpGynnrUV37dXD0vwOJorw3LGxdk-gNIBdCZbxklJmxUHlgRP9slDVKmbRIvE0pG6QolCLqgl6a1cgEHOn84abS8IIR7sLTZ9gRzOkA7Xm_340MUjtW0iYCZyUQg1O95fDI/s400/Pres+%26+Mrs+Bush+with+wounded.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px;">In this photo, President and Mrs. Bush meet with Staff Sgt. Michael McNaughton at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.</span></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-49772470534668874932013-08-28T00:16:00.001-04:002013-08-28T00:16:26.257-04:00The Bell<span style="color: red;"><b>Once again ... via email:</b></span><br />
<br />
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.<br />
<br />
From a distance, each looks like every other horse.<br />
<br />
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.<br />
<br />
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.<br />
<br />
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.<br />
<br />
This alone is amazing.<br />
<br />
If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell.<br />
<br />
Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.<br />
<br />
Attached to her halter is a small bell.<br />
<br />
It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.<br />
<br />
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.<br />
<br />
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.<br />
<br />
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.<br />
<br />
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.<br />
<br />
Good friends are like this ..........<br />
<br />
You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.<br />
<br />
<br />
Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<br />
"Be kinder than necessary,</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
for everyone you meet is</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
fighting some kind of battle". </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-24590369400008581042013-08-27T01:51:00.002-04:002013-08-27T01:51:30.435-04:00The Tomato CompanyAn unemployed man is desperate to support his family of a wife and three kids. He applies for a janitor's job at a large firm and easily passes an aptitude test.<br />
<br />
The human resources manager tells him, "You will be hired at minimum wage of $5.35 an hour. Let me have your e-mail address so that we can get you into the loop. Our system will automatically e-mail you all the forms and advise you when to start and where to report on your first day."<br />
<br />
Taken aback, the man protests that he is poor and has neither a computer nor an e-mail address.<br />
<br />
To this the manager replies, "You must understand that to a company like ours you virtually do not exist. Without an e-mail address you can hardly expect to be employed by a high-tech firm. Good day."<br />
<br />
Stunned, the man leaves. Not knowing where to turn and having $10 in his wallet, he walks past a farmers' market and sees a stand selling 25 lb. crates of beautiful red tomatoes. He buys a crate, carries it to a busy corner and displays the tomatoes. In less than 2 hours he sells all the tomatoes and makes 100% profit. Repeating the process several times more that day, he ends up with almost $100 and arrives home that night with several bags of groceries for his family.<br />
<br />
During the night he decides to repeat the tomato business the next day. By the end of the week he is getting up early every day and working into the night. He multiplies his profits quickly.<br />
<br />
Early in the second week he acquires a cart to transport several boxes of tomatoes at a time, but before a month is up he sells the cart to buy a broken-down pickup truck.<br />
<br />
At the end of a year he owns three old trucks. His two sons have left their neighborhood gangs to help him with the tomato business, his wife is buying the tomatoes, and his daughter is taking night courses at the community college so she can keep books for him.<br />
<br />
By the end of the second year he has a dozen very nice used trucks and employs fifteen previously unemployed people, all selling tomatoes. He continues to work hard.<br />
<br />
Time passes and at the end of the fifth year he owns a fleet of nice trucks and a warehouse that his wife supervises, plus two tomato farms that the boys manage. The tomato company's payroll has put hundreds of homeless and jobless people to work. His daughter reports that the business grossed over one million dollars.<br />
<br />
Planning for the future, he decides to buy some life insurance. Consulting with an insurance adviser, he picks an insurance plan to fit his new circumstances. Then the adviser asks him for his e-mail.<br />
<br />
When the man replies that he doesn't have time to mess with a computer and has no e-mail address, the insurance man is stunned, "What, you don't have e-mail? No computer? No Internet? Just think where you would be today if you'd had all of that five years ago!"<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyVTlN0GCFpjzH3DpadJDjzDo3kk2g6SOEOoOFW7QR8bkX8DU2CGaaBJoc-TyUhnnqcEzLwVTKVVFCUSADIcqzaH3q8hopAWjjZxXSw7_hlrKhOBcMuGv9_2PloaBHPQIu09KZYA967g/s1600/tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyVTlN0GCFpjzH3DpadJDjzDo3kk2g6SOEOoOFW7QR8bkX8DU2CGaaBJoc-TyUhnnqcEzLwVTKVVFCUSADIcqzaH3q8hopAWjjZxXSw7_hlrKhOBcMuGv9_2PloaBHPQIu09KZYA967g/s1600/tomatoes.jpg" /></a><br />
"Ha!" snorts the man. "If I'd had e-mail five years ago I would be sweeping floors at Microsoft and making $5.35 an hour."<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the moral of the story:<br />
Since you got this story by e-mail, you're probably closer to being a janitor than a millionaire.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I RECEIVED IT TOO.forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-41183244728724440772013-08-26T00:22:00.002-04:002013-08-27T01:46:01.003-04:00It's Time for America to Speak Up<div align="left">
This came around a few months ago:</div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGOoWW5blB64xrkdMLZKbyXyQiNYBcQjW731ggR9CKUbq0Jzy5FWLQ3AwtTmv6FTGiK7oDeVAb9c2PMtQ-trtTWZnNGUVYJlTE886-hZx8IG1OO9nx2_DGcqJR02njUW74zKEMBvjTwM/s1600/National+Anthem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGOoWW5blB64xrkdMLZKbyXyQiNYBcQjW731ggR9CKUbq0Jzy5FWLQ3AwtTmv6FTGiK7oDeVAb9c2PMtQ-trtTWZnNGUVYJlTE886-hZx8IG1OO9nx2_DGcqJR02njUW74zKEMBvjTwM/s1600/National+Anthem.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">I’m sorry, but after hearing they want</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">to sing OUR National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough!</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">Nowhere did they sing it in Italian,</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, French, or any other language because of immigration.</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">It was</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #000099;"><br />written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it</span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">was written. The news broadcasts even</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">gave the translation - not even close.</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">Sorry if this offends anyone, but this is</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 29px;"><strong>MY COUNTRY</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;">IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY,</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;">SPEAK UP!</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">I am not against immigration -</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">just come through like everyone else.</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">Get a sponsor;</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">have a place to lay your head;</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">have a job;</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">pay your taxes;</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">live by the rules;</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">and</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;">LEARN THE LANGUAGE</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">as all other immigrants have in the past</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">and</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 29px;"><strong>GOD BLESS AMERICA!</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;">PART OF THE PROBLEM</span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">Think about this:</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">If you don't want to forward this</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">for fear of offending someone,</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;"><strong>YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">Will we still be the Country of choice</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">and still be America if we continue</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">to make the changes forced on us by</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">people from other countries who came</span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;">to live in America because it is the</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;"><strong>Country of Choice?</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">Think about it!</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">All we have to say is, when will</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;">Someone do something about</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099;"><br /></span><span style="color: red; font-size: 21px;"><strong>MY RIGHTS?</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<span style="color: #3333ff;">We've gone so far the other way,</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;">bent over backwards to not</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;">offend anyone, that I am now</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;">being offended.</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;">But it seems no one has a problem</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #3333ff;">with that.</span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: red; font-size: 29px;"><strong>It is Time for</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: red; font-size: 29px;"><strong></strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: red; font-size: 29px;"><strong>America to Speak up</strong></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-size: 29px;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
</div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-65541220346125084142013-08-25T00:30:00.000-04:002013-08-25T00:30:22.261-04:00North / SouthThe North has Bloomingdales, The South has Dollar General<br />
<br />
The North has coffee houses, The South has Waffle Houses.<br />
<br />
The North has dating services, The South has family reunions.<br />
<br />
The North has switchblade knives, The South has Lee Press-on Nails.<br />
<br />
The North has double last names, The South has double first names.<br />
<br />
The North has Indy car races, The South has stock car races.<br />
<br />
The North has Cream of Wheat, The South has grits.<br />
<br />
The North has green salads, The South has collard greens.<br />
<br />
The North has lobsters, The South has crawfish.<br />
<br />
The North has the rust belt, The South has the Bible Belt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPdc4teYeMLoEh8Dga0u_gF1uB2YNB-JiBiPeLD5cEvgnG8XG3qjDCzUiomA5FHQ36hPbj8BGPTboZOlZyf-NIGx2ox4BexLVsXFfVcGI_g7AJOwkwyBn9T4EAeUNtEqpZfDdRxKyTlk/s1600/nascar+in+the+south.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPdc4teYeMLoEh8Dga0u_gF1uB2YNB-JiBiPeLD5cEvgnG8XG3qjDCzUiomA5FHQ36hPbj8BGPTboZOlZyf-NIGx2ox4BexLVsXFfVcGI_g7AJOwkwyBn9T4EAeUNtEqpZfDdRxKyTlk/s320/nascar+in+the+south.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
FOR NORTHERNERS MOVING SOUTH . .<br />
<br />
In the South: --If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men<br />
in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly.<br />
Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they<br />
live for.<br />
<br />
Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same<br />
store....do not buy food at this store.<br />
<br />
Remember, "y'all" is singular, "all y'all" is plural, and "all y'all's"<br />
is plural possessive.<br />
<br />
Get used to hearing "You ain't from round here, are ya?"<br />
<br />
Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed later on how to use it.<br />
<br />
Don't be worried at not understanding what people are saying. They can't<br />
understand you either. The first Southern statement to creep into a<br />
transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big'ol," truck<br />
or big'ol" boy. Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced<br />
dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.<br />
<br />
The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.<br />
<br />
Be advised that "He needed killin." is a valid defense here.<br />
<br />
If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this," you should stay out of the<br />
way. These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.<br />
<br />
If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest<br />
accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery<br />
store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just<br />
have to go there.<br />
<br />
Do not be surprised to find that 10-year olds own their own shotguns,<br />
they are proficient marksmen, and their mamas taught them how to aim.<br />
<br />
In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green lawn<br />
is to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.<br />
<br />
AND REMEMBER: If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't<br />
think we will accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits.<br />
<br />
Send this to four people that ain't related to you, and I reckon your<br />
life will turn into a country music song 'fore you know it.<br />
<br />
Your kin would get a kick out of it too!forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-85371110899301888322013-08-24T01:28:00.003-04:002013-08-24T01:28:46.172-04:00F A M I L Y<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">I ran into a stranger as he passed by,</span></div>
<div align="center">
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.!</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">He said, "Please excuse me too;</span></div>
<div align="center">
I wasn't watching for you."</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">We were very polite, this stranger and I.</span></div>
<div align="center">
We went on our way and we said goodbye.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">But at home a different story is told,</span></div>
<div align="center">
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">Later that day, cooking the evening meal,</span></div>
<div align="center">
My son stood beside me very still.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.</span></div>
<div align="center">
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">He walked away, his little heart broken.</span></div>
<div align="center">
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">While I lay awake in bed,</span></div>
<div align="center">
God's still small voice came to me and said,</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">"While dealing with a stranger,</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">common courtesy you use, but the</span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">family you love, you seem to abuse.</span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;"></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">Go and look on the kitchen floor,</span></div>
<div align="center">
You'll find some flowers there by the door.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">Those are the flowers he brought for you.</span></div>
<div align="center">
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,</span></div>
<div align="center">
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">By this time, I felt very small,</span></div>
<div align="center">
And now my tears began to fall.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">I quietly went and knelt by his bed;</span></div>
<div align="center">
"Wake up, little one, wake up! ," I said.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"</span></div>
<div align="center">
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.</span></div>
<div align="center">
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;</span></div>
<div align="center">
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.</span></div>
<div align="center">
I love you anyway."</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">I said, "Son, I love you too,</span></div>
<div align="center">
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099; font-size: 29px;"><strong>F A M I L Y</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company</div>
<div align="center">
that we are working for could easily replace us</div>
<div align="center">
in a matter of days.</div>
<div align="center">
But the family we left behind will feel the loss</div>
<div align="center">
for the rest of their lives.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;">And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more</span></div>
<div align="center">
into work than into our own family,</div>
<div align="center">
an unwise investment indeed,</div>
<div align="center">
don't you think?</div>
<div align="center">
So what is behind the story?</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;"><strong>Do you know what</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;"><strong>the word F A M I L Y</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: 29px;"><strong>means?</strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: #000099; font-size: 21px;"><strong>FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OV E (Y)OU</strong></span></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-30393678820752822902013-08-23T00:20:00.001-04:002013-08-23T00:20:23.720-04:00Idiot of the Year<span style="color: red;">These actually happened!!!!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjON74Z_yJY82o_ha21f2JVAtLacFYhjDii3uT-21_j_COVa-JgBbcPi2lXc5HcohzVV2o58OWTsrwMECQDlGMKH64paOArfvG0p2JfTeZ2vbpWuZ_ycMxK07A3xnTfUX06VOnm2ZLRBQ8/s1600-h/here's+your+sign.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="147" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020610155613327826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjON74Z_yJY82o_ha21f2JVAtLacFYhjDii3uT-21_j_COVa-JgBbcPi2lXc5HcohzVV2o58OWTsrwMECQDlGMKH64paOArfvG0p2JfTeZ2vbpWuZ_ycMxK07A3xnTfUX06VOnm2ZLRBQ8/s320/here's+your+sign.jpg" style="float: right; height: 122px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 126px;" width="147" /></a><br />
Number One Idiot of the year<br />
<br />
I am a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the poison control center. Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants. I quickly reassured her that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants. I told her that she better bring her daughter into the emergency room right away.<br />
<br />
Here's your sign, lady. Wear it with pride.<br />
<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Number Two Idiot of the year<br />
<br />
Early this year, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator beacon that activated when the raft was inflated. They are no longer employed at Boeing.<br />
<br />
Here's your sign, guys. Don't get it wet; the paint might run.<br />
<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Number Three Idiot of the year<br />
<br />
A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked into the branch and wrote, "this iz a stikkup. Put all your muny in this bag." While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller's window. So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to the Wells Fargo Bank. After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller. She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he wasn't the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America. Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, "OK" and left. He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.<br />
<br />
Don't bother with this guy's sign. He probably couldn't read it anyway<br />
<br />
.<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Number Four Idiot of the year<br />
<br />
A motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that measured his speed using radar and photographed his car. He later received in the mail a ticket for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of payment, he sent the police department a photograph of $40. Several days later, he received a letter from the police that contained another picture, this time of handcuffs. He immediately mailed in his $40.<br />
<br />
Smartie. But you still get a sign.<br />
<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Number Five Idiot of the year<br />
<br />
A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all of the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, "Because I don't believe you are over 21." The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because she didn't believe him. At this point, the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and she put the Scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later.<br />
<br />
This guy definitely needs a sign.<br />
<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Idiot Number Six of the year<br />
<br />
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.<br />
<br />
This guy doesn't even deserve a sign.<br />
<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
Idiot Number Seven of the year<br />
<br />
Arkansas: Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back knocking him unconscious. It seems the liquor store window was made of plexi-glass. The whole event was caught on videotape.<br />
<br />
Yep, here's your sign.<br />
<br />
<br />
(Please note that all of the above people are allowed to vote.)<br />
SCARY, isn't it!!!!!!!!!!!forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-71344771865398827152013-08-22T01:37:00.000-04:002013-08-23T00:16:51.349-04:00Wet Pants<div align="left">
<span style="color: red;"><b>I've received this several times by e-mail:</b></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RrtatOmouZKseTSchsq3dn5_nSdGJpuQVGa7jHPV4HdQyuAzE8X27FeOkEoOeuBelTITpFrZeOPz9z4SWXOrnAMNiFA-G_jUSkgX02vNEWhQ7k7j4jg0qegkr2AyPDaj1DmfL700bZE/s1600/fishbowl.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RrtatOmouZKseTSchsq3dn5_nSdGJpuQVGa7jHPV4HdQyuAzE8X27FeOkEoOeuBelTITpFrZeOPz9z4SWXOrnAMNiFA-G_jUSkgX02vNEWhQ7k7j4jg0qegkr2AyPDaj1DmfL700bZE/s200/fishbowl.gif" width="162" /></a></div>
Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."<br />
<br />
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"<br />
<br />
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!"</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.<br />
<br />
Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.<br />
<br />
My instructions were to pick four (4) people that I wanted God to bless, and I picked you. If you feel moved to, please pass this to at least four (4) people you want to be blessed and a copy back to me.<br />
<br />
This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another.</div>
<div align="center">
The prayer:</div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<em><span style="color: red;">Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives<br />and those that I care deeply for,<br />who are reading this right now.<br />Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.<br />Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.<br />Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace.<br />Where there is need, I ask you to fulfill their needs.<br />Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.<br />Amen.</span></em><br />
(If the Lord lays upon your heart to send this to more than four "4" people, you are truly blessed).<br />
<br />
Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.<br />
<br /></div>
forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-17940883295576173082013-08-21T09:45:00.003-04:002013-08-21T09:45:18.717-04:00Isn't It Funny?Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven, provided they do not have to believe, think, say or do anything the Bible says. Or is it scary?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God)?<br />
<br />
Isn’t it funny how people will sit through extra innings or overtime at a ball game and feel like they’re getting their money’s worth – but if the preacher goes fifteen minutes past noon, they’ll gripe about it for weeks? (Based on their giving, maybe they’re getting their money’s worth.)<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how people can send a thousand jokes through e-mail - and they spread like wildfire - but, when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.<br />
<br />
Are you laughing yet?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how, when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it?<br />
<br />
Isn't it funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us?<br />
<br />
Will YOU pass this on? I did.forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-50140437966970995262013-08-20T00:45:00.001-04:002013-08-20T00:45:31.020-04:00From the Desk of GOD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga59zlAAB3rgNfWO2TQIEJ4oUlJWClKSxDMfe9HFBDqWD-89wCL0t9H_IAgUD4t8Is_pWHqoNZpNNetL17GIaStWooXwqFM4PJzQ8xDFVddCMrYjbSz26Ap7zhU4NMQCsE5QenK4bWk6o/s1600/Letter+from+God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga59zlAAB3rgNfWO2TQIEJ4oUlJWClKSxDMfe9HFBDqWD-89wCL0t9H_IAgUD4t8Is_pWHqoNZpNNetL17GIaStWooXwqFM4PJzQ8xDFVddCMrYjbSz26Ap7zhU4NMQCsE5QenK4bWk6o/s200/Letter+from+God.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>--Author Unknown</strong></span><br /><strong>Effective Immediately:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Please be aware that there are changes you need to make in your life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill my promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. I know, I already gave you the 10 Commandments. Keep them. But follow these guidelines as well...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">1. QUIT WORRYING</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">2. PUT IT ON THE LIST</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to me. And, although my to-do-list is long, I am, after all, God. I can take care of anything you put into my hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">3. TRUST ME</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Once you've given your burdens to me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on my list. Problem with finances? Put it on my list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For my sake, put it on my list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">4. LEAVE IT ALONE</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with me and forget about them. Just let me do my job.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">5. TALK TO ME</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please don't forget to talk to me - OFTEN! I love you. I want to hear your voice. I want you to include me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with me. I want to be your dearest friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">6. HAVE FAITH</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in me that I know what I'm doing. Trust me, you wouldn't want the view from my eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">7. SHARE</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">8. BE PATIENT</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes me a little longer than you expect to handle something on my to-do-list? Trust in my timing, for my timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">9. BE KIND</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for my sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please know I love each of your differences.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">10. LOVE YOURSELF</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only - to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes my heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget that!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;">With all my heart,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;">I love you,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;"><br /></span></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">GOD</span></strong></span>forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071586904730089590.post-23278306672454957592013-08-19T01:15:00.002-04:002013-08-19T01:15:35.015-04:00Great News of a New Direction, by Democrats!<span style="color: red;"><b>Here's an email that was circulating back before the '08 & '12 elections - before President Obama. Tell me, </b></span><b style="color: red;">How are things looking now?</b><br />
<br />
<strong>A New direction means what?<br /><br />The Democrats new promise "A New Direction For America"</strong><br />
The stock market is at a new all-time high and America's 401K's are back. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Unemployment is at 25 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Oil prices are plummeting. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Taxes are at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Federal tax revenues are at all-time highs. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
The Federal deficit is down almost 50%, just as predicted over last year. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Home valuations are up 200% over the past 3.5 years. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Inflation is in check, hovering at 20 year lows. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Not a single terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11/01. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Osama bin Laden is living under a rock in a dark cave, having not surfaced in years, if he's alive at all, while 95% of Al Queda's top dogs are either dead or in custody, cooperating with US Intel. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Several major terrorist attacks already thwarted by US and British Intel, including the recent planned attack involving 10 Jumbo Jets being exploded in mid-air over major US cities in order to celebrate the anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Just as President Bush foretold us on a number of occasions, Iraq was to be made "ground zero" for the war on terrorism -- and just as President Bush said they would, terrorist cells from all over the region are arriving from the shadows of their hiding places and flooding into Iraq in order to get their faces blown off by US Marines rather than boarding planes and heading to the United States to wage war on us here. A new direction from there means, what?<br />
<br />
Now let me see, do I have this right? I can expect: The economy to go South, Illegals to go North, Taxes to go Up, Employment to go Down, Terrorism to come In, Tax breaks to go Out, Social Security to go Away, Health Care to go the same way gas prices have gone! But what the heck!<br />
<br />
I can gain comfort by knowing that Nancy P, Hillary C, John K, Edward K, Howard D, Harry R and Obama have worked hard to create a comprehensive National Security Plan, Health Care Plan, Immigration Reform Plan, Gay Rights Plan, Same Sex Marriage Plan, Abortion On Demand Plan, Tolerance of Everyone and Everything Plan, How to Return all Troops to the U. S. in The Next Six Months Plan, A Get Tough Plan, adapted from the French Plan by the same name and a “How Everyone Can Become as Wealthy as We Are Plan.”<br />
<br />
I forgot the No More Katrina Storm Plan.<br />
<br />
Now I know why I feel good after the elections. I am going to be able to sleep so much better at nights knowing these dedicated politicians are thinking of me and my welfare.<br />
<br />
Please pass this good news along to all of your friends so they can feel better also.forgivenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00476044198835436031noreply@blogger.com0