God In Schools …

Someone should put this to music,

     Red

A teenager in Arizona wrote this:

(He got an A+)

The Pledge of Allegiance
And The Lord's Prayer
Are not allowed in most
Public schools anymore
Because the word 'God' is mentioned..... 

"New Pledge Of Allegiance"

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd. 

If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene..
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. 

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all..
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state. 

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks...
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong..

We can get our condoms and birth controls, 
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles..
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, 
No word of God must reach this crowd. 

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
          Amen

St. Luke 12:9
”But he that shall deny me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”

9/11 … WHAT A WAY TO START YOUR BIRTHDAY !!!

Our oldest son Michael will never be able to forget September 11^th, it’s his birthday.

He was born September 11, 1971.  September 11, 2001 was his 30^th birthday!

He was working at the construction site of the co-gen plant next to the Boston Airport.  Boston Airport is where some of the hyjacked flights originated.  His boss had given him the day off to celebrate his birthday.  He slept a little late.

When he got up he turned on the TV and, at first, thought he had tuned in to another “disaster” movie.  It didn’t take long to realize he was watching breaking news.  He immediately called his mother who had just gotten up and turned on our TV, since it was three hours earlier here on the west coast.  She immediately woke me up and at first I thought she was kidding.

What a way to start a day.

What a way for the families of the victims to start their day.

What a way to start your birthday.

This morning we are watching all the programs about the 10^th anniversary of September 11^th and Michael is trying to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of his birthday.  Talk about conflicting emotions and déjà vu !

I’m not quite sure how to feel about all this, but, I AM sure Michael has VERY mixed emotions.  Bonnie has tried to reach him, in New Mexico, on the phone.  No luck, yet.

Our prayers go out to all the families of victims of the September 11^th attack.

Our prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrendous event.

Our prayers go out to all Americans.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Thanks to all those who read this.

Thanks to all those who pass it on.

Copy and Paste as much as you like.

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

1 Peter 5:10  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Dog - Man’s Best Friend? Or A Link To …?

<<<I use the masculine pronouns “man” and “he” just to make it easier to write>>>

Why is it that most dogs are better people than most people?  It can’t just be loyalty, unconditional love, craving our company, or a willingness to forgive the stupid, unthinking way we treat them sometimes.

There has to be something more.  Some spark of devine guidance only the canine species is endowed with.

Could it just be coincidence that the names dog and God are so similar?  Maybe the original biblical translation was wrong and dog, not man, was the one made in God’s Image?  I’ve asked God about this and He just seems to give me a wink and a little smile.  He doesn’t seem to be offended by the comparison, either.

Dogs are messengers of God.  God's word is not accidental or happenstance.  The writers God chose to communicate His message were inspired divinely to write what they wrote, as they wrote it.  It is no accident there are 40 references in The Bible to dogs.

Dogs are messengers of God in that "dog" specifically and purposefully was selected through divine inspiration to communicate the full measure of God through the context of the 40 Scriptural references or citations in The Bible. Whether Hebrew (kelev), Greek (kuōn), or Aramaic (kalbā), whether literal, metaphorical, or allegorical in syntax, in the context of communicating God's word, dogs are messengers of God.*

W. C. Fields said:  “I never met a man I didn’t like.”

I say:  “I never met a dog I didn’t like.”  “The more dogs I meet, the less I like people. ”

Occasionally, I’ve met a dog who didn’t like me.

Maybe I smelled wrong or looked wrong or sounded wrong.

Maybe I violated his space, uninvited.

Maybe I reminded him of someone who abused him or someone he … just … didn’t … like.

In any case, we just agreed to take diverging paths.

Don’t get me wrong.  Other pets are OK.

Cats come in, eat, and want to go right back out.  Sometimes they will tolerate attention, but, not for long.  They do know how to say goodby:  Tail up and back turned.

Birds sit in a cage, squawk, eat, make a mess all over the floor, and stare at you with one eye.

Rodents can be trained to eat on cue … ?

Fish are …………….. well ……………. fish.

Reptiles are ………… we won’t even go there.

A dog, on the other hand, loves to play with you.  Mountain or beach, backyard or park, with or without toys (toys do make it more fun).

Dogs like to hunt.  Some even like to fish. Although, at times, their patience can be a little scarce.

A dog will, sometimes, be content just to lay his head, or maybe his whole body, on your lap.

The later you get home, the happier he is to see you.

He thinks the best bed for him is that pile of your dirty clothes at the foot of your bed.

When you are ill or recuperating, he will steadfastly stay by your side until you recover.

Dogs have been known to accompany their master’s casket until it’s put in the grave.

A dog doesn’t ask for much.  Food and water, a bath now and then, scritchies behind the ears or down the nose, a loving word, or sometimes just the simple touch of your hand.  Warning:  some dogs resist the bath part.

According to the Bible**, a man is given seventy to eighty years.

A dog is given considerably less.  I think that is so a man can experience the thrill of companionship from more than one dog in his lifetime.

Mark Twain said:  “If dogs don’t go to heaven, I want to go where they go.”

I’m with you there Mr Clemens.

*    http://www.associatedcontent.com/

**  Psalm 90:10   The days of our lives are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

NEED WASHING?

A slightly different twist on a post, by a very good friend, on her blog.

http://www.godspotting.net/2011/08/my-souls-dirty-underwear.html

It was pouring outside.  The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters.

So much in a hurry to hit the earth, it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there, under the awning, just outside the door of Walmart.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.

I am always mesmerized by rainfall.  I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Memories of running, as a child, splashing so carefree, came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

A little girl had been shopping with her mom in Walmart.  She must have been

6-years-old.  She was a beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence.

Her little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in:

“Mom, let’s run through the rain.”

“What?” Mom asked.

“Let’s run through the rain.” She repeated.

“No honey, we’ll wait until it slows down a bit.” Mom relied.

The young child waited a minute and repeated:

“Mom let’s run through the rain …”

“We’ll get soaked if we do.” Mom said.

“No we won’t, mom.  That’s not what you said this morning.” The young girl

said, as she tugged at her mom’s arm.

“This morning?  When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”

“Don’t you remember?  When you were talking to Dad about his cancer, you said

‘If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything.’ ”

The entire crowd became silent … I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the

rain … We all stood silently.  No one left.  Mom paused and thought for a moment

about what she should say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold the child for being silly.  Some might even ignore what was said.  But, this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life.

A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

“Honey, you are absolutely right.  Let’s run through the rain.  If God let’s us get wet, well…maybe we just needed washing.” Mom said.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing, as they ran across the parking lot, dodging cars and stepping in puddles.  They got soaked.

They were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.  And, YES, I did.  I ran.  I got wet.  I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away our material possessions.  They can take away our money.  They can take away our health.  But nothing and nobody can take away our precious memories.  Don’t forget to take the time to make memories every day.  To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them, but then a lifetime to forget them.

“Link” this to the people you’ll never forget.  Let them know you are thinking

about them.

Keep in touch with your friends.  You never know when you’ll need each other.

Take the time to LIVE!

And DON’T FORGET TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN!!!

Getting Old Is A B- - - -

This one is for anyone who is interested.  Just so I don’t have to “tell the tale” over and over.

I’m not sure how to start it, so I will just go with chronological.

7/21/2011 3pm:               Went to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Zion Hospital with severe pain and swelling in the groin area (and below).  After 7 hours of tests, they sent me home with antibiotics and painkillers.

7/22/2011 10am:              Returned to the emergency room with unbelievable pain and increased swelling.  After another 7 hours of tests the doctor told me he could send me home with a different antibiotic or admit me to the hospital.  Thank God I went for the hospital.

7/22-24/2011:                            The next 2 ½ days were filled with tests, including ultra-sound(3 of them).  Bouncing sound waves off an infection & abcess in that, already very sensative, area brings new meaning to the word “excruciating.”  To her credit, I could see the emotional pain it(my pain) was causing the operator of the equipment.  A lot of prayer time was used up in those few days.

7/24/2011 2pm:               Finally on Sunday afternoon, after a visit with the Infectious Disease doctor, the doctor from Urology came in and we discussed our “options”.

Option #1:   Continue trying to treat the problem with just antibiotics.  It turns out antibiotics can’t get past the threshhold of an abcess. Very possibly have to have surgery, anyway.

Option #2:   Go in for surgery immediately to remove the abcess, damaged - - - -, and surrounding tissue; then treat with more antibiotics.

Disregarding my natural male instinct to go with Option #1, in a vain attempt to protect what was mine, I went with Option #2 … Once, again Thank God.

7/24/2011, 6pm:     Surgery to remove one - - - - and the surrounding infected tissue.

7/25-28/2011:                  Three days of phasing in and out of reality due to medications of all kinds.   WARNING:  Stay away from Percocet!!!  It can make you crazy, literally.

7/28-present/2011:           Home to the best nursing care in the world, my wonderful wife.

8/5/2011, 7am:       Back to work a week too soon.  Wish I could have waited the recommended extra week.

Did I mention, for those of you who are uninitiated, that, while in the hospital:

#1:  Three times a day they stab a vein somewhere on an arm or hand to “draw” blood?

#2:  They wake you up every two hours, on the hour, to take your blood pressure, temperature, and (as I’m a diabetic) prick your finger to check your blood sugar.  If your blood sugar is too high, they also stab you with an insulin injection 15 minutes later.

#3:  Every two hours, on the half-hour, they make you turn back-to-side or side-to-back.

#4:  In the intervening time they keep waking you up to ask how you are or to try to get you to eat the most tastless cardboard on earth.***

#5:  Whatever happened to “Get Some Rest!” ???

*** When I, eventually, realized I could order specific items, not on the “list”.

I finally got edible food.

Recovery is a long road and mostly uphill.  I am a very impatient patient.  The worst part of recovery is waiting until it’s “safe” to do the things my mind & body are demanding I try.  Especially when I realize that some of the long wait times are medical CYA.

As Forrest Gump said:  “That’s all I got to say about that.”

(You’ll have to mentally ‘hear’ the accent)

This blog is on hold.

Movie Review #1: Open Range

Open Range

2003          Western          2 hrs. 19 min.          Widescreen          ¶¶¶¶¶

Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Abraham Benrubi and Diego Luna

The usual David(the cowboys) versus Goliath(the cattle baron rancher).  Of course, at the end the townsfolk chip in and help.  A lot of gun fights and violence.

Boss Spearman(Duvall) tends to be long winded, which makes up for the fact that Charley Waite(Costner) doesn’t say a lot until near the end of the movie.  Boss expects people to “play by the rules.”  Charley, the ex-gunslinger, doesn’t believe most people care about “The Rules.”

Sue Barlow(Annette Bening), is reminiscent of her character Sydney Ellen Wade(The American President) of almost a decade before.  A strong willed, but soft hearted woman who, unexpectedly for her, falls in love.

There are several places where the movie does a fade-out/fade-in as though the producers may have intended for its over 2 hour length to be a mini-series.  Then again, the director(Costner) may have used these for effect.  I’m just not sure what the intended effect was.

            In spite of what I just wrote, the movie, though a bit long, is thoroughly enjoyable and the touching end scene between Costner and Bening brought a lump to my throat.

Concert Review #1

Star-Spangled Pops

San Diego Symphony Summer Pops

7/3/2011

Conducted by Matthew Gorbutt

¶¶¶¶¶

            This was the first concert of the 2011 Summer Pops Series.

We wish we could attend all the performances.  Unfortunately, without a wealthy patron, that’s impossible.

Originally, Marvin Hamlisch was supposed to conduct this concert but he is down with pneumonia in New York.  Get Well, Marvin.

It was a very enjoyable concert, Matthew was brilliant, and it seemed to end all too soon.

The concert included vocals by Hamlisch protégé Felix Ramsey, former American Idol contestants David Hernandez and LaKisha Jones, and the San Diego Master Chorale.

There had to be a salute to George M. Cohan, the originator of “The Yankee Doodle Boy”.  Which most of us know as “I’m A Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

For me, the highlight of the concert was David and LaKisha singing David Foster’s “The Prayer.”

Prior to this, I had only heard it performed by Andrea Bocelli and Heather Headley on a DVD*.  If you want to see a “grown man” get teary-eyed, just have him listen to this.

Of course the show stopper, predictably, was “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, always a moving piece for any red-blooded American.  I love the fact that they recognize all the veterans and active duty personel in the audience.  There seem to be fewer of us standing each year.

On a personal note:  I hope the lawyers and environmental activists trying to stop fireworks displays lose, after spending a lot of their own time and money.

‘Nuff said.

* Andrea Bocelli – Vivere – Live In Tuscany.

Don’t You Just Love Children …

3-year-old Reese:

“Our father, who does art in heaven, Harold is His name … Amen.”

A little boy was overheard praying:

“Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.  I’m having a real good time like I am.”

After the christening of his baby brother in church:

Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.  His father asked him three times what was wrong. 

Finally the boy replied, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home and I wanted to stay with you guys.”

One particular four-year-old prayed:

“And forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

A Sunday School teacher asked her children, as they were on their way to church service:

“Why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3:

The boys started to argue about who would get the first pancake.

Their mother say the opportunity for a moral lesson, “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

A father was at the beach with his children:

His four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand.

“Daddy, what happened to him?” The son asked.

He died and went to heaven.” The dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then said, “Did God throw him back down?”

A wife invited some people to dinner:

At the table she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?”

“I wouldn’t know what to say!” the girl replied.

“Just say what you hear mommy say.” The wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”

Don’t you just love children.

Peace, Love, and Happiness.

Twinkies, Root Beer, and God

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. 

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted.

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

Inspiration From A Father's Day Card ...

A Father's Day card from my children & grandchildren,

To do something, however small, to make others happier and better, is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being.

John Lubbock.

Open Letter To The Families Of San Diego Unified School District(SDUSD) Students …

by Charlama Chaffee

With all of the budget cuts and lay-offs, next school year is going to be very different.  Many schools will have no one in their libraries.  If someone is in your student’s library, they will probably have much shorter hours.  This means that your student will have less access to all of the books and other materials that your tax dollars have purchased.  Maintaining these valuable and expensive collections will be that much harder.  Ask your school how many hours your student’s library will be open next year.  For the vast majority of SDUSD students, the library will be open much less next year, if it is open at all.  Does your student enjoy using the library before school, after school or during lunch?  Does your student play games, use the computers, catch up on homework, read or talk quietly with friends in the library?  In all likelyhood they will not be able to do this as much next year, if at all.

Furthermore, if your student is at a year-round school, changes will be happening on July 1^st.  Because of the budget cuts and lay-offs, a large number of classified personnel will be shifted around to different schools, most with fewer hours and many with a loss of benefits.  These people include, but are not limited to:  secretaries, financial clerks, office clerks, site techs, health techs/aides, security personnel, library techs/aides, teachers aides, attendance clerks, et al.  They are the “lucky” ones.  Many people in the above jobs are being laid off as of July 1^st; they won’t even be able to finish out the school year.  So, if your student is at a year-round school, he/she is going to have a lot of new adults to work with for the last three, very busy, weeks of school.  If you are not sure if these changes will affect your student, ask at your school.  Virtually all schools will be affected, if not on July 1^st, then most definitely come September 6^th, the first day of the 2011 – 2012 school year.

Check your student’s school, then contact the school board if you have any concerns.  You can contact all of the board members by e-mailing them at mailto:board@sandi.net or you can reach them by calling (619) 725-5550

In addition, each board member has a separate e-mail box:

Richard Barrera, Board President  mailto:rbarrera1@sandi.net

           

John Lee Evans, Board Vice-President  mailto:johnleeevans@sandi.net

Shelia Jackson, Board Member  mailto:sjackson@sandi.net

           

Kevin Beiser, Board Member  mailto:kbeiser@sandi.net

           

Scott Barnett, Board Member  mailto:sbarnett@sandi.net

The Recession Hits Everybody......

 1.        I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

  2.       Wives are having sex with their husbands because they can't afford batteries.

  3.       CEO's are now playing miniature golf.

  4.       Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

  5.       A stripper was killed when her audience showered her with rolls of pennies while she danced.

  6.       I saw a Mormon polygamist with only one wife.

  7.       If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call and ask if they meant you or them.

  8.       McDonald's is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

  9.       Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.

10.       Parents in  Beverly Hills have fired their nannies and learned their children's names.

11.       My cousin had an exorcism but couldn't afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her!

12.       A truckload of Americans were caught sneaking into Mexico.

13.       A picture is now only worth 200 words.

14.       When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.

15.       The Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.

16.       Congress says they are looking into this Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great! The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear!

And, finally...

17.       I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call center in Pakistan and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck. 

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God.

What Does Love Mean? …

YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS,

RED.

WHAT LOVE MEANS TO A 4-8 YEAR OLD...

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouths of babes..

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds.     'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have
imagined.
See what you think:

'When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn't bend over and paint
her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time ,
even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French
fries without making them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing
, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy
are like that.  They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better , you should start with a friend
who you hate , '
Nikka - age 6

(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt , then he wears it
everyday.'
Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital , I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked
at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford .'
Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone
all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody , your eyelashes go up and down and little
stars come out of you.' (what an image)
Karen - age 7

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you
mean it , you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8

The best was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an
elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman's
yard , climbed onto his lap , and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor , the little boy
said ,

”Nothing , I just helped him cry”

When there is nothing left but God , that is when you find out that God
is all you need. Take a few seconds and simply say the following small prayer:

Heavenly Father , please bless all my friends in whatever it is that
You know they may be needing this day! And may each of their lives be full of
Your peace , prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer
relationship with You. Amen .

Suggest this to five friends and ask them to suggest it to five friends.

Within hours you helped a multitude of people to pray for other people.
Now watch the power of God at work.

God Bless You All !

A Little Humor To Lighten Things Up

 1.        Birds of a feather flock together and _ _ _ _ on your car.

  2.       A penny saved is a government oversight.

  3.       When I’m feeling down, I like to whistle.  It makes the neighbor’s mean dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.

  4.       The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing, at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the most tempting moment.

  5.       The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because your body and your fat cells have become such great friends.

  6.       The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

  7.       He who hesitates is probably right.

  8.       Did you ever notice?:  the Roman Numerals for forty(40) are “XL.”

  9.       If you think there is good in everybody, you haven’t met everybody.

10.       If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

11.       The sole purpose of a child’s middle name is so he can tell when he’s really in trouble.

12.       Did you ever notice?:  When you put the words “The” and “IRS” together they spell “Theirs.”

13.       Dogs Beg … Cats Demand.

14.       There’s always a lot to be thankful for, if you take time to look for it.  For example, I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt.

15.       What’s the secret to facing a birthday?  Accepting mortality?  Aging well?  Looking towards an uncertain future with optimism?

I’d have to say … beer.

Help Me Get Through The Days …

Why do some people we know seem to be intent on making everyone around them miserable?  Like a human “black hole” , they seem intent on sucking all the beauty and joy out of life.

*          This individual is the neighborhood gossip, never has anything good to say about anyone and spreads around all the dirt she can dig up or make up.  “He said or did this”, “She said or did that”, etc, etc.

*          This individual is always saying: “They can’t do that … it’s illegal!”.  Whether it is or not.  Unless, of course, it’s convenient for her or puts money in her pocket.

*          This individual constantly rails against “Government Entitlement Programs”, then complains that the government is supposed to send her more work because: “This is a woman-owned business!”

*          You can’t say anything to, or in front of, this individual because; “years ago” she, a member of her family, or someone she knew did it better, faster and/or cheaper.  Conversations stop when she enters a room.

*          This individual has had, or knows someone who has had, every disease known to humankind and some completely unknown.  “The doctors are still trying to figure it out.”

*          This individual has to have the best of everything and then constantly whines about the price.

*          This individual has to be right all the time.  She’s done everything, been everywhere and is an expert on EVERY subject.

*          This individual personifies:  “Better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.”

*          This individual will, if you have the audacity to disagree with her on any subject, tell you:  “If you don’t like it, you can go home” and then whisper trash about you to everyone else for the rest of the day.

*          This individual is so paranoid, she has to have bars on all the windows and an iron fence around the property.  At the end of the day, everyone has to stand around outside until she mounts her broom(gets in her car) and leaves.  She then drives home, next door, to MORE window bars.

*          This individual has never found a restaurant she likes.  She eats the food, complains about it and/or the service, then tries to get the meal free.  It’s gotten so bad even her family is finding excuses not to join her.

*          This individual is totally incapable of processing the shame of making a mistake, so she finds some way to blame all of her mistakes on others.  She makes decisions, but always attributes them to some one else, just in case one of them is a mistake.

I just, partially, described an individual I have to be around most of the day.

I feel kind of like Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid:  “I’ll never find balance, this way.”

No, this person is NOT a member of my immediate family nor related to me in any way, though she acts like she’s everyone’s mother/doctor/benefactor/etc.

Just as anti-matter is the opposite or counter-part of matter, this individual seems to be anti-human.  I believe this is a mental aberation called Narcissism.  I’m sure there’s some of the narcissist in all of us, me included, but, constantly being around someone who is completely narcissistic is physically and mentally demanding and continually stresses ones soul.

There is an excellent book on the subject entitled:  Why Is It Always About You?:  The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism  by Sandy Hotchkiss.

Insights from that book, thinking about going home in the evening and prayer helps get me through the days.

Words Flowing Onto The Page …

I started to write this post about how difficult it is to stop writing if the words keep flowing onto the page.  It’s like they have a life of their own … sometimes it feels like being a conduit for thoughts to flow from mind to finger tips. NOW  THEY’VE  STOPPED  FLOWING!   HELP!

I spoke too soon.  Is this what they call “Writer’s Block?”  It’s really stressful.  Not being able to get going on a writing project is one of the most frustrating things I’ve experienced ………………………….

I’ve been reading a book on Blogger and maybe I’m suffering from a “601” error; too much data coming in too fast. (The Andromeda Strain  - ©1971). 

The other day I received the book my wife ordered for my birthday, about 10 days before, from Amazon.com®.

Google Blogger for Dummies by Susan Gunelius - 2008 (©2009).

I asked for it after checking a copy out of the library (twice) and realized it would be a great resource to have. Owning it and being able to use a Sharpie® highliter on it makes it even more useful.

That same morning a friend recommended this book and even offered to send me her copy, not knowing I already had one on the way.  Thanks for the kind offer, Sheila.  She brought up the point that some of the information is slightly dated, but, overall the book is very useful.  I agree with her.  My computer and I are both older than that so we should do fine.    hahaha

You might be able to tell from the movie references, especially if you know me from Facebook, I am  a movie buff.  Not to be confused with a movie expert, which I am not.

I have a rather large, eclectic collection of movies on DVD.  Some, like The Andromeda Strain – ©1971 – Arthur Hill, I like for the story line.  Others, like Chisum – ©1970 – John Wayne, more for the star/cast.  Still others, like Silent Running – ©1971 – Bruce Dern, for both.  Then there are those, like Fiddler On The Roof – ©1971 – Topol, for the story/star/cast/music.

Until I started writing this, I didn’t realize how many of my favorite movies, other than ALL with John Wayne, fall into the 1965 to 1975 release range.  The release dates in my movie library range from 1931 to 2010, some 79 years of cartoons, cinema and TV.  If I don’t have it, I probably don’t want it or need it.  If I started watching DVDs right now and didn’t have to eat, sleep or ---, I would finish up in approximately;  64 days / 20 hours / 26 minutes.

May God have mercy …

My main DVD player died shortly before my birthday.  My wife took me to Walmart to get a new one.  I couldn’t find a 5 DVD carousel like I had, so I got a single disc Blu-ray player.  That may have been a mistake.  Now I am getting Blu-ray versions of some of my favorites.  I already have 6 and now, courtesy of Eric (one of our three sons), there’s 3 more on the way.  That doesn’t include the 4 still on my Amazon Wish List.

OMG – a monster is born – a Blu-ray monster!

Maybe I should devote part of my blog to movie reviews?  I certainly have a lot of material.  I think maybe I better start reading reviews to get a feel for it.  Of course, since these movies were of my choice, I might be a little prejudiced.  Ya think?

It’s late and I think my mind and fingers are getting out of sync.  I keep having to re-type things so they make sense and my spelling is getting terrible.