The Devil & the Duck

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.

He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.
He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.
Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.
As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let fly with the slingshot, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!
In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his Sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes"
But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen."
Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"
So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said, "Well, that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help."
She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. 

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer..
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter:

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is....You need to know that:
God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He has seen your whole life... He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.
The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.
Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today.
Share this with a friend and always remember:
God is at the window!

When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

GOD BLESS YOU!

Shame on Mayor Sanders and the City Council

The front page of the April 14^th Union Tribune had a 5 column headline

“EMBARCADERO MAKEOVER APPROVED.”

The story goes on to say that this project will cost $29.6 million.*

The cost will include a lot of changes which will only really benefit those wanting to build another highrise hotel and parking structure … this one at the Foot of Broadway.

Below this on the left side of the same page is a single column story:

“Sanders To Propose Deep Cuts To Parks, Libraries.”

This story goes on to say “The two year plan by Mayor Jerry Sanders to fix San Diego’s troubled finances before he leaves office begins with cuts that will leave libraries and recreation centers closed on most days, fund fewer positions for sworn police officers and remove fire pits from city beaches.”**

LET’S SEE:

He wants to build a new park on the embarcadero while cutting off funding to the rest of the parks in the city!!

He wants to build a new main library downtown, but, at the same time cut off funding to keep libraries open!!

He wants to completely rebuild Harbor Drive while letting the existing streets in our neighborhoods deteriorate into pothole strewn asphalt with more cracks than flat surfaces!!

Our city budget is facing a $56.7 million deficit.

If we subtract $29.6 million from that, it only leaves $27.1 million!  THAT’S A 52% REDUCTION!!!

That leaves a lot of money for libraries to educate and police to protect the citizens of San Diego.

Not to mention parks where our children and grandchildren can play instead of dodging cars while playing in the streets.

I ASK YOU … AM I THE ONLY ONE HORRIFIED BY THIS ATROCIOUS LACK OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE MAYOR PUTTING HIS POLITICAL AGENDA AHEAD OF SERVING THE VERY PEOPLE WHO ELECTED HIM TO WATCH OVER OUR INTERESTS???

If Jerry Sanders and the San Diego City Council continue down this path, I would be 100% behind a recall election to remove all of them from office.

*          4/14/2011 San Diego Union Tribune, Roger Showley & Lori Weisberg

**        4/14/2011 San Diego Union Tribune, Craig Gustafson

Tips for Better Life for 2011

             This came to me in a pps.
             I thought it was worth passing on.

             Tips for Better Life for 2011

  1.       Take a 10-30 minute walk every day.  While you walk, smile.

  2.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

  3.       Sleep for 7 hours.

  4.       Live with the 3 E's : Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

  5.       Play more games.

  6.       Read more books than you did in 2010.

  7.       Drink plenty of water.

  8.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that

is manufactured in plants.

  9.       Eat breakfast like a king ... lunch like a prince … dinner like a beggar.

10.       Make time to practice meditation, and prayer.

They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

11.       Dream more while you are awake.

12.       Smile and laugh more.

13.       Try to make at least three people smile each day.

14.       Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

15.       Don't have negative thoughts about things you cannot control.

Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

16.       Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

17.       Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 

18.       Don't take yourself so seriously … no one else does.

19.       Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner about his/her

mistakes of the past. This will ruin your present happiness.

20.       Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.

Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade

away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

21.       You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22.       Don't compare your life to others'.

You have no idea what their journey is all about.

23.       Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

24.       Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.

Your friends will. Stay in touch.

25.       Forgive everyone for everything.

26.       What other people think of you is none of your business.

27.       However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

28.       Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

29.       Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

30.       The best is yet to come.

31.       No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

32.       Don't over do it. Keep to your limits.

33.       Your inner most self is always happy.  So be happy.

34.       Do the right thing!

35.       Call your family often.

36.       Each day give something good to others.

Common (Dis)courtesy… A Rant.

Some people (not all) with cell phones still haven’t gotten the message that talking on your phone while driving is dangerous and illegal, unless you have a “hands free” device such as a Blue Tooth.

            Even WITH a hands free device it’s still just as dangerous.  The danger lies in the distraction.  Most people seem to have difficulty walking and chewing gum at the same time.  Driving and talking on the phone is completely out of the question. 

            Scenario 1:  You’re traveling down the freeway at 65MPH in the #1 (left) lane.  All the traffic around you is, basically, going at the same speed.  Suddenly the cars ahead of you are frantically hitting their brakes and changing lanes.  Then you see it.  A car going 50 MPH, weaving in the lane and slowing, for no apparent reason!  As you follow the other cars to the #2 lane to go around this person of obviously limited intelligence and questionable ancestry, you see that the he has a cell phone growing out of one ear.  The roots from that phone must go very deep because he doesn’t seem able to remove it.  The driver, I use the term loosely,  is oblivious to the rest of the world, especially the traffic around him.

THIS IS AN ACCIDENT LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HAPPEN.

Unfortunately, it probably won’t be just the one car involved in it.

            Scenario 2:  You’re sitting several cars back at a red traffic light.  The light changes to green and the first car crosses the intersection.  The second car just sits there until the light turns yellow, then zooms through the intersection just as the light turns red and traps everyone else.  A person on the sidewalk waiting to cross the street informs you that driver didn’t move because she was texting on her phone.  Ahr r r r r r r r !!!

            Good manners and common courtesy also seem to be falling victim to this technology.

            Scenario 1:  You go to a restaurant to have a nice quiet dinner and glass of wine with your spouse, significant other, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc.  You are seated.  The server brings the wine list and menus.  You are served your wine and order your entrees.

            Suddenly, one of the people at the next table starts having a loud conversation, seemingly with thin air.  “Hi.”  “How are you?”  “Haven’t talked to you since … seems like forever.”  “Tell me what’s going on in your life.”  The cell phone strikes , again.

            You realize that your nice quiet dinner isn’t going to be so “quiet”!  What can this person be thinking.  It’s rude and inconsiderate to intrude on the conversations of the other diners.  And YES it IS an intrusion.  It’s also an insult to his dinner date.  This person is, in essence, saying:  “This phone call is more important than the time I’m spending with you.”

            Restaurants should be like concerts and movies.  Turn off all cell phones and pagers when entering.  If you’re expecting an important call, let your dinner date know and put your phone on vibrate.  When your phone gives you a buzz, excuse yourself and go outside to talk.  Don’t come back in until you’ve hit the “end” button. 

            Scenario 2:   You’re manning the reception desk at your work place.  A “customer” walks in.

She looks like the Hunchback described in the book.  The appearance of a “hump” is due to the cell phone trapped between ear and shoulder.

            This person can’t hang up or even put the phone down long enough to transact business.  Some of these people don’t even appear to be taking time to breathe.  AND YET, they expect you to devote your full attention to them, ignoring the customers behind them, and decipher what they need by reading their own version of sign language (hand signals).  They get very indignant when you aren’t intuitive enough to just KNOW what they need.

What is with the people who seem to think the entire world is interested in their conversations?  You know who I mean.  They’re the ones who insist on using the “speaker” or “walkie-talkie” option on their phone … AT FULL VOLUME. 

            It seems like ego and bad manners go hand-in-hand with arrogance and ignorance.

            Lets all try to show our fellow inhabitants of this tiny speck of dust at least a small amount of courtesy and respect.

I PROMISE TO TRY!  WILL YOU?

I know … it’s been a while … here goes

Disneyland …

                        The weekend of 3/19-20/2011, in honor of my wife’s birthday (I won’t say which one), we went to LA.  We left San Diego very early Saturday morning and arrived at Disneyland right after the gates opened.  We had already purchased 2-day park-hopper passes online, so we didn’t have to wait in a ticket booth line.

            We met our son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandkids at a coffee shop inside the park.  The weather looked threatening in the morning, so the crowds were lighter than usual.  The first rides we all went on only had 10 minute lines.  Those were two of our all time favorites:  Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.  After those we had breakfast at a small café near there.  Very good food and reasonably priced, considering where we were.

            We saw the revitalized Captain EO.  Michael Jackson before his life started to deteriorate.  It is still an excellent show and well worth taking the time to see.  Unfortunately, the updated Star Tours had not opened yet and Splash Mountain was closed for maintenance (two of my personal favorites).

            The Main Street Emporium was getting a face lift (a new facade).  Saturday it was completely covered by a artists rendering on canvas of the new look.  They took down the canvas on Sunday, probably because of the gusting wind, and we got a look at the actual construction, which appeared to be almost done.

            After staying overnight at the Embassy Suites near the John Wayne Airport in Irvine, on Sunday morning we drove back up to Anaheim.  First Bonnie and I went back to Disneyland to catch a few things we missed on Saturday.

            Between the Main Street Train Station and Main Street, opposite the lost & found, is the hall of history and Moments with Mr. Lincoln theater.  We had not seen this in about 10 years.  I still can’t leave that theater without having to wipe tears from my eyes.  Keep On Dreaming, America !

            I remember Disneyland as it was back in 1955-1956.  The biggest attractions in Tomorrow Land were the House of Tomorrow and Mission to the Moon, which later became Mission to Mars after we actually went to the moon.<G>

            The big attractions in Adventure Land were The Enchanted Tiki Hut and The Jungle Cruise.  They are timeless and still there.  We went to both of them Sunday morning.  Later came the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.  For reasons I, personally, don’t understand, it’s been renamed Tarzan’s Tree House.

            I think the only thing left of the original Fantasy Land is the entrance, Sleeping Beauty Castle, and the Merry-go-round.  The rides may have changed but the area still has that feel of “childhood revisited.”

            I don’t remember much about Frontier Land.  I do remember the Mine Train (slow) which was replaced by Thunder Mountain (fast).  The Frontier Land Shooting Gallery is now Frontier Land shooting Exposition.  Name change for it’s own sake?

            About Noon we went over to the second park, Disney’s California Adventure.  It was rainy, cold and very windy.  There is a lot of construction going on and many areas are blocked off.  By the time we got over there, in spite of the weather, most of the rides had long lines. We just wandered around for a while, had some chowder on the “Wharf” and about 3 O’Clock headed for the barn (home, to you city slickers).

            All-in-all a pretty nice trip.  Eric and family bought Bonnie a nice lanyard (I think that’s what they call it) and some Disney Pins to give her a start on “trading.”  That’s the latest Disney thing.  I believe, so I wouldn’t feel left out, Elle gave me a Jessica Rabbit pin from her collection and I promptly put it on my hat.  When we got home I also put the Mater and Grumpy pins, given me by Bonnie some time back, on the hat.  I don’t think I’ll ever trade those three.

            I’m beginning(?) to ramble so I’ll go now,

            Red.