Walking The Walk

 "Each individual of the society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and property, according to standing laws. He is obliged, consequently, to contribute his share to the expense of this protection; and to give his personal service, or an equivalent, when necessary. But no part of the property of any individual can, with justice, be taken from him, or applied to public uses, without his own consent, or that of the representative body of the people. In fine, the people of this commonwealth are not controllable by any other laws than those to which their constitutional representative body have given their consent."John Adams 
   
 "I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." Do you agree or disagree with the following statement made by Benjamin Franklin?

A Nurse

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. "Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he... dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused.Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients. Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night. Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her, "Who was that man?" he asked.The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered."No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life.""Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed. I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His Son was killed in Iraq today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this Gentleman's Name? " The nurse with tears in her eyes answered, "Mr. William Grey..."

The next time someone needs you . just be there.

A Daughters Last Gift

A Daughter's Last Gift Turns Her Struggling Family Into New Millionaires
By Bryan Llenas Published May 17, 2013 Fox News Latino


Savannah Cerezo, 14, who died in August 2012. The glass cookie jar Savannah bought for her mother and where the $4.8 million lotto ticket was found.
The Cerezo family hasn't been facing the best of times.Their house has been in foreclosure since February and they were months away from eviction.Their cars were repossessed.Their jewelry gone, sold to the highest bidder.Ricardo Cerezo, the 44-year-old head of household, quit his job in management consulting in 2010 to take care of his daughter, Savannah, who had to stay home with severe bipolar disorder. A professional in helping companies in distress, he painstakingly took her to and from medical appointments and trips to the hospital. But 14-year-old Savannah died last August. Brain-dead, her parents pulled her off life support after suffering four-and-a-half hours of seizures.
One of Savannah's last gifts to her parents was a glass cookie jar. And one of her last requests, seeing their financial struggles, was urging them to never stop playing the lottery.  "Savannah was the only one that encouraged us to play," he told Fox News Latino.  "Everyone at home thought it was a waste of time given that we needed every penny."The father played when he could and saved old lottery tickets - they never won anything - in that glass cookie jar. This week, nine months after Savannah's death, Ricardo and his wife, Bonnie, were doing some kitchen cleaning and she asked him to finally do something about three months' worth of old tickets filling up the jar.Do something with them, she asked him. So instead of throwing them out, he decided to actually check if one of the tickets had winning numbers.Did it ever.Ricardo took the 11 tickets stashed in the cookie jar to the 7-Eleven where he had bought them. The first eight out of the nine tickets came up empty. The next ticket was a winner - $3. But the last ticket, a Quick Pix, alerted Cerezo that he needed to file a claim, which means the ticket was worth $600 or more.As it turns out, it was worth nearly $5 million. It'll be spread out in annual payments of $100,000 for 26 years and paid on each February, coincidentally Savannah's birthday month.Ricardo Cerezo had no doubt - it was all Savannah's divine doing."She kept insisting that somehow she was going to pay us back," he said. "She kept her promise."The turn of events has dramatically impacted the Cerezos.Now they'll be able to keep their home - they hadn't touched Savannah's room, except for adding an urn with her ashes.
It was in that very room where Ricardo cried for losing his daughter and where he prayed that life would get better for his family."Dear lord, please just don't take away this room," he said he prayed. "We had lost everything we had. The room was the last thing we had of her existence."Little did we know the answer was downstairs the whole time," Ricardo said, in a nondescript glass cookie jar filled with old papers.Beyond being able to pay the house off and return to a normal life at home, now the Cerezos won't have to worry about how to afford to pay for college for their two other children.They also pledged to contribute to their church -  where they sought consolation while grieving Savannah's death -and other charities. They will also look to fund organizations, or start an organization of their own, that will conduct research into mental health, given their daughter's deadly bout with bipolar disorder."Every now, and then we can find the joy in the win itself," Ricardo said. "We are very happy that we have some financial peace. But there is no real jumping for joy." But even with the unexpected economic turnaround at home, Ricardo Cerezo noted he's not about to forget what making it through hard work is all about.Come Monday, he'll report to work just like any other day.

The Taxpayer

 The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.  When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: 'Whose?' I work until beer o'clock.When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt. Nothing is work unless you'd rather be doing something else. Going to work for a large company is like getting on a train. Are you going sixty miles an hour or is the train going sixty miles an hour and you're just sitting still?  It's a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can't eat for eight hours; he can't drink for eight hours; he can't make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work. Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.  I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.There is a vast world of work out there in this country, where at least 111 million people are employed in this country alone - many of whom are bored out of their minds. All day long.When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home.  Nothing will work unless you do. Anyone who can walk to the welfare office can walk to work. To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.  As I understand it, sport is hard work for which you do not get paid. Every noble work is at first impossible.  Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits. When more and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment results. Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doin. Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work. There are one hundred men seeking security to one able man who is willing to risk his fortune. We work to become, not to acquire.  The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence.  Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Nobody can be successful unless he loves his work. Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with. The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there. The man who wins is the average man, Not built on any particular plan; Not blessed with any particular luck ??“ Just steady and earnest and full of pluck. The man who wins is the man who works, Who neither labor nor trouble shirks; Who uses his hands,When your work speaks for itself, don???t interrupt. Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits.

            Let every man be occupied, and occupied in the highest employment of which his nature is capable, and die with the consciousness that he has done his best.  When I feel bad, I work. When I have problems, when I'm depressed, when I'm bored with life, I sit down to my work. There are probably other prescriptions, but I don't know them. Or they don't work for me. You want my advice -- here it is Go and work. Thank God that people like you and me need only paper and pencil to work. Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.  I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We are supposed to work it.   If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you won't have to work.  No man is born into the world whose work Is not born with him. There is always work, And tools to work with for those who will; And blessed are the horny hands of toil. I find that a man is as old as his work. If his work keeps him from moving forward, he will look forward with the work. If we work upon marble, it will perish if we work upon brass, time will efface it if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust but if we work upon immortal minds and instill into them just principles, we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity. Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment. Do your work not just your work and no more, but a little more for the lavishings sake--that little more which is worth all the rest.You must work--- we must all work To make the world worthy of its children.  Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. I don't like work... but I like what is in work -- the chance to find yourself. Your own reality -- for yourself, not for others -- which no other man can ever know.  For one human being to love another that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get.  Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgment. Go some distance away, because work will be in perspective and a lack of harmony is more readily seen.  You must keep sending work out you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist. Computers shouldn't be unusable. You don't need to know how to work a telephone switch to make a phone call, or how to use the Hoover Dam to take a shower, or how to work a nuclear-power plant to turn on the lights. What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress Imagine that you are a Masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath.  Rowing is a sport for dreamers. As long as you put in the work, you can own the dream. When the work stops, the dream dissapears.  Nobody's a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better. It's hard to stay on top. When work is a pleasure, life is a joy When work is a duty, life is slavery.  The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.   I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work 15 and 16 hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example.  There are two kinds of companies, those that work to try to charge more and those that work to charge less. We will be the second.  Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. I feel that you are justified in looking into the future with true assurance, because you have a mode of living in which we find the joy of life and the joy of work harmoniously combined. Added to this is the spirit of ambition which pervades your very being, and seems to make the day's work like a happy child at play. (referring to America) The most important motive for work in school and in life is pleasure in work, pleasure in its result, and the knowledge of the value of the result to the community.  It's not the hours you put in your work that counts, it's the work you put in the hours. The artist belongs to his work, not the work to the artist.  More men die of worry than of work, because more men worry than work.  It is one thing to decry the rat race...that is the good and honorable work of moralists. It is quite another thing to quit the rat race, to drop out, to refuse to run any further--that is the work of the individualist. It is offensive because it is impolite it makes the rebuke personal the individualist calls not his or her behavior into question, but mine.  What I still ask for daily - for life as long as I have work to do, and work as long as I have life.   Earlier people used to switch on TV's after getting bored with their routine work. Now they switch on to routine work after getting bored with TV. Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day. If you can laugh together, you can work together. ...in order that a man may be happy, it is necessary that he should not only be capable of his work, but a good judge of his work. We are weighed down, every moment, by the conception and the sensation of Time. And there are but two means of escaping and forgetting this nightmare: pleasure and work. Pleasure consumes us. Work strengthens us. Let us choose.   The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life.  People who work sitting down get paid more than people who work standing up.  One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.   One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art. You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are. By the work one knows the workmen. Work is victory.   It is broke.  It will not work.  It does not go.   An honest man is the noblest work of God.  It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.  Author Unkown  

Todays Farming

In today's farming we use Tractors and combines and such. But in the old days they used Ox and a yoke around its neck. When the Ox was small they would put a yoke on its neck and it grew up with it. So the Ox didn't know anything different. The yoke was to drive the animal. The Ox was hooked to a plow in order to turn over the soil and to bring the fresh dirt on top and the hard dirt was turned under. So now this was second nature to the animal. So now in our kids' lives this sin which is their yoke is also their second nature. Satan starts in our kids' lives to put things on them like a yoke. When they are introduced to just minor sin when they are young they become numb to it in time, just like the Ox didn't even think twice about the pain staking yoke that was grown around its neck. When we are not sensitive to evil it creeps in and drives us like a yoke around the Ox's neck. Just something to think about................. 

A Good Teacher

Good Teacher-----------A lesson that should be taught in all schools... and colleges.Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks from her classroom.When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks."Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?"She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk."They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades.""No," she said."Maybe it's our behavior."She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, "Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you." At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education.. Don't ever forget it."
By the way, this is a true story.

Those Who Believe In Nothing

Those Who Believe In Nothing........you can't see the wind but you know it exists...you can't see carbon dioxide but it exists...You put faith in many things you take for granted like the fact you will wake in the morning and sleep tonight...funny how people can pick and choose what they choose to announce their faith in....at least people who believe in something stand for something...and are not living their lives standing for nothing.....believing in nothing...If the word of God and our own souls are not existence enough then you really have not taken the time to realize your true self...who you are...and what's inside. Could you make a human being from your hands?...could you form each vessel..create DNA?.... You think we just appeared here from a star-burst? You can put your faith in a scientist who has theories and rarely facts as a group of scientists who come to 5 different conclusions are NOT facts... but not in faith of the one who created you....You see i have nothing to prove to anyone for one day it will be proven to you by God...and on that day it will be to late for you.? 

3 Historical Events

Three significant historical events have been eclipsed by Obama: 1) Jimmy Carter will no longer be looked upon as the worst president in American history; 2) Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton will no longer be recognized as the greatest liars in presidential history; 3) Clinton's stain on Monica's dress, and what that did to White House in general and the office of the president specifically, will forever pale in comparison to the stain and stench of Obama.
I need not spend much time on the failure of Obama as president. His tenure has been a failure on every measurable level. So much so, in fact, that some of the staunchest, most respected liberal Democrats and Democratic supporters have not only openly criticized him - some even more harshly than this essayist - but they have called for him to step down.
Richard Nixon's words "I am not a crook," punctuated with his involvement in Watergate, and Bill Clinton's finger-wagging as he told one of the most pathetic lies in presidential history, in the aftermath of Obama, will be viewed as mere prevarications. r. Nixon and Clinton lied to save their backsides. Although, I would argue there are no plausible explanations for doing what they did, I could entertain arguments pursuant to understanding their rationales for lying. But in the case of Obama, he lies because he is a liar. He doesn't only lie to cover his misdeeds - he lies to get his way. He lies to belittle others and to make himself look presentable at their expense. He lies about his faith, his associations, his mother, his father and his wife. He lies and bullies to keep his background secret. His lying is congenital and compounded by socio-psychological factors of his life.
Never in my life, inside or outside of politics, have I witnessed such dishonesty in a political leader. He is the most mendacious political figure I have ever witnessed. Even by the low standards of his presidential predecessors, his narcissistic, contumacious arrogance is unequalled. Using Obama as the bar, Nero would have to be elevated to sainthood.
As the stock markets were crashing, taking with them the remaining life saving of untold tens of thousands, Obama was hosting his own birthday celebration, which was an event of epicurean splendidness. The shamelessness of the event was that it was not a state dinner to welcome foreign dignitaries, nor was it to honor an American accomplishment - it was to honor the Pharaoh, Barack Hussein Obama. The event's sole purpose was for the Pharaoh to have his loyal subjects swill wine, indulge in gluttony and behavior unfit to take place on the property of taxpayers, as they suffer. It was of a magnitude comparable to that of Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski's $2 million birthday extravaganza for its pure lack of respect for the people.
Permit me to digress momentarily. The U.S. Capitol and the White House were built with the intent of bringing awe and respect to America and her people. They were also built with the intent of being the greatest of equalizers. I can tell you, having personally been to both, there is a moment of awe and humility associated with being in the presence of the history of those buildings. They are to be honored and inscribed into our national psyche, not treated as a Saturday night house party at Chicago 's Cabrini-Green.
The people of America own that home Obama and his wife continue to debase with their pan-ghetto behavior. It is clear that Obama and family view themselves as royalty, but they're not. They are employees of "we the people," who are suffering because of his failed policies. What message does this behavior send to those who today are suffering as never before?
What message does it send to all Americans who are struggling? Has anyone stopped to think what the stock market downturn forebodes for those 80 million baby boomers who will be retiring in the next period of years? Is there a snowball's chance in the Sahara that every news program on the air would applaud this behavior if it were George W. Bush? To that point, do you remember the media thrashing Bush took for having a barbecue at the White House?
Like Nero - who was only slightly less debaucherous than Caligula - with wine on his lips Obama treated "we the people" the way Caligula treated those over whom he lorded.
Many in America wanted to be proud when the first person of color was elected president, but instead, they have been witness to a congenital liar, a woman who has been ashamed of America her entire life, failed policies, intimidation and a commonality hitherto not witnessed in political leaders. He and his wife view their life at our expense as an entitlement - while America 's people go homeless, hungry and unemployed.

OLD MAN AND THE DOG

The Old Man and the Dog                                                                               Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car! My father yelled at me. Cant you do anything right? Those words hurt worse than blo
ws. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasnt prepared for another battle. I saw the car, Dad. Please dont yell at me when Im driving.My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt. Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back.At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain.The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him? Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon .He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions,and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess. The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldnt lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldnt do something he had done as a younger man. Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived. But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctors orders.Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults.The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone. My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dads troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it. The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered. In vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, I just  read something that might help you! Let me go get the article. I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog. I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs; all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons; too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen  a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog worlds aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed.Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly. I pointed to the dog.Can you tell me about him? The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement. Hes a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow. He gestured helplessly. As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. You mean youre going to kill him?Maam, he said gently, thats our policy. We dont have room for every unclaimed dog. I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. I'll take him, I said.I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me.When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch. Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad! I said excitedly. Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I dont want it Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house. Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples.Youd better get used to him, Dad. Hes staying! Dad ignored me. Did you hear me, Dad? I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.Dads lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal. It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne . Together he and Cheyenne explored the community.They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet. Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dads bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyennes cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my fathers room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night. Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dads bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dads peace of mind. The morning of Dads funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks li

ke the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers.Ive often thanked God for sending that angel, he said. For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article...Cheyennes unexpected appearance at the animal shelter. . .his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . .and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all. Life is too short for drama  petty things, so laugh hard,love truly and forgive quickly. Live While You Are Alive.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time. Lost time can never be found.

Wake Up America

Subject: lemme see if I got this right...
makes my head spin!! 
 IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER
ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR.
IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER
ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.
IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER
ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.
IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER
ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.
IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER
ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.
IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER
ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.
IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY
YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.
IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET !!!
A JOB,          A DRIVERS LICENSE,
SOCIAL SECURITY CARD,  WELFARE,
FOOD STAMPS,  CREDIT CARDS,
SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE,
FREE EDUCATION,  FREE HEALTH CARE,
A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON  BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE
THE RIGHT TO CARRY YOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG WHILE YOU
PROTEST THAT YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH RESPECT
AND, IN MANY INSTANCES, YOU CAN VOTE.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD A FIRM GRASP ON THE SITUATION !!!
IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP AMERICA  !!!!!!!!!!!!

Love

HAD A FRIEND VISIT THIS MORNING.---------------------------HE ARRIVED EARLY, SAT DOWN WITH ME AND CHATTED FOR A WHILE ABOUT HOW THINGS WERE CURRENTLY GOING FOR ME IN MY LIFE. AFTER VERY CAREFULLY AND COMPASSIONATELY LISTENING TO ALL THAT I HAD TO SAY,HE STOOD UP, WALKED OVER TO ME, LEANED OVER AND GENTLY HELD ME FOR AWHILE.THEN, AFTER ASSURING ME NOT TO WORRY,THAT EVERYTHING WOULD WORK OUT FOR ME AND BE JUST FINE, HE ASKED ME IF I KNEW OF ANYONE ELSE THAT COULD USE A VISIT FROM HIM. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF YOU MY FRIEND. I GAVE HIM YOUR NAME AND HE KNEW WHERE YOU LIVED. HE GAVE ME ANOTHER REASSURING HUG, THANKED ME AND I WALKED WITH HIM TO MY FRONT DOOR. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO YOUR PLACE.--------------------------- When He gets to your PC, escort Him to the next stop. Please don't allow Him to sleep on your PC. The message He is carrying is very important.I asked Him to bless you and yours with peace, happiness and abundance.Say a prayer and then pass Him on to bless others as I sent him on to bless you. Our assignment is to spread love, respect and kindness throughout the world.Have a blessed day and touch somebody's life today as hopefully I have touched your life.This is a true story 

How We Judge Others

  '' How we judge others by Nicole Roberts'' 

    A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.The next morning while they are eating breakfast,The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside."That laundry is not very clean", she said."She doesn't know how to wash correctly.Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,The young woman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.I wonder who taught her this."The husband said, "I got up early this morning and Cleaned our windows."And so it is with life. What we see when watching others Depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

IRAQ

VERY INTERESTING-

1. The Garden of Eden was in Iraq
2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern
Iraq !
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which
is in Iraq
9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel
10. Amos cried out in Iraq
11 Babylon , which is in Iraq , destroyed Jerusalem
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq !
13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq
also as the fourth person in the Fiery Furnace!)
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon
saw the 'writing on the wall' in Iraq
15. Nebuchadnezar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq
16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq ..
17. The wise men were from Iraq
18.. Peter preached in Iraq
19. The 'Empire of Man' described in Revelation is called Babylon , which was a city in Iraq !
And you have probably seen this one: Israel is the nation most
often mentioned in the Bible.
But
do you know which nation is second?
It is Iraq !
However, that is not the name that is used in
the Bible
The names used in the Bible are Babylon , Land
of Shinar , and Mesopotamia . The word Mesopotamia means
between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris
And Euphrates
Rivers .
The name Iraq , means country with
deep roots.
Indeed Iraq
is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the
Bible.
No other nation, except Israel
, has more history and prophecy associated
With it than Iraq
And also, This is something to think about: Since
America
is typically represented by an eagle.
Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages
..
The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible) Koran ( 9:11
) - For it is written that a son of Arabia
would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt
throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people
trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle
cleansed the lands of Allah;
And
there was peace.
(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?!

the boy and the sundae

many years ago, a 10-year-old boy walked up to the counter of a soda shop and climbed onto a stool. he caught the eye of the waitress and asked, “how much is an ice cream sundae?”
“fifty cents,” the waitress replied. the boy reached into his pockets, pulled out a handful of change, and began counting. the waitress frowned impatiently. after all, she had other customers to wait on.
the boy squinted up at the waitress. “how much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he asked. the waitress sighed and rolled her eyes. “thirty-five cents,” she said with a note of irritation.
again, the boy counted his coins. at last, he said, “i’ll have the plain ice cream, please.” he put a quarter and two nickels on the counter. the waitress took the coins, brought the ice cream, and walked away.
about ten minutes later, she returned and found the ice cream dish empty. the boy was gone. she picked up the empty dish—then swallowed hard.
there on the counter, next to the wet spot where the dish had been, were two nickels and five pennies. the boy had had enough for a sundae, but he had ordered plain ice cream so he could leave her a tip.

good morning

Observations on Growing Older_____ It's harder to tell navy from black! Everything old is new again, but if you wore it before, you're too old to wear it the 2nd time around! Your kids are becoming you...and you don't like them! ..but your grandchildren are perfect! Going out is good. Coming home is better! When people say you look "Great"...they add "for your age"! When you needed the discount you paid full price. Now you get discounts on everything...movies, hotels ...flights.You forget names....but it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you.The last 2 outfits you wore had spots on them.You ask your husband or friend how your outfit looks and they tell you the truth! The five pounds you wanted to lose is now 15 and you have a better chance of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.You realize you're never going to be really good at anything...especially golf.Your husband is counting on you to remember things you don't remember.The things you cared to do, you don't care to do, but you care that you don't are to do them anymore.Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring then he does in bed.  It's called his "pre-sleep"Remember when your mother said "Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"? Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!You used to say, "I hope my kids GET married. Now,  "I hope they STAY married!"The best place to have a conversation with your husband is in the bathroom...you have his full attention. You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.When GOOGLE, ipod, email, modem, were unheard of and a mouse was something that made you climb on a table.You use more 4 letter words..."what?"..."when?" ??? Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.Your husband has a night out with the guys but he's home by 9:00 P.M.  ...next week it will be 8:30 P.M.You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you've already read it.

Notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?Many of the people in People Magazine you've never heard of.Your concealer doesn't conceal.Your lipstick bleeds.Your mascara clumps and your eyebrows are disappearing.You don't have hair under your arms and very little on your legs but your chin needs to be plucked daily! What used to be freckles are now liver spots.Everybody whispers.Now that your husband has retired ...you'd give anything if he'd find a job! You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ....2 of which  you will never wear.But old is good in some things:   ...old songs  ...old movies and best of all ..................OLD FRIENDS! 

climb

How About Some Assicons

 How about some 'ASSICONS?________'  Here goes:______    (_!_) a regular ass_____ (__!__) a fat ass_____  (!) a tight ass____ (_*_) an ass  hole_____  {_!_} a swishy ass   (_o_) an ass that's been around____ (_x_) kiss my ass_____ (_X_) leave my ass alone____ (_zzz_) a tired ass_____ (_E=mc2_) a smart ass___  (_$_) Money coming out of his ass___ (_?_) Dumb Ass