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10/2/05
I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been
computing,
And I had to answer "yes."
He told me to get off my butt
And tidy up the house.
And so I started
cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.
I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick...
I was
just admiring my work...
I didn't mean to 'click.'
But click, I did, and oops I found
A real absorbing site
That
I got SO way into...
I was into it all night. <<Sigh>>
Nothing's changed except my mouse
It's very,
very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess...
While I sit here on my hiney.
And this was sent to me from a friend.
You Go, Veteran!!!!! Truer words were never spoken......if
only more people realized that without our Veterans, there would be NO FREEDOM!
It's the reason we can all sleep at night without fear (or too much fear) of waking up to
bombed out cities; its the reason we have the choices we do at the supermarkets and all stores; heck, its the reason we have
the stores we do!
And...unfortunately, its also the reason we have the arrogance that we do.....to come to expect
all that we have, and to forget the reason(s) we have all that.
Perhaps, more veterans should speak up more often, instead of silently going back to living
their lives, even in silent desperation, while they seek assistance for any number of ills that they bring back home with
them from their many journeys.
My father served in two wars in the Navy, on battleships, and my brother served for 21 years
in the Air Force, all the way through Desert Storm and beyond. Both were absolutely convinced that it was necessary
and both of them have never spoken about their experiences upon coming home. And both of them never asked nor acted
as if I or anyone else owed or owes them a living. When, really, just the opposite is true. One of the few things
I have pride about is that both the men in my family served their countries as if it were an honor, not a sentence to be carried
out with disdain.
Like I said....I'm proud of both of the MEN in my family. Long may our flag wave.
And I, for one, stomp on all who stomp on my county's flag. While others may believe that the freedom of _expression
and speech that it affords them also applies to the flag itself, I believe that I am far wiser in knowing that disrespecting
it in such a manner pretty much guarantees its eminent demise.
Love,
Deb
Another one for 10/1/05 'cause I needed a laugh after that euligy from cathy for her father. Get a load of this.
Promises.......Promises!!
A man walks into a very posh Rodeo Drive furrier with a gorgeous blonde
on his arm. "Show the
lady your finest mink!" the fellow exclaims.
So the owner of the shop goes in the back and comes out with an absolutely gorgeous full-length
coat.
As the lady tries it on, the furrier sidles up to the guy and discreetly whispers, "Ah, sir, that
particular fur goes for $65,000."
"No problem! I'll write you a check!"
"Very good, sir." says the shop owner. "Today is Saturday. You may come by on Monday to pick it
up, after the check has cleared."
So the man and the woman leave. On Monday, the fellow returns.
The store owner is outraged, "How dare you show your face here! There wasn't a single penny in
your checking account!!"
"I just had to come by," grinned the guy, "to thank you for the most wonderful
weekend of my life!"
10/1/05
A TributeTo A Fireman, Father,Grandfather, Great~Grandfather, and
a Wonderful Friend...
This is a tribute in memory of our wonderful father,
grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. On October 5th, 2003, the most wonderful, brave, and determined man I have ever
known left this world, my life~~all of our lives very suddenly and left a huge void in my heart, and all of our hearts~~and
our lives. He spent his life as a fireman saving homes, lives, and doing a type of work which I and most of the rest of the
world I am sure, finds very admirable and difficult. In 1975 he had to move to New Port Richie, Fla. and leave Prince George's
County in Md. where he had served as a chief and fireman for most of his life. He had, as a young man, been in the Navy as
well. He moved here in 1975 due to a bad heart which had caused him to retire from his love of being a fireman. However, after
moving here, he also volunteered with the Coast Guard, still trying to do that which he dedicated his life to~~That ! of helping
others.
Five years ago he lost his right leg because of complications
from diabetes, a surgery which had to be done two separate times, as the below-the-knee one did not work and he lived
in great pain for many weeks due to this. After the second, he went on to face life as if he had always gotten along but with
one leg, it did not stop him from anything, not even climbing ladders to decorate at Christmas.
In March of this year (2003), while shopping in a local
store, he was overcome by propane fumes which came from a cleaning machine that went by him in his wheelchair cart,
and he passed out. He was then rushed to a local hospital where he had to be intubated due to his having severe COPD,
and was put on a ventilator. A friend of his called my sister and I in Virginia and told us that we should get down here,
as things did not look good. So, on March 1st we drove down here, expecting the worst, and found that things were, indeed,
very serious. At that time he was being kept in an induced coma because he fought so hard to remove those tubes from his throat,
and it was at this time that I saw just how determined this man was to live, what obstacles he was wiling to work hard
to overcome, in order that he might live and return home. I was told that he was being given enough medication to k! nock
3 men out cold, yet he NEVER stopped struggling to come out of the induced coma. During the time he was on a ventilator, he
developed gangrene in his remaining leg, which the doctors refused to operate on, saying due to poor health he was no candidate
for surgery. Over the next week through a LOT of very hard work, he was able to be weaned off the ventialtor, and
we brought him home in order to gain enough strength to survive the amputation. In spite of the very great amount of pain
he was in for an entire month, he insisted I come up with ways to enable himself to get in and out of his chair...a Jazzi
wheelchair. I built trapezes in various rooms in the house, so that he did not feel a burden to anyone, something which
was very important to him. He insisted on building his upper body strength in order that he might become totally independent
once the amputation was completed.
The day of the amputation, he was given a spinal pain blocker,
which did not work, and was refused pain medication for 12 hours. I have given birth to 5 children naturally, but I have never
in my entire life seen a human being suffer the pain that this man did for the next 12 hours, I have no words to describe
his agony to you. However, 3 days later he returned home, and within a matter of days was living just as well as you
or I with no legs whatsoever.
He went to a mobility place, and had a vann custom made
with hand controls in order that he could live totally independent.
On April 29th, much to my objections, he made me return
home to Va., because he knew in his heart how very much I missed my children and grandchildren, though he never said this
to me, I know that is why. He assuredly began living his life as a double amputee~~alone. He was doing an excellent job
of doing so, until May 11th, when he had another breathing attack, and was once again put on a ventilator, but taken off within
a few hours. However, because he was not slowly weaned off, he ended up having to be re-intubated, a very harsh thing for
one to have done. This time he was not expected to live. His birthday was on May 13th, and we all had called to wish him a
happy birthday, no one knowing he was even in the hospital again, not even his own son who lived down there. On May 16th,
which is my birthday, I got a phone call at work from my step-brother, asking me to please come back to Fla. per daddy's requ!
est because this time he really did think he was dying. He drove straight to Va. to get me than straight back to Florida to
get me to him as soon as he could. When I got here and to his room, he started crying and wrote, "I missed you." I took
one look at him and also believed he was going to die.
After many attempts at trying to wean him off the ventilator
unsuccesfully, he chose to have a tracheostomy done. This was an enormous burden on my heart, all of it, but I had gone into
his computer and happened to find a note written by a dear friend of his who had also been a firefighter in P.G. County with
him after I had left 2 weeks before, and I read those words many times a day for the next few weeks. He wrote,"when I think
of the many times we had together in the fire department, and the lives we tried to save, it serves as a reminder to me to
stop thinking of the easy way out, then when I hear from you this heart breaking news (the 2nd amputation), and listen to
your words and your attitude, it gives me the strength to stop thinking of a way out." I will carry those words with me for
the rest of my life, as I will the example my father gave to me over the next few months.
The surgery went wrong and he lost too much blood at the
trach site and had to be rushed again a few hours later to an emergency surgery, because his throat swelled so bad the tube
was actually pushed out. But, he never, ever, gave up. The only thing he was unable to do was be weaned off the ventialtor
at the hospital close to his home. He had to be moved to a specialty hospital in Tampa, where he worked so very hard
to be weaned. Then he had to learn to talk, swallow, eat....he had a feeding tube in his stomach at the time. Then he
developed an internal bleed, which required MORE than the total of his body's blood to be replaced.
By this time a man of 170 lbs was down to a mere 112 lbs.
When I was finally able to bring him home from the hospital on July 7th, there was nothing left of him but skin, bones and
bruises. I was told that I would be unable to take care of him, that he needed to be taken to a rehab center to gain his strength
back as he was unable to do anything for himself..not even lift a spoon to eat. He begged me to please take him home, and
there was no way I could turn my back on him no matter how difficult our lives might be once we got there.
I had to get a Hoyer lift in order to get him out of his
hospital bed...I have no words to describe to you what this man went through and fought the next few months. At no time was
he ever expected to live, yet he made it home once again. The doctors, therapists, no one thought he would ever be back in
his chair again, all agreed he HAD to live in a rehab center, which he fought tooth and nail. All of those things which we
take for granted...breathing, bathing, transferring from a chair to a bed...all took him a great deal of effort and pain to
learn to do again. He was also told he would never be able to live without the trach, which was sucessfully removed on September
24th.
>From that day, until October 5th, around 5:30 p.m.,
he went out every day, whistled, smiled and assured all of us he would live til 90. He was nicknamed Lazarus by a good friend
of his, for he truly did return from the grave in all our eyes, more than once.
On that morning of Oct. 5th, we went to Wal Mart shopping
for groceries, Halloween candy and the stuff to have our first Thanksgiving dinner together in 26 years. He was already planning
the huge Thanksgiving dinner he cooked every year from his wheelchair for MANY of his friends...he was an excellent cook.
This year, it was going to be a great blessing for me to be a part of that. That afternoon he woke from his nap to begin cleaning
the garage so we could get down his Christmas decorations as he REALLY put on quite a display which he was very well known
for. This was above all his most favorite thing to do every year.
He took a break to go get his tickets and some ice cream,
and upon his return to the house was laying on the horn for me to come out. I ran out to find him barely able to breathe,
and asked if he wanted to go to the hospital which was only a minute down the road, but of course he would not do that. He
swore he would never survive another hospital stay. He wanted me to get him in his chair which I did and in the house to his
nebulizer which I did but it did not seem to be helping. He then grabbed an ammonia inhaler out of his shirt pocket and broke
it open under his nose begging me to please just keep talking to him. I did that and was rubbing his back trying to get him
to calm down and just breathe, until he told me to go get him one of his heart pills and one of his nerve pills as he had
panic attacks when he could not get his breath. I ran back out into the kitchen with them but he seemed to not be able to
g! et them down and he was turning a funny grey color so I went running for the phone dialing 911 and turned to see him about
ready to come over the side of his chair which was what happened if his sugar got too low even though he was belted in..with
no legs it was inevitable. I was cradling the phone to my ear trying to get a rescue squad there and got to his chair just in time to catch him coming out and we both wound up on his
kitchen floor.
I really do not remember much from that time, it all seemed
to happen so fast, but ever so slow as well, and as I held him in my arms with tears streaking down my cheeks begging him
not to leave me, to please just try to breathe. I was looking him straight in the eye...and I think when he heard the sirens,
or maybe even it was before they got there, he chose to go from my arms into God's with his mother standing there as well.
He died in my arms, but he was still taken to the hospital and they tried for an hour to revive him. Then they finally came
to the room where they had left me sitting alone, and told me they had not been able to bring him back. It is hard to
describe that now. A part of me kept thinking we would just wind up with the trach back in, and go home in a few days,
but I think in my heart I knew exactly the moment he just finally chose to go.
While I selfishly wish he were still here, as do all of
us who knew him, I am grateful for the 8 months that I had with him that last year of his life, as difficult as it often
was. The laughter that we shared, the planning for the holidays, the whistling which he constantly did with his birds,the
joy of seeing him eat so well and put on weight again and look and feel healthy, these are all things which will remain
in my heart forever. I, as his daughter, am so grateful for the man that he was...that all fireman are, something which
became even dearer to me after 9/11.
But most of all, I, my step-brother & sister, his grandchildren
and his great grand-children were blessed to have had such a kind, loving, and caring man in our lives. His impact on our
lives will remain forever~~ and I will be sure his great-grandchildren know as well what a fine, brave man their great-grandpa
was. He loved his great-granddaughter Hailey more than she will ever know. He loved his friends, he treasured each and every
one of them.
My life, all our lives, and this world have suffered
a great loss. There are some people who come along in life and remain forever in your heart, and our father was one of
those men. Long after he is gone, the men he fought fires with will tell of the jokes they pulled on one another which brought
many tears of laughter to my eyes to hear, his friends have so many great stories of their times together.
But all of us who knew and loved him, will be stronger,
and more appreciative of life and living because of the example he gave us~~~ that never giving up is worth the reward of
having one more day, one more visit with a friend or loved one....and that no matter how little of your physical body may
be left to carry on in life with .... it is the spirit and the loving heart which makes you as big as the tallest mountain
in the world. He was big to me when I was but a little girl in his fireman's outfit....but he was biggest to me in those last
few months of his life when he wasn't able to even stand. He stood taller, prouder, and happier than any soul I have yet to
meet in this life.
I will be very grateful for the day when I can see him again,
when he will be able to stand and hug me...hug us all, and welcome us home.
You leave all our lives now Daddy a little sadder, a little
emptier, but so very much richer because we knew a true hero and angel embodied in one soul and life, a gift so rarely bestowed.
We all love you, miss you, and loved you more than I am sure we were ever able to express in words, but I think you knew.
God bless you now my precious father with the peace you
deserve more than any person I have ever known.
I love you, we all love you,
today, tomorrow and forever...
With all of the love a daughter could ever hold in her heart for a father...I
let you go in love now to God where you will be free again to live, until the day we meet again.....I love you Daddy...
Cathy
10-06-03
Merry 2nd Christmas Daddy in heaven...I love & miss you very much~Your Daughter and your
friend, Cath
9/30/05 I sure am glad that Tripod has straightened out the problem with the file manager. I couldn't post anything
for a couple days. Before that I couldn't get to my home page so I made About Me the home page. Now it looks like everything
is working just fine. Boy, is it good to be back.
O.K., here is "The Post For Today".
We all know or knew someone like this!!
One day, when I was a freshman in high school,I saw a kid from my class
was walking home from school. His name was Kyle.
It looked like he was carrying all of his
books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?
He must really be a nerd."
I
had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I
saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his
arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet
from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and
as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in
his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really
should get lives".
He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a
big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I
helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why
I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private
school kid before.
We talked all the way home, and I carried some
of his books. He turned out to be a
pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He
said yes.
We hung out all weekend and the
more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought
the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him
and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday"!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When
we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would
always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.
He
was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business
on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for
graduation. I was so glad it wasn't
me having to get up there and speak.
Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked
great.
He was one of those guys that really found himself during high
school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.Boy, sometimes
I was jealous.Today was one of those days.
I could see that he was
nervous about his speech. So, I smacked
him on the back and
said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled."Thanks," he said.
As he started
his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped
you make it through those tough years. Your
parents, your
teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all
of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.
I am going to tell you
a story."I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.
He
had planned to kill himself
over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned
out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me
from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same
grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions.
With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For
better or for worse.God puts us all in each other's lives
to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.
You now have two choices,
you can:
1) Pass this on to your friends or
2) Act like it didn't touch your
heart.
As you can see, I took choice number 1.
"Friends are angels who lift us
to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
There is no beginning
or end.. Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
It's
National Friendship Week.
Show your friends how much you care. |
9/28/05 Tripod is working on their server and I can't get my home page to come up. Just
so I had something there for you, I changed the file name on the "About Me" page. Now I can post something for today. Here
is the way I feel today.
Who Is Behind The Keyboard
Do you remember sitting in a chat room, watching
people chat, or even chatting yourself? Do you remember receiving so many forwards that your mailbox was ready to explode?
How about receiving an e-mail from someone just searching for a friend. Did you wonder who these people might be that are
behind the keyboard?
Online we meet new people from all around the world. Some we chat with just once and then we
go on. Others we chat with time and time again, and a friendship is made. Others become our e-mail buddies, and we look
forward to their e-mails each day, but have you ever really wondered who was really behind the keyboard?
So often
we meet a friend in chat we stay up all night chatting, sometimes we laugh so hard we cannot type, other times we cry and
our keyboards are stained from tears. We chat about our lives and help solve each others' problems, we lend a shoulder if
we can.
Did you ever think to yourself, who is really behind that keyboard?
Did you
ever chat with someone that promised you the world and that your friendship will be forever, and then they are gone? Do you
forget about them and move on, or do you wonder "who was that person really, that was behind the keyboard?
Have
you ever hid behind your keyboard, pretending to be something you are not, just to boost your ego? As you sat there and typed
have you ever lied, thinking "who cares, the person behind the keyboard, it is only a fake person?" Did you ever hurt
someone thinking "it's only a game"?
Well, behind each and every keyboard are very real people, some might be heartless
cold people, not caring who they hurt, but then there are people that are caring, loyal, honest and all kinds of people hoping
for some companionship online. Behind the keyboard can be someone who is seriously depressed and their only hope is to make
a friend, maybe an aging person who once had a family, but now
they live too far apart to see one another, perhaps there
is someone that cannot walk anymore or a person so ill they are in the house forever.
As we enter the world of the
internet we should remember, it is a very real world and behind each and every keyboard is a person who has a heart. No one
has a life that is pain free, so as we go online whether in chat or just e-mailing, we must remember to treat each person
the way the we want to be treated, to respect each others' feelings, and to offer friendship, because the truth is we really
do not know who is behind the keyboard or what kind of hurt someone may
be feeling. To be the best to others that you can
be should be the "key" to a good, honest life.
Author Unknown
9/27/05 I had to make space for new "stuff" and moved a lot of "stuff" to pages 2 and 3. Now you have to look!
I haven't posted anything new today YET, but will find something to put up here. Have a great day and "I'll be back".
Love ya, Donny
|
9/27/05 I had to make space for new "stuff" and moved a lot of "stuff" to page 3. Now you have to look! I
haven't posted anything new today YET, but will find something to put up here. Have a great day and "I'll be back".
Love ya, Donny
|
9/26/05
Grandpa,
some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. He
didn't move, just sat with his head
down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside
him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat
I wondered if he was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was OK. He raised his head and
looked at me
and smiled. Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking, he said in a clear strong voice. "I didn't mean to disturb you, grandpa, but you were just
sitting
here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK" I explained to him.
" Have you ever
looked at your hands" he asked. I mean really looked at your hands? I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned
them over,
palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to
figure
out the point he was making.
Grandpa smiled and related this story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands
you have,
how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used
all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon
the
floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled
on my boots. They
held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy
when I tried to
hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They
wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle. Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy
out of a
foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friends foot. They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They
have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken,
dried
and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works
real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where
I've been
and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will
lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."
I will never look at
my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandpa's hands and led him home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of
my children
and husband I think of grandpa. I know he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of
God. I,
too, want to touch the face of God and feel his hands upon my face.
9/24/05
Alcoholics have never learned to swim in
the Sea of Life.
So our hero the alcoholic,is stranded on
the Island of Confusion and separated from the Land of Serenity by the Sea of Life. And he desperately wants to get to the
Land of Serenity.
He wanders up and down the beach of the
Island of Confusion until he comes across a quay with a lovely cruise ship tied up. Its name is the "SS Treatment Centre."
It is taking passengers for the Land of Serenity but the fare is more than our friend can afford. The fare is hospital insurance
and our alcoholic had spent the insurance money on booze long ago.
"What can I do?" he whined.
A bystander said to him,"If you look down
the beach you'll see a couple of Charlies with an invisible row boat. See if they can help."
So went down the beach and checked out the
invisible rowboat, which the two characters said existed, even though he couldn't see it. They said it was called "Alcoholics
Anonymous."
Now our alcoholic might have been a drunk
but he wasn't going to be stupid enough to cross the Sea of Life in an invisible rowboat. So he left them and went back to
the quay where the SS Treatment Centre was moored and in one way or another begged, borrowed or stole (after all, he is an
alky!)the fare and boarded.
He found the accommodation terrific and
all the crew treated him like a prince. But just as the ship got out of sight of land it stopped and they threw all the alcoholics
overboard.
"What will we do?"they cried."We can't swim
in The Sea of Life."
The crew called out, "Look for a couple
of Charlies in an invisible rowboat.They may help."
Just as our alcoholic was going down for
the third time along came these two fellows with their invisible rowboat and they pulled him aboard. "What do I do now?" he
asked.
They handed him an oar and said," Start
rowing."
He was amazed, because as he rowed the boat
became visible and then he noticed a man alongside him also rowing. This man helped our alcoholic to refine his rowing technique
and told him about the rowboat. "As you row the boat gets larger and safer," he said, and these words came true. Our alcoholic
thanked his companion and asked his name. "I am your sponsor," he said."I am here to help you with your rowing so your view
of the rowboat stays and you are safe."
As the ride got smoother and he saw there
were plenty of other rowers, our alcoholic decided he wouldn't need to row any more. He drifted along for a short while and
then suddenly the rowboat disappeared and he was back in the Sea of Life and unable to swim. "Help!" he shouted, and the Charlies
with the invisible rowboat hauled him back aboard. This time he rowed and rowed and rowed as if his life depended upon it.
The boat became visible again and it grew so he could see hundreds of other rowers.
As the boat grew near the Land of Serenity
he asked his co-rower, "Who is steering this crazy outfit?"
His companion replied "We have an Invisible
Helmsman,and He never fails to steer us in the right direction. Under His guidance we weather all storms and other disturbances
and eventually He will guide us to The Land Of Serenity.
Just as long as we all keep rowing.
9/23/05
I am Thankful :
FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND
NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA
BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH
ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.
FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS
AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.
FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM EMPLOYED.
FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN
AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.
FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE
IT MEANS
I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.
FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE
FOR
A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.
FOR
ALL THE COMPLAINING
I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS
WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..
FOR THE PARKING
SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH
TRANSPORTATION.
FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I AM WARM.
FOR T HE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO
SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS
I CAN HEAR.
FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS
I HAVE
CLOTHES TO WEAR.
FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN
CAPABLE
OF WORKING HARD.
FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.
AND
FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE
FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.
9/22/05
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing
in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of
the dog.
Proceeding into the entry, he found an even
bigger mess.
A lamp had been knocked over, and
the throw rug was wadded against one wall.
In the
front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the
counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small
pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly
headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife.
He was worried she might be ill, or that something
serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle
of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn
over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed
in her pajamas, reading a novel.
She looked up at
him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from
work and you ask me what in the world did I do today?"
"Yes,"
was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."
KEEP IN TOUCH and let me know what you think.
9/22/05
The Old Barn
A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy
the old barn that sits out by the highway. I told him right off he was crazy. He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes,
his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass
and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.
Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass
with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood
has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired. Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.
That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there, gazing at that old
barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den in a new country home he's building down
the road. He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching
sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood.
It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty
grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too ... and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap. But the
Good Lord knows what He's doing. And as the years pass He's busy using the hard wealth of our lives, the dry spells and the
stormy seasons, to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce. And to think how often folks holler because
they want life easy!
They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house. And
I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord has for us on the Great Sky
Ranch.
And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here and just
maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.
May there be peace within you today. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are
meant to be. "I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how
to fly.
~Unknown~
9/21/05
Summer's End Draws Near
The light you shined upon me,
brighter
than a field of fireflies,
Lifted my saddened spirits,
And it opened up my eyes.
A warm breeze passed
Under
the starlit sky
Like it carried the answers
To all the times I ever wondered "why?"
It left behind a few
replies,
To questions I had wondered about...
It blessed me with a mind of faith,
Which swept away my doubt.
This
summer's really changed a lot,
My soul feels like brand new;
My heart sings like it should now,
And it's all because
of you...
~unknown~
LEARNING IS THE WAY TO GO. LET'S GO.
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