That's Life

As 2011 winds down, I've been doing what I do at this time of every year-- remembering, reviewing, reflecting. For me, this process will not end at mid-night of Dec 31, but I will be much closer to drawing some conclusions and concerns, and will commit to some new choices for 2012.

For me, 2011 was a paradigm of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. On the high side: I finished two new books that were released which included a very successful book signing tour in Florida and Georgia; knocked out a big-time "bucket list" item which was a 6500 mile motorcycle trip in 25 days with my long time best friend, Jerry Wagley; and then the topper which was the birth of our 8th grandchild--Reagan Emily Doyle, born to Chad and Joey Doyle on July 29th. There were many other highs but these were the biggies.

The lows? Will only mention two. (1)On our family beach trip in June, Chad & Joey were in an auto accident that put Joey in a Pensacola hospital with serious possibilities that she would give birth much too early. For 10 days, it was extremely scary and then it leveled out and they went home to Hilton Head where Joey was on bedrest for several weeks before delivering Little Peanut. (2) Totally unexpectedly, on July 29th (yes, the same day Reagan was born) I was in the cath lab where it was discovered that I had 5 blocked coronary arteries-- yes, that's 5 with blockage 80-90% in all of them. Five days later I had by-pass surgery and it was discovered that I was diabetic and had sleep apnea-- a trifecta of sorts!!! Before all of this was revealed, I had no history of high blood pressure, heart disease, nor diabetes. Since then I've been on a rigorous rehab program which will continue for a very long time, if not a lifetime.

Reflecting on all this means for me 2011 was a year with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. How do I explain such? It's called life.

5 Suggestions To Ponder

1. Never give yourself a haircut after three margaritas.
2. Never go anywhere without WD-40 and Duct Tape.
3. The four most essential words for a healthy, vital relationship– "I'm sorrry" and "You’re right." Just make sure you don't get it in reverse and say-- "You're sorry" and "I'm right!"
4. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
5. For Women (and Men, too!) Never make a big decision when you are hormonal!

Enough Already!

For a very long time, I've been bothered by athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, as well as your everyday run of the mill folk, who make a public display of their personal piety. That includes Muhammad Ali (who started every interview by thanking Allah and his prophet Elijah Mohammad.) In today's world it includes Albert Pujols and numerous other baseball players who point skyward when they make a good play. And now we are bombarded with tebowing, as in Tim Tebow who kneels in the end zone in a prayerful position after scoring a touchdown.

An article appeared on Facebook last week asking, "Is God a fan of the Denver Broncos?" And then, "Is God a fan of Tim Tebow?" Are you kidding me-- God cares about the Broncos because Tebow is a devout Christian? What a travesty of faith, Christian or otherwise, and what a ludicrous example of what it means to be a genuine Christian.

Why are the Denver Broncos winning (at least now) and why is Tim Tebow getting the job done as an unorthodox quarterback? Because he is an exceptional athlete-- maybe even one of a kind in football for the last many years.

Knowing this offering will probably take a beating from those who disagree and may even protest "heresy," I will follow the advice of my old theology professor. Said he, "Always cover your heresy with scripture."

Matthew 6:5-6
And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.

I end where I started: Be suspicious of anyone who makes a public display of their private piety.

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drivethrough downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighbourhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then drove away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will alwasy remember how you made them feel.

Thoughts to Ponder

1. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.
2. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every damn minute of it.
3. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
4. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
5. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.
6. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
7. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
8. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
9. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.
10. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.
11. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck- is-the-room- spinning medicine.
12. God must love stupid people; He made so many.
13. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
14. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
15. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
16. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it!
17. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.
18. Procrastinate Now!
19. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?
20. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
21. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.
22. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!
23. They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.
24. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.
25. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.
26. Ham & eggs-- A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
27. The trouble with life is there's no background music.

WHY I LIKE THANKSGIVING THE BEST

NOTE: The following is a repeat post from the past several years regarding Thanksgiving.

Of all the religious or secular hoidays that we celebrate, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. There are several reasons for this, of which I'll name a few.

1. Thanksgiving is the least commercialized-- we don't do gifts, or fireworks, or any elaborate decorations.

2. Thanksgiving is about family-- whether your literal family or one you've created.

3. Thanksgiving is about, well, it's about giving thanks. It's about gratitude, appreciation, acknowledgment of what is important in our lives.

4. Thanksgiving is about commemorating the past, and those who've gone before, and about enjoying the present, no matter the circumstances.

5. Thanksgiving is a good reminder that an attitude of gratitude is one of the best human traits any of us can acquire.

What about you? What do you like about Thanksgiving?

If You're Ever on Jeopardy...

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.(Hardly seems worth it.)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.(Wow!)

A pig's "orgasm" lasts 30 minutes. (O.M.G.!!!)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy, but I'm still not over that pig !!!)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
(Don't try this at home; maybe at work.)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
("Honey, I'm home. What the...?")

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field. (Now that would be a sight!)

Catfish have 27,000 taste buds. (What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day. (So,how do you vote--pig or lion? Quality or quantity?)

Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Could have fooled me.)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Does that means talking is like pumping iron?)

Right-handed people, on average, live nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump. (Sounds good to me.)

A cat's urine glows under a black light. (I wonder how that was discovered?)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.(I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains. (I know some people like that, too.)

Polar bears are left-handed. (If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(Does the pig know that?)

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread these crazy facts and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to, maybe even a chuckle.

In other words, send it to everyone!
(God sure loved that pig!)

Christmas Gifts?

Don Doyle's New Book

Don't Ever Stop Believing... The Best is Yet to Come

$19.95-- 192 pages-- S & H $4.05-- $24.00 total
Sales Tax-- 9.25%-- ($1.85) TN Residents Only

Order Options:
Phone 901/757-2347
Email: dfcc@earthlink.net
USPS-- 110 Timber Creek Dr. Memphis, TN 38018

Payment Options-- Check, VISA/Mastercard, PayPal

Order today for your signed copy(s)
Please indicate the names you want
on the autograph page.

This is a Great Read

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present , he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this.

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends.And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special. A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP ,
so........it is time to shut UP !
Now it's UP to you what you do with this email.

World Series 2011

I've always loved baseball. From the time I hit the first overthe fence homerun in the history of Decatur County Little League, I loved it even more. I saw my first Cardinal game when I was 10 years old. I still have the composite team picture and the souvenir bat Uncle Harrell Watson bought for me in old Sportsman Park stadium.

During my athletic career, I loved football more but I was better at baseball and wish I had followed the sport into college which was an option that I turned down.

Now, for the point of this rendering. The 2011 baseball season and the finale of the World Series is the reason baseball is such a great sport. The team (or individual) that refuses to quit-- no matter the odds, no matter the circumstances, no matter the challenge will in the end win at games, life, relationships, and life itself. The St. Louis Cardinals set an example this season that should (and will) be studied, analyzed, and hopefully mimiced by myself, my family, my friends, my country, and my world as the way to do life.

Can I Get a Witness?

I'm only as happy as my unhappiest child. David Foster

Birthdays Keep On Coming

You know you're growing older when you stop hiding your age and start being proud of it. dd

Your Opinion, Please

Is it better to have failed at something you love or to have succeded at something you hated?

Honest Confession-- Good for the Soul

I try to remember what I have long known, that I can change nothing. But, I really liked the days when I thought I could.
Faith Armstrong

Time for a Grin

The guy who thinks he knows it all is especially annoying to those of us who do.

What do you think of this quote?

"He had learned the worst lesson that life can teach - that it makes no sense."
— Philip Roth (American Pastoral)

Different Strokes for Different Folks

The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.
Carl Jung

Crises

Have I mentioned that crises never seem to come at a convenient time?!

Life

In three words, I can sum up most of what I've learned about life-- IT GOES ON.

Still Brilliant Carole King

When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there

Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don't you let them

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

Impossible?

Everyday we are faced with a series of opportunities that are cleverly disguised as impossible situations.

Now

Seize the time. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.

Contentment

Contentment in life comes not from being dealt a good hand but in playing a bad hand well.

Musings

It's better to be looked over than to be overlooked.

A day without sunshine is like night.

Two wrongs are only the beginning.

Experience

Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

Trust

You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough.

Thinking Aloud

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.

If you find a job that you really love, you'll never have to work a day in your life.

The most wasted day of all is one in which you have not laughed.

Stress is like an ice cream cone-- you have to learn to lick it.

If you're gonna run with the big dogs, you've gotta get up off the porch.

Happiness Jump Start

Restartng your life happily everafter starts now!

Thinking Aloud...

Life is the sum of our sacrifices and the average of our successes.

He who lives without discipline dies without honor.

Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.

Never resist a temporary inconvenience if it results in permanent improvement.

Before you can experience the miracle of a sunrise, you must first stand a while in the darkness.

Little Known Facts

Debra Winger was the voice of ET.

Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not down strairs.

Barbie's full name is Barbara Milicent Roberts.

Five Thoughts to Ponder

Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.

The difficult we handle first, the impossible takes a little longer.

Don't waste time grieving over past mistakes. Learn from them and move on.

Never give up on what you really want to do.

The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.

Thoughts to Ponder

Only dead fish swim with the stream.

Handle yourself with your head, handle others with your heart.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Happiness is not having what you want but in wanting what you have.

The Paradox of War-- from We Were Soldiers

[Moore and Geoghegan a prayer before leaving for Vietnam]

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: Our Father in Heaven, before we go into battle, every soldier among us will approach you each in his own way. Our enemies too, according to their own understanding, will ask for protection and for victory. And so, we bow before your infinite wisdom. We offer our prayers as best we can. I pray you watch over the young Jack Geoghegan. That I lead into battle. You use me as your instrument in this awful hell of war to watch over them. Especially if they're men like this one beside me, deserving of a future in your blessing and goodwill. Amen.

2nd Lieutenant Jack Geoghegan: Amen.

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: Oh, yes, and one more thing, dear Lord, about our enemies, ignore their heathen prayers and help us blow those little bastards straight to Hell. Amen.

From Lt. Colonel Hal Moore before going into battle

In the 7th cavalry, we've got a captain from the Ukraine; another from Puerto Rico. We've got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians. Jews and Gentiles. All Americans. Now here in the states, some of you in this unit may have experienced discrimination because of race or creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours. And you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God. They say we're leaving home. We're going to what home was always supposed to be. Now let us understand the situation. We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy.

I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.

More Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Time just outran me Big Daddy, it got there first!

Brick to Big Daddy about not being able to play football any longer.

New Book Has Arrived-- Order Yours Today

Don't Ever Stop Believing... The Best is Yet to Come

$19.95-- 192 pages-- S & H $4.05-- $24.00 total
Sales Tax-- 9.25%-- ($1.85) TN Residents Only

Order Options:
Phone 901/757-2347
FAX 901/751-4140
Email: dfcc@earthlink.net
USPS-- 110 Timber Creek Dr. Memphis, TN 38018

Payment Options-- Check, VISA/Mastercard, PayPal

Order today for your signed copy(s)
Please indicate the names you want
on the autograph page.

From Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Time goes by so fast. Nothing can outrun it. Death commences too early-- almost before you're half acquainted with life, you meet the other.

Big Mama finally acknowledges Big Daddy is dying:

Endorsements for my new book: Don't Ever Stop Believing...

One of the more difficult tasks for clinicians is to convey intricate therapeutic concepts in easily accepted and understood terms. Dr. Doyle is a master at this type of communication. Using personal stories, poetry, prose, and lyrics completely disarms the skeptic and allows one to grow effortlessly. Should be read by clinicians and clients who wish to understand that voice inside their heads that holds us back from realizing our dreams.
Doug Ginn, Exec. Vice President Strategic Behavioral Health

Broken, shattered dreams: we’ve all had them. Sadly, most of the self-help books in print do very little to change that harsh reality. Fortunately, Dr. Doyle newest gift to humanity, resurrects some of those beautiful, life changing dreams. He’s courageous enough to open up both himself and his family to us, giving the reader a warm and personal road-map on how to handle the storms of life. John Kent, Oral Surgeon

This book IS for you…and for me…and for my children, grandchildren, family and friends. Actually this book is for all who seek hope and joy in living each day. Coupled with personal and professional stories and practical methods, Dr. Don Doyle touches my heart and changes my life. Dr. Doyle gives concrete ways to recover our dreams and seize the day in a hopeful and positive way for the present and future, it’s a MUST read.
Rev. Martha Bowen Wagley, Pastor Emerita Memphis First Church
This book provides for great insight to those of us looking for the common sense answers. Dr. Doyle’s use of personal stories helps in the digesting of sometimes difficult topics and areas of our lives. He does an outstanding job at getting to the heart of the issues without beating yourself up over them. It’s one of the finest I’ve read in dealing with life issues head on.
Jim Shaheen, President Strategic Behavioral Health

“No matter where one is in life, we must keep growing. Don Doyle helps us understand that no matter how difficult or wonderful our experiences have been in the past, there are many great ones ahead for those who will trust and believe.”
Brad Martin, Former CEO Saks 5th Avenue

New Book to be Released June 27th

Don't Ever Stop Believing... The Best is Yet to Come

$19.95-- 192 pages-- S & H $4.05-- $24.oo total
Sales Tax-- 9.25%-- ($1.85) TN Residents Only

Order Options:
Phone 901/757-2347
FAX 901/751-4140
Email: dfcc@earthlink.net

Payment Options-- Check, VISA/Mastercard, PayPal

Order today for your signed copy(s)
Please indicate the names you want
on the autograph page.

Another Quote From Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

What's that smell in this room? Didn't you notice it Brick? Didn't you notice the powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room? There ain't nothing more powerful than the odor of mendacity. You can smell it. It smells like death.

Big Daddy (Burl Ives) to Brick (Paul Newman)

Watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (again) Many quotes to follow

You can be young without money, but you can't be old without it.

Maggie Pollitt-- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Depression/Sadness

Depression is when nothing matters. Sadness is when everything matters.

THE COLOR PURPLE

Introducing herself, she said, "I grew up in the color purple." She went on to explain that she had survived her childhood in a terrible ghetto in Mississippi and had scratched and clawed her way to a high ranking position as a military chaplain.

With advanced degrees in theology, psychology, and personnel management she had a very impressive resume. But she was not happy which is a gross understatement. Truth be told, she had been depressed all her adult life.

Later in an intensive therapy session, she cried out in deep despair, "Grandmama you told me with a good education, I could leave the ghetto behind. Grandmama, you were wrong. I got the good education but the ghetto is still living inside me." And that was the beginning of her journey toward wholeness.

When will we ever learn? You can never get enough of what you don't need. You can't fix internal problems with external solutions. She couldn't, neither can you. Neither can I. But if you're willing to pay the price, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, you can heal.

Change

When you are determined to make someone change, try remembering how difficult it is to change yourself.

Oops

Should have read-- Kindess is something you cannot give away-- it always comes back.

Kindness

Kindness is something you can give away-- it always comes back.

Excerpt From My New Book

What you’re about to read has been filtered through the crucible of my own life and living. It is my hope that you will read these words while fantasizing that we are having a conversation sitting in a roomful of people sharing our stories, and this one is mine. You will read the word dreams numerous times. Obviously, not by accident because I believe dreams are what life is all about. Yep, I’m a dreamer at heart. Always have been, always will be. So, beware you’re about to read some confessional conversational writing about dreams.

Don't Ever Stop Believing... The Best is Yet to Come

To Be Released in early July.

Pessimistic Creed

Blessed are those who expect nothing from life, they shall not be disappointed.

Will That Dog Hunt?

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

I Stand Convicted

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin

Procrastinators Creed

Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow.

Adult Heroes?

One of my adult heroes died today-- Dr. Jack Kevorkian-- a man who went to prison for his convictions which was to relieve human suffering. Dr. Kevorkian was a highly misunderstood and maligned physician who was the butt of numerous comedic jokes as well as tabloid news. I highly recommend the made for television movie starring Al Pacino"You Don't Know Jack." Rest in peace Dr. K.

Good Perspective

We're all on our individual journeys together. ~

Lynda Lasen

One of My Favorite Quotes

I'm only as happy as my unhappiest child.
David Foster

Life and Death

Death is move universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.

Just Saying...

We are not humans with occasional divine experiences, but are divine creatures with occasional human experiences.

Just a Thought

You know you're getting smarter but you realize who much you don't know.

Memorial Day Thoughts

I stand at the front of the line to commemorate and pay homage to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice as defenders of our country. But I also grieve to the bone over the millions of lives that have been lost by our country and those of all those with whom we have engaged in war. What a horrible commentary on the human race.

In Memory of Our Fallen Troops

The Nation Which Forgets Its Defenders Will Itself Be Forgotten.

Words of Wisdom from Coach John Wooden

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

Mistakes

Wouldn't it be good if we could sell our mistakes for what they cost us?

Recovering From Broken Dreams

For nearly half a century, I have listened to an untold number of broken dreams, shattered lives, and sometimes unutterable life stories. At one and the same time, I am often appalled but never surprised at the tragic– much worse than any soap opera– horrific experiences of the human race. Yet, I am equally awe-struck by the resiliency and regenerative powers of so many to keep on keeping on in the face of such insufferable pain.

Excerpt from my new book-- to be released next month.

Taking Risks

You can't make a three-point shot from under the net. ~ Steven Tyler

Experience

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Rapture Afterthought

All the hype about the second coming, just reminded me of the irony of heaven. Everybody exalts it but nobody wants to go there-- now.

Rapture Story From Long Ago

Well, I'm off the bike and the roads looked about like normal. So, maybe the time zone was the problem.

As promised, here's a rapture story from long ago.

After a couple of years in the ministry in South Georgia, I had a lot of contact from other churches but the ones that wanted me did not interest me and the ones I was interested in were not interested in me. It's very much like high school and college dating.

After about 5 years in Georgia (we stayed ten) the University Baptist Church of Coral Gables, FL showed a lot of interest. The church was very close to the old Orange Bowl and the University of Miami. My strength at that time was working with youth and young adults so those factors contributed to my interest in that church. According to the chairman they were very impressed with my focus on youth, young adults, and broken families-- getting divorced people back in church, etc. which in those days was not an easy task.

They came to hear me preach a couple of times and pursued me hard enough that I flew down and spoke in a neutral church so a larger number of their key people could hear me, etc. I met a couple of times with the Pastor Selection Committe and I talked at length with the chairman and we hit it off real well. I was beginning to get very interested as was Marth except it was even further from our roots-- little did she or I know that a few years later we'd be moving to CA.

Anyway, we were getting down to crunch time and I flew back down for another preaching engagement and a full afternoon of talking with the ten members of the pastor selection committee. This is the time when they throw numerous questions at you about everything imaginable-- Biblically, theologically, and a lot of personal stuff-- exactly (except for content) like a job interview for an executive position.

The meeting had gone extremely well with some very serious stuff and some humor-- it was me, right! (And you also need to remember that in those days, I could sometimes be a smart-ass and as I'm now much older, I'm even worse.) Near the end of the meeting one of the committee members said, "There's an area we haven't covered. What is your position on The Second Coming?" My reply right off the cuff was, "I'm for it." Several members laughed and the chairman said, "I like that."

But the guy wasn't amused and retored, "What do you mean by that?" I said, "Well, I just believe that the one who started this whole thing can stop it anytime and it's fine with me." Looking stunned and strained, he replied with a slightly raised voice "But I want to know your position-- do you believe in pre-millennialism, post-millennialism, or a-millennialism." His tone didn't sit well with me to say the least. And the chairman could tell it, and he was squirming and trying to turn the ship and he said, "I think I'm for it, too." Others members laughed a one or two said, that's a tough subject so his reply sounds good to me, too.

The guy was not finished and he said, "What do you preach about the second comng?" Now, I really got smart-assed. "Well I haven't gotten around to preaching on the Second Coming, yet, not sure I ever will." He replied, "Why!" And I lite into him with a little arrogance to test is knowledge. "Well, I do a lot of preaching on ellipis, pistis, and agape and very little on eschatology and teleology." I got the reply I wanted, "What does all that mean?" I said, "That translates faith, hope, and love. That's what I preach on. I'm a lot more interested in the nasty hear and now than I am the sweet bye and bye. Furthemore, I've never had a church member to come to my office asking about the rapture, or the end of time, or my beliefs on such. What I do have coming to my office are people dealing with their kids on drugs, their spouses wanting a divorce, their grief over the loss of a loved one, the guilt over cheating in their marriages, and others trying to figure out what to do with their lives. So that being what my congregation is living with, that's what I preach on." The chairman said "I like that." And the others did also. The meeting closed and I flew back to Georgia.

Later that night, I got a call from the chairman, who said, "I am heart sick. Nine members of our committee is 100% in favor of offering you "a call." There's only one problem, we have a rule that we will not call anyone without 100% of our members being in favor. And the guy you would expect voted against you." I said, "Well, Mr. chairman, in my humble opinion, your first mistake was having that 100% rule. But don't let it bother you, if he was that upset with my answers about the Second Coming, he would really be upset with me after about a month or two. So, it's better that we nip this in the bud."

And that was the end of the possibility of us moving to Miami, FL somewhere around 1974. Five years later, we moved to Burlingame, CA for eight terrific years.

If you stayed with me through this whole thing, I thank you. If you didn't I don't blame you!


dd

Repture Observations

I'm riding the bike today and will probably be on it about Rapture Time. So, here are a few observations:

1. I don't believe in it.

2. I don't expect to be "in the rapture" now or later.

3. If I see very few people on the road, I'll know I was wrong and right.

4. When I return tonight, for those of you who are still around, I'll tell a rapture story from long ago.

EDUCATION

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

The Paradox of TIME

Time is a great teacher, unfortunately, it kills all its students.

"Who, Who, Who Are You?"

The hardest battle in life is to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else.

Simple but Profound

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.
Bob Dylan

PERKS FOR BEING OVER 60

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run-- anywhere.
4. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
5. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
6. Things you buy now won't wear out.
7. Your secrets are safe with friends because they can't remember them either.
8. Your joints are more accurate forecasters than the national weather service.
9. You can sing along with elevator music.
10.You can live without sex but not your glasses.

Words from Charles Darwin

The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

We must, however, acknowledge as it seems to me, that a man with all his noble qualities...still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.

More Funny Bones

I'm tired of losing my mind and trying to find it.

Amy Cochran

Lost and Looking?

Many people who come to see me for intensive therapy totally identify with this song. Written by Bono and released by U2 in 1987, it's still extremely relevant. After reading the lyrics, check out YouTube and listen to this haunting search for purpose and passion in life.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire

I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Of my shame
You know I believed it
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

A Tribue to My Mother

My 88-year-old mother is the most naturally optimistic person I have ever known. She would have no idea what you are talking about if you said she was a proponent of the power of positive thinking– she just lives it. One example illustrates my point. No matter the weather, she enjoys it. Good morning, I will say, how are things this fall morning? Well, I’m just loving watching the leaves fall. Or, there’s a nice gentle rain falling and we need it. Or, The sky is the bluest I’ve ever seen– just beautiful. If it’s snowing, she’s ecstatic, It’s snowing and I just love it. And I’m going out to get some snow to make snow cream.

These are minor issues for sure, but she’s that way about nearly everything. She plays the cards that are dealt her and she gets through the territory without whimpering, complaining, or making foolish choices. Oh, I forgot to mention, she’s dealt with colon cancer, kidney cancer, and breast cancer, including chemotherapy.

On the following day after her last chemo treatment, she was ready to get her life back. So, she got out on the property to do some walking and slipped on the morning dew and broke her ankle that was almost a compound fracture. There was a bright blood spot big as a quarter right on the surface of her ankle with the bone just underneath. She wasn’t found for well over an hour. Surgery followed and she wore a cast for several weeks. Did all of that keep her down and depressed? Nope. She even went to a grandson’s wedding in a beautiful dress with a cast that came up to just below her knee. All of these problems came in a period of about two years– all of which was nearly twenty years ago.

No matter the circumstances, if you ask how she’s doing, her reply is always the same, I think I’m a little better, which I’ve told her for years is going to be the epitaph on her grave stone. I Think I’m a Little Better

*****

Excerpt from my new book-- Don't Ever Top Believing... The Best is Yet to Come-- to be released in early July.

Operation Enough Already About My Ride (after this one for sure.)

Origin of "The Dream Ride"

In January of 1988, with ten inches of snow on the ground, Martha and Jerry Wagley were having dinner with us. All of us were in our late 40's, and the conversation got around to things we had not done that we still wanted to do, achieve, or accomplish before cashing in our chips. Between us, there were some very honest, open, and vulnerable answers. One of my answers: Well, it’s not on the top of my list but one thing I still want to do is ride cross-country on a motorcycle. Jerry replied, When do you want to go? That is when the dream began again.

Along with Jerry as my riding buddy-- "Don't call me Bud"-- we’ve ridden the mountain states, Nova Scotia, Key West, Pensacola, Hilton Head, the entire length of The Natchez Trace Parkway, and numerous other rides of 250 miles or so. Then beginning April 9, we did the B.A.R– 6514 miles, as all of you have heard repeatedly!

Enhancing a dream that began in the summer of 1955 when I was 13 years old, and reignited in the winter of 1988 with a foot of snow on the ground, the dream has now officially become a reality. The slogan for our big ride of 2011 fit me to a T. Four Wheels Move the Body, Two Wheels Move the Soul.
So, here's a summation of the trip. It was for sure, the Ride of a Lifetime, with a 1000 awesome sights, some beautiful, some inspirational, some unbelievable, and some scary. Southern Utah blew us both away. Except for the mountain ride above the Pacific, Southern Utah was by far the most spectacular inland sights of all. I made several pictures in The Arches National Park at Moab, but after looking at them, they just did not and could not capture the vastness of an area that is 300 million years old. I'll try sending a few along so you can at least "get the picture."

Now, the other part. There were several days that we absolutely terrible, frightening, and for sure majorly challenging. We miscalculated the weather. Those folks in Eastern OR, ID, UT, and CO were still having winter- snow, rain, and cross-winds of 30-40 mph. At one point, we actually talked about renting a U-Haul truck and driving to Albuquerque but checking the forecast, they were having the same weather there, too. So, we just headed South as fast we could to get ahead of a snow storm that was just a few hours behind us. There were three places that set a low temperture reading for that day in April.

Yet, here's the "deep thoughts" part of this diatribe. There never was a day that we did not experience something really spectacular which verifies the maxim, Not everyday is a good day, but there's something good in everyday. Another verification of an old insight-- the parts of any trip that sometimes are the most memorable and most fun to tell, are those when things were not going well. As long as you keep the good and the bad in the right perspective, life is good, the USA is awesome, so please don't let me die until I'm dead. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!

Now, let me tell you about Jerry Wagley. In the fall of 1959-- somewhere I guess around say, August 15, with fear and trembling, I walked through the "Fraternity Rush Line" of Kappa Alpha Order at what was then MSU-- Memphis State U. Whereupon I shook hands with a guy named Jerry Wagley. From the get-go, we became fast friends-- fraternity brothers, room mates, sworn into the navy at the same time, and became naval officers within four months of each other. We don't shake hands anymore-- haven't for years-- we hug. So, come August, we will have been friends for 52 years! This again, is a life lesson about the mystery of life, which I love and celebrate, the unexplainable laws of coincidence, and the mind-boggling laws of probability-- better stated the laws of IM-probability.

Here's the funny part-- no two men could be any different than the two of us. Jerry is as quiet as I am loud, as calm as I am animated. He's totally organized, I'm very disorganized. He can return to a town and street that he visited 25 years ago without looking at a map, I could get lost in a round room with one door. He always operates between the borders (speed limits and such) I cross the border every chance I get. He's only had one speeding ticket in his life and I've filled up a shoe box. I've never seen him rattled-- he saw me have more than one "come apart" on this trip. In all these years, we've never had a real conflict-- except the time I put a disected cat from biology lab in our apartment sink.

Even on bike trips, none of his clothing is ever out of place, wrinkled, or shabby-- mine? Well, you get the picture. I tell numerous stories (and some of you are saying "what?") Jerry listens to my stories and the ones that are repeated over and over and never tells me "I've heard that one four times". We do have a hand signal he can flash to say "heard it." I'm sure I told 100 stories and that was before we got through Texas. When the four of us are together, he is the odd man out because both of our wives are talkers and story tellers, too, and he is the quiet one. But on our bike trips, he has to talk more because I get exhausted talking and need a breather. (Martha Wagley, you would be shocked!)

I could go on and on about the differences in our personalities but the question is how can two men who are so different be such great friends for 52 years? One word is at the top-- respect, loyalty, trust, and love-- I know that's more than one word but I'm verbose, too. And we have nearly the same life-view, values, political persuasion, and mostly religious views-- and that's pretty rare in Memphis, TN!

On this ride, Jerry was the pilot and navigator which with my ailments-- asthma, allergies, and arthritis-- the big three-- all I had to do was follow him at the exact speed limit, of course, and just enjoy the journey, which I did. I started out calling him Captain and me The Tailgunner, but since we never had any hostile fire from the rear, I was really more of the Caboose. I had several difficult health problems on this trip and I know he was very concerned about getting me back to the Bluff City in one piece. And he did.

Jerry Wagley is a good man, a good husband, a good father, a good grandfather, and my very good friend.

And that's it for sending emails about the trip... which you probably doubt.

dd

I LIKE IT!

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!

From my nephew-- Brad Box, attorney at law.

The Essence of Rationalization

There's always something to be thankful for. If you can't pay your bills, you can be thankful you are not one of your creditors.

Messing With Your Head

1. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

2. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

3. If you eat pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?

4. Women like silent men, they think they're listening.

5. Procastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

6. If you try to fail, yet succeed, which have you done?

Five Things You Can't Retrieve

1) The Stone...........after it's thrown,
(2) The Word...............after it's said,
(3) The Occasion......after it's missed,
(4) The Time.............after it's gone,
(5) A Person..............after they're dead.

Thoughts to Consider

1. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.

2. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.

3. I doubt, therefore I might be.

4. To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated but not be able to say it.

5. Never sweat the petty things and never pet the sweaty things.

Ask a Child...

A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusaleum with them? A little boy spoke up, "Because they couldn't get a baby sitter?"

Paradox

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Greatness

Most great men and women are not well-grounded personalities.
Instead they are people whose one driving enthusiasm is so great it makes
Their faults seem insignificant. (Charles A. Cerami.)a

Optimist/Pessimist

An optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds.
A pessimist fears it's true.

This is a Bummer

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its students!

Something to Ponder...

Always forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.

English Tongue Twisters

We polish the Polish furniture.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
A farm can produce produce.
The dump was so full it had to refuse refuse.
The soldier decided to desert in the desert.
The present is a good time to present the present.
At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
The dove dove into the bushes.
I did not object to the object.
The insurance for the invalid was invalid.
The bandage was wound around the wound.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
They sent a sewer down to stitch the tear in the sewer line.
To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
I shed a tear when I saw the tear in my clothes.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Does This Make Sense?

It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial rates
And blamed it on the cost of living.

Re-tired?

I must be re-tired. I was tired yesterday and I'm tired again today?!

Boogie Some More

The bubbling brook would lose its song
if you removed the rocks.

Happiness comes through doors
you didn't even know you left open.

Boogie Through Life

A good exercise for the heart is to
bend down and help another up.

Life is what you make of it...
kinda like Play-Doh

Boogie Through Life!

Don't cry because its over,
smile because it happened.

Pain and Suffering are inevitable
but Misery is optional.

From SOCRATES Himself

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.

Envy is the ulcer of the soul.

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Thought for the Day

Nobody has ever bet too much on a winning horse.

Recipe for a Great Time

1. Place 3 eggs in a pan of water.
2. Turn cooktop eye on high.
3. Leave the room for a couple of minutes, but stay an hour.
4. Wait to hear loud explosive noise.
5. Return to kitchen.
6. Spend next hour cleaning up eggs.

I'd like to close this by saying it was
one of my grandkids, but if an honest
confession is good for the soul...

Thinking Aloud...

Wonder if I'll ever stop judging "a beautiful day" by the weather?

27 Hours

Highly recommend the movie 27 Hours-- It's the amazing story of Aron Ralston-- from the book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place. He's the young man who was trapped in Blue John Canyon, UT and had to go to extreme measures to keep from dying.

From My Niece, Kristen Doyle

Dreams Don’t Break... Merely Bend
And It’s Never too Late to Begin Again

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again.

Possible title for my new book. What do you think?

WE Only Have Two Options...

Get busy living or get busy dying.

Think About It...

Not everyday is a good day, but there is something good in every day!

ANGRY WOMEN BEING HUMOROUS

1. Don't imagine you can change a man - unless he's in diapers.

2. What do you do if your boyfriend walks out? You shut the door.

3. If they put a man on the moon - they should be able to put them all up there.

4. Never let your man's mind wander - it's too little to be out alone.

5. Go for the younger man. You might as well, they never mature anyway.

6. Men are all the same- they just have different faces, so you can tell them apart.

7. Definition of a bachelor: A man who has missed the opportunity to make some woman miserable.

8. Women don't make fools of men - most of them are the do-it-yourself types.

9. Best way to get a man to do something is to suggest he is too old for it.

10. Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.

11. If you want a committed man, look in a mental hospital.

12. The children of Israel wandered around the desert for 40 years. Even in Biblical times, men wouldn't ask for directions.

13. If he asks what sort of books you're interested in, tell him check books.

14. Remember a sense of humor does not mean that you tell him jokes, it means that you laugh at his.

15. Sadly, all men are created equal.

Ponder This One...

Nothing that is worth doing can be done alone, but has to be done with others.
—Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr

Twisted Wit Goes a Long Way

It 's not whether you win or lose,
But how you place the blame.

We have enough youth.
How about a fountain of "smart"?

The original point and click interface
Was a Smith & Wesson.

A fool and his money
Can throw one heck of a party.

Five days a week my body is a temple.
The other two it's an amusement park.

Learn From Your Parents' Mistakes
Use Birth Control.

Money isn't everything,
But it sure keeps the kids in touch.

If at first you don't succeed
Skydiving is not for you.

We are born naked, wet and hungry.
Then things get worse.

Red meat is not bad for you
Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

One good thing about Alzheimer's is
You get to meet new people every day.

Xerox and Wurlitzer will merge
To produce reproductive organs.

Artificial Intelligence Is
No Match For Natural Stupidity.

The latest survey shows that
Three out of four people make
Up 75% of the population

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

When the husband checked into the hotel, there was a computer in the room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack.

The widow decided to check her e-mail expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

Date: July 19, 2010
To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have checked in.

I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.
Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P. S. Sure is hot down here!!!!

Texas Woman Gets Riled

One day, a very gentle Texas lady was driving across a high bridge in Austin . As she neared the top of the bridge, she noticed a young man fixin (means: “getting ready”) to jump.

She stopped her car, rolled down the window, and said, "Please don't jump! Think of your dear mother and father."

He replied, "My mom and dad are both dead; I'm going to jump."

She said, "Well, think of your sweet wife and precious children."

He replied, "I'm not married, and I don't have any kids."

She said, "Well, then you just remember the Alamo and never give up."

He replied, "What's the Alamo?"

She yelled,"Well bless your heart,go ahead and jump you little Yankee bastard!"

Come Back Jack Bauer

Martha and I just finish the last episode of the last season of 24. We never watched it weekly-- always waited until the season came out on DVD. Saw all seasons and now I'm ready to conclude-- Jack Bauer is the baddest man what am. He's badder than Leroy Brown, old King Kong, and a junk yard dog. Jack makes Superman, Batman, Rocky Balboa, and Samson look like sissys and wimps. I bet we aren't finished with you Jack, just yet. My guess is after another season of resting up, you'll yield to your fans crying, "Come back, Jack. Come back. We need you Jack. Ma needs you and Pa does too, and I need you Shane-- I mean Jack. So until then...

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids.
They will choose your
nursing home one day!

Nuff Said

Quotes from Rev. Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin

"Even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat."

"Every nation makes decisions based on self-interest and then defends them in the name of morality."

"Hell is truth seen too late."

"Nationalism, at the expense of another nation, is just as wicked as racism at the expense of another race."

"Love measures our stature: the more we love the bigger we are."

"There is no smaller package in all the world than that of a man all wrapped up in himself."

"The glory of God is a human being fully alive."

Quoting President Obama

President Kennedy once said that a nation reveals itself not only by the men and women it produces but also by the men and women that it honors—the people that it remembers. When you look at the men and women who received the Medal of Freedom, it says something about who we are as a people.

A PRAYER BY HELEN STEINER RICE

God grant us this year a wider view,
So we see others' faults through the eyes of You.
Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,
Neither the adult ... nor the young.

Give us patience and grace to endure
And a stronger faith so we feel secure.
Instead of remembering, help us forget
The irritations that caused us to fret.

Freely forgiving for some offence
And finding each day a rich recompense.
In offering a friendly, helping hand
And trying in all ways to understand;

That all of us whoever we are ...
Are trying to reach an unreachable star.
For the great and small ... the good and bad,
The young and old ... the sad and glad

Are asking today; Is life worth living?
The answer is only in, loving and giving.
For only Love can make man kind
And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind.

By giving love, we can help this year
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.

Ponder this...

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don’t. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Men Should Never Write Advice Columns!

Encouraging Thought...

Even a giant can be taken down with a single stone.

An AIRLINE CAPTAIN writes:

My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked.
'Yes', she said. 'Is there an escort?' I asked. 'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'. 'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck.
You can board him early," I said.

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck..
He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier.
He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier.
The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. 'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said.

He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.
I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no.
I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers.
The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand.
He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I've just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia.

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do.. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher.

I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp.It's a private area for the family only.

When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made.
They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA.

Foot note:
As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they we were treated.

When I read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the respect they so deserve.

I know every one who has served their country who reads this (as well as all others) will have tears in their eyes, including me.

Quotes from Fr. John Powell

If I am to tell you who I really am,
I must tell you about my feelings.

The sun only shines, just as God only loves.
It is the nature of the sun to shine;
It is the nature of God to love.

Fully alive people are sensitively aware
Of all that is good in themselves.

Love is practiced in the act of sharing...
Communication is the very essence of love in practice.

Whatever my secrets are,
Remember when I entrust them to you,
They are part of me.

You Never Know...

Tough Reality Check

Men & Women

Cold is a Relative Thing

It's all about what you think "normal" is...

65°
Arizonans turn on the heat.
People in Minnesota plant gardens.

60°
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Minnesota sunbathe.

50°
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Minnesota drive with the windows down..

40°
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats..
People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt.

35°
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Minnesota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20°
People in Miami all die.
Minnesotans close the windows.

0°
Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Minnesota get out their winter coats.

-10°
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Minnesota are selling cookies door to door.

-20°
Washington DC runs out of hot air. (Ya think? Nah.).
People in Minnesota let the dogs sleep indoors.

-30°
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Minnesotans get upset because they can't start the snowmobile. (Hey, We got ours going!)

-40°
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Minnesota start saying...."Cold enough for ya?"

-50°
Hell freezes over.
Minnesota public schools will open 2 hours late.

From The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

“It’s hard to love somebody who sees the world as black and white, without also fearing them.”

“I know it doesn’t absolve anyone of anything, but the Kabul we lived in in those days was a strange world, one in which some things mattered more than the truth.”

“Sometimes, I think everything he did, feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself. And that, I believe, is what true redemption, is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good."

"Perspective was a luxury when your head was constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons.”

“I thought of a line I’d read somewhere, or maybe I’d heard someone say it: There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.”

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop.” And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. If you don't send this to at least 8 people.... who cares?
George Carlin

Why Men Should Never Be Depressed

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.

You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.

A gas station restroom is never too icky.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays it's original color.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.

You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can shower, shave, and get dressed in 15 minutes tops.
You can wear the same colors year round.
You can do Christmas shopping in 25 minutes.

Thoughts to Ponder

Everything you can imagine is real. If you want a trait, act as if you already have the trait.

He who desires but does not act, breeds depression.

Common sense is not so common but it never changes.

A generation of readers will spawn a generation of writers.

It is a sobering thought, that when Mozart was my age he had been dead for 34 years!

Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things.

To administer is to govern: to govern is to reign. That is the essence of the problem.

Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life.

The only completely consistent people are the dead.

JUST FOR LAUGHS #2

An old man goes to the Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years. The Wizard says, 'Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you.'
The old man says without hesitation, 'I now pronounce you man and wife.'
___________________________________________
Two Reasons Why It's So Hard To Solve A Redneck Murder:
1. The DNA all matches.
2. There are no dental records.
___________________________________________
A blonde calls Delta Airlines and asks, 'Can you tell me
how long it'll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?'
The agent replies, 'Just a minute.'
'Thank you,' the blonde says, and hangs up.
___________________________________________
Moe: 'My wife got me to believe in religion.'
Joe: 'Really?'
Moe: 'Yeah. Until I married her I didn't believe in Hell.'
___________________________________________
A man is recovering from surgery when the Surgical Nurse appears
and asks him how he is feeling.'I'm O. K. But I didn't like the
four letter-word the doctor used in surgery,' he answered.
'What did he say,' asked the nurse. 'Oops!'
___________________________________________
The graveside service just barely finished, when there was massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even more thunder rumbling in the distance. The little old woman looked at the pastor and calmly said, 'Well, he's there!'

JUST FOR LAUGHS

Two guys were discussing popular family trends on sex, marriage,
and Family values.Bill said, 'I didn't sleep with my wife before we got married, did you?'Larry replied, 'I'm not sure, what was her maiden name?'
__________________________________________
A little boy went up to his father and asked: 'Dad, where did my Intelligence come from?'The father replied. 'Well, son, you must have got it from your mother, 'cause I still have mine.'
___________________________________________
'Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully,' the divorce Court Judge said, 'And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week,'
'That's very fair, your honor,' the husband said.
'And every now and then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself.'
___________________________________________
A doctor examining a woman who had been rushed to the Emergency Room, Took the husband aside, and said, 'I don't like the looks of your wife at all.'
'Me neither doc,' said the husband. 'But she's a great cook and really
good with the kids.'

Funeral For A Homeless Man

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played my heart and soul out for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before. And as I played Amazing Grace, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together.

When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothing like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Apparently I'm still lost....it's a man thing.

From the Mouths of Babes...

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it. The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, "Good morning Alex."

"Good morning Pastor," he replied, still focused on the plaque... "pastor, what is this?"

The pastor said, "Well son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service." Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked,

"Which service, the 8:30 or the 10:00?"

A MUST READ

BANANAS & MILKDUDS

Below is an article written by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated...
He details his experiences when given the opportunity to fly in a
F-14 Tomcat.. If you aren't laughing out loud by the time you get
To 'Milk Duds', your sense of humor is seriously broken.
This message is for America 's most famous athletes:

Someday you may be invited to fly in the back-seat of one of your country's
Most powerful fighter jets. Many of you already have. John Elway,
John Stockton, Tiger Woods to name a few. If you get this opportunity,
Let me urge you, with the greatest sincerity.... Move to Guam .

Change your name.
Fake your own death!
Whatever you do.

Do Not Go!!!

I know.

The U.S. Navy invited me to try it. I was thrilled. I was pumped.
I was toast! I should've known when they told me my pilot would
Be Chip (Biff) King of Fighter Squadron 213 at Naval Air Station
Oceana in Virginia Beach ..

Whatever you're thinking a Top Gun named Chip (Biff) King looks
Like, triple it. He's about six-foot, tan, ice-blue eyes, wavy surfer hair,
Finger-crippling handshake -- the kind of man who wrestles
Dyspeptic alligators in his leisure time. If you see this man, run the
Other way. Fast.

Biff King was born to fly. His father, Jack King, was for years the
Voice of NASA missions. ('T-minus 15 seconds and counting'. Remember?)
Chip would charge neighborhood kids a quarter each to hear his dad.
Jack would wake up from naps surrounded by nine-year-olds waiting
For him to say, 'We have liftoff'.

Biff was to fly me in an F- 14D Tomcat, a ridiculously powerful $60 million
Weapon with nearly as much thrust as weight, not unlike Colin Montgomerie.
I was worried about getting airsick, so the night before the flight I asked
Biff if there was something I should eat the next morning.

'Bananas,' he said.

'For the potassium?' I asked.

'No,' Biff said, 'because they taste about the same coming up
As they do going down.'

The next morning, out on the tarmac, I had on my flight suit with my name
Sewn over the left breast. (No call sign -- like Crash or Sticky or Leadfoot.
But, still, very cool.) I carried my helmet in the crook of my arm, as Biff had
Instructed. If ever in my life I had a chance to nail Nicole Kidman, this was it.

A fighter pilot named Psycho gave me a safety briefing and then fastened
Me into my ejection seat, which, when employed, would 'egress' me out
Of the plane at such a velocity that I would be immediately knocked
Unconscious.

Just as I was thinking about aborting the flight, the canopy closed over me,
And Biff gave the ground crew a thumbs-up In minutes we were firing nose
Up at 600 mph. We leveled out and then canopy-rolled over another F-14.

Those 20 minutes were the rush of my life. Unfortunately, the ride lasted 80.
It was like being on the roller coaster at Six Flags Over Hell. Only without rails.
We did barrel rolls, snap rolls, loops, yanks and banks. We dived, rose and
Dived again, sometimes with a vertical velocity of 10,000 feet per minute.
We chased another F-14, and it chased us.

We broke the speed of sound. Sea was sky and sky was sea. Flying at
200 feet we did 90-degree turns at 550 mph, creating a G force of 6.5,
Which is to say I felt as if 6.5 times my body weight was smashing
Against me, thereby approximating life as Mrs.. Colin Montgomerie.

And I egressed the bananas.

And I egressed the pizza from the night before.

And the lunch before that.

I egressed a box of Milk Duds from the sixth grade.

I made Linda Blair look polite. Because of the G's, I was egressing
Stuff that never thought would be egressed.

I went through not one airsick bag, but two.

Biff said I passed out. Twice. I was coated in sweat. At one point,
As we were coming in upside down in a banked curve on a mock
Bombing target and the G's were flattening me like a tortilla and I
Was in and out of consciousness, I realized I was the first person
In history to throw down.

I used to know 'cool'. Cool was Elway throwing a touchdown pass,
Or Norman making a five-iron bite.. But now I really know 'cool'.
Cool is guys like Biff, men with cast-iron stomachs and freon nerves.
I wouldn't go up there again for Derek Jeter's black book, but I'm
glad Biff does every day, and for less a year than a rookie reliever
makes in a home stand.

A week later, when the spins finally stopped, Biff called. He said
he and the fighters had the perfect call sign for me. Said he'd
send it on a patch for my flight suit.

What is it? I asked.

'Two Bags'

God Bless America!











































____________________________________________________________
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For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously

Save the whales. Collect the whole set.

A day without sunshine is like night.

On the other hand . . . you have different fingers.

42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Remember half the people you know are below average.

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Borrow money from pessimists. They don't expect it back.

Quantum mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of.

Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.

Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with.

No one is listening until you make a mistake.

The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Change is inevitable . . . except from vending machines.

Get a new car for your spouse. It'll be a great trade!

Always try to be modest and be proud of it!

Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener.

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you.

I BELIEVE...

That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.

I BELIEVE...

That it's taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.
And I'm certainly not there, yet.

I BELIEVE...

The happiest people don't necessarily have
the best of everything; They just make the most
of everything they have.

I BELIEVE...

That no matter how bad
your heart is broken,
the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I BELIEVE...

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on the list.

If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.

I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.

A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.

Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "In an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR".

I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America ?

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.

A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.

Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.

You're never too old to learn something stupid.

To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.




--

I BELIEVE...

That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
And what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I BELIEVE...

That sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry, but that
doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I BELIEVE...

That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I BELIEVE...

That heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I BELIEVE...

That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I BELIEVE...

That we don't have to change friends if
We understand that friends change

I BELIEVE...

That just because two people argue,
It doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue,
It doesn't mean they do love each other.

You'll Never Hear a Redneck Say...

"You can’t feed that to the dog."

"Wrasslin’s fake."

"I thought Graceland was tacky."

"Who’s Richard Petty?"

"I’ve got two cases of Zima for the Super Bowl."

"Checkmate."

"Does this salad bar have bean sprouts?"

"She’s too old to be wearing that bikini."

"Alex, I’ll take Shakespeare for $100."

HAVEN'T GOT TIME FOR THE PAIN?

Carly Simon sang it, Haven't Got Time For the Pain. People identified with it, and a classic was born. But such a philosophy of no time for the pain can be hazarduous to your physical and emotional health.

Pain is nature's way of telling you to make some adjustments. Hence the avoidance of pain can be very serious. To avoid pain by abusing drugs, alcohol, work, or food, can be disastrous. If you haven't got time for the pain, you're too busy. If you take time for the pain, in a creative healthy way, you are enhancing healing.

Feelings denied is healing delayed. Feeling is for healing and denying the pain, masking it, or distracting it, is delaying the healing processes. If you get some help for your pain, you'll probably say, I wish I'd taken time for this long ago.