Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
HEALTH
"If you've got your health, you've just about got everything." That's a comment I've heard off and on all of my life. Of course, it's not actually true. Good health is not the most important thing in life. Very important, yes, but not the most important by any means.
What I do know about poor health, it reduces one's freedom. I think that's why we also hear people say they took their health for granted until they lost it. It was true for me. Having had several ailments that have been chronic in nature has made it very clear to me that at the core of the problem of poor health is a loss of freedom.
What do you think?
What I do know about poor health, it reduces one's freedom. I think that's why we also hear people say they took their health for granted until they lost it. It was true for me. Having had several ailments that have been chronic in nature has made it very clear to me that at the core of the problem of poor health is a loss of freedom.
What do you think?
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day
As a college freshman, on February 12, 1960, I was manipulated into going on a blind date with another college freshman, who was also manipulated in the same way. Her name was Martha Longmire.
Arriving at Mynders Hall to meet my date, I immediately realized I had actually seen her a couple of times on campus and I liked what I saw!
We got along well enough on that "forced" Friday night outing that I invited her to go to church with me the following Sunday-- Valentine's Day. Picking her up at the dorm, I handed her one long-stem red rose that cost me a grand total of $.25.
Having been married to that woman for nearly 49 years, a "room full of roses" would not adequately express my admiration, appreciation, and affection.
I love you.
Arriving at Mynders Hall to meet my date, I immediately realized I had actually seen her a couple of times on campus and I liked what I saw!
We got along well enough on that "forced" Friday night outing that I invited her to go to church with me the following Sunday-- Valentine's Day. Picking her up at the dorm, I handed her one long-stem red rose that cost me a grand total of $.25.
Having been married to that woman for nearly 49 years, a "room full of roses" would not adequately express my admiration, appreciation, and affection.
I love you.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Still Thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr.
This piece was written and posted on January 1, 2010. But I think its worth repeatin and after all, it's my blog, right?!
A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM... (A Very Personal Story)
Martha and I are extremely fortunate to have seven wonderful grandchildren who teach us more and more about life, living, and the pursuit of happiness. (Wish I had been much wiser when raising their parents! But that's another story.) Two of our grandkids are five-year-old twin boys who attend public school kindergarten in a racially mixed class.
A few nights ago as their dad was lying down with them before bed, Ty asks, "Dad, Wanda (an African American child,not her real name) says black and white people don't like each other, is that true?" Kelly not knowing replies, "Is Wanda black?" Colby replies, "No." Then Kelly asks, "Are there any black kids in your class?" Ty,answers "No." Then thinking about it he says, "There are some brown ones but no black ones." Kelly smiles from ear to ear and says "good night" to his twin boys who've never been taught any form of racial prejudice. He goes downstairs and tells Leanne and they cherish the moment.
Leanne knows Wanda's mother who is a nurse in another school where Leanne does psychotherapy with troubled children. So, she decides to tell the story to Wanda's mother, who laughs just as much as Leanne, and then replies in this awesome manner. "Leanne, Wanda doesn't know she's black. We've never told her!"
Later that evening, Leanne decides to follow-up with the boys and asks, "Remember that conversation you had with dad about black, white, and brown kids in your class? They nod. "Are there any white kids in your class?" Both reply, "No." Then she says, "Are you white?" Both say, "No." "What color are you?" Colby, pulls up the sleeve on his shirt and replies, "Tan."
On my God in heaven may they never learn that they are white and may Wanda never learn that she's black. And better yet, may we learn from these five-year-olds that all prejudices are LEARNED and then remember that everything that is LEARNED CAN BE UNLEARNED. Please God, please.
Dr. King would be proud.
A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM... (A Very Personal Story)
Martha and I are extremely fortunate to have seven wonderful grandchildren who teach us more and more about life, living, and the pursuit of happiness. (Wish I had been much wiser when raising their parents! But that's another story.) Two of our grandkids are five-year-old twin boys who attend public school kindergarten in a racially mixed class.
A few nights ago as their dad was lying down with them before bed, Ty asks, "Dad, Wanda (an African American child,not her real name) says black and white people don't like each other, is that true?" Kelly not knowing replies, "Is Wanda black?" Colby replies, "No." Then Kelly asks, "Are there any black kids in your class?" Ty,answers "No." Then thinking about it he says, "There are some brown ones but no black ones." Kelly smiles from ear to ear and says "good night" to his twin boys who've never been taught any form of racial prejudice. He goes downstairs and tells Leanne and they cherish the moment.
Leanne knows Wanda's mother who is a nurse in another school where Leanne does psychotherapy with troubled children. So, she decides to tell the story to Wanda's mother, who laughs just as much as Leanne, and then replies in this awesome manner. "Leanne, Wanda doesn't know she's black. We've never told her!"
Later that evening, Leanne decides to follow-up with the boys and asks, "Remember that conversation you had with dad about black, white, and brown kids in your class? They nod. "Are there any white kids in your class?" Both reply, "No." Then she says, "Are you white?" Both say, "No." "What color are you?" Colby, pulls up the sleeve on his shirt and replies, "Tan."
On my God in heaven may they never learn that they are white and may Wanda never learn that she's black. And better yet, may we learn from these five-year-olds that all prejudices are LEARNED and then remember that everything that is LEARNED CAN BE UNLEARNED. Please God, please.
Dr. King would be proud.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Need a Good Chuckle?
Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?
If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one out of five enjoys it?
Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
If people from Poland are called Poles,
then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP? ?
Do Lipton Tea employees take 'coffee breaks?'
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
Is it true that you never really learn to swear until you learn to drive?
If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
Now, stop laughing long enough to forward this onto somebody else who could also use a good chuckle!!
If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one out of five enjoys it?
Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
If people from Poland are called Poles,
then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP? ?
Do Lipton Tea employees take 'coffee breaks?'
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?
Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
Is it true that you never really learn to swear until you learn to drive?
If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
Now, stop laughing long enough to forward this onto somebody else who could also use a good chuckle!!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
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