Nini-isms

1. Eating sprouts cools you down.

2. If you sit on the front stoop at night someone might shoot at you.

3. Food cooked in a microwave cools-down faster than food cooked in a oven.

4. It takes two spoons to eat ice cream; one spoon to scoop-out the ice cream and another spoon to eat with.  You cannot use the same spoon for both purposes.

5. Cannot go to bed before having ice cream.

6. Bed time is at ten PM sharp unless ice cream was still to be eaten.

7. Must turn off the dining room ceiling fan during dinner else your food will cool down too fast.

8. Must close all window curtains and blinds at night before someone outside looks in at you.

9. There is only one route to the casino; There is only one route to the bowling alley; There is only one route to the hospital.  To drive a different way is against the rules.

10. The peach tree must be pruned only in December because that is when Hank pruned it.

11. The evergreen tree in the back yard needs to be cut down before it falls onto the house or into the neighbor's yard.

12. Hank would never be caught washing the dishes, cooking dinner, or cleaning the house!

13. Food was meant to be eaten with one's fingers, not with a fork.

14. Mayonnaise and jam were meant to be taste-tested directly from the jar and with one's fingers!

15. Vaseline Vapor-Rub cures everything.

16. The "man of the house" rules.

17. Women are incapable of replacing light bulbs; it's a man's job.

18. There is only one channel on the TV, Channel 13; unless it's a weekend then there is only Channel 6.

19. After watching "The Young and the Restless" one must watch the TV news at noon, then at 4:30 PM; then the 5 PM news, followed by the 6 o'clock news, finished with the 1o PM newscast and don't forget to reserve Saturday nights for 48 Hours.

20. The radio has only one station and don't dare miss Farmer Fred on the weekend.

21. Dinner was not complete without a glass of pink wine.

22. Dinner is not over until dessert is eaten.

23. Jam was meant to be eaten with a tablespoon directly from the jar.

24. The newspaper consisted of only the sports cover page.

25. Sugar, Sugar, Sugar.

26. Did you know that chop sticks can be used to hold-up your indoor potted  plants?

27. Multi-tasking meant having on at the same time the kitchen radio, the living room television, sometimes along with the kitchen TV, while talking to whom ever will listen ... and cursed be the one that dared to turn any of them off!

28. "Thank you" and "please" are foreign words of which are translated into "gimmie".

29. Tomatoes should not be put in the refrigerator.

30. Turn out all of the inside lights when everyone leaves or they may start a fire and burn the house down.

31. A sneeze cycle must consist of seven to fourteen individual sneezes in-a-row and each with a perfectly enunciated  "Ah-Choo."

32.  Yawns are meant to be as loud and penetrating as a fog-horn so everyone within the neighborhood knows that you are tired.

33.  For my last meal I want steak, not rabbit food (salad).

34. ... and most appropriate the last Nini-ism is:  "It will be quiet enough when I die."

 

Doris Bernice Ryan

 On November 18, 2012, died in her Carmichael home of 49 years. Born January 16, 1918, in Dodge, Iowa, Doris attended Oroville H.S. and met Henry 'Hank' Ryan from Gridley; married in 1938. Doris followed Hank's banking career throughout Northern California; 1963 moved to Carmichael. In retirement they pursued many years of travel with the Carmichael Traveling Elks. They enjoyed 67 years of marriage prior to Hank's death in 2006. Doris, known for her sense of humor, was an active parishioner at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, and an avid bowler. Doris was preceded in death by her husband Hank and son Gary. Surviving are son Dennis Ryan of Reno, NV, and daughter Patty Tracey of Carmichael, as well as seven grandchildren. A Memorial mass will be celebrated Jan 21, 11:00 am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Carmichael. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.

 

Published in The Sacramento Bee on December 9, 2012

 

 

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sacbee/obituary.aspx?n=doris-bernice-ryan&pid=161581379#storylink=cpy

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

 

(1 Cr 15:54)

Sawdust

Dedicated to Bill and Jane for their inspirational endeavors to eat healthy and to live active lives! 

There should be no question as to what sawdust is, but purely for clarification and to assure you that there is no hidden meaning here, sawdust is the fine residue remaining after a piece of wood, for example, is sanded or cut by a saw or other implement / tool.  Why it's called sawdust, and not wood dust, is beyond the realm of this discussion but perhaps something to mull over in a future posting.  Wikipedia may have it right as it defines sawdust as "sawdust, or wood dust, is a by-product of cutting, grinding, drilling or otherwise pulverizing wood with a saw or other tool; it is composed of fine particles of wood." 

At least the "dust" part of  sawdust creates a perfect visual imagery because that "dust" seems to get into and onto everything that is even remotely located near the source.  One could wrap, seal, cover or create what appears to be an perfectly airtight environment but regardless of one's best efforts, sawdust still finds a way to permeate, like a virus, wherever air flows.  If only there were some financial value to this waste product called sawdust - then maybe there would be monetary incentive to recycle sawdust instead of just sweeping it into a trash can.

Well, again Tommy, someone beat you to the U.S. Patent Office because there are several commercial uses for sawdust, or wooden particles.  One of the most common usage is found in "particle board" from which a man-made wooden boards are constructed from bonding wood shaving, sawdust and glue.  A lot of furniture, cabinets and panel boards are now made from wood particles.  Another ordinary use is to toss sawdust on the garage floor, or driveway, to soak-up oil from leaks or spills.  Even some popular eating and drinking establishments throw sawdust on the floor to create an Western-style motif / atmosphere which may be their rationale to charge you higher prices for their food and drinks.  Finally, sawdust is added to compost piles or directly onto the ground to help retain moisture and to encourage plant growth. 

I am sure that there are many other useful applications for sawdust that you could add to the examples above, but would you ever conceive the thought that an ever-growing use of sawdust is for consumption, as in food consumption, and not for animals but for the you's and me's of this world?

Now, I've chewed my share of toothpicks over the years, and after reading the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I may have been encouraged to chomp on some tree twigs to get in touch with Mother Nature, but I never envisioned eating wood products as part of any of my daily meal's entree - as I am sure that you would agree with me.  However, before you chide in here, be forewarned that you most assuredly have also consumed your fair share of sawdust, even perhaps as part of your most recent meal or snack.

OK, before we go searching the list of ingredients on the food packages in your pantry, or in your refrigerator, we must first know how the food industry identifies sawdust as an ingredient (you know, break the code), because obviously they would not call it for what it is (sawdust) else we would never buy that particular product - right?  And in lieu of me just telling you what to look for on the packages, let's have some fun with this and play a game of scavenger hunt.  But instead of a long list of scavenger items to search for, here there will only be one item and I will provide you with clues to save some time and frustration.  You see, I am most certain that almost every household kitchen has either a container of grated (Parmesan) cheese or a package of shredded cheese.  Did you go get yours from the kitchen yet?  Go ahead and bring the items back here with you, I will wait for you.

Good, now as you peruse the list of the cheese ingredients look for "powdered cellulose" or "cellulose powder" or some facsimile thereof.  Yes, cellulose is the code word for sawdust and just to convince you further, if necessary, just Google the words "powdered cellulose in cheese" and see for yourself.  Go ahead, again I will wait for you.

Did you find that powdered cellulose is defined as "minuscule pieces of wood pulp or other plant fibers that coat the cheese and keep it from clumping by blocking out moisture..., and that "...cellulose products, gums and fibers, allow food manufactures to offer white bread with high dietary fiber content, low-fat ice cream that still feels creamy on the tongue, and allow cooks to sprinkle cheese over their dinner without taking time to shred."  Convinced yet?  If you keep looking you will find popular brand named foods openly state that wood fibers (sawdust) are used as additives to their food products!

So what is the big deal you may ask?  As far as eating sawdust goes, no real big deal there!  It appears that cellulose is nothing more than natural fiber and it's obviously been approved by the FDA as being safe for human consumption.  Some sources compare cellulose fiber to eating a stalk of celery.  I may agree in part but definitely not in principle, and I certainly do not accept the premise that FDA approval equates to being safe for human consumption as we shall discuss forthcoming.

Of course, if I am going to eat sawdust then I would want to know that I am consuming such before the fact, and I would prefer that the sawdust be certified organic!   And folks, this is precisely what the main point that this post addresses which is: We do not always know what's in our food and the food industry, in full cooperation with the FDA, prefers to keep it that way!  If it were any other way then why would Monsanto, for example, continue to resist identifying foods that are genetically modified and why does not the FDA require truth in labeling apply to genetically modified foods as they do in other food labeling laws?

Warning:  If you are not informed about genetically modified organisms (GMO) then you better get up to speed really fast!

I'll grant you that digesting sawdust my not be the best example to convince you to become proactive in researching what is in the food that you consume, so let's try another example.  This time instead of a scavenger hunt let's play a game of Kreskin where I will read your mind - are you ready?

You said "yes"!

What is the first name that comes to your mind when you hear "fast food"? 

You said "McDonalds"!

Beside french fries, what McDonald's entree do kid's (little or big) ask for the most? 

You said "McNuggets"!  Of course you did, I would not lie to you - ha!

Now the biggie question - what is in a Chicken McNugget? 

You said "chicken"! 

Well, you are only partially correct there!  Did you know that it's factory-farmed chicken, not free-range chicken, and it's the kind that's typically treated with vaccines and growth hormones while being fed conventional feed products medicated with pharmaceuticals and grown with pesticides.

Still not too big a deal, right, probably because the majority of chickens that American's consume are not labeled as "free-range" or "organically-fed" and fit the above description.  However, if you peruse McDonald's web site for nutritional information you will also find that their Chicken McNuggets also contain:

• hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ
• citric acid added to preserve freshness
• Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

Huh?  Precisely "huh?"

Unless you are a chemical engineer or a nutritional expert then you would probably not know that ...

"At least two of these ingredients are artificially synthesized industrial chemicals. TBHQ, a petroleum derivative, is used as a stabilizer in perfumes, resins, varnishes and oil field chemicals. Laboratory studies have linked it to stomach tumors. "At higher doses, it has negative health effects on lab animals, such as producing precursors to stomach tumors and damage to DNA. A number of studies have shown that prolonged exposure to high doses of TBHQ may be carcinogenic, especially for stomach tumors."

Dimethylpolysiloxane, a type of silicone, is used in caulks and sealants, as a filler for breast implants, and as key ingredient in Silly Putty. Says Wikipedia: "PDMS is also used as a component in silicone grease and other silicone based lubricants, as well as in defoaming agents, mold release agents, damping fluids, heat transfer fluids, polishes, cosmetics, hair conditioners and other applications. PDMS has also been used as a filler fluid in breast implants, although this practice has decreased somewhat, due to safety concerns. PDMS is used variously in the cosmetic and consumer product industry as well. For example, PDMS can be used in the treatment of head lice..."

Not that the other ingredients are any better. Because cotton is not regulated as a food crop, cottonseed oil may contain chemical pesticides that are banned in food production. It is also almost always genetically modified. Hydrogenated oils, of course, typically contain trans fats, the artificially produced fats that are unusable by the body and that studies have linked to a number of detrimental health problems. And autolyzed yeast extract is a chemical taste-enhancing ingredient containing free glutamate that manufacturers use as a friendlier-looking replacement for MSG."

In the spirit of full-disclosure the source quoted above is from "FoodMatters.TV"

In other words, McDonald's Chicken McNuggets barely contains anything edible and everything that should be avoided unless you are a building, a machine, or a chemical factory!  Thank you very much but I'll take the sawdust please!

Still not convinced that you should be more cognizant of what is in the food that you and your loved ones are eating.  If not, then I must deduct that you are a liberal that voted for Obama because you do not care about yourself, or others, as long as you are being fed and are given free cell phones! 

However, if you are concerned then there is one more issue that has grave consequences both upon your health and upon the world's food supply which is - Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)! 

Time for another quiz.  Can you name the most toxic chemical known to science? 

If you said Dioxin then you would be correct, or if you answered with the more recognizable application of dioxin know as "Agent Orange" then you would still be correct.  Many of us recall Agent Orange from its widespread use during the Viet Nam war where is was used to defoliate the forests in an effort to find where the "enemy" was hiding.  However, we have since learned that Agent Orange, or more specifically dioxin, (simply stated as "bad stuff"), should be avoided by every measure because it can kill you or make you wish that it had if you succumb to its poisoning effects. 

Even with this limited introduction to dioxin you would assume that the FDA would agressively seek to minimize American citizens' exposure to such a dangerous chemical - right?  Wrong!  Instead, the FDA recently approved the use of Agent Orange in genetically modify Florida oranges.  In fact, the majority of corn and soy harvested in the United States and Canada are GMO products and as much as 80% of all packaged foods contain GMOs and yet the FDA deems the effort not worthy to require labeling them as genetically modified plants!  Why?  To answer that I suggest that one start with Monsanto and follow the money!

You are probably eating genetically modified foods during every meal and you don’t even know it.  Don't you think that you have the right to know what you’re serving yourself or to your family?

Again, the main point of this post is not to expose the FDA or Monsanto but to hopefully get you motivated enough so you will want to learn what's in your food before you eat and not after you get sick from exposure to deadly caustic chemicals on, in, or genetically spliced into your food!

Are you convinced yet?

If you are at least a bit curious I'll leave you wth some simple strategies that should help minimize your exposure to dangerous, cancer causing foods.

1. Maximize your diet with certified organically grown foods;

2. Consume more food grown on a plant and less of food made in a plant;

3. Avoid all products that contain the word "artificial";

4. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it;

5. Finally, eliminate all products that have chemicals listed in them.

 

Bon Appétit !

And God said, "See, I have given you every herb [that] yields seed which [is] on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.  Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.  (Gen 1:29,30)

Pro-Choice

At one time not too far in the distant past, Pro-Choice was the mantra chosen by those who wanted to have abortions legal in the United Sates.   Abortion was then deemed legal as a result of the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled that a woman (with her doctor), could choose abortion in earlier months of pregnancy without legal restriction, and with restrictions in later months, based on the right to privacy (January 22, 1973).  However, having won the abortion battle was obviously not enough to satisfy the Pro-Choice assemblage because their new catch-phrase is "Women's Right to Health Care" and their argument is that the government is obligated to pay for abortions else the alleged constitutional right to women's health is threatened. 

Note: "Women's Right to Health Care" is a pseudonym for taxpayer funded abortions.

Now, I'm not sure which constitution the Pro-Choicers' are referring to but I've read the U.S. Constitution many times and I did not see where any reference to taxpayer funding is mentioned on this matter.  Of course I am not a constitutional scholar so perhaps I am missing something, somewhere, somehow!  What's really at the motivation of this issue is a recent House of Representative proposal to stop taxpayer funding of abortion clinics thereby leaving clinics such as Planned Parenthood, Inc., to financially fend for themselves instead of profiting off of the public dole.  Additionally, according to The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a growing number of states are stopping Planned Parenthood from receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds.  So, the multi-billion dollar question is - does one's constitutional right to do something obligate the taxpayers to finance the exercise of that right?  I say NOT!

Let's see how this might work given the liberal mindset.  I have a constitutional right to "free speech" but should I expect the people of this great nation to pay for my higher-level education so I can learn to be more eloquent in my speech.  Hey, my English are good!  I also have a constitutional right to own and bear arms but I'm not sending the bill for my guns to Uncle Sam either.  Maybe I'm missing out on something here.  You get the point, I'm sure.

However let me make this perfectly clear (Obama's favorite phrase when he does not want clarity), regarding Pro-Choice, that is a woman's right to choose, I support that 100%.  Yes, I am a Christian Conservative and I fully agree that a woman has a right to choose!  BUT (you knew there had to be a disclaimer coming, right), BUT I firmly believe that a woman's right to choose ends at conception because then the choice on life (or not) must be transferred to the newly created life living in the womb.

Prior to conception I believe that a woman has the choice, or not, to engage in an activity that may result in a new life being created because, with the exception of rape, every woman has the ultimate control over her body.  I believe then that a woman has the choice to use birth control, or not, knowing that such prevention methods are not a guarantee that conception will not occur.  I also believe that only God has the right to decide whether or not the child will live through the pregnancy.

It's called individual responsibility. If I make a decision that leads to unwanted consequences then I should bear that responsibility and not expect my neighbors to assume that responsibility on my behalf.  An analogy to this is if I choose to drive my car in a reckless manner that may lead to a moving violation, or worse, an accident, then who is at fault and who is financially responsible to amend that fault (rhetorical question)?  Can I claim that my rights to drive my car are being violated because the government is not paying for the costs associated with my actions?  Why should I be cited for choosing to drive recklessly?  Should I sue the automobile manufacturer for not designing a safety mechanism that would have prevented me from speeding?  Perhaps the DMV is at fault for issuing me a driver's license!  Going to court and paying fines is just too inconvenient for me at this time.  I'm just not ready for all of this responsibility.  None of this is my fault - right?

Why would unwanted pregnancies be any different? 

Again let me make this perfectly clear, it's called individual responsibility which is not a constitutional right but it is the right and responsibility to choose what is morally right.

"The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.  But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil." 
(1 Peter3:12)

Godless

Is the United States of America still the same nation of Godly people once founded and governed by Judeo-Christian beliefs and principles?  Well, the answer to that may be a resounding "no" according to the 2012 Democratic party.  I say this because the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) has now removed all references to God from their 2012 platform - God is not mentioned even one time in their officially published 2012 platform document.

Yet ...

In the run-up to the Democratic National Convention, several hundred Muslims attended "Islamic Jumah," or Friday prayer, in a park in Charlotte, N.C., as part of an effort to mobilize Muslims and get them engaged in political discourse.  Originally Obama’s DNC listed this assembly as an "official function", but the Democrats removed this event from their official agenda for appearance sake after receiving backlash from across the country.  Prior to this, the Obama Campaign denied Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan's request to lead prayer at the convention.

Then, in start contrast to their 2008 platform, the Democratic Party failed to affirm Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.  According to NewsMax, In 2008, the Democratic platform included the words “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel,” saying “It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths,” but the city does not even rate a mention this time around. The platform merely says that the Democrats have “an unshakable commitment to Israel’s security” and will do everything it can to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Next, the DNC platform officially recognizes same-sex marriages and calls for the removal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages and authorizes states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states.

Lastly, the DNC platform officially supports pro-choice (abortion) by keeping the Roe vs. Wade ruling on abortion rights. The platform states: “Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way;”

So in summary, the Democratic Party no longer recognizes God but does support worship to Allah and endorses same-sex marriages and abortions on demand.  Not exactly what one would expect from what is supposed to be representative of a God-fearing country!

Now, none of the above revelations surprise me but it definitely does scare me.  The Democratic Party has been marching down this road for some time but since the election of Barrack Hussein Obama the push away from Christianity and towards Islam has been unprecedented and unchecked.

However, there is one aspect of this that still has me baffled though which is:  A large percentage of the Democratic Party is comprised of individuals that identify themselves as Christians, that is, followers of Jesus Christ.  For them specifically I have two questions:

If you are a follower of Christ then why do you support an entity that denies God and endorses anti-Christian principles?  Or are you just a Christian by name and not by any other standard or individual action?  That is for you to judge, not me!

It is said that “Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”  This is especially true for Christians as they try to live a life of faith emulating that of Christ Jesus.  One such opportunity is when we are alone in a voting booth where we are confronted with a choice to follow God or to follow man.  Would your expected vote reflect Biblical principles or will it reflect worldly opinion?  Again that is for you to judge but remember that although no one else is in that voting booth with you, you are not alone, and that your choices should reflect your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Will they?

When once the master of the house has risen and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'  In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.  (Luke 13: 25-28)

PS:  Since the release of this post, I was questioned whether or not I believe that one can be a Christian and be a Democrat at the same time.  My immediate response was - that's not for me to decide, but from purely an observational perspective, given what was stated above about the Democratic Party, there is a major conflict concerning the ambitions and focus between Christianity and that of the Democratic Party.  Remember "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."  (Matt 6:24). 

Let's for a moment replace the Democratic Party from of this conversation with the word "church" and then ask the same question:  "Should a Christian belong to a church that no longer recognizes God but does support worship to some other god and also endorses same-sex marriages and abortions on demand?"  The answer now becomes rhetorical but because politics has become a religion in of itself some have difficulty arriving at the same conclusion.

I'll close the conversation with this:

"But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.   They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."  These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt;  snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.  To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."  (Jude 1:17-25)

 

God's Gift

 

 

 

 

Jordan Patrick Mitchell

 

Revealed to the World on August 19, 2012

at 31 weeks

2 lbs 10 oz

 







What If

.

What if...

...there were no more...

...what if's?

.

My Story

I feared God and I was plagued by guilt.  It seemed that I could never do enough, or the right things, to please God.  I was driven to achieve perfection in everything.  There were so many rules, conditions, and other unattainable criteria I thought that God demanded before He would love me. 


When I met the real Christ Jesus, I discovered the truth about God's loving forgiveness through the scriptures and through my new relationship with His Son.


Now I live free of guilt and confident of who I am.  But of greatest importance, I know who God is and I know that He loves me even though I am still a sinner.

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:32)

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Follow The Leader

Driving to work one day I found myself behind a plain old white truck.  Nothing significant about this truck, no signs or markings to indicate that this truck was employed by any business or public enterprise.  I mention this because on this truck's rear tailgate was a bumper sticker which read "You Are Following The Leader".  I was immediately put-off by the implication of the bumper sticker's message which seemed to imply that just because this vehicle was in front of me that it, therefore, appointed itself as my leader, ergo, I was its follower.  The audacity of this to think that just because of some ironic happenstance, perhaps by the "Traffic Gods", that because of a purely random physical alignment of vehicular movement, I was now designated as a follower to some self-designated leader.

For the record, I thought, just because someone is in front of me does not make that one a leader no more than does my location behind make me a follower.  Physical positioning does not automatically equate to a position of leadership or of subservience.  As it happens through normal flow of traffic I soon found myself abeam to this plain old white truck in the other lane.  I asked myself, are we now in a peer-to-peer relationship?  And as I pulled ahead of this truck did I suddenly become the new leader of a pack of two?

Just because people (vehicles in this instance) are moving in the same direction at any point in time does not mean that they are headed to the same objective or motivated through a bonding sense of unity.  Physical hierarchy, whether appointed or arbitrarily arranged, does not necessarily correlate to a leader/follower relationship.  True leaders do not get the luxury to appoint their followers, however, it is the followers that determine whom their leaders will be!

In  retrospect, do not these same leader/follower principles apply on the roads through life in our personal and professional relationships?  Let's examine various "assigned" positions of authority / leadership, such as the President of our country, or as the Pope of the Catholic Church, or as a school principal, or even as a parent.   Even though all of these positions are deemed ones of leadership by society, the place-holders throughout time do not always gain the respect as leaders from their respective followers - to say the least.  Think about this: Does any President of the United States garner the respect from all of the citizens - not!  Do all Catholics follow the dictum extolled by the Pope - not!  If all school principals were true leaders would we expect to experience the ever-increasing amount of strife, resistance and behavior problems from the student body - not!  And do all offspring actually follow in the footsteps of their parents - not!  My point, again, is that one in a leadership position does not necessarily make that one a leader no more than does a plain old white truck in front of you make you a follower of it.

Leadership is earned, not decreed, not appointed, not elected, not inherited, and certainly not self-imposed.  There are huge philosophical differences between being a "boss" versus being a "leader". 

How about yourself?  Where do you or I fit in?  Are we leading anyone, intentionally or otherwise?  As Christians we are challenged first to lead by example, to live our lives that reflects the love, mercy and grace exhibited by Jesus Christ.  How do we measure-up to Jesus' standards of leadership?  

Also as Christians we must first learn to follow before we can expect to become effective leaders.  At least we have a leader to which we can try to emulate; One that has has shown us the way, the truth, and the life!  And totally contrary to the world's standards whereby one measurement of success is determined by how many followers one has amassed, under God's Kingdom our success is measured by how we lead others to become followers of Christ Jesus.

So, when you find yourself on your daily commute along life's many roads, look in front of you to see who really it is you are following.  Next look in the rear-view mirror to see if anyone is actually following you.  And if you are following or if you have followers, do you know where you are headed?

Remember, if you are not leading or if you are not following then perhaps you are just driving a plain old white truck lost on the road to salvation. 



.          
         

Sew Their!

How often are we confronted with the improper application of the words there, their or they’re? In my opinion, more often than what should be accepted as an occasional typing error. Too me it has become quite obvious that to many people do not know there theirs from they’re there’s. Perhaps one can point the blame on our educational system, their certainly is enough they’re too blame, but when the “typo” is from an adults to, perhaps the problem is beyond intelligence and harbors on lackadaisical indifference!

Another thought looks at the current phenomena of “texting” whereby the spelling of words are shortened on purpose "two xpidite the typin of wrds 2 save thumb-time." The real challenge to texting is knowing when too use text-talk and when knot to. Imagine when a young school graduate applies four a job interview and throughout the resume is text-talk. Yes, I’ll hire you rite now!

Technology applications in the world of digital error correction software impose additional challenges when one relys upon “spell-check” or even the more dangerous “auto-correction” in place of manuel proof-reading. Both of these applications are great tools but to totally relay upon there finished product without one’s personal editorial review before publishing is really putting your intellectual credibility open four scrutiny. Most grammer-checking applications are also unreliable and should therefore be used only as a secondary means too edit one’s righting!

Now please do not interpret my observations hear and label me as a “no-it-all” because I to have printed my share of English foupahs! Know one is perfect butt should we knot strive towards perfection by carefully examining our publications before hitting the “send button” in hour e-mails and other on-line or written correspondences? Its just really an eye-opener when I read papers from pubic schools that have been graded with an “A” yet have obvious errors as were discussing hear and it appears that neither the teacher nor the student our concerned.

Well, you may shruff this off and pretend that all of this is know big deal, but four me I will continue with my endeavor to not only be correct in what I due but also to correct others as I deem necessary - so they‘re, oops, their, I mean, there!




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New Year Happiness

Once again we are confronted with a new year!  We ceremoniously say goodbye to one year and anticipate what this new year will bring.  It is hoped by most that our opportunities for a happy coexistence in this life improve with the passing of the old year when in reality only one day has passed, not a year of days.  Our desires for a happier year is verbally reflected in our ritual of wishing everyone a "Happy New Year"!

But what is it exactly that we are wishing for?

Many years ago I challenged a few colleagues to complete the following statement: "I Will Be Happy When....".  The responses were as varied as were the individuals and as you may have expected, each person identified an event or situation of future occurrence at which its fruition would make them happy.  As I recall, five of the responses were: "To set goals and to reach them"; "When my teenage son leaves home"; "When the world becomes a safe place"; "When I find a job that makes me happy"; and "When life comes with a handbook"

If the same topic were posed to you, how would you have responded?  For a moment, reflect upon your first thought when pondering "I will be happy when...?

Perhaps you would have responded with "I will be happy when I get that raise" or maybe "a new job" or "when you retire".  For others happiness may be "when one gets engaged or married".  How about "When one has children or when the children have grown and moved out"- you know, the Empty Nest Syndrome!  Maybe inheriting a huge sum of money or even when your car or house is finally paid off, or when you become debt free.  Then again, perhaps you'll be happy when you finally lose that extra weight that you have been carrying around for a few decades or maybe when you gain some weight, get a new wardrobe, and on and on, the beat goes on!

Did you arrive with any of those scenarios or did you have something more original.  What was your answer?  When will you finally be happy? 

Did you notice the one common theme to all of the first five responses?  Given every circumstance, the criteria for being happy was fully dependent upon a future occurrence.  Not one person operated under the premise of one already being happy!  Could it have been that none of them were happy then?  I think not.  When you were posed with the same question, did you consider the prospect that you are already at that "happy state" and not anticipating some future expectation to be happy?  Was this question a trap or perhaps were the answers (yours included) a reflection of one's individual mindset?

Friends, we must learn to enjoy the journey because we may never reach that destination!  Happiness should be in the "now" and not in some obscure futuristic promise.  Remember that our next breath is not promised us but each is a gift from God.  The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now!

How many times in the past did we indicate that we would be happy if or when a certain condition was met.  How many New Year's resolutions have we forsaken?  Is not our current station in life the result of meeting or exceeding obstacles that were placed before us in the past?  Perhaps for many of those earlier conditions we may have stated that we would be happy when....!  Are you not happy now?  Is this discussion making you sad (ha)!

Maybe we are confused with the premise of what constitutes happiness.  Are we risking our happiness based upon a temporary circumstance?  Are you as happy now as you want to be, or can be?  I surmise that we should all be happy now else we would not be where we are with our lives.  Are we living the dream or dreaming to live?

So, where am I going with this?  Try this: If your life were to end right now, this very moment, would you leave us with a smile or with a frown on your face?  If you answered that you would be wearing an eternal smile then I contend that you understand what true happiness is and that you have arrived!  Otherwise, if not a smile you wore then you left us before you discovered how to achieve eternal happiness.

Eternal happiness - WOW - there is a concept to grasp.  Actually, eternal happiness is not a concept but a reality and many people achieve it right here on earth rather than waiting until they depart this world.  You see, waiting to achieve happiness until you leave this world is once again, as before, waiting for some future event or occurrence to happen.

What is as interesting to me is that one can tell who lives now with this eternal happiness simply by observing those around them.  Their secret to this happiness is that they have based their worldly happiness on non-worldly goals.  In other words, their happiness is measured by what they already have which, in turn, guarantees them happiness in the future.  In possession of this guaranteed happiness, who wouldn't walk around with a perpetual smile on a person that emanates peace, confidence and satisfaction.  Life, for them, is great as always!

Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest. - Sri Chinmoy

Maybe what is being suggested here is a change in attitude.  We should recognize and cherish the blessings that we have today because tomorrow may never be.

With this in mind, let's go back to those original five responses and review them in the present context.  The "Goal Maker" has already accomplished many goals in the past so what will more goals get that he/she doesn't already have;  The parent of the teenager will not rejoice but rather will lament the loss of her child;  If one fears the outside world then start by looking to your inner-world for love and security; While a job can provide financial security remember the age-old adage - one cannot buy happiness; and finally, for the one waiting for the handbook on life to he written - go write it yourself because you are living it!

If we want to know what happiness is we must seek it, not as if it were a part of gold at the end of the rainbow, but among human beings who are living richly and fully the good life. If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double Dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar gold button that has rolled under the cupboard in his bed room. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living 24 crowded hours of the day.  W. Beran Wolfe

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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