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Thought for the Day: Every day we get out of bed is a good day!

source unknown

submitted by Howard Butch Shaffer

*******************

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER

BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

 

 

~Going Out is good. Coming Home is better!

 

~You Forget names .... but it's OK because other people forgot they Even knew you !!!

 

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything .... especially golf.

 

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

 

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

 

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" Switch.

 

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

 

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

 

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

 

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

 

~Everybody Whispers.

 

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet .... 2 of which you will never wear.

 

~~~But Old is good in some things: old songs, old movies, and best of all, old FRIENDS!!

 

Love You, "OLD FRIEND!"

 

It's Not What You Gather, But What You scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived !

 

 I live in my own little world.

But it's ok-They know me there!   

Thought for the Day: WE ARE AWESOME ...OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF

submitted by J. Branin

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE
AWESOME !!!OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!    

To Those of Us Born 1925 - 1970  and to all the kids who survived the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's... 
First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Live A Life That Matters -cnbnews.net

 

Live a Life That Matters by Michael Josephson

 Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.

What will matter is about what you learned as well as what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many felt good when they were around you and how you served them. What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.

--- Michael Josephson ---

Thought for the Day: The Class Reunion -cnbnews.net

Every five years, as summertime nears,

An announcement arrives in the mail,
A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;
Make plans to attend without fail.

I'll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dress.

It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.

The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,

Thought for the Day: The Fable of the Porcupine -cnbnews.net

 
CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 

It was the coldest winter ever.  

Many animals died because of the cold.

The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together. They were covered and protected, but the quills of each wounded the closest companion. 
After a while, they decided to distance themselves, and they began to die, alone and frozen.

So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. 

They learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by their close relationships because the most important part was the heat that came from the others. 

They were able to survive.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the one that forms when individuals learn to live with the imperfections and admire the good qualities of others.

The Moral of the story: Learn to live with the pricks and jabs in your life.- author unknown

 

(submitted by Gary M.)

 

Thought for the Day: Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people -cnbnews.net

Burned Biscuits...........THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner 

every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! 

Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask 
me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that 
night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that 
ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing... never made a 
face nor uttered a word about it! 

Thought for the Day: I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday' -cnbnews.net

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.  I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.  How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

Thought for the Day: How Wasteful the Old Folks Were

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring
her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment." He was right, that generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer's day.

Thought for the Day: "I'm 63 and I'm Tired"

by  Robert A. Hall

I'm  63.  Except  for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period  when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked hard since  I was 18.   Despite some health challenges, I still put in  a 50-hour week, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years.    I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my  job or my  income, and I worked to get where I am.  Given the  economy,  there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired.  Very tired.  

photo Robert A. Hall


I'm  tired of being told  that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic.   I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned,  by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.  

THIS SENIOR CITIZEN NAILED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

submitted by WJ
 
Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming, Co-Chair of Obama's deficit
commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he
compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats.
August, 2010.
 
Here's a response in a letter from an unknown fellow in Montana...
I think he is a little ticked off!   He also tells it like it is! 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: True Blue Bill

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 
eleven (11) things they did not and will not learn in school. 

  
He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings 
created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and 
how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it! 

Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. 
The world will expect you to accomplish something 
BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. 
You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss 

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. 
Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: 
They called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, 
so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring 
as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, 
cleaning your clothes and listening to you 
talk about how cool you thought you were 

  
So before you save the rain forest 
from the parasites of your parent's generation, 
try delousing the closet in your own room..

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, 
but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades 
and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. 
*This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. 
You don't get summers off and very few employers 
are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. 
*Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. 
In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. 
Chances are you'll end up working for one.. 

  


  
If you can read this... Thank a Teacher. 
If you can read this in English... Thank a Soldier! 
And for life and everything else you have... Thank God!! 

SUBMITTED BY KG

Thought for the Day: THE LAWYERS' PARTY

submitted by John Branin

...originally posted March 2008...http://www.americanthinker.com/

  By Bruce Walker 

 The Democratic Party has become the Lawyers Party .  

Barack Obama is a lawyer. Michelle Obama is a lawyer.

Hillary Clinton is a lawyer. Bill Clinton is a lawyer.

John Edwards is a lawyer. Elizabeth Edwards is a lawyer.

Every Democrat nominee since 1984 went to law school (although Gore did not graduate).

Every Democrat vice presidential nominee since 1976, except for Lloyd 

Bentsen, went to law school.

Look at leaders of the Democrat Party in Congress:

Harry Reid is a lawyer. Nancy Pelosi is a lawyer.

 The Republican Party is different.

Thought for the Day: Every Thing The Government Touches Is Broke!

Submitted by John Branin

related category:

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Thought for the Day: The Principal

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
received from Adam via Email, author unknown
_______________________________  

This principal really nailed this one.  Too bad we don't have  more of them.

Do take the time to read this.....it would really change our country if all schools were run like this. If every high-school principal gave this speech at the beginning of the next school year, America would be a better place.

To the students and faculty of our high school:


I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no
greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to
our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most
of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked
against you, against your teachers, and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I

Today We Mourn the Death of An Old Friend

© by Lori Borgman | Sunday, March 15, 1998

Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense. His obituary reads as follows: Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering.

Thought for the Day: The Mayonnaise Jar

CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar... and the coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the

Kids Discuss Marriage... plus (Video) Kids Say The Darnest Things

• HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. Alan, age 10
No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with. Kristen, age 10

• WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. Camille, age 10
No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

• HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. Derrick, age 8

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MUM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don’t want any more kids. Lori, age 8

• WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. Lynnette, age 8 (isn’t she a treasure)
On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. Martin, age 10 (Who said boys do not have brains)

• WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I’d run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. Craig, age 9

• WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they’re rich. Pam, age 7 (I could not have said it better myself)
The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn’t want to mess with that. Curt, age 7 (Good Point)
The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It’s the right thing to do. Howard, age 8 (Who made the rule)

• IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

I don’t know which is better, but I’ll tell you one thing. I’m never going to have sex with my wife. I don’t want to be all grossed out. Theodore, age 8 (Too much detail for his age)
It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

• HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN’T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn’t there? Kelvin, age 8
And the #1 Favorite is……..

• HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. Ricky, age 10 (The boy already understands)

submitted by Coyote

Thought for the Day: JOE LEGAL vs. JOSE ILLEGAL

category Thought for the Day

You have two families:  "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal".
Both families have two parents, two children, and live in  California .

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The Day Shay Got To Play

     CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The Day Shay Got To Play by EJ Nolan

At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of one student delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son, Shay? Everything God does is done with perfection, but my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?"

The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Shay: One afternoon, Shay and his father walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?"

continue to read via www.baseball-almanac.com

Thought for The Day: To Realize

To realize

The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize

The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate. 

PHOTO: Could be Bill The Worm Seddon!

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize

The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby....
 

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.

The origin of this letter is unknown,
But it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.

Remember...

Hold on tight to the ones you love!

submitted by Ron Villanova

Thought for The Day: WHAT WILL MATTER

category Thought for the Day

By Michael Josephson

Ready or not some day it will come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what your were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on.

At the end it won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what your bought,

But what you built, not what you got.

What will matter is not your success,

But your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned,

But what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence,

But your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,

But how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.

What will matter are not your memories,

But the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It is not a matter of circumstance but of choice

Choose to live a life that matters.

Thought for the Day: An Old Man’s Saga

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte , Nebraska , it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital..  One nurse took her copy to Missouri .

The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St.. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem. And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . .. .. . What do you see?
What are you thinking . . . . . when you're looking at me? 

A crabby old man . . . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . . . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . . . . and makes no reply.

When you say in a loud voice . . . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . A sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not . . . . . lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding . . . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? . . . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . . . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . . . who love one another.

A young boy of Sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now . .. . . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . . that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . .. . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . . With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons . . .. . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . . My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me . . . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . . . shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . .. . and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man . .. . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . . grace and vigor, depart.

There is now a stone . . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . . . . a young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain.

And I'm loving and living . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . .. . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people . . . .. . open and see.
Not a crabby old man .. . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.

We will all, one day, be there, too!

submitted by Hank Miller, Japan 

WE THE PEOPLE ARE COMING

GLENN BECK: I got a letter from a woman in Arizona . She writes an open letter to our nation's leadership:

"I am a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me.   Instead, we are burdened with Congressional Dukes and Duchesses who think they know better than the citizens they are supposed to represent.

There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitutionas it was written. Please stand up now.
You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut-job am I? Well, these briefly are the views and issues for which I seek representation:  

One, illegal immigration.. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels.. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution.

P.S., I'm not a racist. This is not to be confused with legal immigration. 

Two, the STIMULUS bill. I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We

told you No, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.
Three: Czars. I want the circumvention of our constitutional checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars.Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution, and honor it. 

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There are many conflicting opinions and it is too soon for this radical legislation. Quit throwing our nation into politically-correct quicksand. 

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision that will burden me, my children, and grandchildren. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night without even reading it. Slow down!  Fix only what is broken -- we have the best health care system in the world -- and test any new program in one or two states first. 

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. More is not better! Shrink it down. Mind your own business.  You have enough to take care of with your real [Constitutional] obligations. Why don't you start there. 

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census.. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes -- how did they pull that one off?  Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with any of our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate. 

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs -- and that is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person! Why do you want me to hate my employers? And what do you have against shareholders making a profit? 

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.. 

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Every company must sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. (Have you ever ripped off a Band-Aid?) We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us. 

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk.. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with clever wording.. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for.. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now. 

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Slow down and get some input from nonpoliticians and experts on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed-reading our bills into law. I am not an activist.. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent.. I work. I'm busy.  I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave. 

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution.. I believed in thechecks and balances to keep from getting far off course.. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not.

It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill.. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is needless urgency and recklessness in all of your recent spending of our tax dollars. 

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on bringing our concerns toWashington . Our president often knows all the right buzzwords like unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words.

Stop treating us like we're morons. 

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented.. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work, pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone... and we are now looking at you.

You have awakened us, the patriotic freedom spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office.

We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us who will rise like a Phoenixfrom the ashes that you have made of our constitution. 

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this.. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution, and that is all that matters to us now....

We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them.. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you.

If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one.

We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent?

Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming

submitted by Rich Luongo

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget

CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

by Kent Nerburn

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One time I arrived in the middle of the night for a pick up at a building that was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.

"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice.

CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

CATEGORY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

• ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.  
  

• TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other 

• THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want. 

• FOUR. When you say, 'I love you ,' mean it.. 

• FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye. 

• SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.. 

• SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight. 

• EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream.. People who don't have dreams don't have much. 

• NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely. 

• TEN. . In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling. 

• ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives. 

• TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly. 

• THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?' 

• FOURTEEN.. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.. 

• FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze. 

• SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson !

• SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions. 

• EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.. 

• NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 

• TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. 

• TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

submitted by Rich Luongo

Check out Rich Luongo’s blog, www.southjerseynews.typepad.com.

NEVER FORGET DECEMBER 7th

Image via Wikipedia

 

This morning is a start to another day

But 68 years ago that was not the truth on the harbor and bay.

During that peaceful morning

As an enemy attacked without warning.

Today is a day to remember

This day in December.

When across the land peace filled the air

Before long our nation was full of despair.

Men and women gave the ultimate sacrifice

By protecting our nation they paid the price.

Instead of laying in bed

They gave their lives triumphantly and were dead.

We should never forget those

Fighting bravely they chose.

Eternal Father Grant unto them eternal rest at sea

Who kept us free.

author John Schmidt

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• Pearl Harbor memories still vivid for some (msnbc.msn.com)

I AM THANKFUL

I AM THANKFUL for the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.

• ...for the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

• ...for the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because it means she is at home, not on the streets.

• ...for the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed.

• ...for the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

• ...for the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

• ...for my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.
  

• ...for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

• ...for all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech

• ...for the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

• ...for my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.

• ...for the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.

• ...for the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

• ...for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

• ...for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means I am alive…

author – unknown

(submitted by Jessica)

Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd!

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS , not Happy Holiday !*

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet during the holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason¢ for the Christ-mas Season!

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

submitted by Bob Bevan

Enjoy the ride. There is no return ticket.

Image via Wikipedia

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. 'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30.  Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50, and your dreams are gone...But! wait!! ! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50, and make it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that, it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's, and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3.Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's family 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, even 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. And, if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

submitted by Dolores R.

A DOG NAMED LUCKY

Note: The story about A Dog Named Lucky has floated around the Internet for the past year. Recently the article,  Author Unknown, landed in my Email box. I loved it and want to share it with you. 

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't, and may decide you need one.

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog, Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit  they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy Inevitably someone would forget and something would come up missing Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease...she was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim he was Mary's dog through and through.

If I die Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully but the dog just drooped, whining and miserable. But finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed. When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. Panic soon gave way to laughter though when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, in every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement and back bringing his beloved mistress his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love. Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every night.

It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.

Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Live everyday to the fullest...because every day is a blessing from God!
~ Author Unknown ~