Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Stuck in Traffic?



If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking, "What is my purpose?" Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Growing Older - What a Hoot!

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, 'How old was your husband?' '98,' she replied. 'Two years older than me' 'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented. She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it?
* * *
Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: 'And what do you think is the best thing about
being 104?' the reporter asked. She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'
* * *
The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.
* * *
I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver's license.
* * *
I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.
* * *
An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. 'Wal-Mart?' the preacher exclaimed. 'Why Wal-Mart?' 'Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week'
* * *
My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
* * *
Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.
* * *
It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker.
* * *
These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, 'For fast relief.'
* * *
THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

I Believe!

Thanks to Sharon Sessler for the following:


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


I Believe...That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.


I Believe...That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.


I Believe...That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.


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


I Believe...That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.


I Believe...That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.


I Believe... That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...That either you control your attitude or it controls you
I Believe...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...That money is a lousy way of keeping score.


I Believe...That my best friend and I can do anything - or nothing - and have the best time.


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


I Believe...That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

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

I Believe...That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe...Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.


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

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Rearranging Letters

Thanks to Jane Hartwig for forwarding this one.



----------------------------------------

DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM --------------------------------

PRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER ----------------------------------------

ASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER ----------------------------------------

DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT ----------------------------------------

THE EYES: When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE ----------------------------------------



GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE ----------------------------------------

THE MORSE CODE : When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS ----------------------------------------

SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME ----------------------------------------

ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY ----------------------------------------

ELECTION RESULTS: When you rearrange the letters: LIES - LET'S RECOUNT ----------------------------------------

SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S ----------------------------------------

A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: IM A DOT IN PLACE ----------------------------------------

THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE ----------------------------------------

ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE ----------------------------------------

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW: When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Why the Y?

(Thanks to Iris Eagan and to Phyliss Wixon for sending this one my way.)


The Silent generation, people born before 1946. -


The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1963. -


Generation X, people born between 1964 and 1 979. -


Generation Y, people born between 1980 and 1995 .


Why do we call the last one generation Y?


I did not know, but a caricaturist explains it eloquently below...Learned something new!






Saturday, September 13, 2008

Hands

Thanks to Amy Zielke for sending along the following, which was sent to her by another friend, Joyce Doran.



GRANDMA'S HANDS


Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.


When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.


Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.


'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.




'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'




I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.


Grandma smiled and related this story:' Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.




They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.



As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.



They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.



They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.




They have been dirty, scraped and raw , swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.



Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.



They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.


These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.'


I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.


When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.



Flickr photos by melkor, joaobamtu, petra away, carmeena, Luo Shaoyang, timtak, j b pham, constanza.zuniga.


Friday, September 12, 2008

The Zen of Sarcasm

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
3. Its always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.
5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.
10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.
12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
15 . The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Traveling Where?

Thanks to long-time friend Beverly Brandes Chrisman for sharing the following:

An New York couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.
Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left N.Y. and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.
The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email to a wrong person!!
Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email, expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted.
The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: January 17, 2008
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then!!!! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
P. S. Sure is hot down here!!!

This one made me laugh like the person in the post below!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Can You Listen Without Smiling?


I doubt you can do it, but see if you can listen to this without smiling.

Need a laugh?

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Cans of Worms

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

Four worms were placed into four separate containers.








The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.

The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.

The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.

The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the minister reported the following results:


The first worm in alcohol - Dead.



The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead




Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead




Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the minister asked the congregation -What did you learn from this demonstration?

Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,'As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate,you won't have worms!'

That pretty much ended the service!



Thanks for Margaret Mathis for sharing this!


flickr photos by lightsight and lanier67