Red Shirt

Here's a story I think I read before. Enjoy!

Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together.

After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

No, he responded.

Heading out? I asked.

No. I'm escorting a soldier home.

Going to pick him up?

No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq , I'm taking him home to his family.

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign.'

Without a sound, all went as requested.. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.

Following is a suggestion:

Red Fridays. Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority.' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is: 'We need your support and your prayers.'

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.


Friday and Saturday, I plan on having two interviews with my two friends: Tiffany Colter and Linore Rose Burkard. Look for them!


Quote:
Always borrow from a pessimist; he never expects it back!


Blessings

Sniff. Sniff


London Times Obituary
An Obituary printed in the London Times

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

• Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
• Why the early bird gets the worm;
• Life isn't always fair;
• And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

• Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;
• teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch;
• and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student,

only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when:

• parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
• Common Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
• Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
• and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
• Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
• Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by:

• his parents Truth and Trust,
• his wife Discretion,
• his daughter Responsibility and
• his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

• I Know My Rights
• I Want It Now
• Someone Else Is To Blame
• I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing




Quote:
The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.


Blessings

Those Things Called Wrods . . . Ooops! Words

Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
And 'lollipop' is the longest word typed with your right hand.
(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?)
No word in the English language rhymes with

month , orange, silver, or purple.

' Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.

(Are you doubting this?)
Our eyes are always the same size from birth,

but our nose and ears never stop growing.
The sentence: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'

uses every letter of the alphabet.

(Now, you KNOW you're going to try this out for accuracy, right?)

The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same

whether they are read left to right or right to left

(palindromes).

(Yep, I knew you were going to 'do' this one.)
There are only four words in the English language which end in 'dous': tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
(You're not possibly doubting this, are you ?)

There are two words in the English language that have

all five vowels in order: 'abstemious' and 'facetious.'

(Yes, admit it, you are going to say, a e i o u)
TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made

using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

(All you typists are going to test this out)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds .
(Some days that's about what my memory span is.)
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
A snail can sleep for three years.

(I know some people that could do this too.!)

Almonds are a member of the peach family.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that also .

Actually I know A LOT of people like this!)
Babies are born without kneecaps.
They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history

not to have a full moon.
In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
If the population of China walked past you,

8 abreast, the line would never end

because of the rate of reproduction.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
The cruise liner, QE 2,moves only six inches

for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher

walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

(Good thing he did that.)
The winter of 1932 was so cold that

Niagara Falls froze completely solid .

There are more chickens than people in the world.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Now you know more than you did before!!

Quote:
Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit. --Hosea Ballou


Blessings

Every Woman Should Have . . .

• One old love she can imagine going back to and one who reminds her how far she has come
• Enough money in her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to
• Something perfect to wear if she needs it
• A youth she's content to leave behind

• The realization that she's really going to have a an old age
• Some money set aside to fund it
• A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and black underwear
• One friend who always makes her laugh

• One who lets her cry
• A good piece of furniture not previously owned by someone else in her family
• Eight matching plates and good glasses
• A recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored

• A skin care regimen and an exercise routine
• A plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don't get any better after 30
• A solid background for a career if you need it
• A satisfying relationship
• And all those other facets of life that do get better after 30

Ain't life funny? Either grin and bear it or smile and enjoy it!

Quote:
May your hand always be stretched out in friendship, not want. --Irish blessing


Blessings!

Friends


People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON.

• It is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
• They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
• to provide you with guidance and support,
• to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
• They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
• They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

• Sometimes they die.
• Sometimes they walk away.
• Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.


Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

• They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
• They may teach you something you have never done.
• They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it; it is real.
But only for a season.


LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to:

• accept the lesson,
• love the person and
• put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.


Quote:
Lord, when I'm wrong, make me willing to change; when I am right, make me easy to live with. So strengthen me that the power of my example will far exceed the authority of my rank. --Pauline H. Peters

Blessings

Catchin' Up

Not counting this horrid cold I have, here's a few things to show you what's been going on in my (hubby & my) life:

• Traveled in February close to 2 thou miles
• Enjoying-altho it's kinda gloomy-the rainy day
• Lots of wind, too
• Felt good enough yesterday to totter outside and peer over the bank to see where hubby wants to spade up a garden
• Even grabbed some clippers and trimmed a few overgrown vines back. Not many, too weak, but a few

• Slept, slept, slept for the last three days; thus--drumroll, please, little sleep last night. Couldn't get comfortable. Nose stopped up--both sides, pillow uncomfortable, clothes uncomfortable, yada, yada, yada
• Traveled in March almost 2500 miles
• Co-cooked for a youth convention. Fun and not hard at all. Fixed some of my favorite foods. That always helps
• Enjoyed seeing my Bradford Pears out in white furry bloom
• Enjoyed seeing my first blossoms of the spring

• Redbuds and daffidils and hyacinths threatening to boost into flowery song anyday now
• Hating to hear that the temp will be in the forties for the next few days. Could it be ole weatherman will be wrong? Let's hope
• Too tired and drug down to do much serious writing, but hopefully will be better now. Got lots of stuff to get moving on
• Prospects ahead for manuscripts
• Enjoyed emails from agent

• Critiqued manuscript partials from partners
• Met with critique partner
• Contemplating ACFW writing conference
• Making plans for two interviews: you've heard of them: Tiffany Colter with her great blogs and Linore Rose Burkard. Good friends
• Made a new resolve. I think I'll stick with it

Enough for now. Gotta work, gotta work, gotta work. If I chant it enough, maybe it'll soak in and my still shaking hands and brain will respond. Laugh.

Quote:
All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible. ~ William Faulkner


Blessings

Two Choices

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled, comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:

"Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball; the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team."
"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

Touching, huh?


Quote:
Fear breeds fear. --Bryon Janis


Blessings

What Could Be Worse?

Hadn't been feeling well for several days and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Listless and stomach problems.

Well, it finally hit me. Some strain of a cold like I'd never had before. Felt so bad I thought dying would be a blessing. But today, I'm feeling a shade better. So I got to thinking (uh, oh!). What could be worse? As bad as I felt, why would I rather have had this cold than other situations I could have been in?

Here's some I definitely hope I never have to face:

Total bed rest. (I like to move around too much!)
Cancer (I hate to even say the word)
Biblical Job's news (you know, your whole family gone?)
A house fire that takes all my memories
Both hands broken (no writing-wail . . .)
An unhealthy child

I guess I'll eventually get over this cold. That's a lot to be thankful for.



Quote:
Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before it. --Jacob A Rus


Blessings