t's the season

Saturday question—What are your feelings about Christmas?  We all have feelings about Christmas and they can change as fast as the wind does!  Feelings are fickle to say the least! MissPerfect says—Feelings are not the Truth usually! They are fake and can’t be relied on!  RickyRick says—"There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it. But this kind of thinking allows us to be manipulated by our moods—making us to live according to our feelings.” WorldClassLarry says—Not good!

The MI-Wizard Christmas joke—Did you hear about the man who stole an Advent calendar?------------------------He got 25 days!

Joy says—"The season of Advent  is a time of waiting that Christians first recognized as early as the fourth century. Advent is about intentional waiting; a special time of concentrated anticipation for the celebration of Jesus’s birth. In this season, we are encouraged to slow down, allow the Holy Spirit to move us toward repentance and renewal, and patiently wait for the advent (the coming) of Jesus that we celebrate each Christmas.” I like the description of “intentional waiting.”  There seems to be some magic in it, my opinion, and not just at Christmas time but always in my life.

 This is a quote of one of my heroes, Abraham Lincoln—[From Second Inaugural Address, Washington, March 4, 1852]  “With Malice Toward None. The Almighty has his own purposes…Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this might scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God will that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop  of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said: ‘the judgements of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.”’

Will Rogers said—"Good judgement come from experiences and a lot of that come from bad judgment.” Oh, how we learn now don’t we. I just learned something very important from hearing how a person hurt another person by not being a true friend. Ouchy ouchy!  She stung supposedly a friend big time. Truly a great gift is to love a person and that is being true and having a strong relationship (e.g. being loyal). But there are many ways we can love, but one of those ways is to use our resources---whether that’s money, time, or effort—to express love to each other. AverageJoe says—ANYWAY, just do it sincerely with a good heart (i.e. be true and real). SusieQ says--And for heaven’s sake, don’t give a friend some cheesy cheap trinket gift for Christmas (i.e. a throwaway gift); instead give them a true hug and tell them how you feel about them (e.g. how you appreciate them). That is a huge massive gift! LuckieEddie says—It’s never good to stomp on anyone thinking we are some hotshots!

My farmer friends in IA always try to maximize their corn and soybean yields (i.e. to make more money); it’s natural. They start with the best seed that fits their ground. As the saying goes—Good seed does not cost, it pays! We were in WinCo getting grocers and discussing what water we should buy as we don’t care for the water here in Mesa. Jeanne started a conversation with another shopper who was may 35 years old. She gave her a lot of good advice. We thanked her and she said—”I try every day to help some person; it makes me feel soooo much better; it’s like giving them a gift!

We were talking to folks down the street. They told us that they have 9 kids and a huge massive number of grandchildren and a huge massive number of great grandchildren. I said to them—If you give each of them a thousand dollars for Christmas that’s a lot of money!  He said she gives a lot more money to family than I do; I think she gives toooo much but it’s her choice. They didn’t tell us what they give soooooo we don’t know the amounts (i.e. what is a lot to one isn’t a lot to another). I guess giving is a personal choice and not just at Christmas but any time maybe. Saturday questions—Are we more a giver or a taker? Do we think more about ourselves or others? BigShotBetty says—I really like myself a lot let me tell ya!

WorldClassLarry says—"How could anyone have expected Isaiah’s words to come to pass in that particularly miraculous and utterly unprecedented way? Most everyone was caught off guard, a total surprise. How has God surprised you lately? Do you think God might surprise us in our life? How are you longing for God to draw near? How have you seen evidence that Jesus is present, even now, within you? This Advent season, watch for God to show up to you in unexpected ways. Now that is pretty exciting to me, yes it is.  Personally, I expect it! What I’m saying is this: If God tells us to go after Moby Dick in a rowboat, take the tartar sauce with us. We’re going to have a fish fry tonight! 

There are 60 major prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Jesus Christ. In their book Science Speaks, Peter Stoner and Robert Newman calculated the odds of any one man in all of human history fulfilling only 8 of those prophecies to be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Jesus fulfilled all 60! The odds of that happening are astronomical. I always say that I like the odds in my favor; I like those odds.

It appears that folks really want to know about their future. They do medical tests, have their palms read, read fortune cookies etc. But do we really want to know our future? Many folks are scared to death about their future. If we are believers, we have HOPE in Jesus and that is we will have eternal life through Him as our Savior. Jesus is not a Santa Claus (i.e. a fake). Jesus is not fickle! Jesus is the TRUTH! That is what I believe. You might have other thoughts. I pray that you might at least consider Jesus. We were in CO at our daughter, son-in-law and grandkids last weekend. They took us out for dinner and to the performance by the Denver Orchestra and Chorale. They played and sang two of my most favorite Christmas songs: The Hallelujah chorus and Oh Holy Night. I like the part that says—Fall on your knees oh hear the Angles sing!  I pray that we all can all hear the angels sing this Christmas. Saturday question--What did the angels tell Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds?  Fear not, I am the Lord and I will take care of you! 

I researched reindeer with the Alaska Wildlife Department and found out that both male and female reindeer have antlers. The males lose their antler after breeding season by about December1 while the female reindeer keep their antlers until about March 1. Soooo Dasher, Dancer Prancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Doner, Blitzen and Rudolf had to be girls. Soooo it makes sense as only girls would be nice enough to pull a fat old man around in a red suit all over the world in one night. And it also makes sense that they would not mind making many stops as they don’t mind stopping and asking for directions (i.e. as most girls struggle knowing which direction they are going). Besides, they don’t mind stopping often as they all have to go to the bathroom together anyway! 

And Mary, treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  I like that word “ponder.” I like to ponder. Do you? I have talked to a number of folks who are readers. They seem to like to read science fiction much more than anything about reality. I don’t think they enjoy pondering reality. Maybe they are really tired of reality. Maybe they are tired of being in a fight all the time. I don’t know. What do you think? That is what I thought. Make believe can get us out of reality alright! Saturday question—Do you ever get tired of trying to improve all the time and just want to take a break and forget about reality and read a science fiction book or just deal with Santa Claus or just sit in the quit and ponder? Such is life!

VelvetElvis says—I am also like you because I have a choice. To become bitter, cynical, jaded and hard. Anybody can do that. A lot have. Hatred is a powerful, unifying force. And there is a lot to be repulsed by. Or, like you, I can choose to reclaim my innocence. We can insist that hope is real and that a group of people who love God and others really can change the world. We can commit all the more to being the kinds of people who are learning how to do what Jesus teaches us.

Merry Christmas to all of you from Jeanne and I.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Joy is not in things it is in us.

winning and losing

The MI-Wizard’s Christmas joke—What did the gingerbread man say when the gingerbread woman asked how she looked--------------------SWEET!

My neighbor told me that his father told him to believe half of what he sees and none of what he hears!  Soooo having said that, let’s get started with this “It’s Saturday.”

This sculpture is top of an art gallery in New Zealand but it is being moved as some folks don’t like it, but others do. I guess the don’tlikeitfolks won. But who knows, it’s just a matter of opinion. A town council person said—"This is either a great day for Wellington or a terrible day for Wellington and there’s not much view in between.” Soooo how will anyone really know who won and who lost! And quite often the folks who make the most noise get their way, but they really aren’t even the majority (i.e. it seems to happen all the time; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out). SusieQ says—Does it really matter! If it doesn’t affect me personally, I don’t care one little iota! But if it affects me personally, well…Kattie bar the door!

Winning and losing in professional sports is very important as there is a lot of money at stake. Sooo the franchises try to buy the best talent they can; the better talent they have, the better their chances of winning (i.e. put the odds in their favor). But someone or some group needs to decide what good talent is. And sometimes the talent they buy doesn’t prove out. That is decided by “the prove-it-time.” The proof is in the pudding! I think if we want to be a winner, being around better folks puts the odds much more in our favor as usually we become much like the folks we are around. LuckyEddie says—I have seen it many times; c’mon, quite kidding yourself!

A new friend told me that when she was a teenager her parents thought she was hanging around with the wrong crowd and they just couldn’t convince her to change. They forced her to go and live with relatives in another city to get away from her current crowd.  I asked her if it worked. Ya, I stopped at the gas station and asked the guy who filled my car up, which way to Spokane (i.e. got a new environment and new start). I can’t help but wonder if she would not have gone! Soooo do you think she won or lost? I don’t know but she thinks she did!

Sooooo here is an idea as to what qualities that folks have that we want to be around. But it’s each our own decision and guess who makes that decision. RickyRick says—“ There is a clear distinction between pride and humility. While pride will tear down your relationships, humility builds them up and strengthens them. But pride is self-deceiving. It can be hard for us to recognize in ourself. Instead, try looking for the symptoms of pride, like criticism, competition, stubbornness, and superficiality. If you see some of those characteristics in ourselves, we might have a problem with pride. Proverbs 16:18 says, ‘Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin.’ I like how the Message paraphrases this verse: ‘First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.’ Pride destroys relationships, but humility is the antidote to pride.” My opinion is that humble folks are winners and proud folks are losers!

We had the opportunity to go to the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras Arizona at the Mesa Arts Center performing Hear The Angel Voices. It was a group of folks from age 4 to seniors. They will take any child and teach them to sing (i.e. no auditions); using Christian Classical music and traditional classical music (i.e. the director said they have been doing this for 18 years; going against the odds of teaching teenagers and using Christian music). This is big time as they perform at major venues. They are dynamic with maybe 500 folks participating; incredible. ANYWAY, what really impressed me was none of them where showboats and they all had the same facial expressions; they were a team and not individually theoretically performers a.k.a. showoffs. They had to be taught that. They appeared to be very humble.  

Sooooo I had to find a medical doctor when moving to Yakima. It was rather difficult I was told as there is a shortage of doctors and most aren’t taking new patients.  Soooo Jeanne and I stopped at the clinic where her doctor is and thought we would just ask around. We went in the wrong door and was basically lost in the maze of the clinic and a nurse asked us if she could help us. I said yes, we seem to be lost and I need a doctor (i.e. we all laughed). I explained my situation and she said all the doctors here are not taking new patients. Well, you can see I really need a doctor (i.e. we all laughed again). Sooo she lead us to the front desk while having a nice conversation about how and why I’m in Yakima). Then she said, what is your name and what’s your number. I will call you and maybe get you a doctor. She was the nurse of one of the best internists in the Valley. She got me in. She was a winner. Like my Butler County buddies say—It’s good to just act dumb sometimes but erv, in your case, you don’t even have to act!

I was coming to my vehicle in the parking lot carrying a bouquet of red roses and the cart guy says to me—I hope it’s preventive and not a make up!  We laughed. Then he came back and said—I have been married for 21 years and have learned to just give flowers and keep my mouth shut; it seems I just mess it up when I open my mouth; it seems to work best for me. We laughed again. I thanked him for his advice. Then he said—You just can’t lose by giving flowers is what I have learned! Such is life. Soooo the other day I was going to get our mail and there was a lady and her dog sitting in a golf cart waiting. This guy who was her husband came waddling toward us and I said—she is still waiting for you—good—she had three invites, but she turned them all down—how drunk were they!  What an idiot! Now that guy will need a big make up bouquet for sure!  What was he thinking anyway! This last week a friend told me she was very offended by a friend who said something about her that was tactless and rude and demeaning; I doubt if my friend will ever forget it even though after a couple of days the gal sorta kinda apologized (i.e. somethings we just can’t take it back once it was said). I will never forget it (i.e. not my kind of folks I care to be around). A guy in our mensgettogether group said--People don't care what you think of them as much as they care how you treat them.

I discovered that different folks process information differently! Da! We hear the same information but comprehend it differently. We were with some friends recently that all of us received the same information but came away understanding it quite differently. Sooooo why is that do you think NiftyHarold?  Well, it could be because of our genes that we received give us different intelligence or it could be we have different education or it could because we have had different past environments or different current environments. I think for me, it’s cause I’m just a little ol’ farm boy from a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN raised by Chester and Anna.

Here is a story of a winner! A friend here in our 55+ community who is the president of the woodwork shop club. He said he asked for a key to get into the shop 7 years ago and they told him that only the president has a key—well, who’s the president—we don’t have one. Sooo a couple of guys gave him the key and he has been president ever since. BUT this guy is just a great guy. He told us that he observes people (i.e. yes there are females who use the shop) and if he sees someone struggling with something or senses there is something not right with them, he will approach them and try to nip it in the bud before it become a big mess. He is way more than the president of the woodworking club.

I read this in the paper, soooo it must be right, that a person who is trying to help the troubled youth said—"It can be easy to get stuck in the sadness of it all,” (i.e. referring to be around sad people or sad situations). Sometimes it appears that we wonder if we are winning or losing (i.e. if we are really making any difference)! We wonder if it really makes much difference when we continue to throw more money at it but nuttin seems to change? Sometimes it feels like it’s such a temporary fix and we really aren’t fixing the real problem. I was told by a friend recently that if a person doesn’t what to change, we are wasting our time and money! But then again, I know troubled youths who figured it out and did a 360!  Now those are big time successful folks, my opinion. I have asked some of them, how come they changed? It appears there are many reasons and some really don’t know! Isn’t that interesting! Maybe it’s like the old saying—It’s what animal I feed the most that wins! But remember folks, a good teacher can change everything!

Onesmartbusinessperson says—"When employers hire someone, many search for people who have a resume and experience fitting the position they seek to fill. Once they narrow the list of competent people, many select the person they like the best. I think a better approach is to hire for character first. Hiring someone with great competence, but no character, can be a terrible mistake.”  Boy oh boy, can that be true with relationships as well, my opinion. The winners in a great relationship are those who have great character and great competence, but great character is more important, my opinion and my experience. I like this quote that came from the good book--“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” GeorgeTheCrook says—Most folks are an extension of the folks they are around; that sure seems to be true!

VelvetElvis says—Most of the messages we receive are about how to make life easier. The call of Jesus goes the other direction. It’s about making our lives more difficult. It is going out of our way to be more generous and disciplined and loving and free.  It is refusing to escape and become numb to and check out of this broken, fractured world….

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Kindness is love with its working clothes on.

manage

If you drive a car into a forest and leave it for one hundred years, when you return, you will find it has deteriorated. That is an elementary example of the Second Law of Thermodynamics which says that without inputs of energy in a closed system, entropy (disorder) increases over time. When left alone (no input of care or energy), things get worse, not better, over time. That is how I feel if we don’t manage our lives constantly. That’s my opinion. And you might think my opinion is a legend of the Cascade Mountains or the gospel truth or neither! You can believe what you want! Most of you readers live in America and have that freedom!

We manage our cell phone package, we manage our finances, we manage our kids’ TV time, we manage our car maintenance, we manage our diet, our weight, what we do in our spare time, etc. We manage a lot now don’t we. Some folks are in management soooo they manage others (i.e. and many folks need management as they can’t manage their actions; they need help). Some folks are in upper management where they manage other managers. There are managers who are in top management like the head coach, CEO of a company, head pastor of a church, parents of a family, the chairperson of a board, etc. Even wolves have a leader of the pack (i.e. maybe the strongest male or female)! There are dictators of countries who have complete control and some countries are democracies where the people decide, they are supposed to anyway even though there are differences of opinions about that it appears.

I have repeated what a late friend said to me quite often—Decisions have consequences and guess who gets to make the decisions. Sooooo who is managing our lives? I have a good friend who said to me recently that she wants to change who is managing her life (i.e. she wants to change back to who she was and wants to be). I think to do that it will take some changes. What changes do you think she will have to take? Dr.J says—"Most people today are living lies. They’re trying to be people they’re not. But Moses—because he was a man of integrity—refused to live a lie. Against all kinds of peer pressure, he insisted on being who God made him to be. Here’s my question: Who are we letting determine our identity?”  And who do we let make that decision?

A challenge I have in managing my life is to slow down; I want to slow down in some facets of my life; I’m working on it but it ain’t easy for me. I read this like it’s written just for me by Joy. Joy says—"Often I feel like life is a race; one in which my pursuit, and even capture, of the next “important” thing or accomplishment still leaves me wanting. Technological advances have brought many of us countless personal benefits. However, I believe that continual access to work email, regular text alerts, location tracking, and the expectations that accompany these conveniences may prevent us from slowing down, giving God praise for his daily gifts to us. We might rush through life too fast to take joy in a hug. We may not ever pause to marvel that the barren ground of winter will soon bear our favorite spring flowers. Or we miss the beauty of creation before us because we’re too concerned about getting the best photo of the sunset to share on social media.” The joke is from the MI-Wizard!

Have we had a defining moment in our lives? I mean a moment or a point in our life when we're urged to make a pivotal decision, or when we experience something that fundamentally changes us (e.g. when I met Jeanne). There is quite a spectrum in thinking why that happened (e.g. a coffee buddy thinks everything is random and we think it was a God wink; that is quite a range). Well, that special moment was very important in our lives, no question. Or some might say it just fall in our laps! We really didn’t make it happen; we didn’t manage it but we sorta kinda did! But I always like to be on the lookout for opportunities. A guydownthestreet said to me this week--erv, when an opportunity comes along, seize it; it might not ever come again! Soooo suck it up cupcake and let's get going!

I read what RickyRick wrote while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it—"If we’re honest, the desire for money or position may have a regular stronghold on our decision-making. We may be very concerned about looking good in the neighborhood. If so, the shine of our earthly treasure may blind us to the real blessings of life. If not money, we might live in fear about the “what ifs” around the corner; expending a lot of energy seeking to control situations for what we perceive will be the best possible outcome. Perhaps, and sadly, a deep need to know what’s coming next means missing the chance to be grateful for the blessings right in front of us. Consider our personal focus.” I hope I’m not missing the boat! ItchieBitchie said to me—“erv, the time is now. Stop hitting the snooze button on your life.” Yikes!  Folks often ask me if they are ItchieBitchie. The pic is of ItchieBitchie. If the pic looks like you, then you are ItchieBitchie!  hahaha

SusieQ says--It is soooo hard to stay strong, especially going through what I’m going through. It’s tough let me tell ya; you have no idea! I agree SusieQ! Tough times are not easy; they never are. We somehow need to manage them; some how! I recently was around a couple of new acquaintances who told me about their tough times that they are going through (i.e. not much different then what we are going through or have gone through). ANYWAY, I learned from them that to express ourselves and talk about struggles seems to do folks good, it seems to help; It’s great to be around good folks. Oh ya!

Do we ever wonder if we are going in the right direction with our lives?  CadillacJack says—It all depends on who you ask; there is always a yes and a no by someone or some group! I was told by a someone—erv, we don’t think like you! Even my GPS navigational system in my vehicle tells me there are different ways to get where I want to go and even sometimes it is wrong or it doesn’t give me the best alternative (i.e. it thinks differently than I do). I read that even AI can be wrong soooo don’t always trust it. Soooo then how do we decide? We saw the Sphere lite up at night in Las Vegas when we were there. It’s all done by computer as like many things are. If someone puts in the wrong information, they get the wrong result (i.e. programed wrong). I wonder sometimes if some of my programing is wacko! As a result, I'm lite up wrong! Or maybe other folks are lite up wrong!

VelvetElvis says—These are the kinds of people who change the world. They improvise and adapt and innovate and explore new ways to get things done. They don’t make a lot of noise, and they don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—The best gifts are tied with heart strings.

a lot of questions

I question if very few folks can handle success very well. I also question if the few that can are folks who are humble. Look around folks, it’s not rocket science. When we’re successful, it’s much easier to fall hard than it is to maintain our success. I question if we experience success, if the natural tendency is to get proud, it’s soooo human. And I can waffle in being humble and proud, but I know when I’m at my best! No question about it. And it ain’t when I’m proud! Perhaps the challenge of properly handling success is why Albert Einstein once said, “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” But the question is, I question if he knew what he is talking about!

I read recently that joy and happiness are created by many things. Da! Research says that Arts and Hobbies, Socializing, and Sports and Games are the top tier. A lower tier is Reading, Studying and Thinking. And the lowest tier is Listening to music, Rest and Napping, and Eating. And the bottom of bottom is Watching TV. You might question that research. I personally question if they have missed the number one area of joy and happiness. That is to love and being loved. You can’t buy that at Costco no matter how large their shopping carts are!

Do we question if our lives change when we are affluent, gifted, and strong? I question if nations change when they are affluent, gifted and strong? The comparison would be to when we are not affluent, not gifted and not strong a.k.a. weak. I read in The Seattle Times (i.e. Seattle is on the west side of the Cascade Mountains) which Is much more liberal than the east side of the Cascades they tell me; (i.e. sorta kinda splits the state); the paper is entertaining to me. I question if the paper is skewed since its a Seattle paper mainly to be read by the Seattle folks. The news I read in the paper is that it seems like everyone is unhappy, everyone! Saturday question—Who are the most joyful and happy folks we know? FlipThePancake, who are the most unjoyful and unhappy folks we know?

Comedic actor W. C. Fields said when asked why he was reading the Bible. He confessed, “I’m looking for a loophole.” Saturday question—Do we look for good or for bad all the time?

LuckieEddie asks--Do we ever need to recalibrate our priorities and refocus on things that are really important to us. Soooo first of all, I have to decide what my priorities are and then evaluate if I’m spending time focusing on them and not on the trivial stuff that is unimportant. Do we ever miss judge people and situations? I sure do! I met a player at ping pong. She was maybe 70, stocky built, and had both knees wrapped.  She didn’t look like a table tennis player more than the man in the moon. Boy, could she play!  And another gal that really fooled me. She was 97 and the World Champion in her age group (i.e. 95-100). What an amazing lady. We played together and I’m glad we didn’t keep score as I think she would have kicked my butt!!! She invited Jeanne and I to her home for conversation and brownies. Very delightful lady with a lot of wisdom (i.e. great attitude). We picked her mind. Sharp as a tack!

Pigweed says—I have a lot of questions about my life. Maybe we all do. Life can be hard to figure out sometimes. Jon Wooden said—"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.” It appears that folks who always think they are right (i.e. never have any doubt that they could be wrong) probably aren’t much fun to be around. We went to the movie, Conclave, and a statement in it was—“Give us a pope that will doubt.” It appears to me that the statement was saying, when we doubt we learn and become better people (i.e. we question). If we have preconceived decisions/ideas without studying other possibilities, we will never know if we are for sure right (i.e. I do doubt sometimes and it seems to be really beneficial, I try to have an open mind). ItchieBitchie says--It appears to me that some folks have very closed minds and if others disagree with them, they label them bigoted, racist, sexist, or whatever the latest label is for wrong.

If you are a football fan of a favorite team, do you ever question the coach on their decision? I do! They get paid millions and I question if their decisions are very good at times! I think they stink sometimes. I’m an IA Hawkeye fan and a couple of weeks ago I turned the channel as I was soooo unhappy with the coach’s coaching; I had enough; He finally saw the light and made the change that almost every IA fan could see for weeks (i.e. the coach didn’t really see the light but was forced to because of an injury). And It worked (i.e. sometimes something that seems bad ends up being really good). What was he thinking! My opinion, the new QB is a better OB and the team spirit is much better; it seems to be quite obvious!  And I don’t even get paid to see that! I can’t imagine a.k.a. question how smart I would be if I got paid millions!!!! I can only imagine!

But there is always hope—There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and not tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow. 

Dr.J says—"It is not surprising that a culture obsessed with self-promotion and self-interest would view a life commitment to others as a low priority. Studies also reveal that for those who have made the nuclear family a high priority nothing is more fulfilling (i.e. where latitude and longitude meet).”   Saturday question—What is a nuclear family? Soooo is youth sports about the old adage—It’s not if you win or lose but how you play the game?  Or is it about the winner gets the trophy and the glory? A lot of questions for sure. Can we legislate nuclear families? Another question—I was told that the traditional nuclear family is different than the many new cultural nuclear families of our current culture; soooo what does the new cultural nuclear family look like to you?

On our way to AZ we visited one of Jeanne's daughters and son-in-laws who live in Las Vegas for a few days. We visited the Valley of Fire that is in the area. It has been sorta kinda on my bucket list for years. It was beautiful and we hiked some beautiful trails. I would recommend it if you are in Las Vegas. As a hiker from Australia said to us--It was a proper experience! We also hiked in the Red Rock Canyon which is also really great. As a hiker from South Africa said to us--It was a proper adventure!

A lot of questions. We are in the Valley of the Sun a.k.a. AZ for the winter living in our little, small tin hut (i.e. we can’t collect a lot of stuff soooo we collect a lot of memories). One of our goals this winter is to work out at the work out center on a regular basis (i.e. pump some iron). We might change into muscled specimens (i.e. I doubt it)! Soooo if there are three frogs sitting on a log and one decides to jump in the water, how many are still sitting on the log?  The answer is three, just because one frog decides to jump into the water doesn’t mean that they will; that one frog only decided. That is just like us, if we decide to work out doesn’t mean we will; we just decided.

VelvetElvis says—Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor and our neighbor can be anyone.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFrindJean said--Today should always be our most wonderful day.

thankful

I find life to be really fun (i.e. I am very thankful for my life). How about you?  A friend said to me—erv, hang on to your hat and enjoy the ride!!

A friend (i.e. who is full of spice) was with a group of folks for a couple of weeks traveling. She observed that the vast majority of them complained constantly (i.e. it seemed they were never happy; always bitching about something). The smaller minority were always happy and looked at the positive (i.e. they always found something to be thankful for). I can tell you which group I would enjoy being around. RickyRick says—"Humility begins by simply realizing you’re not God.”

Jon, anybody can be a Jon, says—" The prayer of desperation is for one who feels surrounded by attacks without and fears within. It reminds me of the war veteran who said, ‘There are no atheists in foxholes. Everyone prays in war.’ Desperation is often the place where prayer begins. Maybe we’re there right now. Life is hard. ‘Anxiety and vexation’ are great. There appears to be no way out. So pray.”  I suggest we give it a shot! It doesn’t cost anything and besides there is no downside at all;  (i.e. just tell God how you feel and ask for help, simple as pie). Just try humbling ourselves and let’s see what happens. It’s a form of thankfulness, my opinion. Does this sound absurd to you? Well, it is! It's much like artificial intelligence; absurd!

Sometimes we just don’t catch on! Here is a story I read:  A mother tells her five-year-old not to eat a cookie off a plate with six cookies. When she returns, she sees that two of the cookies are gone. “Didn’t I ask you not to eat a cookie?” the mom asks. “Yes,” comes the confident reply. “Then why did you disobey?” the mom asks. “I didn’t disobey. You told me not to eat one of the cookies, and I didn’t eat one; I ate two.”

Why is that most folks remember negative stuff more than the positive stuff (i.e. negative stuff sticks to us like dried up oatmeal does to my breakfast bowl). Here are some suggestions a.k.a. opportunities (i.e. they work for me): Sit down in a quiet place with a pen and paper and list all the positive stuff that has happened to us in this last week, last month, last year, and the positive stuff that has happened in our lives. Write them down and dwell on them (i.e. put those in your mind; this makes us thankful). I also suggest we don’t watch the news and do limited social media (i.e. that is my take)! I also suggest get around positive folks and limit your time around negative folks. Remember the old saying—It is a lot harder to lift someone up than to drag someone down! Make folks happy instead of sad! And don’t talk about ourselves soooo much! AverageJoe says--We are actually quite boring even though we think we are really a "supersomething!"

WorldClassLarry says--Be disciplined about what you respond and react to. Not everyone or everything deserves our time, energy, and attention. Stay in our light.

There are many ways to say thank you to folks. There are some ways that are really meaningful and unique, my opinion. Maybe one of the bravest and most important thankyous we can give is just to show up (i.e. give someone your attention)! I read this while eating my oatmeal with half a banana on it: I met a man who shared his story of how he escaped from Eastern Europe during a time when it was part of the Soviet Union. As we discussed his life as an American citizen, I asked him what he saw that troubled him about living here. He said that he could not understand the attitude here toward taking care of the elderly. He added that people here will take great care of their dogs, even allowing them to sleep at the foot of their bed, but will not even allow their elderly parents to do the same.

Here is the practical, real example of doing Thanksgiving (i.e. where the rubber hits the road, more than just talk but doing it).  Jon says—“ Many people often begin prayers in a similar way each time. One friend begins almost every prayer with “Holy God . . .” It may be from the acronym A.C.T.S. he learned decades ago. It structures prayer in the order of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Addressing God as “Holy God” prompts my friend to begin his prayers with awe.”  Here is a simple A.C.T.S. example—Holy God, I confess I’m a sinner but am sooo thankful that you are soooo merciful and full of grace that you will forgive me; I ask for wisdom soooo I may make good decisions with my life. CoachB says—There is a time for pray and a time for action and now is the time in our lives for action. It’s time to act, it’s time to act, it’s time to act! Do it now! My Mom, Anna, would say to me—erv, the best time to do anything is now! Maybe we should thank God that we can do it now!

Pastor, author, and speaker Max Lucado has defined gratitude as this: “Be more aware of what we have than what we don’t. Recognizing the treasure in the simple—a child’s hug, fertile soil, a golden sunset. Relishing in the comfort of the common.” I like Max's thinking!  

When we get groceries, sometimes we are asked if we want plastic or paper. Soooo if we say paper some green person will criticize us for using all the trees and if we choose plastic then we will be criticized because of the oil used to make the bag and they will end up in the land fill. In WA you have to pay 8 cents per bag soooo many will bring their reusable bags but then there are folks who criticize that some 7-year-old kid in some sweat shop in a third world country is making them. We can’t seem to win! ItchieBitchie says--In my environment I see some folks who are constantly offended, always! I wonder how these folks make it through life without having a daily mental meltdown. They never have “a peace of mind” it appears, always unhappy and mad about something, like always agitated about something. Those folks just can’t be very thankful in my opinion. They just can’t be.

Billy Graham, there is only one Billy Graham, says--“We Christians should stand out like sparkling diamonds against a dark velvet background. We should be more wholesome than anyone else. We should be poised, cultured, courteous, gracious—but  firm in the things we do and do not do. We should laugh and be radiant; but we should refuse to allow the unbelieving world to pull us down to its level."  I see that in many of you, yes I do. And I like it! And in one of you not sooooo much; you know who you are! hahaha

I read in The Seattle Times that enough "thank you" is enough; enough is enough! New Zealand has a new rule at the drop off at the airport. It is “Max hug time 3 minutes.”  They are hoping that this will help the traffic jam problem at the drop site. Folks are just hugging and saying thank you for way toooo long periods of time. Saturday question—What is your average hug time?

Sometimes we just don’t catch on!  I heard this story:  An adult daughter was riding with her mother while she was driving. Her senior mother went through a red light. The daughter didn’t say anything but was wondering. Then her mother went through another red light. Soooo the daughter said to her mother, do you know you just went through two red lights?  The mother said, oh am I driving!

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of this day.” Life expectancy in the U.S. is about 78 years.

VelvetElvis says—Giving thanks to God is one of the most powerful and radical acts of expressions that will affect each one of us.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—One of the most attractive things we can wear is a smile.

P.S. Some old college friends called and were wondering if my Jeanne died as now I say MyDeceasedFriendJean when I used to say MyFriendJean. Well, they are two different Jeans. My deceased friend was MyFriendJean down the street from me in Aplingotn. My Jeanne is kicking well let me tell you. I was trying to give the credit for the sayings to the correct Jean but I’m sorry if I confused you folks. My Jeanne told me to tell you that she is doing well!

ok

Is ok good enough for you?  Do you go to a motel that the reviews are ok or do you go to the place that the reviews are excellent? Do you want an ok heart surgeon? Can a team win with an ok QB? Do you want a friend who has an ok attitude? You get the idea folks. But a friend when asked, what motel does he stay in when he goes to the ocean, responded—When I go by myself with the dog, I get the cheapest one, but I have paid for it sometimes tooooo!

Have you done job performance evaluations on employees or had employers do them on you? Maybe you said or they said to you—you are ok; not excellent but just ok.  Now that is a big difference. Or if your spouse is ok or is greaaaat! Now that is a big difference. If we are just ok, maybe we better start looking for a different job or pick it up a notch as a spouse! Do we want to be a rainbow or a cloud in someone else’s life?

“When we start taking care of ourselves, we start feeling better, we start looking better, and we start to attract better. It all starts with us.” ~ BettyUnknown  Now ain’t that the truth, my opinion. That is taking care of ourselves both physically and emotionally, and spiritually, my opinion. Ok, let’s do it. I have noticed with me that if I just do a little it really helps. Just a little bit! It gets me out of a rut maybe and I think differently. BUT sometimes I have to force myself and myself always doesn’t like to do it; my myself can be pretty stubborn and stiff-necked sometimes.! I’m not always a FastFreddie! Such is life.

I went to a high school volleyball game by invite of a family who has a dog in the fight. I enjoyed it, it was a good experience to observe and sit with the family. Their daughter didn’t get to play; they were disappointed as was the whole family. It’s part of sports a.k.a. disappointments. Dr.J says—"Awards and rewards are presented in all segments of society: sports, business, government, military, entertainment, in churches and more. And it starts at an early age—what child doesn’t delight in receiving a candy bar or a gold star for a job well done (i.e. treats seem to be a great motivator)? Almost all human awards have one thing in common: They focus on past behavior or achievements.” Awards can be great motivators, I guess. Maybe overdone some, I guess! I seem to think it’s more important that somethings just get done than who gets the credit. But, I guess most don’t agree with me. It’s called competition; winners get the reward. SusieQ says—In my real life the winners get the reward (e.g. make the most money). Life isn’t always fair; the only thing that’s fair is the Butler County Fair and that’s in June. ShirleyFromTheLowerYakimaValley says--Many great men and women have died unknown and unsung!

Have you ever been under a lot of pressure? You know when the heat is on. Of course, all of us have and will again; it ain’t nuttin new. My mentor would say to me—erv, it’s never as good as it looks and it’s never as bad as it looks! I read once again that some folks handle pressure much better than others and it’s usually because they have more confidence in themselves (i.e. they handle challenging situations better than others). Soooo why is that do you think? Some say, ok, let’s get after it and figure it out and go forward and others just cry and fall apart. Some are proactive and some are reactive. Like my Daddy, Chester, told me—erv, we all have problems, it’s just that some people handle them differently. LuckieEddie says--Don’t sweat the small stuff. Such is life. Soooo LuckieEddie asks—How do folks become confident?

Theguydownthestreet tells me that 97% of the stuff we worry about won’t happen soooo only worry about the 3%. Now many are worrying about what the 3% is! Folks love to worry now don’t we. I think relationships are very important in our lives, but they take a lot of effort to maintain them. Sometimes it appears that it is easier to let them slide and eventually disappear. Saturday question—Are we just complacent or even indifferent to our relationships?  If soooo, it’s time to get after it. It will make us and our friends feel way better. I just read again that thinking of others makes us feel oh soooo much better but if we think about ourselves all the time, it ain’t good (i.e. we become grumpy, egotistical folks)!  But that is up to each one of us I guess. Such is life.

Ok, I’m testing a theory about a general observation about people. I don’t know if I’m right, but I think I might be. I will continue to observe and test it some more. There sure seems to be a trend. And maybe it has been proven already but maybe I haven’t read the hypothesis. Or maybe it’s toooo speculative to measure or maybe folks don’t want to measure it for many different reasons. Maybe! Soooo far it looks quite obvious but it’s only a theory at this point. And it ain’t what the preacher talked about Sunday, that being how we buckle under pressure and revert back to our old ways just like the Israelites did when Moses didn’t come down from the mountain soon enough sooo they went back to idol worshiping like the Egyptians taught them. That sounds like all humanity doesn’t it. When the going gets a little tough, it’s hard to stay the course for many. Isn’t the mind interesting! I think our mind is fascinating!

To make a point (i.e. maybe prove a theory)!  Or case in point! A pickleball player and I were sitting out and she told me that she did medical care for people in city and county jails. If they were incarcerated for up to 2 years, they could stay in jails and anything longer than that, they went to prison. ANYWAY, she got to know her patients quite well as some were there for a long time. When they were about to be released, she said to them that she hopes to see them at the fair instead of in jail. Some said they didn’t mind being in jail; it was a safe environment, had food to eat and were protected from their friends and their additions. She said, I guess you need a mom. And they said, I guess I do. Seeeee, we all need a mommy! I have to admit, I had a great Mom; she was a good one! 

I read recently that some folks think that we are at an “inflection point” in history—a time of change, a turning point. This is one of the reasons that many people are anxious today. Sooo do folks think, if this is true, that this inflection point is good or bad. We can have this inflection point in our personal life as well. Probably many of us have had it or are having it. Is this inflection point good or bad for us? Ok, now what! Where are we going from here. ItchieBitchie said--Suck it up baby and let’s get going! Yogi Berra said—“When you come to the fork in the road, take it!”

When at church recently there was a mother and her two teenage kids sitting ahead of me. A daughter on one side of maybe 16 and a son on the other maybe 18 on the other. It was obvious that her son was having a problem in his life (i.e. something very disturbing as his mom was trying to encourage him and show him attention as he was very distant). It appeared she wanted in the worst way for him to get his life figured out. Will he or won’t he that is the question. He might struggle the rest of his life or get it figured out and have a great rewarding life. This has and is going on in many families. It ain’t nuttin new! Some moms have kids who are 50 who they are still very concerned about.

I enjoy the group I play pickle ball with. They seem to know each other well and have been friends and have associated together for a long time (i.e. I’m sorta kinda the odd ball). I’m happy to have been invited to play with them. Soooo the other day a guy, Joe, who hasn’t been around for some time was there  and they gave him a hard time in a very fun way. Sooo Joe, how was your trip—not very good, it rained every day—where were you—Europe—where in Europe—oh, we saw some small towns, if you saw one you saw them all. Ok! Usually folks always say their trip was great even though it wasn’t (i.e. I get that feeling sometimes a.k.a. the social media effect) but not this guy, Joe! What a hoot! Ok, I read in The Seattle Times that Australia is proposing a law to band social media for children under 16. Why do you think they are doing that?

VelvetElivs says—“For Jesus, everything is upside down. The best and greatest and most important are the ones who humble themselves, set their needs and desires aside, and selflessly serve others.”

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—Some people can not be worked with, they have to be worked around.

serentiy

Webster defines serenity as a state of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.

I got up the other morning while it was still dark. I made my usual coffee and sat and watched the sun produce some light and then rise over the hills in the east. I really enjoyed it. It gave me a feeling of serenity. I thought about a million great things; It was inspiring. After a while I started to read my devotions and CoachB’s devotion was about serenity—Very simple but it seemed like it was just directed to me!  It said—It’s just a blessing just to have peace. Peace, what is it worth?

28 years ago I got this letter from a friend which I have kept. What you see is part of his letter. It’s called the Serenity Prayer, which many of you know. I have two friends who are recovering alcoholics and have been sober for many years. They both invited me to go with them to their AA meetings (i.e. what sincere expressions I heard). This prayer is used in that organization as being very powerful in beating alcoholic addiction.  I’m really proud of both of these guys, very much; they are great guys and great friends.

Vance says—"Sometimes medicine bottles have on them, “SHAKE WELL BEFORE USING.” This is what God has to do with some people…. Shake them well before they are ever usable.” WildWille says—It worked for me and then the serenity started for me!  

I read The Measure of a Mountain, Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier by Bruce Barcott. Barcott said this—"For many the point of hiking is to escape the company of other people.”  I really enjoy the radical silence when hiking my favorite local trail to the bottom of Naches Canyon.  It gives me a form of serenity. But I understand that some of you don’t like radical silence. MissPerfect says—I have TV on the minute I wake up to the last minute before I go to bed; I like noise.

Now this is philosophical. I heard it during a baseball playoff game soooo it must be right: “I can make my own practice plan schedule; it’s up to me.” There is soooo much stimuli that can distract us. I guess we all need self-discipline. I think that is pretty true. What do you think? That is what I thought!  Oh, my Daddy, Chester, told me—erv, self-discipline is the best discipline. Did you know that one definition of philosophical is “Being calm and patient in the face of difficulties or disappointments?”  “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”  ~   Socrates

JoeBlow asks--What is perfect peace and where do I get it? I mean peace like a river.  I want it! Don’t we all JoeBlow, don’t we all!

I read this that made me think--It has been ruled by Canaanites, Egyptians, Jebusites, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and British. It has been destroyed at least 2 times, besieged 23 times, captured 44 times, and attacked 52 times. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It remains the most contested piece of real estate in the world—Jerusalem—the so-called “City of Peace.”

I read this in the Seattle Times, soooo it must be right that a ski area in the Cascades can’t handle all the folks who want to ski, especially on ideal days. It’s just wild and crazy with all the activity (i.e. the skiing experience is supposed to be serine). It’s a huge massive problem. We must be an affluent population to pay big money to experience this. They are basically solving the problem by charging more money; they think this will slow down the numbers a little they are thinking. I don’t know from my observations; it appears that there is a lot of money in the Seattle area. But it might slow down the folks with marginal budgets. It’s all about the money! I also read in the Seattle Times that Seattle ranks no.1 for couples with pet, no kids. That tells ya something!

I think, my opinion, that folks who have peace in their minds are much happier folks. AND gals who have peace in their minds are happier, which makes them prettier and nicer and sweeter. Constant turmoil is not good for our minds. AverageJoe says—It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Just look around. It’s very obvious. BigShowRalph who always thinks he’s a Big Rig, says--That’s a no brainer!

I golfed with a couple of folks recently that made me putt out two foot putts. They said we miss those sometimes soooo you might too; we keep score. Ok, I putted them! But on the next hole one of the those gals kicked their ball out of the ruff and told me that they don’t like to hit out of the ruff.  I could care less what they do.  It’s all about fun; their score means nuttin to me. One hole one just picked up her ball; she had enough! And on another hole one whiffed a couple of times (i.e. I think they count them as practice swings). I just had to laugh. Sooooo I wonder if I whiff sometimes when I have the opportunity in my life to find peace. I wonder in my mind.  Well, shimmy shimmy shake! Most golf scores are only numbers that are just made up! And do they really make much difference?

I talked to a friend who is president of a club in our 55+ community.  I asked her how it’s going—very good; I am not confrontational anymore; I delegate responsibility and let others do it the way they want to even if I might disagree. Besides erv, some of that stuff is not even important to me and in some cases, others are better at it than I am. It has made my life much more peaceful; I spend more of my time and thoughts on things that are personally important to me. Huh, interesting.

Saturday questions—Is world peace a possibility do you think? Is complete peace possible in our own minds?  It seems to me that as long as folks can think for themselves there will be differences of opinions and that usually produces strive, contention and wars. It has always been that way. Maybe someday we will all have implants with AI and we will all think alike (i.e. programed and no one will know any different or have opinions, just all programed the same). Could be! I don’t know. Soooo who would do the programing do you think?

I bought a shirt on line recently. I don’t buy from this company as I think they are too expensive, but I really do like their products. They had 70% off on this shirt for a couple of days. I think they had a “lead in” to get folks to buy this product in hopes we will buy more. They probably know what they are doing. While watching football, KFC had an advertisement called Return Back Meal for $5. I assume that is the same mentality. It seems that everyone wants “a peace” of everyone’s money! JoeBlow says—The problem for me is that I don’t have enough money to give everyone a piece!

On a recent hike in the Cowiche Canyon I was approached by a maybe 70-year-old long time serious, female hiker. She talked about her hiking experiences, etc. She told me that her hiking is becoming limited as her husband has dementia. Her daughter is here for a month to give her a respite; she is taking a trip to hike the Grand Canyon later in the week. I told her about Arlene’s dementia, and we talked about the disease. I told her that folks with dementia get worse and then they die and asked her if she is aware of that. She was and is preparing for both. I asked her if she was a believer—yes, we are; I pray that he may die as soon as possible soooo he can have eternal peace.

Saturday question—What is the stuff that agitates us today? The stuff that takes away our peace? Soooo what are we doing about it?

ValvetElvis says—God uses people to bless other people.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—There aren’t enough crutches in the world for all the lame excuses.

oh ya

Now remember folks, a gal who is in our coffee group said to me—erv, I only believe about 10% of what you say! Soooo take that into consideration when reading this “It’s Saturday.” And this gal seems to be one of the sharper knives in the drawer! Oh ya!

Most of us do just the opposite; maybe we don’t get it! I’m talking about when things go bad, we pray for God to fix it and now! Even folks who claim they don’t believe in God, subconsciously do it (i.e.my opinion). But David, a hero of mine, he did just the opposite, he would first tell God he doesn’t understand Him, and then he would always end his conversation with God by saying you are my great God and gave God praise.  Another guy who did about the same was Daniel. When Daniel faced a deadly threat, he didn’t complain. He didn’t plead for divine intervention. He gave thanks. Crazy huh! Oh ya!  Here is a suggestion that can be amazing: go into your bedroom, close the door soooo no one sees you, go next to your bed, heel down next to it, and give thanks to God (i.e. give appreciation). It’s very humbling and feels soooo good! ANYWAY, it works for me! Oh ya! Try it, you might like it! No one will know! Folks have tried many other things in trying to figure life out! Oh ya!

WildWillie says--Maybe some of you remember this example: I remember when my sixth-grade teacher heated a metal gas can. Once it was very hot, he put the lid on securely, making it airtight, and set the can on his desk. The whole class watched as it began cracking and pop-ping. Then, right in front of our eyes, the can was crushed without anyone touching it! That is amazing! My opinion is that I have had many amazing things happen to me in my lifetime that are just unexplainable, and I expect I will have more; you have tooooo I bet; no question. Pretty amazing wouldn’t you say.

WorldClassLarry says--Try making every deed a seed, like a little mustard seed. When growing up on the farm a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN we had a weed on the farm that was the mustard. It was a problem and hard to get rid of. The reason was it produced many many little little black seeds and those little seeds grew up into quite large plants. We didn’t have the chemicals back then that we have now so they were hard to get rid of. Soooo, I encourage all of us to be good mustard seeds (i.e. little black mustard seeds with our good deeds)! The old saying goes like this: We judge a trapper by his furs!

What do you think are the current strong cultural forces? Are we thinking a lot about ourselves, greed, recreation, the great discrepancy between the elite rich and the middle class, lawlessness, material possessions, technology (e,g, AI) etc.? What cultural forces do you think are decreasing?  I wonder if family, values, morals, etc. are getting less and less. I read that Christians have less cultural force (i.e. it sure appears that way). Soooo do we ever think where this is all going?  Or maybe we really don’t care. Or we really are happy the way it is going. Or maybe it is unstoppable, completely out of control! Maybe like a big snowball going down Mt Rainer that is getting bigger and bigger and the only way it will stop is when it hits the bottom and completely falls apart!  I wonder as I wander! What do you think? That is what I thought!

 John Maxwell, world-renowned author and leadership authority, once said, “If you think you’re a leader and you don’t have anyone following you, you’re just taking a walk.” Will Rogers said it this way— “If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.” AverageJoe says—There are folks who think they are leaders because they have a position but aren’t really leaders and there are folks who are leaders who don’t know they are leaders. I guess we all know both kinds now don’t we.

One of the folks I play pickleball with is about 70 and is a retired professional person. She said to me--I have a thousand things going on in my head and I’m trying to play pickleball. Later at a break, she said—Since I’ve been here, I have had 35 text and email messages.  I said--I’m glad I’m not in your head! I think she has been a leader and still is. Oh ya!

I have been here in Yakima for more than a month now. I enjoy it, it has gone well, no surprises. I enjoy the beautiful shrub-steppe, the arid landscape which is made up of sagebrush and basalt cliffs. Yakima is in a valley with hills all around it. It’s reclaimed desert; their average annual rain fall is about 8 inches. Everything is irrigated from the snow melt of Mt. Rainer, Mt. Adams and other mountains that flows into the Yakima River and the Columbia River and reservoirs and then through many canals which irrigates the Valley. Pretty interesting to me.

This is a pic of Yakima that is at my new dentist’s office. It’s an overview of Yakima with Mt. Adams in the background. I think some folks see the overview a.k.a. concept of life much better than those who just see only a fraction they are living right now. Just like when living on their street but not seeing the big picture of the Yakima Valley (i.e. there is a big difference). This concept is a big concept to understand. A buddy in our coffee group told me the story of his 3-year-old great granddaughter. Her parents give her money when she does chores around the house to put in her piggy bank along with birthday money etc. She wanted a big person bike, but her parents told her she couldn’t have one until she saved enough money to buy one. Her mother noticed on Prime specials that the bike she wanted was half price soooo they counted her money and bought the bike. She is soooo proud of the bike she bought. Now that is an example of learning the big concept. Oh ya! Jeanne has hiked Mt. Adams 8 times. Now you know why I’m always behind her when hiking! Oh ya! That is understanding the big concept!!!

I have learned a lot of new and different stuff in my short time in Yakima, oh ya! RickyRick says—"Success in life is tied to learning. If you want to succeed in a certain area of your life, then you must become a student in that area. You must always be learning something new. As you study, it’s crucial to understand the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is information gained from education or experience. The more you know, the better equipped you are to handle life’s challenges. But wisdom comes from a different source!” My opinion is that it is good to pray for wisdom. Oh ya! The Valedictorian says--In learning to get dressed, I learned that if I start with the wrong button at the bottom of the shirt, then things will not be right at the top of the shirt. I still rediscover that lesson in my life!  Oh ya!” In an article, Jonas shares some thoughts about a phenomenon I assume we’re all familiar with: We learn new things but fail to apply them. In his own words: “We’re like lions in the classroom, and sheep in the outside world. We learn great things but don’t use them. . . Don’t be satisfied with mere learning. We must apply what we learn. Become a lion outside the classroom – that’s where it matters.” Remember the old saying: It’s better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense though it’s better to have both. Abraham Lincoln said—“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.”

Do I know what I want? If I could have anything, what would I ask for? The smartest person in the world asked for wisdom! That might be a good idea, I think. If I would have wisdom then I would have many good options. I like good options. I think that is what I would ask for. Oh ya! An antonym for smart is stupid. Soooo what do you think a stupid person would ask for?

ValvetElvis says—I am learning that churches and individuals are best when they give themselves away. We are to be used to bless other people. The point is that people serving others make their lives better.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyDeceasedFriendJean said—When we forgive, we are released from bondage to past hurts.