PONDERATIONS

The Power of Thought

The world we have created is a product of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.

SPOUTING SMUT CAN BE LEGAL
There was a time in this country when nearly every city had a rule against abusive or vulgar language in public, especially in front of women and children. But because so many young people today are unaware of the fact that their language is often laced with vulgarisms, it's tough to enforce the rules. That's why when a Michigan man was cited for shouting obscenities he appealed. It seems that he may have had a reason to cuss. He was thrown from a canoe and thought he was drowning. Now a state appeals court has ruled that the Michigan's law against vulgar language -- over 100 years on the books -- is unconstitutional. With the changes in social mores the definition of "obscene" has changed. Even California officials tell United Press International that what is obscene or vulgar in one city may be acceptable in another. No shit! If I think I'm drowning you can bet your ass you'll hear some vulgarity even if I have to make up new words.

LANGUAGE SPECIFICITY CRITICAL FOR NURSES
When a Spanish-speaking patient at the University of Texas Hospital noted that she was taking 11 pills a day, doctors wondered why. A nurse had told her to take a pill "once" a day. The problem is that the English word "once" sounds like the Spanish word for "11." So, the school is now going to require that all nursing students take courses in Spanish. The university says that the move is just another recognition of the increasing bilingualization of the country, most notably in parts of Texas and the Southwest. The school has announced that starting this coming fall all undergraduate students entering the nursing program will be required to enroll in at least one three-hour course in Spanish. One official noted that the move was necessary in order to remain sensitive to the medical needs of patients. This one pisses me off. I can feel for the patient who is confused over their treatment but to consider requiring a foreign language requirement is wrong. What ever happened to English being the official language of this country. Either speak it or get out!

'THREE STRIKES' SENTENCING IN REVIEW
For years many lawyers have complained that the so-called "three strikes and you're out" sentencing laws in some states have put a lot of people behind bars who should not be there. Now the Supreme Court says it will review the constitutionality of such laws. At issue is whether a person who is "on the mend" when it comes to criminality, whose third offense is minor, should be put away in spite of the small nature of the third conviction. The nation's strictest such law is in California. That law has been the target of calls for reconsideration for years. Several people caught for pot-related violations, who just happen to have two previous strikes against them, could wind up behind bars for life for what some see as a simple indiscretion.
Since this is my site I am going to use this as a platform for my belief on drug laws. They don't work! Not now, not ever. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't use or condone the use of drugs. I do feel however that all (read that ALL) drugs should be legal. How can I have such a philosophy and be socially responsible? The answer is quite simple. Here comes the socially unacceptable portion. In this world of wimpy ass social mores I guess I'm a little out of step with the hopefully vocal minority. Here it comes. We hold people accountable for their behavior.

Software as Life Saver or Home Wrecker?

WHISPER OR BRICK?

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids
darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag
back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

He jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid who was standing there and pushed him against a parked car shouting, "What do you think you are
doing, boy?"

Building up a head of steam he went on, "That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. "Why did you do it?"

"Please, sir, please. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do," pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."
Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother, sir," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair, sir? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you, sir," the grateful child said to him.
The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long walk back to his Jaguar......a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through
life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

God whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart.
Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at you!
It's your choice: Listen to the whisper - or wait for the brick.

Teach The Children

Teach the children, teach them a song for the land, the sea and the sky. Teach the children right from wrong and most of all teach them why.

Teach the children a song of love of the land, the sea and the sky.
Teach them to sing with the birds above, harmonize with the lonely wolf's cry.

Teach the children how they can care for the land, the sea and the sky.
Teach them about this planet we share and give them enough hope to try.

Teach the children and let them lead for the land, the sea and the sky.
Teach the children to plant a seed and watch as their hopes soar high.

Teach the children to sing a song for the land, the sea and the sky.
One day the world may sing along;
we won't know till we give it a try.

NATURE

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."

TWO THOUSAND ONE, NINE ELEVEN

Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven,
Five thousand plus arrive in heaven
As they pass through the gate,
Thousands more appear in wait.

A bearded man with stovepipe hat
Steps forward saying,
"Let's sit, let's chat."

They settle down in seats of clouds,
A man named Martin shouts out proud
"I have a dream!" and once he did.
The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray,
Others in khaki, and green then say,
"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine."
The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain."

From a man on sticks one could hear,
"The only thing we have to fear..."
The Newcomer said, "We know the rest,
Trust us sir, we've passed that test."

"Courage doesn't hide in caves
You can't bury freedom in a grave."
The Newcomers had heard this voice before
A distinctive twang from Hyannisport shores.

A silence fell within the mist.
Somehow the Newcomer knew that this
Meant time had come for her to say
What was in the hearts of five thousand that day.

"Back on Earth, we wrote reports,
Watched our children play in sports,
Worked our gardens, sang our songs,
Went to church and clipped coupons.
We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought.
Unlike you, great we're not."

The tall man in the stovepipe hat
Stood and said, "Don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see
You died for freedom, just like me."

Then, before them all appeared a scene
Of rubbled streets and twisted beams
Death, destruction, smoke and dust
And people working just 'cause they must
Hauling ash, lifting stones,
Knee deep in hell
But not alone.

"Look! Black man, white man, brown man, yellow man
Side by side helping their fellow man!"
So said Martin, as he watched the scene.
"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream."

Down below three firemen raised
The colors high into ashen haze.
The soldiers above had seen it before
On Iwo Jima back in '44.

The man on sticks studied everything closely
Then shared his perceptions on what he saw.
"I see pain, I see tears, I see sorrow-but I don't see fear.
You left behind husbands and wives;
Daughters and sons and so many lives
Are suffering now because of this wrong.
But look very closely. You're not really gone.

So many people, who've never met you,
All of their lives, they'll never forget you
Don't you see what has happened?
Don't you see what you've done?
You've brought them together, together as one."

With that the man in the stovepipe hat said,
"Take my hand," and from there he led
Five thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven
On this day, Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven.@ LOL

Who Am I

There is an endless net of threads throughout the universe. The horizontal threads are in space. The vertical threads are in time. At every crossing of the threads, there is an individual. And every individual is a crystal bead. And every crystal bead reflects not only the light from every other crystal in the net, but also every other reflection throughout the entire universe.@ LOL

Greatest Power

"You can have big plans, but it's the small choices that have the greatest power. They draw us toward the future we want to create." @ LOL

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Morality may consist solely in the courage of making a choice. Wickedness is always easier than virtue, for it takes a short cut to everything. But over time you learn, you can't make wrong work.

There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And your only reward is that it's easy. You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong.

Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.

You can never lose anything that really belongs to you, and you can't keep that which belongs to someone else.

You always experience the consequences of your own acts. If your acts are right, you'll get good consequences; if not, you'll suffer for it.

Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.@ LOL

Time Well Spent

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5 year old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.

"Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?

"That's none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.

"If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."

"Oh," the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?"

The father was furious. "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being so selfish. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare him ask such questions only to get some money.

After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00, and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep son?" he asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier," said the man. "It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here's that $10.00 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, beaming. "Oh, thank you daddy!" he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man.

"Why did you want more money if you already had some?" the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?"

Share some time with those who need you.
They need our time more then we will ever know.

*Send this on to someone you care about. I did.

Hopi Indian Prayer

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain.
I am the gentle Autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry:
I am not there, I did not die. @ LOL

You are having the most spectacular sex with a woman. You realize you are not wearing a condom and you ask what kind of birth control she is using.

WOULD YOU RATHER her answer be.....

"Prayer"

OR

My doctors say I don't need any, because of the sex change operation.
Take Time To Remember...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Take time to remember how connected you are. You are connected not just to the people you've met and know, but to all who live, past and present, in this world. You are part of a dance, the magical dance of the universe taking place each moment in time. Even if you live alone, you are part of a large family. Even if you work alone, you're really part of a team. Take time to honor your connections, and the impact of each person you've met. See how people have helped shape you; see how you've touched and shaped them. Each interaction creates a ripple effect; each encounter helps shape destiny."

TWO TOUGH DIVERSITY QUESTIONS:

      Question 1: If you knew a woman who was pregnant,   who had 8 kids
   already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally
retarded, and she had syphilis....would you recommend that she have an
      abortion?

      Question 2: It is time to elect a new world leader, and your vote
   counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates.

       Candidate A: Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with
   astrologers. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8
to 10 martinis a day.

       Candidate B: He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon,
used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

       Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't
   smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extramarital
affairs.
     Which of these candidates would be your choice?

       Choose your answer then scroll down!


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      Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt
       Candidate B is Winston Churchill
       Candidate C is Adolph Hitler

       And by the way, the answer to the abortion question:   If you said
yes, you just killed Beethoven.

       Pretty interesting, isn't it?

       Makes a person think before judging someone.

       Remember: amateurs built the ark...
       .........professionals built the Titanic.

English is an amazing language. The changing structure of English has
allowed writers the freedom to express themselves in ways that had never
existed before, and none took up this opportunity more liberally than
Shakespeare, who happily and variously used nouns as verbs, as adverbs, as
substantives, and as adjectives - often in ways they had never been employed
before. He even used adverbs as adjectives, as with "that bastardly rogue"
in Henry IV, a construction that must have seemed as novel then as it does
now. He created expressions that could not grammatically have existed
previously - such as "breathing one's last" and "backing a horse."

No one in any tongue has ever made greater play of his language. He coined
some 2,000 words - an astonishing number - and gave us countless phrases. As
a phrasemaker there has never been anyone to match him. Among his
inventions: one fell swoop, in my mind's eye, more in sorrow than in anger,
to be in a pickle, bag and baggage, vanish into thin air, budge an inch, play
fast and loose, go down the primrose path, the milk of human kindness,
remembrance of things past, the sound and the fury (which Faulkner would use
as a title to one of his books) to thine own self be true, to be or not to
be, cold comfort, to beggar all description, salad days, flesh and blood,
foul play, tower of strength, to be cruel to be kind, and on and on and on.

Shakespeare died in 1616. Something to think about.

Subject: How it is today!!!

Let's see if I understand how America works lately . .Sad but true.

If a woman burns her thighs on the hot coffee she was holding in her lap while driving, she blames the restaurant.

If your teen-age son kills himself, you blame the rock 'n' roll music or musician he liked.
If you smoke three packs a day for 40 years and die of lung cancer, your family blames the tobacco company.

If your daughter gets pregnant by the football captain you blame the school for poor sex education.

If your neighbor crashes into a tree while driving home drunk, you blame the bartender.

If your cousin gets AIDS because the needle he used to shoot up with heroin was dirty, you blame the government for not providing clean ones.

If your grandchildren are brats without manners, you blame television.

If your friend is shot by a deranged madman, you blame the gun manufacturer.

And if a crazed person breaks into the cockpit and tries to kill the pilots at 35,000 feet, and the passengers kill him instead, the mother of the deceased blames the airline.

must have lived too long to understand the world as it is anymore. So if I die while my old, wrinkled butt is parked in front of this computer, I want you to blame

"Bill Gates," OK?

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost."

God listened patiently to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well! How about this? Let's have a man- making contest."

The man replied, "Okay, great!"

But God added, "Now we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."

The scientist said, "Sure, no problem." He bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God just looked at him and said, "No, no, no. Make your own dirt!"
@ LOL

THE EMPTY CHAIR

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come
and pray with her father. When the minister arrived,
he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up
on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been
informed of his visit "I guess you were expecting me,"
he said.
"No, who are you?" said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I
see the empty chair; I figured you knew I was going to
show up."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bed ridden man. "Would
you mind closing the door?"
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,"
said the man "But all of my life I have never known
how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk
about prayer, but it went right over my head."

"I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man
continued, "until one day about four years ago my best
friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple
matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is
what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair; place an empty
chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the
chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be
with you always." Then just speak to him in the same
way you're doing with me right now."
"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it
a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my
daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd
either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the
funny farm."
The minister was deeply moved by the story and
encouraged the old man to continue on the journey.
Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and
returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the
minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, and when I left the house about two o'clock, he
called me over to his bedside and told me he loved me
and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the
store an hour later, I found him dead. "But there was
something strange about his death.

Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and
rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do
you make of that?"

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I
wish we could all go like that."

It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our
responsibilities.

Subject: Fwd: The Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for
several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little
hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no
further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small,
shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at
any moment, the wings would enlarge
and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its >life
crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was
able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the
restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body
of the butterfly into
its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its
freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we >need in our lives. If God
allowed us to go through our lives without
any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we
could have been. We could never fly!

I asked for Strength.........And God gave me Difficulties to make me
strong.

I asked for Wisdom......... And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity.........And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage.........And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love.........And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors.........And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted........I received everything I needed!

May your path be bright and full of light everywhere you go. And, I pray
your feet will never stumble out of God's plan.
May the desires of your heart come true, And may you experience Peace in
everything you do.
May Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy come your way And, may you gain Wisdom
and grow in the Lord everyday.

"Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a gift - accept it.
Life is an adventure - dare it.
Life is a sorrow - overcome it.
Life is a tragedy - face it.
Life is a duty - perform it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a mystery - unfold it.
Life is a song - sing it.
Life is an opportunity - take it.
Life is a journey - complete it.
Life is a promise - fulfill it.
Life is a beauty - praise it.
Life is a struggle - fight it.
Life is a goal - achieve it.
Life is a puzzle - solve it.
Life is eternal - believe it." @ LOL

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
(Written after she found out she was dying from cancer.)- by Erma Bombeck

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending
the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the
day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it
melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was
stained or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and
worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a
fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble
about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a
summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried
about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television
and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical,
wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have
cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment
growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a
miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said,
"Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's." More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute,
look at it and really see it , live it and never give it back.

1. No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission.
2. Most people will be about as happy, as they decide to be.
3. Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it
permanently.
4. Whatever you are willing to put up with, is exactly what you will
have.
5. Success stops when you do.
6. When your ship comes in.... make sure you are willing to unload it.
7. You will never "have it all together."
8. Life is a journey...not a destination. Enjoy the trip!
9. The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want, I will
be happy."
10. The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.
11. I've learned that ultimately, 'takers' lose and 'givers' win.
12. Life's precious moments don't have value, unless they are shared.
13. If you don't start, it's certain you won't arrive.
14. We often fear the thing we want the most.
15. He or she who laughs......lasts.
16. Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.
17. Look for opportunities...not guarantees.
18. Life is what's coming....not what was.
19. Success is getting up one more time.
20. Now is the most interesting time of all.
21. When things go wrong.....don't go with them.