Quote of the Day

You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

~Oh The Places You'll Go

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 7 YEARS FROM NOW?

By Augie Mendoza

I graduated from Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas in May 1972. Not dressed in white (honors), but I graduated.

That summer like the previous summer, I worked as a longshoreman loading corn, flour and corn sacks weighing 50 to 140 lbs. and 900 lbs. caustic soda drums on freight ships bound to other countries at nearby Brazos Harbor and Dow Chemical A2 Dock.

This was one of the better paying jobs in the area. It was grueling, hard, heavy work, but I loved it at the time. My father had been doing this job most of his life since it paid well.

Fall came around and I had already decided that I did not want to make my living as a longshoreman. Work was inconsistent and when it was there it only went to the ones with the most seniority, unless there was too much. There was very little opportunity for a better job when you got older.

I had always heard that a college education would get you a better job and decided to find out. So I went to nearby Brazosport College and set up an appointment with a counselor.

I got to his office at the appointed time and he asked me what work or profession interested me the most. I had taken Auto Mechanics I & II during my junior and senior years in high school and asked him if Brazosport College had an auto mechanics program.

He said "no." I asked him if they had anything similar to it. He said that the Machine Tools Technology program was very similar and described the program to me.

I was very interested and asked him how long it would take if I went full time. He said "4 years." I said I couldn't go full time since I am working (whenever work was available).

I asked how long would it take if I go part time? He said "7 years." I was shocked. I said, "Man, I'll be old then, I'll be 25 years old. I don't thing so."

He asked me, "what did you say you did for a living right now?"

I told him again that I worked as a longshoreman throwing bags and manhandling drums. Then he bent over his desk and looked me square in the eye and asked me the most significant words I will never forget in my life:

"IF YOU DON'T TAKE ANY CLASSES. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 7 YEARS FROM NOW?"

These words hit me like a ton of bricks! I sheepishly told him that I would be doing the same thing. I signed up for the classes right then and there.

These prophetic words have inspired many of my relatives and friends. The sun will rise and fall 365 days a year. What you choose to do in between will determine many things in your life.

This story alone has inspired relatives and friends to realize an age-old truth: Time will go on regardless and it waits on nobody.

Years later, I told a co-worker this story. He got inspired enough that he went on and got 3 different degrees in computers in less than 7 years! He said afterwards, "7 years ago I would've been saying to myself, 'If only I had the opportunity.'"

TIME WILL PASS REGARDLESS!

THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you like to win, but you think you can't,

It is almost certain you won't.

 

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow's will.

It's all in the state of mind.

 

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You've got to think high to rise,

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

 

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But soon or late the man who wins,

Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN.

Nine nutrients to boost memory

1) Gingko Biloba improves mental alertness, clarity and memory;

2) Ginseng boosts memory in scores of people suffering from dementia; combined with Ginko Biloba, it even produces better memory-boosting results;

3) B vitamins while important for top-notch memory, inositol and cholineare particularly effective at reducing stress and jump-starting memory;

4) Omega-3 oils come from fatty fish such as salmon and also flaxseed oil;

5) Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that helps control the free radicels that damage brain cells and help improve the flow of oxygen through the brain;

6) Tumeric carries anti-inflammatory compounds that protect cells from beta-amyloid, a main component of the plaques in the brain of Alzheimer’s victims;

7) Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties protect the brain against memory-robbing diseases;

8) Hawthorn is rich in bioflavonoids and is a great anti-oxidant that fight free radicels and increases oxygen supply to the brain to carry important nutrients vital to the functioning of neurotransmitters; 

9) Gotu Kola is sometimes called “food for the brain” and improves concentration and memory.

IT'S OUT OF YOUR HANDS

By Bob Perks (c)2008

"It's out of my hands!" I thought to myself. There's nothing more I can do."

It seems so final, so absolute.

I heard those words once spoken when I was fired from a job I loved.

The look on my face begged for an explanation.

"Why?" I asked. "Can't you do something about it?"

"It's out of my hands," he said.

I heard those words spoken when my mother was dying from cancer. I was just 21 years old, still young enough to believe that doctors heal and mothers can make boo boos better with a kiss.

"It's out of my hands," he said.

With that we knew it was over.

Hands that I shook when I accepted a job suddenly couldn't hold me there.

Hands that I depended on to bandage a wound, gently inject an antibiotic, sign an excuse to miss school, and couldn't make my mother well.

Hands that nurtured, wiped away tears, caressed my face, guided me across the street and welcomed me home, would no longer be there.

Today I spoke to a friend about a project I worked on, a dream I've held in my heart for years now and how much it would mean in my life at this time if it worked out.

He said, "You've done all that you could, Bob. It's out of your hands."

He left and I sat there alone in my dreams.

I looked down at my hands and realized that they have grown old along with me. Wrinkled, dried up, bruised and scarred, still they've never let me down.

"As long as I have faith, this dream is not out of my hands," said.

With that I raised my hands, placed the palms together and said a prayer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bob Perks is an author, storyteller, trainer, and motivational speaker whose specialty is human potential. His message --"I believe in you!"-- has resonated with thousands of people who are seeking to increase their self-esteem and communication skills.

Bob's signature story, "I Wish You Enough," has circled the globe via the Internet. His inspiring true stories are based on the people he meets in his travels. In the mall, the airport, the park, or sitting in a restaurant, a simple word or phrase will often catch his attention; hook onto his heart-and from it a story blooms. Bob's unique perspective on life makes him "the philosopher of everyday moments." http://www.IWishYouEnough.com

Why do we shout when we're angry?

Yeah, why do we shout when we're angry??? We know it'll make it harder to resolve whatever the issue is and it'll just make the other person angrier, and then he/she shouts back, and the shouting goes back and forth.

Easier said than done but we should try to learn from this......

‘Why do we shout in anger?’ A saint asked his disciples, ‘Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?’

His disciples thought for a while, one of them said, ‘Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.’

‘But, why do you shout when the other person is just next to you?’ asked the saint. ‘Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you’re angry?’

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained, ‘When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other.The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.’

Then the saint asked, ‘What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small!’

The saint continued, ‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all. That is how close two people are when they love each other(but when you're angry you can also look at this person like you want to strangle him/her, he, he, he he!).

‘MORAL’ said the saint: ‘When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return!’

HAPPINESS

By Darcy Keith

Mother's Day is a recent memory. Like most moms, I was treated to a day where I could do whatever I want. I was Queen of the remote control. The lunch menu detailed food that I wanted, and I didn't have to cook it. My daughter, young as she is, made several Mother's Day cards at school, church, and home with various scrapbooking adornments, which she proudly presented to me and begged that I select my favorite one. The sun was shining, and the day was happy.

There are times in our lives where things may not seem happy or joyous at all. Events happen and steal our joy. How do you recover from this? Where are you getting your joy? I must confess, life is not all roses. One of my six year-old daughter's favorite sayings is, "It's not fair". She is learning that life isn't fair at times.

What would life be like if we had everything we wanted? King Solomon in the Bible had it all: power, fame, fortune, and wisdom. Yet, he put his happiness in temporal things and became very unhappy. Have you ever said to yourself, I will be really happy when I get that new car? How long does this happiness last? Or what about an accomplishment you have achieved. The next one must be bigger and better. It's never enough and the cycle continues, searching for the happiness "high" that you experienced before.

What makes you happy? I'm not just talking about for a few hours or days. I'm talking about happiness for a while longer.

Here are four suggestions on living a happier life:

1. Think of the small things that make you happy and write them down. This could be a sunny day, the smell of freshly cut grass, or hearing your favorite song on the radio.
2. Keep everything in perspective. Put things in their proper place. If something makes you unhappy, consider the scenario in the big scheme of things. Will it really matter when you are 80 years old?
3. Look at the root cause of what makes you happy in your life. Remember what gives you joy.
4. Put yourself second and serve others, which is contradictory to what the world says. Happiness in serving another person first, rather than ourselves, is a humbling experience that shows others that they matter more than us.

Have you heard of the saying, "Giving the shirt off of your back"? Happiness is a great feeling. The wonderful thing about being happy is that it can be found in small packages. Why not take time to look for the small stuff that makes you happy today?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darcy Keith is a national award-winning professional speaker and author, and is an expert on overcoming challenges. She has presented before numerous corporations, associations, service organizations, churches, and universities, as well as being featured on various television and radio venues including ABC, CBS, and FOX. To have Darcy share her expertise through her captivating presentations, contact her at www.DarcyKeith.com, or to sign up for her FREE monthly inspirational newsletter, email her at Darcy@DarcyKeith.com.

Simple but effective!

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car.

The alarm will be set off and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain.

It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around.... After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.

And, remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there..... This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

P.S. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. -Albert Einstein

Thought for Today

True success is not necessarily about being the best at all cost. It's about DOING your best at all times. If you do that long enough, who knows, you might just end up being the best.

Tope Popoola

The Girl I Used to Be

Author Unknown

She came tonight as I sat alone,


the girl I used to be,


And she gazed at me with her earnest eyes,


and questioned reproachfully,


Have you forgotten the many plans,


and hopes I had for you?


The great career,


the splendid fame,


all the wonderful things to do?


Where is the mansion of stately height,


with all of its gardens rare?


The silken robes that I dreamed for you,


and the shining jewels in your hair?


And as she spoke,

I was very sad,


for I wanted her pleased with me,


This slender girl from the shadowy past,


the girl I used to be.

So gently rising,


I took her hand and guided her up the stairs,


Where peacefully sleeping,


my babies lay, innocent, sweet and fair,


And I told her that these are my only gems,


and precious they are to me,


That silken robe is my motherhood,


of costly simplicity,


And my mansion of stately height is love,


and the only career I know,


Is serving each day in these sheltered walls,


for the dear ones who come and go,


And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,


she smiled through her tears at me,


And I saw the woman that I am now,


pleased the girl that I used to be!

Happy Mother's Day

Thought for Today

Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.

Denis Waitley

Thought for Today

You never will be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.

James G. Bilkey

Amusing.....!

Excuse letters from parents in the original:

• My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take P.E. Please execute him.
• Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.
• Dear School: Please ekscuse [sic] John being absent on January 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.
• Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating [sic].
• Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
• John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
• Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.
• Chris will not be in school today because he has an ache in his side.
• Please excuse Roy Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
• I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don’t know what size she wears.
• Sally won’t be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.
• Please excuse Jennifer from missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.
• Mary Ann was absent Dec. 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her mother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn’t the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going on, her father even got hot last night.
• Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

. I love to read those advice columns in the newspaper. I read one this morning. It said, “What is the worst thing a wife can get on her 25^th wedding anniversary?” “Morning sickness!”

. Doug was always teased by friends that his wife was more successful than he was. Some even insinuate he was henpecked, while he kept his sense of humor and always laughed it off. One of his friends asked him “Who wore the pants in your family?” “I do,” he announced. Then after a pause, he added, “I also wash and iron them.”

. Did you hear about the $3 million Redneck Lottery? The winner gets $3 a year for a million years!

America as the last man standing

Something we should all read, and be aware of...does not matter what our party affiliation is or what part of the world we are living in....PLEASE have patience to read to the end.....and pass on as you are led... America as the last man standing

'In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost Europe ?'

Here is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem .

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for inviting me.

I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe . This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of theWest. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe .

First, I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe. Then, I will say a few things about Islam. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem .

The Europe you know is changing..

You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration.

All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents,with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe .These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.

There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe . With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule.

Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseille and Malmo in Sweden. In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities.

In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims.

Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear 'whore, whore'. Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin.

In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.

In England Sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up byMuslims in Brussels , because he was drinking during the Ramadan.

Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel . I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization.

A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.


Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if theMuslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty toFrance . One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks.The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate. (Caliphate From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The term caliphate) refers to a form of government inspired by interpretations of the religion of Islam. The term is also used to refer to a state which implements such a government. Historically there have been many states claiming to be led by caliphates) Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. And this is how we give them respect. We have Muslim official state holidays.

The Christian-Democratic attorney general is willing to accept Sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.

Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and busdrivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. I call the perpetrators 'settlers'. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies, they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers.

Muchof this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries. Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.

The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem.But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages - at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad.

Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is Sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies.

Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam 'the most retrograde force in the world', and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran. The public has whole heartedly accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel . First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz, second because it is a democracy, and third because Israel is our first line of defense.

This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam's territorial advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in Indonesia . Israel is simply in the way.The same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War.

The war against Israel is not a war against Israel . It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us. If there would have been no Israel, Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming.

Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West. It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values. On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed. The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel, they can get everything.

So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or 'racists'. In my country, the Netherlands , 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat. Yet there is a danger, greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs. With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.

Dear friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom;we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe 's children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so.

Thought for Today

The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. You can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.

Vince Lombardi

Thought for Today

Stop asking if the glass is half full or half empty.
Instead ask "What's in it? How did it get there? What can I do with it?

David Kaufman