REFLECTIONS OF OUR LIVES

Now that we have had some time to reflect on our lives, would you do the same things again, or approach things differently?
Would you take that same job right of high school, would you travel first, would you marry right away? Would do do some more continuing education?
Would you make so many changes, that your life would be totally different?
Would you have read more, travel more, eat less, exercise more, been nicer and more forgiving to others?
Do you think you have made all the right things happen and you are totally happy with how your life turned out?
Did you learn from your mistakes and make appropriate changes?
Did you really take enough time to set goals and act upon them? Do you reflect upon your life and give thanks?
Do you take the time to laugh above all else?

After alot of thought, I know I would have done some things a bit different. But that is what life is about, to learn, to experience and hopefully to teach others.
There are some things I feel really good about and others, not so good. But I admit it.
I am very grateful for 4 beautiful children and mostly decent health.

I have got to travel some and experience alot. I have got to live in several states and absorb some wonderful culture, for that I am truly grateful. I have made many friends along the way.

I would have continued my education and done what I wanted for several years.

I was lucky in that I had a job right out of graduation with Indiana Bell. I was a long distant operator and absolutely loved the job. Until I turned 18, then things changed, my hours were changed since I was age. That meant working until 1 or 2 in the morning. After three close calls with not so nice men, including a Indianapolis Police Officer, and one man following me all the way home, trying to get me to stop. The decision was made to give up a job I adored. I had planned to work there until I was old enough to fly as an attendant.

Sometimes our lives are changed for us, sometimes by us.
I believe in things happening for a reason and that kharma does work.

I have gotten to be a Girl Scout Leader, A Four H leader, I was horse show chairman for the Johnson County fair two years running. What stories to tell and what experiences experienced.

I took first aid and advanced first aid, and CPR, then formed the Ladies Fire Dept. Aux. to help our men and town. What a time we had, such as stopping traffic while standing there in my curlers and pj's. Heck what did you expect at 2am?

I got to show my horses and dogs and raise puppies. I was so lucky to have been a animal techinician for several years, including large animals and the zoo's animals. The stories there would fill a book.

I worked in the restaurant business for many years, from owning, serving, managing and training around the country corporately. My family has laughed for many years on the stories that I would come home at night and share.

I have been thin, I have been fat, I have laughed, I have cried, I have worried for me and my friends, I have lost, I have gained. I have worn the right dress and I have worn the wrong dress, I have forgotten to shave my legs and paint my nails,I have gotten to share with so many.

I have found things that were not so important after all, just at that moment.
I have found that it isn't who has the most toys or the biggest, just that you have friends to share them with.

Yes, when looking back on the reflections of my life, I mostly like what I see, but there are a few warps in the mirror.

FOR MEMORIAL DAY 2006

I know alot of people have some traditional things they do for Memorial Day, be it family reunions, the race, or whatever. I would like to share with you a beautiful ceremony they do here.
It is called Lantern Floating Hawaii.
In the afternoon you can go to Magic Island for entertainment and food, music, dancing and even the wonderful, exciting Taiko drums.
It is a celebration of life and death.

It is a time-honored Buddist rite to comfort the spirits of the deceased and are said to ferry spritis "from the sea of delusion to the shores of salvation."

It is absolutely beautiful to see. Be whatever God you worship, this is a human celebration. You can buy a canoe with a lantern on it and enter your deceased names onto the lantern so they may have safe passage. Every last one is lit up. They have over 1,000 of them and it is a sight to behold. They put them onto large canoes and they are paddled out into the ocean and set free at sunset.
I can't tell you the emotions we saw among all the religions when we went.

If you have a few free moments, please enjoy the website. Mahalo.

www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com

May is Military Appreciation Month

Today as I was reading one of our local papers that happens to be a weekly paper, I came across the column by Jerry Coffee, a local man and a great guy.
Some of you probably don't remember the name, but Jerry was one of our POW's held during Viet Nam for 7 years.
I have always like the articles that Mr. Coffee writes, he can really write from his heart about his experience and his hope. He and I have even corresponded a few times.
Today he was quoting a article by Ben Stein written on April 5 of this year. It was a wonderful article and in part he told of this being Military Appreciation month.
Mr. Stein said "There are 8 billion people in this world, and that "you Soldiers, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Sailors, Airmen, are only about 1.4 million or so.
About 2/100 of 1 percent of all those people, but the fate of all mankind depends upon what you do every day. You hold the fate of the world in your hands.
He went on to ask, along with every EMT, fireman, policmen, do you know how important you are?
Do you know how humbly grateful any of us who has a head on his shoulders is to you?"
Do you know if you never do another thing in your lives you will always still be heros? We are on our knees to you and we bless and pray for you every moment.
There was alot more to this article, but I think you get the gist of it.

In conclusion he quoted Winston Churchill:
"Never have so many owed so much to so few."
If you can search for this article, it is more than well worth reading in total content.
In the meantime: All Military men and women; My hat's off to you and Thank you for a job well done.

The possessed VCR

I have 3 VCR's in the house so I can record anytime I want and then play my programs at a later time and fast forward through the commercials and save myself alot of time.
I have one VCR that is possessed, we are convinced of it for sure. It is electric, just like all the others in the world, but each night when I go to replace that days tape, the clock has a different time on it. It was orginally set as the same time as the one below it and each night it is off anywhere from 5 minutes to 6 hours and various minutes. It is never the same time and once in a great while, it is only 3 minutes off. We laugh about it at night and wonder what time will show up. The difference is never the same, always something different.
This is not a old VCR, in fact, it is the newest one and a good brand name. Maybe it is resetting itself to the Japanese time? But, then, why the different time each night. Never the same time two nights in a row.
I wonder if it self changing has anything to do with the motion I catch out of the corner of my eyes sometimes at night???
I am sure with this house being 65 years old, there are alot of stories it holds.
Do you have any similar ones to share?

HAM & BEANS, POTATOES AND CORNBREAD

Do you have that one meal, that when you sit down and eat, it brings back all kinds of memories?
Maybe it was your favorite birthday dinner, or a holiday or whatever.
There was one that always stood out for me. It was ham & beans, potatoes and cornbread.
It was my dad's favorite meal and he would get into the kitchen and turn into Chef Tell.
He would cook and have so much fun and look forward to that meal with great enthusiasm.
When he was done cooking, he just didn't serve it up, oh no, he created a masterpiece, he would procede to pile the ingredients on top of each other and finish off with diced onions and banana peppers.
One night, he worked on his masterpiece for quite some time and when he proceded to take a bite, the plate flipped over into his lap. I thought he was going to cry.
We didn't know whether to laugh or cry with him. But he soon fixed another plate and went on his way to enjoyment.
I don't know if that meal was a leftover from his Navy days in a sub.

We had that same meal the other night and now my husband eats it the same way.

Thanks dad for a great memory.