Little Dog in Red Shoes

            You may be wondering WHAT kind of title for an article is this!  I was just thinking that sometimes we see things that at first perhaps make very little sense to us at all!  Then if we take the time to think about it we’ll try to “create” some type of “reason” or “purpose” that helps us in some way to make sense of what we are seeing.  Or perhaps we’re the person who doesn’t try to make any sense of it at all!  I mean, maybe it’s just a little dog in red shoes!  There is no deeper meaning for it than just what it states.

            Why would a person put red shoes on a little dog any way?  And why are the shoes red?  Why didn’t they use blue shoes or brown shoes?  Also, you might think: Why did they have to get shoes?  It could have been slippers or even cowboy boots.  It might have made the whole scene a bit funnier!  And we haven’t considered the little dog.  Was it a little dog so the site of him in those red shoes would instantly create a chuckle in us?  Or maybe he could have been a bigger dog and then the idea would have created an even more hilarious picture in our mind that we would have probably thought about all day.  I keep insinuating that it was a male dog, but perhaps the dog was female.  That would have made more sense for the red shoes.  Yet, the brief description doesn’t tell us WHAT kind of dog it was.  If we knew that it might have made it a bit more interesting to create a more fanciful story.

            But wait!  Why did it have to be a dog in those red shoes?  Maybe more humor could have been woven within the story if it had been a cat!  Cats are very curious creatures.  Maybe the cat’s curiosity could help explain why she got into shoes in the first place.  Of course, I guess it could have been any number of different animals in those red shoes.  Other animals might have made it funnier to see!  Think of a lion in those shoes. Or maybe a pig!  That would have been a site to get a picture of.  Remember our line said “red shoes,” but we don’t have to think there were only two of them.  There could have been any amount of shoes covered by that plural form of the word.  We could have had an octopus in red shoes or maybe even a centipede in red shoes!  Now that would have really been a lot of red shoes.

            Can’t you see how we have created for ourselves a considerable amount of questions and we have considered other possibilities of “what if” with different scenarios of how things could have been entirely different with a varying new set of possibilities!  But we have by NO means asked ALL the questions that our simple little line could have created.  What if we were given several days or weeks, perhaps even months, to consider what other possibilities our simple statement may make available to us?  Once we had exhausted all possibilities within the statement itself we may want to start asking WHY such a statement was made from the beginning and WHAT was the purpose of asking such a statement.  Then we could better understand something about the person who made the statement. There are many varying aspects that we could then begin to learn about the person and the circumstances under which the statement was made.

            It seems a bit sad that there are times, and it is more often than not, that people will look at other peoples’ lives and grab hold of a tiny bit of information as ambiguous as a “little dog in red shoes” and create from that a powerful story of falsehood that, at times, will practically destroy a persons’ life.  Why do we have to be that way?

            And then we don’t just have our own personal thoughts, but we have to let our tongues wag and gossip to others about what we THINK we know.  Don’t you find it interesting when someone “shares” a gossipy story with us we feel that we have to “go them one better”:  “And did you hear about ____!”

            Sometimes the little dog in red shoes is ALL there is to the story.  Why can’t we just leave it at that?  WHY? --- Because we’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"When people say "it's not the money, it's the principle

of the matter" - - - IT's THE MONEY!"

Is It Genuine?

            Have you ever purchased an item: a watch, a piece of jewelry, a painting, a designer bag, or some other type of item, that you thought was the genuine thing, only to find out later it was a FAKE?  That can not only be financially draining, but it can be extremely disheartening.  This has not been a recently created event, but has happened at various times in history and to different degrees of importance.

            Arguably one of the most significant events to shape American history during the first half of the 19^th century was the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley, California area in early 1848.  This event sparked the great “gold rush.”  Quickly the news spread and thousands of prospective gold miners came to San Francisco by means of traveling over land and sea.  So much so was the influx of people during this period that the population of the area grew by the end of 1849 to some 100,000 or an increase of about 100 times the pre-1848 population.  During this period of time an estimated value of $2 billion worth of gold had been removed from the area.

            Many individuals (mostly men) in the United States saw their opportunity to “make their fortunes.”  So they borrowed money, mortgaged their property or spent their life savings to make the very difficult journey to California.  In seeking the kind of wealth they had never dreamed of, they left their families and hometowns to pursue this great new opportunity!

            To accommodate the needs of these ‘49ers (as they were called) gold mining towns sprung up all over the region, complete with shops, saloons, brothels and other businesses seeking to make their own fortunes.  The overcrowded chaos of the mining camps and towns grew ever more lawless, including rampant banditry, gambling, prostitution, and violence.

            Within just a few short years the surface gold in California largely disappeared, the digging for gold began to become more important.  Mining had always been a difficult and dangerous labor, and striking it rich required good luck as much as skill and hard work.  The average daily take for an independent miner working with his pick and shovel had by 1850 sharply decreased from what it had been in 1848.  And for some it was even worse!  They spent all their funds and labored for days or months and the ore they took into the essayer’s office turned out to be iron pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold!”  This mineral’s metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue gives it a superficial resemblance to gold.  Although having many uses, this fool’s gold was worthless to the hard working miners of the mid-1800s.

            So, although having a resemblance to gold and with a strong desire from the miners themselves to have found gold, their ore proved to be NOT genuine.  When it was taken to the assayer’s office it did not pass the test to be accepted as the “genuine” thing, and had NO pay-off for the miners.        

            Also, consider counterfeit money.  This has been around for nearly as long as the real deals.  When the first coins were minted several thousand years ago, the value of the coin was based on the intrinsic value of the metal from which it was made.  Counterfeiters would scrape off small amounts of the precious metal from legitimate coins and then, using this, cover a cheap base metal and pass it off as a higher value coin.  Since that time, counterfeit money has evolved into a huge black market, with an estimate of over $200 million circulating within the U.S. at any time.

            You may not realize it, but here are some interesting facts surrounding counterfeit money today:

(1)    Twenties and Hundreds are the MOST counterfeited American bills.  According to a 2013 Reuters report, $20 bills are the most common counterfeited bills in the United States, but internationally, it’s all about the Benjamin ($100) due to the bills broad circulation.

(2)   You can get them from your bank!  You might imagine that a bank employee would be the best person at spotting “fake” money, but on occasion, even they pass on counterfeit bills.

(3)   Technology is helping counterfeiters make more believable fake bills.  It’s tempting to think that fake bills are no longer an issue thanks to advances in security features and detection technology, but it’s actually the other way around.  Now, with the ability to buy inkjet printers for a few hundred dollars, more people are making counterfeits than they were just a few years ago.

(4)   Frank Bourassa is the biggest money counterfeiter in history.  Canadian Frank Bourassa’s counterfeit money operation was not a newspaper-and-inkjet scheme:  He convinced a Swiss paper company to sell him authentic rag paper, complete with security thread and a watermark, and bought printing presses and embossers to make his fake cash.  He spent $300,000, made $250 million in fake U.S. money, and, in the end, got only SIX WEEKS in jail!

(5)   Coins have ridges in part to prevent them from being counterfeited.  To prevent enterprising criminals from shaving off a little part of the coins precious metal and selling it and then the coins separately for a nice profit, reeds (the technical name for the ridges) were added to make it obvious when a coin was “clipped,” but had a side effect of making the coin harder to counterfeit.  So instead of embossing an image on both sides of the coin, counterfeiters had to add a vertical design to the coin as well.

(6)   Counterfeit money can be a problem when traveling.  While counterfeit coins rarely make the news in the United States (although it does happen); this isn’t the case in the rest of the world.  So, just as you should examine money before leaving an American bank, check out money you’re handed while traveling outside the country.

(7)   The Secret Service was created to suppress counterfeit money.  On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that would allow for the creation of the Secret Service – not to serve as presidential bodyguards but to help suppress money counterfeiting.  To this day, the Secret Service plays a role in creating new methods to fight against counterfeit bills, including training law enforcement operations to catch counterfeiters

Every effort is made to keep counterfeit money out of circulation.  The truth comes down to the fact that such counterfeit bills are FAKE money:  they ARE NOT GENUINE!  And they are therefore not accepted as legal tender for payment of goods or services.  While only about one or two bills in 10,000 are counterfeit, if you ever end up with that rare fake, you will lose your hard-earned money.  Counterfeit bills CANNOT be turned in for genuine ones, and knowingly passing along a counterfeit bill IS ILLEGAL!

Although the two areas we discussed above could result in a financial loss, there is an area that could turn out to be more disastrous than that.  This area involves our very lives!  And it involves our eternal life for the future.

If you consider a very plain scriptural point from Matthew, chapter 7, verses 21-23:  “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.  Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures)

Before you start claiming:  You’re only quoting from YOUR translation so it will say what YOU want it to say!  Please check out any of the following bible translations:  New International Version, King James Version, New Living Translation, English Standard Version, Berean Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible, International Standard Version, NET Bible, New Heart English Bible, Aramaic Bible in Plain English, God’s Words Translation, NASB 1977, Jubilee Bible 2000, Bouay-Rhains Bible, Young’s Literal Translation, The New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version—Catholic Edition and many others.

What I’m trying to show you is that like the iron pyrite or the counterfeit bills there are those who claim to be Christians who are way off the mark of the genuine item.  Matthew added in his writings of Jesus’ words at chapter 15, and verses 7-9: “You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said: ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me.  It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”

A sincere effort must be made in our spiritual lives to find and know that we have the genuine understanding of God’s word and are making practical application of it in our lives.  We can’t have what we THINK is gold, or what we THINK is genuine money:  We must KNOW we have the REAL thing!  And that is the same with CALLING ourselves Christians and actually BEING Christians.  And this doesn’t mean in just the “big” things.  For Jesus also said (recorded at Luke 16:10) “The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much…”

Belief is not enough!  James 2:19 states: “the demons believe and shudder.”  We need to work hard to bring our lives in harmony with the truth of God’s word.  Failure to do so results in our losing out on the wonderful promises in the future for those who are faithful!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Sometimes it's hard to see what is right in front of your face.

Try looking HARDER!"

4/20

            Just saying the number brings many thoughts to the minds of a lot of people.  It’s like having someone say 9/11 and instantly people have thoughts of what that means, where they were, and how the world has changed since that time.  The same is true with 4/20.

            If you are an avid sports historian perhaps what comes to your mind is April 20, 1910.  This was when Addie Joss of the Cleveland Indians pitched his 2^nd no hitter against Chicago (his first was in 1908 against the White Sox) and they won 1-0.  He was born in 1880 and started his “big league” career in April, 1902.  He died in 1911.  Addie Joss has been named as one of the 100 Greatest Cleveland Indian Players EVER!

            Or you might consider this date, April 20, 1912: the day Tiger Stadium opened in Detroit (and the same day Fenway Park debuted in Boston.)  It witnessed 11,111 home runs, six World Series, three memorable All-Star games, NFL Championship games, and championship boxing fights.  Along the way it served as scenes for movies as well as a plethora of public events ranging from a KISS concert to a speech by Nelson Mandela.  Many fans were deeply saddened in September, 1999 when the stadium closed.  And they were devastated in June, 2008 when the demolition of the stadium began.  Even after efforts to preserve a portion of the stadium failed, final demolition was slated for June, 2009.

            Perhaps you are more into astronomy and recall that April 20, 1910 is the date that Halley’s Comet reached perihelion (according to Miriam-Webster “the point in the path of a celestial body that is nearest to the Sun).  Another interesting piece of information about Halley’s Comet has to do with the famous American writer Mark Twain (born Samuel Langhorne Clements.)  Twain was born on November 30, 1835, and the perihelion of Halley’s Comet was November 10, 1835.  Seventy-four years later the perihelion of Halley’s Comet was April 20, 1910 (as I have previously stated.)  Mark Twain said about himself, as recorded in “Mark Twain, a Biography,” “I came in with Halley’s comet in 1835.  It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it.  It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet.  The Almighty has said, no doubt: “Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.””  Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910!

            Some of you may even relate 4/20 to infamous times in our history.  Born in Austria on April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler rose to power in German politics as leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, also known as the Nazi Party.  Hitler was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, serving as dictator for the bulk of his time in power.  His policies precipitated World War II and led to the genocide known as the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of some 6 million Jews and another 5 million noncombatants.  With defeat on the horizon, Hitler committed suicide with his wife (Eva Braun) on April 30, 1945, in his Berlin bunker (or so it is believed.)

            And living in Colorado for the past 40+ years I cannot forget to mention the infamous tragedy of the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999.  In the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault during the middle of the school day. It has been reported that the boys’ plan was to kill hundreds of their fellow school mates.  With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed indiscriminately.  When the day was over, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers themselves were dead; plus 21 more injured.

            There will also be others who will remember 4/20 for a much “higher” reason.  In the fall of 1977 a handful of scholar athletes, at San Rafael High School in northern California, gathered daily against a favorite wall outside their school to smoke cannabis.  This earned them the nickname, the “Waldos.”  They came into possession of “a treasure map to a patch of weed on the Point Reyes Peninsula.”  The patch belonged to a U.S. Coast Guard member who had gotten paranoid that he would get caught.  So, through his brother, he urged the Waldos to help themselves to the crop.

            After they had talked it over, the Waldos agreed to meet at the high school’s statue of Louis Pasteur at twenty minutes past 4 o’clock (4:20).  They met, got stoned, and drove out to find the weed farm.  They never found it, but they started the 420 code to call meetings to smoke.  It didn’t matter if they met and smoked exactly at 4:20; it was just a signal to get together for a smoke.  Today, 4/20, April 20^th, is “celebrated” by pot smokers around the country.  Across this nation and in many other cities of the world, teenagers, college students, and others earnestly get “high”, extolling their love of cannabis.

            However; these points, and probably many others, relating to 4/20 (April 20^th) have really nothing to do with my personal appreciation of the date.  And although my association with this date goes back almost half a century, there are probably some historical points that I have mentioned here (and others) that go back much further.

            My connection to 4/20 is related to the fact that this is the date that I joined my life together with the most beautiful woman in the world.  It was actually a pleasant day as far as the weather was concerned.  At 11:00 am (local time) in a church ceremony in our nation’s capitol, Washington, DC, we exchanged our vows.

            Since that day, some forty-nine years ago now, there have been both ups and downs in our relationship. I think there have been more ups than downs and I hope she feels the same way.  I’m always telling her: “When we got married it was for better or for worse.  Just hang in there; it’s got to get better soon!”

            She has been my friend, my lover, my closest confidante.  There is NOTHING that we can’t get through together.  And as the years have passed it seems that now she has become more my nurse and my care giver.  But, she has shouldered both these responsibilities as she has cared for me at all other times.

            Yes, to me, 4/20 has a very special meaning.  It was the day that my life became complete.  As I look back on all those days, if there could be anything that I might consider going back and changing:  it would be to go back and marry her sooner than I did!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Many people with NOTHING are

much RICHER than those who have much."

Can I Make It Any Simpler?

            I can’t believe some of the things people do to really make their lives and their work more complicated.  And when you try to do something that, at least in my mind, would make things easier on them they just DON’T get it!  Sometimes to help people out you just can’t confuse them by “throwing” something at them that is not “ordinary.”

            For example, you’ve probably noted that most fast food places have REALLY tried to simplify their ordering system.  In the past you would go into such a place and request your order: one cheeseburger, a large fry and a coke!  That’s pretty simple and straight forward, right?  Well, now all that is no longer necessary.  You just walk up to the counter and order a No. 2!  The clerk rings up your order, you pay, and shortly you’re on your way.  The clerk doesn’t have to make change for you.  That’s all done by the register.  And PLEASE don’t ask them to count your change back to you.  They have NO idea what you are talking about, if they are not older than 30.  Clerks at these places are not required “to think” about anything.  And therein lays the problem!  When you go up and order a No. 2 WITH MODIFICATIONS, you throw a complete curve to most of the clerks.  They usually have NO idea how the order has to be changed in the register.  And most of the time they have to call for assistance from management, thereby slowing the ordering process.  All the people in line behind you are giving YOU that “look” because now they are not going to be able to get their food as quickly as they want!  And MANY times when you finally get your order --- IT’S NOT RIGHT!  Let me give you just a couple of personal examples.  Again if you remember some things I’ve written before, or if you happen to know me personally, I am a VERY picky eater.  So what I am about to tell you will make more sense?  And, believe it or not, I am not exaggerating the stories.

            The first example happened many years ago when I was in the military.  At the time I was serving a two year tour in Turkey.  My wife and I had gone to a movie at the theater on base and were trying to “waste” a little time waiting for the bus that would be going back to town, so we decided to stop into the cafeteria for a quick snack.  Now where I was station (Incirlik Air Base in Adana) was actually a Turkish base with U. S. personal assigned there, so all the facilities on base were run by Turkish civilians.  Now, at some point, to “Americanize” the services in the various facilities there must have been some type of “training” on how operations should be handled.  Having explained that to you, I want to give you the details of the conversation with the cafeteria cook when I went to order two hot dogs.  I forgot to mention, at this time I was trying to “cut back” on some of my carbs so I only wanted to order two PLAIN wieners.

            “Good evening, my friend, what you want me to make for you tonight?”  The Turkish people working on the base knew English fairly well.

            “I just want to get two wieners.”

            “So, you want two hot dogs!” he replied.

            “No, I was only wanting to buy the two wieners.”

            “No, my friend, hot dog!  You take bun, add wiener, put mustard, catsup, pickles, onions, make hot dog! Twenty-five cents each!” He was using his hands to show the procedure of putting everything together.

            “I understand,” was my reply, “I’ll pay the twenty-five cents each, but I only want the wieners.”

            “You don’t understand,” he replied back.  “Hot dog: take bun, add wiener, put mustard, catsup, pickles, onions, make hot dog!  Twenty-five cents!”

            Once more I tried to explain it to him.  How can I make it any simpler?  “I know what a hot dog is, but I ONLY want the wieners.  I’ll pay you the twenty-five cents each but only for the wieners.”

            He looked at me and became VERY stern in his reply:  “HOT DOG!  Bun, wiener, mustard, catsup, pickles, onions, twenty-five cents!”  He was boldly demonstrating with his hands the entire preparation process.

            I looked at him and, after shrugging my shoulders, I said: “FRIEND!  Give me two hot dogs!”

            And with a big smile on his face he began to prepare the order I had finally placed.

            The second experience happened here at home during a visit to our local Carl’s Jr restaurant.  Again I was attempting to order one of their specialty burgers, but all I wanted was the burger, the cheese, and the bun.  Does that sound very difficult to you?  Well, here’s the way the ordering process went.

            Me:  “I’d like to order your big cheeseburger.  But, I only want the bun, the meat, and the cheese.”

            Clerk:  “You don’t want the lettuce?”

            Me:  “No.  I only want the bun, the meat, and the cheese.”

            Clerk:  “You don’t want the tomato?”

            Me:  “No.  I only want the bun, the meat, and the cheese.”

            Clerk:  “You don’t want any pickles?”

            Me:  “None!   Only the bun, the meat, and the cheese.”

            Clerk:  “That comes with the special sauce.  Do you want that?”

            Me:  “NO!  I only want the bun – the meat – and the cheese!”

            Clerk:  “OK.  Your order will be right out.”

            After my wife had placed her order we paid and then found ourselves a table and waited for our order.

            It seemed like a very long time before our order arrived and I looked at my wife and told her there was probably something wrong because it had taken too long.

            Finally the order arrived and I began to unwrap my burger.  The first thing I did was place the burger on the wrapper and remove the top bun.  I mean, it’s not that I didn’t trust them on getting the order right.  But, I DIDN’T TRUST THEM!  There, lying in the middle of the beef patty, was an onion ring! 

            My wife looked at me and said:  “You didn’t say NO onion ring!”  I just took a deep breath and thought “Can I Make I Any Simpler?”

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"THINK before you open your mouth and speak ---

pause --- then THINK again!"

Really People!

            I know in many parts of the world getting clean water is a very difficult thing.  But in this country (US) water is pretty plentiful and readily available.  The reason I bring this up will become clearer as you continue to read this post.

            The other day, like many days that come and go in a person’s life, my wife and I made a trip to the local Wal-Mart store.  Now I do not want to sound like I’m in any way trying to “put down” the local Wal-Mart.  I mean, in all honesty, in many small communities (and in some larger cities) the local Wal-Mart is “the” place to be to find out what’s going on or to visit with most people you would never find at home any way!  And I’m certain that what I am about to describe is by no way limited to Wal-Mart stores, but it must be a very common thing because there are many pictorial posts on the web high-lighting what I am going to describe.  I must also add that these observations were not all in the same visit, but happened over a period of time.

            Now, at our Wal-Mart, as is probably true at many of the stores, there are benches placed in various locations where you can sit and rest, interrupting your tedious job of shopping.  And in our store one such location is up front kind of between the check-out lines and the entrance/exit doors.  Because of my current health condition when we visit the store my wife usually does the shopping and I find myself a convenient bench to sit on.  In this location I can watch people coming and going from the store and observe not only what purchase they made, but how they are conducting themselves in public.  I don’t mean this to sound like I’m “stalking” anyone within the store, but I have always been a ‘people” person.  I like watching other people as they carry on their routines.  (By the way another really good place for this is at the Mall.)  What I would like to do is share with you some of my observations after which I think you will share my expression, REALLY PEOPLE!

            One thing I’ve noticed is connected to what I opened my comments with --- WATER!  Some of the people you see walk into this store appear not to have let themselves become familiar with a bar of soap or with water.  At least not for several days!  Now we live in an agricultural community and I know some of these people have just come in from the ranch and have had to “pickup” a few items to take back home.  So I’m not referring to these shoppers.  But there are others that, should I even say it, are just dirty and really need to clean up before they go out in public.

            And for some it’s not just their bodies or hair that need to have this attention, but their clothes!  I’ve seen people (and you probably have too) coming into the store looking like they haven’t changed clothes IN DAYS!  Some of them not only look like they have slept in their clothes, but have done everything else in them also!  REALLY PEOPLE!  I’m going to try and say this in the nicest way I can think of, but some of these shoppers look like they have used the bathroom in what they are wearing or maybe didn’t finish their business before they came to the store!

            Others and you’ll understand what I mean, come into the store thinking they must be in a carnival sideshow.  I’ve seen some ladies (and maybe I am using the term too generously) come shopping with their underwear OUTSIDE their clothes.  Maybe they forgot in what order you are suppose to dress yourself. I don’t know.  And I’m not talking about some little old lady who perhaps is beginning to lose her mental faculties!  No, these are younger girls.  If this is meant to be the NEW dressing fad someone is WAY OFF!

            And while we’re speaking of “dressing fads”:  When did it become fashionable to go shopping in your “pajamas?”  It looks like many people today (not just younger ones) wear their “nightwear” ALL day long, regardless of where they are going or what they are doing! Maybe this is why so many of them look like they have slept in their clothes!  They have!  Is it because people don’t want to wear or can’t afford to get themselves REAL clothes?  I don’t know!

            You also get the “other” end of the fashion spectrum.  I’ve seen ladies come into the store and you would think they just came off a Hollywood premier showing red carpet event.  They are dressed in such elegant apparel you may even wonder WHY they would be shopping at Wal-Mart!  Of course, you also get the other dress fad and that is to wear almost NOTHING!  I’ve seen ladies come in who were not only physical blessed but wanted everyone in the store to know it!  And to make sure everyone SAW how blessed they were, they let ALL their physical “ASSETS” be openly displayed when they would lean over or would reach high on the shelf to retrieve an item for purchase.

            Before everyone feels I am only hammering the lady shoppers, you men have a lot to think about also.  Sometimes your dress and grooming leaves a lot to be desired.  I can say, at least for my local store, you would think, at times, that almost ALL the men in the community were plumbers!  Every time they would bend over to take something off a lower shelf they prided themselves in displaying their “plumbers’ butt.”  REALLY PEOPLE!  We don’t go shopping to be entertained by such displays.  At least, I don’t!

            And we also have that group who come dressed, but you would think they had been dressed by Bozo the Clown (or at least got their wardrobe out of his closet).  Now if you don’t know who Bozo the Clown was, ask your parents (or maybe your Grandparents depending on your age.)  I mean, REALLY PEOPLE: checks, plaids, poke-dots, and an unbelievable combination of mixed and matched shirts, pants, etc. that you could hardly imagine that a real, live person had willingly chosen to dress themselves in this way.

            I’ve often said that “people are just strange creatures.”  And we really are!  And, of course, as I’m leaving the store and thinking what an amazing site I had been able to see while waiting on my wife to finish the shopping, I can only imagine what types of thoughts people were having as they walked passed me sitting there on the bench watching people walk by?  Maybe they too felt a little sorry for the old “hobo looking” man who was sitting on that bench watching them while they went shopping at Wal-Mart!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"An angry person does stupid things.

Stay Happy!"

What Has Happened?

            When I was growing up as a kid we used to do some crazy things to amuse ourselves.  Some of these “pranks” involved using the telephone.  You have to remember this was during a time when telephones had a wire that connected them to the wall and this was even before the wires now (at least for those who still use “landlines”) that you simply “unplug” from the wall jack.  These wires had “hard” cords that came in from the outside telephone poles and were connected directly to your phone.  Some day “for fun” we would call people on their phones and tell them that we were from the phone company and that they were the lucky winners of an extra 25 feet of phone wire to make using their phone around the room easier.  All they had to do was reach down, take hold of the cord where it was attached to their wall and PULL HARD!  Of course, when they did this, their phone went dead because they had torn the connection out of the wall.  We thought it was extremely funny, but I’m sure the people we called didn’t think so since they no longer had phone service until they contacted the phone company and had them repair it.

            We also had another “prank” we liked to pull on some store owners, but I’ll have to give you a little background information so that some of my readers will better understand the “punch line” of the joke.  During the time I was growing up it was available for people to purchase tobacco so they could “roll” their own cigarettes.  Yes, it’s true!  Not only could people ruin their lungs by inhaling cigarette smoke, but they had to put in some extra work and MAKE THEM THEMSELVES!  That being said, the tobacco was available packed in packages or tin containers.  One of the companies that produced this product made a brand called “Prince Albert.”  Wow!  Now all that being said, here’s the way the joke went.

            We would call a store and when the clerk answered the phone, we would ask, “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?”  When they answered, “Yes,” we would tell them, “You better let him out; he’s not going to be able to breathe.”  Of course, we would immediately hang up so we didn’t have to hear any “negative” comments from the clerk.

            Another thing that we used to do, we called the “secretary prank.” It didn’t take much set-up, but if you wanted to do the joke properly you had to make sure you allowed a sufficient amount of time and spaced the “parts” of the prank at appropriate times. This required some amazing patience at times.  So here’s the way the time-line of the joke would play out.

            You would choose your “target” and have a friend give them a call.  When they answered their phone your friend would ask, “Could I speak to Larry?” (Or whatever name you wanted to use.)  They would usually reply, “There’s no one here named Larry,” and then the friend would hang up.  About a half hour later you would have another friend call the target again and ask, “Could I please speak to Larry?”  Again the person would reply, “There’s no one here named Larry,” and your friend would hang up.  About another half hour passed and you would have your first friend call back again and, trying to change their voice at little, asks, “Could I speak to Larry?”  Once again you get the reply (and now there’s a little more sternness in the voice), “There’s NO ONE here named Larry!”  You have to wait about another half hour and then you call the target back.  When they answer the phone this time you say, “I’m sorry I haven’t made it in yet.  This is Larry, have I had any calls yet today?”  Usually you get a brief pause on the other end of the phone because they really don’t know what to say.  Don’t wait too long, just hang up!

            As you can tell from these few examples, back in my youth, most “pranks” were basically harmless fun. Today, WHAT HAS HAPPENED?  Young people use the internet and their social media accounts to brutally attack other young ones.  Sometimes, they would not even know the person personally.  And they can be extremely persistent in their attacks, sometimes to the point of driving an individual to the point of committing suicide!  And yet they do these despicable deeds behind the cloak of “secrecy” on their social media connections.

            And in a different area, WHAT HAS HAPPENED?  When I was in school you went so that you could get an education, with the view of having a successful and prosperous future.  Today it seems that some only go to school because they HAVE to!  I was actually expelled for three days during my senior year of high school because of having my shirt tail out of my pants!  I know that may be hard for some to believe now, but dress codes were strictly enforced at that time.  Now in many schools they’re mainly thankful that the kids are showing up wearing clothes!

            When we had a young girl become pregnant, her family would “secretly ship her out of town” to a relative until after she gave birth.  It was only whispered about and usually became the shame of the family and of the school and sometime even the community (depending on the size of your town). WHAT HAS HAPPENED?  In many schools today they not only make allowances for any young girl who becomes pregnant, but if the girl’s school year continues AFTER she has the baby, they have made arrangements for “daycare” for the baby (if needed) while she attends classes!

            And also prevalent today, which was practically unheard of in my youth, so many young ones go to school with knives and guns!  Not only are they carrying them to school, but they are using them to cause chaotic situations and disrupting the lives of many individuals and bringing other lives to an end.  Time and again all of this takes place for senseless reasons and families are torn apart and many destroyed forever!

            I don’t have the answers!  I wish I had the “quick” fix or could wave my hand and change everything for the better.  But young people need to know that they are loved, that their lives have meaning.  These young ones need to know that they are the future generation of mankind.  The love of humanity should shine from them and shine upon them.  We can look around us and see WHAT HAS HAPPENED!  And we need to realize it’s not too late to help these young ones make changes and not be the target of bullies and those who attack.  And also not to be the attacker but love all the differences within us and understand that it is these very things that make us strong.  We can do this for our younger generation, while knowing it starts with ONE youngster at a time.  Don’t hold back where you can help, do it!  Where you can guide someone in having greater respect for themselves and others, just do it!  You can be the “spark” that is needed to change a young ones life!  They will love you for it forever and you will love yourself for doing it!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"If you know something is going to hurt --

WHY do you do it?"

Joy

            Stop for just a few minutes and think hard.  What makes you happy?  The answer to that question is going to be as varied as the number of people you ask.  For many people what makes them happy is family.  As parents who have children a lot of joy can be experienced by their “first” accomplishments.  Consider from the very beginning when your child is born.  Are you not overwhelmed with unbelievable happiness?  Of course, you do the first “parent thing.”  You count the toes and fingers and when you see they’re all there and you look into that new little face, it’s hard to imagine you’ve waited all those months for this “little bundle of joy!”

            You can hardly wait for all the other “firsts” that are going to be happening.  In a short period of time this child starts to crawl, then to stand on their own, and eventually walking and running.  It will become increasingly difficult for you to keep up with them.  However, there will continue to be many “firsts” that you will look forward to as they advance and grow to maturity.

            Think of the anxiety you will feel as this child prepares for their educational process and reaches that first day of school.  You will gain unbelievable joy with every advancement and accomplishment that is being made.  All things will continue with first friend, then dating, prom, and finally graduation.  Of course, there will be many other situations that develop between these major mile-stones and you will gain a great measure of joy as they reach these points and many others.

            It’s also understandable that along with all these joyful moments there will come times of hurt, disappointment, and failure.  But you, and your child, can gain joy as you work together to overcome these more difficult times.

            For other people their joy may have come from the accomplishments they achieved in their lives.  These could be from financial achievements to perhaps projects they are involved and being able to “make a name” for themselves.  Some people “pour” themselves into their work and practically sacrifice ALL other things so they are able to concentrate every effort into the work that they feel is going to bring the greatest joy into their lives.  Consider what some have done in this arena.

            There are individuals who have produced great fortunes during their life time.  From a financial stand point there is nothing that they couldn’t afford to obtain.  I’m referring to those with “REAL” wealth!  The type of individual who could request something to get done and say “money is NO object!” and actually mean it!  Others may use their wealth to purchase “things.”  They feel that by the mere possession of things they will have real joy in their lives.  Others have thought that these “joys” can be give to their families by “showering” them with material things or by making “opportunities” open up for them from the contacts they have made in their business dealings.

            Many times people will do unbelievable things to try and have joy or happiness in their lives.  They want the “big” house, the fancy car, the large paycheck or maybe the impressive title.”  I recall going through a period of time when almost any occupation was trying to come up with lofty sounding titles for the positions they had.  The “dog catcher” became the “animal control officer” and the “trash collector” became a “sanitation engineer.”  And yet with these “title” changes, and with others, there was NO change in their duty assignments or pay!

            We could probably spend many more words on the examples of HOW people have tried to find joy or happiness within their lives.  Throughout history people, of all walks of life, from various financial backgrounds, ethnic, or national up bringings, have sought “outside” influences to bring joy into their life, along with structural meaning.  All these people have failed to recognize a basic truth within their searching.  Joy DOES NOT come from any external stimulus, neither from things we have or from things we accomplish, at least, not REAL joy!  If we look into the bible at Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23, we will see that “joy” is a fruitage of God’s spirit.

            So, by applying ourselves in an obedient life to God’s requirements and by praying for God’s spirit to affect our life, we WILL have TRUE joy!  Regardless of what is going on around us, although not totally unaffected by difficult circumstances, we can have peace in our lives and real joy.  And this can be a joy that cannot only last us for a few years, but can be something we can enjoy for all eternity!          

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Give someone a smile today.  It doesn't cost you anything."

Beauty

            Webster defines beauty as “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.”

            We’ve all seen it!  You go for a family ride out of town on a Sunday afternoon (at least we used to do that when the family was younger) and as you drive through the countryside you are simply amazed at the beauty you can see in the land around you.  We have some pretty dry and arid areas where I now live in southeast Colorado, but during certain times of the season you would be amazed as the prairie starts to bloom and come alive with such a beauty that it’s almost unbelievable.

            And there are times when we would take a drive to the mountains (it is only about an hour or two away) and you could watch the aspens changing color.  If you have never seen such a site it is really something to behold.  And there are times when a trip to the coast (either the west or the east, it doesn’t really matter) could make the hair stand up on the back of your neck it was such an enthralling experience.

            Within the many years of my life I have had the privilege of traveling to some of the most breath-taking locations around the world.  And, even allowing for the trashy conditions that some humans have created within their environments, the locations themselves were truly a magnificent creation of beauty.  Yet having seen all these different places and understanding that there are an untold number of other locations that I have yet to visit, the most amazing things of beauty that I have ever experienced are HUMANS!

            Now I’m not referring to the outer beauty that some humans possess.  Although we would have to admit that there are some very attractive people in the world.  Some have come by this “beauty” naturally (at least SOME), others have paid small (or in some cases large) fortunes to have the “beauty” that they possess.  Some women can spend hours and hundreds of dollars to get that “natural” look!  By means of various cosmetics today a person considered rather “ordinary” in appearance can become a truly stunning beauty!  The revenues earned from the cosmetic industry (in the United States alone) exceeded $62 BILLION in 2016.  Obviously beauty comes at a GREAT cost for many!  Add to that the multi-billion cosmetic surgery industry and you can see the obsession that people have all over the world with physically staying young and looking beautiful.

            The world itself has a saying: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  According to The Phrase Finder (phrases.org.uk) this literally means “the perception of beauty is subjective.”  The following comments are quoted from that same source as to the origin of the phrase.  “This saying first appeared in the 3^rd century BC in Greek.  It didn’t appear in its current form in print until the 19^th century, but in the meantime there were various written forms that expressed much the same thought.  In 1588, the English dramatist John Lyly, in his Euphues and his England, wrote: “…as neere is Francie to Beautie, as the pricke to the Rose, as the stalke to the rynde, as the earth to the roote.”  Shakespeare expressed a similar sentiment in Love’s Labours Lost, 1588:  “Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise: Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, Not utter’d by base sale of chapmen’s tongues.”  Benjamin Franklin, in Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1741, wrote: “Beauty, like supreme dominion Is but supported by opinion.”  David Hume’s Essays, Moral and Political, 1742, include: “Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.”  The person who is widely credited with coining the saying in its current form is Margaret Wolfe Hungerford (nee Hamilton), who wrote many books, often under the pseudonym of ‘The Duche’.  In Molly Bawn, 1878, there’s a line “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, which is the earliest citation found for that expression in print.”

            However, my discussion wants to relate more to a different saying: “Beauty is only skin deep.”  This expression is used to mean external attractiveness (beauty) has no real relation to goodness or essential quality.  This maxim is first stated by Sir Thomas Overbury in his poem “A Wife” (1613):  “All the carnall beauty of my wife is but skin-deep.”  Actually the essence of the saying goes much further back in history than those words penned by Sir Overbury.  The statement was made that Christian wives are urged to give primary attention, not to external adornment, but to “the secret person of the heart” “which is of greater value in the eyes of God.” [1 Pe 3:3,4] 

            Yes, this “person” that God sees in our hearts, our inner most being, the true essence of who we are, that is the person we want to learn to see.  The person who has struggled, perhaps their entire life, against poverty, hatred, violence or corruption of one form or another and wants to change.  We should see this person who has struggled to become a “better person” in harmony with what is in their hearts.  Those having a real desire only to be viewed by others as a potential friend and NOT the person who is only seen by circumstances, their color, their nationality or their background.

            We’re only human --- so it is a constant struggle for us to view others that way.  However, if we can create in ourselves the desire (and the ability) to view others the way God views them, both THEIR circumstances and OURS will be greatly improved for the better.  Don’t look at what they are --- look at what they COULD be.  And maybe they will have the kindness to do the same for us!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Have you noticed: In times of disaster people can be very loving.

Practice "disaster mode" EVERY day!"