Shipwrecked In South Carolina

Beer Carrying Spitfires: Modification XXX

2012-02-01T21:05:00.001-05:00

Beer Carrying Spitfires: Modification XXX

Beer Carrying Spitfires

Modification XXX

In the lighter moments of World War II, the Spitfire was used in an unorthodox role: bringing beer kegs to the men in Normandy.

During the war, the Heneger and Constable brewery donated free beer to the troops. After D-Day, supplying the invasion troops in Normandy with vital supplies was already a challenge. Obviously, there was no room in the logistics chain for such luxuries as beer or other types of refreshments.

Some men, often called sourcers, were able to get wine or other niceties from the land or rather from the locals. RAF Spitfire pilots came up with an even better idea.

The Spitfire Mk IX was an evolved version of the Spitfire, with pylons under the wings for bombs or tanks. It was discovered that the bomb pylons could also be modified to carry beer kegs.

According to pictures that can be found, various sizes of kegs were used. Whether the kegs could be jettisoned in case of emergency is unknown. If the Spitfire flew high enough, the cold air at altitude would even refresh the beer, making it ready for consumption upon arrival.

A variation of this was a long range fuel tank modified to carry beer instead of fuel. The modification even received the official designation Mod. XXX. Propaganda services were quick to pick up on this, which probably explains the official designation.

As a result, Spitfires equipped with Mod XXX or keg-carrying pylons were often sent back to Great-Britain for maintenance or liaison duties. They would then return to Normandy with full beer kegs fitted under the wings.

Typically, the British Revenue of Ministry and Excise stepped in, notifying the brewery that they were in violation of the law by exporting beer without paying the relevant taxes.

It seems that Mod. XXX was terminated then, but various squadrons found different ways to refurbish their stocks. Most often, this was done with the unofficial approval of higher echelons.

In his book Dancing in the Skies, Tony Jonsson, the only Icelancer pilot in the RAF, recalled beer runs while he was flying with 65 Squadron. Every week a pilot was sent back to the UK to fill some cleaned-up drop tanks with beer and return to the squadron. Jonsson hated the beer runs as every man on the squadron would be watching you upon arrival. Anyone who made a rough landing and dropped the tanks would be the most hated man on the squadron for an entire week.

A staged shot of the Mod. XXX tank being filled.

The Spitfire had very little ground clearance with the larger beer kegs.

Beer Carrying Spitfire

Where there is charity and wisdom

2012-01-30T07:18:00.001-05:00

Where There is Charity and Wisdom

---- St. Francis of Assisi (paraphrased)

Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.

Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor annoyance.

Where there is love and joy, there is neither greed nor selfishness.

Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.

Coffeeology

2012-01-28T11:59:00.001-05:00

Express yourself...

Better latte than never...

Take life one cup at a time...

So many blends, so little time...

Friends don't let friends drink bad coffee...

Take time to smell the coffee...

Deja Brew: that feeling you've had this coffee before...

Imperfection

2012-01-22T23:02:00.001-05:00

There would be no music if high C were the only note,
no art if spectrum red were the only color,
no joy in pleasure if pleasure were the only feeling -- and paradoxically,
there would be no perfection without imperfection.
What does this mean to me?
Well, first it means that I don't have to be perfect.
All I have to do is grow at a pace natural to me --
and that is all I have a right to expect of others.
~ The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 1], pp.60-61

Burma Shave Signs ... History lessons

2012-01-22T19:03:00.001-05:00

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's and '40's.

Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.

They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.

Here are more of the actual signs:

DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
BURMA SHAVE

TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP
Burma Shave

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE
Burma Shave

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
Burma Shave

DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING
Burma Shave

BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE
Burma Shave

CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER
Burma Shave

SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT
Burma Shave

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE
Burma Shave

AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave

NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU
Burma Shave

A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN'
HE'S JUST HOPIN'
Burma Shave

AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY
Burma Shave

BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE
Burma Shave

THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING
Burma Shave

CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave

PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW
Burma Shave

My idea of priceless photo

2012-01-17T20:23:00.001-05:00

Meet Landon.

His father, Marine LCPL Carpenter, gave his life defending our country in Afghanistan earlier this year, a month before his son was born.

Baby Landon's Mom wants his story to be known.

Never forget the price of freedom.

Freedom

2012-01-17T07:19:00.001-05:00

. . . we will be amazed before we are half way through.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, pp.83-84

Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession.

Albino Hummingbird

2012-01-15T18:27:00.001-05:00

A rare treat an albino hummingbird.
Something that is seldom seen and almost never photographed.

Fifteen-year-old photographer Marlin Shank was fortunate enough to capture
several images of a rare albino ruby-throated hummingbird while in a park in
Staunton , Va.

How Things Have Changed

2012-01-15T18:19:00.001-05:00

How things have changed ... B-)

Dealing With Feelings

2012-01-15T17:08:00.001-05:00

Provided you hold back nothing, your sense of relief will mount from minute to minute.
The dammed-up emotions of years break out of their confinement, and miraculously vanish as soon as they are exposed.
~ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 62

The Phases of Surrender ... No Decision Is A Decision To Do Nothing

2012-01-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

This is a historically interesting perspective on self defense. I urge everyone who reads this to consider the unrelenting attacks on our freedoms.

This came in from a DEA agent/supervisor/trainer who retired a while back.

"Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense"……..Winston Churchill, Oct 29, 1941

The Phases of Surrender

The first phase of surrender is failing to be armed, trained and committed to fight. We are prepared to surrender when we are unprepared to resist.

The second phase of surrender is failing to be alert. You must see trouble coming in order to have time to respond. The warning may be less than one second but it will be there and it must be recognized and acted upon immediately.

The Third phase of surrender is giving up your weapons.

The last phase of surrender is up to the monsters who have taken control of your life and perhaps the lives of your loved ones. The last phase of surrender is out of your hands.

Surrender during war

During the American Revolution 12,000 Colonists captured by the British died in captivity on prison ships, while only 8,000 died in battle. Had the 12,000 who surrendered continued to fight many would have survived and they could have done great damage to the British and likely shortened the war.

Civil War prisoners were treated so badly that some 50,000 died in captivity. More Americans have been killed by Americans than by any foreign army in any war. Six hundred eighteen thousand (618,000) Americans died in the Civil War.

As many as 18,000 captured American and Filipino prisoners died or were murdered at the hands of the Japanese during the six days of the "Bataan Death March." Had most of these soldiers slipped into the jungle and fought as guerrillas they could have tied up elements of the Japanese Army for months or years and perhaps more of them would have survived the war.

Of the Americans who actually reached Japanese prison camps during the war, nearly 50,000 died in captivity. That is more than 10 percent of all the American military deaths in the entire war in both the Pacific and European theaters combined.

In addition to the 50,000 captured Americans who died in Japanese prison camps an additional 20,000 were murdered before reaching a prison camp. If those 70,000 Americans had continued to fight, they could have provided time for the United States to build and maneuver its forces, perhaps shortening the war and saving even more lives. Some of them would have likely survived the war. If they had all died in battle their fate would have been no worse.

During the early stages of the Battle of the Bulge American soldiers were massacred by the German troops who captured them.

During the Vietnam conflict many American Prisoners Of War were tortured daily for years by the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans died during the process. Only Officers (Aviators) held in North Vietnam were ever repatriated. Enlisted Americans captured in South Viet Nam were routinely tortured, mutilated and murdered by the Communists. As a combat soldier and knowing my fate should I be captured, I was committed to fighting to the death. I made specific plans to force the enemy to kill me rather than allow myself to be captured.

In recent years, American troops captured by Islamic terrorists groups have virtually all been tortured and murdered in gruesome fashion. If I were fighting in the Middle East, I would make a similar vow and plan to fight to the death. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to be captured by our Islamic enemies.

Death by Government

R.J. Rummel, who wrote the book, "Death by Government" states that prior to the 20th Century; 170 million civilians were murdered by their own governments. Historians tell us that during the 20th Century perhaps as many as 200 million civilians were murdered by their own governments.

Some of the Nations where the mass murder of civilians occurred during the 20th Century include Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, The Congo, Uganda, Armenia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Laos, China, Cuba, Manchuria, Iraq, Iran, Biafra, Rwanda and many others. The slaughter of civilians by governments appears to be as common as not.

Most of these slaughters were only made possible by disarming the victims before killing them. Had these people resisted, their fate would have been no worse and perhaps better. Resistance is much more difficult after the government has already taken the means of resistance away from the people. Planned genocide has been the primary reason for weapon confiscation throughout history.

Jews and others who surrendered to the Nazis were murdered in slave labor camps by the millions. Had all the Jews in Europe resisted when the Nazis started rounding them up they could have made the Nazis pay an enormous price for the holocaust. The fact that Hitler confiscated guns in 1936 made resistance far less feasible.

Had the Jews in Germany resisted, the outcome may have been the same but the world would have learned about the holocaust years earlier and may have intervened. Most people would prefer to die fighting and trying to kill their oppressor, than be taken off to a death camp and starved to death or murdered in a gas chamber.

William Ayers, former leader of the Terrorist organization The Weather Underground, told his followers in the Weather Underground, “When we (Communist Revolutionaries) take over the United States, we will have to kill 25 million Americans.” He was referring to those who would never submit to a Communist takeover. Those who would refuse to deny and reject the Constitution would have to be murdered. If this sounds impossible, remember that Genocide by Government was the leading cause of death in the last Century.

Surrendering to Criminals

The Onion Field Murder in California was a wake up call to Law Enforcement Officers everywhere. On March 9, 1963, two Los Angeles Police Department officers were taken prisoner by two criminals. The Officers submitted to capture and gave up their weapons.

They were driven to an onion field outside of Bakersfield.

One Officer was murdered while the other Officer managed to escape in a hail of gunfire. The surviving Officer suffered serious psychological case, having been unable to save his partner. As a result of this incident, the LAPD policy became, “You will fight no matter how bad things are.” “You will never ever surrender your weapons or yourself to a criminal.”

Consider the Ogden, Utah record store murders. Read the book if you do not know the story. The manner in which the criminals murdered their young victims cannot be described here. Resistance might have been futile. Compliance was definitely and absolutely futile.

The courts in this country have ruled that the police have no legal obligation to protect anyone. Why do Law Enforcement Officials always tell civilians not to resist a criminal, while they tell their Officers to always resist and never surrender? Police administrators fear being sued by a civilian victim who gets hurt resisting. Furthermore, the police, like all government agencies derive their power by fostering dependence.

According to Professor John Lott's study on the relationship between guns and crime, a victim who resists with a firearm is less likely to be hurt or killed than a victim who cooperates with his attacker. His book is titled "More Guns, Less Crime."

The Doctor and his family in Connecticut complied and cooperated, meeting every demand of the home invasion robbers to whom they had surrendered. The Doctors wife and daughters were tortured, raped, doused with gasoline and burned alive. How did surrender and cooperation work out for them?

In another home invasion robbery, a kindly couple with 9 “adopted, special needs children,” surrendered to the robbers. The victims opened their safe and did not resist in any way. When the robbers where finished ransacking the home and terrifying the children, they shot both parents in the head several times before leaving. How did surrender and complete cooperation work out for them?

Handing over your life by surrendering to someone who is in the process of committing a violent crime against you is a form of suicide. Some survive but many do not. The monster gets to decide for you.

We have heard brutalized victims say, "The robber said that he would not hurt us if we cooperated." Why would you believe anything that someone who is committing a crime against you says? He will be lying if he speaks. As we say in law enforcement, “If a criminal’s lips are moving while he is speaking, he is lying.” Criminals by definition are dishonest and should never be trusted or believed.

You have no doubt heard friends say, I would not resist a criminal, after all why would he kill me? This is stupid and naive. In law enforcement, we call these people “Victims by Choice” (VBC). There could be a long list of reasons why a criminal would kill you despite your cooperation.

You may be of a different race, thus a different tribe. Only members of his tribe are actually human in his mind. He may feel hatred toward you because you have more than he does. Gratification from being in a position of total power is reason enough for some.

Criminals are sometimes members of a Satanic Cult who worship death such as the “Night Stalker” in California. Eliminating a potential witness is often cited as a reason to kill a victim. Sometimes criminals simply enjoy causing suffering and death. There are people who are in fact, pure evil. I have heard criminals say, “I killed her just to watch her die.”

A victim who begs for mercy can give his attacker a tremendous feeling of power which many criminals seem to enjoy. You cannot expect mercy from someone who does not know what mercy is.

Resist!

We each have a duty to ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our city, our state and our country to resist criminals. Reasoning with a thug who believes that his failures are because of people just like you is not likely to be helpful. Pleading with a terrorist who has been taught from birth that his salvation depends on murdering people like you is a doomed plan. Resist!

Resist! His gun may not be real. After you are tied up it will not matter. His gun may not be loaded. After you are tied up it will not matter. He may not know how to operate his gun. After you are tied up it will not matter. Resist!

Statistically if you run and your assailant shoots at you he will miss. Statistically if you run and he shoots and hits you, you will not die. Bad guys shooting at the police miss 90 percent of the time. The odds are on your side. Better to die fighting in place than to be tied up, doused with gasoline and burned alive. There are things worse than death. Surrender to a criminal or a terrorist and you will learn what they are. Resist!

If you resist with a commitment to win you may well prevail, especially if you are armed and trained. If you lose it is still better to die fighting in place than to be taken prisoner and have your head cut off with a dull knife while your screams gurgle through your own blood as we have witnessed on numerous videos from the Middle East, brought to us by the “Islamic practitioners of peace.”

Some who have refused to surrender

History is filled with brave people who refused to surrender. Some of these men and woman have won their battles despite what seemed to be insurmountable odds. Others have gone down fighting and avoided being tortured to death. Some fought to the death to help or save others. Many have fought to the death for an idea or a belief.

When General Santa Ana (also the President of Mexico at the time) ordered 180 "Texacans" to surrender the Alamo, Col. Travis answered with “a cannon shot and a rebel yell.” Eventually General Santa Ana was able to build his troop strength to ten thousand. The Mexicans then swarmed the defenders and killed them all.

The battle of the Alamo delayed the Mexican Army long enough for Sam Houston to build his Texacan Army, which met and defeated the Mexican Army and captured General Santa Ana. General Santa Ana traded Texas for his life and the sacrifices of the Alamo defenders changed history.

Frank Luke was a heroic aviator in WWI. Shot down and wounded he refused to surrender when confronted by a German patrol. He killed 4 German soldiers with his 1911 Pistol before being killed. Luke was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

When his unit was pinned down by German Machine Guns and all of the Officers and non commissioned officers in his company were killed or wounded, Alvin York never considered surrendering. Instead, he attacked hundreds of German soldiers killing about 25 with his rifle and pistol and then captured 132 others by himself!

Most of the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto (Poland) surrendered to the German Army. They were taken off to death camps and murdered. Between 400 and 1,000 Jews refused to surrender and armed with only a few pistols, revolvers and rifles, they held off the German Army for three months before dying in battle.

During the “Battle of the Bulge,” the 101st Airborne was surrounded by the German Army and ordered to surrender. Faced with overwhelming odds, the Commanding Officer of the 101st sent this reply to the Germans. "Nuts." The Americans refused to surrender and they stopped the German advance. Most of the Americans troops survived.

On Sept 2, 2010, 40 armed criminals took over and robbed a train in India. Some of the robbers had guns, others used knives and clubs. When they began to disrobe an 18 year old girl for the purpose of gang raping her, one of the passengers decided to fight. He was a 35 year old retired Gurkha soldier. He drew his Khukasri knife and attacked the 40 robbers. He killed three of the robbers and wounded 8 more despite his being wounded in this 20 minute fight. The remaining criminals fled for their lives leaving their stolen loot and eleven comrades dead or wounded on the floor of the train. The eight wounded robbers were arrested.

How does one man defeat 40? How does he summon the courage to fight such odds? He utilized all of the Principles of Personal Defense: Alertness, Decisiveness, Aggressiveness, Speed, Coolness, Ruthlessness, and Surprise. He was skilled in the use of his weapon. Most importantly, He refused to be a victim and allow evil to triumph!

If this one inspirational soldier can defeat 40 opponents using his knife, it would seem that we should all be able to defeat a group of armed criminals by using our firearms if we are professionally trained as was this heroic Gurkha soldier.

Final thoughts

How will you respond if you are confronted by evil as some of us have been in the past and some of us will be in the future? If you have not decided ahead of time what you will do, you will likely do nothing. Those who fight back often win and survive. Those who surrender never win and often die a horrible death.

Have you made your decision?

Remember, no decision is a decision to do nothing.

Instant Magic

2012-01-12T22:59:00.001-05:00

Whenever I start climbing the walls for some reason -- usually because I'm unable to have things my way, like the behavior of my boss, my son's attitude, or even my country's politics -- I have an instant cure.
I close my eyes and visualize one of the many moments of past horror and humiliation: waking up in the street, begging a stranger for money, talking my way into buying a bottle on credit, or trying to convince a doctor to hospitalize me because I had nowhere to go.
This and the Serenity Prayer always work instant magic.
~AA Around the World, p. 33

New Gov't Program To Help The Economy,

2012-01-11T22:37:00.001-05:00

To help save the economy, the Government will announce next month the Immigration Department will start deporting seniors (instead of illegal’s) in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs.

Older people are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home.

I started to cry when I thought of you.

Then it dawned on me ... oh, crap ...

I'll see you on the bus!

Patience

2012-01-11T07:24:00.001-05:00

Few experiences are of less value than fast sobriety.
Too many times discouragement has been the bonus for unrealistic expectations.
. . . The secret of fulfilling my potential is in acknowledging my limitations
and believing that time is a gift, not a threat.
~ Daily Reflections, p. 70

'Someone'

2012-01-10T07:30:00.001-05:00

In those days I had no one to whom I might take my troubles.
Today I have.
Today I have Someone who will always hear me;
I have a warm fellowship among men who understand my problems;
I have tasks to do and am glad to do them,
to see others who are alcoholics
and to help them in any way I can to become sober men.
I took my last drink in 1937.

~ Jim S., Akron, Ohio, early member~
- Experience, Strength and Hope, pp. 276-77

Listening

2012-01-08T23:06:00.001-05:00

If you really listen (not just hear) what is being said, you may find the person talking has quietly slipped inside your head and seems to be describing the landscape there -- the shifting shapes of nameless fears, the color and chill of impending doom -- if not the actual events and words stored in your brain.
- Living Sober, p. 85

Happy, Joyous, and Free

2012-01-08T19:05:00.001-05:00

We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.

We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is vale of tears, though it was just that for many of us.

But it is clear that we made our own misery.

God didn't do it.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 133

The only thing worse than being unhappy is being happy and not knowing it.

Self-will Run Riot

2012-01-02T22:04:00.001-05:00

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.
They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so.
Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness.
We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62

Humor: South Carolina Troopers ... B-)

2012-01-01T19:13:00.001-05:00

These are actual comments made by South Carolina Troopers that were taken off their car videos:

1. "You know, stop lights don't come any redder than the one you just went through."

2. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them awhile."

3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document." (My Favorite)

4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."

5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you."
(LOVE IT)

6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?"

7. "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I'm the shift supervisor?"

8. "Warning! You want a warning? O.K, I'm warning you not to do that again or I'll give you another ticket."

9. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"

10. "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop."

11. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven."

12. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC." ( National Crime Information Center )

13. "Just how big were those 'two beers' you say you had?"

14. "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to, but now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we can."

15. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of yours. So you know someone who can post your bail."

AND THE WINNER IS....

16. "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign here."

A New Year

2012-01-01T13:55:00.001-05:00

May I set my goals for the New Year not at the year-long mark, but one day at a time.

My traditional New Year's resolutions have been so grandly stated and so soon broken.

Let me not weaken my resolve by stretching it to cover "forever" - or even one long year.

May I reapply it firmly each new day.

May I learn not to stamp my past mistakes with that indelible word, "forever."

Instead, may each single day in each New Year be freshened by my new-found hope.

Timmy writes a Christmas Letter

2011-12-31T20:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Santa,

How are you? How is Mrs. Claus?
I hope everyone, from the reindeer to the elves, is fine.
I have been a very good boy this year.
I would like an X-Box 360 with Call of Duty IV and an iPhone 4 for Christmas.
I hope you remember that come Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas,

Timmy Jones

********************* Dear Timmy,

Thank you for you letter.
Mrs. Claus, the reindeer and the elves are all fine and thank you for asking about them.
Santa is a little worried all the time you spend playing video games and texting.
Santa wouldn't want you to get fat.
Since you have indeed been a good boy, I think I'll bring you something you can go outside and play with.

Merry Christmas,

Santa Claus

*********************** Mr. Claus,

Seeing that I have fulfilled the "naughty vs. nice" contract, set by you I might add, I feel confident that you can see your way clear to granting me what I have asked for.
I certainly wouldn't want to turn this joyous season into one of litigation.
Also, don't you think that a jibe at my weight coming from an overweight man who goes out once a year is a bit trite?

Respectfully,

Tim Jones

********************* Mr. Jones,

While I have acknowledged you have met the "nice" criteria, need I remind you that your Christmas list is a request and in no way is it a guarantee of services provided.
Should you wish to pursue legal action, well that is your right.
Please know, however, that my attorney's have been on retainer ever since the Burgermeister Meisterburger incident and will be more than happy to take you on in open court.
Additionally, the exercise I alluded to will not only improve your health, but also improve you social skills and potentially help clear up a complexion that looks like the bottom of the Burger King fry bin most days.

Very Truly Yours,

S Claus

*********************** Now look here Fat Man,

I told you what I want and I expect you to bring it.
I was attempting to be polite about this but you brought my looks and my friends into this.
Now you just be disrespecting me.
I'm about to tweet my boys and we're gonna be waiting for your fat ass and I'm taking my game console, my game, my phone, and whatever else I want.
WHAT EVER I WANT, MAN!

T-Bone

***************** Listen Pizza Face,

Seriously???
You think a dude that breaks into every house in the world on one night and never gets caught sweats a skinny gang banger wannabe?
"He sees you when you're sleeping; He knows when you're awake".
Sound familiar, genius?
You know what kind of resources I have at my disposal.
I got your shit wired, Jack.
I go all around the world and see ways to hurt people that if I described them right now, you'd throw up your Totino's pizza roll all over the carpet of your mom's basement.
You're not getting what you asked for, but I'm still stopping by your crib to stomp a mud hole in you're ass and then walk it dry.
Chew on that, Petunia.

S Clizzy

*********************** Dear Santa,

Bring me whatever you see fit. I'll appreciate anything.

Timmy

************** Timmy,

That's what I thought you little bastard.

Santa

Magic Green Hat

2011-12-29T23:52:00.001-05:00

The other day I needed to go to the emergency room.
Not wanting to sit there for 4 hours, I put on my MAGIC GREEN HAT.
When I went into the E.R., I noticed that 3/4 of the people got up and left.

I guess they decided that they weren't that sick after all.
Cut at least 3 hours off my waiting time.

It also works at DMV.
It saved me 5 hours.

At the Laundromat, three minutes after entering, I had my choice of any machine, most still running.

If you live in Texas, it might cut your wait time at the grocery store.

But...don't try it at McDonald's.
The whole crew took off and left out the back door and I never got my order!

Brown Bag Christmas

2011-12-23T20:44:00.001-05:00

When I asked our newlywed Sunday School class to share a favorite Christmas story, Carrie Fuller said, "Our family has one we call the 'brown bag Christmas.'"
When she finished, I had to hear more.
Two days later, I called a member of her family for more details.

It was the early 1930s during the Dust Bowl days of Kansas, in the heart of the Depression.
The Canaday family---Mom, Dad, 7 children---were having a tough time existing, so there would be no luxuries at Christmas that year.
Mom told the children to go outside and find a Christmas tree and decorate it.
After a lengthy search, they returned with a dead branch, the only thing they had been able to find.
They stood it up in a bucket of sand and decorated it with pieces of paper tied with string.
Little Judy, almost four, did not know how a Christmas tree was supposed to look, but somehow she knew it was not like that!

As Christmas approached, the Canaday children, like children everywhere, pestered Mom and Dad about what presents they might get under their "tree."
Dad pointed out that the pantry was bare, that they did not have enough to live on, and there certainly would be no money for gifts.
But Mom was a woman of faith and told her children, "Say your prayers. Ask God to send us what He wants us to have."
Dad said, "Now, Mother, don't be getting the children's hopes up. You're just setting them up for a disappointment."
Mom said, "Pray, children. Tell Jesus."
And pray they did.
On Christmas Eve, the children watched out the window for visitors, but no one came.
"Blow out the lamp and go to bed", Dad said. "Nobody is going to come. No one even knows we're out here."

The children turned out the lamp and got in bed, but they were too excited to sleep.
Was this not Christmas?
Had they not asked God to send them the presents He wanted them to have?
Did Mom not say God answers prayer?

Late that night, when one of the children spotted headlights coming down the dirt road, everyone jumped out of bed and ran to the window.
The commotion woke up Mom and Dad.
"Don't get excited, children," Dad said. "They're probably not coming here. It's just someone who got lost."
The children kept hoping and the car kept coming.
Then, Dad lit a lamp.
They all wanted to rush to the door at the same time, but Mr. Canaday said, "Stay back. I'll go."
Someone got out of the car and called, "I was wondering if someone here can help me unload these bags."
The children dashed out the door to lend a hand.
Mom said to her youngest, "Stay here, Judy, and help Mom open the bags and put up the gifts."

A deacon from the church in town had gone to bed that Christmas Eve, and lay there tossing and turning, unable to get the Canaday family off his mind.
Later, he said, "I didn't know what kind of shape you folks were in, but I knew you had all those kids."
He had gotten up and dressed and went around town, rousing people from their sleep to ask for a contribution for the Canaday family.
He filled his car with bags of groceries, canned goods, toys, and clothing.
Little Judy got a rag doll which remained her favorite for years.

With so much food, Dad wanted to have a Christmas feast, to spread it all out and eat as they had never eaten before.
Mom, ever the caretaker, said, "No, we need to make this last." And it did last, for weeks.

The next Sunday, Mrs. Canaday stood in church and told what the members---and one deacon in particular---had done for her family.
There was not a dry eye in the house.

Years later, the oldest sister Eva wrote up this story about her family for a school project.
Eva said, "We were so thrilled by all the wonderful things in the bags, for a while ;we lost sight of the most special gift.
The best gift that Christmas was not in brown bags at all.
It was Mom's faith, as she taught her children to bring their needs to Jesus and trust Him to meet them.
And a Dad's love that wanted only to protect his children from hurt and disappointment."

When Carrie finished telling her story, she added, "Little Judy is my wonderful grandmother."
Today, Judy Canaday Dryden lives in Sanger, Texas.
As she relived this event from seventy years ago over the phone, one could hear the tear in her voice and feel her pride in being the recipient of such a precious heritage from her mother and father.

At Christmas, we celebrate praying mothers and caring fathers and believing children.
We give thanks for sensitive deacons and generous friends and sleepless nights.
And we praise God for the hard times that teach unforgettable lessons, stories of faithfulness that get told and retold through the years inspiring each new generation to place their faith in a loving Savior.

WWII History: The Day Japan Bombed Oregon

2011-12-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

The only plane ever to drop a bomb on the United States

during WWII was this submarine based Glen.

By: Norm Goyer

September 9, 1942, the I-25 class Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction raising its periscope occasionally as it neared the United States Coastline.

Japan had attackedPearl Harbor less than a year ago and the Captain of the attack submarine knew that Americans were watching their coast line for ships and aircraft that might attack our country.

Dawn was approaching; the first rays of the sun were flickering off the periscopes lens. Their mission; attack the west coast with incendiary bombs in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire.

If this test run were successful, Japan had hopes of using their huge submarine fleet to attack the eastern end of the Panama Canal to slow down shipping from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The Japanese Navy had a large number of I-400 submarines under construction. Each capable of carrying three aircraft.

Pilot Chief Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita and his crewman Petty Officer Shoji Okuda were making last minute checks of their charts making sure they matched those of the submarine's navigator.

September 9, 1942: Nebraska forestry student Keith V. Johnson was on duty atop a forest fire lookout tower between Gold Beach and Brookings Oregon .

Keith had memorized the silhouettes of Japanese long distance bombers and those of our own aircraft.

He felt confident that he could spot and identify, friend or foe, almost immediately. It was cold on the coast this September morning , and quiet.

The residents of the area were still in bed or preparing to head for work.

The aircraft carried two incendiary 168 pound bombs
and a crew of two.

Lumber was a large part of the industry in Brookings, just a few miles north of the California Oregon state lines.

Aboard the submarine the Captain's voice boomed over the PA system, Prepare to surface, aircrew report to your stations, wait for the open hatch signal.

During training runs several subs were lost when hangar door were opened too soon and sea water rushed into the hangars and sank the boat with all hands lost.

You could hear the change of sound as the bow of the I-25 broke from the depths, nosed over for its run on the surface.

A loud bell signaled the All Clear.

The crew assigned to the single engine Yokosuki E14Ys float equipped observation and light attack aircraft sprang into action.

They rolled the plane out its hangar built next to the conning tower.

The wings and tail were unfolded, and several 176 pound incendiary bombs were attached to the hard points under the wings.

This was a small two passenger float plane with a nine cylinder 340 hp radial engine.

It was full daylight when the Captain ordered the aircraft to be placed on the catapult.

Warrant Officer Fujita started the engine, let it warm up, checked the magnetos and oil pressure.

There was a slight breeze blowing and the seas were calm. A perfect day to attack the United States of America .

When the gauges were in the green the pilot signaled and the catapult launched the aircraft. After a short climb to altitude the pilot turned on a heading for the Oregon coast.

Johnson was sweeping the horizon but could see nothing, he went back to his duties as a forestry agent which was searching for any signs of a forest fire. The morning moved on.

Every few minutes he would scan low, medium and high but nothing caught his eye.

The small Japanese float plane had climbed to several thousand feet of altitude for better visibility and to get above the coastal fog.

The pilot had calculated land fall in a few minutes and right on schedule he could see the breakers flashing white as they hit theOregon shores.

Johnson was about to put his binoculars down when something flashed in the sun just above the fog bank.

It was unusual because in the past all air traffic had been flying up and down the coast, not aiming into the coast.

The pilot of the aircraft checked his course and alerted his observer to be on the lookout for a fire tower which was on the edge of the wooded area where they were supposed to drop their bombs.

These airplanes carried very little fuel and all flights were in and out without any loitering.

The plane reached the shore line and the pilot made a course correction 20 degrees to the north.

The huge trees were easy to spot and certainly easy to hit with the bombs.

The fog was very wispy by this time.

Johnson watched in awe as the small floatplane with a red meat ball on the wings flew overhead, the plane was not a bomber and there was no way that it could have flown across the Pacific, Johnson could not understand what was happening.

He locked onto the plane and followed it as it headed inland.

The pilot activated the release locks so that when he could pickled the bombs they would release.

His instructions were simple, fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the trees and circle once to see if they had started any fires and then head back to the submarine.

The Glen was launched via catapult from
a I-25 class Japanese submarine.

Johnson could see the two bombs under the wing of the plane and knew that they would be dropped.

He grabbed his communications radio and called the Forest Fire Headquarters informing them of what he was watching unfold.

The bombs tumbled from the small seaplane and impacted the forests, the pilot circled once and spotted fire around the impact point.

He executed an 180 degree turn and headed back to the submarine.

There was no air activity, the skies were clear.

The small float plane lined up with the surfaced submarine and landed gently on the ocean, then taxied to the sub. A long boom swung out from the stern.

His crewman caught the cable and hooked it into the pickup attached to the roll over cage between the cockpits.

The plane was swung onto the deck, The plane's crew folded the wings and tail, pushed it into its hangar and secured the water tight doors.

The I-25 submerged and headed back to Japan.

This event, which caused no damage, marked the only time during World War II that an enemy plane had dropped bombs on the United States mainland.

What the Japanese didn't count on was coastal fog, mist and heavy doses of rain made the forests so wet they simply would not catch fire.

Warrant Officer Fujita is shown with his Yokosuka E14Y
(Glen) float plane prior to his flight.

Fifty years later the Japanese pilot,
who survived the war,
would return to Oregon to help dedicate
a historical plaque at the exact spot
where his two bombs had impacted.
The elderly pilot then donated his ceremonial sword
as a gesture of peace and closure
of the bombing of Oregon in 1942.

Military Vets will like this one!

2011-12-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

A US Air Force C-130 was scheduled to leave Thule Air Base, Greenland, at midnight during a winter month.

During the pilot's pre-flight check, he discovers that the latrine holding tank is still full from the last flight. So a message is sent to the base, and an airman who was off duty is called out to take care of it.

The young man finally gets to the air base and makes his way to the aircraft only to find that the latrine pump-truck has been left outdoors and is frozen solid, so he must find another one in the hangar, which takes even more time.

He returns to the aircraft and is less than enthusiastic about what he has to do.

Nevertheless, he goes about the pumping job deliberately and carefully (and slowly) so as not to risk criticism later.

As he's leaving the plane, the pilot stops him and says, 'Son, your attitude and performance has caused this flight to be late, and I'm going to personally see to it that you are not just reprimanded but punished.'

Shivering in the cold, his task finished, he takes a deep breath, stands tall and says, 'Sir, with all due respect, I'm not your son; I'm an Airman in the United States Air Force.

I've been in Thule, Greenland for 11 months without any leave, and reindeers' asses are beginning to look pretty good to me.

I have one stripe; it's 2:30 in the morning; the temperature is 40 degrees below zero; and my job here is to pump shit out of an aircraft.

Now just exactly what form of punishment did you have in mind?'

The surprised pilot thought a long moment, grinned, and then threw the airman a salute.

Christmas Party ... Politically Incorrect

2011-12-17T21:55:00.001-05:00

MEMO FROM: Patricia Harris , Human Resources Director

TO: All Employees

DATE: 4th DECEMBER
RE: Christmas Party

I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at noon in the private function room at the Grill House. There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks!
We'll have a small band playing traditional carols...please feel free to sing along.
And don't be surprised if the Managing Director shows up dressed as Santa Claus! A Christmas tree will be lit at 1.00 p.m.
Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets.

This gathering is only for employees! The Managing Director will make a special announcement at the Party.

Merry Christmas to you and your Family

Patricia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM: Patricia Harris , Human Resources Director

TO: All Employees

DATE: 5th December
RE: Holiday Party

In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Chanukah is an important holiday, which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year.
However, from now on we're calling it our 'Holiday Party.' The same policy applies to any other employees who are not Christians. There will be no Christmas tree or Christmas carols sung. We will have other types of music for your enjoyment.

Happy now?

Happy Holidays to you and your family,

Patricia .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM; Patricia Harris , Human Resources Director

TO: All Employees

DATE : 6th December

RE: Holiday Party

Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table...you didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads, "AA Only," you wouldn't be anonymous anymore!!!! How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody?

Forget about the gift exchange, no gift exchange allowed now since the Union Officials feel that $10.00 is too much money and Management believe $10.00 is a little cheap.

NO GIFT EXCHANGE WILL BE ALLOWED.

Patricia .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM: Patricia Harris , Human Resources Director

TO: All Employees

DATE: 7th December

RE: Holiday Party

What a diverse group we are! I had no idea that December 20th begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating and drinking during day light hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon at this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs, perhaps the Grill House can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party - or else package everything up for you to take home in a little foil doggy bag. Will that work?

Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Weight Watchers to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and pregnant women will get the table closest to the toilets, Gays are allowed to sit with each other,Lesbians do not have to sit with gay men, each will have their own table.

Yes, there will be flower arrangements for the gay men's table, too.

To the person asking permission to cross dress - no cross dressing allowed. And No, no blow-up sheep.

We will have booster seats for short people. Low fat food will be available for those on a diet. We cannot control the salt used in the food. We suggest those people with high blood pressure taste the food first. There will be fresh fruits as dessert for Diabetics, the restaurant cannot supply "No Sugar" desserts. Sorry!

Did I miss anything?!?!?!?!?!

Patricia .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM: Patricia Harris , Human Resources Director
TO: All F***** G Employees

DATE: 8 December

RE: The ******** Holiday Party.

Vegetarian pricks I've had it with you people!!! We're going to keep this party at the Grill House whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death", as you so quaintly put it.

You'll get your f****** salad bar, including organic tomatoes, but you know tomatoes have feeling, too.

They scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right NOW!!

Hope you all have a rotten holiday * drink, drive, and die!

The Bitch from HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FROM: John Bishop - Acting Human Resources Director

DATE: 12th December

RE: Patricia Harris and Holiday Party

I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Patricia a speedy recovery and I'll continue to forward your cards to her.

In the meantime, Management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and instead, give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd December off with full pay.

Only One

2011-12-17T09:26:00.001-05:00

I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
--Edward Everett Hale

Santa Claus and Grandma

2011-12-16T23:53:00.001-05:00

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma.
I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb:
"There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been.
I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me.
I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns.
I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.
It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm.
Between bites, I told her everything.
She was ready for me.
"No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked.
I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.
"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.
As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.
That was a bundle in those days.
"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car."
Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old.
I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.
The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker.
He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.
Bobby Decker didn't have a coat.
I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter.
His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat.
I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement.
I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it.
It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat.
I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.
Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.
Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.
Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.
That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were -- ridiculous.
Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share,
HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care...

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

Cornfield Bomber

2011-12-15T22:28:00.001-05:00

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction...

1970, while assigned to the 71st FIS at Malmstrom AFB, Montana , its pilot ejected during an in-flight emergency.

The pilot somehow got himself into a flat spin -- considered generally unrecoverable in an F-106 and he did what the flight handbook said to do -- get out of it, i.e., eject.

After the pilot did just that, 58-0787 recovered itself from this "unrecoverable" situation.

In a vain attempt to break the spin, the pilot had lowered half flaps, rolled in takeoff trim, and throttled the engine back to an approach power setting.

After the ejection, the aircraft recovered from the spin on its own, and established a wings level low rate descent under reduced power to the ground.

Ground effect broke its rate of descent, and it settled into a near-perfect gentle belly landing in a farmer's snow-covered cornfield.

When the local sheriff came upon the scene, the engine was still running.

The aircraft was situated on a slight incline, and was creeping forward slowly under the thrust of its still-running engine, as the snow compressed to ice under it.

Concerned about where it might be headed, the sheriff didn't think he could wait for the recovery team to get there from Malstrom which was about 50 miles away; so he got himself connected to the aircraft's squadron for engine shut down instructions before he entered the cockpit to secure the engine.

The photos show pretty much what the sheriff beheld on that fateful day.

A depot team from McClellan AFB recovered the aircraft and it was eventually returned to service.

When the 71st FIS was disbanded in 1971, 58-0787, now famously known as the "Cornfield Bomber”, was transferred to the 49th FIS, where it finished out its operational service life.

Pilots of the 49th FIS would occasionally run into ex-71st FIS guys at William Tell and rag them unmercifully about the "emergency" so dire that the plane landed itself.

58-0787 is now on permanent display in its 49th FIS markings at the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB , where its story is told in the exhibit.

While the 49th FIS Eagle jocks are reportedly glad to see their squadron immortalized in this way for millions to see, they would prefer to see it made more clear that it was the 71st, and not one of theirs, who jumped out of this perfectly good aircraft.

This Is Further indication that the Air Force has a perfect record ... They Have Never Left One Up There.

We're In The Christmas Spirit ...

2011-12-13T16:38:00.001-05:00

A New Day

2011-12-11T23:29:00.001-05:00

Renew,
Release,
LET GO!

Yesterdays gone.

There's nothing you can do to bring it back.

You can't "should've" done something.

You can only do something.

Renew yourself.

Release that attachment.

Today is a new day!

-- Steve Maraboli

We spend our days waiting for the ideal path to appear
in front of us but what we forget is that,
paths are made by walking, not by waiting.
So get up, get out and make it happen!

'MAKE IT' a Great Day!

A beautiful day begins with a prayer of gratitude

2011-12-11T23:19:00.001-05:00

May your hearts be filled with joy and gladness.

Warm rays of the sun and joy.

Love and kindness with peace of mind;
to use your wisdom in every situation.

With prayers that Fortune with blessings to all shall be given.

May you all have a beautiful and wonderful day.

Amen.

Love Is a Verb ...

2011-12-11T23:16:00.001-05:00

My friend, love is a verb.

Love – the feeling – is a fruit of love the verb.

So love her.

Sacrifice.

Listen to her.

Empathize.

Appreciate.

Affirm her.

Are you willing to do that?”
~Steven Covey

Fast and inexpensive way to build a house!

2011-12-10T18:16:00.001-05:00

Thought you might appreciate this.... not exactly a pre fab, but pretty clever.

Reminds me of the motorhome that was made from a trash truck

Acceptance

2011-12-10T17:50:00.001-05:00

It is only by accepting and solving our problems that we can begin to get right with ourselves and with the world around us, and with Him who presides over us all.

Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living; therefore, the joy of living is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step.
-- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 125

Joy is in knowing there is an answer.

Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.

2011-12-08T23:15:00.001-05:00

I always thought honesty had something to do with telling other people the truth.

It was explained that it had to do first with telling myself the truth.

I spent most of my life worrying about myself, thinking that I was unwanted, that I was unloved.

I've learned ... that the more I worry about me loving you, and the less I worry about you loving me, the happier I'll be.
-- Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 218

Saying Grace in a Restaurant - Priceless

2011-12-08T23:12:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we forget the reallyimportant things in life.

Last week, I took my grand-children to a restaurant.

My six-year-old grand-son asked if he could say grace.

As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Nana gets us ice cream for dessert. And liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my grand-son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job, and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.

He winked at my grand-son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."

"Really?" my grand-son asked.

"Cross my heart," the man replied.

Then, in a theatrical whisper, he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my grand-children ice cream at the end of the meal. My grand-son stared at his for a moment, and then did something I will remember the rest of my life.

He picked up his sundae and, without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman.

With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already."

Escape Our Own Self-Hood

2011-12-08T07:06:00.001-05:00

The only true joy on earth is to escape from the prison of our own self-hood (I do not say the body, because the body is God's temple and therefore it is holy), and enter by love into union with the Love Who dwells and sings within the essence of every creature and in the core of our own souls. -- Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation

~ #James B-)

Angel Eyes

2011-12-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

Just remembering that our guardian angels are always there is a good way to keep ourselves on the right path. We tend to behave better when we know someone's watching. And our angels are always watching.

— from Angels of God

The Origin of "Left" & "Right"

2011-12-04T00:30:00.001-05:00

I have often wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "right" and Liberals are called the "left."

By chance I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible:
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen.

Can't get any simpler than that.

Simple Arithmetic

2011-12-04T00:24:00.001-05:00

It is not always the quantity of good things you do,
it is also the quality that counts. . .
Above all, take it one day at a time.
-- As Bill Sees It, p. 11

Just for today, I choose not to drink.

O D A A T = One Day At A Time.

The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

2011-12-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

A man and his son headed to market with their donkey. A man on a horse passed them and asked, "Why aren't you riding your donkey?"

The man placed his son on the donkey, and they continued on their way. They passed by a family working in their fields. A young girl said. "Look at that lazy boy riding while his father is walking."

The man told his son to get off the donkey, and he climbed on. They passed a group of women and one said, "What a selfish man, making his son walk while he rides."

The man asked his son to climb up on the donkey with him. They passed a traveler on the road, who said, "That poor donkey is carrying too much weight."

Not knowing what to do, the man and his son began to carry the donkey. But the donkey kicked so violently they released their hold and the donkey ran away.

The Moral of the story: In striving to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.

Striving to be a people-pleaser can make you feel as if what you are doing is never right, and you lose your ability to make your own decision.

I will choose to do what is right for me.

Morning Light by Amy E. Dean

Things I Can Change

2011-12-02T11:23:00.001-05:00

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
--Reinhold Niebuhr

Some things I can change: the youthfulness of my spirit, who my friends are, my hair color, my weight, my adult experiences, my achievements, my character, my reaction to someone else's use of alcohol or other drugs, whether my eyes will shine, my job possibilities, what I will bequeath, how I feel, my ability to act on today's opportunities, how well I will live, whom I forgive, how I treat my own children, how much I love, the future.
-- from Days of Healing, Days of Joy
by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty

I thank God for my growing ability to choose.

The Great Reality Deep Down Within Us

2011-12-01T23:56:00.001-05:00

Deep down in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of God.
It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there.
For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself. . .
We found the Great Reality deep down with us.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 55

The power within me is far greater than any fear before me.

Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

2011-11-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace --
that where there is hatred, I may bring love --
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness --
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony --
that where there is error, I may bring truth --
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith --
that where there is despair, I may bring hope --
that where there are shadows, I may bring light --
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted --
to understand, than to be understood -- to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 99

A Thanksgiving Thought ... Gratitude

2011-11-23T23:44:00.001-05:00

One exercise I try to practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of the many gifts that are mine -- both temporal and spiritual.

Here I try to achieve a state of joyful gratitude.

When such a brand of gratitude is repeatedly affirmed and pondered, it can finally displace the natural tendency to congratulate myself on whatever progress I may have been enabled to make in some areas of living.

I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits.

When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.
-- As Bill Sees It, p. 37

I have learned how a heart full of gratitude feels.
Forgiveness unlocks the door and sets us free.

The world is full of beauty when your heart is full of love...

2011-11-22T09:47:00.001-05:00

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.

Cling to that as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love.

Forgiveness

2011-11-22T09:08:00.001-05:00

One forgives to the degree that one loves. -- La Rochefaucould

This is what forgiveness is:

(1) loving ourselves enough to stand up for ourselves,

(2) loving others enough to point out their behavior, and

(3) letting go.

Spirit of the Universe, help me lovingly forgive those who have hurt me.

Merry-go-round

2011-11-20T21:52:00.001-05:00

I began to feel like a clown juggling too many balls.

Each ball represented a problem I was keeping up in the air.

My arms were weary and I knew I couldn't keep on much longer,but I was not about to give up.

My pride and ego wouldn't let me.

Bosses, judges, co-workers, lawyers, car notes, bar tabs, loan sharks, utility payments, landlords, my girlfriend, people I had double-crossed -- I looked to all these as the source of my problems, while overlooking the most basic problem:
my drinking and myself.

I'd known for a long time that I desperately wanted off this merry-go-round,
but I had no idea how to do it.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 506

Swallowing my pride will not get me drunk.

What People Are Thinking ....

2011-11-19T18:55:00.001-05:00

To become less concerned with what people might be thinking, and less upset by negative things others may say:

Never guess what others might be thinking.

Value Yourself

Live your own life

Make your own choices.

Value your own opinions.

Choose to associate mostly with positive people who support you.

Facts of Life ... B-)

2011-11-19T13:13:00.001-05:00

Cats chase birds. It's what cats do.
Guys want to get laid. It's what guys do.
Bakers sell pastries. It's what bakers do.
Banks loan money. It's what banks do.
Developers build housing. It's what developers do.

And cats will keep chasing birds,
guys will take all they can get,
bakers will sell all they can,
bankers will push as much money out the door as they can,
and developers will take all the money they can get and build all the housing they can.

In the old days, it was up to the birds,
the women and the banks to say no.
But women don't get diamonds and jewelry for saying no.
Banks don't make profits by hoarding excess cash.

One day, dawn breaks.
The girl gets pregnant,
the housing market gets overbuilt, and
banks get stuck with huge nonperforming loans.

The devil has taken tomorrow,
tomorrow has become today, and
now there's hell to pay.

So whom do you want to blame?
The cat?
Hormones?
Pastries?
Banks?
Developers?

No, bunkie.
We meet the enemy every day.
He's in our mirror, and the joy ride is over.

And so we cry out to the government to save us from ourselves.
Better we should apply to the devil.
The terms are better.

B-)

Native American Wisdom On A Dead Horse

2011-10-14T14:23:00.001-04:00

It appears that Native American wisdom is not allowed inside the hallowed halls of government in Washington DC.

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that, "When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."

However, in liberal politics, personified by the current Democratic party, with tacit help from RINO's, more advanced strategies are often employed rather than simply getting off the dead horse, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip.

2. Changing riders.

3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.

4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses.

5. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.

6. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase dead horse performance.

7. Harnessing several dead, or near-dead, horses together and insisting they all be employed as a package.

8. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance.

9. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.

And of course....

10. Insisting that the dead horse is "too important to fail."

Election Year Humor: Daughter's Decision

2011-10-12T16:53:00.001-04:00

My daughter just walked into the living room and said, "Dad, cancel my
allowance immediately, rent my room out, throw all my clothes out of
the window, take my TV, stereo, iPhone, iPod, and my laptop.

Please take all of my jewelry to the Salvation Army or Cash Converter.

Then sell my new car. Take my front door key away from me and throw me out of the house.

Then disown me and never talk to me again.

And don't forget to write me out of your will and leave my share to my
brother."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, she didn't quite say it like that.

She actually said...

"Dad, I have decided to work for Obama's re-election campaign."

FLEA Party Theme Song

2011-10-12T16:29:00.001-04:00

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Life from the seat of a tractor..

2011-10-09T14:33:00.001-04:00

An old Farmer's Words of Wisdom we could all live by ...

“Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.”

“Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.”

“Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.”

“A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.”

“Words that soak into your ears are whispered ... not yelled.”

“Meanness don't just happen overnight.”

“Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.”

“Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.”

“It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.”

“You cannot unsay a cruel word.”

“Every path has a few puddles.”

“When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.”

“The best sermons are lived, not preached.”

“Most of the stuff people worry about, ain't never gonna happen anyway.”

“Don't judge folks by their relatives.

“Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.”

“Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.”

“Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.”

“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.”

“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.”

“Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

“The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.”

“Always drink upstream from the herd.”

“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.”

“Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.”

“If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.”

“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, Speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.”

“Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.”

The Gift of Free Will

2011-09-20T07:04:00.001-04:00

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of free will.

I know that I can disobey you
— you have given me that power —
but instead I submit my will to your will.

I want to be as Jesus, following your holy directives in all things.

— from God's on the Phone

What If

2011-09-18T17:43:00.001-04:00

What if we knew for certain that everything we're worried about today will work out fine?

What if . . . we had a guarantee that the problem bothering us would be worked out in the most perfect way, and at the best possible time? Furthermore, what if we knew that three years from now we'd be grateful for that problem, and its solution?

What if . . . we knew that even our worst fear would work out for the best?

What if . . . we had a guarantee that everything that's happening, and has happened, in our life was meant to be, planned just for us, and in our best interest?

What if . . . we had a guarantee that the people we love are experiencing exactly what they need in order to become who they're intended to become? Further, what if we had a guarantee that others can be responsible for themselves, and we don't have to control or take responsibility for them?

What if . . . we knew the future was going to be good, and we would have an abundance of resources and guidance to handle whatever comes our way?

What if . . . we knew everything was okay, and we didn't have to worry about a thing? What would we do then?

We'd be free to let go and enjoy life.

Today, I will know that I don't have to worry about anything.
If I do worry, I will do it with the understanding that I am choosing to worry, and it is not necessary.

-- Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go

Leading by Example

2011-09-18T17:19:00.001-04:00

Father, as I have been blessed,

I desire to bless others.

Help me to live my life with
commitment and obedience to you.

I realize that it is only to the degree that I am faithful to you
that I will be able to touch others and lead them to you.

— from God's on the Phone

My Next Life

2011-09-11T13:43:00.001-04:00

I want to live my next life backwards!

You start out dead and get that out of the way right off the bat.

Then, you wake up in a nursing home feeling better every day.

When you are kicked out of the home for being too healthy, you spend several years enjoying your retirement and collecting benefit checks.

When you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
You work 40 years or so, getting younger every day until pretty soon you're too young to work.

So then, you go to high school: play sports, date, drink, and party.

As you get even younger, you become a kid again.
You go to elementary school, play, and have no responsibilities.

In a few years, you become a baby and everyone runs themselves ragged keeping you happy.
You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap.

Until finally...You finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Selfishness

2011-08-23T06:52:00.001-04:00

Selfishness -- self-centeredness!
That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity,
we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.
Sometimes they hurt us seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self
which later placed us in a position to be hurt.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62

Change

2011-08-20T21:57:00.001-04:00

When I change the way I look at things, the things I look at change.

The Four Absolutes

2011-08-05T07:06:00.001-04:00

The Four Absolutes by the Oxford Group, used by early AAs before the Twelve Steps were written

Absolute Honesty
Both with ourselves and with others, in word, deed, and thought.

Absolute Unselfishness
To be willing, wherever possible, to help others who need our help.

Absolute Love
You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And. . . you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Absolute Purity
Purity of mind, of body, and of purpose.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The Gift of Choice

2011-07-31T11:59:00.001-04:00

When I am willing to do the right thing, I am rewarded with an inner peace
no amount of liquor could ever provide.
When I am unwilling to do the right thing, I become restless, irritable, and discontent. It is always my choice.
Through the Twelve Steps, I have been given the gift of choice.
I am no longer at the mercy of a disease that tells me the only answer is to drink.
If willingness is the key to unlock the gates of hell, it is action that opens those doors so that we may walk freely among the living.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 317

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Pickles

2011-07-27T23:34:00.001-04:00

We are also convinced, after the countless attempts we made to prove otherwise, that alcoholism is incurable -- like some other illnesses.
It cannot be "cured" in this sense: We cannot change our body chemistry
and go back to being the normal, moderate social drinkers lots of us
seemed to be in our youth.
As some of us put it, we can no more make that change than a pickle can change itself back into a cucumber.
- Living Sober p. 8

If I don't change, my sobriety date will.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Instincts

2011-07-26T07:18:00.001-04:00

We find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. . .
We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives.
If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.
-- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114

Once we understand ourselves, the rest of living falls in line.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Old Sea Parable

2011-07-21T21:58:00.001-04:00

There's an old sea story about a ship's Captain who inspected his sailors, and afterward told the first mate that his men smelled bad.

The Captain suggested perhaps it would help if the sailors would change underwear occasionally.

The first mate responded, "Aye, aye sir, I'll see to it immediately!"

The first mate went straight to the sailors berth deck and announced, "The Captain thinks you guys smell bad and wants you to change your underwear."

He continued, "JJ you change with Jimmie, Richard you change with George and Don you change with Wayne ."

THE MORAL OF THE STORY:

Someone may come along and promise "Change",but don't count on things smelling any better.

Fear

2011-07-21T21:48:00.001-04:00

The problem of resolving fear has two aspects.
We shall have to try for all the freedom from fear that is possible for us to attain.
Then we shall need to find the courage and the grace to deal constructively with whatever fears remain.
-- As Bill Sees It, p. 61

The power within me is far greater than any fear before me.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Hope

2011-07-20T14:09:00.001-04:00

In spite of the great increase in the size and the span of this Fellowship, at its core it remains simple and personal.
Each day, somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength, and hope.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. xxii

Hope sees the invisible,
feels the intangible,
and achieves the impossible.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Letting Go of Old Ideas

2011-07-17T13:20:00.001-04:00

We finally asked ourselves: Wouldn't it be more intelligent to seek out and tap a strength greater than our own rather than persist in our futile solo efforts, after they had time and again been proved ineffective?
We still don't think it is very smart to keep trying to see in the dark if you can simply switch on a lamp and use its light. . .
And the full enjoyment of living sober isn't a one-person job, either.
-- Living Sober, p. 73

Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Circus Act!

2011-07-15T22:47:00.001-04:00

I realized I'd been living outside myself for so long I'd almost become a walking vacancy.
I was still running a kind of circus act which had numerous, highly believable posters plastered all over the outside --
See the Spectacular Non-Drinking Person!
Watch How Movingly He Can Recite the Twelve Steps!
-- but which had nothing much going on inside the tent. I've been working hard to shut that circus down ever since with varying degrees of success.
-- The Best of the Grapevine[Vol. 3], pp. 237-238

Never become so heavenly that you're no earthly good.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The Obituary

2011-07-15T21:12:00.001-04:00

In 1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinborough, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.
A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.
From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.
During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;

From spiritual faith to great courage;

From courage to liberty;

From liberty to abundance;

From abundance to complacency;

From complacency to apathy;

From apathy to dependence;

From dependence back into bondage."

The Obituary follows: Born 1776, Died ....

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The Steps

2011-07-14T22:15:00.001-04:00

They are simple in language, plain in meaning.
They are also workable by any person having a sincere desire to obtain and keep sobriety.
The results are the proof.
Their simplicity and workability are such that no special interpretations, and certainly no reservations, have ever been necessary.
And it has become increasingly clear that the degree of harmonious living which we achieve is in direct ratio to our earnest attempt to follow them literally under divine guidance to the best of our ability.
-- Dr. Bob S., AA Co-founder, The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 248

Take a walk with God. He will meet you at the Steps.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Listening

2011-07-14T22:01:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, the body can speak an eloquent language all its own.
I see and feel that in meetings. So coming to meetings of AA is a priceless experience for me on a great many levels -- mental, spiritual, social, emotional, and now possibly physical.
Listening quietly is already a joy to me, and if it calms me down and lowers my blood pressure in the process, that's just another great reason to keep coming back.
-- Thank You For Sharing, p. 27

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Expectations = Disappointments

2011-07-14T21:58:00.001-04:00

Above all, I was suffering inner pain because my performance and my accomplishments in life failed to live up to my own expectations of myself.
I had to anesthetize that pain with alcohol. Of course, the more I drank, the more unrealistic my expectations became and the poorer my performance,
and the gap widened.
So the need to drink grew still greater.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 556

My disappointments are equal to my expectations.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Humility

2011-07-11T22:43:00.001-04:00

Humility is not about self-judgment or condemnation, but it does mean knowing, at the core of my being, who I am and owning my own strengths and limitations.
Humility is about realizing that I have everything to stay clean, sober, and have a happy life.
Humility is about knowing I don't have to do it alone, that I have a Higher Power and a support system in the rooms of AA to help me.
-- The AA Grapevine, July 2011, p. 27

Humility is not a station we arrive at; it's a way of traveling.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Humor: New definition for S.O.S.

2011-07-06T07:04:00.001-04:00

A C-130 was lumbering along when a cocky F-16 flashed by.
The jet jockey decided to show off.

The fighter jock told the C-130 pilot, 'watch this!' and promptly went into a barrel roll followed by a steep climb..

He then finished with a sonic boom as he broke the sound barrier. The F-16 pilot asked the C-130 pilot what he thought of that?

The C-130 pilot said, 'That was impressive, but watch this!'
The C-130 droned along for about 5 minutes and then the C-130 pilot came back on and said: 'What did you think of that?'

Puzzled, the F-16 pilot asked, 'What the heck did you do?'

The C-130 pilot chuckled. 'I stood up, stretched my legs, walked to the back, took a leak, then got a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.'

When you are young & foolish - speed & flash may seem a good thing!

When you get older & smarter - comfort & dull is not such a bad thing!

Us older folks understand this one, it's called S.O.S. ... Slower, Older and Smarter! B-)

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Humor: See Back

2011-07-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

Ensign Montgomery was holding morning muster.
"Jackson?"
"Here!"

"KIBBEY?"
"Yo."

"STEPHENS?"
"Present, sir."

"Robbins?"
"Yo."

"SEEBACK?"
(Nothing)

"SEEBACK?!"
(Still nothing)

"DAMMIT, SEEBACK!"

The Chief quietly tells the Ensign,

"Turn the paper over, sir."

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Stop Fixing Others

2011-07-05T06:46:00.001-04:00

Dear Higher Power,

When I am overly dependent on others, I try to fix them.

I have a real talent in pinpointing what is wrong with other people.

But the very thing that enables me to see their defects most often blinds me to the same, sometimes even worse, shortcomings in myself.

Help me stop fretting about others and instead focus on correcting my own character defects.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Humor: My Favorite Animal

2011-07-02T10:54:00.001-04:00

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken."

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else in the class laughed.

My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am.

Fried chicken is my favorite animal.

I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA.
He said they love animals very much.
I do, too, especially chicken, pork and beef.

Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office.

I told him what happened, and he laughed, too.
Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was.
I told her it was chicken.
She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children.
So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

She sent me back to the principal's office again.
He laughed, and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand.
My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.
I told her, "Colonel Sanders."
Guess where I am now... B-)

A Note from Bill W.

2011-06-30T23:47:00.001-04:00

To what extent I was personally responsible for my drinking, I don't know.
Yet I'm not one to take complete refuge in the idea that I was a sick man only.
In earlier years I certainly had some degree of free will.
That free will I used badly, to the great misery of my mother and countless others.
I am deeply ashamed.
As one who knows me a little, you may have heard how, ten years ago, a friend, himself a liberated alcoholic, came to me bearing the light which finally led me out of the toils.
There will come a day like that for you and yours -- I'm so confident!
-- The Language of the Heart, p. 102

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Embracing Reality

2011-06-30T06:56:00.001-04:00

Above all, we reject fantasizing and accept reality.
The more I drank, the more I fantasized everything.
I imagined getting even for hurts and rejections.
In my mind's eye, I played and re-played scenes in which I was plucked magically from the bar where I stood nursing a drink and was instantly exalted to some position of power and prestige.
I lived in a dream world.
AA led me gently from this fantasizing to embrace reality with open arms.
And I found it beautiful! For, at last, I was at peace with myself.
And with others. And with God.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 559

Few people have the imagination to see reality.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Powerlessness

2011-06-26T23:31:00.001-04:00

I knew I had to admit I was powerless over other people.
I had to admit this just as, in order to keep sober, I had to admit I was powerless over alcohol.
I cannot make anyone love me, or even like me. . .
All I can do is work to make myself worthy of love.
-- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 104

When we love, we see in others what we wish to have in ourselves.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The Solution

2011-06-26T23:28:00.001-04:00

The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution.
We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree. . .
This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p.17

The solution is simple; the solution is spiritual.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Self-will Run Riot

2011-06-25T11:25:00.001-04:00

Selfishness -- self-centeredness!
That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. . .
So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making.
They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 62

Avoidance is not the key; surrender opens the door.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

A Ditty On Weiner

2011-06-25T00:30:00.001-04:00

There once was a pervert named Weiner
Who had a depraved demeanor
Forced from the Hill
For acting like Bill
Now Congress is one weiner leaner

Attitudes

2011-06-24T06:56:00.001-04:00

We find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. . .
We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives.
If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.
But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first -- then and only then do we have a real chance.
-- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114

Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Prayer

2011-06-23T06:09:00.001-04:00

My sponsor said, "Pray if you can."
Having no faith whatever, thinking that prayer must be a kind of autohypnotic play-acting, alone in my apartment I got down on my knees like a little child and prayed to the unknown God.
I said, "God, take away my compulsion to drink."
And my compulsion to drink was removed, and it has not returned from that day to this.
Without knowing how I had done it, I had surrendered to the Power, and the Power did for me what I could not do of my own will
-- Came To Believe . . ., p. 98

Trying to pray is praying.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Trading

2011-06-23T06:05:00.001-04:00

I became willing to make sobriety the most important thing in my life. . .
But how does one do that?
I traded dependence on puny self for dependence on God.
I traded resentment for understanding, fear for trust, selfishness for love.
I traded dissatisfaction for hope, dishonesty for truth.
I traded retaliation for amendment; taking for giving.
I traded leaning upon others for serving others.
I traded sectarian bigotry for tolerance.
-- Thank You For Sharing, p. 40

Bigotry disfigures the heart.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Pictures

2011-06-23T06:01:00.001-04:00

My sponsor used to say to me, "If I could only paint you a picture of how beautiful life can be without booze . . . "
I wanted so badly to see the picture as it was in her mind.
Well, now I'm living it and trying to paint for others.
AA has become a way of life and living for me.
It has brought about a revelation of self, the discovery of an inner being, an awareness of God.
-- Experience, Strength and Hope, p. 315

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

A New Life

2011-06-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Life will take on a new meaning.
To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends -- this is an experience you must not miss.
We know you will not want to miss it.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p.89

Life is an ongoing miracle.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Easy Does It

2011-06-19T00:03:00.001-04:00

Sitting quietly for 15 or 20 minutes before starting each day's activities helps us set out in a relaxed, orderly frame of mind.
Some of us use specific methods of prayer or meditation which we have found particularly well suited to this purpose.
And maybe several times during a hectic day, we manage to sit undisturbed, with eyes closed, for a five-minute break, then resume work refreshed.
-- Living Sober, p.45

While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.

@}-;-'---

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Pride-blindness

2011-06-18T14:57:00.001-04:00

We scarcely need to be reminded that excessive guilt or rebellion leads to spiritual poverty.
But it was a very long time before we knew we could go even more broke on spiritual pride.
When we early AA's got our first glimmer of how spiritually prideful we could be, we coined this expression: "Don't try to get too damned good by Thursday!" . . . This is our AA way of warning against pride-blindness, and the imaginary perfections that we do not possess.
--The Language of the Heart, p. 255

Swallowing my pride will not get me drunk.

@}-;-'---

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Willingness

2011-06-17T07:13:00.001-04:00

When I become "willing to make amends to them all" I am saying to them, "your pain is my pain; when I hurt you, I hurt myself; I will try not to hurt you anymore." With this kind of willingness to identify, my Higher Power has always set up my amends and allowed both of us to grow from the love involved in such an act.
--Experience, Strength and Hope [Vol. 2], p. 163

If faith without works is dead; then willingness without action is fantasy.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Open-mindedness

2011-06-15T23:50:00.001-04:00

Faced with alcoholic destruction, we became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions.
In this respect alcohol was the great persuader.
It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness.
Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will be prejudiced for as long as some of us were.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 48

Minds are like parachutes -- they won't work unless they're open.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Honesty

2011-06-14T07:17:00.001-04:00

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.
Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves.
There are such unfortunates.
They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way.
They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty.
Their chances are less than average.
There are those, too, who suffer from grave mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58

Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Quiet Thinking

2011-06-14T07:15:00.001-04:00

Peace, love, and joy can be sought through quiet thinking and honest prayer.
The wholeness, the new awareness, that is produced affects one's relationship with God and man to a degree greater than it would seem in ordinary life. . .
The Power that is greater than ourselves puts us in tune with the world. . .
The feeling is one of completeness.
-- Came To Believe . . ., p.65

Meditation means trusting the silence around me for a while, as if it were an answer I had long sought.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Acceptance

2011-06-11T22:16:00.001-04:00

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.
When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake.
Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as what needs to be changed in me and my attitudes.
-- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417

My serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Understanding

2011-06-11T22:13:00.001-04:00

God began to clear my channels so that real understanding began to come.
Then was the time when full realization and acknowledgement came to me.
It was realization and acknowledgement of the fact that I was full of self-pity and resentment, realization of the fact that I had not given my problems to God.
I was still trying to do my own fixing.
-- Experience, Strength and Hope, p.22

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Mental Housecleaning

2011-06-11T22:10:00.001-04:00

Few people who have ever had a hangover could forget how unreasonably irritable it makes you feel.
Sometimes, we took it out on family members, fellow workers, friends, or strangers who certainly had not earned our displeasure.
That tendency can hang around awhile after we start staying sober, the way wraiths of stale smoke do in a closed-up barroom, reminding us of drinking days -- until we do a good mental housecleaning.
-- Living Sober p.22

Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Honesty

2011-06-11T22:04:00.001-04:00

I always thought honesty had something to do with telling other people the truth.
Dr. Silkworth explained that it had to do first with telling myself the truth.
I spent most of my life worrying about myself, thinking that I was unwanted,
that I was unloved.
I've learned since being in AA that the more I worry about me loving you,
and the less I worry about you loving me, the happier I'll be.
-- Experience, Strength and Hope, p.218

Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.

We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)