Dear Readers;
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Enjoy Life!!!

Good...or Bad....Attitude

Listening to a mother tell her teen-age son.....”You have a BAD attitude!” reminds me a little bit about our.......boating!
After having been to the boat over the week-end and spending the majority of the time...6 or 7 hours....hand sewing zippers and vinyl back into the canvas......made me have a....bad attitude about boating!
I don’t want to move the big boat ...one inch....for ‘fear’ something will break or need to be repaired after a normal...wild adventure.....run!
Yet boats....break....on....their....own!
Sitting or moving doesn’t make a great deal of difference.
Ask Dockie who had water flowing under his bathroom sink after a week of non-use. For no apparent reason at all....things happen on a boat.
Knowing those facts of life still causes me to get into a ’funk’....when it is more work than fun!
Attitude adjustment is a constant MUST in boating.
As often happens....someone comes along and tells a tale that is much worse than your recent experience and you feel a little better....temporarily.
On Sunday some friends dropped by...Sally & Sam and Bonnie and Buddy.
They came over to our KRP Dock and it was a fun surprise to catch up on their news and hear their tales of success and failure.
Pat and Walker also dropped by after having moved their recently sold boat while fighting high winds and a steering cable breaking in the process.
Abnormal becomes....normal.
Attitude is... chosen.

In fact, Charles Swindoll says it like this......
“ATTITUDE........the longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or day or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company...a church...a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will have for that day.
We cannot change our past....we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that
.....is our attitude...
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our...Attitudes.”

Enough said....my attitude WILL change.
I have that choice...so help me, God!

Running.....Out of....Time

Started several times to write this page.....got interrupted every time.
Pipo came through with cousin/nephew, Jacob from Puerto Rico.
Along came Matthew and Ashley on test break from college.
Phone ringing constantly and I find that I need something from Publix...on the way cell phone rings....Charlie says Cpt. Kurt of Double Eagle is in town and to meet them at the Crab Shack for lunch. Call Matt to see if they are all still hanging loose at my house....informed that the college/Marine group went over to daughter, Lynn’s, for her ’good snacks’.
Kurt has to go to Bradenton for a boat part so he and Charlie left me at the Crab Shack and start south.
Still haven’t gotten to Publix yet!
What is happening here?
People passing through our day.....on a spontaneous basis is such a delight to me....Publix can wait....phones can ring....
People are my thing!
For you see......we can NEVER come back to this moment!
It is in such times as this that I determine to use every moment for the absolute joy of......TODAY!

Miniature....Encyclopedias

God has taught me many things....through children!
Laughter doesn’t have to be taught to children.
Play doesn’t have to be....justified.
Rest...is a natural part of their every day lifestyle.
I realize more and more that we have something to learn from these
.....little encyclopedias of life!
They can teach us about...
wonder....gratitude.... uninhibited ness...spontaneity.... unconditional trust...flexibility....imagination.....creativity.....laughter and instant love!
They teach us to see things as if it were for the first time...when we view life through their eyes.
They teach us to share.....as if there were no end.
They can teach us how to...smell...taste and touch...with zesto!
They also teach us why God calls us to be......“like little children”....
Joshua...our family ‘little one’....had a bunch of adult ‘children’ at his Easter Egg hunt on Sunday......See pictures...Link #1...Easter.

Jesus said...Luke 18:17...”I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God LIKE A LITTLE CHILD...will never enter it!”

Thatz Funny!!!

Anyone that knows me....knows that I can be...plain, down-right silly at times....I am known for ‘making a fool’ of myself with children and also those that are young at heart.
One day I asked a missionary friend what she thought the five most important ingredients were to being a quality human being.
After a long, thoughtful pause, she said,
“Humor, love, responsibility, courage, and humor.”
I tried to tell her that she had already said humor...
but she quickly informed me that she meant exactly what she had said.
Her explanations were this....’Humor has the wonderful ability to break life up into little pieces and make it livable. Laughter gives richness, texture, and color to an otherwise ordinary day. It is a gift, a choice, a discipline, and also.....an art.”
Smiling from ear to ear she exclaimed...”I enjoy laughing. I believe that laughter is a sacred sound to our God. I also believe that it has an incredible capacity to heal our bodies, our minds, and our spirits.”

What a wonderful relief to know that she had so aptly described my own personal philosophy of life. I, too, feel the same.
She made me feel......normal!
Then I read the Biblical application of this and said....“Hallelujah!”

Job 8:21....’He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your
lips with shouts of JOY.’

Free Fruit

Joy is not a feeling; It is a CHOICE.
It is not based upon circumstances;
it is based upon attitude.
It is free......but it is not cheap!
It requires commitment, courage, and endurance.
Joy is something which defies circumstances and occurs in
spite of difficult situations.
Where happiness is a feeling....joy is an attitude.
A position.
A place.
Joy to me is that deep settled confidence that God
is in control of EVERY area of my life.
What a relief....to be reminded of this...daily!
Joy is not cheap....but it is worth the price.

St. Paul said in Galatians 5:22&23.....”But the fruit of the Spirit is....
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

So Be It!

There is a direct relationship between joy and strength,
When I loose my joy....I am at my weakest....
But I have discovered a...different...kind of Joy that I never knew existed.
It is a joy that can coexist with.....pain, uncertainty, confusion, doubt, problems...or the act of just plain being human.
Good health is vital to Joy...mental, emotional, physical and spiritual are a package deal. I did not say...perfect health...
but good health that we can do something about....
There is a vital importance of...laughter for our lives.
It releases endorphins, which are a natural painkiller produced by our bodies...
It is medically recognized that negative attitudes such as worry can produce negative physical effects, such as ulcers.
....Also, the opposite can be true as well.
Positive emotions, such as laughter and joy, produce positive chemical reactions in the body.
The Bible says this clearly....
...“A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones...” Proverbs 17:22

Don’t Worry + Be Happy!

Arising this morning...feeling spring in the air....has filled me with exhilaration.
I LOVE this time of year....new life in the air...ask the birds the trees, the grass....the weeds....
Spring has....sprung!
Then I read my mornings devotion from a book called...
“Keep On Dancing”....Daily readings to...Celebrate Life.
I must write....word for word....what today’s reading said.....

...”All the discipline in the world cannot make the sun rise any earlier,
or a flower more fragrant,
or a smile more spontaneous.
Running five miles a day will add as much as a hundred miles of capillaries to your system, makes you feel more alive,
but it won’t necessarily teach you.....HOW TO LAUGH!
You don’t have to have a plan to.....CLAP YOUR HANDS.
As someone once said, “If you have to move even ten inches from where you are now IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY,
then you will never be truly happy.”
Can you imagine the sadness of seeing someone squinting at the horizon desperately, while what he is looking for....is right at his feet?
Look for the essence of life.......in your own backyard!

Abraham Lincoln said....”Most folks are as happy as they make up their mind to be...”
My mind is made up.....I WILL be happy....it is my choice of life.
Yes, I intend to....Keep on Dancing....The music is in my heart!
Now I dare you.....as you read this....
Clap Your Hands three times and say....”Thank God for a wonderful full and Happy Life!”
Don’t Worry + Be Happy!


P.S. This is not to minimize pain, disappointment, etc....these are certain norms of life....in every life. Despite adverse situations, problems and circumstances.....Happiness and Joy of life is still a choice...day by day.
An attitude of the heart, mixed with faith....says despite all to the contrary...
God is still in control of my life....even when it looks like everything is...
Out of Control....
There is a song that says......”I’ve got a feeling...that EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE ALL RIGHT....BE ALL RIGHT...BE ALL RIGHT!”
With that thought, feeling, fact in mind and heart....
we can....Keep On Dancin’
...so saith the birds outside my window....

Family Celebration!

Easter was a fun time for our family...All of us...3 cars full.... traveled to our son Chuck’s church in Brooksville.
You see....our Marine...Carlos Manuel III...”Pipo” was home on leave from the Marines. Everybody was HAPPY!
Chuck gave a wonderful...”He Is Risen” message and the Cantata illustrated the Easter truth.... wonderfully.
Food galore....riding big 4 wheelers, scooters, videos.....egg hunt for almost 2, Joshua....adults having more fun than the two year old who had to ‘put up’ with everyone finding his eggs for him....
Good clean fun and celebration of life and its continuity at a time that is vital to our faith and family.
Isn’t this.....The Good Life?
Jesus said....John 10:10....”I come that you might have life....and
HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY!”
That’s the Gods truth....
A picture tells a thousand words....
Click Link #1....see Easter pictures....talk!

Good Friday...

Today is a special day in the life of a.....Christian.
It is the symbol of the day Jesus was crucified......took our ‘wrongs’ and made them His....gave us the freedom to live life to the fullest....
Because He overcame death....on Easter Sunday morn....the tomb of His burial was....empty.
HE HAS RISEN!!!
He has the victory.....and has given it to us, His children who have accepted this fact as our spiritual heritage.
We will live....forever.....life does not end with physical death on this earth.
This is the message of....Easter!
Life.....is....eternal.
We choose where to spend it!
That decision is made here and now on planet earth....it can NOT be made after physical death...
......Jesus said in John 10:10....”I come that you might have life and.....
HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY!”

Miracles, miracles, miracles......Life over death.....Who could ask for more?
That’s.....the....Good....Life!

Are You Sure?

When I think of......miracles.....Joy leaps in my heart!
They are a delight to behold, to experience, to pray into others lives and to receive.....out of the blue!
Miracles happen every day.

The brilliant genius Albert Einstein has this view on miracles:
“There are only two ways to live your life:
One is as though nothing is a miracle;
the other is as though EVERYTHING is a miracle.”

The dictionary defines a miracle as....
“an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.”

Do you know that you can make miracles happen in your life and the life of others?
The most familiar way to make a miracle happen is to.....requisition or harness the tremendous, often underestimated....power of prayer.... particularly if you are one who is blessed with.....faith.
Prayers are answered.
You do not need to feel you are being pushy or presumptuous when you pray for something.
After all, it was Jesus Himself who urged his followers over and over....to lobby God for their needs.
“Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus said. “Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Jesus always practiced what He preached and did not hesitate to perform His wonderful miracles on those who ASKED Him for a miracle.

The medical field is paying more attention to the fact that at times seemingly incurable diseases disappear without standard medical treatment or other human means. It is often described on medical charts as.. ”spontaneous remission”....Yet, they still can’t explain....how it happens, or why it happens to one patient and not another.
There is medical truth that our attitudes and emotions are linked in critical ways to our bodies, specifically our brain, and nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Numerous brain chemicals - - -released in response to everything from sadness to euphoria - have been proven to affect the immune system. Exactly why the emotions affect the body is not fully understood. But there is evidence that certain psychological and spiritual states CAN change the course of disease.....
An on-site doctor and president of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, Dr. Roger Pilon has this to say about miraculous healings at the famous Lourdes Shrine in the French Pyrenees....”In every disease there is a psychological part. Any doctor will tell you that someone who wants to be cured is a better patient and has a better chance of recovery than one who give up.”

Why do some people have miracles ....and others don’t?
Only God knows the answer on an individual basis but based on my experience with Him.....
....Faith is the answer.....
Faith’s definition based on Hebrews 11:l says.....
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see...”
or....”substance of things hoped for.....yet evidence of things not seen...”
That’s faith....
Faith produces miracles for ourselves and others.....when we petition God...believing in our hearts ....we are Blessed by.....Miracles.

Yes, my rings on a Dive Platform after flying across a portion of open water....is definitely.....a......Miracle.
Thank God!

Flying High

An incident happened during our nautical trip, which caused me to be very grateful indeed....
Before moving the big boat, Milagro, we were busy cleaning everything in sight. I was working with bleach trying to get the scum off of our white water hose .
Taking off my two rings...wide heavy wedding band with stones and another ring from my children, I placed them on my GPS folder on top of a dock box.
Aaron was in the bilge of his boat nearby and the others were on the dock chatting away. Suddenly I yelled....‘my GPS folder is blowing in the water’
and moving quickly I caught it before it got wet.
Forgetting about my rings I was happy about my ‘catch’.
Then it dawned on me....my rings were on top of the paper!
Everyone began to search the dock saying “‘no way’....spaces between the boards of dock, water nearby......forget it!”
Suddenly Ann exclaims....”Look, on the back of Aaron’s dive platform!”
There lay my two rings....after having flown over a small portion of open water between dock and platform.....they landed safely in full view.
Milagro, Milagro, Milagro......the Spanish word for.....Miracle.

Where Are We?

Talking about a trip...by water....this was it.
Charlie and I spent about 1 1/2 wks. on the Florida waterways, rivers, lakes, creeks, intra-coastal etc.... all size boats, all weather conditions.....and had a wonderful time.
This was my brother, Aaron’s, trial-run boat trip in the 28 ft. “Pretty-Ugly”.
The trip began for him and crew in Daytona with destination being to Lake Kissimmee and back. The return trip will have give him around 650 miles of water travel.
Traveling with Ruth Ann and his sidekick, Billy....Aaron was in his element....being a long time Florida salty sea dog...Aaron lives and breathes the water life!
We traveled a great deal of that trip with him, Ruth Ann, and Bill...first with our small boat, Go Gator, Kenneth’s ,Why Knot? and Dockie’s ,Nubbin, meeting him at Harbor town Marina in Ft. Pierce.
High winds interfered with fast travel but even that was....doable!
All boats proceeded from Stuart back thru the St. Lucie canal and across Lake Okeechobee to Taylor Creek where Sam and Sally awaited us in their 42-ft. Gemini.
Taking a day to recoup and re-situate travel vehicles, we traveled up the Kissimmee River, again, thru locks and more locks, this time moving our big boat, Milagro. High winds, strong river currents and an occasional tree slowed us down considerably.
Unfortunately, I was captaining the Milagro around a strong current curve and for some reason (strong current-slow reaction)I could not straighten the wheel quickly enough and hit the bank trees....head on. Hearing Aaron on the radio saying to Bro. Dockie our ’scout’ ....“Milagro’s in the trees”...
MADE ME MAD!!! He didn’t have to tell on me for the entire world to hear!
Charlie backs her out...I sweep broken tree limbs from swim platform, back deck, side decks.... everywhere!
No holes in canvas or damage....except my pride! Had to happen to a ....woman....shucks...
Spending the night at Kicco....Ann fried fresh ‘specks’ which Sam (and Sally too) had caught and given us for the trip. They were delicious to say the least....we had a feast in a nature setting that is beyond description.
A scene....and experience...which money can not buy!
.....Our worst was yet to come!
Hitting Lake Kissimmee......the winds were....unforgiving!
Slow time.....fighting the wheel....and canvas and vinyl being ripped from their zippers were a wind nightmare. Even traveling west of Brahma Island gave little relief from the high winds.
We limped into Kissimmee River Park and were glad to be there.
With a sigh of relief we set up our ’new home’ for the Milagro and the Eagle’s Nest and then went by car to Pt. Canaveral for a Nautical Flea Market. A boat....always needs....something!
Later in the afternoon, Chris and his airboat buddies paid us a visit and initiated us to the fact that we were......in their territory....now!
Airboats...day and night....can be heard in the nearby canal.
Yes, we were now in airboat country....having left....pontoon fishing boats and bass boats from Taylor Creek and Lake Okeechobee....we were in a new ‘neck of the woods’ for sure.
Adventure living.....is just that with zany nautical family and friends.
A ’simple mistake’ is never forgotten.....retold over and over again....until new material is provided!
I know....I do it too!!!

Charlie and I decided to travel back with the “Pretty-Ugly” to Okeechobee in order to get our car and the Go Gator.
Spending the day on the water with Aaron, Ruth Ann and Billy was truly a delight this time because the water and weather was....perfect.
We had earned the right....to enjoy it!
.....A little excitement in Lock D....Billy saw a dog above the locks on land and wanted to talk.....dog talk.... he braced his front paws on the concrete side...under the top bow rail....and of course, the boat moved leaving a wide space between the concrete.....and the boat. Billy fell...belly first into the lock water below.....thru about 20 feet of open space....
Everybody left their positions....except me.....I KNEW dogs can swim and dog paddle! Aaron called him to the back of the boat and put down the swim ladder and do you know that dog forget that he didn’t know how to climb a ladder? Needless to say, Billy was a bit subdued for the rest of the trip that day.
Having traveled 12 hours for the day....90 miles at around 7.5 mph....we were happy to return to Taylor Creek docks.
They looked so....empty!
Double Eagle....gone
Eagle’s Nest....gone
Milagro....gone
Only Pretty-Ugly and Go Gator spent the last nights at our Tiki Hut Residence. Next morning, early we leave by car for the West Coast and Aaron and Ruth Ann and Billy....for the East Coast.
Having run out of clean clothes and exotic foods....we had to return home in order to relax, see land family, buy new equipment and supplies for the boats and get ready for our next trip around the 1st of May.
Yes....It Is A Good Life.....you should see my bruises!
Oh, well, that is another story!

See pictures...Link # 1...Boat Move....Aaron's Trip Album

Crusin’ Down The River.....

Here we go...again!
It is Friday and we are off to Okeechobee...down south again.
We plan to congregate together as a group of boats at Taylor Creek and then go across the big lake to the Myakka Locks at the entrance to the St. Lucie Canal....
Going to the Intercostal Waterways at Stuart is approximately 58 water miles from Okeechobee....we then plan to proceed up to Ft. Pierce Municipal Marina for a night or so to await the arrival of Aaron’s....Big Boat from Daytona Beach.
This is the plan.....for Part A

Returning with Aaron to Taylor Creek for one night and then again doing the ....up the Kissimmee River trip again.......is Part B

I’ll write after my week on the waterways and tell you how close we came to this......Plan!

Understanding that I will be traveling with my two brothers....who are notorious for adventure....preferably nautical....
the sky is the limit on ......spontaneity!

Taking a luxurious cruise down or up the river has never happened with these two ’mavericks’ .....
Sea ya......in a week!

Oversize Load

Just returned from a run on traffic laden Hwy.19...St. Pete/Clearwater area.
Being in a hurry.....I would get behind a huge vehicle with a huge sign that said....OVERSIZE LOAD.
Hurry stopped. The vehicle ahead set the pace for me.
First off.....my temperature rose!
Frustration and aggravation struggled for pre-eminence!
Reason won......
As I slowly....simmered down.....the thought prevailed that there were several people among my family and friends who were carrying....
OVERSIZE LOADS....
I could name them one by one...they are the ’givers’.....the ones who are always there when you need them, always going the second mile, always putting aside their own needs....and time......for others.
Yet they are....human!
Slowly but surely such a pace......takes a toll.
An Oversize Load.....can break any man or woman.
Non the less.....givers....will give....to their last breath!
At times it takes a definite.....stop the world attitude.....in order to put life back into the right perspective, even for health reasons..
I know.
God knew what he was doing when he created one day out of seven as a ...
day of rest!
The old saying....”Stop and smell the roses” makes sense...
I passed a beautiful yard of blooming azaleas yesterday and almost missed it....saw it out of the corner of my eye....and did a double take....
I was running so fast that I had passed beauty and not even acknowledged it......What a shock it was to my soul...
I turned around..... stopped and gave a feast to my eyes...
Drinking the nectar of life‘s beauty.....restores the soul.
Life becomes.....Good.....Wonderful.... Exhilarating....
NOW is the time....for living!