Three Amigos! 
Nov 22, 2004
Nov 19, 2004
No Doubt About It!
Having our pool cage cover rescreened, finally, after all the storms has certainly been a welcome change.
The two young men doing the work are really professional and good…using a scaffold over the pool, they laughed and joked with each other….
Listening to ‘country music’ on their radio, they made the work seem….fun!
As I was backing out of the garage, I noticed the license tag on the front of the vehicle attached to their trailer…..
It said simply…..”For Eternity”
A profound truth to say the least…..
I began to wonder if people really know how to….get life ’for eternity’, …..Life….forever more….happily ever after!
Some do know ….others do not….but think they do….
……in order to leave no doubt about the ‘eternity question”, I would like to go on record today by saying…..
“Yes, I DO know how to get life…..for eternity!
Being a member of a church or denomination does not get you ANY eternal life; sacraments do not get you ANY eternal life; baptism does not get you ANY eternal life; tithing and sabbath-keeping do not get you ANY eternal life; being anti-war (or pro-war) does not get you ANY eternal life; good deeds do not get you ANY eternal life.
Being a "good" Muslim does not get you ANY eternal life.
There is no "religion" that gets you ANY eternal life.
But there is good news!
Jesus Christ has told us the way, the ONLY way to get eternal life...
“I tell you the truth, he who believes and trusts in Me….has eternal life….“Amen, amen" [John 6:47]
….”I am The Way, The TRUTH, and the LIFE. Nobody comes to the Father but through ME!” (John 14:6)
Yep, there is no doubt about it.....
we must "Get Eternity" on planet earth in order to....
...........live.....Happily EVER After...."For Eternity"!
Nov 18, 2004
Duh!...Here We Go, Again!
Once in awhile an e-mail goes round and round and sometimes it will be more significant the 2nd or 3rd time around.
I am posting this one today because certain aspects of it spoke more clearly to me this time around...
Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way
we treat people.
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke.
I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall,dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor.
"In your careers, you will meet many people.
All are significant....They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson.
I, also, learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African Americanwoman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm.
Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s.
The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance, and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door.
To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.
A special note was attached...
It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits.
Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins."I'll have the plain ice cream," he said and the waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.
When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.
Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.
Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease.
Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat theillness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek.
Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Most importantly.................. "Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
Nov 17, 2004
No Birthday Celebration?
While viewing other people’s blogs…..I came across the following one…
My childhood
I was borned on August 13, 1939 in Pematang Raya. My father was Tarianus Purba (Sigumonrong) and my mother is Dinaria Saragih (Garingging). In our village no body celebrate his birth day. I myuself knew my birth date for the first time when I was already appr. 12 years old. At that time we are asked to pick up our cetificate of baptising and since then I knew how old I exactly was and that I was baptised on December 26, 1939.
While reading this info above….it dawned on me that not everyone celebrates their ‘being borned’ like we Americans do…..
What a privilege it is to share with family and friends the simple fact that….
….WE WERE ‘BORNED’…..
Everyone knows how much emphasis that I place on birthdays and anniversaries….some say ‘too much foolishness’….
But I do NOT apologize for being part of celebrating the fact that we remember in a special way when someone else came to this earth and lives their lives……near and dear to us….
So I say with gusto……Celebrate…The Good Life of the ones YOU LOVE!
Nov 16, 2004
Family Day….Marine Style
On Sunday, Charlie and I were guests of our Family Marine,
Pipo/Chuckie III…..at MacDill AFB. His dear fiancée, Melissa Jo, was there as well….An exact time was set for the Marines to be there….so being ’good Marines’…..we, and they….were on time…..
You guessed it!
Two hours later the ’names were taken’ of participants as they lined up to be counted…..and instructions…as needed…. were given….
It was certainly reminiscent of our military days…..
Hurry Up and….WAIT!
Yet I was struck anew…..of the great human value I was seeing before my very eyes…..youth, courage, bravery, discipline and examples of the very BEST resource in America today…………
As I walked the beach, looking at the American flag flying overhead at the Marina…..tears of joy were my emotions of the day….I was so proud to be there among all those beautiful people….I wanted America to SEE and FEEL the awesome pride connected to this ‘priceless resource’ …..our military……AND THEIR FAMILIES…..
While children played and laughed….young Dad’s and Mom’s carried on conversations as they kept an eye of protection on their ‘little ones’….
There was a feeling of ‘safety’ there…..
I’m proud of our families United States Marine…..
……I salute YOU…..Carlos Manuel Fernandez III
…..God has blessed America…..thru you and your military partners around the world and YOU ALL ARE……MY HEROES….
(P.S…..to include YOU, Joe Collins….our Coast Guard Hero:)
Nov 11, 2004
Fill Your Heart With…….Thanksgiving
Last night as we prayer girls met……our hearts were filled with gratitude for our many answered prayers. Nancy, our faithful, hard-working, single Mom……is no longer single.
Stan, the man…..became our answer to prayer for Nancy….and they were married on Tues. Nov. 9th 2004.
Miracles happen……sometimes it takes years….others….minutes.
Our God…..is the only God……who works….Miracles!
And He is still in the “LOVE” business…..just ask Nancy and Stan.
We had many a prayer request for others who had health problems, marriage crisis problems, decisions to make and financial situations.
We ‘dumped’ all our problems on the Lord…..as it says in Psalm 55:22.…”Give your burdens to the Lord and He WILL take care of you…”
Feeling relieved, again……we laughed at each others ‘loco’ ways and thanked God we had Him…..and each other!
Today I am reading from ‘Poems for All Seasons’ by Helen Steiner Rice and there is one called….
Fill Your Heart With…Thanksgiving….
Take nothing for granted, for whatever you do
The “joy of enjoying’ is lessened for you -
For we rob our own lives much more than we know
When we fail to respond or in any way show
Our thanks for the blessings that daily are ours…..
The warmth of the sun, the fragrance of flowers,
The beauty of twilight, the freshness of dawn,
The coolness of dew on a green velvet lawn,
The kind little deeds so thoughtfully done,
The favors of friends and the love that someone
Unselfishly gives us in a myriad of ways,
Expecting no payment and no words of praise -
Oh, great is our loss when we no longer find
A thankful response to things of this kind,
For the joy of enjoying and the fullness of living
Are found in the heart that is filled with…Thanksgiving
Nov 10, 2004
Are You Ready???
Change is in the air!
Fall is definitely here in Florida…..which means that the ‘hum hum’ of the air conditioner is silent…..doors and windows are open and a slight breeze is a refreshing change from……hot, hot, hot.
Thanksgiving is in the air…..I am thankful that we have survived the many hurricanes that blew through Florida and thankful that campaign garbage is finally off the air, and thankful that we still live in…..The Land of Plenty!
Being grateful is, of course, an……attitude!
Yesterday my ’attitude’ was…….bad…
Having ’too much’ on my mind put me in ’hot water’ with a family member. As a result, I forgot to remember what a beautiful, gorgeous day it was here in Florida……
I don’t intend to make that mistake today……’mending the fence’ with my family member started today off right.
Yes, I am ready….and grateful for the good life that this time of year is so wonderfully yielding every day….
I thank God…..for TODAY!
Nov 9, 2004
Kindness….What’s That?
Yesterday Britt and Joshua came by to see me……with a beautiful ‘Double Delight’ rose in her hand.
Britt is a hard-working, single Mom, on a budget….but with much love in her heart.
Britt, also, is a ‘very kind’ person.
If you are around her she will find something to do for you…..she will listen to your conversation and from it take a ‘hint’ and return a ‘good deed’ back to you….ask Walker.
The first time he met Britt….and Ashley too….Britt heard him say that he liked a certain kind of ‘flavored tea’.
Next morning she and Ashley supplied that tea plus another one for his wife, Pat, as well. That is…..being kind!
Random acts of kindness was once a ‘suggestion’ on the Oprah show which produced notoriety for the moment.
But making it a way of life is ‘normal’ in the being and character of some folks like our Britt…….
Kindness is so ‘rare’ today that it seems……’extra-ordinary’.
What a shame! I, for one, need to ‘consider that’ as my Southern Dad used to say…..
Thanks, Britt for reminding me of something I had ‘forgotten‘…….
You are definitely our family “Joy+Good Cheer” girl…..and I ‘Thank God’ for YOU!
Jesus said….”Be ye kind one to another!”….Ephesians 4:32
Nov 8, 2004
Finest Kind…..
Daytona, Pt. Orange, St. Augustine…..and everything along the way, made our boat trip in the ‘Delta Dude’ a wonderful week-end success…..
Visiting my brother Aaron and Ruth Ann, along with other brother, Dockie and Ann, and nautical Okeechobee friends, Sally and Sam was a much needed time of fun and rest.
The water ways of Florida are some of the most beautiful in the world…. The St. Augustine area….Municipal Marina with historic section within walking distance is certainly the ‘finest kind’ of Florida style enjoyment….makes me say again and again….”Yep, it is a GOOD life!”…
Of course, there were signs of the ‘family of hurricanes’ with blue topped FEMA roofs along the way……but not as disastrous as the more southerly coasts ie: Ft. Pierce, Stuart etc.
Needless to say, Charlie and I enjoyed our trip tremendously…..even though our ‘Milagro’ is still in the ‘boat hospital’ until later this week.
It was great to be back on the water again…..
…….Thanks, again…..Aaron and Ruth Ann…… (see pictures below)
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