Busy, busy, busy......

I have been a bit of a slacker lately on the blog front, sorry!  I will try and do better.  It seems since July 5th I have literally went nonstop!  I am working all day at work then coming home and working all night on job 2.  I am in the process of taking over a website as well as taking on 2 new websites for 2 different clients.  I have also done some new business cards & rack cards for 2 businesses as well as logo design for another.  I have been really excited with the extra work but I think going so much and so late every night for 2 weeks has caught up to me!  I am worn out, I have not had time to go workout or anything.  I hope to get back to that next week although I have plans Mon & Tues that will prohibit that, better luck for the rest of the week as far as that goes.

I took a couple pics.  You can click on the pics below to enlarge them.  If you or someone you know need any print work, point them towards my website!  (Please)  I can drop ship anywhere in the US so don't worry about being out of state.  I email proofs for approval on everything before I start printing so no worries there!  www.morristownwebdesign.com

Today, I have been very, lazy!  I woke up around 7:30 feeling a little rough.  I am pretty sure I may have been in a wreck in my sleep!  Ugghhh  back/shoulder still hurting.  YUCK!  I finally got out around lunch and went to the store to pick up a few things.  Came home, did a little laundry, a little cooking.  Today...Pineapple/Passion Fruit Glazed Pork Loin.....turned out quite yummy if I do say so myself.  Tomorrow, maybe I will try out a new BBQ sauce.  I occasionally like to experiment and just see how things turn out.  :o)

Dad has had this plant for years that just grows insanely.  Well a couple months ago he had to cut it back as it was hanging across his dining room floor and people were stepping on it. (ouch, poor little plant)  So, I brought home 3 pieces and stuck them in water.  I have been patiently waiting for them to start growing roots.  Well two out of three survived and once the roots started they seemed to just grow over night!  I am thinking at this point I should go look for a pot to plant in tomorrow.  (maybe, if I am brave enough, I hate re-potting anything!)  Don't want to kill anything!  ha ha ha

I did re-pot my beautiful Mandevilla 'Red Fury' that mom bought me in May.  I think between now and then, especially with the crazy 100 degree heat we have been having around here that it has done pretty well! (May & then July)

Update on my little baby birds.....They have all flown the coop while in the process almost knocking me off the brick wall!  (yeah, I'm sure you would have all got a kick out of seeing that!)  Guess I startled them and they were ready to fly, well all but one.  About 20 minutes later after a rough first landing in the grass, the little runt made it in the air and safely to the tree though!  They took over my hanging basket so to keep the plant alive I had to get on the wall and water carefully.

K, so, I know I see you daily but I am not your mama!

Relaxing away in the shade....

Bye Bye Birdie!

So, there are a few little updates for now.  I really will try and do better about updating!

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family

is certainly one of life's primal 

and most innocent delights, 

one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal."

~ Julia Child

I am sharing this with everyone!

This was passed along to me and
I felt the need to share it.


Subject: jennifer's Baccalaureate MD Speech

My daughter jennifer was honored to present a short graduation speech on behalf of the medical school this past weekend. For those who are not familiar with Loma Linda, it is the last Christian medical school in the country. They pride themselves in trying to do God's work by incrementally relieving suffering sending many of their doctors to missionary hospital in 3rd world countries before it became vogue to do so. It is about sacrifice, praying with their patients and tending to the sick and dying. This past year she was in Haiti tending to hundreds of patients each day in her tent clinic as the only doctor many would ever see. She ate once a day and lost ten pounds (90#) and was sad to leave with so much suffering unattended. Her lead translator passed out and discovered he had not eaten in three days so the staff could eat. Many do not understand Christian sacrifice.  Here is jennifer's short speech at graduation:

doug

3 minute Baccalaureate Speech 5/29/10 Good morning. My name is Jennifer Jung, and it is my pleasure to be here today What I want to share with you this morning is something very simple.  It is a story of redemption through the eyes of a medical student. And I pray this will bless you. My story begins with a very sick heroine addict who was my patient.  Let’s say her name was Rachel.   She was a thin woman, with knotted unwashed hair, and areas were her muscle had wasted away from her heroine injection sites.  She was homeless, her family had disowned her.  She had out of control untreated hepatitis C- and this infection was likely going to kill her. Every day a quiet man would visit her.  I found out that he was her husband of many years, the father of her children before heroine took over her life.  It seemed that she had treated him badly so we were shocked that he had come back for her over and over again. However it occurred to me that he deeply loved her.   As I consider Love, I remember that there is a mighty God who created me. He gives every breath and heartbeat as a gift. I owe my life to him.  And He desires to have a love relationship with me, as well as with all of you.  Like this husband, God has this crazy loyal Love for us. And there’s more.  You see, I am like Rachel.  I also am very sick.  The Bible says all people are born with sin, a darkness in our hearts that compels us to run away from God.  And this sin is just like an infection that will inevitably kill us no matter how good we try to be. The Bible says that the consequences for sin is death. It’s a spiritual death-  divorce from the source of life, God. We are in need of saving because our souls have a death sentence. You thought I was going to talk about something positive, right? But this all sounds like bad news.  The good news is that God has a plan for saving our lives. When I was a freshman medical student I spent two weeks working with babies born with heart defects, several of whom needed heart transplants. It was sobering to realize that the only way for them to live was for another child to die. It reminded me of how God chose to save all of us.  By substitution.  He offers us heart transplants through his sinless son, Jesus Christ. There is giant cross that lights up at night on the medical center, it’s a statement that Jesus died on a cross in our place, as a substitution for a death that sinners deserved.  And he did this so we could be freely forgiven of our sins and be reunited with him forever. He did this because of His crazy Love for us. So many years ago, I came to God as a sick woman, in need of saving, and I laid down my broken life, and he gave me new one. It is free to me but it cost him everything. This is the gospel. Tomorrow, I will graduate as physician. And of everything in this world that I know, this is what I have learned is most important. Thank you.

The long weekend......well not so long after all.  Oh well, enjoy it while you can I guess is your only option.  Lots going on and lots of heat.....I MISS SPRING & FALL!  For real, it never happened at all.  95+ every day is getting very old.   My little birds are doing well, I will have to try and get a new picture to update.  :)  They will soon fly away I am sure.

Friday night we went to see ECLIPSE!  Yes I know, some of you will roll your eyes and say "oh lord"!  OMG.....It really was the best of the 3 they have shown thus far and I am just not sure how the next one will be better.  I could really go see it again, no problem!  I mean every time a new movie in a series comes out they always say "this is the best one so far" and you go off to see it and then you come home disappointed.  Well, they actually got it right this time.   It was great!

My cousin Miranda had her little boy Friday as well.  Oh  my, he is a cutie for sure!  Of course, it always seems the pics are snapped before they are all cleaned up and looking their Sunday best but none the less, I saw him, he is precious!  7lbs 4.7 oz. of cuteness!  Babies are like puppies....I LOVE THEM!  They are always so sweet.  Of course we have a 3 month old at the office now.  He is here 3-4 days a week.  (boss' daughter's son)  He is a cutie too.

Meet Jayden (born 7-2-10)

Finally made my way to SAMS over the weekend.  It was a much needed trip, now if I could just manage to make my way to the grocery store I would be doing good!  ha ha  I made some repairs to the roof of my gazebo swing and got it put back on.  Now, if it could just cool down a bit outside I could actually enjoy it!   Oh my, this heat is wearing me out!

I really did not do a lot on Sunday just some laundry and stuff and tried to rest a bit.  Sunday night we grilled out and shot off some fireworks and then lit up the fire pit to roast marsh mellows.  Around here if July 4th falls on a Sunday it get celebrated Saturday and they do the same thing with Halloween.  It was not like that growing up but after being here so long I have adjusted.  Monday I was off at the office but had to meet with a new client (for my job2).  We met for about 2.5 hours and I left there with his MAC PC in my possession so that made me feel like he had confidence in me.  lol   I will take over maintaining his website for www.hopeoutdoors.org and will be in charge of all of his print work.  Business cards, post cards, rack cards, brochures and stuff.  It is a great organization and if you like charities that work with children or hunting...check it out!  They took a group of kids to Dollywood Thursday that would not have otherwise had that opportunity and they had a blast.  They have a second business they have started and I will be doing all of the print work for them as well.  I sent in a quote today do build and design that website and am keeping my fingers crossed!  It will be a lot of work but I could use the extra $ so I am willing to do it!!  He called and left me a voice mail and sounded positive after receiving my quote so I am hopeful.  I will have to wait until I get home from job 1 before I can call and follow up on job 2 though, I do my best not to mix them, better not to!

Hope Outdoors is a non-denominational Christian outdoor ministry that partners with caring organizations and churches across the nation to facilitate hope through outdoor activities. Our outreach is directed to those men, women and children who may be ill or disabled, and in need of a little help and brotherly love to see their outdoor passions fulfilled. Some are looking to be re-introduced into an activity they once loved, while others are discovering a new and exciting way to live life to its fullest.

Our partners in hope help us provide opportunities where dreams can become reality. If you are looking for a blessed and effective way to touch the lives of those less fortunate, your help is greatly needed. To become a Partner In Hope, a sponsor, contributor, or a member please call or email us today. There is not a better way to spread the love of Christ than through God’s majestic outdoors! 

Until our trails cross again,

Hope Outdoors Staff

I took a break yesterday evening and went with mom and mamaw to The Point to have dinner by the lake.  The service was horrible but the food and view were nice!  Then it was back home to watch the bachelorette and finish the business cards and rack cards for Trophy Destinations.  It was a lot of work for me to get done all in 1 day but before the evening was over it was done and sent for printing!  The quicker I work, the quicker I get paid...ha ha ha

Today has been OK, just a little long.  I think I needed an extra day but oh well, do what we gotta do.  I am waiting on everyone to get my time sheets so I can get payroll done, that should make tomorrow fly by!

Well until later.......Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend with their families and loved ones!

"We find no real satisfaction or happiness

in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve."

~ Maxwell Maltz

I guess the best way to sum up this past week.....long and stressful!  There just seems to be so much going on and there seems to be no end in sight lately.  I have had so much on my mind I have just not been sleeping well.  I am no doubt looking forward to this long weekend, a very much needed long weekend.

I would like to ask everyone to keep my old classmate Nicole Farlow in their thoughts and prayers.  She is 32 and the single mother of 2 children and son and daughter (10&12).  They diagnosed her in May with Stage 4 Liver Cancer.  Fairly unusual in a woman her age and a woman that does not drink and so on.  She was given 4-6 months but with Chemo and all possibly up to a year.  They said she was not a good candidate for a liver transplant as they feel her cancer started somewhere else and attacked her liver and they can't find out where it started.  A fund was set up for her with Wachovia Banks and money was raised to afford her the opportunity to go to Duke for a new opinion of her situation.  Well the funds were raised and she was seen at Duke yesterday.  It seems they have given her the same news, there is nothing they can do.  It is so sad to see a life that will end so soon and with such cruelty.  It is sad to think of her children and how they just don't understand yet how little time they have.  She will not see them go on their first dates, prom, graduation and the many other milestones children have as they continue to grow.  I can imagine the heartache she is dealing with right now trying to take this all in and find some strength to deal with it and accept is since she has been give no other option.  What do you say?  I mean we can all sit around and say we are sorry, we will pray for you and so on but it does not change a thing.  It doesn't take her pain away or the pain her children will have to endure.  It is one of those times where the world just seems so cruel, so unfair.  IT STINKS! I am not sure where this originally came from but it is on Nicole's page as well as the Butterfly Funds page.

I don't know how, I can't see why
people with cancer have to die,
why there is no cure to make it go away.
and people are dying of it every day.
women, men, children and more,
...are dying because no-one can seem to find a cure.

 

WORK....has been stressful.  The economy seems to finally (2 years later) be hitting the construction industry.  You wake up in the morning and the thought of having to deal with it all just makes your whole body tense up.  My administrative assistant was laid off yesterday.  It really stinks.  I hate it for her, she is such a sweet person, a good person.  I know things have been tight for her to begin with and now she is having to deal with this.  I just feel so bad and there is nothing I can do to fix it.  I truly hope that things will turn around and she will be back.  It is too quite here today.  She has been a big help to me around here and I will no doubt miss her.  I am just that way, I want to fix things, I want to help and when I can't it just weighs on me.

WoW.....Got a call last night....it was my brother!  Yes, I know, you don't hear me speak of him much.  He is my half brother and after he and dad had a falling out when he was younger things were just never the same although we have always kept in touch just not often.  My nephew Jean-Luke, "Luke", will be a senior this year at East.  That is just crazy!  I still remember when he was born.  I can't believe he has grown up it seems so quickly.  Of course I say this same thing about Jeramy & Starla all the time too.  Anyway, seems he was in a very bad head on collision after football practice the other day.  After several surgeries they were able to bring him home last night.  He has a hospital bed at home and a wheel chair for now.  They are hoping that within 4-6 months he will be walking again.  I hope to see him soon, it has been too long.  I am glad he is still here with us but I do hate he is having to deal with all of this.  I can't imagine how scary it must be for him.  All of the surgery, stitches, broken hip, arm, almost tore his knee off.....I just can't imagine.  I know I would be scared for sure.  It makes me worry even more about Jeramy.  He will be 16 in April and is so excited to drive.  In this case, both kids were speeding and hit head on, I mean I don't know anyone that is not guilty of speeding and I don't really know many, especially new drivers, that haven't pushed their luck.  I know I did, I know that someone was no doubt watching over me on a number of occasions when I was that age.  Of course, they have to grow up and they have to learn by mistakes you just hate to see it be in such a situation.  It is sad but I am very thankful he is OK.  That is what matters when it comes down to it.

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”

 

~ Catherine Ponder

On another note, I have been keeping an eye on the baby birds that have made one of my hanging baskets their home.  It is neat to see how much they change day to day and how quickly they grow and come into their own.  Animals are so different from people in that sense.

Anyway, I can't help my curiosity when they are right there under my nose!  lol  I have to keep any eye on them.

I am pretty sure the newest addition has a mohawk!  ha ha ha  Here are a few pics.  The cookoo bird had to be relocated (the clearly larger egg) and there ended up being a total of 5 tiny eggs!

"To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, 

to have houses, music and paintings 

- it's all miracles. 

I have adopted the technique 

of living life from miracle to miracle."

~ Artur Rubinstein

So...A little behind in updating lately.  Just been trying to get caught back up since I returned from vacation and all.  It was a short trip but better than nothing, that's for sure!  Surprisingly I did not take many pictures this trip but I will post a few. 

Gracie exploring the condo (I haven't taken her in 3 years!)

Eating sand and playing in the ocean

Investigating the beautiful shell Jeramy found that morning

IT WAS ALIVE!

Surfside Pier from the Garden City Pier

This past Sunday we celebrated Father's Day since I was out of town on Father's Day.  I made homemade (and from the garden) Cucumber Dilly Salad, pasta salad, Sock-It-To-Me cake, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob and Grilled Italian/BBQ Chicken....it was all really yummy!

Yummy cake and my fresh cucumbers which went in all the salads

Work has been well, lets just say a little hectic and a little more than stressful!  Friday the 25th we walked in the Relay For Life in Downtown Knoxville.  Overall our team (The Knoxville Optimist Club) raised $7,000.00!  I know, it's crazy!  Everyone did a wonderful job and once the sun went down it was great!  I could have stayed longer and kept walking but I think my Gracie was ready for me to come home and let her out!  LOL  We got home about 1am.

Will have to add this picture tomorrow!

Had a visit today from a good friend and met his wife and little girl for the first time!  Hayden turned 1 on June 27th.  She was a sweetie and was running all over the house exploring everything.  Getting around quite well for a 1 year old, I was surprised!  It was great catching up though in person rather than long distance.

Well I will try and update some more over the next few days, just a quick update.  

"If we do not plant knowledge when young, 

it will give us no shade when we are old."

~ Lord Chesterfield

Deep inside my Soul.......Somewhere deep inside my soul there is a starving artist..... (an unemployed one) HA!  Seriously though, there seems to be nothing artistic that does not touch me.  I am not sure what it is or where I get it from.  I don't see it the way it is in me in any of my family.  It seems it was just randomly dropped into my soul for reasons unknown.

There is just nothing that seems to keep my attention like art.  Walking through a museum....gosh I could spend all day.  Occasionally I just see something that I cannot take my eyes off.  It just speaks to me.  While in NY in 08' I went to see All My Sons by Arthur Miller on Broadway.  It was filled with top names; Katie Holmes, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson and so on but when I sat in my seat and started taking in this amazing story I didn't seem to pay any attention to who the actors were.  I was so enthralled by the story itself.  I didn't pay attention to the people sitting next to me or behind me and I am sure some carried on their own conversations but I didn't even notice.  It was wonderful.  When it ended I was sad, I didn't want it to be over.

Music is different for me as well.  I mean I listen to just about anything and everything!  Old, new, well known, not so well known.  I find myself listening to it more when it has a real story or I can put a real meaning to it.  For example Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas, I enjoyed the song the first time I heard it and was immediately interested in what it was about.  Once I discovered that it was about his wife's battle with an auto immune disease it mattered to me more.  I don't hear music I actually listen to it.  There is a difference.  I mean if the music is playing and I am doing things around the house or carrying on a conversation over it that is one thing but then there are just those songs, those that when you hear them come on you just have to stop what you are doing and listen.  You have to take them in without distraction.  Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah, when I hear the music start to play I just have to stop and listen.  Soak it all in.  I can shut my eyes and for a brief moment be somewhere else, somewhere peaceful, serene.  

I can sit and watch someone dance but on occasion you see someone dance that draws you in, you no longer just see the motions and the people in front of you, you feel it.  You soak it up and you feel the emotion in the dance, in the story they are sharing with you.  Lyrical, contemporary more often than not just really pulls you in.  It will make the hair on your arms stand up and a chill comes over you.  It is just uncontrollable, when it happens it just happens, you can't make it happen.

Everyone knows I am a movie junkie.  Old, new, silly, dramatic, action, thriller and on and on.  I am not a fan of reading sub titles but I have been known to watch movies with them.  If the story is really there, if the characters are really there, you don't need to know the words.  You know the story just from watching it.  It is almost as if I manage to block out the words and it does not even bother me that I can't understand a single word they are saying.  When you can do that, when you can get the gist, understand the story without all that added stuff, that is a good performance.  That is worth watching.

"The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, 
it moves again since it is life." 

~William Faulkner

Pictures...

I always knew there was something to this quote.  I have always liked it and maybe it has a little to do with my photography hobby as well.

"Do you ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background?

Makes you wonder how many strangers have pictures of you.

How many moments of other people’s lives have we been in?

Were we a part of someone’s life when their dreams came true?

Or were we there when their dreams died?

Did we keep trying to get in as is if we were somehow destined to be there?

Or did the shot take us by surprise?

Just think. You could be a big part of someone else’s life and not know it."

"You can't do anything about the length of your life, 

but you can do something about its width and depth. "

~ Shira Tehrani

I found out today that an old friend from school is fighting stage 4 liver cancer.  32 years old, single mother of 2 (10 & 12).  To find out you have it and the just a few weeks later find out it is stage 4.  I mean one just cannot begin to imagine what she is facing, what she is dealing with, her struggle of how to talk to her children about it.  Back to my blog from Friday:

1. Cancer - It can happen to ANYONE at ANYTIME at ANY AGE to ANY RACE to ANY SEX to ANY RELIGION - YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE!

You just can't help but wish there were something you could do, something you could do to make it better, make it go away and you just can't.  My thoughts and prayers are no doubt with her and her family during this  time.

Our school mate Gary Rice has been battling cancer as well and it seems things are looking up for him.  Keep him in your thoughts & prayers as well.  There is only so much within our control.  We can give our thoughts and prayers, we can find a cause and support it.  Whatever it is.  It is all we can control.  So when I walk on June 25th I will have so many people in my thoughts and prayers and so very much on my mind.

So again, find a cause, find something that you can do to make a difference and do it.  If you are interested in helping with Relay, joining or donating let me know I will send you the link or whatever it is that hits close to home for you, that you are passionate about, just do something, somewhere.

Please pray for a friend I'm thinking
of today who is very sick with cancer, 

32 yrs old. She has children that need her. 
God please bless her, keep her safe, and heal her. 
Life is so difficult sometimes, 
often makes you ask why things are so hard.
Thank you for blessing me & my family with our health.
Something we all consistently take for granted, 
let's be grateful more often and more gracious to others always! 

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

Only through experience of trail and suffering can the soul be

strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

~ Helen Keller

Already looking forward to growing more stuff next year.

Plants, flowers, garden....everything!

TOXIC NICENESS.........

OK.....Buckle down people....this one is going to be a little long....sorry for that but I had a lot to say and a lot to address.

Niceness is becoming toxic to my health & well being these days.  I actually read a little in regards to this on a daily basis.  I think today I have come to realize that this has become a huge issue for me.  I was taught to always try and be a GOOD person, try and do the RIGHT thing, do my best to always take the HIGHER ROAD, try and be the BIGGER PERSON.........Well guess what.....I have tried this and it seems to me it is just not all that it is cracked up to be.  I have a few friends that repeatedly tell me not to worry about other people but yet over and over again I do worry about other people.  I worry about how they feel, what they think, what is going on with them.  It does not seem to work the other way around though.  I have learned over the past 10 years that some people just flat out SUCK.  They are rude, disrespectful and socially unacceptable! (my mom will enjoy that last one)  There are some people that you can really go out of your way for.  You buy a closet full of crap you don't need, don't want and will likely never use in order to support their new side career.  Of course when given the opportunity they do absolutely 100% nothing to support your side career.  You put together a casserole, deliver it and as a thank you they return to you a carrier that was once nice that they ruined oh and then a few days later they let a "thank you" slide out.  My friend Christie actually mentioned yesterday how the majority of people these days lack the ability to be appreciative of anything.  Not even a simple, GENUINE, "Thank you".  It is like we live in this world of people that just feel they are "entitled".  Really, I am just curious, what on earth makes you so flipping special?  Some people tell me that certain people have some sort of "jealousy issues" or "have gotten too big for the britches".  Really?  Get over it.  I mean we all have something in our lives or going for us that someone else wants just as much as there is always someone out there that has something we want or that we long for.  One person just can't have everything so why behave like you are in 5th grade?  You can't even be mature enough to look someone in the eye when spoken to?  I think once you hit 30+ there is just no excuse whatsoever for that behavior.  Everyone is IMPERFECT ( I think one person's church around here actually tries to teach that), Everyone HAS something and Everyone WANTS something.  It is part of life.  In recent years I have come across so many just truly ungrateful people and I swear sometimes I just want to jerk them up and shake the crap out of them.  Instead......I put a smile on and I try and be the bigger person.  I will continue in my life to be this way BUT I will begin today making exceptions to that rule!

See I do suffer from some true Libra traits.  Some good, some not so good just like everyone else in the world.  I like things to be equal (yes I am aware they are not and I have to suck it up)  I like people to be treated fairly.  (yes, again I know)  I think all of that plays a part in how often I get my heart hurt by others around me.  I do take things personally.  I had someone tell me one day that I was a good person AND I had a good heart.  So many people actually confuse those things.  They are not the same at all.  They gave me an example:  A good person sees a homeless person in the snow and just thinks, gosh, that is so awful, I just hate to see that and they Genuinely mean that.  A person with a good heart will actually take action on that.  I guess referring to my habit that started when I was about 10 with feeding them and such.  I will never forget it, that first time.  We were at Brendles on Tunnel Road in Asheville, NC and I had bugged my mother for a toy all day!  I was driving her crazy so finally she gave my sister the keys to the car and gave me some money and asked her to take me across the road to K-Mart and get me a toy!!  (ha ha I could be pretty persistent)  While sitting at the red light there was a very frail looking man standing on the corner in the snow with a sign that simply said "WILL WORK".  So I talked to my sister and we rolled the window down and told him to go up the parking lot to the Burger King where we preceded to go through the drive thru and spend all of my toy money on hot food, orange juice and coffee.  The man sat down behind the drive thru menu to block the wind and snow as best as possible and I will just never forget the look on his face, the look in his eyes.  No maybe this did not forever change this man but it did change me and it did help him.  My sister and I sort of made a routine of this.  We do not give them money but we buy them food, something warm to drink.  I remember a few years back leaving the Copper Cellar on Cumberland in Knoxville  on Christmas Eve and this man was asking for food, gosh by some people reactions you would have thought he was trying to hold people at gun point.  I just simply handed him my to go box with my leftovers and the man could not have been more happy and appreciative.  Someone in the car actually said "Well, I just never thought about that, I never thought that was all he wanted but I could have done that" as they sat there with their to go box in hand.  I mean some people genuinely need help and some don't and you cannot always tell but does that to go box of leftovers that will likely sit in your fridge until trash day really mean that much?  It really just takes simple gestures that people just don't stop to think about.  It was a gesture that didn't cost me and didn't cause me to have to go out of my way, just to be nice and considerate of someone other than myself.  

I have been fund raising for Relay For Life.  I actually had someone ask me the other day "Why does it matter to you?".  Seriously?  Did someone really just ask such a thing?  Ok, no problem, I got this. I can even explain it to you based on Relay and based on my above paragraph.

1. First, WHY NOT????
2. Why on earth do we feel so entitled that we feel like everyone should go out of their way to help us, do for us, support us when we are not willing to do the same. I mean have we all forgotten what is Known as the Golden Rule, many Christians will know this as a Christian saying: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  If you are not willing to help others, why should they help you?
3. Cancer - It can happen to ANYONE at ANYTIME at ANY AGE to ANY RACE to ANY SEX to ANY RELIGION - YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE!
4. Homelessness - In this economy, in this day and age it CAN happen to ANYONE at ANYTIME at ANY AGE to ANY RACE to ANY SEX to ANY RELIGION - YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE!
5. If someone I love, care about, anyone in my life has to face either 4 or 5 or anything else for that matter I absolutely would want anyone and everyone to do anything and everything within their control to help!  Wouldn't you???

I could easily go on and on but I think that sort of sums that up.  

Personally my budget is very tight right now and I don't quite think that even describes it.  I am pushed to the very limit.  With that being said, since Jan 2010 I personally have given:

• $20.00 to March of Dimes
• $50.00 to Relay for Life (I normally always support at least 1 other team member when doing this stuff)
• $100.00 to ALPS (our local Alzheimer's Association - hello people we all get old, we all reach a point where we need help)
• $25.00 to Juvenile Diabetes

I really do live paycheck to paycheck right now so I understand 100% tight budgets and fearing every week that my life could change and I might not get a paycheck that next week.  I see everyday on facebook all of these people that have already (it is only June 4th) taken multiple vacations this year, some to the beach, some to Greece, some to more amazing locations than that.  They can't simply say THANK YOU and mean it.  They can't take a few minutes out to do something nice for someone or to just call or email and say How are YOU today?  It is all about them.  They are buying new cars, eating out every day, buying their $8 fancy coffee drinks and they seriously have an issue with putting $10.00 towards a good cause.  Towards a cause that may one day, at even given moment be them.  You could end up out of work, falling on hard times, falling ill to cancer, heart disease any one of a billion different life changing some life ending diseases.  

Can you HONESTLY, sit there, look me in the eyes and say You would NOT want anyone to help you for be there for you??  If you are going to dare try and say yes to that question you should first tell everyone within 200 yards to step away from you because the lightening is coming!!

On another note.....TGIF!  It is Friday, finally!  I hope that everyone has a good weekend with the people in their lives.  

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; 

you must hammer and forge yourself one."

 
~ Henry David Thoreau

One of my FAVS!