FEELING MORE THANKFUL IN LIFE

Giant crocodile behind barb wire fence - “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last”

A man lay in a hospital bed worried about whether he would live or die. He called his pastor to come pray for him. He told her that if he got well, he'd donate $20,000 to the church.

The pastor prayed and the man eventually DID get well and returned home. But no check came to the church. So the pastor paid him a visit.

"I see you're doing quite well now," she observed. "I was just wondering about the promise you made."

"What promise?" he asked.

"You said you'd give $20,000 to the church if you recovered."

"I did?" he exclaimed. "That goes to show you just how sick I really was!"

It is easy to give thanks -- or to show it -- when we feel grateful. But gratitude is not a feeling we can manufacture. Nor are we born feeling grateful.

Children are not thankful by nature. We teach them to say thanks and, in time, they develop stronger feelings of gratitude. My children could talk before they were weaned from diapers, but one thing they never said was, "Thank your for changing my dirty diapers. Dad, I know that is a messy job. I appreciate all you are doing for me." Too bad. Sometimes I deserved a BIG thank you.

When they were sick, they never thanked us for sitting up with them at night. And when they became car sick at the beginning of a road trip, they never said thanks for cleaning it up. Even though their mother and I spent almost a half hour scrubbing the carpet in a convenience store parking lot at seven degrees below zero (our metric system readers will recognize that as -22 degrees Celsius), they never did said, "Gosh, guys, you're the greatest parents ever! We are SO lucky to be part of this family."

Naturally, we wouldn't expect small children to thank their parents for being parents. And for most people, feelings of gratitude come with empathy as we mature.

But can we learn to feel more thankful? Here are three simple steps to help anybody live more thankfully and to respond more authentically.

First, recognize WHEN a thankful response is appropriate. We take for granted too many of the things that we should be giving thanks for.

Second, spend a moment reflecting on how another's thoughtfulness makes you feel. Be intentional about this.

Then third, from a sincere feeling of gratitude, give thanks. When you do, you will also discover that you are becoming a happier person.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

UPGRADING TECHNOLOGIES IN LIFE

In this day and age, we have come to rely upon computing networking products and telecommunications products in our work and in your daily lives. The Internet has become an integral part of our daily routines, helping us to keep in touch with our friends and loved ones by greatly bridging the digital divide between us all.Infinit is one of the essential companies providing crucial technology equipments that make up the backbone of the Internet. From your typical networking switches and routers to high end servers and network security products like industry leading firewalls, you can find new and refurbished products with Infinit.
They carry reliable products from industry leading manufacturers like 3Com routers, Cisco IP phones, IBM pSeries servers and Crossbeam C-Series security switches. If you are planning for a new network in your office or home, head on over to Infinit and check out their wide selection of reliable networking equipments.

THE SECOND BEST TIME TO BEGIN IN LIFE

Swiveling yellow plastic chair - “Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.”

Philosopher and economist Friedrich Engels said, "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." Perhaps it is easier to talk about what to do than to do it.

U.S. District court judge Woodrow Seal was active in a philanthropic organization known as The Society of St. Stephen. It is an internationally recognized organization with the sole purpose of helping people in need.

One day a church invited Mr. Seal to speak to their congregation and explain to them how they might begin a Society of St. Stephen. The plan was for the him to speak on the various programs of the society, then follow up with a time for discussion.

The people took their seat and the minister introduced the featured speaker. The judge helped himself to cookies and poured a cup of coffee. When the introduction was completed, Judge Seal walked over to the piano, put his coffee cup on top of it, and began to fumble in his coat pockets. Finally, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper and from it read the name of a mother and her four children, including their ages and clothing sizes.

He noted several other unmet needs of the family and mentioned that their address was on the paper which he carefully laid on top of the piano. The judge then said, "If you want to start a Society of St. Stephen, then you should contact this woman by 11:30 tomorrow morning. If you are not able to help her, don't worry, I'll be in contact with her tomorrow and I'll get her help by mid-afternoon. "

With that, the judge turned to leave. "Now, forgive me," he said, "but I really must be going. Thank you for inviting me and for the coffee and the cookies."

Before anyone could respond he walked out the door. It all took less than five minutes.

Here was a group of people who thought they were going to spend an hour listening to a program on how to help others in need, and maybe discuss its merits for a while. Instead they spent an hour deciding how to help one family - and the next day they did it.

Judge Seal wasn't content to sit around helplessly waiting for people to make a decision. The problem for most of us is not lack of knowledge but lack of action. When all is said and done...more will have been said than done. But like the Chinese proverb teaches, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."

What are you trying to plant? The second best time to do it is now.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

HAPPY SHOPPING

I’m all for trying on clothes before landing a purchase. What may look real hot on the mannequin may look ridiculous on you. But having said that, I would willingly take that risk if I could get better deals online.

When it comes to shopping online, you may find yourself hopping from one website to another; that’s how you’d shop in real life, anyway. If you’re looking for women’s clothing, there is a wonderful website that does the searching for you. It’s called ShopWiki.

Say you’re looking for a white shirt. Just type in the words “white shirt” in the search field and the search results will come back with a bunch of white shirts from several stores for you to choose from. Seeing all your options at a glance saves a lot of time than having to page hop.

Got a dinner to attend? Just type in “cocktail dresses” to see what’s out there. If you’ve got a particular color in mind, just pick the color on the top right of the screen. This is particularly useful when you’ve got a theme to stick to, say in a wedding. Just type “bridesmaid dresses” and pick the color you want. Or better yet, get your bridesmaid to make a pick. You'll be sure to have a beaming bridesmaid on your big day.

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS IN LIFE

Hard at work repairing laptop - “Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.”

During the American Civil War, a young man named Roswell McIntyre was drafted into the New York Cavalry. The war was not going well. Soldiers were needed so desperately that he was sent into battle with very little training. Roswell became frightened - he panicked and ran. He was later court-martialed and condemned to be shot for desertion. McIntyre's mother appealed to President Lincoln. She pleaded that he was young and inexperienced and he needed a second chance. The generals, however, urged the president to enforce discipline. Exceptions, they asserted, would undermine the discipline of an already beleaguered army.

Lincoln thought and prayed. Then he wrote a famous statement. "I have observed," he said, "that it never does a boy much good to shoot him."

He wrote this letter in his own handwriting: "This letter will certify that Roswell McIntyre is to be readmitted into the New York Cavalry. When he serves out his required enlistment, he will be freed of any charges of desertion."

That faded letter, signed by the president, is on display in the Library of Congress. Beside it there is a note, which reads, "This letter was taken from the body of Roswell McIntyre, who died at the battle of Little Five Forks, Virginia."

It never does a boy (or anybody else for that matter) much good to shoot him. But you might be surprised at the power of forgiveness.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

CELEBRATE YOU IN LIFE!

Traditional hanging Chinese lantern - “Faith means living with uncertainty - feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark”

CELEBRATE YOU! It is no exaggeration to say you are a GIFT to the world.

Many years ago, US Congressman Tribble of Georgia told a story about teaching his daughter that she was her own person. Wherever she went, the little girl was constantly associated with her father. "Oh, you must be Congressman Tribble's daughter," well-intentioned adults would coo.

She explained to her parents that she wanted to be herself, not simply known as Congressman Tribble's little girl. Her father told her not to worry about it. Her mother, who perhaps understood the problem better, suggested, "The next time that happens, just stand right up and say,'I am Constance Tribble!'"

The opportunity arose just a few days later. A group of people met her and when they heard her name, they said, "Why, Congressman Tribble must be your father!" Constance looked right back at them and said, "Oh, no! That's not what my mother says!"

We can be sure than Congressman Tribble was her father, but that fact was only a part of who Constance Tribble was. She rightly believed herself to be unique, and she wanted to be known as her own person.

You are unique. Do you value that which makes you different? For nobody in the world has quite the mix of your perspective, your sense of humor, your skills and abilities and your potential. No one can be YOU as well as you can be you. You are an original, the likes of which the world has never before seen.

Writer Robert Zend quips, "People have one thing in common -- they are all different." And it's the difference that makes a difference!

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

TRUE LOVE FOR LIFE

Walkway safety pole - “A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.”

How easy it is to confuse love with passion! One father said of his teenaged son, "I don't know if he's in love or in heat!" Feelings of attraction can change more quickly than the seasons, but love, in its truest form, is greater than feelings.

Love is what Mr. and Mrs. Strauss shared. Mrs. Isadore Strauss was one of the few first class women passengers to go down with the Titanic in 1912, and she drowned because she could not bear to leave her husband.

They remained calm throughout the excitement of the sinking vessel. They both aided frightened women and children to find places aboard lifeboats. Finally, Mr. Strauss, who had repeatedly urged his wife to claim a spot safely aboard a lifeboat, forced her to enter one.

She was seated but a moment, however, when she sprang up and climbed back on deck before he could stop her. There, she caught his arm, snuggling it familiarly against her side, and exclaimed, "We have been long together for a great many years. We are old now. Where you go, I will go."

For them, true love was about commitment. And it was about faithfulness. And sacrifice. Not everyone finds such love in another person - though it is a beautiful thing when it occurs. But a committed and faithful love can always be found in another realm. It exists at the very core of authentic spirituality. This is a fact that whole and happy people build their lives around.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

A MOUNTAINTOP VIEW OF LIFE

Transformable plastic robot toy - “Nothing is true in self-discovery unless it is true in your own experience. This is the only protection against the robot levels of the mind.”

A police car pulled up in front of an older woman's house, and her husband climbed out. The polite policeman explained that "this elderly gentleman" said that he was lost in the park and couldn't find his way home.

"How could it happen?" asked his wife. "You've been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?"

Leaning close to her ear so that the policeman couldn't hear, he whispered, "I wasn't lost - I was just too tired to walk home."

These bodies become less cooperative as we age. For some, work becomes less fun and fun becomes more work. One older friend commented, "I've reached the age where the warranty has expired on my remaining teeth and internal organs."

But I like the spirit of Charles Marowitz. "Old age is like climbing a mountain," he says. "The higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become. But your view becomes much more extensive."

Atop the mountain, one has a better view of the world. One can see above the differences that divide people. One can better see beyond petty hurts and human fragility. Atop the mountain, one has a longer view of the past and can therefore understand the future with more clarity. Atop the mountain, one looks down on dark clouds of gloom and despair and fear and notices that they are neither as large nor as ominous as those beneath them would believe. It is also clearer that however dark they may appear, they too, are fleeting and will someday pass.

George Bernard Shaw said, "Some are younger at seventy than most at seventeen." I think it is because they have a broader outlook.

It will take a lifetime to climb the mountain, but, for me, the view will be worth the journey.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LOOKING THROUGH THE WRONG END OF A TELESCOPE IN LIFE

Spiral empty shell - “Beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon.”

On the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it.

"Be still, my heart," thought the doctor, "my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps!"

Then the child spoke into the instrument, "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?"

Among the many lessons we can learn from children is the lesson about how to have fun. And for most children, fun is spelled F-A-N-T-A-S- Y. Their worlds of make believe are places of excitement and joy.

Writer Dr. Seuss said this about fantasy: "I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

One man spoke for too many of us when he said, "The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic. There is no harder work I can think of than taking myself off to somewhere pleasant, where I am forced to stay for hours and 'have fun.'" Are fun and fantasy part of your life, or is having fun just another fantasy?

What might happen if you decided to look at life through the wrong end of a telescope? What if you asked yourself "What if?" instead of "What now?" And how can you put more "fun" into your
daily "functions"?

Wake up those brain cells! They'll thank you years from now.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

OH RAINY DAY

There are some things which I just don’t like to talk about. Insurance is one of them. I’ve always avoided insurance salesperson like a disease. The whole thought of buying insurance feels a little more than a bit morbid to me. It’s like making a will. I know it makes good sense to make one, like your dependents being well taken care of and all that stuff—but along the way, you’d be forced to answer the question, “What’s gonna happen when I die?” Morbid.

But as morbid as they come, I know I’ll have to deal with them sooner or later. Oh well, might as well get it over and done with. Will-making will have to take a backseat for the moment. My aim for now is to get a comprehensive insurance plan for myself.

Just the other day, I went to check my records to see what kind of insurance I have already taken up. For a while there, I was smugly patting myself on the back for having gotten myself sufficiently covered. Then it struck me—I hadn’t gotten any Long Term Disability Insurance. Long Term Disability is not something to be taken lightly. You may be bringing food to the table for now, but who knows what might happen tomorrow? You may not even have an income anymore, let alone a steady one. Yikes.

To get Disability Insurance quotes, just hop on by to 4-Disability-Insurance-Quotes. I find it a whole lot easier than sitting with an insurance agent, asking all sorts of probing questions which I may or may not be to keen to answer. Thumbs!

NUMBER CRUNCHING BEGONE

I’ve always had this idea in my head, that non-profit organizations are run by a bunch of guys who have proper day jobs. That is until recently, when a friend of mine approached me to ask if I know of any Nonprofit Fund Accounting Software. He works for a non-profit organization, you see. And it is thanks to this guy that I used to think that people who work for non-profit organization don’t exactly do work. Anyway, it’s a long story. Besides, hearing the words Fund Accounting Software come out from the guy’s mouth is enough to convince me that he means business.

I didn’t know of any Fund Accounting Software myself; to suggest that he use the good ol’ ledger book instead, is to court a silent treatment of at least a year. Yes, he can be a real annoying pain like that.

So off I went, in my quest for the ultimate Fund Accounting Software. I figured I’d throw in a search for Fundraising Software, just in case. There are a couple of them out there like Serenic Navigator, Sage MIP Fund Accounting and Kintera FundWare, but I wouldn’t know if they are best suited to my friend’s organization’s needs.

Good thing there are firms like JMT Consulting Group. These guys would match the fund accounting and fundraising software applications to fit the requirements of an organization. It not only takes the guesswork out of the task of landing on a software purchase, but it saves a whole lot of money for the organization in the long run too.

WHAT WE SEE IN LIFE

Long beans and rice for lunch - “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

A long time ago a baby was born to poor parents. His future looked bleak as he grew to see a life of dreariness and poverty before him. He joined the army as a common soldier and was wounded so severely that he never regained the use of his left arm.

He later failed to find decent employment and, on two occasions, was sent to debtor's prison. He continued to have brushes with the law and struggled just to survive.

But, despite the severity of his life, he never let go of his dream...to write a book. He wrote that book and in it he told a beautiful story which welled from his heart's deepest dreams and yearnings. It has moved generations of people the world over ever since. It is about a man who saw the world differently than everyone else. Though created in suffering, the book is an inspiring tale of irrepressible hope. This man's story has been put to music and film, translated into numerous languages and remains a literary classic after some 400 years. The author was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the book is Don Quixote De La Mancha.

Perhaps Cervantes himself believed, as did his character, that the world "sees people as they are -- I see them as they can be!" For Cervantes may never have accomplished such a magnificent work had he not seen some potential within himself that was hidden from the rest of the world. He knew, and has taught others ever since, that great truth: What we see will come to be.

Some see situations as they are, others as they can be. Some see people as they are, others as they can be. And some see themselves as they are, others as they can be. But when we look beyond the present reality, dismal as it may seem, and set our sights upon the best that is within a situation or a human being, then, too, what we see will come to be. And we'll know the power of hope.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

PLANNING A TRIP

I think that one of the best parts about a vacation is the countdown to the day of departure. We used to have annual family trips when I was a kid. I remember crossing out days in a little calendar I would keep in my pencil case.

10 more days… 8 more days… 5 more days—oh, gotta remember to bring my Nintendo Gameboy along for the trip...

Ah, those were the days. All I had to worry about is to pack my own bag for the trip.

Things a lot different when you grow up. You come to realize, amongst other things, that planning a vacation can be quite a pain. There are lots of things to worry about. Who’s to take care of the family dog while you’re gone. Who’s gonna water the plants. Clearing work before flying off. The flight reservations. And hotel reservations. Argh.

I prefer doing all the bookings myself than to get the travel agent to do it for me. Fortunately for people like me, it is possible to make flight and hotel bookings online. Sure beats queuing up for what would seem like an eternity to book your ticket at the ticketing counters.

HotelClub allows you to do bookings for hotels in most countries around the world. All you have to do is to key in the duration of your stay, and indicate whether you prefer a 3 star above, or below hotel.

Or if you like, you can browse to hotels by country, or the popular cities, such as London, Sydney, New York City or Paris.

Not all hotels allow you to make online reservations through their websites. Why, some hotels may not even have a website! Heck, HotelClub would have saved me the agony of having to stay in some of the shoddiest hotels all those years ago.

THE GUTS TO FAIL IN LIFE

Getting peanuts in life - “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough. Not only have I found that when I talk to the little flower or to the little peanut they will give up their secrets, but I have found that when I silently commune with people they give up their secrets also – if you love them enough.”

Someone quipped that a classified newspaper ad read: "For sale. Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain."

I realize that we cannot afford to fail in some endeavors. But I also know that we cannot afford NOT to fail in most of what we do. Unfortunately, too many of us live by the motto: If at first you don't succeed, don't admit that you tried. Why? We often feel ashamed or embarrassed when we fall flat.

In his book THE COURAGE TO FAIL (McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1993), Art Mortell tells about a conversation he had with baseball's Lou Brock. It took place when Brock held the record for stolen bases. He was about 35 years old at the time and his days as a professional player were winding down. Brock was talking about why he successfully stole more bases than younger, faster players.

"When you start out in baseball," Brock said, "you're young and you have the speed and reflexes. However, when you try to steal second base and you get thrown out, it's a long walk back to the dugout, with 40,000 fans watching you. When you reach my age, you come to understand that records are not set by being the quickest, but by the willingness to look bad in the eyes of others."

There are other ways to avoid failure throughout life:

* Never ask anyone out. There will be no possibility of rejection and embarrassment.

* Never ask for a promotion. That way you will not risk the humiliation of being turned down.

* Never go back to school. You cannot fail a class you do not take.

* Never change careers. You'll never fail at something you never try.

* Never try anything you've never done before.

If success is just avoiding failure, I don't want it. But if success is about pursuing a passion or finding the guts to risk in order to experience life fully, then I want it. Even if it means a lot of long walks back to the dugout while everyone is watching.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

THE BROADCASTING STATION OF LIFE

Crossroad junction in life - “You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don't think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.”

George Washington Carver observed, "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." But it is sometimes hard to hear the message when it is broadcast by equipment that is dirty, corroded and abused. Carver was born 150 years ago, before we used terms like toxic waste, air pollution, global warming and deforestation. Today, we have figured out that we need to take good care of the broadcasting station if we are to hear what the Divine is saying.

This is a beautiful and fragile planet we live on. As much as we can fall in love with magnificent sunsets and pristine landscapes, few people have ever experienced its beauty as acutely as those who've seen it from afar.

Senator Jake Garn was one of those privileged people. He observed earth aboard Discovery Space Shuttle and wrote of that experience in "Parade Magazine" (11-3-85). "I know now what if feels like to be out of this world," he said. "The experience is exhilarating, breathtaking, awesome. No. Those words aren't strong enough; space flight is indescribable. " Listen to these words from his space diary:

"I was overcome by the beauty of the earth below. I don't think the words exist to convey what it's like to see the earth from space. The curve of the earth, the swirling eddies, the patterns of clouds marbling the surface above the brilliantly blue color of the water and the blue-green of the land, the sheer beauty of the earth and the excitement of being in a position to see it made this the greatest experience of my life. Using binoculars, I once counted 22 discernible layers of blue in the band of sunrise color that would be seen from earth simply as blue."

This is indeed a beautiful and fragile planet. But it's changing. And we humans are the cause of much of it. George Burns once quipped, "I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty." All right, he lived to be 100, but we can bring those days of clean air back. We can live simply and responsibly. We can walk gently upon the face of the earth.

And with our broadcasting station once again in good order, I think I know what we'll hear God saying: "Thank you."

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GOING BEEYOND PAPER

I can still remember clearly when I used to make my own holiday photo card with my sister. All we had at that time were our holiday photos, some manila card, some wrapping paper and of course scissors and glue. And even though the end result was nothing to boast about, those were fond memories that will stay with me as long as I live!Nowadays getting your own wedding invitations or birth announcements printed out is very convenient with Beeyond Paper. No more worrying about deadlines for getting your baby shower invitations or your holiday photo cards produced in a timely fashion. And rest assured that Beeyond Paper offers a 7 days money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with your order. Now that sure beats all the hassle and time required to make your own wedding invitation!

FEARLESS LIVING IN LIFE

Frozen food for sale - “Love is like racing across the frozen tundra on a snowmobile which flips over, trapping you underneath. At night, the ice-weasels come.”

A woman traveled by plane with her infant daughter. When they landed, they were met in the waiting area by her father, who took the baby while she proceeded to the baggage claim area.

Standing there alone waiting to claim her luggage, she was absent-mindedly holding the baby's pacifier. She noticed a flight attendant staring at her, then at the pacifier in her hand. The flight attendant finally spoke: "Excuse me, Miss. Is this your first flight?"

Fear of flying has kept many people home. One woman reminds me that her terror of riding in airplanes actually has biblical roots. "We should be wary of flying," she asserts. "In the Bible, Jesus says, 'LO...I'll be with you always'"!

Other common fears have kept countless people from enjoying life fully. Some of the greatest fears we share are a fear of becoming incapacitated, a fear of financial ruin, fear of abandonment and fear of death. Fear may be the most powerful enemy of humanity. And it is an enemy all of us are intimately acquainted with.

As James Bell writes, "Fear is an insidious virus. Given a breeding place in our minds...it will eat away our spirit and block the forward path of our endeavors." Or, like someone else said, "Fear is called the little death - it kills in tiny pieces."

I received a letter from a woman who learned an important lesson about fear. She wrote that one of their children had died some months earlier. Then she said this: "My husband and I went to dinner last night, and...I overheard two women talking about a sister who had lost a child. [One of the women] said, 'I can't get over the change in my sister! She, who once was afraid of her own shadow, has become totally fearless! She is so confident - so brave! She says, 'The worst thing has already happened - what more should I be afraid of?'"

"Steve - that woman is so right! My husband and I started a conversation with these two women and I told them that I agreed with the sister who had lost a child.... The one thing every parent dreads (also) happened to us and, with the grace of God, we lived through it. So we can live through anything else."

By surviving their worst fears imaginable, these women have newfound courage. They believe that nothing can ever happen to them that is worse than what they have already endured; there is nothing that they cannot face with courage and strength.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LIFE PARTY SURPRISES

Most of us have got a lot going on in our lives. From typical 8 to 5 hectic workdays to the daily household choirs that need to be taken care of, we tend to forget the important dates like anniversaries and birthdays by being caught up in your daily plights in life.If we somehow do happen to remember a date where having a party is a necessity, planning and organizing one takes much time and effort to say the least! One of the easiest solution is to get party rentals. Kids just love inflatable party rentals especially those water slide party rentals. It's like having a mini theme park right at your backyard (that is if you got a big enough backyard to accommodate the inflatable party rentals). Head on over to Inflatable Adventures to check out the great party rentals they have available.

STRENGTHENED BY OUR WOUNDS IN LIFE

Purple plastic robot toy - “This donut has purple in the middle, purple is a fruit.”

Po Bronson, in his book WHY DO I LOVE THESE PEOPLE? (Random House, 2005), tells a true story about a magnificent elm tree. The tree was planted in the first half of the 20th Century on a farm near Beulah, Michigan (USA). It grew to be a magnificent tree.

In the 1950s, the family that owned the farm kept a bull chained to the elm. The bull paced around the tree, dragging a heavy iron chain with him, which scraped a trench in the bark about three feet off ground. The trench deepened over the years, though for whatever reason, did not kill the tree.

After some years, the family sold the farm and took their bull. They cut the chain, leaving the loop around the tree and one link hanging down. Over the years, bark slowly covered the rusting chain.

Then one year, agricultural catastrophe struck Michigan in the form of Dutch Elm Disease. It left a path of death across vast areas. All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm became infected and died. Everyone figured that old, stately elm would be next. There was no way the tree could last, between the encroaching fungus and its chain belt strangling its trunk.

The farm's owners considered doing the safe thing: pulling it out and chopping it up into firewood before it died and blew over onto the barn in a windstorm. But they simply could not bring themselves to do it. It was as if the old tree had become a family friend. So they decided to let nature take its course.

Amazingly, the tree did not die. Year after year it thrived. Nobody could understand why it was the only elm still standing in the county!

Plant pathologists from Michigan State University came out to observe the tree. They observed the scar left by the iron chain, now almost completely covered by bark and badly corroded.

The plant experts decided that it was the chain that saved the elm's life. They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the rusting chain, that it became immune to the fungus.

It's said that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. Or, as Ernest Hemingway put it, "Life breaks us all, but afterwards, many of us are strongest at the broken places."

The next time you're in Beulah, Michigan, look for that beautiful elm. It spans 60 feet across its lush, green crown. The trunk is about 12 feet in circumference.

Look for the wound made by the chain. It serves as a reminder that because of our wounds, we can have hope! Our wounds can give us resources we need to cope and survive. They can truly make us strong.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

A FORMULA FOR A SUCCESSFUL LIFE

Flag pole cement foundation - “Words are some of the most powerful and important things I know....Language is the tool of love and the weapon of hatred. It's the bright red warning flag of danger--and the stone foundation of diplomacy and peace.”

I have a friend who prepares taxes. He lamented with me once about some of his wealthier clients - those with six and seven figure incomes. Some of these people, he said, even despite the obvious tax benefits, refused to give any of their money away. Some are spending more money on grooming their pets than on feeding hungry children. They simply have not discovered the importance and power of giving. And sadly, these wealthier clients are in a position to do something significant, but they choose to do nothing at all.

Author Kent Nerburn wrote a book titled LETTERS TO MY SON: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love. In one letter, he teaches his son the value of generosity:

"Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance, and none can say why some fields will blossom and others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices in life no more easily made. And give. Give in any way that you can, of whatever you possess. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than how it is shared, and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace."

How fortunate for one boy that his father is showing him how to truly live!

People who live well are experts at giving. They give their money; they give their time. They share their wisdom and their skills. They quickly say yes when asked to help.

For them, the formula is simple: to give is to love and to love is to live. It's a formula for a successful life.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

PLANTERS LOVE LIFE

Gardening is one of the oldest form of human activity which extends as far back as into prehistory. Besides being a major economic business trade, gardening is also a popular pastime activity. As quoted by Phyllis Theroux, “I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation.”Gardening is a great way to improve on your living surroundings. There's nothing quite like waking up in the morning to the sweet fresh scent of daisies growing outside in your window box planter. It is also very easy and cost efficient to brighten up your living room with some colorful flower selection growing in an asthetically pleasing indoor planter.
Whatever planters that you need you can find them all on Planterixchange. With a wide variety of indoor planters and a huge selection of outdoor planters readily available, Planterixchange is the definitive resource for all your garden planters needs. And if you are looking for fancy decorative planters, do not worry as they have you covered too!

LIFE LOVE FOR SAILING

Sailing out in the wide open sea is a dream come true moment for most people. Imagine spending one of the most romantic honeymoon vacation in a sail boat on crystal clear ocean water on a full moon's night, with the moon's mesmerizing reflection clearly seen on the ocean... pure bliss!With so many various reasons and benefits to embark on your very own sailing endeavor, there exist as well foreseeable factors that hinder the leap of faith. One of the most evident factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the cost of ownership. Lets face it, most people can only dream about taking vacation trips on their very own sail boat due to financial limitations. But do not despair for where there is a will, there is definitely a way!

Ok now this might sound pretty far fetched at first but rest assured that this is a valid solution for having your very own sailing trip experience... with the keyword being "Fractional sailing". Now the next question at hand would be "What is fractional sailing?". Basically at its core, it is essentially sailing at a fraction of the total cost involved. The cost reduction occurs because the total cost of ownership of a sail boat is divided among members of a fractional sailing program. One of the best provider of fractional sailing program is WindPath so check them out today and make your sailing dream a reality!

THROWN FROM THE BULL OF LIFE

Electric power adaptors - “Spirit has fifty times the strength and staying-power of brawn and muscle”

Speaker Andy Sherman tells about learn­ing to ride bulls in the rodeo. At eighteen, he told his father he wanted to be a professional bull rider. His father said, "You want to do what? Why would you want to do that?"

Andy said jokingly, "I don't know - I guess I like the hours. You just work eight seconds at a time. That appeals to me."

His father, concerned about the inherent danger, responded, "I absolutely forbid you to do that!" And, at that moment, young Andy instantly knew his life's calling!

The only problem was - he couldn't ride. Always 7 1/2 seconds away from making the eight­-second buzzer, he decided to enter "Rodeo School."

The first day of school he was told to get on a bull. He got on and was immediately thrown off. The instructor said, "Get on another one." He was thrown from a second bull. Then a third. And a fourth. He finally asked the instructor, "Are you going to show me how to ride these things?"

"That's how you ride them," came the re­ply. "Just get on one and ride."

By the week's end, Andy had climbed on, and been thrown off, about eighty bulls. But he learned how to ride.

Experience can be a great teacher. Unfor­tu­nately, there is only one way to get it, and that is to fall a few times until you learn. Like the em­ployer who told her new employee, "I hired you to make right decisions."

"And how do I do that?" he asked.

"Experience! " she answered.

"How do I get experience?" he asked.

"Wrong decisions."

But experience will never come if we are afraid to try. And fail. And try again. And maybe fail again. We may have to "get thrown from a lot of bulls" if we are ever going to learn to ride. But that is part of living a full and happy life!

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

A PASSION FOR LIFE LONG SHOES

Back in my childhood years when I was about 12 years old, new years seem like fantastic joyful times for celebrations. One of my fondest memories is when I was out and about with my family shoes shopping for the new year.I still remember clearly how excited I was when I set my eyes on a pair of cowboy boots! Back in those days cowboy boots were a rare sight indeed so they were considered high value novelty items. I knew they were expensive so I was going to settle for a pair of sport shoes instead.To my amazement, my dear mom turned to me and asked me to try the leather cowboy boots on for size! I was ecstatic to say the least! I went back home that way grinning from ear to ear with a shopping bag in my left hand containing my brand new pair of smooth leather cowboy boots.

Nowadays, going shoes shopping has gotten much easier with ShopWiki. You can find shoes of various types and styles with just a simple search. What about myself? Well I still search for cowboy boots now and then to keep myself abreast of the current trend and fashion. Still very much into cowboy boots!

LAUGHTER IS CHEAP MEDICINE FOR LIFE

Fresh green capsicum for sale - “If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

I know a couple who works in the pharmaceutical industry. He is a sales representative and she is a pharmacist. When asked what they do for a living, he is quick to reply, "She makes drugs an I sell them."

I believe it was Lord Byron who said, "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." And they're finding that to be true - quite literally.

A woman diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis wrote to me and talked about how painful the disease had become. Debra said that no drugs would touch the devastating pain. "At times I prayed to die because I did not think I could go on this way," she said. But in two and a half years she weaned herself from most of her medication, which had reached a high of 21 pills a day. This is how she did it.

"I began seeing a doctor who gave me the most important prescription that I ever could have received," she said. "He excused himself from the room. I watched him walking back and forth in the hall; he seemed to be in deep thought."

The doctor came back in with this prescription: he told Debra to get some funny movies and to begin laughing. If she didn't feel like laughing, then she should smile. If she didn't feel like smiling, she should smile anyway! He said that it would increase endorphins in her brain and help with her pain.

She did just as he suggested. She smiled constantly. Her children teased her about the fake smile, but she told them that it was going to get rid of her pain. And it did. Of course, not all of her pain is gone, but her newly acquired habit of laughing and smiling has made it manageable without all of the drugs.

Today, Debra is never seen without her smile. She says that she would not even feel normal without it.

Laughter really is cheap medicine. And it's a prescription you can fill right now.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LEARN TO SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE IN LIFE

Clothes for sale in display basket racks - “Amazing, isn't it, how some see the basket half empty and others see it half full? Some see life hopeless, some hopeful. Even when things are less than perfect, if you can think of the good, the beautiful, the hopeful, you'll be more than sustained,”

A woman was explaining her theory of putting her children to bed: "I never tell bedtime stories that begin with 'Once upon a time,'" she said. "If I really want to put them to sleep, I start off with, 'Now, when I was your age...'" It's nice to understand people so well that we know just what to say! Here is a mother who could speak her children's language.

The story is told of the most famous elephant in the world -- a huge, beautiful and gentle beast named Bozo. Children extended open palms filled with peanuts for the Indian elephant, who gently plucked them from little hands and seemed to smile as he ate his treats.

But one day, for some inexplicable reason, Bozo changed. He almost stampeded the man who cleaned his cage. He charged children at the circus and became incorrigible. His owner knew he would have to destroy the once-gentle giant.

In order to raise money for a new elephant, the circus owner held a cruel exhibition. He sold tickets to witness Bozo's execution and, on the appointed day, his arena was packed. Three men with high-powered rifles rose to take aim at the great beast's head.

Just before the signal was given to shoot, a little, stubby man in a brown hat stepped out of the crowd and said to the elephant's owner, "Sir, this is not necessary. Bozo is not a bad elephant."

"But he is," the man argued. "We must kill him before he kills someone."

"Sir, give me two minutes alone in his cage," the visitor pleaded, "and I'll prove to you that you are wrong. He is not a bad elephant."

After a few more moments of discussion (and a written statement absolving the circus of liability if the man should be injured), the keeper finally agreed to allow the man inside Bozo's cage. The man removed his brown derby and entered the cage of the bellowing and trumpeting beast.

Before the elephant could charge, the man began to speak to him. Bozo seemed to immediately quiet down upon hearing the man's words. Nearby spectators could also hear the man, but they could not understand him, for he spoke a foreign language. Soon the great animal began to tremble, whine and throw his head about. Then the stranger walked up to Bozo and stroked his trunk. The great elephant tenderly wrapped his trunk around the man, lifted him up and carried him around his cage before carefully depositing him back at the door. Everyone applauded.

As the cage door closed behind him, the man said to Bozo's keeper, "You see, he is a good elephant. His problem is that he is an Indian elephant and understands one language." He explained that Bozo was frustrated and confused. He needed someone who could speak his language. "I suggest, sir, that you find someone in London to come in occasionally and talk to the elephant. If you do, you'll have no problems."

The man picked up his brown derby and walked away. It was at that time that the circus owner looked carefully at the signature on the paper he held in his hand -- the note absolving the circus of responsibility in the case he was injured inside the elephant's cage. The statement was signed by Rudyard Kipling.

People also become frustrated and angry when they are not understood. But great relationships are formed by parents who learn to speak their children's language; lovers who speak each other's language; professionals who speak the language of their staff and clients. When people understand that YOU understand, that you empathize with their heartaches and understand their problems, then you are speaking their language! It is the beginning of true communication.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

WHERE CHANGE BEGINS IN LIFE

Bright red flower - “Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms Without the aid of the seasons.”

An old mystic said this about himself: "I was a revolutionary when I was young, and my prayer to God was, 'Lord, give me the strength to change the world.'

As I approached middle age and realized that my life was halfway gone with­out changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to, 'Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me, especially my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied.'

Now that I am an old man, and my days are num­bered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. Now my one prayer is this, 'Lord, give me the grace to change myself.' If I had prayed that right from the start, I would not have wasted my life."

We can waste years trying to change other people. But we can only really change one person - ourselves. In the end, that is probably enough.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

JOIN 3GB COMMUNITIES

Back in the days of Web 1.0 I used to be glued to my CRT computer monitor (which I have upgraded to a fancy 22 inch wide screen LCD display currently) engaging in plain text based Internet Relay Chats (IRC). Ah yes, those were the days when the intoxicating charm of the "Oh oo!" sound effect notification of ICQ was still prevalent as the popular culture trend. Looking back, it is amazing to see how far the internet has evolved to become the current Web 2.0.With a whole new generation of multimedia technology, it has become a much simpler and richer experience to meet people online. One of the more popular way of meeting people online is to join web community portals like 3gb Communities or 3gb.biz. Once you have join 3gb community 3gb.biz as a 3gb community member you can personalize your very own profile page for all to see with links to your blogs, photos and the ever so important "About You" section detailing a summary of your life of sorts.
When you join 3gb community 3gb.biz you can engage in a feature rich chat experience with others who also join 3gb.biz. The chat module is Flash based so the user interface and multimedia features deliver a visually appealing online chat experience for members. Other than that 3gb.biz also offers an online mp3 music player which enables members to listen to their favorite tunes when chatting online. So join 3gb community 3gb.biz today for free!

THE LIST OF LIFE

Homemade greeting card - “A friend of mine once sent me a post card with a picture of the entire planet Earth taken from space. On the back it said, "Wish you were here."”

How long would your list be if you took inventory of your blessings - all of that for which you can give thanks? For family? For friends? For faith? For health and the necessities of life? Did you know that some one million people will die this week … how is your health? Those who have food, clothing and shelter have more than much of our world's population will ever possess. Do you have these necessities of living?

How long would your list be if you took inventory of your blessings … and added one new item daily? Would you be amazed at the size of the list?

You have 1,140 minutes in every day. How would your life be different if you spent just 15 of those minutes daily giving thanks? Just 15 minutes filling your mind with concrete examples of how fortunate you are? Most of us would discover even after a few days that the exercise was life changing!

Poet Courtland Sayers put it this way:

Five thousand breathless dawns all new;
One million flowers fresh in dew.
Five thousand sunsets wrapped in gold;
One million snowflakes served ice cold.
Five quiet friends, one baby's love;
One white sea of clouds above.
One June night in a fragrant wood;
One heart that loved and understood.
I wondered when I waked that day -
In God's name - how could I ever pay?

Christian mystic Meister Eckhart said, "If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you,' that would suffice." I suspect he is right.

From Lifesupport.

SONOGRAPHY LIFE

Most would be screaming "anal probe!" ala Cartman from South Park when talking about sonography tech. But in the real world, the career choice of becoming a sonography technician garners a much more serious tone.An aspiring sonography technician needs to be trained at specialist sonography schools and finding the right one is no easy matter. Luckily at Medical Career Training, you can find a comprehensive listing of sonography schools offering online and offline training courses.

CNA TRAINING FOR LIFE

Feel like making the world a better place by helping others in need? Getting into cna schools for a career as a certified nurse assistant is a great way to realize that.

At Medical Career Training, you can find online cna training in case you got no time to spare for full time cna courses. The website layout is clean and straightforward so you can easily find the right cna school offering the cna training that is best suited for your needs.

THE GADGET THAT GETS ME STARTED IN LIFE

Mini plastic toy car - “Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.”

A funny story has it that, late one night, a party-goer decided it would be best to walk home. He found a shortcut through a poorly lit cemetery and, in the darkness, stumbled into an open grave.

He tried to climb out but the walls were too slippery. Again and again he fell back into the grave. Finally, in exhaustion, he settled in a corner to wait for sunlight.

A few minutes later another man cutting through the cemetery fell victim to the same grave. He, too, tried desperately to climb and claw his way out, and he was equally unsuccessful.

As he was about to give up in hopeless resignation, he heard a voice from the darkness of his pit: "You'll never get out of here."

He did!

He just needed the proper motivation. And in this case, a shot of fear did the trick. But when it comes to finding the motivation to accomplish most worthwhile things, his example is the exception.

I am learning that the best motivation, whether we want to accomplish a task, go back to school, start something new or kick a habit, usually comes from the inside. To be successful, we must want to do it. Others may certainly help to encourage or to "pump us up," but, in the end, we will usually succeed only if we have the desire.

Dorothy Heller illustrates this with an all-too-true poem:

I spent a fortune
On a trampoline,
A stationary bike
And a rowing machine
Complete with gadgets
To read my pulse,
And gadgets to prove
My progress results,
And others to show
The miles I've charted –
But they left off the gadget
To get me started!

Of course they left it off! The gadget to get us started lies within. And the best part is...since you already own it, you can use it anytime you want.

Today?

From Lifesupport.