Guard Your Reputation

Warren Buffet quoted in Independent.co.uk: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it."

Keeping The Day in Perspective #3

12. The second mouse gets the cheese.
13. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
14. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15. Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.
16. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

Keeping The Day in Perspective #2

7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8. Never buy a car you can't push.
9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
10. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

Keeping The Day in Perspective #1

1. Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4. Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5. If you can't be kind, at least have the courtesy to be vague.
6. If you lend someone $20 and you never see that person again, it was probably worth. it.

A Great Lesson on Stress

A young lady confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water while leading a seminar and explaining stress management to her audience. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, "Half empty or half full". She fooled them all. "How heavy is this glass of water?" she inquired with a smile.

Answers ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Pick them up again tomorrow if you must."

Zachary Bruno CDs

Zachary Bruno is an 18 year old who, among other things, is the administrator for our church we site. We have know him and his family, including his 17 year old sister, since they were about 5-6 years old. Our church has purchased and received 10 CDs of piano music he has written and recorded. Nita and I enjoyed our copy last evening, and it so refreshing and relaxing that it is hard to describe. Zach - great job! Others, please let me or Zach know if you want your own copies.

Even more true today

Abraham Lincoln in a speech in Clinton, IL on September 8, 1854 said:

"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Health updates

Updates: Charlene is improving a little each day; Betty does not know when they thyroid cancer surgery will take place; my fraternity brother, Skip, had his port removed today and is relieved to have that done.

A New Minister's Plea

Readers Digest, February 2013, Life in These United States, submitted by V. Nifong, Auburndale, FL:

Our new minister pleaded with the congregation for help on a church project. After weeks with few takers, he called our house with the deeply felt, if not diplomatic, request: "I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for volunteers and wonder if you might be able to help?"