VW ad that every teen should watch

This is a very eye-opening ad about driving and mobile phones.

How to have a google+ profile without google+

I was visiting Karen over at Pixel Posts and found that you can have a google+ profile without having to give up the Blogger dashboard. It links the two profiles together but you don't have to use the google+ pages if you don't want to--which is good because google+ makes me crazy!

The link is over at Blogger Hints and Tips and you can click right here to find it. Yes, I was skeptical at first, too, but it really works. Thanks, Karen!

I have also found that the photo storage on Picasa has changed, too. To go back to the old style of albums after you have arrived at the new page, just type 'picasa web album' into the url space and hit 'enter'. Voile! You are back to the old style.

It would seem that I am having trouble with change in my....wiser age. Actually, I'm not really opposed to change. It just has to be more helpful than the old way for me to appreciate it and these two things don't seem to improve things in my world :)

some advice

Never spend the night in Ohakune in the summer. It is a seasonal town that caters to snow skiers. We spent a week there one night last week. They grow carrots there.  The end.

I turned out OK....mostly

I don't have any little kids around but I can't help but see articles on kids, from birth to teens on the internet--some are newspaper articles, some are blog posts.

They didn't have them when I had young ones around, but apparently, there are books that tell you what your child should be doing at any point in his/her life--how they relate to family at certain ages, when they discover their own sexuality, and lots of other things that I never thought about, much less worried about, when raising a baby. It never occurred to me that a baby would be 'finding his/her place in the family' at any particular age or discover the difference between friends and family at a different age. I'm sure that there is value in knowing some of these things, but I fear some parents tie their kid to the timetable in the book and that's a scary thought.

And, then there is the assuming that your kid does fit the book and you want to be the perfect parent and encourage at just the right moment. I can understand wanting to do all the right things and say all the right words and read all the right books to your children. But, come on, if you screw up--and you will because you're human--I don't think it would permanently damage any kid. If anything, kids are resilient and forgiving.  That's based on actual experience because my parents were not perfect and I didn't start a cult or go live in a cave because I was disillusioned with the world. 

Not long ago, I read a blog post about the possibility of confusing a little one about Santa Claus.  I'm not an expert by any means, but, I don't remember anything from being two. And I certainly never had any anxiety about confusing Santa with the neighbor or any other man as I grew up. I remember my phone number from when I was 3 (It was ATwater1-4346) and bringing home our puppy, Bruno. Other than that, most of my early 'memories' are based on hearing the family talk about the 'early days'.

I just feel that, sometimes, trying too hard can be more difficult for the parent than the child. Don't try so hard. They'll be ok.

Advice from a tree

taken at Hollard Gardens, Kaponga, Taranaki

Wise words from a NZ judge

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

Wise Words from a Judge in New Zealand - for Young People and Adults

I shake my head in disbelief at some of the things judges say ... but this hit the mark:

"Northland College (NZ) principal John Tapene has offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals with youth.

"Always we hear the cry from teenagers 'What can we do, where can we go?'
... My answer is, "Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons, and after you've finished, read a book."

"Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun. The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something. You owe it your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at war, in poverty or sick and lonely again."

"In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone, not a wishbone. Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It's too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now and that somebody is you...""

 http://currents.michaelsampson.net/2012/02/gohome.html

Never thought of it like this!

At least, we're on the green side of the grass!

forgiving

For other quotes and scriptures, click here.

about people

When I first started blogging, I described myself as being 'older than dirt' and my new family had quite a few good laughs about it.The fact of the matter is, I've been around the block a few times and I've learned a few things about human nature. 

I'm certainly not a psychologist, but some things about people don't need a degree to be figured out--like the fact that we all see things based on our past experiences. 

Sometimes, the negative stuff others have had to deal with makes your words get twisted around in their head. For example, an effort to help can get you lashed at with a string of sentences that aren't even relevant to the situation--all in an effort for that person to defend themselves when it's quite unnecessary.

It's not fun when I have to figure out what's going on. It certainly makes the relationship tense and sometimes, it never gets settled so I'm not sure when I can get back to 'normal' conversations without my words dredging up the past disagreement.

Personally, I believe that all that we say or do is a choice. Our attitude is a choice. Once I figured out that the world doesn't fall off its axis if I don't defend myself to everybody about everything, I felt much better about the world. 

I could let things go without having to prove myself or correcting the rest of the world. 

I smiled more and had fewer headaches. 

I could hear and see things without that automatic defensive mode kicking in.

I could accept people for who they are and not judge them to be like the people of my past.

Even with the negative junk in my own past, I simply make the choice to not let those now-irrelevant things influence my here and now. Life is much easier that way.

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark

ONE: Don't miss the boat. Be flexible enough to see what's going on around you.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat, so be kind.

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. 

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. 

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. 

SIX: Build your future on high ground even if it doesn't make sense to others. 

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. 

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile. Sometimes, you miss an opportunity by trying too hard.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. 

ELEVEN: No matter what the storm may bring, with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. 

Life

When you thought I wasn't looking

                 WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING                   
                                                                         
                 
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my         
          first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately         
                        wanted to paint another one.                     
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a         
            stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind         
                                to animals.                             
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my         
                   favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little         
                      things can be the special things in life.               
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a         
          prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always         
                  talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.               
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a         
              meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I           
        learned that we all have to help take care of each other.       
                                                                         
          When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care         
          of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have       
                    to take care of what we are given.                 
                                                                         
              When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you           
            handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't         
              feel good, and I learned that I would have to be           
                        responsible when I grow up.                     
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come         
            from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things         
                      hurt, but it's all right to cry.                   
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you           
          cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.         
                                                                         
            When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of         
            life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and         
                    productive person when I grow up.                   
                                                                         
          When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and         
            wanted to say,"Thanks," for all the things I saw when         
                      you thought I wasn't looking.                       
                                                                            

Who has the power?

I'm the type of person who finds logic very comforting. I need to know all the 'why's before I can truly understand the whole picture. For example, back in the dark ages when I went to college, my biology teacher couldn't tell me 'why' a cell decides to divide--I was just suppose to accept that it does. Well, that wasn't happening and I didn't do well in the class. [Of course, later on, when they invented microscopes that could look inside a cell, they found that there was, indeed, rhyme and reason for what a cell does. *insert 'I was right' dance here*]

Of course, sometimes, the logic thing can take my brain on tangents that are better left untaken. One example is our juvenile next-door-neighbor. I wondered how my calling the noise control people on him affects his wife. Does he take it out on her by yelling at her? Does he make the house walk on eggshells because nobody knows what to say? But then, I realized that I shouldn't have that much power over his life and he's a fool if he gave it to me!


And I think about the silly person with the 30-year grudge I posted about earlier. Why is she letting me affect her after all this time? I k now I'm good, but didn't know I was THAT good!!


I think about someone I know that wants me to tip-toe around and never get loud because, in their far, far away past, somebody yelled at them and made them feel bad. Sorry, kiddo, being loud sometimes is who I am. Our family gets loud. That's who we are. You need to deal with it. Why are you letting someone who is probably dead (or, at the very least, not even aware of their impact) have power over you a half a world away and several decades later? I don't want to be able to make you feel bad by reminding you of someone in your past. Nobody should have that much power.

So for all those people whose lives are governed by the words and deed of others, I say, Life is about choices. 

Choose to believe that God loves you exactly the way He made you.
Accept that you are worthy of respect and love simply because you're breathing.
Choose to overlook other folk's imperfections if you want them to overlook yours.
Quit letting other people decide if you are going to be happy. No one should be able to make that decision but you.
Decide to be happy every morning!

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us, but my taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call,  'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around  full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.

As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. Sometimes they'll dump it on you, but don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.  Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. 


Excellent advice from a unique point of view.

Sometimes, no words are necessary

A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.  After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening when the pastor found the man at home, alone, sitting before a blazing fire.  Guessing the reason for the visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The preacher made himself at home, but said nothing.  In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.  After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth, all alone.

He then sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched in quiet contemplation.

The single ember's flame flickered and slowly diminished. There was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

A short while later, the preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.  He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire where it immediately began to glow once more.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting, but as the preacher reached the door to leave, his host simply said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially the fiery sermon. I will see you in church next Sunday."

No more excuses

The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, remember, 

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

John the Baptist ate bugs

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer...

And Lazarus was dead! 

truth

You must cross the line from 

wariness 

to 

acceptance 

to truly be a friend.

--anon

Just a reminder

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.  In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"  Hands started going up.


He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this..." and he proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.


He then asked, "Who still wants it?"  Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?..." and he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor  with his shoe.


He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"  Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends," he stated.  "We have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20."

He continued, "Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. 


But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. 

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who care about you. 


The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are. You may not see what others see in you but you are unique and valuable ."

Just a thought

In case you're planning on waiting...

I would rather have a small rose from the garden of a friend

Than to have the choicest flowers when my stay on Earth must end.

I would rather have one pleasant word of kindness said to me

Than flattery when my heart is still and life has ceased to be.

I would rather have a loving smile from friends I know are true

Than tears shed 'round my casket when I bid this life Adieu.

Bring me all your flowers to day whether pink or white or red.

I'd rather have one blossom now than a truckload when I'm dead.

I know it's going out on a limb, but I think it's a safe bet that this poem speaks for everyone you will meet in the coming year!