Monday, August 31, 2009

MountainWings: Cruising in Paradise

MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#9243 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

Cruising in Paradise
=====================

The sign read, "Guests on a cruise gain an average of seven to
ten pounds during a cruise."

I stared at the sign posted in front of the fitness center of
the cruise ship as my wife and I were on a recent cruise.

"Seven to ten pounds...that's a lot of weight," I thought.
"That's a pound or more per day." It was a MountainWings Moment.

A cruise represents as close to earthly paradise as the average
person will get. You don't have to work at all. You have a room
steward, a personal waiter, and some cabins even have a butler.

You can call at any time of the day or night and have room
service delivered at no extra charge. You can order an
unlimited number of entrees and desserts at breakfast, lunch,
and dinner.

You can have as much as you want on a cruise and you have to do
no work to get it. That's as close to paradise as most will get.

Yet, paradise puts an average of a pound a day on folk.

Research has proven that one of the most effective life
extenders in rats is caloric restriction. If the rats are kept
always hungry and given little to eat, they lived twice as long
as rats who are given all they wanted to eat.

It works that way with things other than food. Sometimes all
that we want is opposite from all that we need.

I sat next to a lady on the return flight home after leaving
the cruise ship. She asked the flight attendant if she could
get a seat belt extender. She confided in me that she had
gained some weight on a cruise that she and her husband were
returning from.

Thank God that He has the wisdom to not give us all that we
want all or even most of the time.

~A MountainWings Original~

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MountainWings: Green On This Side

MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#1267 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

Green on This Side
==================

What if it's not greener on the other side?
Maybe past the fence it's still the same ride.

What if the ultimate joy always exists in the now?
Maybe every moment should take it's own bow.

What if the apex of happiness was always just here?
Maybe we don't have to guide, we don't have to steer.

What if that's why children always laugh so?
Maybe they're able to just let go.

What if they know happiness is not a thing to be achieved?
Maybe they can feel that being open to it, is all that we need.

What if we've become so "wise" we've forgotten that realization?
Maybe once in a while we should give our brains a vacation.

What if happiness is more about our hearts and our souls?
Maybe we can be happy with the now and still have goals.

What if the grass isn't greener, what would you do?
Maybe it's time to let happiness be the thing that fills you.

~by MountainWings subscriber, Brian Beard~

Thank you for inviting MountainWings in your mailbox.
See you tomorrow.

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MountainWings: You Must Keep Going

You Must Keep Going
====================

Sometimes you must keep going.

Life punches you in the stomach.
It knocks your breath out and leaves you bowed and gasping.

You lose a job. . . you must keep going.

You find out you have a serious illness. . .you must keep going.

You have a headache. . . you must keep going.

Sometimes the things in life are not serious but they affect you
nevertheless. . . you must keep going.

You have a big argument with your spouse.
Neither of you feels like talking and maybe not even looking at
each other. . . you must keep going.

Your son rebels and you have a blowout with him. . .
you must keep going.

The bills seem to never end and the money seems to never start.

You must keep going.

There are times that make us just want to curl up, stick our
heads in a hole, and make the world go away.

We can't, because we must keep going.

Life is full of those circumstances.

Many of you when you woke up this morning, for a variety of
reasons, didn't feel like getting out of bed, but you had to.

You must keep going.

In times like those, and we all have them,
remember the blessing.

The blessing is not in that we must keep going.

The blessing is that we can.

~A MountainWings Original~

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Heartwarmers: Special Karen

The best thing to happen to mornings since the Sun!


Your morning thought for the day:
Every parting gives a foretaste of death,
every reunion a hint of the resurrection.
-- Arthur Schopenhauer

We haven't heard from our friend, Corrina Hyde, in years. We
remember well the day we met her at our Heartwarmers convention in
the year 2000. She was one of our celebrated speakers that day.
Today, she shares a bittersweet story on what brought her class
closer together. Thank you, Corrina -- we are so happy you are doing
well.
Tell us if you still communicate with your high school friends.

______________________________________________

Who Needs To Hear From You Today?

SPECIAL KAREN
by Corrina Jayne Hyde

Simply Karen and I grew up in a little country community.
Most of my classmates and I went to school together from the
time we were in Kindergarten. Like all seniors in high school,
before and after us, we all promised to keep in touch. We did for a
while, and then real life got in the way. We all at some point moved
off and moved on.
Everyone but Karen. Karen was our "special" classmate.
Yes, the term used today implies that she was slow, simple and
unable to keep up with us. But when we said special we meant just
that -- she was special! She didn't have a mean bone in her body and
she was completely devoted to us. That earned her our respect, love
and protection.
After graduation, Karen remained at home with her parents. Her
mom died, and she helped her dad with their produce business.
Through all of her comings and goings in the town we all outgrew, she
would see our families and ask about us. Sometimes she talked to
family members that we weren't even talking to ourselves. It didn't
matter to her that they seemed hesitant to confide, or be overly
negative -- she wanted to know, so she asked.
Because of her curiosity, she had a wealth of information,
useful and not so useful, about the class of 1979.
The few times I talked to her over the years, she would fill me
in on everyone, and then pump me for the little details that made my
life uniquely mine. Karen found out I was back "home" and started to
call. Most of the time I wouldn't talk to her, because I wasn't
talking to anyone.
But sometimes, for reasons unknown to me, I would answer the
phone and just listen to her. She talked about the most mundane
things. Where she had eaten, a yard sale she went to, what she
bought. She didn't care that I had nothing to say -- my occasional
breathing on the other end was enough for her. She would catch me up
on everyone and ask me questions I couldn't answer. Then she would
just say goodbye, while assuring me she would call again.
In my darkness her light started penetrating. I started to look
forward to her calls. I started to participate in them. I came out
of my room and stepped back into life.
Then I got too busy to talk to her. Months went by. I heard
from people in the community that she was sick. They said she had
cancer. Guilt ridden, I called her and finally made the time to
speak with her.
We talked for some time. She was so happy that I had actually
reconnected with her. She never mentioned being sick. We made plans
to go out for pizza the next Monday night. She wanted to invite
another classmate of ours that she kept in touch with, Sally. At the
end of that call she said, "I love you, Cory." My mind registered a
goodbye.
I picked Karen up and was unprepared for what I saw. She was
skeletal. I knew then it was serious. After dinner that night,
Sally and I talked and we both felt an urgency. We wanted to get all
of the classmates that we could find locally together and have a
class reunion. Neither of us felt that Karen would make it until
2009.
What happened next was short of amazing.
People we had not seen or talked to for almost 28 years were
found with ease. We had phone numbers, addresses, everything we
needed. We set it for two weeks away and I started making all the
arrangements. No one was more excited than Karen. The "reunion" was
at her funeral a few days later -- just 5 days away from the one we
had planned.
This past May, the class of 1979 met once again for our 30th
class reunion. In the year and a half since her death, something
amazing had taken place. The contact we made with each other to
rally for her, continued after she died. We made a connection, we
kept in touch.
Our class reunion felt more like a family reunion. And there is
nothing simple about that!

-- Corrina Jayne Hyde <moi_cory at yahoo.com>

______________________________________________
Cory is from Atoka, Oklahoma. She says, "I'm working my dream job at
the University in Durant."
______________________________________________

http://heartwarmers.com

Petwarmers: All WorthWhile

ALL WORTHWHILE
by Kathy Whirity

As a dog lover at heart, I love to watch movies starring man's
best friend.
Back when the kids were little we enjoyed the series of
Beethoven movies featuring the lovable but beastly St. Bernard.
There's something entertaining about seeing the out of control
antics of our fellow furry friends, probably because it makes us
thankful that our pets are not quite as crazy or demanding.
The other night we rented the movie Marley & Me. All I knew
about the story line was that it involved an obnoxiously misbehaved
yellow Labrador Retriever.
This dog barked, chewed and ransacked his way through the entire
movie. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson played the beleaguered
couple who had their hands full dealing with this disaster of a dog.
Even though he was incorrigible, he managed to stay a permanent
fixture in the family even after the arrival of three children.
What I wasn't expecting was how the movie ended.
Somehow I wasn't expecting it to be a tear jerker but there I
sat, sniffling and crying as Marley made it to a ripe old age only to
have to be put to sleep due to an irreversible disease.
As Owen Wilson's character says goodbye to his fur kin I had
flash backs of when I was standing in that same emotional place,
saying goodbye to a faithful friend. Unfortunately I found myself
being in that position twice.
At 15, make that 105 in dog years, Bingo lived a long and happy
life. Like Marley, she was far from being the perfect pooch. Her
worst behavior was getting into the bread drawer and devouring
everything in it every time we left the house. Puppy proofing was a
joke because she always managed to steal the contents no matter what
we used to keep her out.
Holly was a different story. She was the first Golden Retriever
we owned. For the first few years she was a hurricane of activity.
She chewed everything that wasn't nailed down. She had energy that
would make the energizer bunny envious. But as she grew into a more
mature dog she outgrew some of those annoying habits. Sadly, she was
only 10 years old when we hugged her tight and said goodbye as she
went to sleep for the last time.
* * *
*
Someone once told me that they'd never have a dog because it
would be too painful when the time came to say goodbye.
I find that mind set kind of sad. While it's true that the
goodbyes are heartbreaking it's the unexpected pleasures that make
being a dog owner worthwhile. There is nothing more loyal than a
dog. The swish of the tail tells you in dog language that you've made
them happy. A big floppy eared dog with a bone in his mouth just
begging for you to play fetch is worth the time it takes to throw it
as far as he can run.
Hannah and Henry, our Retrievers in residence, were laying at my
feet during our viewing of Marley & Me. Occasionally Henry would
jump up -- his ears perked when the sound of barking was heard.
After the noisy scenes he'd come right back and plop down right in
front of me.
We have had our share of canine catastrophes like digging holes
the size of ditches in our backyard, not to mention the layer of dog
hair that is a never ending battle do deal with. But, would I ever
trade these dog days for dogless ones? No way!
For all their trouble, there is a more than equal amount of
happiness they bring to our lives. And though we must face the
inevitable, down the road, the forever memories made with man's best
friend makes it all worthwhile.

-- Kathy Whirity <kathywhirity at yahoo.com>

___________________________________________
Kathy is a syndicated newspaper columnist who shares her sentimental
musings on family life. She is also a contributing author to the
Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Kathy and her husband, Bill, are
enjoying life as new grandparents.
___________________________________________

http://petwarmers.com

MountainWings: No Complaints

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#1243 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

No Complaints
==============

Pastoring a church teaches you about as much as you teach
people. Running a business does the same.

As I went to ministers' conferences and talked privately with
other ministers, they often pulled me to the side and as a new
minister offered me words of counsel and wisdom gleaned from
years of experience.

One consistent theme kept surfacing. No matter whom I talked
with, no matter what denomination, big city or country town,
the phenomenon was the same.

Minister after minister told me and I began to see that it not
only applied to ministry, it applied to life in general.

"Heavy givers are light complainers."

Originally I thought, "These men are just focused on money.
They are judging people and character based on how much money
they put in. That's wrong."

In my own church I slowly began to notice a similar pattern,
every, not some, but every complainer was a low giver.
I was not focused on money in the church, I didn't even take a
salary but the correlation was unmistakable.
I saw what the other ministers were talking about.

Even MountainWings is the same.
We have never had anyone who has made a donation complain.

I then began to look around the job for the same phenomenon.
Sure enough, heavy givers were light complainers.
"How can you have a giver at a job?" you ask.

President John F. Kennedy perhaps gave us the best statement for
separating givers.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do
for your country."

A giver asks, "What can I do?"
Low or non-givers ask, "What can you do for me?"

We are all mixtures of both qualities but some are more heavily
oriented on one end or the other. Usually every family has at
least one giver. They are the ones everyone goes to, for help
or just to talk. They always have a listening ear and would be
the one that most can depend on.

They are the givers.

They also are usually the one with most unburdened spirit.
Giving has that effect. It helps the giver and the receiver.

Find someone that is a giver, not stuck with responsibilities
that they can't escape from, but a giver from the heart and ask
them, "How's life?"

Chances are they'll say,

"I've got no complaints."

~A MountainWings Original~


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MountainWings: Life's a Beach

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#1248 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

Life's A Beach
===============

The weather is beautiful.

It is hot and sunny; the water must be cold.

That's what I thought as I looked from my room onto the beach.

I was in Panama City, Florida.
I was on vacation. I took three days to get away alone and rest.
The ocean is always a good place to go. It was a holiday weekend.

Hot summer holiday weekends are usually crowded in Panama City.
The beautiful white beaches draw vacationers from around the
world. As I looked out onto the beach from my room, the beach
was nearly deserted, and there were only a few people in the
water at noon.

My only explanation was that the water must have been freezing.
That can sometimes happen with the ocean.
It can be ninety degrees and yet the ocean can be very cold.

I had packed my wetsuit for just such an occasion.
I usually swim for a long time, if the water is unusually cold,
the wetsuit makes it comfortable.

I grabbed my towel, wetsuit, and keys, and headed to the beach.
There was an eerie silence magnified by the lack of people.

I let my toes slide into the frothing surf as it crashed against
the beach. I was expecting liquid ice.

It was warm, very warm.

I waded out into the ocean, not worrying about bumping into
anyone because no one was there.

The ocean was beautiful. The water was crystal clear;
it felt like a warm bath. It was perfect.

Why was I the only one in the water?
The thought kept hounding me.
This was peak season and a holiday to boot.

I swam until my muscles signaled enough exercise for the day.
As I walked towards the beach with the surf crashing against my
back an old man walked out towards me. A woman whom I presumed
to be his wife watched him from the shore.

She shouted something that made me instantly realize why the sea
was empty of people.

"Don't worry, I'll let you know if I see any sharks!" she
hollered.

That was it, the people were afraid of sharks,
that's why the beach and the ocean were empty!

It was a MountainWings Moment.

I don't watch the news but I knew about the recent sighting of
sharks and the shark attacks off the coast. The fear has
frightened an entire nation into staying away from the beach.

Listen to this lesson.

There are three levels in coming to the beach.

First Level - The Room.

There is a great benefit in coming to the ocean just to hear
the waves crashing all day and night. It soothes and calms the
soul. If I had not gone out on the beach, I would have
received a great benefit from being in an oceanfront room,
to hear the waves, and to watch the sea.

Second Level - The Beach.

Lying in the sand and letting the sun bathe you in radiant light
is an experience. I usually never use a lounge chair, I stretch
out directly in the sand. I can use a lounge chair in my back
yard, when I come to the ocean, I am a sand man.

Have you ever lain on the beach (in the sand) and tapped on the
sand? It rings like a wooden floor. I discovered that today.

Third Level - The Ocean.

Did you know that ocean water is chemically almost identical to
blood once you remove the red and white blood cells? Three-fourths
of the world is covered with water. Three-fourths of your body
is water.

The ocean is one of God's greatest natural creations.

So are you.

I was tingling all over once I got out of the ocean.

So many missed the feeling because they were afraid of being
bitten by a shark.

Below are the top five biting injuries occurring in 1987
in New York City:

Dog bites human 8,064
Human bites human 1,587
Cat bites human 802
Wild rat bites human 291
Squirrel bites human 95

1987 Shark injuries in U.S.A. 13

Am I belittling the few shark attacks and the traumatic death of
the little boy who died as a result of a shark attack?
Of course not, but all too often we let other incidents of the
world block us from life.

I included the above chart to emphasize that although shark
attacks do occur, they are overall, very rare.

I asked the fellow at the desk about it.

"Yep, visitors are down because of the sharks, but the thing is,
there hasn't been but one shark attack and that was in another
city a hundred miles away. Most of what people heard about
happened on the Atlantic side and not on this side," he
explained.

Here is another chart for 1996:
A Comparison with the Number of Injuries
Associated with Home-Improvement Equipment

Number of Injuries in 1996 from:
Nails, screws, tacks, and bolts 198,849
Ladders 138,894
Toilets 43,687
Pruning, trimming, edging 36,091
Chain saws 13,458
Pliers, wire cutters, and wrenches 15,957
Manual-cleaning equipment 14,386
Power grinders, buffers, and polishers 13,458
Buckets and pails 10,907
Room deodorizers and fresheners 2,599
Toilet-bowl products 1,567
Paints or varnish thinners 1,549
Shark injuries and deaths in U.S.A. 18

In 1996, you were over two thousand times more likely to be hurt
with your toilet than by a shark. Who would imagine that the
water in your toilet bowl would pose more danger than all of the
sharks, snakes, and other stuff in the ocean? Maybe since 1996
toilets have gotten a lot safer and oceans more dangerous,
but I doubt it. I wondered, "How do you even get hurt with your
toilet?" Those are the facts. That ought to put things in some
perspective.

Fear causes so many of us to miss out on life and our destinies.

The sharks not only kept people out of the water, but out of the
rooms with the beautiful view and off of the beach.

Understand this:
THE FEAR OF THE SHARKS REACHED PLACES,
AND KEPT PEOPLE FROM PLACES,
WHERE THE SHARKS COULDN'T EVEN GO.

Fear will keep you off of all levels of enjoyment,
even where there is little or no danger.

There are sharks in your world, some real, but most just
magnified to the point where they paralyze us in our actions.

Did a friend or relative get bitten by the shark of love?
Did they get bitten by the shark of business failure?
Did they get bitten by the shark of divorce?
Did they get bitten by the shark of layoffs?
Did they get bitten by the shark of disease?
Did they get bitten by the shark of death?

Did their bites scare you so much that you won't go to the room,
the beach, or the water?

I am typing on my laptop now as I look out on the ocean.
The water is warmer than I ever remember. It is 2pm local time.
The weather looks like something out of a tropical movie.
Looking both ways I can see a mile of beach.

There is not ONE person in the water.

I am not suggesting that you do stupid and risky things, but the
things that hurt most of us are not the things that we fear.

Cigarettes are the leading killer in the U.S.
Cigarettes will kill more people in the time that it takes you
to read this issue of MountainWings than sharks will kill all
year, even with the increased shark activity.

When is the last time you've seen anyone scared of a cigarette?

If you are going to be really scared of something, be scared of
the terribly frightening things, the things that can destroy
both body and soul. A shark can't do that.

Jesus put it this way, "don't be afraid of those who can kill
the body but cannot kill the soul, rather, be afraid of the one
that can destroy both body and soul. . ."

Wives hold back from their husbands because they are afraid that
if they give him their all, he could one day leave, and they've
given everything. Husbands hold back from their wives because
they are afraid that if they love unconditionally, they may seem
weak and lose control.

Both lose, and they lose a lot, because of fear.

Sharks - where sharks can't even go.

Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
He knew what he was talking about.

The world is full of sharks, but the biggest one of them all,
is the shark of FEAR.

The shark of fear is not limited by the water.


So what would I have done if I had seen a shark fin?

I would have exited the water most expeditiously,
making quite a splash doing it.

Then I would have stretched out on the beach, in the sand.

Go swim people, it's warmer than you think, and when you know
the truth, there are not as many biting sharks as the world
would lead you to believe.

Life really is a beach.

There is a room with a view, a beach, then a whole ocean
awaiting you.

Don't be afraid of the sharks.

Note: Days after I wrote this and first published it, a MountainWings
subscriber sent a link with the actual shark attack statistics.
There were actually LESS shark attacks than the prior year but the
ones that happened got more press.

Know the truth...

~A MountainWings Original~

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MountainWings: 3 Things you need to do

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#9229 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

3 Things You Need To Do
========================

There are three things you need to do.

#1 Repent

#2 And this is important, forgive yourself

#3 Move on with your life.

Repent, forgive yourself and move on with your life.

We have to realize that we can't change our past, but we can
certainly do something about our present and our future.

Yesterday ended last night!


~excerpted from The MountainWings Power Minute
http://www.powerminute.com/p/pm09218.mp3


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Sunday, August 09, 2009

Today's KDD: Pool Party and Darrell's Trip to DC

Its Sunday Aug 9,at 10;45

Soon in New York, Darrell will arrive,

Early this morning he caught a flight,

And will get to DC by tonight.

Sorry, in a long time I haven't written,

And herein the office where I am sitten,

It's cooler since we insulated the Window,

And Back East, I did not go,

Work later I will return, Wednesday it will be,

And I did not realize over a month since I composed a KDD.

Darrell will be visiting our friend Mimi,She has been living in DC,

A week there he will be,

They will go to the Newseum and the National Center of the NFB,

Not sure else what they will see?,

Or do?,

And what is happening for you?

Hope your all well,

And recently Darrell upgraded his Dell,

To Vista last Weekend,

Our friend Jeff and his Son Brian, much time they did Spend,

And then the other day Darrell did switch OS, to Windows 7, and it was
working fine,

Until it became toast,not working, so he hasn't been online.

He had an issue with the installation, its at Data Doctors,being repaired,
His PC is on life Support,

And Darrell transferred music files on to my VR Stream, not my Bookport,

Files that Tina provided and Jeff did convert into MP3's for me,

Thanks you three J

Speaking of Jeff, he, Keri and kids were in town last Weekend, July
Thirty-one ,

When we get together we have fun

,We swam, enjoyed the pool and a movie we did see, it was Cute,

And several times, Darrell's Computer they had to boot,

And many issues they had,

And Italian food we had,

I made Manicotti and we also had Pizza, and subs for lunch,

And Chips and fruit to munch,

Soda and peach ice Te

And the kids played with Netflics and their Xbox ,not their WII.

The movie we saw was called Meranda,as said,it was cute, was okay,

And as I write this, the XM Radio does play.

July was a very busy month for me, worked every weekend,

And today, I attempted to reach my High School Friend,

Mary Anne, From Jersey, she is very dear, close to my heart,

And wish XM would play more variety, top hits on the charts,

And some unique stuff, that one doesn't often hear,

And right now,its 95 here,

And will be 104 and 96 in DC,

And humid and 98 there for Darrell and 105 here that will be the high,

And in 2 hours he will fly,

Get on another plane,

Traveling to DC, not Boston or Maine.

Speaking of Boston, Mary Anne is there, so her another time I will have to
call,

And would like to know what is new with you all??,

As said, working weekends and the hotel has been a happening place,80 %
occupancy, usually Summers are slow, not many guest stay,

And later today,

Will read a book, do housework, will likely not be up late,

And last night Darrell's Birthday we did Celebrate.

Went to Outback, since he will be gone,

Do not have to get up at Dawn,

Tomorrow, but another Dental Visit, I will have to make

I have 3 more before I get my permanent crown,

And tomorrow, will get together with Alice, will run errands in town.

Tuesday, will take Dougie to get Groomed, get shaved, he will like that,

And at the Chiropractor, I will be at,

Next door, for a massage and an adjustment, ,its been awhile so one I do
need,

And I am going to go, have lunch and reed,

Another Novel will be red,,

Maybe,later,take a nap, go back to bed? Lol

Do take care,alright,

And I will try and not wait so long before I write.

Petwarmers: Sleeping Aid

SLEEPING AID
by P.S. Gifford

Recently I have been through the worst experience of my life --an
experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
My wife left me and took the son I had adopted as my own with her.
She also took a good deal of furniture and other belongings we had
accumulated other the years.
I was shocked. I never saw it coming. Sure we had had a few
quarrels lately, but nothing worse than an average couple. Financial woes
were tremendous strain on us, but I solemnly believed we could survive
it all together.
What she left behind were our dogs -- Sir Winston and Chester.
Now it is remarkable how in tune and sensitive dogs can be. As I
wept on the couch, bewildered and confused, they sat quietly nearby
with their tails down. I knew they understood that two key members of
the pack were absent. I've tried to maintain the usual routine over the
past few days, which is hard when the person you planned to be with till
death did us part was missing.
As a rule, Winston sleeps under our bed and Winston by the open
window. On the first night she wasn't there, I put Winston on her
empty pillow -- a pillow that still spelled provocatively of her scent.
He was restless as he sniffed around. This wasn't his spot. She might
be upset if she returned.
He jumped off the bed and back to his usual position. So for the
following two nights the same sleeping arrangements were maintained.
A dog likes to know where he stands in the world and likes to have
a routine.
To be honest, I have barely slept in the last four days. I simply
replay memory after memory within my mind's eye. Recollecting all of
the special, loving moments we had shared.
Morning would arrive and I would take the dogs into the back
garden as my morning coffee brewed. Every night I felt sure that I
would sleep the next day. The second night I tried some sleep aid and
yet the restlessness continued. The next morning, at seven, the only
difference was that I had an aching head.
Sleep isn't the only thing I have been depriving myself. I have
also lost all appetite. When I attempt to eat food it would lodge in my
throat and I would simply feel nauseous. I lost ten pounds in four days.
Well, last night things were more pleasant. As we all rested in
our designated spots I heard Winston barking. Thinking he was in need
of a late night restroom break, I escorted the two dogs outside. They
ran around, looked bemused, and after a few minutes of inactivity we
returned back upstairs.
An hour later the same thing happened. Winston was restless,
and once more down the stairs and outside we went. Still nothing.
It was 5:30am this morning when it happened a third time. I looked
at Winston and something clicked in my head. With a swoop of my arm
I picked him up and placed him on Sarah's pillow. He responded with a
flurry of kisses then rolled on his back, nestled against my cheek and
fell into a sleep.
Shortly after, I too must have fallen asleep because the next
thing I knew it was 9am! I looked at Winston who was peering at me
through smiling eyes and gave his fuzzy head a good scratch.
"Good boy," I said through a yawn. Once more he attacked me with
kisses.
I am a lot brighter today, and I feel we have a new family routine.
I am also going to try and eat a little breakfast.

-- P.S. Gifford <psgifford at earthlink.net>

___________________________________________

MountainWings: 8 Gifts

MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#1234 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

Eight Gifts
============

Below are eight gifts that don't cost a cent to give.

1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen.
No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response.
Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and
handholds.
Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family
and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Funny pictures. Share articles, funny stories and funny
greetings. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet.
A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and
may even change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super
job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.
Helping elderly cross the road can be nice.

7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left
alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of
solitude to others.

8) THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to
someone, really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.


~Author Unknown~

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See you tomorrow.

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MountainWings: How To Beat Traffic

MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#1239 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

How To Beat Traffic
====================

If you want to beat traffic. . .

Pick some fruit!!

Yesterday it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to go 10 miles.

I was frustrated.
I was powerless.
I was exhausted.
I was grateful.
I was victorious.
I was energized.

Heavy traffic volumes are a fact of life in any big city.
Many of the local governments fund road improvement programs,
only to close lanes as they improve the roads.

Lanes close, traffic increases, people get more frustrated and
distracted, they have accidents, they cause more traffic
pile-ups.

It's a vicious cycle.

It is often said that a person's first reaction in times of
crisis tells a lot about that person. I say that a person's
reaction while traveling six inches per minute tells even more
about that person.

Sitting in traffic is one of the best times to pick some fruit.

Pick some patience. . .
You'll be able to relax.
After all, you'll be sitting there for a while anyway.

Pick some peace. . .
Try something different --- instead of listening to the radio
traffic reports about the traffic you're sitting in, turn the
radio off. Play a classical CD.
Or better yet, just enjoy the quiet time.

Pick some kindness. . .
Smile at the person in the car next to you.
Now that's really different!

Pick some love. . .
Start a conversation with your spouse or child about something
you know is bothering them. Time spent driving can be time
spent talking and understanding each other.

Pick some joy. . .
Be thankful that you're not the person involved in the calamity
that's causing the traffic.

Pick some faith. . .
Take this time to look up at the sky, observe the trees,
marvel at the birds. Think about your own life.
Then you'll know for sure that there is a God.

Pick some gentleness. . .
I know you have a cell phone, so pick it up and call someone you
haven't spoken to in months. You still remember the number.

Pick some goodness. . .
Plan a good deed that you'll do for someone as soon as you get
out of the traffic. Maybe there's something you can do
immediately to help the person on the side of the road.

Pick some meekness. . .
No matter what kind of car you're riding in, understand that
it's not by your own works that you were able to obtain it.

Once you pick your fruit, your frustration, powerlessness, and
exhaustion will transform into gratitude, victory and energy.

You'll have a new outlook on life all because you pulled over,

. . . and decided to pick some fruit.


~A Mountain Wings Original by C. Elijah Bronner~


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