What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.
There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.
People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.
That is can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.
We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.
Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and double barrel shotgun.
And there were no drive by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse!
People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke with dust and bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience.
Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk.
For your mail, you walked to the mailbox.
What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.
Most paved road lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.
At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out.
Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend...at the end of a Dirt Road!
- Paul Harvey
And, I'd be willing to bet there was a whole lot less stress at the end of a Dirt Road as well. Sometimes, I think, we need to be careful how we use change.
Hope your week starts off Stress-Free!!!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A Good Story
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?" The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
We should always remember; attitude is everything...
Have a terrifically stress-free day!
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?" The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
We should always remember; attitude is everything...
Have a terrifically stress-free day!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Quotes to (hopefully) make you smile.
These are quotes from famous ladies. If you can't laugh, what is there?
"Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut
her up with cookies."
Unknown
"The hardest years in life are those between 10 and 70."
-Helen Hayes (at 73)-
"I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray
eyebrows."
-Janette Barber-
"Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse."
-Lily Tomlin-
"A male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic who never owned a car."
-Carrie Snow-
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your
girlfriends."
-Laurie Kuslansky-
"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being, hitting my
head on the top bunk bed until I faint."
-Erma Bombeck-
"Old age ain't no place for sissies."
-Bette Davis-
"A man's got to do what a man's got to do. A woman must do what he can't."
-Rhonda Hansome-
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant."
-Jane Sellman-
"Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought
half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."
-Charlotte Whitton-
"Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body
starts falling apart."
-Caryn Leschen-
"I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at
once."
-Jennifer Unlimited-
"If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be horrible warning."
-Catherine-
"If high heels were so wonderful, men would still be wearing them."
-Sue Grafton-
"When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade
another country."
-Elayne Boosler-
"Behind every successful man is a surprised woman."
-Maryon Pearson-
"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything
done, ask a woman."
-Margaret Thatcher-
"I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a
career."
-Gloria Steinem
"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission."
-Eleanor Roosevelt-
Have a terrific day!
"Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut
her up with cookies."
Unknown
"The hardest years in life are those between 10 and 70."
-Helen Hayes (at 73)-
"I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray
eyebrows."
-Janette Barber-
"Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse."
-Lily Tomlin-
"A male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic who never owned a car."
-Carrie Snow-
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your
girlfriends."
-Laurie Kuslansky-
"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being, hitting my
head on the top bunk bed until I faint."
-Erma Bombeck-
"Old age ain't no place for sissies."
-Bette Davis-
"A man's got to do what a man's got to do. A woman must do what he can't."
-Rhonda Hansome-
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant."
-Jane Sellman-
"Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought
half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult."
-Charlotte Whitton-
"Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body
starts falling apart."
-Caryn Leschen-
"I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at
once."
-Jennifer Unlimited-
"If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be horrible warning."
-Catherine-
"If high heels were so wonderful, men would still be wearing them."
-Sue Grafton-
"When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade
another country."
-Elayne Boosler-
"Behind every successful man is a surprised woman."
-Maryon Pearson-
"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything
done, ask a woman."
-Margaret Thatcher-
"I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a
career."
-Gloria Steinem
"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission."
-Eleanor Roosevelt-
Have a terrific day!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
I've been thinking...
My family and I were eating dinner one evening last spring when a woman came up to us and told us she was very sick and didn't feel safe to drive herself home, she'd been making phone calls and couldn't reach anybody to come pick her up. Could we drive her to her house which was across town. My first thoughts were, "What's she really up to? She doesn't look sick. I can't take a chance letting a stranger into our car with my daughters also there." Scott, on the other hand, piped up immediately that we would absolutely help her. He even offered to drive her home in her car and have me follow in his car. So, that's what we did. On the drive to her house, she told Scott that she'd been sitting praying in the restaurant that someone would help her and she thought we looked like kind people who would.
As it turned out, she was sick (I cannot even remember her diagnosis), she wasn't trying to con us and everything turned out fine.
How un-Christian-like of me to turn my back on someone in need and how truly trusting of Scott to say he'd help regardless of what might have happened. I think of myself as a Christian and yet, when the chips are down, am I willing to take the leap of faith and help someone who needs a friendly hand?
I read how Jesus could appear anywhere and would we treat him "right" if we didn't know it was really him? What if that lady had been Jesus? I would have failed that test.
I keep coming back to that day knowing I need to have more faith and trying so hard to have that faith. One is almost always rewarded in some way for doing those deeds which take the most faith to carry out.
Just something to think about; if we all had that faith, would our lives not be less stressful?
Have a fantastic day!
As it turned out, she was sick (I cannot even remember her diagnosis), she wasn't trying to con us and everything turned out fine.
How un-Christian-like of me to turn my back on someone in need and how truly trusting of Scott to say he'd help regardless of what might have happened. I think of myself as a Christian and yet, when the chips are down, am I willing to take the leap of faith and help someone who needs a friendly hand?
I read how Jesus could appear anywhere and would we treat him "right" if we didn't know it was really him? What if that lady had been Jesus? I would have failed that test.
I keep coming back to that day knowing I need to have more faith and trying so hard to have that faith. One is almost always rewarded in some way for doing those deeds which take the most faith to carry out.
Just something to think about; if we all had that faith, would our lives not be less stressful?
Have a fantastic day!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Gardasil?
If you're like me with daughters, you've probably been debating the new gardasil vaccine. It's amazing to me, and a little scary, that legislators are trying to make it mandatory that our daughters get this vaccine. How can they tell us we must do this to our daughters when there is increasing documentation of the serious, even deadly, side effects of this vaccine?
Apparently, the FDA has been aware since 2003 that Human Papillloma Virus (HPV) does not cause cervical cancer. So, even women who have HPV are no more likely to develop cervical cancer than uninfected women.
That doesn't take into consideration the moral aspects of the vaccine. Whatever happened to teaching our daughters not to sleep around? The fewer men (or boys) they are with, the less likely they are to come into contact with HPV. That's an old fashioned point of view, I know, but one that could be argued for nonetheless.
And, speaking of that, I think it's outrageous that young celebrities (and regular teens) who are choosing to wear purity rings are ridiculed. What's up with that? Perhaps, if more teens were taking purity more seriously, there'd be no need for a vaccine at all.
So, before you just give the go ahead to your doctor, make sure you do your homework. Sure, it all depends upon who you choose to believe, but at least read and make an informed decision for your daughters. Don't just jump on the bandwagon and then later regret it.
Just food for thought to try to take some of the stress out of our days.
Apparently, the FDA has been aware since 2003 that Human Papillloma Virus (HPV) does not cause cervical cancer. So, even women who have HPV are no more likely to develop cervical cancer than uninfected women.
That doesn't take into consideration the moral aspects of the vaccine. Whatever happened to teaching our daughters not to sleep around? The fewer men (or boys) they are with, the less likely they are to come into contact with HPV. That's an old fashioned point of view, I know, but one that could be argued for nonetheless.
And, speaking of that, I think it's outrageous that young celebrities (and regular teens) who are choosing to wear purity rings are ridiculed. What's up with that? Perhaps, if more teens were taking purity more seriously, there'd be no need for a vaccine at all.
So, before you just give the go ahead to your doctor, make sure you do your homework. Sure, it all depends upon who you choose to believe, but at least read and make an informed decision for your daughters. Don't just jump on the bandwagon and then later regret it.
Just food for thought to try to take some of the stress out of our days.
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