MIXED BAGGAGE

[MajestyJo]

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MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#5049 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
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So Be It
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So if the U.S. government determines that it is against the law for the words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it.

And if that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

And since they already have prohibited any prayer in the
schools, of which they deem their authority, then so be it.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to be a law abiding U.S. citizen.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions. I would like to think that those people have my best interest at heart.

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?

I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter and Sunday.

I'd like the U.S. Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter as well as Sundays. After all...it was the government that deemed these as religious observances!

I'd like the Senate and the House of representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break."

I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved if all government offices and services would work on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter.

It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other days of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct."

This would not effect any "non-governmental" business since everyone else still has the freedom of religion; we could all still enjoy our holidays.

So I guess if they continue to bow to the wishes of the few, and if this e-mail gets out to the right people, maybe they would bow to the wishes of the many.

So be it.


~Author Unknown~

[MajestyJo]

One of my bygone recollections,
As I recall the days of yore.
Is the little house, behind the house,
With the crescent over the door.

'Twas a place to sit and ponder
With your head bowed down low;
Knowing that you wouldn't be there,
If you didn't have to go.

Ours was a three-holer,
With a size for every one.
You left there feeling better,
After your usual job was done.

You had to make these frequent trips,
Whether snow, rain, sleet, or fog,
To the little house where you usually
Found the Sears-Roebuck catalog.

Oft times in dead of winter,
The seat was covered with snow.
'Twas then with much reluctance,
To the little house you'd go.

With a swish you'd clear the seat,
Bend low, with dreadful fear.
You'd blink your eyes and grit your teeth
As you settled on your rear.

I recall the day Granddad,
Who stayed with us one summer,
Made a trip to the shanty
Which proved to be a hummer.

'Twas the same day my Dad
Finished painting the kitchen green.
He'd just cleaned up the mess he's made
With rags and gasoline.

He tossed the rags in the shanty hole
And went on his usual way,
Not knowing that by doing so,
He would eventually rue the day.

Now Granddad had an urgent call,
I never will forget!
This trip he made to the little house
Lingers in my memory yet.

He sat down on the shanty seat,
With both feet on the floor.
Then filled his pipe with tobacco
And struck a match on the outhouse door.

After the Tobacco began to glow,
He slowly raised his rear:
Tossed flaming match in the open hole,
With not a sign of fear.

The Blast that followed, I am sure,
Was heard for miles around;
And left poor grandpa
Just sitting on the ground.

The smoldering pipe was still in his mouth,
His suspenders he held tight;
The celebrated three-holer
Was blown clear out of sight.

When we asked him what had happened,
His answer I'll never forget.
He thought it must be something
That he had recently et!

Next day we had a new one,
Which my Dad built with ease.
With a sign on the entrance door
Which read: No Smoking, Please!

Now that's the end of the story,
With memories of long ago,
Of the little house behind the house
Where we went when we had to go!

Received from my friend Carey.

I was one of the lucky ones, I got to experience this. In today, it is more modern but it does help when you need quiet time in the midst of the 'busy' of today.

God is everywhere!

I have a direct line on a mobile phone!

[MajestyJo]

When God created kitty cats,
He had no Recipe;
He knew He wanted
Something sweet,
As sweet as sweet could be.

He started out with sugar,
Adding just a trace of spice;
Then stirred in drops of
Morning dew,
To keep them fresh and nice

He thought cats should be soft to pet,
So He gave them coats of fur;
So they could show they were content,
He taught them how to purr.

He made for them long tails
To wave,
While strutting down the walk;
Then trained them in meow-ology,
So they could do cat-talk.

He made them into acrobats,
And gave them grace and poise;
Their wide-eyes curiosity,
He took from little boys.

He put whiskers on their faces,
Gave them tiny ears for caps;
Then shaped their little bodies,
To snugly fit on laps.

He gave them eyes as big as saucers,
To look into man's soul;
Then set a tolerance for mankind,
Their purpose and their goal.

Benevolent...and...Generous,
He made so many of them;
Then charged, with fatherly concern,
The human race to love them.

When one jumped up upon His lap,
God gentle stroked its head;
The cat gave Him a kitty kiss,
"What wondrous love," God! ! Said.

God smiled at His accomplishment,
So pleased with His creation;
And said, with pride, as He sat back,
"At last...I've reached purr-fection!"

Unknown Author

[MajestyJo]

HOW TO STAY YOUNG



1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.

Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down. (keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches)

3. Keep learning:

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain get idle.

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and Lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen:

Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is our self. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:

Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:

If it is good, preserve it.
I f it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.


And if you don't send this to at least 4 people - who cares? LOL

But do share this with someone.

[MajestyJo]

FRIENDSHIP!



Friendship is precious,
not only in the shade,
but in the sunshine of life;
and thanks to a benevolent
arrangement of things,
the greater part of life is sunshine.
~Thomas Jefferson~



Of all the blossoms in life's garden,
friendship is the most fragrant.
~Anonymous~



A friend is a gift where
worth cannot be measured
except by the heart



Be full of sympathy toward each other,
loving one another with tender hearts
and humble minds
~1 Peter 3:8~



Friendship is sharing openly,
laughing often,
trusting always,
caring deeply.


We can pour our heart out to a friend
knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it,
keep what is worth keeping,
and with a breath of kindness,
blow the rest away.

Thank YOU for being my friend

[MajestyJo]

Friendship is a priceless gift,
That cannot be bought or sold.
But it's value is far greater,
Than a mountain of gold.



For gold is cold and lifeless.
It can neither see nor hear.
And in the time of trouble,
It is powerless to cheer.



It has no ears to listen.
No heart to understand.
It cannot bring you comfort.
Or reach out a helping hand.


So when you feel down and need a lift,
One of the best things to make amends,
Isn't diamonds, pearls or riches,
But the love of real true friends.

[MajestyJo]

It says in the AA Preamble, that some people are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. Many people know they are an alcoholic and/or an addict, but they don't care. It is a progressive disease.

"If I could live my life over again I'd
make the same mistakes only sooner."

- Tallulah Bankhead

[MajestyJo]

When you are tired and discouraged
from fruitless effort,

GOD knows how hard you have tried.

When you've cried so long your
heart is in anguish,

GOD has counted your tears.

If you feel that your life is on hold
and time has passed you by,

GOD is waiting for you.

When nothing makes sense and you
are confused or frustrated,

GOD has the answer.

If suddenly your outlook is brighter
and you find traces of hope,

GOD has whispered to you.

When things are going well and you
have much to be thankful for,

GOD has blessed you.

When something joyful happens
and you are filled with awe,

GOD has smiled upon you.

Remember that wherever you are or
whatever you are feeling,

GOD knows!

[MajestyJo]

Do not take anything
as being forever,
because forever is only
as long as today.
Know that the people who
are the richest
are not those who have the most,
but those who need the least.
That we are at our strongest
when life is at its worst,
and at our weakest when life
no longer offers a challenge.
That it is wiser not to expect,
but to hope,
for in expecting you ask for
disappointment,
whereas in hoping, you invite
surprise.
That unhappiness doesn't come from
not having something you want,
but from the lack of something
inside that you need.
That there are things to hold
and things to let go,
and letting go doesn't mean you lose,
but that you acquire that which
has been waiting around the corner.

Most of all...
remember to use your dreams as a
way of knowing yourself better,
and as an inspiration to reach
for your star.

Received with thanks from Inspiration Plus

[MajestyJo]

Uptight before Christmas, all through these rooms
alcoholics were stricken with holiday gloom.

They prayed, "Santa, please make us happy, joyous & free,
bring us candy and presents and serenity."

Greed filled their minds and envy their hearts
and someone said, "It's time for the meeting to start!"

"Does anyone have a topic tonight?"
Every face in the place turned wintery white!

They lost all self-seeking, self-pity and self-will
when down through the chimney came the ghost of St. Bill!

He chuckled and said as he sat himself down
"Call the White House and tell 'em there's a new Dubya in town."

Then he looked through a big book and said with a tear,
"Wow! No one rewrote this after all these years!"

Clean house, help your neighbor, be loving and kind,
and don't take the first drink one day at a time."

"How could a message as simple as this
be realized, analyzed and intellectually dismissed?"

There lies the reason this ghost has arrived:
to re-give a gift that has saved all your lives!

Then he set up a big screen and a DVD
so every lost soul in the meeting could see.

He played a movie of drunks at their best and their worst,
what is and what was, when blessed and when cursed.

There were scenes of a housewife passed out at a bar,
a respectable businessman wrecking his car,

A fight in a kitchen, a fight in bed,
a fight at a reception between newlyweds.

An empty bottle, a desperate man
alone in a motel with a gun in his hands.

He puts down the gun and picks up the phone
and whimpers and blubbers, "Honey, let me come home."

She hangs up as she tells him, "Don't call here anymore."
He reaches for the phone book and falls to the floor.

Somehow that phone book seems to capture his gaze:
it's open to a number under the A's.

Then all of the people in the movie converged
on the poor side of town in the basement of a church.

Driven together in a willing herd
to hear of hope and deliver the word.

The ghost of Bill W. turned off the TV
and said, "The first word of the first step is 'we'.

I suggest you start there and see where you go.
Be thorough and fearless, and please-take it slow!

Let faith set the tone, let love make the mood
'and as for a topic...how about gratitude?'

Just don't drink, go to meetings and, yes, you should pray
and be glad you're alive and sober today.

Be a good woman, be a good man
and be of service whenever you can.

Be a good mother, be a good dad
and try to be good to your kids when they're bad.

Be a good husband, or lover, or wife...
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good life.

[MajestyJo]

Old, but always timely. IMHO, America has taken political correctness way beyond reasonable.

Received with thanks from my friend Carey in Texas

A dog had followed his owner to school. His owner was a fourth grader at a public elementary school. However, when the bell rang, the dog sidled inside the building and made it all the way to the child's classroom before a teacher noticed and shooed him outside, closing the door behind him.

The dog sat down, whimpered and stared at the closed doors.

Then God appeared beside the dog, patted his head, and said,


'Don't feel bad fella'...they won't let ME in either'.

[MajestyJo]

YOUR HAND

When my world falls down around me,
And the ground is sinking sand;
When peace can't be found on this earth,
I reach out for your hand.



Then when your hand wraps 'round my own,
A strength pours from your soul;
It brings me to a quiet calm,
Till once again I'm whole.



A peace beyond all reason,
A rest there in your touch;
Something in your quiet words,
My heart yearns for so much.



If I but rest my worries,
Upon your shoulder there;
The strength that pours forth from your soul,
Will wash away each care.



Like a cool, sweet taste of water,
For a tired and thirsty man;
My heart finds peace, my soul is calm,
When I reach out for your hand.

Have A Wonderful Day!

[MajestyJo]

YESTERDAY, TOMORROW
... and TODAY


The journey's our goal, our path is the point ...

There are two days in every week we should never worry about,
two days that should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its aches and pains, its faults and blunders.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed, nor erase a single word we've said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its impossible adversaries, its burden, its hopeful promise and unknown performance.

Tomorrow is beyond our control.

Tomorrow's sun will rise either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds ...
but it will rise ... and until it does.

We have no stake in tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn.


This leaves only one day: TODAY!

Anyone can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse of bitterness for something that happened
yesterday, and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

Make TODAY the best day it can be, and live one day at a time!

One of my all time favourites.

[MajestyJo]

WOW, WHAT A STORY!!!!!!
MARINES AND TAMPONS

Tampons to the rescue in Iraq !! Don't worry, it's a good story, and worth reading. It's even humorous in parts. It's from the mother of a Marine in Iraq .

My son told me how wonderful the care packages we had sent them were and wanted me to tell everyone thank you. He said that one guy we'll call Marine X, got a girl care package and everyone was giving him a hard time. My son said, 'Marine X got some really nice smelling lotion and everyone really likes it, so every time he goes to sleep they steal it from him.' I told my son I was really sorry about the mistake, and if he wanted I would send Marine X another package. He told me not to worry about Marine X because every time I send something to him, Marine X thinks it's for him too.

He said when my husband and I sent the last care package, Marine X came over to his cot picked up the box, started fishing through it, and said, 'What'd we get this time?'

My son said they had the most fun with Marine X's package. He said he wasn't sure who we were sending the pack to, but the panties were size 20, and he said one of the guys got on top of the Humvee and jumped off with the panties over his head and yelled, 'Look at me, I'm an Airborne Ranger!!!!' One of the guys attached the panties to an antenna and it blew in the wind like a windsock. He said it entertained them for quite a while. Then of course.......they had those tampons.

When he brought this up, my imagination just went running, but he
continued. My son said they had to go on a mission and Marine X wanted the Chap-Stick and lotion for the trip. He grabbed a bunch of the items from his care package and got in the Humvee. As luck would have it he grabbed the tampons too, and my son said everyone was teasing him about 'not forgetting his feminine hygiene products'

He said things went well for a while, then the convoy was ambushed and a Marine was shot. He said the wound was pretty clean, but it was deep. He said they were administering first aid but couldn't get the bleeding to slow down, and someone said, 'Hey! Use Marine X's tampons!' My son said they put the tampon in the wound. At this point my son profoundly told Me, 'Mom, did you know that tampons expand?'
('Well....yeah!')

They successfully slowed the bleeding until the guy got better medical
attention. When they went to check on him later The surgeon told them, 'You guys saved his life. If you hadn't stopped that bleeding he would have bled to death.' My Son said, 'Mom, the tampons sent by the Marine Moms by mistake saved a Marine's life.'

At this point I asked him, 'Well, what did you do with the rest of the
tampons?' He said, 'Oh, we divided them up and we all have them in our flak jackets, and I kept two for our first aid kit.'

I am absolutely amazed by the ingenuity of our Marines. I can't believe
that something that started out as a mistake then turned into a joke, ended up saving someone's life. My sister said she doesn't believe in mistakes. She believes God had a plan all along. She believes that 'female care package' was sent to Marine X to save our Marine.

Either way, our efforts have boosted the morale of many Marines, provided much needed items for our troops, AND saved the life of a Marine! God bless every one of you for your efforts and hard work, and God bless our Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and all our military service personnel.



GOD BLESS AMERICA AND KEEP IT SAFE!Please send this on after a short prayer.


Pray for our soldiers!

PRAYER:

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need.
Amen.'

[MajestyJo]

Feel the truth In every moment, in every circumstance there is a new truth to be discovered. Life is rich with possibilities for deeper, more profound understanding.
You are, at the same time, all-encompassing essence and also a particular momentary expression of that essence. You live in this moment and you live beyond it.

Discovering truth is a matter of confirming in experience what you already know in your essence. The way you know it is truth is because it resonates so perfectly within the depth of who you are.

Truth is not something you must be told. Truth is truth because you recognize it so completely.

Living successfully in this moment and in this world is a matter of connecting your outer life to your inner truth. The most effective, fulfilling choice in any situation is to live the truth of who you are.

In pure truth there is no fear, no worry, no anxiety or anger. Feel the truth that is within you, and let it guide your every choice.

-- Ralph Marston

Just shared on this on an ABC Recovery post. It is about finding our truth. Experiencing our own life and no longer living it through others.

For me, it is about not playing old tapes, but making new ones in living colour!

What do I believe in? What do I want for my life? What do I need for my own health and well being so that I can be there for others? When I am focusing on others and not on my own recovery, the well runs dry. I need to remember that I need food for the body, mind and spirit.

Can't fault the last statement. If I am living in those feeling, I am not working my program or not working it to the best of my ability. When fear is near, God is here. I need to have faith in that. That is my truth.

There is negative in life. That is a given. It is what I can do to change it into a positive that matters. Turning a blind eye and pretending that it isn't there isn't the solution.