Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning star                              

Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Bridge:
Not because of who I am
But because of what You’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who You are

Chrous:
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I’m calling
Lord, You catch me when I’m falling
And You’ve told me who I am
I am Yours

Verse 2:
Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

Ending:
I am Yours
I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear’cause I am Yours
I am Yours

1. Only in America can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2. Only in America are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3. Only in America do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4. Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

5. Only in America do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

6. Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

7. Only in America do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.

8. Only in America do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

9. Only in America do we use the word ‘politics’ to describe the process so well: ‘Poli’ in Latin meaning ‘many’ and ‘tics’ meaning ‘bloodsucking creatures’.

10. Only in America do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

SELECTED QUOTATIONS for Independence Day

Tomorrow is Independence Day in America, so these quotations are about FREEDOM.

"Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have." — Harry Emerson Fosdick

"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning." — Frederick Douglass

"The right to freedom being the gift of God, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave." –Samuel Adams

"In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free - honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve." — Abraham Lincoln

"Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement." — Nelson Mandela

"The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it." — J.S. Mill

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." — Abraham Lincoln

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." — Thomas Paine

"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any
government, and to protect its free _expression should be our first
object." — Thomas Jefferson

–copied–

Since my sweet baby girl was born this year, I’ve been in a state of wonderment.

Of all our daily activities, feeding her is by far the sweetest time of all.  When we’re all snuggly and I feel the warmth of her little face against me, all is well with the world. I’ve had many one-sided "conversations" with her… telling her how wonderful she is, what a happy life she’ll have.  And sometimes I can’t help but wonder if I’m doing a good job.

One night, I paused during one of our late-night conversations and closed my eyes for just a moment. Within a few seconds, I noticed that she stopped feeding and was looking up at me with eyes that seemed full of wonder.  In the morning, I tried the same thing again… and again, she stopped and looked up at me.  As I watched with surprise and delight, she dazzled me with her first smile.  I like to think of that beautiful, tiny smile as her way of letting me know… I’m a good mommy.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

God has continually blessed these verses to me throughout the past 30 years. They give the basic elements of a solid Christian life and provide principles on living today regardless of political, economic, and international conditions. Trust is faith in action. Such trust must be wholehearted to be really effective. So many times when we have to confess failure it is because of our halfheartedness in committing everything to God. We give everything to Him one day, but take things back one at a time. When a crisis develops, we’re caught unprepared because we have a divided heart and mind. Success is in the surrender of our hearts with dependence on Him, and not ourselves, in our daily choices. We acknowledge Him when we let Him take command. That’s why He comes to dwell in us by His Spirit. He’s there to control and energize. He promises to keep us going straight. We need Him for that, for there is no other way we can keep straight in a crooked world.

INSIGHT:
What must I do? Trust in the Lord. How should I do it? With all my heart. Why should I do it? So that He can keep me straight.

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every
10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

And before I was a Grandma, I didn’t know that all those "Mom" feelings more than
doubled when you see that little bundle being held by "your baby"…

Send this to someone who you think is a special Mom or Grandma. I just did.
And remember that behind every successful mother… Is a basket of dirty laundry.

In kindergarten your idea of a good friend was the person who let you have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

In first grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to the bathroom with you and held your hand as you walked through the scary halls.

In second grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you stand up to the class bully.

In third grade your idea of a good friend was the person who shared their lunch with you when you forgot yours on the bus.

In fourth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who was willing to switch square dancing partners in gym so you wouldn’t have to be stuck do-si-do-ing with Nasty Nicky or Smelly Susan.

In fifth grade your idea of a friend was the person who saved a seat on the back of the bus for you.

In sixth grade your idea of a friend was the person who went up to Nicky or Susan, your new crush, and asked them to dance with you, so that if they said no you wouldn’t have to be embarrassed.

In seventh grade your idea of a friend was the person who let you copy the social studies homework from the night before that you had.

In eighth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pack up your stuffed animals and old baseball but didn’t laugh at you when you finished and broke out into tears.

In ninth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who would go to a party thrown by a senior so you wouldn’t wind up being the only freshman there.

In tenth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who changed their schedule so you would have someone to sit with at lunch.

In eleventh grade your idea of a good friend was the person who gave you rides in their new car, convinced your parents that you shouldn’t be grounded, consoled you when you broke up with Nick [or Glenn] or Susan, and found you a date to the prom.

In twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pick out a college/university, assured you that you would get into that college/university, helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting to the idea of letting you go…

At graduation your idea of a good friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulated you.

The summer after twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you clean up the bottles from that party, helped you sneak out of the house when you just couldn’t deal with your parents, assured you that now that you and Nick or you and Susan were back together, you could make it through anything, helped you pack up for university and just silently hugged you as you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories you were leaving behind, and finally on those last days of childhood, went out of their way to give you reassurance that you would make it in college as well as you had these past 18 years, and most importantly sent you off to college knowing you were loved.

Now, your idea of a good friend is still the person who gives you the better of the two choices, holds your hand when you’re scared, helps you fight off those who try to take advantage of you, thinks of you at times when you are not there, reminds you of what you have forgotten, helps you put the past behind you but understands when you need to hold on to it a little longer, stays with you so that you have confidence, goes out of their way to make time for you, helps you clear up your mistakes, helps you deal with pressure from others, smiles for you when they are sad, helps you become a better person, and most importantly loves you!

[crying yet? oh there's more]

Thank you for being a friend. No matter where we go or who we become, never forget who helped us get there.

There’s never a wrong time to pick up a phone or send a message telling your friends how much you miss them or how much you love them.
If you love someone, tell them. Remember always to say what you mean.
Never be afraid to express yourself. Take this opportunity to tell someone what they mean to you. Seize the day and have no regrets.

Most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today and are what it’s all about anyway.

The difference between expressing love and having regrets is that the regrets may stay around forever.

Life is too short, live it like there is no tomorrow.

–copied…

"When you thought I wasn’t looking…

Each one of us - whether parent, grandparent or friend -
can influence the life of a child… Be a GOOD influence.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Memorize your favorite poem.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Don’t believe all you hear.

#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#

When you say, "I love you", mean it.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!

When you say, "I’m sorry", look the person in the eye.

^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^

Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":"

Believe in love at first sight.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Love deeply and passionately… you might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#@#

In disagreements, fight fairly, No name calling.

_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#

Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Smile when picking up the phone, the caller will hear it in your voice.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Marry a man/woman, you love to talk to.  As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Tell your significant other once a day, how much they mean to you.

!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!

Treat others the way you want to be treated!

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

‘Twas the days before Christmas,

And all through the school,

The teachers were trying

To just keep their cool.

The hallways were hung

With Christmas art

(Some made in November

to get a head start!)

The children were bouncing

Off ceilings and walls,

And seemed to forget

How to walk in the halls.

When out of the teacher’s lounge

With "holiday shirts"

And "jingle bell jewels,"

The teachers looked festive

Enforcing the rules.

Suddenly, from down the hallway

There came such a chatter,

The principal went in

To see what was the matter.

The teachers were hiding

And trying to refuel,

On coffee and cookies

And treats from the Yule.

When what to their wondering

Ears do they hear,

But the ringing of school bells

- It’s the children they fear!

More rapid than reindeer

The little ones came,

And the teachers all shouted

And called them by name;

Walk, Vincent! Walk, Tanner!

Walk, Tyler and Sammy!

Sit, Jamie! Sit, Laura!

Sit, Tara and Tammy!

To your desks in the room!

To your spots in the line!

Now walk to them! Walk to them!

No running this time!

So straight to their places

The children all went.

With fear of detention

Where they could be sent.

With manuals of lessons

Cradled in arms,

The teachers began

To use all their charms.

But the lessons presented

All fell on deaf ears.

The children were thinking

Of Santa’s reindeer!

With a toss of their hands

They put manuals aside,

Went straight to the cupboards

Where videos hide.

And laying their finger

On the TV remote

They sat back to write

Their last Christmas note.

But you could hear them exclaim

At the end of the day -

Have a wonderful, happy and

L-O-O-O-O-O-NG HOLIDAY!!!

What a bounce back!!!!!!!! Congratulations, ASTROS!!!!!

Astros dominate Cards to reach team’s first World Series
Finally. After 44 years of waiting. The Astros reached the team’s first World Series with a 4-2 NLCS series victory after dominating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 in Game 6 tonight.

It didnt happen the other night BUT TONIGHT, what a sweet victory!!! Thank God!!

It’s our team’s first in the World Series…am sending my positive vibes on them as they face the Chicago White Sox comes Saturday!  Yeee—haaawww!!!