FW: Spend wisely!! A Must Read !! ChS

I received this in an email from a friend I don’t think I have ever met in person. We are “cyber-space” friends. He always sends me the neatest emails and I especially like this one. Sometimes, I am not a good steward of my time. But when you break it down like this, it makes you aware of how mindful we should be of our time.

Thanks, Click, for sharing this.

Subject: Spend wisely!!

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use.

However, this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules. The first set of rules would be:

Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.

You may not simply transfer money into some other account.

You may only spend it.

Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day. The second set of rules:

The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, "its over, the game is over!" It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right? Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

ACTUALLY this GAME is REALITY!

Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can't seem to see it.

The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

What we haven't lived up that day is forever lost.

Yesterday is forever gone.

Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time... WITHOUT WARNING.

SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?

Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.

Think about that, and always think of this:

Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.

So take care of yourself, be happy, love deeply, and enjoy life!

Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day!

Start spending.

\

a picture for you

Good morning everyone.  I only have a few minutes but I just wanted to wish everyone a Great Week. The devil is really after me this morning; didn’t rest well last night; don’t feel too great; have a lot of work to do, etc., etc., etc.  But, I am going to put him behind me and enjoy this beautiful day the Lord has given me.

 

We had two great Church services yesterday and our night service ended with the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  It is such a special and holy time as we remember what Jesus did for us in sacrificing Himself so that we might have an eternal home.  Pastor always reads the portion of Scripture in 1 Corinthians that deals with the Lord’s Supper.  Then we have a time of silent prayer.  As I was praying my mind went back to the verse about our “worthiness”.  I am not worthy, in and of myself.  But, by God’s grace, I am.  It’s funny (as in peculiar) how the world judges worthiness.  Some people would say they are worthy because they have plenty of money, have a nice home, nice clothes, 3 cars, children attend private school or an expensive college, give a lot of money to church, and can pray very elaborate prayers in church.  They are VERY worthy of salvation.  But what about the person that has none of those things…..aren’t they worthy?  Absolutely!  I don’t have any of those things.  Oh, I don’t mean I am poor because I’m not.  In the eyes of the world, the lowly person may not be worthy; but thank goodness, God doesn’t look through the eyes of the world.  I am so thankful He deems me worthy of the greatest gift of all – my salvation.  I hope you have it too!

 

I hope all of you have an absolutely wonderful week.  I’m going to claim it.

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

If you have trouble viewing attached photos or would like to see the online version of this email, you can visit my blog to see the newest posts online at http://brendaoutlaw.blogspot.com

 

 

 

The Early Morning Phone Call

On Wednesday I had an experience that every parent dreads.  It was 4:00 AM and my phone rang.  When I finally got awake enough to realize it was MY phone and not the television I had left on when I went to bed and I struggled to get out of bed to answer it….it had quit ringing.  My display showed “TJ”, my  son.  Well, needless to say, my heart fell on the floor because you don’t usually get phone calls at 4:00 in the morning unless something is wrong.  I immediately called TJ back and the call went directly to his voice mail.  That scared me even more.  I checked my computer to see if he was on Facebook. Let me insert a little explanation here.  TJ, Ray and I are very much alike in that we are all night owls.  It isn’t unusual for me to be up at 2:00 in the morning.  They are both the same way.  That is why I decided to check the computer.  Well, according to Facebook, he was online.  So I pulled up the chat window and typed: “Did you just call me?  I couldn’t get to the phone in time and tried to call you right back but it went to your voicemail.  I am up so please call me back.”  I waited a few minutes and then decided it was all a mistake and went back to bed.  I had not gotten back to sleep when the phone rang again; it was 4:09.  The display again showed TJ.  I didn’t try to call him back that time.  I just figured he had dialed me by mistake and I wasn’t going to call him again.  I know his wife is a pretty light sleeper and has to be because she gets calls at all hours of the night – she is a vet and is on 24 hour call.  But, when I went back to bed, I took the phone with me, holding it in my hand.   No more calls came during the night and I tried to put it all out of my mind.  I asked God to please keep everyone safe and let it just be a mistake.

After getting to work Thursday morning and taking care of several clients that had stopped by to pick up their payroll reports and W2’s, I tried to call TJ again.  The call went straight to voice mail.  I have a phone code with my boys.  I know if the calls goes to voice mail, they are usually busy and just can’t take the call.  But they know if I call back right away, it is important that I speak with them.  So, I called him right back; again the call went to voice mail.  By this my “Mom instincts” had kicked in in full force.  So, I called Amy – again to voice mail.  By this time I had decided something was really wrong.  I left Amy a message telling her what had happened during the night and that I had tried to call TJ and the calls kept going to voice mail.  I asked her to please call me as soon as she could.

I usually go to the post office and bank between 11:30 and 12:30 and I hardly ever take my cell phone with me.  This time I decided to take it but before I could get out of the office, Amy returned my call.  She apologized for not answering but she was busy with an animal when I called.  She said she saw my call come in on TJ’s phone at 4:00,  but she never answers his phone.  She said she knew if it was important I would call right back.  When I didn’t, she just figured I had dialed his number by mistake, etc.   She said TJ had been having some problems with his phone for a few days; in fact her phone rung one morning at 3:00 and when she picked it up, the display showed TJ and he was laying the bed beside her sound asleep.  I was just thankful everyone was ok and there wasn’t any problem of any kind.

Shortly after getting back from my errands, the office phone rung and it was TJ.  He apologized for  worrying me.  We laughed about it, both of relieved.  Then he went on to explain what he thinks happened.    THIS IS THE CULPRIT!!!

                                                      

Meet Bodie, the new ferret.  I mentioned several emails ago the other ferret, Jacob had passed away and the entire family was very sad.  So about 2 weeks ago, they got Bodie.  Ferrets are very curious animals. Bodie is very tame and has the run of the house.  He has taken over part of Bonnie’s bed.  Bonnie is TJ’s Australian Shephed.  TJ uses his bluetooth headseat with his cell phone pretty much all of the time and Bodie was attracted by the blue light on it and decided it looked like the perfect toy.  Now, how could I scold Bodie?  Look at that face!!

 

This is Bonnie, shortly after TJ got her.  She was such a ball of fluff, absolutely gorgeous with beautiful blue eyes. 

This is Bonnie taken earlier this month.  I’m not exactly sure where the blue came from; maybe she is just experimenting with a new look.  She is a really sweet dog and very smart.  TJ has spent a lot of time training her and and she is definitely his “sidekick”.  She is usually where he is.  She is a herding dog and the first time Haley and I visited after TJ got her, Bonnie kept trying to herd Haley.  She would nip at Haley’s ankles; Haley would deal with it for a while and when she had finally had enough, she let Bonnie know it.  Now they have played together enough Haley has learned to herd too.

 

This is a picture of Jacob.  He was a really neat little dude.  I couldn’t imagine why they wanted a ferret; but after meeting Jacob, I totally understood.  He will always be a part of their lives and they gave him a final resting place in the flower garden.  TJ and Amy made a  special cross for him. 

I guess I love my “grandanimals” as much as my grandchildren.  I have always loved animals, especially dogs.  My Daddy was an avid deer hunter and we always had dogs around, sometimes as many as 10.   My Haley is one of my best friends.  She knows all my secrets, she lets my cry when I need to and she can always make me smile.  This is my Haley girl – where she most likes to be – in my bed. 

 

I hope I haven’t totally bored you with  my animal stories. 

Let me tell you one more phone story.  When TJ was living in Greenville and had just started working full time, he often visited Perkins, a restaurant that was open 24 hours.  Remember, he is a night owl.  One Saturday morning about 3:00 he was in Perkins having coffee with a couple of new friends he had met there. He took out his cell phone and started to call someone and the friends asked who in the world was he calling that time of morning.  His comment…”Mom”.  They thought he was crazy; in fact one of them said his Mom would kill him if he called her that time of the morning and he wasn’t dying!!  When I answered the phone the first thing TJ said was that he was okay.  So, I asked why had he called.  He wanted to tell me about the new friends he was having coffee with.  When he told me who it was, I was pretty sure he was lying to me so he passed the phone to one of them.  He was having coffee with Michael Jordan and Evander Holyfield.  They were in Greenville for a golf tournament.  I actually got to speak with both of them and Michael told me what a cool mom he thought I was that my son could call me like that and I not be mad at  him. 

I hope all of you had a great day today.  I did some work at Church this morning, went for a nice walk with my best friend Candi and Haley and then spent a quiet afternoon.  I even managed to get a little nap in.  I am really looking forward to tomorrow and Church.  Have a great Sunday.

Brenda

FW: Ladies with Typewriters

Church Ladies with Typewriters



The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.
--------------------------
Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
--------------------------
Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
--------------------------
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
--------------------------
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
--------------------------
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
--------------------------
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered..
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM .. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B S. Is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM .. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM .. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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Donuts will be served after mass in the church basement followed by blood pressure checks.

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Scales/Prayer

I hope all of you had a good day today.  Mine was a little rough.  I didn’t rest well last night, rather Haley didn’t rest well last night; therefore neither did I.  She kept jumping out of the bed, running to the vents and sniffing hard enough to almost pull the vent right out of the floor.  I don’t know what she was smelling but I finally told her if she didn’t quit I was going to put her in her kennel for the rest of the night.  I wish you could have seen the look she gave me.  She knows I’m all talk  but I hope she rests better tonight so I can too.

 

I wanted to share one of the devotions in my daily journal with you.  It’s called “Unbalancing the Scales”.  I’m going to copy it here just like it is written.

 

“Balancing the scales of life – the spiritual versus the earthly – can seem impossible.  In our attempt to find balance, we encounter unrest and discouragement.  Perhaps it’s so difficult for us because it’s really not God’s desire that the scales be balanced at all.  Actually, He calls us to a completely unbalanced life.  In Mark 12:30, the heart represents the things we love, and the soul, our emotions.  Loving God with all our hearts and souls places Him first, above all else.  Our strength represents the things into which we put our efforts, our will, and our physical work.  Our mind is the sum of our thoughts.  God doesn’t want an equal portion of those things after they are divided with the world.  He wants and deserves it all.  The scales should not be balanced; they should tip as our devotion to God exceeds all else.  It is only with that proper balance that He can finally and truly have full reign in our lives.  To the believer, that right relationship is the only one that feels natural.  Only then, when God is given all of our hearts, souls, strength, and minds, can we feel at peace.”

 

I hate to admit that I am not where I should be in the unbalanced life.  I don’t always put God first.  I know I should, but sometimes things just get in the way….little things….big things…just things.  I had to work late today so I didn’t get to Church Wednesday night, company came in at the last minute and I felt I should stay home with them, I didn’t sleep good last night and was afraid I would fall asleep in Church but I didn’t have any trouble holding my eyes open to watch television.  Get the picture?  I am not proud of this.  Sometimes it is too easy to let the devil get between me and the door when it is time to go to Church.  But, thankfully, I am not as bad about these things as I used to be.  Now, if I miss a service in my Church, I don’t just feel guilty because I wasn’t there.  I also miss being there!!  I was sick a couple of Sunday’s ago and couldn’t get to Church for either service and I really missed being there.  My Pastor puts a lot of study in his messages and I have learned a lot from him.  I also feel like I let him and God down when I am not there.  I am treasurer and I also play the organ so I do leave an empty spot when I am not there.  I’m not where I should be when it comes to reading my Bible and I battle with myself constantly.  I struggle to read the fine print, but I could always buy a large print Bible.  I just need to make the effort and eventually I will realize something is missing when I don’t read it.  I have a hard time praying if I pray silently.  My mind wanders and I begin to think of other things.  One of my favorite times to pray is on my way to work.  There is no one in the car but me and I can pray out loud.  Doing that keeps my mind on track.  I pray that way when I am home.

 

I go back to one of the sentences in the devotion…”only then, when God is given all of our hearts, souls, strength, and minds, can we feel at peace”.  I am going to make an extra effort to find that peace. 

 

Good night, everyone.  As my Mama used to say…”sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite”.

 

 

 

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

OBX Pridefest

Good morning everyone.  I hope all of you are doing fine and looking forward to a great day.

 

I mentioned a few days ago I was going to drop the subject of the OBX Pridefest.  But during the sermon at Church last night I changed my mind.  I have received responses about my earlier email from 2 gay men and 1 gay woman.  One of the men told me my email showed my ignorance and hate.  He is the only one I responded to, reminding him that in my email I said I did NOT hate the PERSON but I hated the SIN.  I will not back down on that stand. I believe it is wrong. I am not going to quote any Scripture because I don’t want to be accused of taking something out of context. After getting the emails Tuesday, I spoke with my Pastor and later he emailed me his response about the OBX Pridefest.  He has also posted his response on our Church website.  Instead of putting it in this email, I ask that if you are interested in reading his comments, please visit the website, www.ribaptist.com; click on Pastor’s Corner and chose Pastor’s Blog in the drop-down box. 

 

I would never intentionally hurt anyone; but I stand by what I said in the earlier email.  I know it is not my place to judge anyone; God is going to take care of that.  My role is to turn this matter over to Him and pray about this situation.  I ask that you join me.

 

Have a great day. 

 

 

 

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

I received the following in an email from an organization I am a member of.  I thought I would pass it on to you:

 

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE:

 

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

 

 

 

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

3 pictures for you

I hope everyone has had a great day. I actually got to work early today;
carried Haley with me and really made a big dent in the work I have to have
done before Thursday. Employees are getting "antsy" about getting their W-2
forms - guess they are getting a tax refund.

I had a terrific supper with a great lady, Ms. Joyce. She is such a
thoughtful person and always has something great to eat. Tonight was no
exception.

I thought about several things to put in my email tonight, but all of them
were kind of negative subjects and I've had such a good day, I didn't want
anything to spoil it. As I was leaving Ms. Joyce's house, she loaned me a
book a friend had given her. It's entitled "Glory of Creation". The text
is by several people and the drawings are by Thomas Kinkade. The book is
beautiful and I'm going to share one of the selections in it with you. It
doesn't have a title but was written by Corinne Roosevelt Robinson.

"There's a path that leads to Nowhere in a meadow that I know,
Where an inland river rises and the stream is still and slow;
And beneath the silver green
Of the birches'silent shadows where the early violets lean.
Other pathways lead to Somewhere, but the one I love so well
Has no end and no beginning -- just the beauty of the dell,
Just the wildflowers and the lilies, yellow striped as adder's tongue,
Seem to satisfy my pathway as it winds their sweets among.
There I go to meet the Springtime, when the meadow is aglow,
Marigolds amid the marshes, and the stream is still and slow;
There I find my fair oasis, and with carefree feet I tread,
For the pathway leads to Nowhere and the blue is overhead.
All the ways that lead to Somewhere echo with the hurrying feet
Of the Struggling and the Striving, but the way I find so sweet
Bids me dream and bids me linger -- Joy and Beauty are its goal;
On the path that leads to Nowhere I have sometimes found my soul."

As I read this, I realized how much we miss of the beauty of the world
because most of us are always in a hurry to get somewhere or do something.
I am very guilty of this. I have attached 3 pictures to this email. All 3
are taken from my front porch, from almost the same spot. It is one of my
favorite views. I have often wished I lived on a hill with an unobstructed
view of the sunrise and sunset. I can see the sunrise every morning from my
front porch and I see the sunset as I head home from work in the afternoon.
Sometimes the sunset is so red and dramatic, it's almost like I am heading
into an awesome fire. I love my drive to work in the mornings. I'm glad I
have to go across the Manns Harbor Bridge and get to enjoy all that expanse
of sky and water. There have been a few times I have actually stopped on
the bridge to take a picture or two. But, occasionally I will see something
that I just can't catch with the camera. This happened about two months
ago. When I let Haley out that morning, the sunrise almost took my breath
away. I let her out and immediately went to get my camera. I probably took
12 or 15 pictures, but just could not capture its beauty. And I guess
sometimes it's meant to be that way. If we could always capture the beauty,
it might become "ho-hum" rather than spectacular. "O Lord my God, when I in
awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hands have made, I see the stars,
I hear the mighty thunder, Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed! When
thru the woods and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in
the trees, when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook
and feel the gentle breeze....then sings my soul, my Savior God to
Thee...how great Thou art!"

One day a friend and I were discussing which we would rather lose - our
sight or our hearing. I realize this isn't something we would get to chose.
Either would be bad, but I would rather be deaf than blind. I can't imagine
what it would be like to never have seen my precious children's faces.
Hannah, my beautiful granddaughter - how I would miss her smile. Even
Haley, when I speak to her and she turns her head a little to one side and
how she wiggles all over, not just her tail, when she sees me. To think I
would never see another sunrise, sunset, rainbow, the osprey that has the
nest near my house; the dolphins playing in the water. I could go on and on
but I am sure you get the idea. As I get older, I realize how many things I
have missed out on because I had to work and was always too busy. I often
think back to the day my Mama died and I wasn't there to tell her goodbye
because I had to prepare payroll checks for 3 clients. So many things.....

When my boys were little, I didn't have much time to spend with them; to do
things with them. I managed a cottage court in addition to my full time job
as an accountant. There were a lot of things I missed doing with them. But
then, I think again and remember a lot of the things we did do together. I
taught them to fish, bait the hook and cast. I taught them how to unhook
the fish - they caught bluefish once in a "blues blitz" that were almost as
big as Ray was at the time. One of TJ's was so big, he wasn't able to reel
it in; he just kept walking backwards until he was almost to the top of the
barrier dune. Ray's almost drug him in the surf and Buster helped him get
it in. I remember the 3 of us sitting in the pavilion, early in the
morning, watching the dolphins playing in the water. I remember seeing an
Orca whale off shore one day - one of the most beautiful sights I have ever
seen as he came out of the water and turned over before he crashed back down
again. So, after thinking about it, I did miss doing some things with them;
but I did a lot of things with them I can't put a price on. More recently,
in June, I saw the beautiful expression on TJ's face as he watched his
future wife, Amy, walk down the steps to him on their wedding day. I hope
to see that same expression on Ray's face one day.

So, yeah, I think I would rather be deaf than blind.

I want to quote one more thing before I close this email. George Strait
released a new song this past summer and the words are so very
true..."Life's not the breath you take, the breathing in and out, that get's
you through the day...ain't what it's all about. You might just miss the
point trying to win the race. Life's not the breaths you take but the
moments that take your breath away." Hope you have a lot of those moments
in your life.

Brenda
boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

If you have trouble viewing attached photos or would like to see the online
version of this email, you can visit my blog to see the newest posts online
at http://brendaoutlaw.blogspot.com

Brrrrr!

Good morning everyone.  Boy, it is really cold this morning.  I can’t remember a winter as cold as this one.  Maybe it’s because I’m older and suffer from some arthritis in my knees, hands and one foot.

 

I haven’t written an email in a couple of days.  Lots of things going on – not necessarily work – just things that took my time.  Yesterday I kept reminding myself to write one-then I got involved in a good book, kept running to the window to watch the snow that was falling and then wasn’t falling, doing some laundry, cooking a pot of vegetable soup and before I knew it, the day was gone and then I had some paperwork to do last night for my Church.

 

I love to read, always have.  I became a member of Doubleday Book Club my senior year in high school and stayed a member until about 5 years ago.  I used to buy paperback books until I decided it was too expensive.  One of the first things I did after moving to Dare County and getting settled was get a library card.  I’ve had one since I was 10.  Until about 5 years ago, I would check out 10 to 13 books every 2 weeks.  After the problems started with my eyes, it became harder to read. I really struggle to read now and I really hate it.  Even getting the books with larger print isn’t a help.  So, now I don’t read as much and on the few occasions I go the library, the ladies in there always tell they miss seeing me.

 

I said all that to say this, the book I read yesterday was a really great book…one of the best I’ve read in a long time.  It belongs to Candi and was given to me at the ladies meeting last Saturday.  The title is “The Christmas Sweater” by Glenn Beck.  I’ve never read anything by him before.  I’m not going to tell much about the book, because I would like to encourage any of you that have not read it yet, to do so.  I will tell you this…at the end of it, I was crying and they were cleansing tears and thankful tears.  Now you’ll have to read it to know why.  I do want to share one thing with you that’s in the book.  The main character, having some struggles, goes through a storm. Not a real storm, but an emotional one and what he was told afterwards really impressed me.  He asked “Does everyone have to go through the storm?”.  The answer? “Yes, sooner or later. But no one has ever been lost to the storm, just lost in it. What most people don’t realize is that you don’t have to fight the storm, you just have to stop feeding it---stop giving it power over you.”  That is one of the truest statements I have ever read. 

 

I suffered from an emotional storm last summer.  I had some problems that I chose to keep to myself figuring I was a grown woman and I could take care of them all by myself.  Then I came to a time when I felt like it was me against the whole wide world.  I fought the storm, hard, but almost lost the battle.  Then I realized that I couldn’t take care of these things by myself.  But, more importantly, I didn’t have too.  I have a great family.  I have great friends.  I have a great Church family.  And they all helped me – each in their own way.  But, more important than any of those, I have the Lord.  He took my hand; no, it was more like the poem “Footprints”.  He actually carried me in His precious arms.  I got through the worst part, just a little scarred.  But the most important thing is that I came through the storm just as soon as I stopped feeding it.  I learned a lot about myself, mainly that I am  not the superwoman I thought I was and that it is okay to ask for help when I need it instead of trying to prove how strong I am. I’ve been a single Mom since my kids were 2 and 6 years old.  I never had much emotional or financial help.  I felt like I had to be strong for them. I was too proud to ask for help. We made it, but now I’ve reached the time in my life where I have to ask for help now and then.  Sometimes it hurt to ask….hurts my pride!  But I’m getting there.  I’ve learned it’s okay to ask and there is always someone willing to help….my family, my friends and my Church family. 

 

I have one of the greatest support groups in the world and I would like to add my “Friends” that are on my email list.  I don’t write these emails to get a response from any of you.  Most of the time I write them just because I have something bugging me or I’m concerned about something it and it usually helps to write it down.  But, I always get some responses and I love them.  You all encourage me and I love all of you.

 

Hope you have a great day.  I need to get ready to head off to Church soon.  Gotta get the van warmed up a little before I head to Wanchese.  Please stay warm.

 

Embrace the day and all it has to offer you.

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

Shopping with the kids.

I hope everyone had a great night’s sleep.  I’m so glad to finally be busy at work.  The days go by so much faster when you are busy; at least mine do.  I know I am blessed that in November and December when I don’t have much to do at work, I can pretty much do what I want to.  I read, crochet, watch tv shows and movies on the computer.  Anything I want to – I just have to be there.  But, I would rather be busy and work hard 10 hours than just sit at the desk 8 hours.

 

Sometimes shopping with kids can be fun and sometimes it can be your worst nightmare.  Whenever I carried my boys to a store with me, they were usually pretty good.  When they were small, we had a Roses’ in the Outer Banks Mall; in fact that mall was called the Roses’ mall for many years.  They were willing to go anywhere in the store with me I needed to go as long as we could check out the toy section before we left.  Of course, like all other children, they wanted everything on the shelves.  And, we usually managed to have 2 toys in the cart when we got to the checkout counter.  I was always thankful for Match Box toys.  They weren’t very expensive, therefore, I could afford them.  TJ and Ray wore out the knees on many pairs of pants pushing those cars around.  Legos was another great toy and they liked them too.  Both of my boys had great imaginations and just created their own designs. 

 

When they were young, it wasn’t hard to buy clothes for them.  They really didn’t have much choice about what they wore.  But, as they got older, I tried to let them pick out their own clothes.  When they reached the teenage years, shopping became harder.  They never liked anything I picked out; I didn’t have any taste at all. But the funny thing about that was, if I went shopping by myself and bought them something, it was always fine.  The only thing I can remember that TJ really hated was the --- my mind is drawing a blank here.  I can’t remember what the pants were called.  But, here is the story…..the first year my boys attended Church camp, they had to have several pair of pants that weren’t shorts.  They pants had to be to or below the knees.  Marie Reed did a lot of sewing for all the kids back then and she made my boys several pairs each.  TJ didn’t mind the pants themselves; but he hated all the designs in the materials.  We picked material that was like the pants in the store and he didn’t have any choice but wear them, but he really didn’t like them.  I am sure he will remember what they were called. 

 

After TJ moved to Greenville, I usually visited him for the after Thanksgiving sales…better known as Black Friday.  Whatever girl he was dating at the time would try to hang with me, but it was a hard job to keep up with me then.  One particular Friday we were standing outside Goody’s waiting for the doors to open at 4:45 AM.  TJ was drinking coffee and trying very hard to look cool.  But, he wasn’t the only guy there.  His girlfriend, I think it was Allison, stayed with us until about 9:00 and she had to leave to go to work.  TJ and I went to Belks.  They always had great sales.  I had been given some early Christmas money and was trying to find me a few things both for work and Church.  The big sale ended at 11:00.  I had picked out a few things and every time I would come out of the dressing room so TJ could see it, he would give me a “thumbs down”.  I finally asked him what was wrong with the clothes.  His comment?...”they look like MOM clothes. You always buy MOM clothes”.  I didn’t know exactly what he was talking about.  After all, I was a MOM.  Then he explained it.  He said I always bought t-shirts with the flowers, bears, dogs, etc. on the front; same thing for sweatshirts; I usually bought red or blue, etc.  Then he asked me to let him pick out some things for me.  Ok, I was game.  We had the nicest clerk working with us and I just stayed in the dressing room, trying on everything he brought me and modeling it so he could see it and approve or disapprove.  Just a few minutes before 11:00, I told him we had to stop because the sale stopped in just a few minutes.  The clerk heard me and told me not to worry about it; she would ring everything up at the sale price, giving me all the discounts.  We shopped until a little after 12:00.  I ended up with several outfits that I would have never bought for myself, but loved every one of them.  When we got to the counter to pay, I apologized to the clerk and thanked her for letting me have all the discounts.  She said it was her pleasure and her next comment surprised me and thrilled me at the same time.  She said, “I have had the best time watching your son pick out clothes for you that were both young looking and becoming.  He obviously loves you and wants you to look good.”  I came back home on Saturday, hung all my new clothes in the closet and just felt real good about myself.  On Sunday I decided to wear what is called a pencil skirt.  It’s very straight and supposedly very slimming.  It was in a very soft purple color and I had a dark purple sweater to wear with it.  I also wore my new black leather jacket.  When I got to Church, I had gotten mud on my shoes and stepped into the bathroom to wipe them off. As I turned to come out of the bathroom, I noticed something I had not noticed in the dressing room the day before.  The skirt was slit in the back to just above my knees; not bad, just not something I would have picked out.  I was a little embarrassed but had to make the best of it.  Believe it or not, no one noticed and I had several compliments on how nice I looked.  That afternoon I called TJ and asked him if he had noticed that little detail.  He laughed and said no, he just thought it looked nice on me.  I have to say this – he didn’t pick out a single piece of MOM clothes.

 

One more shopping story and I’ll close out this email.  We were shopping in Walmart in Elizabeth City on the way home from visiting my Mama.  We didn’t have a Walmart or Kmart on the beach then.  Naturally, we were in the toy section.  This was the year that just about every toy had a button somewhere on it that, when pressed, would make the toy sing, dance, etc.  TJ and Ray pressed a few of the buttons, but they would wait until that toy quit whatever it was doing before they would press the next button.  I decided to start pressing buttons, but I didn’t wait for one to finish before I pressed another.  I probably had 10 or so of those toys making some kind of noise.  I looked around for TJ and Ray and they had gone off and left me.  When I got up with them, several aisles away, I asked them what was wrong.  Can you believe this?  I had embarrassed them!!! TJ said he didn’t want anyone to know he was with me and Ray said “me too”.

 

I hope all of you have a great day.  I know I will see some of you at Church tonight.  Everyone stay safe.  God Bless You.

 

 

 

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

My daddy - the king of snorers!

Good morning everyone. I hope all of you are doing fine.

I am feeling so much better than yesterday. Got a good night’s rest last night; love the sound of rain on a metal roof. It reminds me of being a young girl and the house we lived in then.

When I was about 9 years old, my Daddy, Mama and I moved to live in a little house in the big city of Merry Hill. This was the first house my parents had ever owned. Well, come to think of it, I guess they owned the house that burned when I was about 3 years old; but after that time they had always rented. My parents were farmers, farming for other people for a share of the crops, and a house was always part of the deal.

The first house I was old enough to remember was near the Albemarle Sound; within walking distance. I don’t know how old I was when we moved there, but I started school while we were living there. There was a huge pasture between our house and a house owned by the Bond family. In that pasture were several cows, a couple of mules and one bull. I was scared to death of the bull. There were also lots of snakes in the area. John Bond came over to visit one afternoon; Mama and I were sitting on the back porch. She was shelling butter beans and I am pretty sure I was NOT! Daddy and John were standing by the front door of John’s truck. Suddenly, John calmly reached into his truck, removed the gun from the gun rack and shot right at the corner or the porch – about 3 feet from where I was sitting. He had killed a rattle snake that was almost as long as I was tall. Mama used to bring in garter snakes with clean clothes she had just taken off the clothes line. Mama got run out of the bathroom once by a snake. My sister Faye and her boyfriend were in the living room when Mama runs out of the bathroom, across the hall into her bedroom – all the time trying to get her “undies” pulled up. Boy, was her face red! So was Pat’s – my future brother-in-law. We used to walk down to the sound to take a bath at the end of a long day in the field. Now you have to remember I was very young and of course, I hadn’t been doing any work; but I loved to go along for the bath. Of course, we all had on swim suits and we took a real bath when we got home, but Daddy loved to go down to the sound and “rinse off” as he called it. We would bathe with the cows drinking right along beside us.

Daddy and Mama raised their own pigs and chickens. We had a really mean rooster and I remember going out to the pig pen one Sunday after Church. Daddy didn’t go that day; I guess one of the animals was sick or something because he usually did go to Church with us. I had won the Sunday School poster that day and I went to show it to Daddy. I still had on my Sunday dress, little white shoes and socks. As I started across the yard, the rooster attacked me. He didn’t really hurt me but he ruined my poster and tore my dress. I think we had him for supper one night that week.

I mentioned in an earlier paragraph about moving to Merry Hill. If you don’t know anything about Merry Hill, it was 3 stores, 1 Church, Post Office and school. Most of the people were farmers; a few worked in town. There were about 12 kids right there in Merry Hill and we went to Church and school together. The little house Mama and Daddy bought had only 4 rooms and an unfinished upstairs. There was no inside bathroom and I thought that the most terrible thing in the world. Eventually, my little bedroom was divided and a bathroom was added in one end. For a while I “lived” in the attic. Daddy had closed in the rooms with sheetrock and I had a small bedroom in one end and a small living room in the other end. I was the envy of all my friends, because I had my own apartment. It was heated by the chimney and had two very small windows I could open in the summer. My bedroom was over Mama and Daddy’s bedroom. I always played my stereo when I went to bed and as long as Daddy couldn’t hear the drums, it was okay with him.

I guess by now you are wondering about my subject line. As I was sitting here thinking about something to write, Haley jumped up on the couch beside me. She turned around and around about 15 times and finally made her bed and laid down. Within a few minutes, she was snoring and it reminded me of my Daddy. Boy, he could really snore! One night about 10:30, I decided to switch my bedroom to the other end of the house and move my living room over Mama and Daddy’s bedroom. The next morning Daddy asked me what in the world had I been doing? I laughed and told him I had to move my bed because I couldn’t keep the sheets on the bed. He didn’t understand what I meant. I told him he snored so hard that he sucked my sheets right off my bed so I had to move my bedroom. He got a pretty good laugh out of that.

I guess you can tell I was pretty close to my Daddy. My siblings are 10, 12 and 15 years older than me. By the time I was old enough to be of any real help, they were all gone from home and it fell on me to help Daddy in the fields. But, I had much rather been doing that than all the “girly” things at the house with Mama. I could plow the fields, put out fertilizer, knew how to work in a tobacco field and barn but I couldn’t boil water. I was quite a tomboy. My Daddy died my senior year of high school – 1966 – just 5 weeks before I graduated. I often think of all the things he missed in my life….my graduation, my baptism, my marriage, the birth of my two boys, so many things. But I know where he is and I am so thankful I have the guarantee of seeing him again one day.

I hope I haven’t reminisced too much in this email. I was a blessed child as I was growing up. I was loved by my parents and brother and sisters. I always had a nice place to live and all I needed. Not everyone was so fortunate. Like everyone else, I take those blessings for granted.

I hope all of you have a great week. Embrace the day and all it has to offer.

Brenda

A Lost Friend

I lost a friend recently-a “cyber friend”.  But it hurt, not as much as them dying, but I miss their friendship.  The reason I lost this friend?  I unfriended him on Facebook!  I know some of you make think this is silly.  I hated to take that action but I just couldn’t deal with the contents of his posts anymore.

 

First of all let me say, I think Facebook is a great thing.  My kids kept after me to join and I kept saying I didn’t want to get on it.  TJ finally tricked me into it by sending me a link to some of his pictures and by the time I got to the pictures, I had joined.  I have never been sorry.  It is a quick and convenient way of keeping up with friends and family and their lives.  But, sometimes it can be a hurtful tool. 

 

I learned, the hard way (as I often do) to be careful what you put in writing.  You should never put anything in writing that you don’t want someone else to read.  When I was in the eighth grade, I had a huge crush on a boy in my neighborhood and he liked me too.  We were both shy and just watched each other “from afar”.  Didn’t that sound dramatic?  One day the kids in the neighborhood were playing baseball; there weren’t enough kids to have two teams-we just split up and played.  I was at bat and I was a pretty good hitter.  The boy I liked, let’s call him John Doe, was playing shortstop.  As the pitcher threw the ball, John said “hit it right here to me honey”.  Needless to say, I never saw the ball cross home plate.  John had called me “honey”!!! Wow!!!  I did get a hit on the second pitch and made it to second base.  John’s face was red and so was mine.  Well, like most teen aged girls, I had a diary.  I put all my secrets and dreams in that little book.  My diary did not have a lock – first mistake.  I did not hide it; I just put it in my desk drawer – second mistake.  I didn’t believe my Sister would read it – third mistake.  Our family would all come to our house for Sunday dinner.  The conversation the next Sunday revolved around my comment in my diary…”Today, at the ball game, John Doe called me Honey”.  As my Sister told what she had read in my diary, my family had the gall to laugh.  LAUGH!!!! Didn’t they realize those were my private thoughts?  I was hurt and angry and I cried.  Then my Sister came to me and apologized.  That didn’t make it right. But, I learned a very valuable lesson from that episode.  I bought a diary with a lock, I hid it and I learned to write in code!!

 

I love to write and for many years have kept journals.  Most of the time at the end of the year, I destroy them.  Why…because they held my secret thoughts and dreams, things I didn’t or couldn’t share with anyone else.  Sometimes I write to vent. In my case, sometimes it was better to vent that way than to try to talk to whoever I might be upset with.  Since I have had a computer, I write a lot and after I finish, I read it again and then hit delete.  I have lifted the load by just putting the words down even though no one else reads them.

 

I said all that to say this.  I wish people would be very careful what they say on Facebook.  I wish they would be careful of their language.  You never know who will be reading it.  Your parents, your best friend, your children or grandchildren…you just never know.  I know this email is going to end up on Facebook as a note on my wall because it automatically goes to my blog which in turn is posted on my Facebook wall as a note.  But, that’s okay.  You see, I haven’t put anything in here that I don’t want someone to read.  I know people probably use Facebook to say things they wouldn’t say to someone’s face. They say they have freedom of speech and Facebook is a social networking venue so I can use it however I please.  That is true up to a point.  But I have known a few people that have been blocked because of their content.  The reason I un-friended my friend is because of his language and the sexual content of his jokes, videos, pictures, etc.  When I have been in his company, he has never acted the way he did on Facebook.  I was really surprised.  When I said something to him about it, he got kinda ugly with me and I decided that day to drop him.  I also don’t like the how people use Facebook to always complain.  They never have anything good to say…about anything.

 

I guess I will get off my soapbox now and get to work.  I was waiting on a client to drop off some work for me and he just came in.  I’m pretty sure I will have some unfriendly comments on Facebook about this email.  But, maybe I’ll claim “freedom of speech” like most of them do. It isn’t aimed at anyone particular but I guess if someone takes offense at it, it will probably be because I struck a nerve.

 

Take care everyone, try to stay warm and embrace the day and all it has to offer you.

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

apology

I hope all of you are doing well and staying warm.

 

I have been advised recently my emails are “too preachy and religious”.  If so, I apologize….only because the BIBLE says a woman shouldn’t preach!  That being said….I do not apologize for being a Christian or trying to share MY Christian experiences or views or for sometimes sharing something out of God’s Word!  That being said….you have the choice to continue receiving the emails or not.  All it takes is a short response from you asking me to remove you from the list; you don’t have to give me a reason and I won’t ask for one; I’ll just take you off.

 

Okay, here goes my opinion: I think the reason some people don’t want to hear something “preachy and religious” is because they aren’t a Christian and don’t want to hear anything about being one.  I had someone tell me that he didn’t think he could be a Christian because he didn’t think he could change all the things in his life that were wrong overnight.  Well, duh! I don’t believe God expects that.  If you truly give your heart to Him, He is going to show you the way to change the things.  I struggled with several things in my life after I became a Christian.  I still struggle with some things and when I die, I will still be struggling with some things.  They aren’t necessarily the same things I struggled with right after I got saved; but I battle the devil every day.  All of us do.  And if someone tells you that since they became a Christian, their life is perfect, no more battles with the devil, no more sin in their life…..know “it ain’t so”.  It would be awesome if my life did not contain any sin but it just isn’t happening. I fought sin all day yesterday… in several disguises.  Losing my temper was probably the worse because when I lost my temper, it put my mouth in full forward motion.  Then I had to call someone and tell them I was sorry for what I had said.  Yes, that hurt my testimony, but the man I was talking to is a Christian also and he understood.  None of us are perfect; God doesn’t expect us to be.  He has already forgiven me for every sin I have ever committed and for every sin I will ever commit.  Thankfully, he has removed my sins as far as the east is from the west, which is a distance that cannot be determined. 

 

Okay, that is my sermon for today….just joking.  I hope all of you know that I would not ntentionally offend any of you with anything I put in an email.  I had a friend tell me she wasn’t too happy with the email about Fat People because she thought I was talking about her.  I wasn’t and if you remember I made a comment in the email about looking in my own mirror. 

 

Have a great day and embrace all the day has to offer you.

 

 

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

Pay it Forward 2011

I have had a great Sunday.  I hope all of you have too. Church was very good today.  Didn’t have quite the same success with the van trips as I did last Sunday; but still good.  Even if we only pick up one child, that is one child that will hear something about the Lord. I had the extra blessing of teaching the preschool class for Robin.  I only had one child, Hayden, but she was a real blessing to me.

 

Tonight was our business meeting at Church.  We had it after the worship service. This is the night the budget is presented and voted on.  The meeting went well and I think everyone drew a sigh of relief.  I don’t know why we get “antsy” about business meetings, but we do.  Just before the meeting was over I made the comment that I am always amazed at how much our little Church does.  We have less than 20 members and a lot of them are elderly.  I’m including myself in that category.  A lot of our members are retired or on a fixed income.  We don’t have any debt and we support 24 missionaries through a program called Faith Promise.  This means that none of that support comes out of the working capital of our Church.  It is given in addition to our tithes.  So, again I have to say I am amazed at what God allows us to accomplish to further His Gospel.  I made the comment tonight that our blessings always, always, always outweigh our problems. Our “little Church on North End” is truly blessed.

 

Tonight during our prayer time, my mind began to wander.  I had already finished my prayer (we were having silent prayer) and was waiting for the Pastor to close the prayer.  I began to think about my subject listed above.  A few days ago a friend of mine put a post on FaceBook.  It was called Pay if Forward 2011 and this is how it works.  She put in her status that the first 3 people that commented on her status would receive something handmade from her during 2011.  The only rule to this is that those 3 people have to put the information in their status and do something for the first three people that comment, etc., etc. I hesitated, just a few minutes, before I commented on my friend’s status.  The only reason I hesitated is because she is a missionary and I felt like she was so busy that I didn’t want to add to her burden.  Then I realized that I might be depriving her of a blessing, so I commented and I was the FIRST!  I have no idea what I am going to receive from her but I am excited about it. Within an hour of my putting the post in my status, I had 3 comments.  Can you picture how many people’s lives will be touched by this if everyone “pays it forward” like they should?  By this time, Pastor had closed the prayer and we were ready for the message. 

 

On my way home tonight, I began to think about this again and was wondering how could I be a blessing to other people.  And this is what I decided.  I am going to challenge each of you to do something for somebody else this year.  Maybe once a month you could pick someone and do something special for them.  It doesn’t have to be something handmade, expensive or elaborate.  Just something to let that particular person know you were thinking of them. Run an errand for an elderly person, take someone to a doctor appointment and wait with them, babysit, offer to help them in their yard or house.  You get the picture.  I really don’t think people do too much of this today.  We are all so busy with our own lives and always seem to be in a hurry. 

 

You don’t have to make any response to me about what you decide to do IF you do decide to do anything.  Just pray about it and see what the Lord lays on your heart.  I promise you this…you might be a blessing to someone else; but I can guarantee you this…..you will absolutely get a blessing yourself.

 

I hope all of you have a great week. Remember to pray for someone.

 

Brenda

boutlaw@carolinaregion.com

 

 

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

Barack Obama: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

John McCain: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

Hillary Clinton: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure - right from Day One! - that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

George W. Bush: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

Dick Cheney: Where is my gun?

Colin Powell: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

Bill Clinton: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

Al Gore: I invented the chicken.

John Kerry: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

Al Sharpton: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

Dr. Phil: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road...What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problem before adding new problems.

Oprah: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

Nancy Grace: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

Martha Stewart: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

Dr. Seuss: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Did he cross it with a hare? Did he cross it with a bear? Did he check if the road was hot? I kinda doubt it, I think not!! Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed, I've not been told. Just one more think I have to say, it's been bugging me to this very day. If the Chicken is a she, why do we keep saying HE?

Ernest Hemingway: To die in the rain, alone.

Grandpa: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

Barbara Walters: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

Aristotle: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

John Lennon: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

Bill Gates: I have just released eChicken2010, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2010. This new platform is much more stable.

Albert Einstein: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

Colonel Sanders: Did I miss one?

Sent to me by a friend.

The Real Truth About Growing Old

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie (or ice cream), or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 and 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love....I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be . And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

This is not original. It came to me through an email and I just wanted to share it.