Twas the day before Christmas...

Twas the day before Christmas,
When all through our place.

Penny was cleaning the house
And Jen washing her face.

All the tables were set
With the utmost care.

Brad was practicing his guitar
For the talent show affair.

When over at the Anderson's
There arose such a clatter.

They weren't quite sure
What was the matter.

The noise was coming
From the old suburban tank.

It was on its last leg
It was a transmission noise clank.

The moon was a showing
At the Chad household.

As his hand was a hurting
In the hand-casting mold.

Then there was Becca and Jared
With their shovels and sand.

Keeping their sidewalks clear
For their tenants at hand.

Over at the Farmer's abode
They were lively and quick.

Looking forward to meet
The old guy called St Nick.

Well, this poem is getting long
And I'm losing my sight.

So I'll say Merry Christmas to all
And to all a good night.

Up in Flames...but not the Memories!

Well, our houseboat went up in flames this week. This post is remembering all the fun memories we've had over the past 10 years with this houseboat.

"I've been Thinking a lot about Things."

Have you ever heard the expression, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

Well, this old dog, is trying to learn some new tricks. I reckon with old age comes the regrets of not paying better attention in school. Classes that I really didn’t like back then, such as History and English, I now love. Go figure. Now that I’m older, and hopefully wiser, my desire to learn has increased. I love studying about the world in which we live. There are so many fascinating places to explore and histories to learn.

My cross-country trip this past summer opened my eyes to the wealth of information available to each of us, if we just stop and take the time to look, ponder and listen. Since this trip, I’ve been thinking a lot about things. Essentially, taking the time to think and learn about things above the earth, and things below, of principalities and kingdoms, of processes and formulas, and of governments and peoples is now important to me.

This whole discussion reminds me of a story I once heard of a man who desired to know all that there was to know concerning everything in the world. Therefore, he set out on his journey to find the wisest man in the world, figuring that this wise man could teach him all that there was to know.

In his search for this wise man, he was led to a seashore, where he found this wise man sitting on the beach, gazing out into the expansive ocean. As the man approached the wise man he told him that he had traveled a long distance to learn every thing that he knew. The wise man arose and bade the man follow him out into the ocean. When they were about chest-deep in the water, the wise man took the man’s head and held it under water until the man just about pasted out for lack of air. The wise man then let him go, and walked back to the shore and sat down. Well, the man who had traveled such a long distance was totally perplexed as to why the wise man would try to drown him.

As the man, still coughing and choking from the lack of air, approached the wise man again, he asked him why he would do such a thing. The wise man turned to him and said, “When your desire for knowledge is as great as your desire is for air, come back, and I will teach you all that I know.”

Isn’t life like that? We tend to do the things that we have great desires for. Those desires change from time to time. But if we take a step back and look at the grand scheme of things, it is our duty to learn all things.

Well, this old dog is going to start “thinking a lot more about things.”

"Today is a Present"

The other day I watch the movie "Kung Fu Panda" with some of my family members.

I was impressed with a quote from Master Oogway, the Galapagos Tortoise, as he counseled Po, the Giant Panda, about living in the present, when he said,

"Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery; But today is a gift, because it is a present."

It is important for us all to live in the present. Be the best you can be today, not tomorrow, and don't worry about the past, there is nothing you can do about it, but today, you can.

Today, be the kind of person you should be.

Be that friend.
Be that servant.
Be that leader.
Be that worker.
Be that thinker.
Be that student.
Be that example.

...be what you should be today.

One of the special features on the DVD, are the "Secrets of the Furious Five."

The Secrets are:

Patience
Courage
Confidence
Discipline
Compassion

Reminds me of an inspiring lesson once taught by an ancient American prophet named Moroni--"And charity suffereth long, and is kind and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things hopeth all things, endureth all things." (Moroni 7:45)

As the years go by, I hope I can learn and be the type of person I should be.

Twas the night before Christmas...

When all through the house...

Not a creature was stirring...

Not even a mouse...

The Stockings were all hung on the chimney with care...

In hopes that St Nicholas would soon be there.

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads;

And ma ma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

To be continued...

Christmas Memories