Eight Gifts That Don't Cost A Cent To Give

1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING...

But you must REALLY listen.

No interrupting, no daydreaming,

no planning your response.

Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...

Be generous with appropriate hugs,

kisses, pats on the back and handholds.

Let these small actions demonstrate

the love you have for family and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...

Funny pictures.

Share articles,

funny stories & greetings.

Your gift will say,

"I love to laugh with you."

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...

It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note

or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note

may be remembered for a lifetime,

and may even change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...

A simple and sincere,

"You look great in red,"

"You did a super job" or

"That was a wonderful meal"

can make someone's day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...

Every day, go out of your

way to do something kind.

Helping elderly cross

the road can be nice.

7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...

There are times when we want nothing

better than to be left alone. Be

sensitive to those times and give

the gift of solitude to others.

8) THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...

The easiest way to feel good is

to extend a kind word to someone,

really it's not that hard to say,

Hello or Thank You.

~ Author Unknown ~

Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day

List To Live By

The most destructive habit..............Worry

The greatest Joy........................Giving

The greatest loss.......................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work................Helping others

The ugliest personality trait...........Selfishness

The most endangered species.............Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource...........Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"..........Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome........Fear

The most effective sleeping pill........Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease......Excuses

The most powerful force in life.........Love

The most dangerous pariah...............A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer....The Brain

The worst thing to be without...........Hope

The deadliest weapon....................The Tongue

The two most power-filled words........."I Can"

The greatest asset .....................Faith

The most worthless emotion..............Self-pity

The most beautiful attire...............SMILE!

The most prized possession..............Integrity

The most powerful communication.........Prayer

The most contagious spirit..............Enthusiasm

Thank God For Saying Grace...

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My

six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As

we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God

is great. Thank you for the food, and I would

even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream

for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers

nearby I heard a woman remark, "That's what's

wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know 

how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked

me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"

As I held him and assured him that he had done

a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at

him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.

He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know

that God thought that was a great prayer.

"Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart," the

man replied. Then in a theatrical whisper he

added (indicating the woman whose remark had

started this whole thing), " Too bad she never

asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is

good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the 

meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did 

something I will remember the rest of my life.

He picked up his sundae and without a word,

walked over and placed it in front of the woman

With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you.

Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my

soul is good already."

Picture of the Day

Live For Today

Have you ever wished,

when a day went wrong

a wish that's quite in vain

that it were only possible

to live that day again

You'd start out in the morning

with the prayers you should have said

and through the days your actions

with tolerance be led

The many little instances

that tried your patience, true

if only you could start again

you'd know now what to do

You'd kneel and say your evening prayers

Thank the Lord and Lady above

for all the pleasant hours past

your heart at peace with love

But since this is a wish in vain

and never can be true

there's only one alternative

just one thing you can do

To live today in such a way

that when tomorrow comes

the memories of yesterday

will all be cherished ones.

Nita Wheeler

Picture of the Day

It's My 40th Birthday!

This is a cake that I would love to try!!! It looks so decadent & Yummy!!!

14 January 1971

Astrological Sign:		Capricorn, the goat
Glyph:
Constellation:		Capricornus
Pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, tends to a know-it-all-attitude and making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, and practical.
Birthstone (power stone):			Garnet
Flower:			Carnation
Date of conception:			On or about 23 April 1970 was a Thursday
Day you were born:			Thursday
Modality:			Cardinal
Element:			Earth
Trees:			Elm, Almond, Holly, and Olive
Chinese year:			Year of the Dog
Native American sign:			Goose
Native American plant:			bramble
Shrubs:			Coca, Gulder-Rose and Quince
Herbs:			Knotgrass, Safflower and Yellow-Dock
Lucky day:			Saturday
Lucky number:			8
Ruling Planets:			Saturn and Uranus
Lucky dates:			8th, 17th, 26th
Opposition sign:			Cancer
Opposition numbers:			2 and 7
Fortune cookie:			You will live a long, happy life.
Primary color:			Deep red
Lucky colors:			Dark green, royal purple and brown
Ruler:			Saturn
Season:			Winter
Stones:			Amber, Onxy,  Emerald, & Rose Quartz
Metal:			Lead
Anatomy:			Knee, bones & skeleton
The Life Path is the sum of the birth date. This number represents who you are at birth and the native traits that you will carry with you through life. The most important number that will be discussed here is your Life Path number. The Life Path describes the nature of this journey through life.
Life path number:			6
Most compatible:			3, 6 and 9
Should get along with:			2, 4, 8, 11 and 22
Least compatible:			1, 5 and 7
Julian date is the number of days since noon 4713 BC January 1.
The Julian calendar date of your birth is:			2440965.5
Golden Number is a number showing the year of the lunar or Metonic cycle. It is reckoned from 1 to 19, and is so called from having formerly been written in the calendar in gold.
The golden number for 1971 is:			15
Moon’s phase:  Waning Gibbous
Epact Number is the moon's age at the beginning of the calendar year, or the number of days by which the last new moon has preceded the beginning of the year.
The epact number for 1971 is:			3
As of 8/4/2010 1:06:40 PM EDT:			1,248,268,000 seconds old
2,064 weeks old			20,804,466 minutes old
475 months old			346,741 hours old
39 years old			14,447 days old
Strength keywords:   tenacious, conservative, resourceful, disciplined, wise, ambitious, prudent, constant, loyal, patient and responsible.
Weakness keywords:  dictatorial, inhibited, conceited, distrusting, and unimaginative.
Famous People:	Benedict Arnold (1741)
Joan of Arc (1412)	Albert Schweitzer (1875)
Andy Rooney (1919)	Faye Dunaway (1941)
Cecil Beaton (1906)	Franchinus Gaffurius (1451)
Lasse Kjus (1971)	Giancarlo Fisichella (1973)
Milan Kucan (1941)	Shannon Lucid (1943)
Julian Bond (1940)	Allen Toussaint (1938)
Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.65440313111546 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)
Historical Events Occurring on January 14:
1301 -  Andrew III of Hungary dies, ending the Arpad dynasty in Hungary.
1501 -  Martin Luther, 17, enters the University of Erfurt.
1514 -  Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery.
1539 -  Spain annexes Cuba.
1639 - The "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, was adopted in Connecticut.
1690 -  The clarinet is invented in Nuremberg, Germany.
1724 -  King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne.
1784 - American Revolutionary War: The United States ratifies a peace treaty with England.
1814 - Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden in return for Pomerania.
1858 - Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt.
1900 - Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca premieres in Rome.
1907 - An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than 1,000.
1939 - Norway claims Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.
1943 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to travel via airplane while in office (Miami, Florida to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill to discuss World War II).
1951 - The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles, California).
1954 - The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator forming the American Motors Corporation.
1969 - An explosion aboard the USS Enterprise near Hawaii kills 25 people.
1970 - Sato Eisaku is elected to his third term as Prime Minister of Japan.
1973 - Super Bowl VII: The Miami Dolphins defeat the Washington Redskins. The Dolphins become the first NFL team to go undefeated in a season.
1978 - Johnny Rotten quits the Sex Pistols after the final show of their American tour, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
1984 - Ray Mancini defeats Bobby Chacon by a knockout in three to retain his WBA boxing world Lightweight title in Reno.
1985 - Martina Navratilova wins her 100th tennis tournament.
1994 - President of the United States Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin sign the Kremlin accords  which stop the preprogrammed aiming of nuclear missiles to targets and also provide for the dismantling of the nuclear arsenal in Ukraine.
1996 - Jorge Sampaio is elected president of Portugal.
1998 - An Afghan cargo plane crashes into a mountain in southwest Pakistan killing more than 50 people.
2004 - The national flag of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", was restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
2005 - Landing of the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan.
There are 163 days till your next birthday on which your cake will have 40 candles.  Those 40 candles produce 40 BTUs, or 10,080 calories of heat (that's only 10.0800 food Calories!).  You can boil 4.57 US ounces of water with that many candles.
There are 143 days till Christmas 2010! There are 156 days till Orthodox Christmas!
Top songs of 1971:
Joy to the World by Three Dog Night
Maggie May by Rod Stewart
It's Too Late by Carole King
One Bad Apple by The Osmonds
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Bee Gees
Knock Three Times by Dawn
Brand New Key by Melanie
Go Away Little Girl by Donny Osmond
Family Affair by Sly & the Family Stone
Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves by Cher