Thanksgiving Leftovers And More... :) Shangy! >Here are the details on our Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UnSubscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangyFunList Through no fault of my own we suddenly became an adult club in the love and romance directory so you will have to confirm that you are an adult when you go here. I still have no idea how to change this back as it sends me around in a circle when I try! or Web Site: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/ShangyFunList.html Group email address: ShangyFunList@yahoogroups.com or email me here: bcrsystems@earthlink.net ================ *~* A REMINDER: PLEASE Send me sweet, interesting, funny, inspiring, family type forwards ANY TIME here... bcrsystems@earthlink.net I Need them, Love them, Use them, and Share them! THANK YOU!! ================ >-->HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press :) This Hottie is from our friends Victor, Linda and PatDeE. It is the second half of some of the best photography of the year! Check out this breath taking one here... _V_ @.@ (\_/) m m -Sonia Maria Diaz Fernadez- 2012 Most Stunning Photos 2! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/moststunning2.html --- ...Super cool photos! Thanks Victor, Linda, and PatDeE! =========================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: .') _ (_ ) .+(` ) ) -a:f- _ :( ) ) .:(` ) ) -- .-- `. ( ) ) - -- :( ) .( ) ` __.:' `. `( ) ) ( ) ) ` __.:' ))--- ( )) ---- _ ) ) -- --' _ `- __.' .=(` ) .-' (` ). :( ) ( '`. . -- `( ) ) ) ---- ( ) ) --- ` __.:' ` __.:'-' >MAY IT EVER BE SO by Nancy Julien Kopp The crisp, sunny days of October somehow slid into damp, gray ones during November in the Chicago area where I grew up. The sun played hide-and-seek in the late autumn and winter months, mostly hiding. Wind swept across Lake Michigan, bringing a chill that seeped through warm, woolen jackets and into our bones. Un-raked leaves swirled around our feet with each new gust of wind, and naked tree branches dipped and swayed like ballerinas announcing that winter would soon begin. We walked faster on our way to and from school and mom often commented that we had roses in our cheeks. We accepted the chill and gloom of November because it heralded Thanksgiving. At school, we spent that month learning about Pilgrims and Squanto, the Indian who helped the settlers through that first tortuous winter. Teachers planned bulletin board displays with a Thanksgiving theme. Everyone celebrated this non-religious holiday. Mom and my aunts prepared the dinner -- turkey roasted to a golden brown and stuffed with a moist dressing redolent with sage, that teased for hours with its pervading aroma. Aunt Adeline made a second stuffing adding sausage, a recipe from the French side of the family. We had creamy mashed potatoes and rich gravy made from the turkey drippings, sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping, seasoned green beans, homemade yeast rolls, cranberry sauce, and the family favorite, seafoam salad, a mixture of lime Jello, cream cheese, mashed pears and whipped cream. Spicy pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream and apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream finished off our feast. Dad's two older sisters lived in the Chicago area, so we usually celebrated Thanksgiving with them, trading homes from year to year. The eight cousins, despite the wide range of ages, had a wonderful time together. After dinner, we got shooed outside to play. I suspect the adults sat around and drank more coffee, nibbled on the leftovers and did all they could to put off the dishwashing time. No dishwashers in those days, so all the women pitched in and cleared the table, washed and dried the dishes, often with towels made from flour sacks. When my female cousins and I got older, we were drafted into the kitchen with chattering women and clattering dishes. The men plunked themselves into chairs and listened to the radio, or watched the small screen black and white TV when we finally had one. After I married, I invited my parents and brothers to our home for Thanksgiving, even though I wondered if my mom would be hurt. She'd been the hostess ever since my aunts passed away. I needn't have worried, for her answer was, "Finally! I've been waiting to be invited out for Thanksgiving for years." Now, my children's families make the trip home for Thanksgiving every other year. We use a few shortcuts in cooking and we load the dishwasher instead of drying dishes, but the grandchildren revel in being with cousins just as I did. The faces around the table change, but the same warmth of a family gathering to give thanks remains. May it ever be so. -- Nancy Julien Kopp ______________________________________________ Nancy lives and writes in the Flint Hills area of Kansas. She has had stories in 8 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Guideposts and other anthologies and many online sites. She is a mother, grandmother and former teacher who still enjoys teaching through the written word. ========================================================== >-->From Our Friend Annie :) .--. {\ / q {\ { `\ \ (-(~` { '.{`\ \ \ ) {'-{ ' \ .-""'-. \ \ {._{'.' \/ '.) \ {_.{. {` | {._{ ' { ;'-=-. | {-.{.' { ';-=-.` / {._.{.; '-=- .' {_.-' `'.__ _,-' jgs |||` .='==, 'Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep... I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep. The leftovers beckoned...the dark meat and white, but I fought the temptation with all of my might. Tossing and turning with anticipation, the thought of a snack became infatuation. So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore. I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes, stuffing with gravy, green beans and tomatoes. I felt myself swelling so plump and so round, till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground. I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees... Happy eating to all -- pass the cranberries, please. --- ...LOL! A Good one! Thanks Annie! ====================================================== >-->From Our Friend GloriaB :) ________________ \ __ / __ \_____()_____/ / ) '============` / / #---\ /---# / / (# @\| |/@ #) / / \ (_) / / / |\ '---` /| / / _______/ \\_____// \____/ o_| / \ / \ / / o_| / | o| / o_| \ / | _____ | / / \ \ / | |===| o| / /\ \ \ | | \@/ | / / \ \ \ | |___________o|__/----) \ \/ | ' || --) \ | |___________________|| --) \ / | o| '''' | \__/ | | | "Crooks Are Out There!" Rosebud >Safety Tips: A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL STATE OF MICHIGAN : SITUATION.. While driving on a rural end of the roadway on Thursday morning, I saw an infant car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it. For whatever reason, I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. But when I got to my destination, I called the Canton PD and they were going to check it out. But, this is what the Police advised even before they went out there to check.... "There are several things to be aware of ... Gangs and thieves are now plotting different ways to get a person (mostly women) to stop their vehicle and get out of the car. "There is a gang initiation reported by the local Police Department where gangs are placing a car seat by the road...with a fake baby in it....waiting for a woman, of course, to stop and check on the abandoned baby. "Note that the location of this car seat is usually beside a wooded or grassy (field) area and the person -- woman -- will be dragged into the woods, beaten and raped, and usually left for dead. If it's a man, they're usually beaten and robbed and maybe left for dead, too. DO NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON!!! DIAL 9-1-1 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW, BUT DON 'T EVEN SLOW DOWN. IF YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSHIELD: **DO NOT STOP TO CHECK YOUR CAR,** **DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPERS** **AND** **DO NOT SPRAY ANY WATER** BECAUSE EGGS MIXED WITH WATER BECOME MILKY, AND BLOCK YOUR VISION UP TO 92.5%, AND YOU ARE THEN FORCED TO STOP BESIDE THE ROAD AND BECOME A VICTIM OF THESE CRIMINALS. THIS IS A NEW TECHNIQUE USED BY GANGS, SO PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES AND THESE ARE UNSAVORY INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL TAKE DESPERATE MEASURES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT." Please talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic being used. Please be safe. Get started NOW -- SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES TO BE CAREFUL AND BE AWARE OF EVERYTHING AROUND THEM SO AS NOT TO BECOME THE VICTIM. WARNING TIP # 3:** Some knew about the red light on cars, but not Dialing 112. It was about 1:00 p.m. In the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents have always told her to never pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc. Lauren had actually listened to her parents advice, and promptly called, 112 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there weren't, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way. Ten minutes later 4 cop cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes. I never knew about the 112 Cell Phone feature. I tried it on my AT&T phone & it said, "Dialing Emergency Number."* ***Especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going on to a safe place.** *Speaking to a service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that 112 was a direct link to State trooper info. So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about "Dialing, 112" You may want to send this to every Man, Woman & Youngster you know; it may well save a life. This applies to ALL 50 states PLEASE PASS ALONG TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, IT CAN SAVE A LIFE --- ...Awesome Tips! Thanks GloriaB ================================================================= >-->From Our Friend Linda :) __.------. (__ ___ ) .)e )\ / /_.------ _/_ _/ __.' / ' `-.__ / <.--' `\ / \ \c | / / ) GoT x \ | /\ |c / \.- \ \__/ ) /( ( \ <>'\ / _/ _\- `-. \/_|_ /<> / /--/,-\ _ \ <>.`. \/`--\_._) - / `-/\ `.\ / `. / ) `\ \ \ \___/----' | / `( ___________ \ ./\_ _ \ ______________ / | ) '| __________________ | / \ \ ___________a:f / | |____.) / \ a88a\___/88888a. \_ :)8888888888888888888a. /` `-----' `Y88888888888888888 \____| `88888888888P' Once an old man spread rumours that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After being released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him. In the court the old man told the Judge: "They were just comments, didn't harm anyone." The judge told the old man: "Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home, throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence." Next day, the judge told the old man: "Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday." The old man said: "I can't do that! The wind spread them and I won't know where to find them." The judge then replied: "The same way, simple comments may destroy the honour of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. If you can't speak well of someone, rather don't say anything." "Let's all be masters of our mouths, so that we won't be slaves of our words." --- ...Good lesson! Thanks Linda! ================================================== >-->From Laugh&Lift: "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." - Antonio Smith The Lift ,,,,, ////""\ . (((/ m m -|- __ )))c = ) | (__) ////-./~` . [] (((( `.`\ :: [] )))`\ \)).-;.' .------, [] (() `._.-'` _( )[] )/ `. | .'`^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^))\`.----'`[] jgs ( \' { ~ - ~~ _ ~ - ~~ - ~ - (( | | [] .-.--\ \ { )) | | [] |_;_._`\ |{ ((__|_|-----[] | ; ``` ;{ )) [] | /``-.____/ `~~~[]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'-' [] `' (__) (__) >Giving Thanks For All Things (By Alan Smith) [Edited] I read about a family that traditionally began the evening meal with a prayer of thanks. When they were old enough, they began letting the children say the meal prayer. At first, they would ask for a pony, a new bike, etc., but they soon learned the more important things which should be included in the prayer. One Thanksgiving, they had the whole family over. The nine-year-old son wanted to say the prayer. It went like this: "Heavenly Father, we thank You for the turkey, the rolls, the mashed potatoes, the red jiggly stuff, and the bread stuff even though I don't like it. We ask that You not let us choke on this food." You have to admire the honesty of that little boy, and I also admire those parents who have instilled in their children an attitude of being thankful for everything. And yet, I wonder how often we adults struggle with the same thing. Ephesians 5:20 says that we should be "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, may we truly give thanks for ALL that our Heavenly Father has provided for us. -<>- >The Problem With Thanksgiving (By Charles Tucker, Jr.) You know the story of that very first Thanksgiving Day in the English colonies, right? You know, the one where Captain John Woodlief and those 38 colonists who had just had arrived in the Virginia colonies from Berkeley, England and set aside a day of giving thanks to God at the Berekley Hundred (later renamed Berkley Plantation) on December 4, 1619 where Woodlief proclaimed-- "Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to Almighty God." Oh, you haven't heard that story? That's because those Johnny- come-lately Pilgrims from Massachusetts arrived at Plymouth Rock with a publicist, so that now everyone just "knows" that the first Thanksgiving was in Massachusetts with the Pilgrims after the whole colony almost froze to death following that first bitter winter in 1622. But the very FIRST Thanksgiving Day was in Virginia. OK, so actually the first Thanksgiving in the New World was one led by Spanish explorer Juan de Onate held near one El Paso, Texas in 1598, but that one doesn't count because it was in Texas! They probably had chili and burritos and guacamole or something (actually, that sounds pretty good). At any rate, the idea of a Thanksgiving Day was not held as a "perpetual" celebration in either Massachusetts or Virginia. Thanksgiving Day was never more than a local and sporadic event until Abraham Lincoln made it an annual national holiday observance in 1863. Which means that "first" thanksgiving in Massachusetts took place after a bitter winter almost destroyed a whole colony, and the first national Thanksgiving Day was observed DURING the tragedy of the Civil War that almost destroyed our nation. We still observe Thanksgiving Day, but it has little to do with struggle and more to do with eating ourselves silly and then complaining about how stuffed we feel! But that's not the real problem with Thanksgiving. The real problem is that we set aside this one day to reflect on and give thanks for our blessings (in which we overindulge) and then ONE DAY later... we rush out for "Black Friday," the biggest shopping day of the year. We forget all about Thanksgiving Day in our rush to run out and get more stuff. The idea of Thanksgiving was born from struggle and the awareness of God's goodness despite our difficulty and hardship. Now we seem to believe that we deserve all the good things we have, and we can't even have a day of reflection on Thanksgiving without turning it into an excuse to shop until we drop getting more, more, more. Will Rogers drew this contrast between Thanksgiving Day then and now: "In the days of our founders, people were willing to give thanks for mighty little, for mighty little was all that they expected. But now neither government nor nature can give enough but what we think is too little. In the fall of the year, if the founders could gather in a few pumpkins, some potatoes, and some corn for the winter, they were in a thanking mood. But if we can't gather in a new car, a new radio...and some government relief, why we feel that the world is against us." It's ironic that the more and more we have for which to be thankful, the harder and harder it seems to get to be truly thankful. As the late Andy Rooney would say, "Why is that?" SUBSCRIBE INFO Want to receive a Christian inspirational item AND great clean humor in an email to you each day of the week? It's easy and FREE! Read all about Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com --- _ _|_|_ ,|_| |_|_ || | | |_| || | | | | || | | | | _|| | | | | ||)\ ^ ^ ^ | || | | || | | || | | \\ | \\ / ejm )\ ( / \ \ / \ \ \ \ ...My Two Cents... You will find as you grow older that it is the little things that you take for granted and don't even think about that once they are in jeopardy of you losing or if you do loose them, that you become most thankful for them. I am most thankful for my normal. It is horrific to loose your normal friends, family, health, wealth and/or peace of mind. For instance, I thank God for each of you! Without you, I'd have less meaning in my life! I value you tremendously! Thank you for putting up with me - I know I am far from perfect! LOL! =============================================================== >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: /___/____/____/____/_____/_______/______ /_/____/____/___/______/_____/_____/___ /_____/____/______/___/____/___/______/___/ /__/_____/_o__o/____/____/___/_____/____/______ | o__O_\o | __o \ o | __o| __) o _______ | | || \_/ o o | ___ | |_|_||/\_| o | | | || | |/_/\_\ o | |__ ||_|_/I/ \_\ o | |___/_/ \_\ o |() /_/ \_\ o | /_/ \_\ o o | / / ejm \ \ o |_ o o o o o o o o >THE MOST GIVING TIME OF THE YEAR In an article Jackie Cohen of CBS Market Watch wrote that: "Americans are apparently in a festive mood and they want their houses to join in the merriment." In an interview with Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing Danziger said, "People are spending more money on holiday decorations this year than they did in 2006: Nearly $8 billion will be spent on holiday decorations, this represents a 4.5 percent gain over last year". According to Danziger, 90 percent of consumers decorate their homes for Christmas or Hanukkah. And the average household will spend about $119 on winter- season decorations this year". Wow! 8 billion dollars for Christmas decorations! I really can't picture in my mind how much money that is, but it is a larger pile of money than I have ever seen. What if no one bought Christmas decorations and instead spending their $119 (average per family) to help those less fortunate? Yes, I know that some of the department stores would go under because they are counting on the money from your Christmas decoration purchase, but just what if you did something different with the money? People all over the country are crying about the needs of the homeless, the poor, those without health care, the national debt, the cost of the war. There are many who are crying about the fact that the Social Security system is in shaky shape or that unemployment is the highest it's been in years. We all cry at one time or another about not having enough money and tend to blame others or the government, yet we as a nation spend $8 billion on Christmas decorations! Something just seems wrong about that to me! Let me say that I am not criticizing Christmas decorations! I love Christmas and love to decorate as can be seen by the 8 rubber maid containers of decorations we store each year. I also understand the fact that it is not a biblically based or authorized holiday. We celebrate it as a national and traditional holiday. But getting past that, what if for each dollar we spend on decorations we match it in giving to our churches, someone less fortunate, or a charity. Can you imagine all of the good that would be done in our world if we did that? Can you imagine all of the missionaries we could support with that money? Someone once said, "The church has the money to do anything we want to do, the problem is that it is still in our pockets". A couple of years ago Phil Ware wrote an article in which he said something like this, "Why don't you do something special for someone, without expecting to be patted on the back for it! Take food to someone and leave it on the doorstep with a note that simply says, 'from a friend of Jesus'." I thought about that suggestion and believe he is on to something we need to do far more than we do. My wife and I do practice this and it's one of the most rewarding things we do through the year. You see, it's almost impossible for us to not know or know of someone who is less fortunate than us! They may not necessarily be even really poor, but maybe just having a hard time at the moment and could use a little extra help, financially or spiritually. Eight billion dollars, $119 per family, are we really as hard up as we say as a country and as individuals, if we can spend money on lights, ribbon, Christmas trees, yard sculptures and all of that other stuff we put in boxes for most of the year? I wonder what the one that our nation is remembering at this time of year thinks when he sees what we do and how we spend our money? Understand that I am not telling you stop buying Christmas decorations, but rather to think seriously about at least matching that money you spend on that new string of lights with money you give to help others when and wherever you can. The apostle Paul had this to say about helping others in Galatians 6:9-10, "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don;t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters." What about it? How about matching your purchases with an equal contribution either through your church, some organization or just get involved personally with someone else in need! Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on the outside, but what about in our hearts? --- ...my two cents... Again, the 'average' somehow never reflects me, my friends, or my family! I don't know of anyone who spends more then $25 on decorations. Mostly we just keep up with what we already have, buying replacement bulbs and such. Sometimes nothing extra is spent for decorations at all. None of us that I know of buys live trees just so we can throw them away in a couple weeks. Paul and I did when we were first married but it seemed so wasteful that we didn't after that. Our expense really isn't very much. I still have decorations I bought at Goodwill for a dollar or two. Work great and are some of our yearly favorites! -<>- .-""""-._.'| / '.| | / | / | -= | /| ( | |/`< ) ) ( ; -=| _| ) \ \ / ____ /) '._ _.-""-.< .' `\/) / / \ / _ .'`/| _ / | '-._( __\ (__/_/=, ( \| \ -=/ /--;==========` ._,;'\==='-,..__/__/__.' `'--/,/ || ' \ / | / || ' \ \/ . || ; jgs / / || | | . || | / '=------| / ' ; ; ;| `-.___.___.___.___._/ >Out of necessity, Thanksgiving at our house has required last-minute change. Please be advised the following notes are to help you arrive fully prepared. 1. Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect. 2. Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea. 3. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas. 4. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey. 5. We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 AM upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are dramatizing too much. 6. We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table... in a separate room... next door. 7. Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat. 8. I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread. 9. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of you diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains. 10. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it. Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either. I am thankful. -<>- /'-./\_ : ||,> \.-'|| || || || pjb Years ago a young lumberjack asked the foreman of a logging crew for a job. After watching the man skillfully cut down a large tree, the foreman exclaimed, "You can start Monday!" Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday rolled by. On Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today." The young man was startled and replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," answered the foreman, "but we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. You just aren't cutting down enough trees." "But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. The foreman knew what the young man said was true and thought about the situation for a moment. A thought crossed his mind and he asked, "Have you been sharpening your axe?" The young man replied, "I've been working too hard to take the time." It is amazing how easy it is for us to neglect the most obvious. If you are to be used by God as a witness for Him, some of the most basic, obvious needs in your daily life are personal purity and your devotion to God. Just as the young lumberjack neglected the most obvious chore of sharpening his axe, we, too, often fail in the basic areas of daily prayer and devotions or personal holiness. Any tool needs to be sharpened from time to time. How is your quiet time coming along? Is there any area of impurity in your life? Proverbs 24:30-34 (NIV) says: "I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." What you can do to sharpen these areas of your life this week? -<>- _,-""`""-~`) (`~ \ | a a \ ; o ; ___ _,,,,_ _.-~'. \ `^` /`_.-"~ `~-;` \ \_ _ .' `, | |`- \'__/ / ,_ \ `'-. / .-""~~--. `"-, ;_ / | \ \ | `""` \__.--'`"-. /_ |' `"` `~~~---.., | jgs \ _.-'`-. \ \ '. / `"~"` >It’s Not Easy Let’s be honest. Ethics is not for wimps. It’s not easy being a good person. It’s not easy to be honest when it might be costly, to play fair when others cheat, or to keep promises that are inconvenient. It’s not easy to stand up for our beliefs and still respect differing viewpoints. It’s not easy to control powerful impulses, to be accountable for our attitudes and actions, to tackle unpleasant tasks, or to sacrifice the now for later. It’s not easy to bear criticism and learn from it without getting angry, to take advice, or to admit error. It’s not easy to feel genuine remorse and apologize sincerely or to accept an apology graciously and truly forgive. It’s not easy to stop feeling like a victim, to resist cynicism, or to make the best of every situation. It’s not easy to be consistently kind, to think of others first, to judge generously, or to give the benefit of the doubt. It’s not easy to be grateful or to give without concern for reward or gratitude. It’s not easy to fail and still keep trying, to learn from failure, to risk failing again, to start over, to lose with grace, or to be glad of another’s success. It’s not easy to look at ourselves honestly and be accountable, to avoid excuses and rationalizations, or to resist temptations. No, being a person of character is not easy. That’s why it’s such a lofty goal and an admirable achievement. -Michael Josephson -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment Thanksgiving Story - Alices Restaurant http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/alices.html Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html The Giver And The Gift http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/BibleStudy/givergift.html Give Praise http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/poems/praise.html Directions Home http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/home.html Human Chameleon http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/chameleon.html Mountain Biking http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mountainbiking.html Until We Write Again http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/write.html The Emotional and Physical Benefits of Thanks-Living http://www.truthortradition.com/emails/thanksgiving_2009_email2.html I Give Thanks By Southbreeze http://www.reflectionsofsouthbreeze.com/Pages/IGiveThanks.htm Christmas With Pets http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/christmaspets.html Angels, Churches, Crosses, Doves Animations http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/agifs.html Christmas Animations: http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/agifs_u-z.html Miniture Wonderland http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/modeltrain.html God Is Like... http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/godislike.html Just Thinking... http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/thinking.html Matchstick Art http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/matchstick.html Miniture Baby Art http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/baby.html World Of Big Cats http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/bigcats.html Visit Melissa's Online Store You can get anything you want (except for Melissa ) at the online store http://pdhomes.net/mall/babylissa/mySTORES/ISELL4.html ========================================================== >-->From CupO'Cheer: _..---.._ .' .-'''-. '. / .' _..._'. \ __ : : /`;' ) : : _,="`\ ,--''` ``'.; : |; ,-; : ; __..==""==.,_| `-, `; .\; / ^\ _,.="// '-,_.--._ '.(;_.'__/`_.-'`\ ,.--''`` _..=. `'--.// `` \ `--, '` `- |_\ '-. | `-._ _.;--`-..___,.-'` `'-...-_:',;`==,| \ _.--',=" / /"=;="=, _.' ,=".-'` .' /| ,=" _.--' .-' "=, : .' | ", `;._ .--'.' .-' .' . ; ,;;\_ . '._.'--'` -' / ,;;;._ '-._ .''.__.' `\_ .' '._ / '._ .(` jgs '._ ';./ `;` >EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY! Let's spend time together looking at the fact that God longs to be with us and for us to spend time with Him! Genesis 4:4 The Lord looked with favour on Abel... God loves everyone but... I remember someone saying, "God does have favourites. The fact that you don't think He does, only means you aren't one! I know He does, because I am one!" While God has given us all the potential to be one of His favourites, I believe it is up to us to become one! If God doesn't have favourites, how come He looked in favour on Abel and not on Cain? How come He loved Jacob but hated Esau. How come He 'chose' Israel? How come He loved Joseph? How come Judah not Levi became His 'special' tribe? How come out of all Jesse's sons He chose David? He also chose Solomon. How come out of the 'hundreds' Jesus chose 12? How come out of those 12, He chose 3 to be especially close to Him, and out of those 3 He chose Peter (of all people) to be the main leader, IF He doesn't have favourites? (And He chose Paul.) Sure, God doesn't show partiality, but He does honour integrity, humility and above all, obedience! He searches the hearts of men and women - remember, Mary the mother of Jesus - and makes them His favourites! God looks down with special favour upon the first-born, but how often they 'blew it'. Cain, Esau, and Reuben to name just a few. They had exactly the same opportunity to be one of God's favourites, BUT they threw it away - back into the face of God. God is constantly looking down with favour upon us BUT it is up to us whether we reciprocate and become one of His favourites! Abel was one of His favourites because his heart was in attune with God's heart! Yes, somehow he had discerned that a sacrifice was needed for sin, an animal sacrifice. But that wasn't all - the main issue, I believe, was his heart attitude! He chose his favourite for God! Not just the first-born, not just the fat portions - the very best! Listen, God looks down with favour on you! Will you be one of His favourites? He wants you to be one! What is the key? His grace - yes - but also our response to His grace! Will you be a worshipper? An obedient follower who is motivated by reciprocal love? Then, you too, will be one of God's favourites! Then you can really let off those fireworks with joy and excitement!!! as seen in Sold Out For Jesus Daily Devotion -<>- . , )). -===- ,(( ))). ,((( ))))). .:::. ,(((((( ))))))))). :. .: ,((((((((' `))))))))))). : - : ,(((((((((((( ))))))))))))))))_:' ':_(((((((((((((((' `)))))))))))).-' \___/ '-._((((((((((( `))))_._.-' __)( )(_ '-._._((((' `))'---)___)))'\_ _/'((((__(---'((' `))))))))))))|' '|((((((((((((' jim `)))))))))/' '\(((((((((' `)))))))| |(((((((' `))))))| |((((((' /' '\ /' '\ /' '\ /' '\ '---..___..---' >THE LITTLE BOY Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: “How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?” The surgeon said, “I’m sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn’t make it.” Sally said, “Why do little children get cancer? Doesn’t God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?” The surgeon asked, “Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he’s transported to the university.” Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good-bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. “Would you like a lock of his hair?” the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy’s hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally. The mother said, “It was Jimmy’s idea to donate his body to the university for study. He said it might help somebody else. “I said no at first, but Jimmy said, ‘Mom, I won’t be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.” She went on, “My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.” Sally walked out of Children’s mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy’s belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy’s belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son’s room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep. It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said: “Dear Mom, I know you’re going to miss me; but don’t think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just ’cause I’m not around to say I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won’t be so lonely, that’s okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn’t like the same things us boys do. You’ll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don’t be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn’t look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God’s knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That’s when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good-bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn’t allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him ‘Where was He when I needed him?’ “God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children. Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I’ve written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn’t that cool? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I’m, sure the food will be great. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don’t hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I’m glad because I couldn’t stand that pain anymore and God couldn’t stand to see me hurt so much, either. That’s when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that? Signed with Love from: God, Jesus & Me.” as seen in Inspiration Plus -<>- ____________________ / {)][o>][_o][c_][o][| |-==)| | &_____________________L ejm 96 ( ) ( ) >WHERE ARE WE GOING? As a school bus driver one Saturday morning I was driving a high school choir to a meet. I parked the bus at the school and soon students started boarding. Nobody said hello or asked if I was the charter bus or anything. The choir director boarded, counted the students, and said it was ok to leave, also not asking if it was the correct bus. About two miles down the road I spoke up in a loud voice saying, "When we get to the work site the deputies will issue each of you an orange vest, gloves, and two plastic trash bags. When you fill a bag leave it beside the road. When you need more bags raise your hand and the deputies will give you more." I then looked in the mirror to see the most shocked kids I've ever seen. I explained what happened to the director; and we both, or perhaps I should say all, had a good laugh. Bet those kids never assumed they where on the correct bus again. as seen in da Mouse Tracks -<>- !|| !|||| ,/|||| !|'''| `\ | )\ \ ejm / \ \ \ >THANKSGIVING: The Season in One Word! T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tricky weather. H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday. A for autumn’s frosty art, and abundance in the heart. N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember. K for kitchen, kettles’ croon, kith and kin expected soon. S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds. That spells THANKS . . . for joy in living, and a jolly good Thanksgiving. author unknown -<>- >4 THINGS THAT DRIVE US AWAY FROM GENEROSITY John Richardson Editor's note: This article originally appeared on GenerousChurch.com. Used with permission. Most of us have a desire to give. We want to help those in need. We just want to make sure that we aren’t burned in the process. I used to work in a downtown office building. Occasionally, I would get out of the office and just walk around for a while. Each time I went out, I could count on running into one particular man. He was probably in his mid to late sixties, but because of his time on the streets, he looked more like a ninety year old. This guy always cracked me up because of the way he asked for money. While he was leaning on his cane, he would get a big, goofy grin on his face and try to catch the attention of anyone nearby. Then, with an even bigger smile, he would say, “Gimmie a dolla.” If he knew the individual and had been rejected earlier, he would change his line to “Buy me a cup of coffee.” While his smile was intriguing, he needed to work on his punch lines. Maybe it would have helped to soften the appeal a little bit. FYI – if you ever get to the point of begging on the streets, “Gimmie” is not the word to start with. Once or twice, I actually helped that guy. But most days, I didn’t want anything to do with him. During my ventures away from the office, I would intentionally plan to avoid the block that he canvassed. Why do we do that? Why is it that so many of us move away from opportunities for generosity? Let me offer a few observations: 1. We avoid generosity because of fear. Sometimes we fear the person who is asking for help. We fear that they will take the gift and use it the wrong way. Or maybe we just fear getting close to those who are not like us. Shane Claiborne has said, “the great tragedy of the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor, but that rich Christians do not know the poor.” I think that is probably tied to the fact that we fear things like mental instability and the desperation that comes with poverty. Beyond that, we wrestle with the fear of giving away too much. We rationalize our lack of generosity by saying things like, “What if give away too much and am not able to pay my bills?” We ask, “What if something unexpected comes up later this week or later this month?” So, we allow fear to dictate our generosity. 2. We are not generous because of poor planning. Have you ever been in a situation that you really felt compelled to give, but didn’t have the resources? Unfortunately, many individuals simply cannot be generous because they have not built any margin into their lives. They have no time to help a friend or invest in their family because they are working too many hours. We operate our lives like the airlines operate ticket sales. We overbook and generosity is bumped to the standby line. When it comes to financial generosity, many people miss the joy of giving because they fail to plan for generosity. We have a spending plan (budget), we have a savings plan (investments), but how many people have a giving plan? 3. We avoid generosity because we have never really considered the generosity of God. Philip Yancey says, “There is but one true Giver in the universe; all else are debtors.” For all of us debtors who want to follow in the ways of God, it only makes sense that we live generous lives. However, it’s much easier to follow the ways of society than it is to follow the ways of God. 4. We are more concerned with impressing our neighbors than we are with pleasing our Savior. I know. That one stings. Unfortunately, it’s true. Most people I know have some desire to be generous. We tell ourselves that under the right circumstances, we will give. But, our constant getting gets in the way of our giving. In the book Crazy Love, Francis Chan points out that “Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.” In other words, we value our standard of living – and what others think about our standard of living – more than the One who “became poor for our sake so that we could become rich.” Those four things have all been true in my life at one point or another. What about you? What keeps you from imitating the generosity of God? GenerousChurch helps leaders like you release generosity in your church through leadership development, campaigns, and culture change. Our books, online learning, coaching, events, and web resources will help you expand the impact of your leaders, change your money conversation, and grow the giving capacity of your people. We partner with National Christian Foundation, along with other ministry alliances. as seem in Debt Busters -<>- To SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE CUP O'CHEER in the subject line to cheer316kim@sc.rr.com. ========================================================== (.,------...__ _.'" `. .' .' `, `. `. ` . .' .'/''--...__`. \ . .--.`. ' "-. '. | '' .' _.' .()) .--":/ ''( \_\ ' (()( ''._' ( \ ' ' `. `--' ' `.: . `-.___.' ' `. . _ _ .' ) .____.-' .'`. (--.. .' \ /\ / / `. .' \( \ /|/ `. .' \__/ `. / | o | \ | | | jro >Three Little Words Story Editor: by Amy Krause Joyce Schowalter Missouri, USA I'm the proud mother of two redheaded boys, Tyler and Sam. I constantly joke with my husband that both boys earn their red hair! Our house is constant commotion. There are always extra boys around. We live by their activity schedules. There's never enough food in the house and dirty laundry piles grow to the size of a mountain. Mornings are particularly stressful. More times than I can count I hear, "I'm not done yet" in the morning. None of us like getting up and dressed to leave by 7:00 a.m. weekday mornings. By the time we leave, I sometimes feel I've worked a full day. One morning was no exception. Tyler and Sam were very difficult to manage. No one had slept the night before Sam was sick. I couldn't wait to escape to work. My husband volunteered to stay home to take Sam to the doctor. As Tyler and I rushed out, late as usual, Sam followed us to the doorway. Waving good-bye he said, "I love you Mommy. Have a good day at school." His voice was so sweet I looked back. The sight of my little two-year-old, standing there in his pajamas waving that cute little chubby hand broke my heart. I ran back, gave him a big hug and told him Mommy loved him too. I'm a special education director. I spend days meeting with parents, testing students with disabilities and deciding what's best for them educationally. This day I was at the State School for the Severely Handicapped. The meeting was about a lengthy list of skills that the parents of a handicapped child in our district needed the state school to address with their child. As the meeting progressed, the teacher from the state school asked the parents, "If there was only one thing that we could teach your child this year, what is the most important thing you want your child to learn?" The dad, "Alex", spoke up, "We hope many things can be addressed. But if we could only pick one thing, we want our child to learn to sign 'I love you'. We have had six years of struggles and setbacks and have never had our child tell us 'I love you'. Right now that's the most important thing to us." I sat there in amazement. These parents had never heard those three simple words. Words I take for granted every day. I sat thinking back to that very morning, when Sam stood waving at me, telling me he loved me like I was the greatest person in the world. Suddenly, my hectic mornings, sleepless nights and boisterous boys were a real blessing. The answer both shocked and humbled me on what I have to be thankful for with my two redheads. Alex, we'll strive to teach your child to sign so you can hear "I love you". In the meantime, you've taught me a lesson I'll treasure always. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From Kidwarmers: .--. | * `. | ( .-. |<><> '._ .' | | /\ <><>'._.' * | : * /\ * * .' (__'.____________.'__)lc (______/\___/\___/\______) >THE FUNNY THINGS KIDS SAY... Carol's grandson, Matthew, 5, was on his way to Carol's house. He was singing Jingle Bells. When he came to "Jingle bells all the way" he was singing, "Jingle bells half the way." When his mom corrected him, he said,"Mommy, I don't feel good today, so I'm not going all the way, just half the way." -- Carol Davis of Winona, West Virginia Grandma Edie was taking 2-year old Stella for a walk. The neighbor has a blow up Santa and snowman on his roof. Stella said, "Look, there's Santa, but he's laying down." (He wasn't blown up!) Then she said, "Look, there's his underwear!" She was referring to the snowman that wasn't blown up. It was just a white puddle. -- Grandma Edie of Springfield, Oregon Jacob, 3, was leaving Mrs. Cathy's (his babysitter) house. He opened the door and quickly closed it. His mom said to go on out but he told her it was "too dusty out there." It was actually very foggy. -- Cathy (babysitter of Jacob) of Dillard, Georgia ___....___ _,--''' ```--._ ,' `. /_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,_,\ _,-----._ || ,'( / `. || (__ __/_/._,'_) || ( _,/ `. ,' `. ) || (_ | o . o |-') || `-| | |-' || \ O / || ____ `.___,' ____|| ,' / /`._____)===(_____,'\ \ || ( ( ( (| `-'/_|_\`.' |) ) )|| \_\_\_| _______ |_/_/_|| | || [_______] || | || | ||_,' ,' `. `._|| |/ | | ||__,-' `-.__|| |\__| | | \ / | / / | | \ / | / \ \ \_________/ |__,' \ \ |_________| \ \' `-. ,\ `. ' : `. `.`. / `--' ' . \ / ' , ' \ \ \ | | | . | | |_______________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -.| | -.| ( ) ( ) |`- | |`-- | | | | | | | | | | | | | jrei |__ _| |____| (____) (____) Zach was riding with Nana, aunt and mother in the car. They saw a truck with a piece of marble for counter tops. The women remarked that it was "a pretty piece of marble." After a couple of minutes Zach said, "That's not a marble, marbles are round." -- Cathy (mother of Zach) of Dillard, Georgia On the same trip Zach was being a little wild in the car as it had been a long day with travel and visiting the Biltmore House. Zach was asking his mom a question. She just ignored him as she was a little frustrated. He then said, "If you don't answer me I am going to yodel!" Claire, 3, was up in Pap-pap's arms and spotted her mother's wedding portrait. She quickly said, "Mommy has a big old doughnut head!" Her mom's hair was in an up-do. -- Claire's Gigi of Garner, North Carolina .-----. .'`-. / ,-- | .- `-. ,' ,-' `. _.-' ,-.`.) ; / ,=---`--+' .- -. `. ( \ ,' =,- ,' ( o ) | /\ : : / =,-' / \-' ;(o : \ | ' ; ( `--' \ ; \ | = | \`--+ --. `( `+ =/ : : `. `. \ ' =/ \ `--. '-. `. `. \ =; `._ : ( `-. `. `. \ = ; `._.' `-.-`-._\ `-. \= ' _.-'_) (::::) `+ -. `--7' `--`..' ( : .' ; \ | | / \ | _.-| +---' `--+ `. \ \ /`. '-.-\ `--. / /#### `----.' ( ,-'############\ \\/###############; \###############/ kOs |--------------| _.--------- :::::::::::::::|_.-'' ::::::::::_.-'' .-''..'---'-------'' Before her two grandsons returned to South Carolina following Thanksgiving weekend with their grandparents in Indiana, they wanted their favorite pizza. Zachary kept asking for more "Papa John's." His grandmother explained to him they weren't at that restaurant. Then it dawned on her. He wanted "Parmesan" to sprinkle on his pizza! -- Judy Lomax (grandmother) of Sellersburg, Indiana When driving on the Beltway in Houston the traffic was very busy. Kaylea, 6, said, "They look like a bunch of ants, going in and out with each other." -- Jean Felfe (grandmother of Kaylea) of Spicewood, Texas Stella, 2, has been saying the blessing on the food for more than a year now. In the past few months she has started praying to Heavenly Food instead of Heavenly Father. Her grandmother Suzy gently corrects her each time and she continues on with her blessing. Saturday she had been watching Dora the Explorer, Diego, etc. She started her prayer with "Heavenly Food." Suzy again gently corrected her to "Heavenly Father." Stella paused and said, "Handy Manny, Thank you for this food." (Handy Manny is a bi-lingual children's program.) -- Suzy Payne (Stella's Nana) of Springfield, Oregon ___ .-"""" ". / __'-. ; ..sssSSSS; ; ; ; '.' ..sssSSSSSS; ; """""""; ; ...ssssSSSSS; ; """"""; ; ; ; ....sssSS/ ; """/ ; .' ; .-""""-. '-.' _..ssS, .' "" _..sSs /__ "" _.sSS. .-"" `-. ___ ; _ /_..gg$$$pp'___`. .' `>. ,s$$$$$$$$$B;" `;""; .' ; :$$$$$$$$$$P"`._(): `-`_O.' :$$$$$$$$$P ' `-. $$$$$$$$$" _,,-. : ; $$$$$$$$!b.._g$$$$$$-. ; `. :$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$P j\ :_.._/ T$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$P | : ; "T$$$$$$$$$$$$P"; ;_; : "^T$$$$$$P^"; : //: __! | | : ; `.: .mMMM: ) :_ ) '-. 'MMMP' fsc `.i_;I '-._i.' Alton, 4, was having a sleepover at Grandma's. At bedtime he peered out the window and then asked, "Grandma, was it a sunny day today?" She replied that it was overcast all day and it was not a sunny day. Alton said, "Well, it's a moony night!" -- Diane Schlemmer (grandmother of Alton) of LaGrange Koen, 4, has a Hispanic friend named Diego. Koen told his father Diego is "a funny name." His father replied that it is a Spanish name. Koen then asked if Koen is a Spanish name. His father said, "No, your name is German." Koen replied, "No, my name is Koen!" -- Dennis Smith (Koen's PawPaw) of Oak Ridge, North Carolina Koen was reciting the days of the week for his Nanna and PawPaw. He started with Monday and ended with Friday. When PawPaw asked him, "What comes next?" Koen replied, "Mommy and Daddy day." .-. _.--"""".o/ .-.-._ __' ."""; { _J ,__ `. ; o\.-.`._.'J; ; / `- / ; `--i`". `" .'; `._ __.' | \ `""" \ `; : `."-. ; ____/ / `-.` `-.-' `"-..' ___ `;__.-'" `. .-{_ `--._ /.-" `-. / ""T ""---...' _.-"" """-. `. ; / __.-"". `. `, _.. \ / __.-"" '. \ `.,__ .'L' } `---"`-.__ __." .-. j `. : `. .' ,' / """" / \ : `. | F' \ ; ; `-._,L_,-""-. `-, ; ` ; / `. 7 `-._ `.__/_ \/ \ _; \ _.' `-. / `---" `.___,, ;"" \ .' _/ ; `" .-" _,-' { ""; ;-.____.'`. fsc `. \ '. : \ : : / `':/ ` Koen and Lark, his little sister, were spending the night. Koen sat on the kitchen stool, and as his grandfather, Dennis, started things moving toward supper, they were talking about the bedtime songs his Mom sings to him. When Dennis asked him what songs she sang, Koen replied, "BLAH BLAH black sheep!" Andre was visiting his grandparents when he asked Great-Grandma Reese where Grandad was. She told him he was fixing supper. So he went running to the kitchen and then ran back to her to say, "Grandma, he is not fixing dinner, he is cooking dinner." -- Amy (mother of Andre) of Butler, Pennsylvania When Andre was 4, he was staying with his grandparents. Grandad was working on the deck while Andre played in the house. Andre was desperate to get Grandad's attention. He started knocking on the glass door calling, "Grandad," but there was no response. So he got a bit more adamant and started calling his name, "Jim." Still no response, so he reverted to what Grandma called him, "Honey!" _, _ .' `. ___.>"''-..-. `-. ; .--""" .-._@; ; !_.--..._ .' / .[_@'`'. ; / : .' ; :_.._ `. : ; ;[ _T-" `.'-. `-. \ .-: ; `.`-=_,88p. _.}.-" `-.__.-' \ /L._ Y",P$T888; "" .-'_.-' / ;$$$$$$]8P; \ / / / "Y$$P" ^" fsc ;\_ `.\_._ ]__\ \___; Here is another Andre story. When he was 4 while taking a walk with Grandma, after a rain, told her he had to walk around the "muddle puds!" Nolan, 4, was riding down the road with his mom and said, "Mom look at the tractor." Of course, she didn't see it because it was in a field. So Nolan said, "Aww, you missed it, you need to pay more attention." -- Lisa Billingsley (mother of Nolan) of, Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Mimi gives her grandchildren piano lessons. Eight-year-old Timmy played one piece well, so Mimi told him, "You've got that one down pat." Going on to another piece, Timmy said, "I've got this one patted down, too!" -- Carol Guise (Mimi) of Ocala, Florida _________ ,'' ``. / \ | ,---------. | | /--.\ | /,--\ | | /`-._\\|//_,-'\ | |/._ _ _____ _ _.\| / \ |=/#\=| / \ (_`-._\|=\#/=|/_,-'_) / ._'-.___,-'_, \ / / `-.\_/.-' \ \ : ( , | | . ) \ | \ | ||| | / | | \| ||| |/ | | ,-'| ||| |`-. | |/| |____\|/____| |\| \'--|___((_))___|--|/ |\_|-_ \\|//__-|_/ | | |_ -\|/- ._| / |\ |____/ \____| |\ ; \ | | | | |; / .| | | | || | || | | | \ ; || -.| | -.| / | ;| - | |-- | /\ ; ; | | | | || / | | | | | / \ | / |___| |___| \ | /__,--.(=--)_(-- )_,--\_\ / ) ( \ jrei / ,' '. \ (_,' '._) Another Timmy story. When singing the hymn "Near the Cross" Timmy got a few words confused. Instead of "When my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river," Timmy sang, "When my ransom note shall come just beyond the river." Sandi was babysitting her grandson, Max, 5, and ran his bath water. Then she hurried to the kitchen for a glass of cold water to drink before heading back to help him shampoo his hair. Suddenly Max called out down the hall, "Nana, hurry in here FAST! Some ants are in the bath tub!" Sure enough, a few tiny ants were crawling around on the side of the tub, so Sandi smushed them with her finger and told Max they were just sugar ants and wouldn't hurt him... they were only looking for something sweet to nibble on." His reply? "But I'm sweet; you always tell me I am. They might try to bite me!" -- Sandi Pound in Lehigh, Florida Kathy was preparing dinner, chicken in a nice sauce. As she was preparing the sauce, Jacob, 3, came wandering into the kitchen and asked her what she was doing. After she had told him, he remarked, "Don't forget to make me a peanut butter sandwich for supper, please!" -- Johanna Methot (Oma) of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada .-. , .-' ,c'. __rK _)a 7 ; / ~,) (_, ( _; /a( |_. :'\ L/\.'__/ \ ' )nnnK-. S / (_ .- L,-' .dHHHb | S( '\_\\ / dHb'----'dHHHHb \ S \ , ) _,-._ / dHHHb"x.dHHHHHHb \ S |'. '.______/_U/_ '.-z/dHHHp 'dHHHHHb\ | [H | '..___.--'._C__ ) | dHHHHHHb\ _ \ /| |_ | \ L/'--._/_ ; k ' / |//- '-. ---.__ '| / | ( '-. '. | _'-. _/ .."' `., _ , : | \ _\ ,/ , '/ ." ': . : | .-' '', : |/(/\]/ \ /: ' | : /_ '...... .'/ | | | : / .' '--.__, __.'\ / | : ; |/ | '----'L, | / \ : . \ '-.________ / ] |____/ snd L_____'..' _.7' _/ <, > <___.' / \ \____/ Here is another Jacob story: Somehow, somewhere, the car had encountered a nail and suffered a flat tire. Dad was busy replacing it, putting snow tires on the car in the process. Jacob was busy observing. Growing a bit tired of all the observing he asked his dad to please get him his "ride in jeep" from the shed. His father said no. Jacob replied, "Well, you are not my best buddy any more. I'll go and ask Mom!" ================================================================ ################################################################ # , , # # "Hi,I am Mike. _|\_ /| # # We Scare Because /___ "\----' | # # We Care" /=====\ \ `-. # # \ // .--. \| | \ # # /( [@@] ) / \ # # , | \ '--' / / \------- # # |\_ | \___.-' \----- \ # # __,--'' \. /| _____..----) ) | \ \ # # "----____: \. / | (' / | | \ \ # # `. \/ /\ \._ _./ / | \ \ # # \_./ \ '==== / / \ \ # # \ --- --' / \ `. # # \. _,-; /,--.\ # # \___________/\/ / " " # # \/ /_ # # /`/ | # # _____ _ +"""". / /| / # # |_ _| |__ ___ \ \./ / | / # # | | | '_ \ / _ \ `\ . | / +" S@yaN # # | | | | | | __/ \ |/ # # |_| |_| |_|\___| (_) # # __ __ _ ___ # # | \/ | ___ _ __ ___| |_ ___ _ __ ___ |_ _|_ __ ___ # # | |\/| |/ _ \| '_ \/ __| __/ _ \ '__/ __| | || '_ \ / __| # # | | | | (_) | | | \__ \ || __/ | \__ \_ | || | | | (__ # # |_| |_|\___/|_| |_|___/\__\___|_| |___( ) |___|_| |_|\___( # # |/ # # # # 16.08.02 # ################################################################ >-->WHAT R U Your Heart is your Love, Your love is your Family, Your family is your Future Your future is your Destiny, Your destiny is your Ambition, Your ambition is your Aspiration, Your aspiration is your Motivation, Your motivation is your Belief Your belief is your Peace, Your peace is your Target, Your target is Heaven. >Updated FUN STUFF URLS - Oh Yeah :) Shangy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/urls.html FUN URLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->BECOMING A CHRISTIAN HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->FULL LENGTH - FREE On line AUDIO MP3 Christian Foundational Class http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=61 NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->This is for all you who love food andd DARE to make it at home Yep. You guessed it - Recipes. These are Tried and True, Yummy to the Tummy, good old fashioned home cooking recipes that are EASY to do :) Visit Shangy's Easy-Does-It Home Recipes: http://www.ShangralaFamilyFun.com/easy.html Home Recipes >Got A good Recipe? SHARE IT HERE: Share A Recipe ************************************************************************ >TO SUBSCRIBE: Visit Here This Weeks regular Shangy emails OR For the Yahoo ShangyFunList: To Subscribe send a blank email to ShangyFunList-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ************************************************************************