Times of Waiting... :) 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 ================ ________ .##@@&&&@@##. ,##@&::%&&%%::&@##. #@&:%%000000000%%:&@# #@&:%00' '00%:&@# #@&:%0' '0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# "" ' " " ' "" _oOoOoOo_ .-.-. (oOoOoOoOo) ( : ) )`"""""`( .-.`. .'.-. / \ (_ '.Y.' _) | # | ( .'|'. ) \ / '-' | '-' jgs `=========` *~* Wishing You A Blessed, Safe And Happy St.Patrick's Day Weekend! >-->HOT Off The 'Shangy' Press :) This super duper hotty is from our friend Linda. The look on the children's faces would be enough of a reason to visit this awesome place! Check this out here... .c. .d$$e$. .e$P" ^*% .e$P" z$$$" z$$$$$F .d$$$$$$$F .d$$$$$$$$$$F .3$$$$$$$$$$$$F $$$$$" ""$*$" P $" $ $ d d" $ $ $ * $ $ ) ' $ $ % ' $ $ % " $ $ - ) * * unknown Giraffe Manor! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/giraffemanor.html --- ...Awww, What a wonderful place! Thank You Linda! =========================================================== >-->From Heartwarmers: ,-'~~~~-. .-~~~~`-. .' \ / `. ,-'` \ / `-. / , `\/ .' \ ( `\ || /~ ) ~. `\ || /` .~ `~~._____ `\ || /` ____.~~` ___!!!GOOD>WEARIN' O' THE GREEN by Joseph Walker I don't think any of the friends with whom I grew up were actually Irish. But every year at this time we became a pack of Welsh/Scottish/German/Navajo leprechauns, patrolling the schoolyard to enforce time-honored rules governing the annual wearin' o' the green. I'm not sure where these rules came from. They weren't written down anywhere, and I'm reasonably certain no governing body enacted them. They are just something that you know when you are 11. And at that time in your life, they are important. The rules were simple. You were supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. No exceptions. Of course, how and where you wore it were matters open to private interpretation. You could wear a green outfit, which is what kindergartners and first graders tended to do. Or you could wear it covertly, which is what the older kids preferred. The main thing was, you had to wear something green -- somewhere. It didn't have to be visible, but it had to be showable. Showability was especially important when it came time to mete out punishment. And, oh yes, punishment was involved. Do you think my friends and I enforced the wearin' o' the green as a fashion statement? If you came to school on St. Patrick's Day without any green on, everyone could pinch you. According to my friend Albert, the pinch represented a bite from the snakes St. Patrick drove off of the Emerald Isle. Since Albert was Navajo and knew a lot about snakes, that seemed to us to be a reasonable justification for pinching people. Especially girls. Being fifth grade boys, touching girls was usually pretty much out of the question. But on St. Patrick's Day it was not only allowed, it was expected. Hence our unusual determination to comply with playground policy -- written or otherwise. Now, I should point out that the severity and the location of the pinch punishment was left to individual interpretation. Needless to say, it could be a long and painful day for anyone who forgot to wear green. However, if you were clever enough to hide your green and got pinched undeservedly, you were entitled to hit that person in the arm once you had shown them your green. I'm assuming that the hitting response to an unrequited pinch represented whacking a snake with a sheleleigh, but I'm not sure. Albert never ventured an opinion on the matter. By the time I got to fifth grade I was pretty good at hiding my green. The feeble pinches I received on my chubby arms were well worth the slugs I dished out in return. Which is why I was excited when my parents gave me my first pair of boxers for my 11th birthday -- and they were lime green! For more than a month I planned my strategy. I went out of my way to make sure there was nothing even remotely green in anything else I wore that day, and I carefully rotated my underwear to make sure the green boxers were in my drawer on March 17. Albert, George and Dean all pinched me on the way to school that morning -- and they all got hit by me after I showed them my boxers. My plan was working to perfection. Then I heard a voice behind me. It was soft and sweet -- and unnerving. In other words, it was JoAnn. "It doesn't look like you're wearing any green," JoAnn said to me smiling sweetly. "Uh... er... umm... " I sputtered (which is what I did whenever JoAnn was around). JoAnn's sweet smile turned instantly vicious as she pinched my arm. Hard. Never in my life had I experienced such emotional cacophony. I felt pain from the pinch, but at the same time there was the extraordinary sensation of her fingers briefly on my arm. She actually touched me! On purpose! Then there was the feeling of triumph, knowing I had suckered in another victim, followed immediately by the horrifying realization that in order to fully enjoy my victory I was going to have to show JoAnn my underwear. Yeah, right. Like THAT was going to happen. So I just grimaced at JoAnn. "Yeah," I said. "You got me." She laughed joyfully. And then ran to tell her friends, who for some reason felt they had to come and pinch me too. What was I supposed to do? It couldn't look as though I had allowed JoAnn to get away with an unrequited pinch. That would be... unacceptable. So I just stood there and took it. All day long. The bruises on my arms had pretty much healed by the time the next St. Patrick's Day rolled around. But the memory hadn't faded. I wore green socks. Hey, you don't have to be Irish to add a new rule for the wearin' o' the green. -- Joseph Walker ___________________________________________ Joseph is a Heartwarmer Gem and nationally syndicated columnist. You can contact him by clicking here: mailto:valuespeak@earthlink.net ========================================================== >-->From Our Friend LouiseA :) _ _ (_(_) /(_) (-----. |= | _|=____|_ (_________) 8" "8 (8 6 6 8) 8 7 8 88-=###, _ jgs "888"`##,|#| `###' >Story Time! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. This is a story of an aging couple told by their son who was President of NBC NEWS. This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed. Here goes... My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car. He quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet. "In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet, and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it." At which point my mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: "Oh, bull shit!" she said. "He hit a horse." "Well," my father said, "there was that, too." So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The neighbors all had cars -- the Kollingses next door had a green 1941 Dodge, the VanLaninghams across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth, the Hopsons two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none. My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines, would take the streetcar to work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three blocks to the streetcar stop, meet him and walk home together. My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and sometimes, at dinner, we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain, and that was that. But, sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't sure which one of us would turn 16 first. But, sure enough, my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts department at a Chevy dealership downtown. It was a four-door, white model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and since my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car. Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but it didn't make sense to my mother. So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once. For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work. Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of marriage. (Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire time.) He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20 years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church. She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a 2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking her home. If it was the assistant pastor, he'd take just a 1-mile walk and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast" and "Father Slow." After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored." If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?" "I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre. "No left turns," he said. "What?" I asked "No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic.. As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn." "What?" I said again. "No left turns," he said. "Think about it.. Three rights are the same as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights." "You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support. "No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works." But then she added: "Except when your father loses count." I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing. "Loses count?" I asked. "Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again." I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked. "No," he said " If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week." My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999, when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003.. My father died the next year, at 102. They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom -- the house had never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.) He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died. One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer." "You're probably right," I said. "Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated. "Because you're 102 years old," I said.. "Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day. That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet" An hour or so later, he spoke his last words: "I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have." A short time later, he died. I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long. I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life, or because he quit taking left turns. Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it & if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it." ENJOY LIFE NOW - IT HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE!, --- ...Aww, A wonderful heartwarming classic! Thanks LouiseA! -<>- .-"""""-. \ / |.-----.| __|_______|___ '--;-'```'-;--' / / 6_6 \ \ ( ( _) ) ) ( ( .__. ) ) ( `._`-'_.' ) /`'-._`"`_.-'`\ | /___```___\ | \ |___|L|___| / \/ `"` \/ /..,_______,..\ / /\ \ | ,-' `-, | \ `\ ,-'` / jgs __LI`--`\|`.__/ ( /\ LI\ `.___,-'` \ | '.__/ >Times of Waiting (By Steve Troxel) As Paul was returning to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey, he already had a sense of where his next journey would lead; "after I have been there, I must visit Rome" (Acts 19:21). But he also knew he was about to face many difficulties; "in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me" (Acts 20:23). Paul was arrested less than ten days after arriving in Jerusalem. He probably didn't realize it at the time, but his journey to Rome had just begun. Paul's journey to Rome would last about two and a half years and include many legal and physical trials, and many opportunities to demonstrate his faith in Jesus Christ. Surprisingly, it also included two long years where Paul had nothing to do but sit in prison and wait for an occasional visit with Governor Felix before being transferred to the courts of Rome. Acts 24:25 "As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.'" This must have been a difficult time for someone accustomed to being so actively involved in ministry. Paul was treated well in this prison; but after receiving specific instructions to minister in Rome, two years must have felt like a painfully long time. We are never told of God's reason for this waiting period. Many times, waiting is necessary to allow other events to occur and other people to be properly positioned. And many times, waiting is necessary because we need to better learn some of God's truths...or we simply need a good rest. Paul was about to face his most challenging journey and possibly his most significant ministry opportunity; "Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome" (Acts 23:11). On his journey, Paul faced a severe storm, shipwreck, snakebite, and many threats on his life; but Paul was also given the opportunity to minister to the leaders of the Roman Empire. Much of our own journey involves patience and learning how to trust and wait on God. Almost nothing seems to occur as fast as we would like; difficult situations take longer to resolve, people take longer to mature, and ministries take longer to grow. But our present circumstances always serve a purpose! If we have earnestly sought God and not received specific direction, it's possible we are simply being told to wait - wait and be refreshed; wait and spend time abiding in His presence; wait...and prepare. Let's continue to rejoice and learn to trust Him even more during our times of waiting. --- ...Well written,. Thanks LouiseA! .-------. |(~\o/~)| _.||\/X\/||._ ,-" || \ / || "-, ,' () ||o X o|| () ', / () ,-|| / \ ||-, () \ : o ,' ||/\X/\|| ', o ; .----------._)~ ~(_.----------. |\/)~~(\/\ (~\ /~) /\/)~~(\/| |(X () X) >o >-X-< o< (X () X)| |/\)__(/\/ _(_/|\_)_ \/\)__(/\| '----------' ) ( '----------' ; o ', ||\/~\/|| ,' o ; \ () '-|| \o/ ||-' () / ', () |(~\X/~)| () ,' '-._ ||\/ \/|| _.-' '|| \_/ ||' || X || ||\(/\/|| ||=)O(=|| ||/\/)\|| || X || || / \ || ||/\X/\|| jgs |(_/o\_)| '._____.' Yes, some of the hardest times is waiting for the right time according to our Father who knows best - always! It can be hard for us to trust that He has heard us so we often keep asking for the same thing over and over again when all we have to do is trust God for the best and leave it to Him once we have asked Him for it in the name of Jesus Christ. -<>- __...._ .-"` `\ / | | | \ | \ __...--'| \.-' |_..-, __\___...---'`_..-' (_______....--'\ / `\ (o \__ | | __) _ _ \ /`\ \ | (_Y_) _ '-.\_,| | T-._/ (_A_) _../`'T T-'` | | \__ _| .' | | | | \___ | /_\`\ / | | | | \ `/-`\ --| | \ | | | | /`----' |--' \ `\ \_; |`-.......-` .-.-'. \_LI ; / / /`-._ |`-\ \ jgs _/_/ / | \ \ ( ( ;.__ / \__,\__ `"`""` `""""` `.__._`; >How Am I Doin'? (Author Unknown) Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged as a Christian, especially when we're trying to serve the Lord and don't see many results. Jeremiah was like that. He had faithfully proclaimed the message of the Lord, and the people did not respond. Read about Jeremiah's despair and his hope in Lamentations 3:15-25 (NIV) below: "He has filled me with bitter herbs and sated me with gall. He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, 'My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD.' I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;" A man was giving out Gospel tracts on a steamer. One gentleman whom he approached accepted a tract graciously but said, "I haven't much faith in that kind of work." The Christian worker replied, "It was through a Gospel tract given to me in Glasgow twenty years ago that I was converted." Asking for particulars, the gentleman discovered that it was he who had given him the tract! He had ceased to do this because he saw so little result from his efforts. He added, "But by the grace of God, I shall start again." When we faithfully do what the Lord asks, we never fail. We might not always see the results here, but one day God will reward us for our faithfulness by saying "Well done, good and faithful servant"! Next time you get discouraged, keep on keeping on! God is using you! --- ...Another good teaching. Thanks LouiseA! .-------. |(~\o/~)| _.||\/X\/||._ ,-" || \ / || "-, ,' () ||o X o|| () ', / () ,-|| / \ ||-, () \ : o ,' ||/\X/\|| ', o ; .----------._)~ ~(_.----------. |\/)~~(\/\ (~\ /~) /\/)~~(\/| |(X () X) >o >-X-< o< (X () X)| |/\)__(/\/ _(_/|\_)_ \/\)__(/\| '----------' ) ( '----------' ; o ', ||\/~\/|| ,' o ; \ () '-|| \o/ ||-' () / ', () |(~\X/~)| () ,' '-._ ||\/ \/|| _.-' '|| \_/ ||' || X || ||\(/\/|| ||=)O(=|| ||/\/)\|| || X || || / \ || ||/\X/\|| jgs |(_/o\_)| '._____.' "God is using you!' - As Long as you allow Him to. God will never force His will upon you. If you want Him to use you, you need to make sure you let God know you are available to be used! Always through Jesus Christ your Lord - 1 John.4: [1] Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. It is important to use the name above all names - in the name of Jesus Christ to make sure what you think God wants you to do is Really what God wants you to do and not some evil spirit fooling you. Always do the best you can for God through Jesus Christ and God will be pleased with you. We can only do our best. Hebrews 11: [6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 1 Thes.4 [1] Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. ============================================================= >-->From Archives InspiredBuffalo: .---. /.'"'.\ \\ || /^\ ,_),-',' .'_|_'. ()` < | > || \_____/ || {/a a\} || {/-.^.-\} (_| .'{ ` }'-._/|;\ / { } /; || | /`'-{ }-'; || | ; `'=|{ }|=' _/|| | | \| |~| | |/ || | |\ \ | | | ; || | | \ ||=| |=<\ || | | /\_/\| | | \`-||_/ '-| `;'| | | | || jgs | |+| |+| | || | | | | | | || | """ """ | || | | || |_ _ _ _ _ _| || |,;,;,;,;,;,| || `|||||||||||` || ||||||||||| || `"""""""""` "" >Just Three Words Some of the most significant messages people deliver to one another Often come in just three words. When spoken or conveyed, those Statements have the power to forge new friendships, deepen old ones And restore relationships that have cooled. The following three word phrases can enrich every relationship: I'LL BE THERE - Being there for another person is the greatest gift We can give. When we are truly present for other people, important Things happen to them and to us. We are renewed in love and Friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. 'Being There is at the very, very core of civility. I MISS YOU - Perhaps more marriages could be salvaged and Strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other, "I Miss you." This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, Needed, desired and loved. I RESPECT YOU - Respect is another way of showing love. Respect Conveys the feeling that another person is a true equal. It is a Powerful way to affirm the importance of a relationship. MAYBE YOU'RE RIGHT - This phrase is highly effective in diffusing an Argument and restoring frayed emotions. The flip side of "maybe You're right" is the humility of admitting "maybe I'm wrong." PLEASE FORGIVE ME - Many broken relationships could be restored and Healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man Should never be ashamed to own up to he has been in the wrong, which Is by saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was Yesterday. I THANK YOU - Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who Enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't Take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their Friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, People whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not Have the attitude of gratitude. COUNT ON ME - "A friend is one who walks in when others walk Out." "Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship; it is The emotional glue that bonds people. Those who are rich in their Relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, A good friend is there, indicating "you can count on me." LET ME HELP - The best of friends see a need and try to fill it. When They spot a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being Asked, they pitch in and help. I UNDERSTAND YOU - People become closer and enjoy each other more if They feel the other person accepts and understands them. Letting Others know in so many little ways that you understand him or her is One of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. GO FOR IT - Some of your friends may be non-conformists, have unique Projects and unusual hobbies. Support them in pursuing their Interests. Rather than urging your loved ones to conform, encourage Their uniqueness - everyone has dreams that no one else has. I suppose the 3 little words that you were expecting to see have to Be reserved for those who are special; that is I LOVE YOU. Author Unknown -<>- @@ .##@@::;%%&&00' @><@ .###@@::;%%&&00' ________) .###@@::;%%&&00' | | .###@@::;%%&&00' _ _|===LI===|_ .###@@::;%%&&00' / \_(____________) .###@@::;%%&&00' \ / (88 o o 88) .###@@::;%%&&00' \/\ 88: 7 :88` .###@@::;%%&&00' \/\ '88'=='88' .###@@::;%%&&00' \ \__'8888'__________.###@@::;%%&&00' \___<\""/>_____/_/_-'##@@::;%%&&00' / >< \ .###@@::;%%&&00' /__/--\__\ (oO@OoO@@o@oO@@o) '-.______.-' /`"""""""""""""`\ jgs _|_||_|_ | | ___LI)||(LI___ | | ( ~~ || ~~ ) \ / `-----''-----` '.___________.' >My Dreams Bill Walker wildbill6807@yahoo.com I was thinking about a strange thing with my dreams, and maybe it isn't so strange either. I think I know the answer, but that is getting ahead of the story. This is a doggy story. Dreams about doggies in my life. There was MingToy. She died, and I had dreams about her. There was a few months of ever so often MingToy was in a dream.. Then we got Chinker, no more dreams about MingToy. It was as if she was gone. Chinker I would dream about him once in a while, but he was still here. Then he too died. The dreams of Chinker was more often. Every few nights, here Chinker would be in a dream. It was as if he was still here. I would some times wake and the dream was so real I almost would look for him. It was only a dream. Then ChinkerBoy at last came. Chinker was gone, never dreamed about him any more. ChinkerBoy was here only a short time and he too died. I went and found Tinker in a couple weeks. I can't remember dreams of ChinkerBoy., there may have been one, just can't recall it. Tinker came, and in a couple or so months his buddy Poo came. I think it is right to say, I loved those two. Must have I wrote many a story where it was Tinker and Poo. Well I had more time with them. They also cost more. Poo had his health problems. Vet bills was a fright at times. The others lived the days of 3 to 5 dollars got some pills.. Tink and Poo a Vet bill was 20 and up, most of the time UP and UP. Hundred dollars was more like it and UP. T would dream about them some times while they were here. Tinker died first. I had him come calling in a dream I think two or three times. One time I know he gave me a slop kiss, it was so real. Poo died. I had both of them running in my dreams. I then found Little Girl Princess. She was looking for a home, and I was lonesome with out the boys. I took her in, maybe she took me in.. Tinker and Poo stopped calling in my dreams. I thank I at last have it figured out about the visit in the dream. They haven't really gone, they stick around for a while, come back in a dream to make sure your all right. Then when you get a new one, know your going to be all right now. They just set a bit tighter to Rainbow Bridge, waiting for the time you get there. They will see you coming, and run to meet you and give you the slop kiss again.. Also tell you about, what took you so long? And look over there we got a mansion all ready for us to move into. We that is Bobby, MingToy, Chinker, ChinkerBoy and us Poo and I, Tinker been watching the building of it. We know it is ours, because a brand new Jeep just was put in the drive way. It nice and pretty, RED with a white top. -<>- >Links for Your Enjoyment: St. Patrick's Day Animated Graphics http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/agifs_p-t.html Cat In A Box! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/catinbox.html Mule VS Lion! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/mulelion.html The Wild Ones! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/wildones.html Aww Animals 5! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/animals5.html Real Eagle Story! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/eagle.html Adam In Paradise! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/adam.html Rarely Seen Babies!- http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/babyanimals.html Ocean Exploration! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/ocean.html God's Night Lights! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/night.html -<>- >From Our Friend Geniann :) She sent us one we have here... THAILAND'S TIGERS 2! http://www.shangralafamilyfun.com/tiger2.html --- ...Awesome! Thanks Geniann! -<>- >From Our Friend Bunni :) Ronald Reagan Tribute -- Bel Air Presbyterian Church - YouTube http://www.youtube.com/embed/OvN1jTkzXbY?rel=0 --- ...A great one! Thanks Bunni! -<>- >From Our Friend Fran :) This has to be the funniest link yet!!!!!!!! Ladies ~ I LMAO...that was sheer talent. IF they missed a beat...that audience would have blushed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lUr3XbROoA8 --- ...LMAO! Thanks Fran! 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 ========================================================== >The Team Builder Story Editor: by Chris Kennedy Joyce Schowalter California, USA In the fall of 2010, I coached a fourth grade boys' football team in California. The boys were excited to play, including a boy whose family had just moved to America. Understandably, he had limited knowledge about American football... and by "limited," I mean "none whatsoever." "Bill" was challenging. He showed up late without cleats, mouth guard, or practice uniform. Playing a new sport, in a new country, in a second language, with strangers for a coach and teammates was hard enough. He also had to fit into an ultra-competitive group of boys, who weren't shy about pointing out mistakes. "Come on, you can't line up off sides, Bill!" Bill increased the workload I was already struggling to carry. I spoke slowly, instructed him individually on virtually every play...and still he often did things incorrectly. I limited his playing time in games because everything moves more quickly. Despite his lack of understanding, Bill always asked to go in. Bill's father wrote, concerned Bill wasn't learning enough because of limited playing time. I explained Bill had learning time at practice -- daily. Managing his game time was for his own sake and survival. With greater achievements he'd get more playing time...an expectation of every team member. His father understood... and Bill was beginning to. Even if he was blocking illegally, Bill seemed to find the joy football brings to a kid. In our final game I increased Bill's playing time. On one drive, he was penalized four times for jumping off sides. But he was trying hard. Towards the game's end, I put Bill at running back to give him the first carry of his career. "Dive Right." The quarterback's eyes brightened. A few teammates on the sideline overheard, and cheered. A parent walked over, "I don't know what you just called but it must be something special." The quarterback sprinted into the huddle with the play. Bill and a few teammates reared their heads back and looked at me with disbelief. Wide smiles nearly made their mouth guards drop. The boys rushed to the line. Bill lined up correctly. He received the ball -- no fumble -- and ran through a large hole created by his teammates blocking with all their might. Bill ran as fast as his excited body could for a five-yard gain. A large cheer erupted! His teammates ran to congratulate and guide Bill back to the huddle. The quarterback sprinted over, "That play worked coach! Can we do it again?" Then the game clock expired. We'd won by a touchdown. Many parents said the boys' reaction to Bill running the ball was the season's best moment. One said, "They looked like a team." A team. At every practice, every game, every teachable moment, I endeavored to impart the importance of teamwork. To be unselfish, sacrifice, and strive for something impossible to attain individually. Working together can defeat any barrier. Bill needed our help to become a football player. We needed his to become a team. =======HeroicStories======= >-->From Kidwarmers: _ _ (_(_) (_)\ .-----) |= | _|____ |_ (_________) 8" "8 (8 6 6 8) 8 7 8 jgs 88-=-88 "888" >FUNNY THINGS KIDS SAY In Canada recently there were a lot of advertisements on TV for the arrival of the hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Melanie was reminiscing with friends about how much they had enjoyed "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" when Lucas, 6, piped up, "It's not 'Big Fat Greek Wedding' it's 'Big Fat GRIEF Wedding!'" -- Melanie (mother of Lucas) of Alberta, Canada Judy's 4-year-old grandson has added a new word to their vocabularly... "deservement." It means "I deserve the candy and I mean to get it." He used it to explain why he got into Grandpa's candy jar without permission. Later he told his grandparents about another word he knows: "treatment." It means, "I deserve a treat!" -- Judy from the Oregon coast When Jamie was 4 her mother took her to a new pediatrician who was recommended by friends. Five minutes into the examination her mother was pleased at how well Jamie was responding to the doctor. He talked gently to her and explained everything he was doing. When it was time to test her reflexes, he said, "Jamie, I'm going to lightly hit your knee with a hammer." Jamie let out a blood-curdling scream. Shaken, the pediatrician asked Janice, "What did I do?" Janice replied, "Her father is a carpenter." -- Janice Finley of Arab, Alabama .-.-. ( ) .-.\ : /.-. ( .`:`. ) ( /|\ ) jgs `"` | `"` Holly's sister is desperately trying to potty train her son Nathan. She decided to have him wear "big boy underwear." A few days ago, she noticed that Nathan had pulled his underwear down and was positioning himself to get ready to go potty. He was standing over his daddy's work boot. With a big smile on his face, he said, "I pee in Daddy's boot." Nathan's daddy hollered, "Don't you pee in my boot!" Later, his father said, "Between you and Madison (the dog), my shoes aren't safe anywhere around this house!" -- Holly Ennis of Upper Marlboro, Maryland When Mitch was younger, Angie would play "See How Fast You Can Pick Up Your Toys" with him. One time when she was preparing him for the game, she said, "On your mark, get set, go!" But Mitch didn't move. "Aren't you going to get set?" Angie asked. He put his hands on his hips and firmly replied, "Yeah, I'm set. I'm upset!" -- Angie of Topeka, Indiana Linda was caring for her two grandchildren over the weekend. Trinity, 2, got her hands very dirty while eating. Linda took her into the bathroom to wash her hands. "Rub them together," Linda said. Then she reminded Trinity not to forget the back of her hands... so Trinity quietly lifted her shirt, rubbed her hands all over her back and announced, "All done!" -- Linda Collins of Columbia, Maryland .-"""""-. \ / |.-----.| __|_______|___ HAPPY '--;-'```'-;--' ST. PATRICK'S / / 6_6 \ \ DAY ! ( ( _) ) ) / ( ( .__. ) ) ( `._`-'_.' ) /`'-._`"`_.-'`\ | /___```___\ | \ |___|L|___| / \/ `"` \/ /..,_______,..\ / /\ \ | ,-' `-, | \ `\ ,-'` / jgs __LI`--`\|`.__/ ( /\ LI\ `.___,-'` \ | '.__/ Bailey, 3, was traveling to see his Nana and they went through a bad hail storm. Bailey covered his head with his blanket and asked, "Why are those eggs falling on our car?" -- Utanah Williams (grandmother of Bailey) of Pocahontas, Arkansas Wendy had given her 3-year-old niece a small container of worms that she was keeping as pets. Wendy asked her niece what she had done with the worms. The little girl said, "I squished them apart to make baby worms out of them!" -- Wendy of Listowel, Ontario, Canada Brian, 5, recently lost both his grandfathers. Recently, while walking across the parking lot, Brian looked up in the sky and saw what appeared to be "sky writing." He said, "Oh, look! There's one Pop-Pop driving his bus and my other Pop-Pop driving his boat!" -- JoAnne Johnson of Chews Landing, New Jersey Sam, 2, was sitting on his mother's lap. She was saying, "Who's my good boy? Who's my good boy?" Sam replied, "It's not me. It must be David!" -- George and Dianne Witwer (parents of David, Noelle, Sally and Sam) of Bluffton, Indiana Patty and her daughter, Jennifer, 6, were both taking strong cough syrup (which can impair driving) that the doctor had prescribed for them when they visited his office. Jennifer didn't like the syrup. One morning Patty heard Jennifer coughing in the car and she said, "Oh, Jennifer, you forgot to take your cough medicine this morning." Jennifer replied, "But Mom, I'm not supposed to take it when we are driving!" -- Patty Bruner of Kendallville, Indiana ========================================================== ________ .##@@&&&@@##. ,##@&::%&&%%::&@##. #@&:%%000000000%%:&@# #@&:%00' '00%:&@# #@&:%0' '0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# #@&:%0 0%:&@# "" ' " " ' "" _oOoOoOo_ .-.-. (oOoOoOoOo) ( : ) )`"""""`( .-.`. .'.-. / \ (_ '.Y.' _) | # | ( .'|'. ) \ / '-' | '-' jgs `=========` >-->Irish Blessings May luck be our companion May friends stand by our side May history remind us all Of Ireland's faith and pride. May God bless us with happiness May love and faith abide. ~Irish Blessing .-.-. ( ) .-.\ : /.-. ( .`:`. ) ( /|\ ) jgs `"` | `"` May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, May good luck pursue you each morning and night. ~Irish Blessing .-.-. ( ) .-.\ : /.-. ( .`:`. ) ( /|\ ) jgs `"` | `"` May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you. ~Irish Blessing .-.-. ( ) .-.\ : /.-. ( .`:`. ) ( /|\ ) jgs `"` | `"` May your blessings outnumber The shamrocks that grow, And may trouble avoid you Wherever you go. ~Irish Blessing >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 and 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 ************************************************************************