Holiday Warmth

This holiday season




I wanted to share some joy




This is a true story






























I have this friend.




This friend has a friend.




His friend has a dog.






























This dog is a lab.




This friend was watching the dog for his friend
































The other day, this friend




Called to say,




"I need a favor"




























Being a friend to this guy




I said yes.




























A simple yes was all it took




Then I found myself




watching a dog pee




at 6 am in 26 degrees.


































Now I know the true




Meaning of Christmas.






























Send this to 15 people.

Articles of Faith of Mormon Culture

1. We believe in SUVs and minivans, as the form of transportation,
and in knee length shorts, which are always nice, and in multi-level
marketing.


2. We believe that church ball players should be punished for their
own fouls, and not for unsportsmanlike aggression.


3. We believe that through bread crumbs, cheese, creamy soups,
and rice all casseroles can be saved through obedience to ward
cookbooks and creativity in the mixing bowl.


4. We believe that the first layers and ingredients of the Dip are:
first, beans; second, cheese; third, chopped tomatoes; fourth, the
gift of sour cream; fifth, olives; sixth, salsa; seventh, guacamole,
that is, if you have it.


5. We believe that a Mormon should have a distinguished or a cute
name, that it is appropriate to name a child after a church leader
or a historical figure including an ancestor, that alternative spellings
and French prefixes only add to a name, and that when referring to
the names of General Authorities, middle initials should be a part
thereof.


6. We believe in the same wall decor that exists in many Mormon
homes, namely, framed family proclamations, vinyl lettering,
inspirational word signs, family photos, pictures of temples and
Jesus, and so forth.


7. We believe in the gift of the re-gift, church books, crafts, family
photos, baked goods, emergency supply kits, and so forth.


8. We believe in sparkling grape juice so long as it is nonalcoholic;
we also believe in bringing root beer and sprite to ward parties.


9. We believe in all that we have scrapbooked, all that we will now
scrapbook, and we believe that we will yet scrapbook many great
and important things pertaining to our family, friends, pets, and
vacations.


10. We believe in the literal mixing of ketchup and mayo and in the
generous application of ranch dressing; that CBAs (church-based
acronyms) will be used to describe YM/YW, PEC, the Y, NCMO, and
CTR; that Mitt Romney will get Mormons to vote for him any time
he runs; and, that the Mormons will enjoy reading Twilight and The
Work and the Glory.


11. We claim the privilege of trying to identify common acquaintances
with any visitor at church, and allow all other people at church the
same privilege, and let them name drop the names of Famous and
general authorities how, where, or what they may.



12. We believe in being subject to scoutmasters, pampered chef
hostesses, and the writers of the U.S. News and World Report
Rankings for professional schools, and in obeying, honoring, and
sustaining Glenn Beck.



13. We believe in being above average, good at crafts, optimistic,
and being fifteen minutes late everywhere we go. Indeed, we may
say that we follow BYU football. We believe rumors about famous
people joining the church, we hope to meet the three Nephites, we
have endured many pyramid schemes, and hope to be able to
endure all pyramid schemes. If there is anything cheap, free, sold
in bulk, or given away when somebody is moving, we seek after
these things.

A story of how one man's hate killed a little girl.

Here is the snippet of an email forward. I've centered the text to clarify that it is not to be taken lightly.

She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live.

I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world

begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something

and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.

"Hello," she said.

I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child.

"I'm building," she said.

"I see that. What is it?" I asked, not really caring.

"Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand."

That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes.

A sandpiper glided by.

"That's a joy," the child said.

"It's a what?"

"It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy."

The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to myself,

hello pain, and turned to walk on. I was depressed, my life seemed

completely out of balance.

"What's your name?" She wouldn't give up.

"Robert," I answered. "I'm Robert Peterson."

"Mine's Wendy... I'm six."

"Hi, Wendy."

She giggled. "You're funny," she said.

In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on.

Her musical giggle followed me.

"Come again, Mr. P," she called. "We'll have another happy day."

The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings,

and an ailing mother. The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out

of the dishwater. I need a sandpiper, I said to myself, gathering up my coat.

The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was

chilly but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed.

"Hello, Mr.. P," she said. "Do you want to play?"

"What did you have in mind?" I asked, with a twinge of annoyance.

"I don't know. You say."

"How about charades?" I asked sarcastically.

The tinkling laughter burst forth again. "I don't know what that is."

"Then let's just walk."

Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face..

"Where do you live?" I asked.

"Over there." She pointed toward a row of summer cottages.

Strange, I thought, in winter.

"Where do you go to school?"

"I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation"

She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was

on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day.

Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.

Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no

mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt

like demanding she keep her child at home.

"Look, if you don't mind," I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, "I'd

rather be alone today." She seemed unusually pale and out of breath.

"Why?" she asked.

I turned to her and shouted, "Because my mother died!" and thought,

My God, why was I saying this to a little child?

"Oh," she said quietly, "then this is a bad day."

"Yes," I said, "and yesterday and the day before and -- oh, go away!"

"Did it hurt?" she inquired.

"Did what hurt?" I was exasperated with her, with myself.

"When she died?"

"Of course it hurt!" I snapped, misunderstanding,

wrapped up in myself. I strode off.

A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there.

Feeling guilty, ashamed, and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up

to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking

young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.

"Hello," I said, "I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today

and wondered where she was."

"Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much.

I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance,

please, accept my apologies."

"Not at all !-- she's a delightful child." I said, suddenly realizing

that I meant what I had just said.

"Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia

Maybe she didn't tell you."

I will save you the pain of grief for this little girl, and leave you with the fact that the man has always remembered this. This is his eternal torment.

7%

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23 . Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."


Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will, forward this with the title '7%'.

Concentrate on this Sentence

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.' Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.

Send it to a minimum of 3 people... JUST DO IT!

There comes a point in your life when you realize:

Who matters,

Who never did,

Who won't anymore....

And who always will.

So, don't worry about people from your past,

there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

Give these flowers to everyone you don't want to lose in 2009

including me, if that's what is in your heart.

Try to collect 5 ; it's not easy!

A life changing event

Listen up, kidiots, This is going to be a life changing event. Go ahead and snopes it. It's so real it BROKE SNOPES!

FIRST: Think of something that you love. Think along the lines of the internet, telephones, roads, or clouds. We're on the right track.

SECOND: Something you love is going to end, NOW.

THIRD: If I don't see you forwarding this to 10 people say GOODBYE to one of the things that you love.

Here's the thing, this isn't something we know is ending, like RAINBOWS, as CNN Reports

This will be something that is unexpected, but something you love! What if tomorrow you woke up and all kittens had ended, permanently, only because you didn't send this to 10 people?

What are you, some kinda jerk?

FW: Vegan or Carnivore?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/passiveaggressive/3642661392/