Hello,
Here is a little more inspiration and humor for you…
Honoring our parents is very important. I learned just how important while attending Church with my family many years ago.
Our family was sitting in Church, all ten of us filling up the second row as usual. I was sitting at one end of the bench and my dad was at the other. Being unsupervised as I was, I pulled a few elastics out of my sock, tied them together and began flipping my little sister. My father looked down the row and saw me doing it so he opened up his bible to a certain passage and sent it down the row with the instructions to give it to me. My brothers and sisters, being as they are, took the liberty of reading it as it came to them. When it finally got to me I read it. The scripture was 1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: But when I became a man I put away childish things."
Now, when I read this I stopped... For a while, then I forgot and started again. My father saw that I was doing it again and sent this scripture down the row, my brothers and sisters also read this, Proverbs 15:5 "A fool dispiseth his fathers instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent."
Now, I am no match for my father's wisdom in things dealing with scriptures, but this time I thought that I had him. I sent up Matthew Chapter 5 verse 22. The last sentence states, "whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire." But, my dad proving again his superior knowledge sent back down Exodus 21:17 "And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall be surely put to death." After I read that, the problem was solved.
I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
-Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
Angry Scout Master
Hello,
Here is a little more inspiration and humor for you…
When I was a child my family went on a camping trip and we had what we called the "bravery tent." This was a small tent set up about 100 feet away from the rest of the tents. Those who slept in the bravery tent would get a prize in the morning. One of my siblings and I decided to sleep in the bravery tent. My sleeping bag was a very old army sleeping bag that had a hole in the lining. During the night as I slept in the bravery tent I somehow worked my way down into that hole in the lining. I woke up inside the lining of the sleeping bag. Because it was lined with white cotton I could not remember where I was (The interior lining of the sleeping bag was red). I screamed and fought in a panic and ripped my way out of the sleeping bag lining.
When I was a scout we went on a 50-mile hike. On the third day we camped in a very rocky area. There was limited space to set up a tent. The scoutmaster set up his very large tent on the only level smooth area for what seemed like miles. (I had a one man tent that I was determined to sleep in even though the large tent could have held us all.) In order to accomplish my desires I had to walk up the hill about 100 yards to find a level spot. After an hour of hard work digging large rocks out of the ground I had made it comfortable enough to sleep on.
During the night as I slept in my one-man tent I somehow ended up down in the bag with the opening folded underneath me. I woke up trapped in my sleeping bag and had a flashback to the bravery tent incident. I began screaming for help. The Scout Master, upon awakening, assumed that I was being attacked by a mountain lion. My worried Scout Master grabbed the axe and charged lickety-split up the rocky hill barefoot and in his underwear. A few moments before he arrived I struggled free, took a deep breath and realized what had happened. I heard him huffing and puffing up the hill and was struck with a different kind of terror. When he reached me I said weakly, "Never mind." He began to curse bitterly, turned around and hobbled down the hill. I found out later that I was lucky he didn't use the axe on me.
From these experiences I have learned just how important unity is (or at least how important it is to stay with the group). To this day my Scout Master hasn’t been able to laugh about this story. I believe that his feet may have been a little sore for the remaining 25 miles of the trip. Such is the power of an innocent flashback.
I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
-Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
P.S. (The following Scout Song Lyrics, can be sung to the tune of the Battle hymn of the republic. If only these lyrics were true in every case.)
It isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E,
It isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E.
There isn't any trouble, but will vanish like a bubble,
If you'll only take the trouble just to S-M-I-L-E.
Second Verse: It isn't any trouble just to G-R-I-N, Grin, etc.
Third Verse: It isn't any trouble just to L-A-U-G-H, etc.
Fourth Verse: It isn't any trouble just to HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! etc.
We have so much in common
We have so much in common
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
I suppose that the nature of the class was bound to attract people like myself. This class would naturally appeal to people who love books. Some people seem to feel that the written word is of equal value when compared with words that we hear with our ears. I have a great love for books, and so taking the Library Studies Skills Class at Weber State University, seemed like a dream come true! However, this class held an unexpected surprise for me when we visited the rare books collection at the Library.
The instructor explained about the rare books collection and then offered to give us the opportunity to look at some of these rare books. The instructor disappeared into the back room for a time and emerged with many wonderful old books. As he mentioned the books he had selected, my excitement grew to a heart pounding level. A few moments later, I held in my hands, a very old religious text that is connected with my faith in God. I opened the old book carefully, while supporting the binding tenderly. I read one of my favorite passages from the book and tears came flooding to my eyes. I felt that I was experiencing one of the singular events of my life as I read these sacred words from so ancient a copy of this beautiful book. I looked around the room, filled with a desire to share the joy I felt. I then noticed a man who was having the very same experience, as he was reading from an old religious text of a different religion. It was apparent to me that this man was of a religion and nationality different than my own. His eyes met mine, and as we saw the tears in the other persons eyes, he said, “These are beautiful,” as he cradled a book in his hands. “Yes they are”, I agreed.
There are moments where communication does not require either written or spoken words. This was such a moment. As I looked into his eyes, I realized that this man was a good and honest man. I realized at the same time, that whatever had moved him to tears must therefore be good as well. These feelings banished any fear, suspicion or prejudice instantly from my heart. I felt a bond of brotherhood with this man that I knew very little about. I felt as though God were reaching out to both of us at the same time through different voices, which were both inspired by him. God seemed to be reaching out in the language and circumstances of our lives with a language that transcends nationality and culture.
This experience happened a long time ago. The details regarding the other students with which I took this class are gone from my memory. I remember the things that I learned from the class. I remember doing the research at the library and I remember my instructor and the skill that he displayed while teaching this class. Even so, the most poignant memory from this class will always be the things that remained unspoken, between me and this other man. I wrote the following poem to describe further the things that I felt in that moment.
His image
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
Many see your dark skin
And think they know you well
Other faiths say that we sin
And are headed straight for hell
When we look in the mirror
And memorize our face
We think that we grow nearer
To learning our true place.
Yet, the longer I live upon this earth,
And the more I meet new friends
I've learned a lesson of great worth
As my suspicion ends.
I've learned, as I look in your eyes
And walk on foreign sod
I see, in you, to my surprise
The image of our God.
I’ve thought a lot about the feelings of sacred wonder that this fellow student and I shared in that moment. We both had a desire to share the joy we had received from these wonderful records. This shared experience, gave me an appreciation for the things that other people hold sacred. I gained, in that moment, a greater understanding of the fact that we are all children of the same God. As human beings, we hope and yearn for the same things. As I think back to the night we spent in the rare books collection, I remember walking out of the Library and seeing the night sky. It was a clear night and there seemed to be an endless number of stars shining in the sky. I looked up at them, breathing in the cool night air and feeling wonderfully safe and at home in this world. At that moment, I realized very powerfully that those people who hold as sacred, the written words that teach civility and morality, have ever so much in common.
Relationships
Hello,
Here is a little more inspiration and humor for you…
We must love our family more than our Occupations. After we are retired from our employment, it is our family that we want to continue to the end of our lives and throughout all eternity.
Consider the following quotes from Pauline Boss…
"Nobody is a perfect parent. Actually the imperfections of the average family are the child's first introduction to the real, imperfect world they would later have to cope with on their own."
"Sometimes when a family cannot obtain the facts about the whereabouts of a family member they take it on themselves to make a decision or choice whether that person is in or out of the family system. When a family member is consistently "missing", psychologically or physically, the rest of the family may decide to "close the individual out" and to proceed with family life as if he or she were not there. Although someone is missing the family is in limbo. They are unable to grieve their loss because they do not know if that person is in our out of the family. After they have been in limbo for a time and unsuccessful in their attempts to bring back the absent person, the family may decide that the situation is irretrievable. They now recognize that the family will never return to the way it once was, and the missing person is indeed gone and no longer available to them. With perceptions more or less agreed on even in the absence of clear facts, the family begins to grieve what they have lost. Sometimes a family makes a mistake in their decision. For example when a missing person returns after years of absence the family has to reopen its boundaries to let the person back in. Although reunions are usually positive, they can cause increased stress for individuals and families who had closed out the missing person. Getting family members back as well as loosing them can produce stress for families. Both loss and acquisition disturb the equilibrium and require reorganization not only of boundaries but also of all system interactions. This is a concept called 'family boundary ambiguity.' "
"Usually one family member breaks through the denial pattern first and, if allowed to talk freely, will break open the family's "unspoken secret" for everyone. Although painful, this action is the beginning of family reorganization and health. Lower stress and better health becomes possible for them despite their loss. The family talks together, perhaps cries together, and then reorganizes their family boundary, taking into account their loss. When families do not break through this denial system, their stress levels often increase."
"When a family member is missing, physically or psychologically, a high degree of boundary ambiguity keeps people in limbo. When there is no clear course of action, ambivalence can thrive. People dread closing out the family member who has been missing for a long time but at the same time they hope for closure and to be done with the waiting. They may even become angry with and wish that they could just never think of the person again and then be consumed with guilt for having such thoughts. The distress that results from conflicting emotions can become so overwhelming that families and the individuals in them become immobilized. They cannot decide what to do or how to act. They freeze. Ambivalence may be a normal reaction to a chronically ambiguous situation. This immobilization can be considered as frozen grief, low mastery, helplessness, hopelessness, blocked coping, blocked decision making, anxiety, depression, or all these. High boundary ambiguity during situations of ambiguous loss can lead to ambivalent feelings and behaviors toward the missing family member. Such feelings can best be coped with if they are recognized, talked about, and normalized to minimize immobilization from guilt and shame."
Consider also this statement from James Q. Wilson…
"We learn to cope with the people of this world because we learn to cope with the members of our family. Those who flee the family flee the world; bereft of the family's affection, tutelage, and challenges, they are unprepared for the world's tests, judgments, and demands"
And this follow-up comment by Neal A. Maxwell…
"How ironical that some go into a far country, leaving the nourishing family garden--in which there may be some weeds--and go into a desert with its tumbling sagebrush." (End Quote)
Let us stand with our families and work through the problems common to every family. Our Heavenly Father wants us to love one another.
I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
-Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
P.S. An Iowan walks into the hardware store to buy a chain saw. He says, "I want one that'll cut down about ten trees in an hour." So the clerk sells him one. The next day, the Iowan comes in all upset and says, "Hey, this chain saw only cut down one little tree in one hour!" The clerk said, "Gee, Let me take a look at it." And he pulled on the starter rope and the saw started up and the Iowan said, "Hey, what's that noise?"
Here is a little more inspiration and humor for you…
We must love our family more than our Occupations. After we are retired from our employment, it is our family that we want to continue to the end of our lives and throughout all eternity.
Consider the following quotes from Pauline Boss…
"Nobody is a perfect parent. Actually the imperfections of the average family are the child's first introduction to the real, imperfect world they would later have to cope with on their own."
"Sometimes when a family cannot obtain the facts about the whereabouts of a family member they take it on themselves to make a decision or choice whether that person is in or out of the family system. When a family member is consistently "missing", psychologically or physically, the rest of the family may decide to "close the individual out" and to proceed with family life as if he or she were not there. Although someone is missing the family is in limbo. They are unable to grieve their loss because they do not know if that person is in our out of the family. After they have been in limbo for a time and unsuccessful in their attempts to bring back the absent person, the family may decide that the situation is irretrievable. They now recognize that the family will never return to the way it once was, and the missing person is indeed gone and no longer available to them. With perceptions more or less agreed on even in the absence of clear facts, the family begins to grieve what they have lost. Sometimes a family makes a mistake in their decision. For example when a missing person returns after years of absence the family has to reopen its boundaries to let the person back in. Although reunions are usually positive, they can cause increased stress for individuals and families who had closed out the missing person. Getting family members back as well as loosing them can produce stress for families. Both loss and acquisition disturb the equilibrium and require reorganization not only of boundaries but also of all system interactions. This is a concept called 'family boundary ambiguity.' "
"Usually one family member breaks through the denial pattern first and, if allowed to talk freely, will break open the family's "unspoken secret" for everyone. Although painful, this action is the beginning of family reorganization and health. Lower stress and better health becomes possible for them despite their loss. The family talks together, perhaps cries together, and then reorganizes their family boundary, taking into account their loss. When families do not break through this denial system, their stress levels often increase."
"When a family member is missing, physically or psychologically, a high degree of boundary ambiguity keeps people in limbo. When there is no clear course of action, ambivalence can thrive. People dread closing out the family member who has been missing for a long time but at the same time they hope for closure and to be done with the waiting. They may even become angry with and wish that they could just never think of the person again and then be consumed with guilt for having such thoughts. The distress that results from conflicting emotions can become so overwhelming that families and the individuals in them become immobilized. They cannot decide what to do or how to act. They freeze. Ambivalence may be a normal reaction to a chronically ambiguous situation. This immobilization can be considered as frozen grief, low mastery, helplessness, hopelessness, blocked coping, blocked decision making, anxiety, depression, or all these. High boundary ambiguity during situations of ambiguous loss can lead to ambivalent feelings and behaviors toward the missing family member. Such feelings can best be coped with if they are recognized, talked about, and normalized to minimize immobilization from guilt and shame."
Consider also this statement from James Q. Wilson…
"We learn to cope with the people of this world because we learn to cope with the members of our family. Those who flee the family flee the world; bereft of the family's affection, tutelage, and challenges, they are unprepared for the world's tests, judgments, and demands"
And this follow-up comment by Neal A. Maxwell…
"How ironical that some go into a far country, leaving the nourishing family garden--in which there may be some weeds--and go into a desert with its tumbling sagebrush." (End Quote)
Let us stand with our families and work through the problems common to every family. Our Heavenly Father wants us to love one another.
I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
-Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
P.S. An Iowan walks into the hardware store to buy a chain saw. He says, "I want one that'll cut down about ten trees in an hour." So the clerk sells him one. The next day, the Iowan comes in all upset and says, "Hey, this chain saw only cut down one little tree in one hour!" The clerk said, "Gee, Let me take a look at it." And he pulled on the starter rope and the saw started up and the Iowan said, "Hey, what's that noise?"
Good Communication
By Appreciable Goodfaithpoet
We attended a wedding reception recently and I was talking with a dear Lady who has been a friend to my wife from the time that she was little. I said to this Lady, “I’m looking for my children and so far I have only found one out of three.” I then pointed at my wife, who is expecting and said, “ I know right where the fourth child is though.” The Lady became very angry and said in a harsh tone, “And I’m sure that she would say the same thing about you!” “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” I explained, “I thought you knew that my wife is expecting, that is why I always know where our fourth child is.” “Oh, I’m sorry.” The blushing Lady replied as everyone had a good laugh.
I asked the children recently, “What is the way to be happy?” “To be nice”, answered one of the children. I inquired further, “What happens when someone is mean to you, how do you feel?” My youngest daughter said, “Well, you might feel like you need to kick them.”
My four year old son and I recently went on a Father and Sons campout. My Son was worried that if some babies came to the campout with their fathers that they might chew on his flashlight. He said that if babies came that he would hold his backpack over his head to keep it safe. During the first evening around the campfire my Son had marshmallow and dirt all over his face. “Son come over here so I can wash your face.” My Son asked with a smile, “So people can recognize me?” After he was cleaned up I said, “You’re a handsome boy.” He replied with enthusiasm, “You can say that again!”
We attended a wedding reception recently and I was talking with a dear Lady who has been a friend to my wife from the time that she was little. I said to this Lady, “I’m looking for my children and so far I have only found one out of three.” I then pointed at my wife, who is expecting and said, “ I know right where the fourth child is though.” The Lady became very angry and said in a harsh tone, “And I’m sure that she would say the same thing about you!” “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” I explained, “I thought you knew that my wife is expecting, that is why I always know where our fourth child is.” “Oh, I’m sorry.” The blushing Lady replied as everyone had a good laugh.
I asked the children recently, “What is the way to be happy?” “To be nice”, answered one of the children. I inquired further, “What happens when someone is mean to you, how do you feel?” My youngest daughter said, “Well, you might feel like you need to kick them.”
My four year old son and I recently went on a Father and Sons campout. My Son was worried that if some babies came to the campout with their fathers that they might chew on his flashlight. He said that if babies came that he would hold his backpack over his head to keep it safe. During the first evening around the campfire my Son had marshmallow and dirt all over his face. “Son come over here so I can wash your face.” My Son asked with a smile, “So people can recognize me?” After he was cleaned up I said, “You’re a handsome boy.” He replied with enthusiasm, “You can say that again!”
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