> > BEST JOB IN THE WORLD > > I've been a mom for over 15 years now, and along with gaining spider > veins, 25 pounds, and a few dozen worry wrinkles, I've also gained > knowledge. > For instance, I learned a major lesson when my darling daughter, age > 3, put her peanut butter sandwich in the VCR slot. It seemed she wanted to > "watch" her lunch instead of "Little Mermaid". Trust me... VCR's do not > eject Peanut Butter Sandwiches! > In the twelve years since that sticky incident, I've also learned the > following gems of wisdom: > 1. A new mom really can get by on 3 hours and seventeen minutes of > sleep per night. You could use the bags under your eyes to pack for a > cruise, but at least the sweet smell of poopy diapers can act as smelling > salts to revive you. > 2. If it's 2am and your toddler whines, "Mommy, my tummy hurts!", you > have three seconds to react before his stomach contents wind up on your > pillow case. > 3. A two year old can stuff half a purple crayon up his nose in the > time it takes to tie your 4-year-old's shoe. > 4. Your proudly potty-trained 3-yr-old will always have to "go" after > she's bundled into long underwear, pants, and a snow suit. > 5. A mom can have a 102 degree fever, hacking cough, and horrible > rash, but she still has to make supper, make a cover for a 6th grade > Science book, and take a sliver out of an 8-year-old's finger. > 6. If head lice is invading your son's class, he'll pick that day to > borrow Josh's comb (even though he usually never combs his hair). > 7. A teenager may call your jokes lame -- but she usually repeats > them to her friends. > 8. Nothing feels better after a hard day at the office, dentist, or > tax accountant, than a big hug and sticky "tootsie roll" kiss from your > favorite kid. > 9. The best presents are not made of gold or silver, but consist of > uncooked macaroni noodles glued to a jar and sprayed with paint. > 10. Being a Mom is the best job in the world, and it's truly worth > the spider veins, extra pounds and extra wrinkles. > Happy Mothers Day! > > -- Darlene Buechel »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Your morning thought for the day: People rarely succeed unless they have fun at what they are doing. O * O *O * O O * * O <º)(((((~((((((>>>< * <º)((((~((((>< missi

> Did you ever hear about it? A phone booth miles from anyplace, ringing > with calls from around the world. Naturally this wonderful strangeness > could not be tolerated by the park service bureaucrats. > > > »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

wish i could attach the pic cat is huge~! This cat is amazing Rodger Degagne, a former employee with AECL in Chalk River, may be embarking on a new career as Feline Breeder. Relaxing in his spacious home on the shores of the Ottawa River, Mr. Degagne recalls how 15 years ago he befriended two stray young cats on the old AECL research facility at Chalk River. The kittens had appeared in late summer and apparently had gotten under a security fence around the old labs abandoned since the late 50's. With the help of his tuna sandwich, Mr. Degagne was able to coax the kitties close enough so that he could pick them up. A self described animal lover, he did not want to place the kittens in the local Humane Society. In this largely rural area, cats of all stripes and ages largely go unwanted and are humanely disposed of after a few days. Later that evening his wife Louise and their two children, Nicole and Kelly came to a family decision to keep the kittens which they named Lost and Found. Lost turned out to be female and Found a male. When nature finally took it's course, a litter of kittens was born 6 years later. One of the litter was a big white female with a unique black markings on her side and tail. Something about the kitten captured the hearts of the family and while her siblings eventually found homes elsewhere, Snowball stayed with the Degagne's. While Lost and Found are no longer with us, their progeny live on. In her 9 years Snowball's size has seemed to snowball. Put simply, Snowball is no ordinary cat, she measures 69 inches from nose to tail and weighs in at 87 Ibs. She started out a big kitty and she just seemed to keep growing. She always meowed for more food and would climb up on the counter to eat food which I forgot to cover. Chicken is her favorite. "Once I left a cooked chicken on the table that I was going to use for a boat picnic, an hour later the chicken was gone", Louise said. We knew that snowball wasn't your average cat when the neighbor's German Shepherd ran yelping away from his first encounter with her. Shejust isn't afraid of any animals. After we found a half eaten raccoon out by the garage, we decided that maybe Snowball should be kept fenced in. We soon discovered that while we can keep snowball in the yard, we couldn't keep raccoons from Snowball. At least it kept the food bills down Rodger laughed "Like all female cats she is very territorial, but with us she is just a big ole kitten" he said. So what does a 87 pound cat eat? Snowball goes through a about 3 lbs. of cat food a day, along with cooked chicken, supplemented with deer and moose that Rodger hunts in the fall. She likes Pike a lot, so I don't throw them back any more. Snowball often accompanies Rodger fishing on the Ottawa, eagerly peering over the side of the boat as soon as his line goes tight. So what do the Degagne's attribute Snowball's size to? Rodger says "Well, the vet thinks it could be her thyroid, but she isn't fat, she's just a real big cat. I think maybe her parents got into something at »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Wow Janis. This had me glued~! (think I forgot to breath~!) thanks kiddo, powerful story. kath >>>>> She practiced all the lines out loud. When she heard the police pull up > she kneeled beside the man that had once promised God that he was going > to love and cherish her and felt nothing. That man was gone long ago and > this body belonged to someone whom she didn't even know. She didn't feel > any pain besides the tingling of her ribs. She had no regrets either. > She put him out of his misery and ended her own misery with just one > bullet. > > Yet, she knelt there and screamed like her life was over.

If I Could Do Life Over Again While in a deeply reflective mood, I asked myself, if I could do life over again, would I have changed anything? I have heard this question asked before, and in many cases, the individual answering claimed to be fairly content with the past, and thus, would not change anything. Looking back on my own forty years, I cannot share this sentiment. Most regrets on my part do not concern activities I never had a chance or desire to do, such as bungee jumping or skydiving, but, more commonly focus on "attitude." For one thing, if I could do life over, I would be much more fearless, for fear has often held me back from reaching out and boldly making new friends. It's also prevented me from taking some godly risks which may have improved my life. If I could have a new lease on life, I would also be less concerned about how others might perceive what I do or say. There are times I would have liked to have screamed out and run in the ocean surf, or to break into spontaneous song or dance, but did not. If I could do life over again, I would appreciate more, taking my time to really stop and smell the roses. I'd spend more time enjoying family, friends, and even such simple pleasures as a warm cup of tea on a cold winter's day. If I could turn my life around, I would love more richly, utter more kind words, share more smiles, and offer more warm embraces. As my list of regrets went on, admittedly, I felt my spirit begin to sink a bit. Just then, a small voice inside me said, "It is never to late to change! The past is past and tomorrow is a brand new day!" How true that statement is! And isn't this what the concept of repentance is all about? We all have regrets and have made mistakes, but by inviting Christ into our lives, we can truly be released from the occasional hurtful bondage of the past. In so doing, we are made into new creatures by the cleansing of God's word! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" -II Corinthians 5:17 Won't you join me today by becoming a new creation? Contributed by Melanie Schurr »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

First-Day Employee My father had a small business, employing approximately fifteen people at any given time. We pasteurized and homogenized milk from farmers each morning, and put it into bottles for home use and for restaurants. We also put the milk into small containers for the school kids everyday. We also made a wonderful little thing called homemade ice cream. We sold all of these milk products, and many more, in the front of a dairy building, which had been fashioned into a small store with a large soda fountain. During the summer months, there were rows and rows of eager tourists lined up at the ice cream counter, waiting for their daily indulgence of my father's most exquisite recipes of some twenty-seven flavors of homemade wonder. Being such an extremely busy little store meant that the employees had to work fast and furious for hours at a time, with little rest. The swarm of tourists never stopped and our "rush hour" lasted many hours on hot days. I had worked for my father since I was young, as did all seven kids in our family. So I had seen many new employees come and go due to the fast and frenetic pace. One day, in 1967, we had a new employee, Debbie, who wanted to work in the store for the summer. She had never done this type of work before, but planned to give it her all. On her first day, Debbie made just about every mistake in the book. She added the sales wrong on the cash register, she charged the wrong prices for items, she gave the wrong bag of food to the wrong customer, and she dropped and broke a half gallon of milk. The torture of watching her struggle was too much for me. I went into my father's office and said, "Please go out there and put her out of her misery." I expected him to walk right into the store and fire her on the spot. Since my father's office was situated within view of the sales counter, he had no doubt seen what I was talking about. He sat, thoughtful, for a moment. Then he got up from his desk and walked over to Debbie, who was standing behind the counter. "Debbie," he said, as he put his hand gently on her shoulder. "I have been watching you all day, and I saw how you treated Mrs. Forbush." Debbie's face began to flush and tears began to well in her eyes as she struggled to remember Mrs. Forbush from the many women she had given the wrong change to or spilled milk on. My father continued, "I've never seen Mrs. Forbush be so polite to any one of my employees before. You really knew how to handle her. I am sure that she is going to want you to wait on her every time she comes in. Keep up the good work." In return for being a wise and compassionate employer, my father got a loyal, and hardworking employee for sixteen years...and a friend for life. By Mary Jane West-Delgado Reprinted by permission of Mary Jane West-Delgado (c) 1998, from A 6th Bowl of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

You can see the picture here http://www.netlaughter.com/bigcat2.htm wish i could attach the pic cat is huge~! This cat is amazing Rodger Degagne, a former employee with AECL in Chalk River, may be embarking on a new career as Feline Breeder. Relaxing in his spacious home on the shores of the Ottawa River, Mr. Degagne recalls how 15 years ago he befriended two stray young cats on the old AECL research facility at Chalk River. The kittens had appeared in late summer and apparently had gotten under a security fence around the old labs abandoned since the late 50's.

NEVER BROACHED AGAIN I was 19 years old, and I was going to write my life story. I dragged the electric typewriter out of the hallway closet and set it on the formal dining room table. I tore open the package of 8x11-inch typing paper, that I had bought with part of my weekly earnings, as a cashier at Sears. That solid stack of virgin paper was a pile of gold to me, waiting to be turned into jewelry. I placed the Webster dictionary to the left of the typewriter, and on top of that was a well-thumbed thesaurus. I was salivating. I lived at home with my parets while I attended the university full-time and worked part-time. The seventh of eight children, I was the last one to leave the roost, since the Texas Rehabilitation Commission required that I be a dependent, to qualify for a program in which it would pay for my tuition. As a hearing-impaired freshman, I decided to sample the fields of deaf education, speech pathology, and audiology. Here I was, on the verge of new territory, this whole college experience, and I had yet to document anything of the old stomping grounds I called childhood. The world needed to hear about it! I rolled a sheet of paper into the typewriter and snapped the silver bar against it. I pecked out the heading, pressed enter, then centered my name underneath the heading. I leaned back and let out a long, satisfying exhale. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath. That day I was able to crank out the first chapter. I went to bed that night feeling victorious. One Saturday morning, I was especially ripe with anticipation. My parents were golfing, and I had the whole house to myself. One idea after another was engulfing me, and I couldn't wait to get pounding on those keys. I was still in my nightshirt and couldn't bear the thought of breakfast until my ideas were struck against paper. I stopped dead in my tracks. A note was propped up between two rows of keys. I stooped over to read my mother's handwriting. It said simply: "Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. Love, Mom." I think my heart stopped beating. My mouth went slack. I felt a slow burn crawl up my neck to my face. My scalp tingled. I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or angry. I guess I was both. I sat there a good long while. Then I picked up a neat pile of papers, three chapters worth of my life in black and white, and began reading the words through my mother's eyes. What I found horrified me. It was nothing but a whiny diatribe against my mother. "She wouldn't let me wear makeup..." "What was wrong with wearing jeans?" "...hated my boyfriend..." I did what had to be done. I cleared the table of the dictionary, thesaurus, the leftover virgin paper. I tore my whining up into little pieces and threw it in the garbage. I parked the typewriter back in the hallway closet. Noticing the cleared table later on, Mom asked what had happened to my "project." I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled something about homework taking up all my spare time. The subject was never broached again. That day, I buried my whining and carved Mom's advice into my heart. When the time is right, I will write my life story. And when I do, you will wish you had had a mother like mine. -- Jennifer Oliver »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Your morning thought for the day: Life is hard, by the yard -- »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

> > This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her > friend. > > Dear, I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting > in the yard and admiring the view without fussing > about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time > with my family and friends and less time working. > > Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of > experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to > recognize these moments now and cherish them. > > I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good China and > crystal for every special event such as losing a > pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first > Amaryllis blossom. I wear my good blazer to the > market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell > out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. > > I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, > but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and > tellers at the bank. > > "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their > grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing > or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. > > I'm not sure what others would've done had they known > they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all > take for granted. I think they would have called > family members and a few close friends. They might > have called a few former friends to apologize and > mend fences for past squabbles. > > I like to think they would have gone out for a > Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food > was. > > I'm guessing; I'll never know. > > It's those little things left undone that would make > me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry > because I hadn't written certain letters that I > intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry > that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough > how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not > to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add > laughter and luster to our lives. > > And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself > that it is special. Every day, every minute, every > breath truly is a gift from God. > > > People say "true friends must always hold hands", but > true friends don't need to hold hands because they > know the other hand will always be there. > > I don't believe in miracles. I rely on them. > > > > > »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« You're Just Jealous Because The Voices Are Talking To Me Richiele Sloan ICQ #63829109 (Missi) »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Thanks Janis. That would be fantastic~! kath > Holy cow!! I am taking this article to my doc to see if it would work on my > crushed spine. Thanks Kath!! > > > > Kath wrote: > > > New spine treatment promising > > Damage reversed from osteoporosis > > Associated Press

Heehee~! :-) Love these AsaDear. :-) Thank you. kath > Mothers teach us TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE > "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside - I just finished > cleaning!" > > Mothers teach us RELIGION > "You better pray that will come out of the carpet." > > Mothers teach us about TIME TRAVEL > "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of > next week!" <<<

This is one of my very favorites Missi. Thank you so much~! kath > > This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her > > friend. <<

> > Your morning thought for the day: > Life is hard, by the yard -- ....but inch by inch, life's a cinch~! :-) I gots gremlins again Missi.....your posts are getting snipped. : ( Kath

Neat story Missi. :-) very timely for Mothers Day. too. thank ya~! kath > NEVER BROACHED AGAIN >

Good-Good-GooD Missi~! Thanks. kath >>>> "Debbie," he said, as he put his hand gently on her > shoulder. "I have been watching you all day, and I saw how you > treated Mrs. Forbush." > Debbie's face began to flush and tears began to well in her > eyes as she struggled to remember Mrs. Forbush from the many > women she had given the wrong change to or spilled milk on. > My father continued, "I've never seen Mrs. Forbush be so > polite to any one of my employees before. You really knew how > to handle her. I am sure that she is going to want you to wait > on her every time she comes in. Keep up the good work." > In return for being a wise and compassionate employer, my > father got a loyal, and hardworking employee for sixteen > years...and a friend for life.

Thanks Linda. They are finding new ways to treat ruptured disks too. Great news~! :-) kath > Hi Kath, this sounds really promising. I will save > this. Thanks for sharing. Love, Linda > > Kath wrote: > > > New spine treatment promising > > Damage reversed from osteoporosis > > Associated Press

Oh I wish I could see it Missi. What a kitty-cat~! LOL~! :-) ....and I thought our old Harley Cat was big~! heehee~! :-) kath > wish i could attach the pic cat is huge~! > > This cat is amazing >

LOL~! :-) Thanks Missi. :-) This is cute......and so true~! :-) kath > > > > > BEST JOB IN THE WORLD