Monday on the Move

The day has been a very, very busy one. I began my morning by taking Sean into school.

Then off with Dean & Walter to shop for a vehicle. We began our shopping at a little used car lot near the house - there Walter found a great 99 Buick LeSabre. We took a quick side trip and pick up Sean and continued on down the way. Our next stop found a 96 Chevrolet Impala SS [this one had been a police cruiser in a neighboring county]. We ended up shopping the entire "Used Car" Motor Miles between our house and Turner Road. It was an amazing adventure. Dean and Walter were looking under hoods and evaluating engines, examining interiors and even the trunk space. All very efficient.

There is still shopping to do and then the insurance shopping on top of that. There are a couple of leads on some possibly very inexpensive vehicles that could pan out, but you never know how those elusive deals can fall through just as quickly as they appear.

Our afternoon was filled with the Adventure in Traffic Court. The judge was in quite a jovial mood. He seemed almost like Santa Claus as he was passing out judgments. He was extremely generous with everyone. Except the man who caused a car to fly off Rt. 288 and land on the street below - that guy didn't even show up for court - so he's is in BIG trouble. They are out to get him now. As for Walter he will be spending a day in driving school and that will be all.

The late afternoon and remaining evening were spent on a road trip to Staunton! Walter & I picked up Mom and set out for Staunton. The goal was to deliver Walter to his out of town job site to work for the rest of the week. We didn't have a bit of trouble on the road and had an enjoyable visit up. We even arrived at the hotel that the crew was staying at the same time that they arrived to check-in. Perfect timing! Having delivered Walter, Mom & I set out back for home.

Mom & I stopped at a little Chinese restaurant in Stuarts Draft and ate some dinner on the way back. We even saw one road called Tinkling Creek Road. What a name!

I received a phone call from Walter about half-way home, telling me that we should have stayed around as they planning on taking us out to dinner for bring Walter up. Which was a very sweet thought. THEN the real surprise, one of his coworkers thought that I was Walter's sister and Mom was his Mom. They were SHOCKED to find out that his traveling companions were actually his Mom & Grandma. It was a lovely compliment. We made it back to Mom's by 8:15 and I got in before 8:45 p.m.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thoughts for the Day:

• One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats. - Iris Murdoch
• God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. - C.S. Lewis

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.

In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He
leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about and we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW." Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Mental Hospital Phone Menu:

State Mental Hospital. Please select from the following options menu:

• If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.
• If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.
• If you have low self-esteem, please hang up. Our operators are too busy to talk with you.
• If you have short-term memory loss , press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
• If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.
• If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.
• If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.
• If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
• If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.
• If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call.
• If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.
• If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.
• If you are blonde , don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up.

Why God made Moms

BRILLIANT Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions!!

Why did God make mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
   

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He Just used bigger parts.
   

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you Your mother & not some other mom?

1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
   

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
   

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
   

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
   

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She se es the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
   

What's the difference between moms & dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
   

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
   

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
   

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.