Patrick Henry Hughes is the answer~

Thanks for guessing, Cathy!!  The previous poem I posted is by Patrick Henry Hughes. This young man was born blind with a tightening of his limbs that put him into a wheelchair quite young.  He is a wonderful poet, musician and attends college.  I just found this partiuclarly amazing!!

See if you can guess who wrote this?

Any day I'm vertical
is a good day"
...that's what I always say.
And I give thanks for my health.

If you ask me,
"How are you?"

I'll answer, "GREAT!"
because in saying so,
I make it so.
And I give thanks
I can choose my attitude.

When Life gives me dark clouds and rain,
I appreciate the moisture
that brings a soft curl to my hair.

When Life gives me sunshine,
I gratefully turn my face up
to feel its warmth on my cheeks.

When Life brings fog,
I hug my sweater around me
and give thanks for the cool shroud of mystery
that makes the familiar seem different and intriguing.

When Life brings snow,
I dash outside to catch the first flakes on my tongue,
relishing the icy miracle that is a snowflake.

Life's events and experiences
are like the weather—
they come and go,
no matter what my preference.

So, what the heck?!
I might as well decide to enjoy them.

For indeed,
there IS a time for every purpose
under Heaven.

And each season brings its own unique blessings...
and I give thanks.

Doesn't TIME seem to be the most valuable?

When Benjamin Franklin was a boy, he traded all his money for a friend’s whistle. And he enjoyed the whistle until he learned it was worth only a fraction of what he’d paid for it. Immediately the whistle lost all its charm, and Ben was greatly annoyed at having made such a foolish mistake. But he learned an important lesson that day: not to invest more than something is worth.

Years later, when he saw a man neglecting his family for political popularity, or a miser sacrificing friendship for wealth, he would see what the man was missing to pursue the wrong ideals and say, "He pays too much for his whistle."

In Benjamin Franklin’s time, just as now, many people were proud of their appearance, their lavish lifestyle, and fancy homes. He would watch them go into debt to maintain the image of wealth and would once again decide they were paying far too much for their whistle.1

Today we might see people working overtime to buy all the latest toys and electronic gadgets. Long hours away from home could mean that their families have every enticement, but a better gift might simply be to spend time with them.

The most valuable treasures and the greatest satisfaction can usually be found close to home, in the people and loved ones around us. If we’ve been chasing fame and acclaim instead of building lasting relationships, we can stop in our tracks and make a course correction. What guides our daily actions? Are the things we seek really worth the sacrifices we’re making?

Thoughtfully consider your course and your priorities, and then resolve to invest time in what matters most. Then our actions will align with our values and we can rest assured we won’t be paying too much for our whistle.

1. See Benjamin Franklin, "The Whistle,” in Brander Matthews, comp., The Oxford Book of American Essays (1914), 4–6.

PJ's are a good thing~

Labor Day included the labor of FLU!!! yucky..........Friday after work, the chills, okay lay on a heating pad and watch a movie, well that turned into many movies through the night and into saturday - which turned into every fun thing that comes with the stomach flu!

Later on I found out Kel & Stacey were sharing the same moments ( smile )

Anyway, today is the day after Labor Day and it's great to be alive and feeling sooooooo much better!!!

DANCE... like theres no tomorrow! :): 6th Grade

DANCE... like theres no tomorrow! :): 6th Grade: Well school started one week ago and so far its going pretty good. I got the teacher i wanted (her name is brooke) She is really nice!! We d...

We've all been given POTENTIAL

Please watch this inspiring video of an amazing Father and son! 

www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

Speaking in Church.....

Yesterday, I had a very interesting experience speaking in sacrament meeting.  The lady that spoke before me wasn't there when the meeting started and I was getting pretty nervous about taking more than my allotted 15 minutes!!!~~~She arrived with her husband and adorable golden curled haired 2 year old son. They sat on the front row and when she came up to talk, so did her son.  He rode the railing at the pulpit, threw his shoes over the side, smiled, made faces, ran around in front of the bishopric - needless to say it was amazing to see that the father didn't ever offer to take him out.  The bishop leaned forward at one point to catch him, thinking he was going to fall, a counselor had to sit at the piano because he kept opening up the piano and playing it.  I didn't know this family and found out after the meeting what was going on, but needless to say the spirit was not there...............and I was getting a little nervous that they were going to let him be my companion when I got up to speak as well.!!

When she finished, the choir sang and she and her husband still did not try to reign him.  He kept coming up the stairs and running around the pulpit area.  I was getting quite interested in the reaction of the ward members.  From my vantage point I could see some getting a kick out of it, mainly the youth and some getting quite red-faced............ready to stand up and tell them "get your kid!".

When it was my turn to speak the father again picked up the little boy and they moved to the back of the chapel, where he proceeded to act up and eventually the mother took him out.  I completed my talk and felt a peaceful feeling that finally the spirit was there in our meeting.  When the meeting ended the Bishop came up to me and apologized saying, "Sister Jewkes, I'm so sorry.  This family has just become active again and are unaware obviously of how to help their little son~they told us recently on a home visit that "they do not believe in telling their son no.".......it all came together

.....spare the rod and spoil the child?....................Maybe just a little bit!!!