Happy Birthday Mandy!

Today is Mandy's birthday!
She turned 25 today.

Beverly and I called her a few minutes ago to talk to her. She was doing good. She and Alex were re-potting some of the plants they received at the funeral.

I know this will not be the happiest of birthday's for Mandy, but time will heal our loss and we hope for brighter days to come. We know that life is made up of joys and sorrows all interwoven.

Amazing Chalk Drawing

Back Home
The funeral for Kevin Massey was so sad and tearful. Kevin was a good and kind man: A loving husband to Sylvia, and a wonderful father to our dear Mandy.

Death reminds of the shortness of our life. I saw this quote: "There's nothing certain in a man's life except this: That he must lose it." by Aeschylus. May we live our lives mindful of eternity. Eternity is the hereafter. And the "after" depends on what we do "here".

Amazing Chalk Drawing
The following YouTube video is a time lapse video of Julian Beever creating the Aveeno Fountain of Youth chalk drawing in Union Square, NYC on 01/15/07. His work is amazing and you can see more of his work at his web page gallery at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pavementpicasso/sets/

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:

Kindness can result in not saying, "I'm sorry."

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Quote of the Day

He who angers you conquers you.
~Elizabeth Kenny

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Joke of the Day

The computer company, where my wife works, distributed a corporate-clothing catalogue that included a pair of cuff links. One was inscribed Ctrl (Control) and the other Esc (Escape), just as they look on a computer keyboard.

"They would make a good present for any man," my wife commented to a colleague, "if only to remind him of the two things he can never have."

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Family Sorrow

It is a sad time for all of our family today. We learned early yesterday morning that Mandy's stepfather had a fatal heart attack. His name is Kevin Massey and he is Sylvia's husband. Our hearts are filled with sorrow today as we drive to Lebanon, Tennessee to be with Sylvia, Mandy, and Alex. Click here to view the Obituary: Kevin Massey Obituary

This picture below shows the family in happier times over two years ago at Mandy and Alex's wedding. (From left to right, Kevin Massey, Mandy & Alex Rogers, and Sylvia Massey.)

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Hal, Get Well Soon

We also have sorrow because of the illness of Hal Ketron who is Lesley's Dad, that's Kevin White's father-in-law. Hal had surgery for a brain tumor Monday morning and remains in intensive care. This too gives us a heavy heart.

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We know that through life times like this come. It is part of life. We know that God does not make life easy, but He always provides the strength for the hard times.

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I hope to get back to my regular postings later this week.

Remember...
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God!

A Mousetrap is in the house!

Here's a good story about a mouse that gives us a good lesson about life. Many thanks to my son, Kevin, for sending it to me.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain the mouse wondered - - - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!'

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, 'Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.'

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!' The pig sympathized, but said, 'I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.'

The mouse turned to the cow and said, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!' The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose.'

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . alone. That very night a sound was heard through out the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember ---- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Remember... Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry; our lives are woven together for a reason.

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:

Watch out for and help others as we go down the road of life.

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Quote of the Day

Well done is better than well said.

~Benjamin Franklin

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Joke of the Day

A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person.

The republican gave the homeless person his business card and told him come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.

The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, He decided to help. He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the welfare office. He then reached into the Republicans pocket and gave him fifty dollars.

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New Slide Shows

Convention
We had a wonderful convention the past four days. I hope to work on my convention gems sometime this week. We heard so many good things that we need to work into our life.

New PowerPoint Slide Shows
I have two new PowerPoint slide shows for you. You can download them here:

New Slide Shows

The new slide shows: The first is about China the Beautiful, and the second is about Dogs and People. Both are really good. I think you will enjoy them.

(The reason for this new page is that I ran out of space for uploading slide shows at Tennessee Granddaddy's web page. So I created a web page for Beverly, called Tennessee Grandmother. Who knows, maybe some day she will start posting for us?)

The two pictures are a preview from the Beautiful China slide show.

My other slide shows can be found here: Favorite Slide Shows
This is where I ran out of room.

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:

Be happy and smile.
We have so much to be thankful for.

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Quote of the Day

You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far.
~Uncle Remus

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Joke of the Day

Airman Jones was assigned to the induction center, where he advised new recruits about their government benefits, especially their GI insurance. It wasn't long before Captain Smith noticed that Airman Jones was having a staggeringly high success-rate, selling insurance to nearly 100% of the recruits he advised. Rather than ask about this, the Captain stood in the back of the room and listened to Jones' sales pitch.

Jones explained the basics of the GI Insurance to the new recruits, and then said: "If you have GI Insurance and go into battle and are killed, the government has to pay $200,000 to your beneficiaries. If you don't have GI insurance, and you go into battle and get killed, the government only has to pay a maximum of $6000.

Now," he concluded, "which group do you think they are going to send into battle first?"

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Thursday was a good day.

From our convention yesterday we heard:

• God has given us time to prepare, but not time to waste.

• "Human reasoning" brings treasure in this life, but "heavenly reasoning" brings treasure in heaven

We had a wonderful day at our convention. We heard so much to help us.

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:

I'm thinking that the human body is fragile, and that life is uncertain.

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Quote of the Day

Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
~Mark Twain

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Joke of the Day

Top Ten Things That Men Understand About Women
1.
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10.

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Convention

Our Knoxville church convention begins tomorrow. It's four days of spiritual feasting. We look forward to being there. I hope I am prepared. No, I don't mean I have my luggage packed and things like that. I hope I have a soft heart and ready to hear what God has prepared for me.

Don't expect any posts from me until next week. I doubt I will have the time.

I usually take notes at our church conventions. It seems to help me remember what I heard. Then later I go through my notes a jot down the things that were "special" to me. I have called these my convention "gems". I have my "gems" from earlier conventions listed on one of my web pages in case you are interested: Convention Gems

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Tennessee Granddaddy Says:

Someone said, "Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up". I like that.

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Quote of the Day

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.
~George Eliot

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Joke of the Day

While attending a marriage seminar on communication, Tom and his wife Peg listened to the instructor declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other."

He addressed the men, "Can you describe your wife's favorite flower?"

Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, Pillsbury All-Purpose, isn't it?"

The rest of the story is not pleasant.

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