For dog owners...

FALLING IN LOVE IS LIKE OWNING A DOG

First of all, it's a big responsibility, especially in a city like New York.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.

On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you're walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love, ain't no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?

On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.

Love doesn't like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.

Is love good all the time? No! No! Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes. Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after. Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain, just to let love know 'Don't you ever do that again!'

Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise. It runs you around the block and leaves you panting.
It pulls you in several different directions at once,
or winds around and around you until you're all wound up and can't move.

But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love, stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back, again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.

And in return, love loves you and never stops.
~Unknown

Oh, Puppy love! If you have ever had a dog, or fallen in love, this is so true. I can't seem to keep either, a dog or love...but I have experienced both! (Thinking of you Tray. Love ya)

Men and Women who Mocked God

Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death! It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): “Be not deceived; God is not mocked for whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap.” Here are some men and women who mocked God:

John Lennon: Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was OK, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him" (1966). Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.

Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil): During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Rio de Janeiro, while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God, that's for you.'" He died at the age of 32 ,of LUNG CANCER, in a horrible manner.

After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked the man who built the Titanic how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: 'Not even God can sink it'. The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

Marilyn Monroe was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said 'I don't need your Jesus'. A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

Bon Scott (Singer), the ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: 'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'. On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: "My Daughter, Go with God and May He Protect You." She responded: 'Only If He (God) travels in the trunk, cause inside here.....it's already full". Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken.

Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.

~Unknown~

EVERY WOMAN by Maya Angelou

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a youth she’s content to leave behind
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to retelling it in her old age
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh, and one who lets her cry
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a feeling of control over her destiny
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder and when to walk away
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect, but its over
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone, even if she doesn’t like it
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust, whom she can’t, and why she shouldn’t take it personally
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go, be it to her best friend’s kitchen table or a charming inn in the woods, when her soul needs soothing
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day, a month, and a year.

My Vow to Myself

I vow to honor and value myself for all that I have inside.
Be happy and comfortable and know I am valuable to the world.
Be true to my heart and soul.
Be humbled by God’s plan for my life.

Silence the voices around me and live to honor Him.

I vow to keep life in perspective.
Be grateful for the small miracles of each day and thank Him for them.
Be a positive person but know that life is not always perfect.
Accept that which cannot be changed with grace.
Smile a lot. Never be afraid to be "me".
Be silly and sweet, sexy and innocent, shy and outgoing - all at once.
Never lose sight of the most important things in life ~ faith, family and friendship.
Always possess those most important qualities of honesty and sincerity.
Be loving, giving, trusting, and open. Always appreciate my friends and family

and the love they have brought to my life.

I vow to be selfless, kind, forgiving, generous, and nurturing
But strong enough to not be taken advantage of.
Have the strength to make my own decisions.
Know that I have done the best that I could in the moment.
Not judge myself for the decisions I made in the past.

I vow to not lose sight of the strong woman I have become.
Remember how much I have grown and how far I have come.
Remember although I must accept what I cannot control,
I must seize that which I can.

Remember that although I have learned to live alone and be happy,
It does not make me weak to want to share a bond with someone else,

But only a person who has much to give and share.

I vow to live my life to the fullest. To cherish this life I have been given.

Continue to live with no regrets and be the kind of person that I am proud of.
Truly LIVE life and be content with what I have experienced,

what I have felt, and the love that I have shared.
To know that wherever I go,
I can and will leave behind a mark in the hearts of others.

This is my vow.

~Unknown, but edited by me~

Obituary for the late Mr. Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned, but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year -old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer first aid cream, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student. Common Sense lost the will to live as churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

'Meet Me in the Stairwell'

You say you will never forget where you were

when you heard the news on September 11, 2001.

Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room

with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.'

I held his fingers steady as he dialed.

I gave him the Peace to say,

'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK...I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed

breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand

his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor

when a woman cried out to Me for help.

'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!'

I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building

with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls.

I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven.

He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer.

I was with the crew as they were overtaken.

I was in the very hearts of the believers,

there comforting and assuring them that their Faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan.

I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.

Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face.

I knew every name - though not all know Me.

Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.

Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames;

'Come to Me... This way... TakeMy hand.'

Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day.

You may not know why, but I do.

However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time,

would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you.

But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well.

Seek Me now while I may be found.

Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

~God

Christians by Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian" I’m not shouting "I’m clean livin’"
I’m whispering "I was lost, Now I’m found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I’m not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I’m not holier than thou.
I’m just a simple sinner Who received God’s good grace, somehow!