World Cancer Day
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Spread a Little Happiness
Impinge another’s happiness
And you will sadly find
That your contentment is withheld
Dooming your state of mind
Disempower another
And stop them in their tracks
Then similarly your own way will
Be blocked and held right back
Yet champion each other’s cause
Act less self centeredly
To find when it’s about the us
It enhances the me
So blow in winds of compassion
Rain drops of kindness too
Shine beams of care and hope and love
To make the happy you
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National Bird Day (and Trees)
Today is National Bird Day whose purpose is to emphasize the importance of the protection and survival of birds both captive and wild.
In solidarity, a re-post of one of my favorites.
Enjoy!
.
graphic credit: unknown
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Success Quote – Jan. 1, 2016
“Today is the first blank page of new 365 page chapter in your life. Let it be a model of your success for the 364 to follow. Enjoy today. Achieve today. Tomorrow is promised to no one!”
–Paul Mark Sutherland
________________________
Happy New Year, 2016
original graphic credit: unknown
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A Christmas Candle
A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, but softly gives itself away.
–Eva Logue
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Thank you to each and every of my online friends and colleagues. You are special people in my world. May the joy and peace of Christmastime be your special companion this holiday season and throughout the coming new year. —Paul Mark Sutherland
original graphic credit: unknown
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Thank Yourself
A Very Personal Act Of Thanksgiving
To achieve a life of success, no matter how you define it, gratitude is imperative …we all know this. But, our gratitude must also extend to our self. It’s easy for us to forget that. We shouldn’t.
Like me, you may have heard people express regrets as they approach the winter of their years about their shortcomings and failures. Often they are disappointed that their lives didn’t quite turn out they way they had planned, had expected, or had hoped. Most of us enter adulthood full of ideas, spirit, energy, and grand intentions. It seems at the time that we are eternal, if not immortal.
We eventually discover, however, that while life can be fun and engaging, it also becomes progressively more challenging when dealing with finances, careers, families, responsibilities, losses, and so much more. Most of us do an admirable job navigating the changes and challenges. We work hard and do what we feel is the right thing. We set goals and lay out life plans, but often find it increasingly more difficult to stay on track. We find that the years pass faster than we imagined they could. We learn to grow with our years and deal with our tears. Maybe we feel that we will never be able to make the mark that we had planned.
As I write this, the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus”comes to mind. As Mr. Holland, portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss, approaches the end of his career, seemingly disappointed with his mundane accomplishments in work and life, he is presented with evidence that his work ethic and compassion over the years have made a mark much more meaningful than he thought. This opus ends with quite a crescendo. (If per chance you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend that you do. It is a very moving and uplifting film.)
No matter what you have achieved in life …or haven’t, Max Ehrman, author of “Desiderata,” penned a poem called “A Prayer” that makes it a bit easier for us to accept ourselves for who we are, and to thank ourselves for our efforts in life.
Enjoy, and please do be thankful to yourself for yourself.
A PRAYER
by Max Ehrman
Let me do my work each day;
And if the darkened hours of despair overcome me,
May I not forget the strength that comforted me
In the desolation of other times.
May I still remember the bright hours that found me
Walking over the silent hills of my childhood,
Or dreaming on the margin of the quiet river,
When a light glowed within me,
And I promised my early God to have courage
Amid the tempests of the changing years.
Spare me from bitterness
And from the sharp passions of unguarded moments.
May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit.
Though the world knows me not,
May my thoughts and actions be such
As shall keep me friendly with myself.
Lift my eyes from the earth,
And let me not forget the uses of the stars.
Forbid that I should judge others,
Lest I condemn myself.
Let me not follow the clamor of the world,
But walk calmly in my path.
Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am;
And keep ever burning before my vagrant steps
The kindly light of hope.
And though age and infirmity overtake me,
And I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams,
Teach me still to be thankful for life,
And for time’s olden memories that are good and sweet;
And may the evening’s twilight find me gentle still.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. (even if it’s not a holiday for you today) 🙂
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Paris Open Doors
Paris residents warmed the Internet’s collective heart Friday night by using the hashtag #PorteOuverte, or “open door,” to offer shelter to strangers left stranded after at least six deadly attacks sent the city into chaos. A few hours later, people across the U.S. returned the favor with a hashtag of their own: #StrandedinUS.
The hashtag #StrandedinUS began trending overnight Friday into Saturday with offers from Americans willing to help Parisians having trouble making their way back home due to airline cancellations or delays. People offered up beds, couches and hot meals to French nationals in need.
Those having trouble making their way back to France were also encouraged to use the hashtag to ask for help.
graphic credit: unknown, information credit: NBC News
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Special Bikes for Special Kids by a Special Man
Bicycles and tricycles for special needs children have adaptations like foot straps, torso supports and adjustable parts. They cost from $800 to $5,000, said Andrew McLindon, 53, founder of the foundation.
Over seven years, the McLindon Family Foundation has given away adaptive tricycles to children in nine states, helping them feel the independence and freedom of riding a bike.
McLindon’s love of bicycles led him to give away adaptive bikes. After success with the commercial construction company he started in 1989, he added auxiliary businesses that became Mainspring Companies, a group of construction, maintenance and real estate development enterprises.
Enjoy!
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A Pizza and A Coke
Both gentlemen may have slept a bit more contented that evening,
but likely for different reasons.
I’m reminded of the poem “Don’t Find Fault”
Don’t find fault with the man who limps
or stumbles along the road,
Unless you have worn the shoes that he wears,
or struggled beneath his load.
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,
though hidden away from view
Or burdens he bears placed on your back,
might cause you to stumble too.
Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today,
unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall, or felt the same way,
that only the fallen know.
You may be strong,
but yet the blow that was his, if dealt to you
In the self-same way, or at the self-same time,
might cause you to stagger, too.
Don’t be harsh with the man who sins,
or pelt him with words or stone,
Unless you are sure-yes doubly sure,
that you have no sins of your own
For you know, perhaps, if the tempter’s voice
should whisper as soft to you
As it did to him, when he went astray,
it would cause you to falter, too.
-Author Unknown
Enjoy!
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Sometimes Kindness is Simply Taking a Moment to Think Before you Judge
“So here’s the deal. Our service tonight sucked. Took 20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour for our entree.
People all around us were making fun of the restaurant & how bad the service 
was. Yeah, it was pretty terrible. But, it was very obvious that the issue was being short staffed, not the server. He was running around like crazy and never acted annoyed with any table.
was. Yeah, it was pretty terrible. But, it was very obvious that the issue was being short staffed, not the server. He was running around like crazy and never acted annoyed with any table.
At one point we counted he had 12 tables plus the bar. More than any one person could handle!
As I sat there and watched him run back & forth and apologize for the wait, I said to Steven… Wow, this used to be us. Waiting tables. I don’t miss it at all and I never loved that job. I did it for the tips.
Steven and I agreed it would feel good to make…
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GYA today 