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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 27, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: A single rose for the living is better than a costly wreath at the grave. Submitted by Lorraine ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: When Robert Moffat, Scottish missionary to Africa, came back to recruit helpers in his homeland, he was greeted by the fury of a very cold British winter. Arriving at the church where he was to speak, he noted that only a small group had braved the elements to hear his appeal. Although no one responded to Moffat's call for volunteers for mission service in Africa, the challenge thrilled a young boy who had come to work the bellows of the organ. Deciding that he would follow in the footsteps of this pioneer missionary, he went on to school, obtained a degree in medicine, married Moffat's daughter, Mary, and spent the rest of his life ministering to the unreached tribes of Africa. His name: David Livingstone! God works in mysterious ways to carry out His wise purposes. By Doug Batchelor in Broken Chains (Pacific Press 2004) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: I consider myself an older and wiser parent because I am no longer a 'newbie' still getting sucked in by marketing that claims I need a Diaper Genie to be a good mommy. Therefore, I feel qualified to look back on those early days of parenting and draw up a checklist of things they didn't tell me when I signed up for the Parent Corps. No one ever told me that I'd learn to dive like an Olympic distance swimmer every time my little ones reached for an electrical outlet. No one told me that for every child I'd had. I'd adopt at least two more from the neighborhood. Where do these kids keep coming from? They can't all be mine! No one ever told me that popsicles and cookies were kid magnets and that every time I'd open my front door to treat my kiddos there would be a line forming that went around the block. No one ever told me that it would cost ten dollars an hour for somebody to watch the kids so I could park my car three streets over and enjoy a bit of peace. No one ever told me that the mother who restricted sodas, candy and sugar cereal when I was growing up would buy these very same things in jumbo quantities for her grandchildren. No one ever told me that the silence I prayed for would be the very thing to keep me up all night nursing a sick kiddo back to health, just to hear the noise again. No one ever told me that I'd turn into a miser, hiding secret stashes of chocolate and treats around the house so there would be something left for me after the kids went through the cupboards. No one ever told me how much fun it would be to disagree with the teacher or principal simply because I can now that I'm an adult. No one ever told me that the kids would one day outgrow the imaginative and make-believe aspects of holidays but I wouldn't. No one ever told me that parenting would be the toughest job I'd ever love. (Adapted) By Lisa Barker is a syndicated humor columnist and mom of five. Her latest book is 'Just Because Your Kids Drive You Insane ... Doesn't Mean You Are A Bad Parent!' http://www.JellyMom.com Please forward this to friends and family. Keep it intact from top to bottom and tell them where they can get more Jelly Mom: http://www.jellymom.com Won't you stop by and sign up for your very own subscription? It's on me! And you will get a new column in your email box every Thursday--something fresh and new before anyone else on the Internet: http://www.jellymom.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A guy takes his boy tiger hunting. They're creeping through the weeds and the man says, "Son, this hunt marks your passage into manhood. Do you have any questions? And the boy says, "Yes, if the tiger kills you, how do I get home?" Submitted by Cutie Pa2ti ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Interesting Facts About Texas.. 1. Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles 2. Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles 3. Dja know that El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas 4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883. 5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. 6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach for Rice University in Houston. 7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America. 8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes. 9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978. 10. The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island. They added six feet of soil to the "whole" island and rebuilt! 11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, as "Houston." 12. King Ranch in South Texas is larger than the state of Rhode Island. 13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US. rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979. 14. Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by Republic of Texas to enter the union) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag, and may divide into 4 States. 15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old. 16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state. (Didn't knwo that!) 17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper. 18. Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the-Brazos Harrisburg Galveston Velasco West Columbia Austin 19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. (by 7 feet). 20. The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas. 21. The State animal is the Armadillo. An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females. 22. The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston. Submitted by Travis McCauley |
