Thought for the day.............

I only wish I had the wisdom to think these thoughts, I have to admit however that the author of this quote is unknown.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Linda and I have had a very good Christmas and are looking forward to a very happy New Year. My only regret was that some of the health problems I had last year at this time tried to come back and bite me yet again. In the words of the sage Yogi Berra it was starting to feel like “deja vu all over again” and that had me worried. So Saturday I found myself in the doctors office at 08:30 in the morning for a breathing treatment and the beginning of a regime of drugs to try to get ahead of this before it really got me down. So far I'm happy to report it seems to be working. I had a few days off work so I managed to stay home and rest as the doctor suggested and I'm starting to perk up again. Only time will tell as I had a similar experience last year when I seemed to be bouncing back only to get the slats knocked out from under me a few weeks latter.

On top of all this fun both the family cars decided to die last Friday. Well really one had already been disabled by mechanical failure and I decided to hold off on getting it repaired for a while and use the other. On the way home from work last week the water pump let go in the that car which in turn broke the timing belt forcing me to have it towed to a garage. I then walked home lugging my laptop and not feeling very good about the day.

Fortunately I was looking forward to the coming weekend and celebrating Christmas which I knew was not about “things”. My spirits were up lifted by celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Knowing that because of that event I would be having a weekend with family and friends, even though I would keep my distance from some just in case I might pass on what ever malady had befallen me.

It did indeed turn out to be a wonderful weekend despite all. I did not make it to church services which I really missed. I did get to spend time with the family though and that made my weekend. The icing on the cake was that a friend who as moved away Pittsburgh was in town to visit his family and stopped by to say hello. Mark is furthering his education in preparation for the seminary and I have not seen him for some time now. So the fact that he was able to stop by for a visit was a real treat for me. Family and friends are the true presents of Christmas for me.

I hope those reading this had a holiday as enjoyable as mine with out the foibles that I encountered. I also hope that you are looking forward to a very Happy New Year. God bless.

Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas

I hope that all of you out there in cyberspace reading this are having a great holiday season. Further I hope that you remember the true reason for the holiday that we call Christmas. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

I know this is a time when we get together with friends and family and we exchange gifts take a break from our busy everyday world and relax and enjoy ourselves. My hope is that you will remember the reason that all of these blessings have come to us is though God the Father and that his greatest blessing was the gift of his only Son Jesus.

If you want to really renew your self and your spirit take time to attend a house of worship this weekend and experience the true meaning of the holiday.

If you don't have a church home and hesitate for that reason please feel free to join our family at Redeemer Lutheran Church here in Oakmont. There will be services at 10:45 AM and 07:30 PM on Christmas Eve. In addition we will hold services at 10:00 AM on Christmas Day. Located on the corner of 13^th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue we are easy to find and you will be warmly welcomed.

What ever you decide I hope you attend a church this weekend and that you have a safe and happy Christmas.

If you would like to get complete directions and learn more about our church family follow this link.

Redeemer Lutheran Church and School

A little humor...............

This was sent to me by a friend in email. I had to share it with the readers of the blog.

A first grade school teacher in Virginia had twenty-five students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb.

It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!

1. Don't change horses..........................until they stop running.
2. Strike while the.................................bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before...................Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of......termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but.....how?
6. Don't bite the hand that.....................looks dirty.
7. No news is.......................................impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a....................mister
9. You can't teach an old dog new........math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll.......stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust................................me.
12. The pen is mightier than the............pigs.
13. An idle mind is..............................the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke, there's...........pollution.
15. Happy the bride who.......................gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is........... ...............not much
17. Two's company, three's..................The Musketeers
18. Don't put off til tomorrow what........you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and.....you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as............Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not.....spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed.............. get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you...see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind.........get out of the way.

And the WINNER and last one!

25. Better late than....................................pregnant.

All right already..........

I have been trying to write this entry for several weeks now and seem to keep getting side tracked. I finally put it on my laptop so that when I get a few minutes here and there I can continue my thoughts from the place I last left off. Thus I am making progress slow though it might be.


All right enough wallowing in self pity it is time to move on. If you read my posting last month about the importance of voting you know that I was very disappointed with the outcome of the November elections to say the least. I try to be as upbeat and optimistic in my day to day life as I can be but it has been tough as of late. I'm trying to believe that the change in power in Washington DC in November will not have as big an effect on our lives as I anticipated prior to the elections. Only time will determine if this is true.

The reason these events have me so upset is that I know we have been blessed to live in a country with the greatest political system that has ever been devised by man. I also know from some of the history that I have been reading that had it not been for what I consider “divine intervention” at some key points in the building of this nation we would not exist as we do today. God truly has blessed America and I feel that as a people we have lost sight of that fact.

So, what is to be done? I guess the first thing is to look forward to the future and resolve to make it better than the present. The little solace that I derived in the days following the election came from a movie scene. I kept hearing a line from the original Star Wars movie where Obi Wan, the representation of good, tells Darth Vader the representation of evil “If you strike me down now I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” I hope that is what will happen with the Republican party as a result of this last election.

If I sound somewhat radical referring to some of the elected leaders of this country as “evil” you will have to forgive me. One of the key points of the two opposing sides in this struggle is that matter of abortion. I wish they would stop using that term and call it what it really is, the murder of unborn children. There have been volumes written on the subject so I won't go further other than to say that I consider it a very large step toward “the dark side” for out country.

I haven't been exactly wild about some of the actions of the party that I have supported either. They have strayed from the principles that put them into positions of leadership. Fiscal responsibility was thrown out the window and more time and effort was spent in trying to stay in power than doing the job I elected them for. Perhaps this turn of events will be a wake up call although I fear what could result until things are put right again.

At this point I can only work a little harder to push the pendulum in the other direction. I will continue to talk with friends and coworkers when I have the opportunity and try to present a reasoned argument for my point of view and why it should be supported. I will write email to my elected representatives expressing my views and I will continue to vote.

Probably the most important thing that I can do though is to continue to pray for our county and its leaders. As I said before I think there was divine intervention in the founding and building of this nation and its rise to the envy of the world for the freedoms and prosperity that it gives. Many have lost sight of that blessing ignoring or worse yet perverting its origins. I will continue to pray that trend is reversed.

*Parents' Night Before Christmas*

I subscribe to several daily newsletter from the Crosswalk web site one of which is "clean humor" that I find amusing. My three children are grown now but with two grand children in the picture this poem is starting to strike a cord with me again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you would like to sign up here is a LINK to the site. I hope your holiday season is going well and that you share in the joy of the advent of the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.


The REAL Night Before Christmas
(By Parents)

'Twas the night before Christmas
when all through the house
I searched for the tools
to hand to my spouse

Instructions were studied
and we were inspired,
in hopes we could manage
"Some Assembly Required."

The children were quiet (not asleep) in their beds,
while Dad and I faced the evening with dread:
a kitchen, two bikes, Barbie's townhouse to boot!
And now, thanks to Grandpa, a train with a toot!

We opened the boxes,
my heart skipped a beat -
let no parts be missing
or parts incomplete!

Too late for last-minute returns or replacement;
if we can't get it right, it goes straight to the basement!
When what to my worrying eyes should appear
but 50 sheets of directions, concise, but not clear,

With each part numbered and every slot named,
so if we failed, only we could be blamed.
More rapid than eagles the parts then fell out,
all over the carpet they were scattered about.

"Now bolt it! Now twist it! Attach it right there!
Slide on the seats, and staple the stair!
Hammer the shelves, and nail to the stand."
"Honey," said hubby, "you just glued my hand."

And then in a twinkling, I knew for a fact
that all the toy dealers had indeed made a pact
to keep parents busy all Christmas Eve night
with "assembly required" till morning's first light.

We spoke not a word, but kept bent at our work,
till our eyes, they went blurry; our fingers all hurt.
The coffee went cold and the night, it wore thin
before we attached the last rod and last pin.

Then laying the tools away in the chest,
we fell into bed for a well-deserved rest.
But I said to my husband just before I passed out,
"This will be the best Christmas, without any doubt.

Tomorrow we'll cheer, let the holiday ring,
and not run to the store for one single thing!
We did it! We did it! The toys are all set
for the perfect, most magical, Christmas, I bet!"

Then off to dreamland and sweet repose
I gratefully went, though I suppose
there's something to say for those self-deluded-
I'd forgotten that BATTERIES are never included!

Scam warning worth reading

I have been working on some items for the blog but this is more important. This was sent to me by a retired police office and I wanted to pass it along.

WARNING...New Credit Card Scam.



Verified by snopes



This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want



Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.



One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and another was called on Thursday from "MasterCard".



The scam works like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is
12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a Marketing company based in Arizona?"



When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"



You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security.



You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"



Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card". He/She will ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers".

There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers he/she will say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say No, the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.



You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card.



Long story made short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number.



What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master card directly for verification of their conversation.



The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.



What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening.



Please pass this on to all your family and friends. By informing each other, we protect each other.