Author: timelliott49gmailcom

Personally, this week has been most challenging. So as things surround me that might discourage me or cause me to give up, what do I do? I count my blessings, starting with the basics. I consider how great it is to enjoy amazing music and vocals. I am thankful for my taste buds that make eating Jambalaya, BBQ, or Pizza so much fun. I remember the basics and as I do I realize that I feel better. Nothing physical has changed in my situation but my mind is more at peace. That is worth a great deal.

The joy of happy children

The Glory of Nature

The Love of Friends and Family

Chuckle Break

• Anyone who can swallow an aspirin at a drinking fountain deserves to get well.
• I don’t write jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.  Will Rogers
• Never put off until tomorrow what you can forget about entirely.
• To err is human, but to really screw up requires a computer.

Don’t Forget

Fixing social problems is not easy. No app to download, no button to push. But with care and involvement, we can change the world for the better.

Have a great week.

A lot of serious even tragic things happen with which we have to deal. This last week personally for me was very challenging, but not nearly as challenging as the tragedy those families in Florida have to deal with. We need to do many things including figuring out how to protect our children better.  Just now though, I need to take a break.Perhaps it would be good for you to take a break too.

Kung Fu Kitty is back.

I wish I’d said that.

• If rascals knew the advantage of virtue, they would become honest out of rascality.                       Benjamin Franklin
• The virtue of a man ought to be measured, not by his extraordinary exertions, but his everyday conduct.          Blaise Pascal
• A gossip is someone who can give you all the details without knowing any of the facts.
• The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm.    Martin Vanbee

Humor

• According to the latest statistics, there are millions of Americans who are not working.  And there are more if you count the ones with jobs.
• One of the quickest ways to meet new people is to pick up the wrong golf ball.
• Hear about the New Age church in California?  It has three commandments and six suggestions.
• Why are elephants wrinkled?  Have you ever tried to iron one?

The Good Old Days

You know those good old days I’m talking about.  When things were simpler. When we didn’t have this or that to deal with. There were some good things about the past. But I won’t miss these three things.

• No air conditioning
• A party line crank phone hanging on the wall
• An outdoor toilet

Remember we can’t magically change the world, But if each of us makes the effort to make our world a better place, together we will make a difference for the children and grandchildren.

We are not responsible to fix every problem we hear about. With the electronic media of today, it is impossible. We can improve our part of the world, however.  Remember the quote from last week.

Do what you can with what you have where you are.    Theodore Roosevelt

You don’t need to be a miracle worker, just a participator.

Blessings to you

Kung Fu Kitty

Did you hear about the new restaurant that just opened on the moon? Good food but no atmosphere.

Political speeches are like a steer…a point here and a point there and a lot of bull in between.

Incognito, Sibling Rivalry, and Bad Hair Day

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.                Theodore Roosevelt

I not only use all the brains I have but all I can borrow.                 Woodrow Wilson

You smell like a nose.           Who says cats don’t like water?

LITTLE KNOWN MOVIES: TREASURES

• Hopscotch starring Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson is a cold war era spoof on the CIA and spying.
• Undercover Blues starring Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid is a spoof on a spy couple in New Orleans. There are great funny scenes with a character who calls himself Muerte.
• No Time For Sergeants starring a young Andy Griffith is a funny tale of a naive hillbilly boy who gets drafted in the World War Two period.

WISDOM AND HUMOR COMBINED

Mark Gungor is a pastor and a speaker on marriage relationships.  You can find clips of his on YouTube. He has a website markgungor.com. Great stuff!

Keep Smiling.

Have a Great week.

Progress in our personal lives and in our country requires faith. It requires the belief that in spite of the harshness of the past and the challenges of the present, things can change for the better. If one has that faith he or she will be part of that change. If not,  one can easily get stuck in frustration, hopelessness, and hate.

We’ve had some wise words to help us in this country.  Let’s use them as places to start acting towards a more positive future.

In this time of social divisions, I remember Franklin D. Roosevelt’s word on his inauguration.  Among many things, he said that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. Whether he meant it this way or not I always believed it was a warning that fear and actions generated by fear could be far more dangerous than a present crisis. Today we need to deny the fear mongers access to our emotions. People who are afraid gather in groups for safety. The groups fear or hate the other groups. People say and do terrible things when afraid. The danger of people lashing out in fear and hate is a worse danger to an improving society than their differing views politically or otherwise. Let us guard against fear and go forward with confidence.

Martin Luther King in his “I Have a Dream” speech said, ” I have a dream that my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.” We must not lose the dream the hope that stereotypes and caricatures will be put aside for the knowledge of the true persons. Every ethnic and racial group has its challenges but people of good will can change the narrative and the world one person at a time.

Change does not just happen, but we have the ability to change things for good. Just because there has been evil change is no reason not to fight fear, hate, and other evils with good. No griping or wringing of hands will do. Progress requires faith and acts of faith from us as we work to shape a better future.

YOU can do IT.   (God will be glad to help.)

I love nature. I just don’t want it crawling in my picnic basket.

• Work is a fine thing if it doesn’t take up too much of your free time.
• Besides “I love you,” what three words does a wife want to hear most?  “I’ll fix it.”
• Why don’t lobsters share?  They’re shellfish.
• A profound question. Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?

To all my friends and family- I LOVE YOU.

What do you call a missing parrot?  A polygon.

As long as there are algebra exams, there will be prayer in school.

I Wish I’d Said That…

Fire is the test of gold: adversity, of strong men.      Seneca

For men to search their own glory is not glory.        Proverbs

Freedom and not servitude is the cure of anarchy, and religion, not atheism is the true remedy for superstition.               Edmund Burke

I Knew a Man…

I knew a young man who saved a man from being badly beaten or killed. He said, “I was at a friend’s place on the rough side of town. Two of the guys who were there drinking got extremely mad at another fellow. You know that kind of mad, that fury, that rage that you seldom see but is unmistakable. Those two men were that kind of mad. When the object of their rage left, they followed him. I followed them, not liking I what could see happening. As they started their assault I stepped in and pushed them back. They knew me. They knew I was just back from the Army. They weren’t anxious to fight me. As they hesitated, I told the slight fellow they wanted to beat to get in the car and get going. These were rough old boys. I did not know how long I could hold them or if I was going to have to fight them. Luckily the other fellow hauled out of there. That’s all there was to it. The angry guys lost their steam and went back to their drinking.”

I asked this man, “You’ve never talked about this.  This is a small town. I’d like to know why.”

He answered “That’s why I don’t talk about it. It happened long ago. Since then at least one of those two has become a solid citizen, a businessman, and a father and grandfather. What good would it do to talk about it? I’m no hero just a decent man. And now at least one of them is too. Let it lay.”

Later I met the man he had helped. He was convinced his life had been saved that night.

I know this story to be true because I was there. I knew who they were and I knew a good man. 

In spite of the headlines, remember, there are a lot of good people in this world.

Don’t let the negatives steal your joy. There is too much good out there to dwell on the negative.

GOOD THINGS

• The Roost restaurant in Longmont, Colorado was founded with giving in mind. They give a percentage of their income to charity.
• A friend of mine pays other peoples restaurant bills…people he doesn’t even know.
• Amazon’s new HQ will include space to shelter 200 homeless people. Really?
• The snow leopard has been taken off the endangered species list.
• I have run across several eating places that give their tips to charity
• At a Wal Mart store at which I worked loose change found on the floor or elsewhere was put in a Children’s Miracle Network container.

Enjoy with me. Last fall I went retro.

Each year on Thursday before Labor Day through Labor Day Midwest Old Threshers have a reunion. Well over 200,000 people come to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa to attend. The whole town square turns into a Flea Market. By looking at the pictures you can see what goes on at the reunion site. Fun stuff. http://www.oldthreshers.org

• What’s the best way to stop a runaway horse?  Bet on it.
• There are three ways to get something done. Do it yourself. Hire someone to do it. Forbid your kids to do it.

We hear so much negative news. It’s fun to hear some good news.

• Certain climate “experts,” told us that by now the glaciers would be gone…melted. They are not, thankfully.
• HIV/Aids is no longer the leading cause of death in Africa.
• Conservationists have agreed to plant 73 million trees over the next six years in the Amazon rainforest.
• Scientists have found a way to successfully rebreed sections of the great barrier reef.
• Child labor rates have declined by half since 2000.

In this time of information overload, we can be negatively affected emotionally by things about which we can do nothing. Often it is not even our responsibility.  Just another negative imprint…

Invest your care and effort into things you can affect. 

• Humor  When you come to a fork in the road, leave it alone. You don’t know where it’s been.
• Great Vocalist  Dami Im  Check her out on Youtube.
• Great Guitarist  Jason Swanson  He has his own Youtube channel.
• Great Book about creativity  The Myths of Creativity by David Burkus
• Charities worth supporting   The Red Cross is still helping in disaster relief. Just because the need is not news does not mean it is not there.

Many bad days start between the ears.

Has anyone considered the wonderful merit of an IHOT International House of Tacos?  I get hungry just thinking about it.

I salute the Iowa Hawkeye football fans. At every home game, at the end of the first quarter, they turn towards the children’s hospital and wave hello to the sick children. It is a small act that may affect many seriously ill children positively.

No kindness is ever NOTHING.  

Kindness is a light.

Use it.

This new year Can be a time for a change.  Sometimes the things we need to change are our assumptions.  I want to challenge two negative assumptions and ask that we rethink them.

Nobody Cares.

This is SO untrue, I should not have to address it.  I hear it a lot. “Americans don’t care as much as they did.” “It is a more selfish place.” Well, how about a reality check. We are a very generous people, we Americans.  Over 63 million of us are volunteers.  The charitable giving in the U.S. in 2017 was over $390 Billion.  80% of this was given by individuals.  The other 20% was given by corporations and foundations. We lead the world in private philanthropy giving levels as % of GDP.  The tradition of helping our neighbors remains strong in our country. (If you want to check some statistics, go to http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org and http://www.givingusa.org.)

We are a divided nation.

First, let’s be honest. Any nation which is made of many diverse groups will have many differences in its society.  We love our differences in food, music, and family traditions. The narrative by the media about our divisions at this time is about our political divisions.  I hear otherwise quality people, who I know, fall into a negative bigotry. A political bigotry.

There are those in this country who make money and gain status by promoting hate. To the extent that they succeed, will be the extent of serious divisions.  I am very blessed to have a wide variety of friends. It gives me some greater insights. Many of my friends and I vote differently. Others that I thought were friends now have bought into the political bigotry narratives.  “All conservatives are bigots.” “Only conservatives are patriotic.” As foolish as this bigotry is, people, sometimes good people, believe these to be true.

I have the advantage of knowing people different from myself.  What I observe is that most of them live their lives similarly. They love their country. They work hard for themselves and their families. They care about social justice. They give. They volunteer. This is not a description of just Democrats OR just Republicans. These are real people who vote differently but live their lives similarly.

Don’t let those who profit by hate win. Get to really know people unlike yourself. You may be delightfully surprised.

Pick any image you like…all Tim All the time.

Seriously, here is a little about me. I have worked in wholesale, retail, white collar, blue collar jobs for public and private companies, the military, and the government. I am a consultant, minister, researcher, and volunteer. I’m a lover of wide varieties of food, music, and literature. I’m blessed to have friends from many parts of the world and from many ethnic groups in the U.S.  I could write a long time but you might find it BORING at some point. Let’s not reach that point.

• Music: If you like creative and talented pianists, check out Chooka Parker (Australia) and Tokio Myers (Great Britain). The cheapest, easiest way to find out if you like the is probably YouTube
• Food: Wouldn’t it be great if someone would open IHOT, International House of Tacos.
• Nature: I used to love playing in the snow. Now I appreciate the beauty of a snow-covered landscape better through a picture window with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. It is still beautiful…and I am WARM!
• People Riches: Harry Johnson is a great artist (painter) and a great guy.  My last information was that he is living in the SeaTac area of Washington state.   His Nature and wildlife paintings are awesome.   He has done much of this kind of work for our National Parks,
• Humor: What do you do when you cross a porcupine and a tapeworm?  About ten feet of barbed wire.
• Charities Worth Supporting: Many of us served in the armed forces and now we are finished.  Many of our brother and sisters are still paying the cost of freedom. They are the wounded, disabled, and paralyzed.  Please consider supporting. the Wounded Warrior Project, or others who are still supporting those troops.

Stop. Take a deep breath. Be thankful.

During the holidays we get so busy that we forget to enjoy ourselves. So in the middle of all the activity, take a little time out. Take a deep breath. Be thankful. Then get busy again.) lol