Did
you know that...
There
are 3 billion women who don't look like super models and only
eight who do. Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14. If Barbie was a real
woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.
The average American woman weighs 144 lbs. and wears between a
size 12 and 14.
One
out of every four college-aged woman has an eating disorder.
The pictures of models in the magazines are airbrushed -- they're
not perfect!!
A psychological study in 1995 found that three minutes spent looking
at models in a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed,
guilty, and shameful.
Models twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the average
woman; today they weigh 23% less.
Beauty
of a Woman...
The
beauty of a woman
Is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure that she carries,
Or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman
Must be seen from in her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman
Is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman
Is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
The passion that she shows,
And the beauty of a woman
With passing years... only grows!
Dance as if no one were watching;
sing as if no one were listening;
and live everyday as if it were your last.
~ Irish proverb
How
To Recognize A Good Woman
A
good woman is proud of herself.
She respects herself and others.
She is aware of who she is.
She neither seeks definition from the person she is with, nor
does she expect them to read her mind.
She is quite capable of articulating her needs.
A good woman is hopeful.
She is strong enough to make all her dreams come true.
She knows love, therefore she gives love.
She recognizes that her love has great value and must be reciprocated.
If her love is taken for granted, it soon disappears.
A good woman has a dash of inspiration and a dabble of endurance.
She knows that she will, at times, have to inspire others to reach
the potential God gave them.
A good woman knows her past, understands her present and moves
toward the future.
A good woman knows God.
She knows that with God the world is her playground, but without
God she will just be played with.
A good woman does not live in fear of the future because of her
past.
Instead, she understands that her life experiences are merely
lessons, meant to bring her closer to self-knowledge and unconditional
self-love.
Make
a Difference
If
there were ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark
on something worth doing, it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily- but for something that tugs
at your heart, something that's your aspiration, something that's
your dream.
You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig Deep.
Stretch.
Dream big.
(From a Macintosh computer ad, 1991)
"The greatness comes not when things go always good for you.
But the greatness comes when you're really tested, when you take
some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes. Because
only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how
magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."
Richard M. Nixon, 1913-1994
37th President of the United States
Kids
Talk...They learn young these days...
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
"You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff.
Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like
sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming."
- Alan, age 10
"No person really decides before they grow up who they're going
to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out
later who you're stuck with."
- Kirsten, age 10
WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
"Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER
by then."
-- Camille, age 10
"No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool
to get married."
- Freddie, age 6
HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
"Married people usually look happy to talk to other people."
- Eddie, age 6
"You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be
yelling at the same kids."
- Errick, age 8
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
"Both don't want no more kids."
-- Lori, age 8
WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
"Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get
to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you
listen long enough."
- Jane, age 8
"On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that
usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date."
- Martin, age 10
WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
"I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call
all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the
dead columns."
- Craig, age 9
WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
"When they're rich."
- Pam, age 7
"The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to
mess with that."
- Curt, age 7
"The rule goes like this: if you kiss someone, then you
should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing
to do."
- Howard, age 8
IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
"It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys
need someone to clean up after them."
- Anita, age 9
HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
"There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
- Kelvin, age 8
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck."
- Ricky, age 10
Here's a list of all variations of the "God
Speaks" billboards.
The billboards are a simple black background with white text.
No fine print or sponsoring organization is included.
Let's meet at my house Sunday before the game.
-God
C'mon over and bring the kids.
-God
What part of "Thou Shalt Not..." didn't you understand?
-God
We need to talk.
-God
Keep using my name in vain, I'll make rush hour longer.
-God
Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage.
-God
That "Love Thy Neighbor" thing... I meant it.
-God
I love you and you and you and you and...
-God
Will the road you're on get you to my place?
-God
Follow me.
-God
Big bang theory, you've got to be kidding.
-God
My way is the highway.
-God
Need directions?
-God
You think it's hot here?
-God
Have you read my #1 best seller? There will be a test.
-God
Do you have any idea where you're going?
-God
Don't make me come down there.
-God
A
Touching Story
When
I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in
our neighborhood. I remember well the polished, old case
fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the
box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to
listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device
lived an amazing person -- her name was "Information Please"
and there was nothing she did not know. "Information
Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time.
My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came
one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing
myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger
with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem
to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give
sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing
finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone!
Quickly, I ran for the foot stool in the parlor and dragged it
to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor
and held it to my ear. "Information Please," I
said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or
two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information."
"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone.
The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.
"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.
"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.
"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer
and it hurts."
"Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said
I could. "Then chip off little piece of ice and hold it to
your finger," said the voice.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything.
I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia
was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk,
that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit
and nuts.
Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called
"Information Please" and told her the sad story.
She listened, then said the usual things grown ups say to soothe
a child. But I was unconsoled. I asked her, "Why
is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all
families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of
a cage?"
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul,
always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."
Somehow I felt better.
Another
day I was on the telephone. "Information Please." "Information,"
said the now familiar voice.
"How do you spell fix?" I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.
When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston.
I missed my friend very much. "Information Please"
belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never
thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table
in the hall.
As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations
never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity
I would recall the serene sense of security I had then.
I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was
to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down
in Seattle. I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent
15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there
now. Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my
hometown operator and said,"Information Please."
Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. "Information."
I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could
you please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I
guess your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really still you," I said. "I
wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that
time."
"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your
calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to
look forward to your calls."
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I
asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,
"Information." I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" she said.
"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally
had been working part time the last few years because she was
sick. She died five weeks ago." Before I could hang
up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name
was Paul?"
"Yes."
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in
case you called. Let me read it to you. The note said, "Tell
him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know
what I mean."
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose
life have you touched today?
