TEXTING - losing a way of communicating

I just saw on internet that they are taking a poll on whether OMG, LOL & BFF should be added to the dictionary.  Really? We even have to consider OMG as a word?  I see my college son on his cell phone constantly texting.  I asked him why didn't he just call people?  He told me that his friends won't answer a ringing phone, only the beeps of incoming texts. 
I recently had a friend through Facebook send me a joke on what it would be like if senior citizens used text messages today.  I can't lie, it is actually funny.
Sr.'s TEXTING CODE : ATD-At The Doctors. BFF-Best Friend Fell. BTW-Bring the Wheelchair. BYOT-Bring Your Own Teeth. FWIW-Forgot Where I Was. PBL-Pacemaker Battery Low. GHA-Got Heartburn Again. IMHO-Is My Hearing-Aid On. LMDO-Laughing My Dentures Out. OMSG-Oh My! Sorry, Gas. ROFLACGU-Rolling On Floor Laughing And Can't Get Up. TTYL-Talk To You Louder. CGOCPT-can't go out, colonoscopy prep tonight.
But reality is that since my son's generation doesn't have conversations with each other, they will actually be sending texts like the ones above.

Another thing that we are losing is penmanship.  Kids today don't know how to write cursive. I taught my kid how to write cursive, but since he doesn't practice it a lot it isn't pretty.  Schools no longer put any effort into teaching penmanship or cursive writing since now we type everything.  Even I am typing this blog. 

I have the blessing of teaching a Zumba class at my church.  Every week between the two classes approximately 125 beautiful Christian women show up.  And one of the things that I have marveled and admired about them is their attentiveness.  But what stands out the most is their art of writing cards. I get cards hidden in my bag or places on my car door or on the stage where I dance.  And their handwritten notes tell me so much more about them than the words itself.  I think about the time this person took to find the card, to find a pen and sit down and think for a few minutes what they are going to write.  Then they put pen to paper and write.  The results make me smile, laugh, or shed an emotional tear.  A cell phone text is nice, but a hand written note is so much more special.

DO SOMETHING KIND TODAY IDEA: 
Buy a card for someone you like. It isn't expensive. The Dollar Store has two cards for $1.00.  Give a thank you card to the lady that cleans the bathroom at your office or leave a thank you card for the church nursery worker.  Tell your friend you appreciate them for standing by you year after year.  Write a note on pretty paper and put it in your daughter's bag and tell her how much you love her and how proud you are of her.  Draw a picture and write a note to tell your small child how much you love them and put it in their lunch box.  WRITE, don't text.  It tells the recipient that you care a little extra more.

Heartbroken - I pray for you JAPAN

I had the opportunity to work for a Japanese owned company.  They are one of the world's largest producers of some of the best sesame oil in the world. We always had folks from Japan work in our office in the USA.  They are the most polite, respectful and soft spoken people I have ever met. They always said good morning with a bow.  And they always said your name with -san at the ending.  Remember the Karate Kid movie?  Daniel-san?  If you were ever stressed or under the weather at the office, they came around with freshly pressed hot green tea.  Whenever they traveled to Japan, they always came back bearing gifts.  Some were very unique and not always familiar to the American pallet, but the packages where always so beautiful.  The attention to detail and art is so exquisite in Japan.  They conserve their heritage, customs and folklore.  I don't think there is any culture that can rival Japan's in the way they respect the elderly.  In the USA we put ours away in homes most of the time.  I see pictures of rescue workers carrying the elderly on their backs with all the care in the world.

It is mind-boggling to see the pictures of towns totally wiped away.  Boats and cars on top of 3 story buildings.  A truck dangling on power lines.  Piles and piles of cars thrown around.

So many people are homeless. Yet they conserve a sense of dignity that comes through in the pictures.  They form lines and patiently wait for all to be attended by relief organizations that are on the ground now. I have seen on the news in other disaster areas where people fight, push and shove to get their supplies first.  Maybe it is just the initial shock and people are still walking around numb in Japan.

To this day I still stay in touch with my friend Masanori Suzuki. I call him Suzuki-san. When I heard of the earthquake I immediately thought of him and his wife and all of their families.  I thought about all the employees of the sesame oil company.  The only way I knew how to contact him was through Facebook.  And he responded.  They are all well. It was such a relief to know, thank God.  Fortunately they were on another part of the island, but he still felt all the shaking going on. But now we are worried about nuclear
fall-out.  To scary to even think about it.

I want to do something to help.  My commitment to give up something for Lent is going strong since last Wednesday.  And my promise to donate the money I would have spent on myself still stands.  What I haven't done was commit to a certain charity until now.  I know exactly which one, and a very reputable one at that.  The AMERICAN RED CROSS.  They can take the money and purchase what is needed the most.  I trust them with my donation.  Here is a link to their website. 

DO SOMETHING KIND TODAY IDEA:

Donate to the American Red Cross for Japan. 

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052

GIVING IT UP VERSUS GIVING IT OUT

It is the day before Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday.  LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL as they say in New Orleans.  Then comes the beginning of Lent.  Ash Wednesday.  A solemn time for Christians around the world as we approach Good Friday.  It was a turbulent time in the days of Jesus Christ and it is a turbulent time now.  Wars then, wars now.  Poverty then, poverty now. Struggle then, struggle now.  Nothing seems to change.  A person can get very downtrodden.

I have recently fallen in LOVE with a song by Kirk Franklin.  Here are a few of the lyrics. The name of the song is:

I SMILE. 

I dedicate this song to recession,
depression and unemployment.
This song’s for you.

Today’s a new day, and there is no sunshine.
Nothing but clouds, and it’s dark in my heart
and it feels like a cold night.
Today’s a new day, where are my blue skies,
where is the love and the joy that you promised me
you tell me it’s alright.

(I’ll be honest with you)
I almost gave up, but a power that I can’t explain,
fell from heaven like a shower.

(When I think how much better I’m gonna be when this is over)
I smile, even though I’m hurt see I smile,
I know God is working so I smile,
Even though I’ve been here for a while
I smile, smile..
it’s so hard to look up when you look down.

Hate to see it when you give up now

You look so much better when you smile, so smile.

 

I didn't grow up with the tradition of giving up something for Lent.  I hear people give up chocolate or meat or their favorite coffee at Dunkin Donuts.  I understand the physical sacrifice behind this. But how does that improve life for someone else?  Are we giving up the meat so that someone else in need can eat it? Are we donating the chocolate to a children's home as a treat?  If we are going to give up on something, then I believe we should give it out.  My pastor, Kenny Hibbard, opened up his Sunday sermon quoting a book that says, 'Life is not all about you". 

For the first time it has been in my heart to give up something for Lent.  And I am going to SMILE.  I know what to do with the money I would have spent.  I am going to donate it.  This should be something between God and myself, but I also know that people get motivation from others sharing their heart and stories.

DO SOMETHING KIND TODAY IDEA:
Give up something and start giving it out to others.  A simple thing to do during this time of reflection as we prepare to celebrate the greatest gift of all.  Love Eternal from our Lord, Jesus Christ.

TISSUES FOR SNOTTY NOSES

The education system in the USA is on a downhill ride going 100 miles per hour and shows no sign of slowing down.  As much as people want to fight it, the statistics are there.  The USA keeps dropping and dropping compared to other nations in education.  And we can name a thousand reasons why.  Low teacher pay, overcrowded schools, parental indifference, low family income, no more prayer in school, government cut backs, busing, etc, etc.  Yet it amazes me how cities always seem to have enough money to build sports arenas and stadiums, but none for schools.  And who pays the consequences? 
WE ALL DO. 

It might seem funny when Jay Leno on the Tonight Show goes to the streets and asks people questions about geography, presidents and other various topics.  He once asked a high school senior if she knew what the capital of France was.  She didn't have a clue.  Yet when he asked her who was Nicole Richie's best friend during a reality show, she said Paris.  Jay asked her the question again about France and she still wasn't putting 2 and 2 together. 

Teachers are overrun with too many students in one class.  They have to worry about social issues that never happened when I was in high school.  They are not given enough essential supplies to perform their functions and stimulate the young minds under their charge.  I know of countless teachers that spend a fortune of their own money to make up for the shortfalls of the education system. 

Even if you don't have any children, it is essential to support your local schools.  These are the adults of the future making decisions.  Paris vs Paris just doesn't cut it. 

DO SOMETHING KIND TODAY IDEA:

DONATE:  Go to your local dollar store and buy a few items of school supplies.  Pencils, erasers, construction paper, stickers, etc.  Hand Sanitizer and paper towels.  And the most important item of all is TISSUE PAPER. Children are sent to school with colds all the time. Some parents just don't have a choice to stay at home with their kids. Teachers desperately need TISSUE PAPER.  A few boxes means cleaner noses and less kids wiping with the back of their hands. Drop it all office at your local school and make a teacher happy.