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Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:05:02 -0800

Self Improvement and Personal Growth
Confident Lifestyle
http://www.confidentlifestyle.com
Confident lifestyle Blog
http://www.confidentlifestyle.blogspot.com
For the Restaurant Waiters/Waitress - Free e book on improving tip income
http://www.tiptopserver.blogspot.com

Friends, thank you for being patient while I have been moving into my new home and working during one of the busiest seasons of the year for me. I promise that I will be updating my posts soon and sharing of how I have used my "marbles" over the past few weeks.

This week I have also lost many dear friends and pay tribute to them along with a great musician by posting the lyrics to "The leader of the band" by Dan Fogelberg. (posted further down)

May they all rest in peace and they will never be forgotten by me, because they really were the leaders of my band.� I miss them dearly already.

Bless you all for stopping by and being patient with me.

Your friend,
JD

This poem was sent to me from a new SU friend Yobaba. Thank you!

Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today."
So she did
and
she
had
a
wonderful
day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today."
So she did
and
she
had
a
grand
day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did
and
she
had
a
fun,
fun
day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

Leave the rest to Fate.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

SUE CSS

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Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:05:01 -0800

My Story

I had just joined a new group in which I had to write "my story" and "my vision" for my profile page. This is a group dedicated to becoming successful and the story had to fit that.

This is the first time I have every written these facts down, although I have shared it verbally with others. Between the smiles and the tears, this is the what I wrote.
When I was just a young man, my grandfather taught me a lesson that I have never forgotten.

My grandfather hired me to mow his lawn one day. The pay, a bright shiny dime. Now to a young man that was a lot of money and would buy a bag full of candy.

The lawn was large. The day was hot and humid. Not a cloud in the sky to offer any relief from the sun.

After an hour or two, I had only half the lawn mowed, which was great considering that I was using an old push mower.

You may remember the type, it worked by manual labor, no gas or electric engine. The blades spun around the faster you pushed it.

Well I was beat by then and ready to call it a day. I was wanting to get to the store and spend my dime.

"Grandpa, I'm done! I yelled entering the house, "Can we go to the store now?"

"Wash your face first sonny boy" he replied. "So you did all you are going to do then? he asked.

"Yes grandpa, I'm done."

So off to the store we went. Was I ever excited, picking out everything I liked.

"O k grandpa, I'm ready to pay, can I have my dime?

Reaching into his pocket, grandpa pulled a dull looking nickel out and handed it to me.

Frowning now I look up at my grandpa and say "Grandpa you said you would pay me a dime, but you only gave me a nickel."

Patting the top of my head and giving me a little smile he said "let this be a lesson for you."

To this day I have never forgotten what he said next and I quote him verbatim.

"Son when you promise to do a job and you do only half the job, you will only get half the pay." He then said "Son if a man pays you an dollar an hour, work for him as if he was paying you two dollars, if he pays you for forty hours, you give him fifty."

"Son do you now understand why you are only getting a nickel?"

With a tear in my eye, I looked up at him "Yes grandpa I do."

Walking back to the candy aisle, I put all the candy back and told grandpa that I was ready to go back and finish the job.

The silent ride back to the house, gave me time to think long and hard.

Without a word I pulled the old lawn mower out and went back to work. Once the mowing was done and not wanting to face grandpa yet, I grabbed the rake and went back out to finish what I started.

What seemed to be hours later, the job was done. Silently entering the house, I went in and took a bath and changed my clothes.

"Grandpa, I'm done now. Grandpa, where are you? I called out.

"In the kitchen sonny boy, come on in here" he replied.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw grandpa sitting at the table which was sat two big glasses of lemonade, a plate of sandwiches and a brown paper bag.

"Sit down and eat sonny boy, you worked hard today and you need to eat."

After eating in silence, I looked up at grandpa with tears in my eyes again "Grandpa, I'm sorry about today."

"Sonnyboy, no need to be sorry" he said as he stood up and turned his back to me. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled his handkerchief out and dabbed at his eyes.

"You made me very proud of you today"grandpa croaked out. "Sonny boy, you are going to be a great man,because you listen and learn."

Finally turning back to face me, I saw grandpas eyes were red and glistening.

Pushing the brown paper bag that was sitting on the table towards me he says "Here is your bonus" and pulling a quarter from his pocket "Here isyour pay."

Oh yes, I still have that quarter.

My Vision:
To be as great a man as my grandfather.

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Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:05:00 -0800

Salute to all the wonderful stumblers who have stopped in and visited my pages, left me a nice note, a great review and a thumbs up. May your lives be blessed!

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Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:04:59 -0800

1300 Marbles

Based upon the 1000 marbles story, come this Tuesday, October 23, 2007 I will have 1300 marbles left in my marble jar. This will be the day I turn 50. To understand what I am about to discuss, it is important that you pay a short visit to this website http://llerrah.com/thousandmarbles.htm . But be sure to return here though :)

Am I complaining that I only have 1300 marbles left? Not at all. You see, I am very content with the life I have lived and with the way that I live now.

Do I have regrets about decisions I have made in my life? Sure, there are some. I could have made wiser decisions. But would I change the way things are now? No, not at all. Life is about learning.

I have discovered that it is important to be happy with who you are and what you have. If you don't like it, change it.

It is to late to change the past, but I do have some influence over how I enjoy the1300 marbles I have left and believe me I plan to use my marbles wisely.

My 1300 marbles will be used to make more friends, to make people smile and to spread the joy of living.They will be used towards learning, reading more books and self improvement. They will be used to make myself a better person.

These remaining marbles will be used to help me make wiser decisions in my relationships, both business and personal. To help those less fortunate than I. To make me humble and forgiving.

Marbles will be used to make this world a better place to live. To help keep our children safe, feeding the hungry and providing a future for those that will follow behind me.

Many of these marbles will used in learning from others and many will be used in sharing wisdom with others.

My wish is that each and everyone of you travel with me on my journey while I use my marbles up.

Come shoot some marbles with me each week.

Wishing you the best,
JD

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Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:04:58 -0800

Dear friends,

I apologize for not posting recently. I will be back and updating my posts soon.

But I felt like I had to take the time to post this sad and heartbreaking news.

Dan Fogelberg a great and wonderful musician has passed away at the age of 56. Dan Fogelberg, a singer and songwriter who was known for soft-rock hits including "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne," died Sunday of prostate cancer at his home in Maine. He was 56.

Dan truly was "The leader of the band"

Leader Of The Band

An only child alone and wild, a cabinet maker's son
His hands were meant for different work
And his heart was known to none
He left his home and went his lone and solitary way
And he gave to me a gift I know I never can repay
A quiet man of music denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once, but his music wouldn't wait
He earned his love through discipline-- a thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls took me years to understand
(Chorus)
The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band

My brothers' lives were different for they heard another call
One went to Chicago and the other to St Paul
And I'm in Colorado when I'm not in some hotel
Living out this life I've chose and have come to know so well

I thank you for the music and your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go
I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough
And, papa, I don't think I said 'I love you' near enough
(Chorus)
I am a living legacy to the leader of the band

Rest in peace my gentle friend.

"You've got to just follow your heart and do your best work," "For better or worse, I have followed my heart. There is no doubt in my mind or heart that everything I've done is exactly what I intended to do."
Dan Fogelberg 1951-2007

Rest in peace also my dear friends:
Richie 1945-2007
Brian 1952-2007
Patty 1962-2007

You all were leaders of my band.

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Sat, 10 Nov 2007 09:09:03 -0800

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~

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Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:26:15 -0800

The Paradox of our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit "Skip Ahead"...

By: Dr. Bob Moorehead
************************************************************
Sums it up pretty well doesn't it! Isn't it time that we all try to make a change no matter how small it may seem to us? So today, why don't we all try to smile a little more, say hi to the person you pass on the sidewalk or in the aisle.

Slow down a little as we drive to our appointments, pick up a peice of trash you see on the ground. Stop and admire the colors around you.

Call an old friend, open a door for another, shake hands or just hug your spouse or child for no reason.

Donate a dollar to charity, buy the coffee for the person in the line behind you, tip an extra dollar to the waitress.

It can be the small things that can make the difference and make you and someone else feel happier even if just for a moment.

Just do it and have a great day!
JD

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Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:14:40 -0800

To all of you great stumblers that gave me a wonderful thumbs up over the past three weeks, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately I fell behind on sending out a personal thanks to each of you.

I promise that I will get caught up over the next couple of days.

Thanks to all of you!!!

JD

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Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:10:29 -0800

The Piano

SUE
Watch The Original

I had posted this video before, but had to bring back up again. The melody and story is very touching. Enjoy.

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Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:02:52 -0800

While stumbling around tonight I came across some old tractor photo's, which, you guessed it, reminded me of my grandfather and another lesson I learned from him.

This is the story of the tractor and my grandfathers use of what I like to think of as reverse psychology.

Reverse psychology is the term that describes the outcome where advocacy of one course of action persuades another person to do the opposite. Normally this is used to the benefit of the person using it, it can also be used to have fun with as in this case.

My grandfather had this old tractor on his property that he once used to till the soil with before he planted, but in his later years it was used mostly for keeping the weeds cut down.

About all I remember of this tractor is that it was painted gray and red. Seems that there was a crank on the front that you had to turn a time or two before you jumped up in the seat. Then once you turned the key there was a button you had to push before the big old engine would turn over.

Grandpa would always let me and my younger brother ride on it with him and would sometimes let us take turns steering it. Boy did we feel like kings.

One day after a good Michigan soaker (heavy rain) my brother and I were outside pestering grandpa while he was doing his chores, begging him to take us for a ride on the tractor.

"Sorry boys but that rain has made the field one big mud bog and this old tractor would sink deep into her and it would take days to dig her out."

"Can we sit on the seat grandpa" we both asked in unison.

"Sure you can boys but before you do, let me show you a few things about this old tractor"

"You see this crank handle here? Well don't stand right next to it, you have to stand off to the side so it doesn't kick back and hurt you" with that he gave the crank a few hard turns.

He then said "Now boys,while you are playing on it, don't turn this key and whatever you do,do not press this button" with that he turned the key and pushed that magic black button and the old tractors engine roared to life.

Then grandpa turned it off and pointed at the gear shift and said "Now you boys also know the rules about this and how fast we can go when we are on this old tractor, never take it past the third notch."

Grandpa pulled out his pocket watch, looked at the time and said "Paul Harvey comes on the radio in five minutes. You boys stay out here and play while I listen to the news."

Then as he was walking away he turned and said with a funny smile on his face "Now boys, don't crank that handle and don't turn the key or push that button, but go ahead and play on it if you want."

We waited until grandpa closed the back door and jumped up on the tractor and acted like we were driving that baby all over the place.

It wasn't long before we started playing dare or dare, not to be confused with truth or dare. Our game is one dare leads to another and it just snowballs from there.

The first dare to keep this story short was, crank the handle, second dare was turn the key, third dare was push that button, fourth dare was put it in gear. Yup it only took four dares and we were off and running.

The breeze blowing through our hair while we doing all of 5 mph, we thought we, well I don't remember what we thought. It took us about fifty yards to realize though that we were in big trouble. The big rear wheels started to dig in and sink into the mud,our speed decreased to zero.

New dare, shift to a faster gear,ok, no not ok, wheels are spinning and sinking deeper. Put it in reverse, no help. Mud spraying everywhere.

Tears streaming down our faces, because we just know we are going to get punished. We jump off the tractor and sink knee deep into the mud.

We start pushing and pushing, the harder we pushed the oftener we would slip and fall face first into the mud. Both of us beginning to realize that our efforts were futile.

Finally sitting in the mud, wondering what to do next, we hear laughter. Not just a little laughter but lots of it. We stand and look back towards the house, there stood grampa, our father and two of our uncles laughing like they had never seen anything funnier.

Turns out that grandpa went in and made a bet with the others about how far we would get before getting stuck. The losers having to help us dig the tractor out from the mud.

Soon there was four adult men and two young boys in the middle of the field having a mud fight.

We never did get in trouble for that incident, but we both learned to think twice when grandpa gave us that funny little smile of his. Yup his reverse psychology worked great.