November 30

The test of thankfulness is not what you have to be thankful for, but whether anyone else has reason to be thankful that you are here. Author unknown

THANKSGIVING WEATHER
Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an
afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and
if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.
During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife
will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two
inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while
cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the
gravy.
A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for
the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway.
During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to
leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.
Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat
sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be
expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup
late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops.
By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left
will be the bone.

The feast of Christmas touches our hearts and makes us dreams because first of all, it's a celebration of God's homecoming. This is the wild wonderful message for Christmas: God abandons heaven and comes to us to be at home with us where life is never perfect where people are often hurting and fearful, where even the most cherished rituals become empty at times. God comes to us in the most unexpected ways, in the most unexpected people, in the most unexpected places… Robert Rimbo

God Is like DIAL SOAP Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

"Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat... THAT'S bad for you!" - Tommy Smothers

"Pain is often the pathway to maturity. Unfortunately we want the product without the process." - Rick Warren


"Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom." - Plato, The Republic

Compulsive Christmas Shopping
We can do the alcoholics in our circles a favor by not serving alcoholic beverages at holiday parties. They can't control themselves. We do compulsive gamblers a favor by not having office wagers. What do we do for family, friends and coworkers who are compulsive shoppers relative to Christmas gift-giving?
Gift giving traditions provide both a huge temptation and a cover for compulsive shopping. Perhaps the worst is media treatment of "shop till you drop" as a harmless sport instead of the malady that it is. Another cover for compulsive shopping can be elaborate office gift exchanges, which may have a compulsive shopper as the motivator behind them. Compulsive shopping means, in part, purchasing sprees that are out of control and cause problems financially and emotionally. Women who are compulsive shoppers tend to want things like new Christmas decorations every year, beauty products, clothes, make-up and cosmetics for themselves, in addition to what they buy for others. Men tend to prefer to buy electronic devices, sports items and care accessories. They also "collect" things. We may unwittingly reinforce problem shopping by voicing admiration for the items when we visit their homes, or when we effusively thank them for the excessive generosity of their gifts. Considerate abstinence from alcohol is not that difficult in many social groups, but putting the brakes on excessive gift giving is awkward. Even when price limits are made, what do you do when someone exceeds the limit? Sometimes eliminating gift-giving entirely in favor of a group contribution to a charity, or a similar gesture, may be a helpful alternative.

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first." -- Mark Twain

God's plan doesn't require a drum roll or crashing cymbals. He doesn't use neon signs blinking, "Get ready! Get ready! Today's the day I do something big in your life!" That's not His style. God works by simply stepping into an ordinary day and saying what He wants to say.
--Charles Swindoll

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's 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.

With only two tellers working at the bank, the line I was standing in was moving very slowly. As I waited, I began to fill in my withdrawal slip. Not sure of the date, I turned and asked the woman behind me.
"It's the fifth," she replied.
A man from the back of the line advised, "Don't write it in yet!"

When people have nothing to try them, they are in great danger of deceiving themselves. Has injustice been done you--has someone refused you honest wages or refused to pay a just debt? Did you find the Spirit of Christ in you? Perhaps you have been misunderstood and misrepresented; well, how have you borne it? Perhaps you have been treated disrespectfully by those who are under particular obligations to you; well, how did you bear it? Did your indignation rise--did you manifest an un-Christlike spirit? Or did you find the Spirit of Christ was in you? ... Though all this was very wrong and very provoking, what has been the effect on you? What has it taught you?... These things never occur by accident; God designs that every one should demonstrate our characters--that they should try us and show what there is in us and reveal to us the springs of action in us.
--Charles G. Finney

"If you're proactive, you don't have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own." -- Stephen R. Covey



"99% of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." -- George Washington Carver

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present. Jan Glidewell Columnist

"The deeper one penetrates into nature's secrets, the greater becomes one's respect for God." -- Albert Einstein

"We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be. And our attitudes and behaviors grow out of these [often false] assumptions." – Stephen Covey

"No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has." – Henry Ward Beecher

"Have you ever noticed that if you spend time around people who have strong personalities, you will automatically be affected by them? You'll find yourself doing the things they do. Their mannerisms will rub off on you. You can't help it. They just influence you, especially if they are people you respect and admire." – Gloria Copeland

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." – Charles Kettering

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." – Winston Churchill


The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.


A psychiatrist's secretary walks into his study and says, "There's a gentleman in the waiting room asking to see you. Claims he's invisible."
The psychiatrist responds, "Tell him I can't see him."