The Original Musings

And quite possibly one of the coolest things I’ve seen in quite a while

You have to open this in Google Chrome.   So … load up a Chrome browser window …

Now, click on ***this link***.  When prompted, enter an old address you used to live at. Or your Mom’s old address when she was growing up, Dad’s childhood address, Grandma’s house, your old school, whatever — just pick some address that means something to you. Now sit back and enjoy the show.

And when you’re done with that one … come back here and play with this one:

This will make you smile!

An enterprising little penguin — slated to be lunch for a killer whale — takes a chance and escapes death.

Told you it’d make you smile!

This is unbelievable …

Absolutely amazing.

There’s really nothing else to say about it.

Could there ever be?

Whether you’re reading this before your day really gets underway, or after your day is winding down to a close — or even a day or two after the fact — please take a moment and reflect on why the day is so important. It’s not just a national holiday, a day off work, a day for a picnic or a cookout …

Today is Memorial Day.

“Thank you” simply isn’t enough.

“Remember” isn’t enough either.

And yet, in the end, that’s really all that can be said.

And they stole the *idea* out of my and David’s brains …

David and I were sitting in the family room late one night (early one morning, more accurately) engaged in solving problems. Our insightful observations led to such conclusions as:

Read the rest of this entry »

And this one was sent along by Susan

Not to be confused with Sue.

Little Melissa comes home from 1st grade & tells her father that they learned about the history of Valentine’s Day.

‘Since Valentine’s Day is for a Christian saint, and we’re Jewish,’ she asks, ‘Will God get mad at me for giving someone a valentine?

Melissa’s father thinks a bit, then says: ‘No, I don’t think God would get mad. Whom do you want to give a Valentine to?’

‘Osama Bin Laden,’ she says.

‘Why Osama Bin Laden?’ her father asks in shock.

‘Well,’ she says, ‘I thought that if a little American Jewish girl could have enough love to give Osama a Valentine, he might start to think that maybe we’re not all bad, and maybe start loving people a little bit. And if other kids saw what I did and sent Valentines to Osama, he’d love everyone a lot. And then he’d start going all over the place to tell everyone how much he loved them, and how he didn’t hate anyone anymore.’

Her father’s heart swells and he looks at his daughter with new found pride.. ‘Melissa, that’s the most wonderful thing I have ever heard.’

‘I know, ‘ Melissa says, ‘and once that gets him out in the open, the Marines could shoot the bastard.’

Just watch, and enjoy

It’s almost majestic.

Totally made of awesome, isn’t it?

Next stop, Delhi, India

My second daughter, Maggie and her husband, Joel, are on their way to India for a two-week mission trip. They’re traveling with their friend Josh (who is also the youth minister at their church) and I just got the text confirmation that their flight from Chicago’s O’Hare airport left on time at 7:15 p.m. (central time, 8:15 our time). They’re due to arrive in Delhi tomorrow at 9:45 p.m. tomorrow — I don’t know if that’s Delhi time or our time though. All I know is they’re on a non-stop flight on the way there, and then coming home they’ll have an overnight layover in London.

On the one hand I wish they were going somewhere a little less worrisome – how about Topeka, Kansas? — on the other hand, though, I have to admit a bit of envy. I’ve been many places but never India, and I think this will be a wonderfully memorable trip for them.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

I don’t know them, but I love them

I drive down 675 four times a week — and back four times a week — and every year at Christmastime the Zink family wishes us a “Merry Xmas” on the side of their barn, which we can see from the highway.

This year, though, the Zink family is wishing us a “Merry Christmas” — and not only that, but the letters aren’t all the same color.  I’m going to try to get a picture of it (well, Missy is) tonight but I don’t know how well it’ll work from a moving car.  Anyhow, the words are written as follows:

Merry Christmas

from the Zink Family

While I’m surrounded by people who are removing any reference to Christmas, people who wish me a “Happy Holiday Season” or “hope your winter season is happy,” who insist that all nativity scenes be hidden away lest they offend a non-Christian (who probably couldn’t care less), who insist that I acknowledge Ramadan, Kwanza, Winter Solstice and whatnot (how come the Jews don’t insist I acknowledge Hanukkah? Oh, wait, I’ll tell you why — they don’t CARE what I believe as long as I let them believe what they want to believe.  Those silly Jews are missing their chance to be righteously indignant and mortally offended by my wishing them a “Merry Christmas” because they know it’s the sentiment that counts), while all this is going on around me, it’s nice that the Zink Family is wishing me a Merry Christmas.

I wish them one as well.