Lest We Forget

A short tribute to space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

Karen's Friends

My work daughter, Jennifer, and Karen with Stitch

Everest Goofy and Karen(Goofy and Goofier)

Little Barrel and Chicken Little

A Brooke Update

The girls, Brooke and Lucy, in the backyard.

Donnie, Brooke and our girl.

Mama's Gift

Four brothers left home for college, and they became successful
doctors and lawyers and prospered.

Some years later, they chatted after having dinner together. They discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly

mother who lived far away in another city.

The first said, "I had a big house built for Mama."

The second said, " I had a hundred thousand dollar theater built in the house."

The third said, "I had my Mercedes dealer deliver an SL600 to her."

The fourth said, "You know how Mama loved reading the Bible and you know she can't read anymore because she can't see very well. I met this preacher who told me about a parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took twenty preachers 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000 a year for twenty years to the church, but it was worth it. Mamma just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot will recite it."

The other brothers were impressed.

After the holidays Mom sent out her Thank You notes.

She wrote: "Milton, the house you built is so huge I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house. Thanks anyway."

"Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home, I have my groceries delivered, so I never use the Mercedes. The thought was good. Thanks."

"Michael, you gave me an expensive theater with Dolby sound, it could hold 50 people, but all of my friends are dead, I've lost my hearing and I'm nearly blind. I'll never use it. Thank you for the gesture just the same."

" My Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious.

Thank you." Luv Ya, Mama

Showing Grandpa His Muscles

Danielle & Cory at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Japanese Dog Show

Bummer. Christmas Is Over

Of course Christmas has been over for a couple of weeks, the tree finally came down this afternoon. I can't believe we were so busy on Christmas Eve we didn't take time for our traditional Christmas tree pictures. The little bears will be bagged until next Christmas.

MLK,Jr

I woke up this morning thinking about the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Week after next most US workers get the day off to celebrate his birthday. Why do we have a holiday celebrating the birthday of someone who wasn't elected to office; someone who didn't discover a country; someone who didn't accomplish deeds normally celebrated with a designation of a holiday recognizing their birth?

This gave me pause. As I considered Reverend King, I remembered that he might have begun something that even elected officials, founding fathers and others fail to accomplish.

Martin Luther King, Jr asked us to consider a world where people are judged by the content of their hearts not by the color of their skin. His dream was taken to heart by a whole generation of Americans who wanted to do better by mankind. He began something that elected officials cannot legislate, founding fathers cannot constitutionalize. He helped change the way people thought. Changing a heart and mind surely is more difficult than passing a law.

We went through such a brouhaha about Christmas this year, celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ. I'm not comparing Martin Luther King, Jr to Jesus, but there is a holiday celebrating Jesus' birth because America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Our country saw fit to celebrate Jesus' birth, someone who managed to change hearts without being a famous politician or lawmaker. No one ever intended to force their beliefs on any other unwilling American, but by golly---don't force believers to feel they are second-class citizens because their faith is the faith of 80 per cent of all Americans. I think we've had enough of this tail wagging the dog business and the Christmas hubub just reminded us that our voices do count and that silence is indeed the same as approval.

Back to Reverend King, it occurs to me that celebrating the birthday of someone who worked to better the lives of all Americans can't be a bad thing. Maybe holidays can celebrate ideas as well as deserving individuals.

The ideas above are my own, however, here's a good link to historic American documents.