I recently finished reading a very thought provoking book, The Wheel of Life: A Memoir of Living and Dying, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. This is one of the best books I have read in a while; I highly recommend it.

The book tells of Elisabeth’s life adventures and her life’s lessons. She provides many insights. Here are a few:

– Everyone goes through hardships in life. The more you go thrugh, the more learn and grow.

– Adversity only makes you stronger.

– When you learn your lessons, the pain goes away.

– Our only purpose is life is growth. There are no accidents.

– There is within each of us a potential for goodness beyond our imagining; for giving which seeks no reward; for listening without judgment; for loving unconditionally.

– You should live until you die.

– You can not heal the world, without healing yourself first.

– If you are ready for spiritual experiences and you are not afraid, you will have them yourself. You do not need a guru or a baba to tell you how to do it.

– Death is but a transition from this life to another existence where there is no more pain and anguish.

– Everything is bearable when there is love.

– The only thing that lives forever is love.

– Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you have lived.

What do you think? Thought 56.

“It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers.”

– James Thurber

What do you think? Give me your thoughts and I will give mine.

As the father of two successful and ambitious daughters, successful women intrigue me. Here’s some history of female governors.

Mrs. Nellie Taylor Ross of Wyoming was the first women governor in the U.S. She was elected to fill the unexpired four-year term of her husband, William Ross. She took office on January 5, 1925.

A few days later, Miriam Wallace (Ma) Ferguson, also elected in 1924, became governor of Texas and, like Mrs. Ross served from 1925-27; she served again 1933-35.

Lurleen Burns Wallace, elected 1966, became the Alabama governor on January 16, 1967, succeeding her husband, George. She died of cancer on May 7, 1968.

Ella Tamburri Grasso, as the Democratic candidate in Connecticut, became the fourth woman governor in U.S. history. Her three predecessors, women governors of states, were also Democrats but, unlike Mrs. Grasso, had been preceded by their husbands.

– From “I Didn’t Know That” by Lavinia Donler, 1978

My daughter is a photographer. I was so proud when she graduated with her B.A. in photography this past May. So this bit on the beginnings of photography caught my attention.

– From “I Didn’t Know That!” by Lavania Dobler, 1978.

Who made is possible for anyone to become a photographer?

George Eastman who, in 1879, invented and patented a machine for coating the glass plates then used in cameras. A few years later he perfected flexible rolls of film and designed the roll holder for winding them.

By May, 1888, Eastman had made the first of the little cameras that soon became so popular. By 1900 he had a dollar camera to sell.

He thought a long time about the right trademark for his camera. He wanted a short word that everyone could pronounce. The letter “K” appealed to him. It was the first letter of his mother’s surname. Then he decided that two “Ks” would be much better, one at the beginning of the word and another at “K” at the end. Actually, he created a new word, Kodak. “If is isn’t an Eastman, it isn’t a Kodak.

The pretzel is a kind of German Biscuit. It is brittle and twisted, with a glazed, salted surface. Pretzel comes from the Latin word pretiola, meaning a small reward. The pretzel was first made by monks in southern Europe as a reward for children who learned their prayers. It was shaped to represent the crossed arms of a child praying.

The first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States opened in Lititz, Pennsylvania, in 1861. Pretzels were once twisted by hand, and a few bakeries still use this method. But most use twisting machines today.

– From the book “I Didn’t Know That!” by Lavinia Dobler, 1978

Interesting . . . a praying child. What do you think?

Why Do We Say “God Bless You” or “Gesundheit” When A Person Sneezes?

Long ago ancient people thought that the soul or spirit of a person was in the breath or air in the head. Not understanding the human body, people also believed that a sneeze might expel this spirit unless God prevented it. So it was important to say immediately, “God Bless You,” or “Gesundheit” (good health in German), or “Salud” (health in Spanish).

If a person from the Far East happened to be near when you sneezed, he or she would quickly clasp hands and bow toward you. This was a way of saying, “May your soul not escape from you!”

– From the book “I Didn’t Know That” by Lavinia Dobler, 1978

I received a card from the family of Theresa Hummel. I wanted to share it.

Perhaps you sent a lovely card,
Or sat quietly in a chair:
Perhaps you sent beautiful flowers,
If so, we saw them there.
Perhaps you sent or spoke kind words
As any friend could say;
Perhaps you were not there at all
Just thought of us that day.
Whatever you did to console the heart
We thank you so much, whatever the part.

Tribute to Theresa Hummel
November 27, 1932 — August 6, 2009

What Do You Think?

Sin is basically damage, a rupture in a relationship. It is not really about breaking a rule. Sin is doing something or failing to to something which results in harming a relationship (i.e., with God — not being conscious of God, not praying; with others — anger, gossip, lying; with yourself and with creation (littering, being wasteful, etc.).

Do You Agree?

Mortal sin is the most serious (e.g., murder, mutilation, grand larceny, adultery, destroying a person’s reputation, etc.). For a sin to be mortal it must be a serious matter; there must be sufficient reflection, and it is done with full consent of the will. Its matter is serious; it weighs upon the soul. It gravely affects your relationship with God and your neighbor. It deprives you of the state of grace. Venial sin, on the other hand, is less serious, not as mindful, but nevertheless, violates God’s law of love.

What Do You Think?

The mother of a good friend recently passed. She was blessed with good family and friends; and now she is blessed with God’s presence. There were two prayer cards at the funeral. Both are a tribute to her. May she see the light and rest in peace.

Prayer Card
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
May the rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Prayer Card
God saw she was getting tired
And a cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around her
And whispered, “Come with Me.”

With tearful eyes we watched her suffer
And saw her fade away.
Although we loved her dearly,
We could not make her stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.

Lately I have been on an old fashion kick thinking a lot about how life has changed. Has it all been for the good? See my recent post at Jim’s business blog for some of those thoughts.

Recently I came across an old saying. A dear friend, who is about 90, told me she had cleaned her house. She said she hadn’t done the greatest job. She stated she “gave the house a lick and a promise”.

This old saying was from her Mom. You can imagine how old it is. But I had never heard it before. But it describes my standard mode of cleaning.

As they say in the Mastetcard commercials . . . PRICELESS!

What do you think?

Do you have any old saying?