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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "New Year's Jokes," reads as follows: "What greater way to prepare for the New Year than by sharing with my readers, my favorite New Year’s jokes.  There is no order here.  Some are clearly better than others, but I thought all of them had merit—or they wouldn’t be included.  Most give quick and sufficient testimony to what happened to me: When I thought about the evils of drinking in the New Year. I gave up thinking.  Let’s begin with a letter to the lord.   
    Dear Lord
    So far this year I've done well.
    I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that.  But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help.
    Amen"
                                                                                                                                             

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

"It was Oscar Wilde who said, “Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.”  May the new year bring you health, wealth, and prosperity.  Of course, that’s the same toast someone made at your wedding, and where did that get you?"                                       



And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Christmas ambience," reads as follows: "It’s true, we work at creating a Christmas ambience.  It is a warm, delightful, memorable environment that is created not just by one or two special features but with at least five elements that, together, make a difference."                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

"You can claim that all of this —everything designed to celebrate Christmas — is designed with the express purpose of proclaiming the birth of Jesus, but I would contend otherwise.  That may explain some of the etymology of Christmas, but in no way does that need to explain how it has evolved.  I believe that everything that is Christmas — all of the ambience and spirit — can be clearly seen and enjoyed without the haze of religion clouding the topic.  That is, indeed, the point of this essay: how easy it is to enjoy everything that is Christmas for the sheer joy of the lights, appreciation of the decorations, delight in the music, acknowledge the scents, and take in the special events that mark the annual event."

        




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And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Self-discipline can change your life in any way you want it to," reads as follows: "During my early years, I heard from my parents about the Puritan work ethic, but every time I heard the phrase it was connected with working hard.  Never did I know that it was a Biblically based teaching on the necessity of hard work, perfection, and the goodness of labor.
                                      
                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

"If you tend to be undisciplined, use the little discipline you have to build more.  The more disciplined you become, the easier life gets.  Challenges once impossible will seem like child’s play as you learn new skills, overcome difficulty and hardships, and improve your life.  Because we are what we repeatedly do, self-discipline will not be an act, but a habit."
      




And Then Some News

And Then Some News

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "One of the best things to have up your sleeve," reads as follows: "You can hear our table at almost any function we attend as a group.  It is the loudest because of the laughter and joy being shared.  There were eight of us at the table in a Chinese buffet, and each time there was an outburst of laughter, I looked around to notice that we caught the eye of almost everyone else in the restaurant.  After awhile it became accepted and understood: we were having a great deal of fun."
                
                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

"When I gave a speech some years ago I used the phrase, “One of the best things people can have up their sleeves is a funny bone.”  That phrase from my speech was discovered and used in an issue of Reader’s Digest and still later, as a result of publication in the Digest it was picked up by Garborg’s (Bloomington, MN) and published in their perpetual calendar, “Cherished Thoughts,” where it appears with my name attached, on April 24th.  Having a funny bone up your sleeve is something that can be taught, and if parents were smart, it can be begun early and carried through a lifetime."





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