When A Woman Lies

When A Woman Lies

One day, a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river, when suddenly her thimble fell - right into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?" The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed to help her husband in making a living for their family. The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with sapphires.

"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, "No." The Lord dipped into the river and pulled out a golden thimble studded with rubies. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. Again, the seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble. "Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, "Yes." The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband suddenly fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?" "Oh, Lord, my husband has fallen into the river."

The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney. Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.

"Yes!" cried the seamstress. The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"

The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said "no" to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt. Then if said "no" to Brad Pitt, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said "yes", you would have given me all three. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S why I said "yes" to George Clooney."

And so the Lord let her keep him.

The moral of this story is:

Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others.

That's our story and we're sticking to it.

How Your Brain Works When It's Terrified

So, Tuesday night I get to do a presentation....

It's entitled, "Responses to a Disaster - Or, How Your Brain Works When It's Terrified."

This should be a lot of fun, because it incorporates 3 of my favorite things: psychology, teaching and disasters. Put them all together - and you get me, teaching about the psychological responses in a disaster situation.

Life doesn't get much better than that.

So - what will I be talking about? Basically, the 3 phases that the average person goes through when confronted by a disaster (such as fire, flood, airline crash, tornado, etc).

The first phase will be denial. It's the typical, "This can't be happening to me" phase. Denial = inaction. Inaction = death. So, it is important that a person QUICKLY moves on from this phase and accept the fact that yes, indeed, this IS happening - and you'd better deal with it - quick!

The second phase is deliberation...this is when a person realizes they must do something to respond - but just what should they do? They will evaluate, gather information, and try to remember everything they were ever taught back in grade school on how to respond. Again - they must deliberate quickly - as seconds may mean the difference between life and death.

The final phase is action. Hopefully, they make the right decision.

There's a lot more to the presentation, of course - I'll be showing some facts and figures from some famous disasters, such as Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the Miracle on the Hudson...who did things right, who didn't do things right....

I hope it goes well - but in any case, it was fun researching.... !

Peace.

Red Cross Racing

Red Cross Racing Kicks Off Season Two

We are proud to announce that for the second year in a row, the Red Cross is encouraging loyal NASCAR fans to donate blood through the Red Cross by joining Red Cross Racing.

NASCAR driver Greg Biffle has signed on again as a Red Cross spokesperson this racing season to raise awareness about the ongoing need for blood donations. Biffle, a Red Cross blood donor and member of the National Celebrity Cabinet, will help get the word out to the 75 million passionate NASCAR fans across the country about the importance of blood donations.

Nearly 22,500 blood donations came in through this program in 2008, and we hope to reach even more NASCAR fans during the 2009 season. This year, the program is offering participants new and exciting rewards for blood donation activities in an effort to increase the number of donors and the number of times they donate.

Fans can join the program by visiting the updated Web site at www.redcrossracing.com, where registrants can start accruing points and exchanging them for NASCAR-themed prizes, such as limited edition die-cast cars.

I encourage everyone to register at redcrossracing.com and show your support this season by cheering on Greg Biffle at the National Sprint Cup Series race this Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. Thanks to a generous donation from 3M, Biffle will wear the Red Cross fire suit and drive the No.16 3M Ford Fusion with the full Red Cross paint scheme.

Make a difference today - give blood!

Peace.

Thursday Thank You: Mission Trips

It's Thursday - another opportunity to say "thank you".

I just returned from a mission trip to Galveston. I want to say thank you for mission trips - I want to say thank you for the people who organize them, and the people who go on them. It takes a special type of person to participate in mission trips. They're not always easy - you're away from the comforts of your own home, often in a strange culture, where your health and safety may be at risk. You're often sleeping in an uncomfortable bed, listening to strange and scary noises at night. You're often eating bizarre food - and your body reacts strongly against these strange foods. You're often tired, and confused, and hungry - longing for your own bed, your own language, your own family.

But mission trips are life-changing. You go with the intention of helping others, and you come back home with the feeling of being helped. You find out who you really are - you learn all about the people of the world - and you learn about your own spirituality. I often feel closer to God when I'm on a mission trip. I guess it's because I am learning about different cultures and different people - all created by Him. I come home with a new appreciation of the many blessings that I have here in my own home.

I have learned many things on mission trips. I have learned how to be patient. I have learned to be flexible. I have learned to focus on others, and not myself. I have learned to focus on Him and the wonders of this Earth that we live in.

I love mission trips. So, thanks, God - for "nudging" me back in 2004 to go on my first one. May they never end.

Peace.

10 on Tuesday: Things to Do in the Summer

Summer is almost here - yay! - and so I thought I'd make a list of 10 things that I love to do in the summer, in no particular order:

1. Sleeping with the windows open and listening to the crickets outside.

2. Going to see a Royals baseball game at the "K".

3. Taking the kids to the zoo...I love the elephants.

4. Sitting outside at night while there's a breeze, listening to the kids playing and laughing.

5. Mowing the grass - I love the sight and smell of a fresh-mowed lawn.

6. Weeding my flower garden.

7. Going to Starlight Theater on Friday nights - we've had season tickets for years.

8. Going on vacation - anywhere, anytime.

9. Taking the dog for a walk around the neighborhood and admiring everyone else's flowers and fresh-cut grass.

10. Wearing shorts and t-shirts and tank tops....woo hoo!

Let's see what I can accomplish this summer...what are YOUR favorite things to do when the weather turns warm?

Peace.