Small U.S. businesses thrive with Ethiopian woman’s help. Read the story on CNN here.

Also, Obama recognizes Hero - Follow up story

Pixar grants girl’s dying wish to see ‘Up’

“A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.” Henrik Ibsen

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Let not Kindness and fidelity leave you. Bind them around your neck. Then will you win favor and good esteem before God and man! Proverbs:Chapter 3 verses 3&4 New American Bible

Check out this awesome video, Turn up your volume. This video is very true and very powerful. Please view it until the end.

Old friendships are like old songs.
They can either fit in with our
changing lifestyle and thoughts,
or be placed upon a shelf…
save for a few meaningful lyrics.

Lorraine Jara 1989

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. ~Doug Larson

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” - Robert Frost (1875 - 1963)

People come together during natural disasters, whether big or small. This story is one which happened just recently in our quiet town in Michigan.

The other day while waiting for my husband and son to return home from work, I noticed the skies darkening to a very deep grayish black. Apparently, there was a huge storm approaching. I battened down the hatches at the house, and prayed that both my husband and son would be safe coming home that night. The rain began to fall in sheets with whipping wind of which I had never seen before. Our many large and small trees were doing the limbo under the stress of the strong relentless winds, and I thought for certain that one or more would fall over. This torrent of rain, wind, and flying branches continued while our lights flickered on and off. I have to admit it was fun to watch. I kind of felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. But still, my worry deepened about the safety of my family.

Listen to “With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker

I received a telephone call from my husband. He and our son were stuck in traffic due to a huge tree which fell across one of our country roads. They back tracked and tried to go down another route through town, only to become stuck in traffic again due to another fallen tree as well as the power lines that it got tangled in. My husband called to let me know that he had decided to try the final alternate route home. I was relieved to know that they were safe, and would hopefully be home within ten minutes or so. I waited and waited, ten minutes passed, then twenty minutes, then forty minutes.

Frustrated, I sat and waited, not knowing what was taking them so long. An hour had past before they walked through the door. It turned out that on the last possible road leading to our home, yet another huge tree fell across the highway blocking traffic! This time however, a man came out of his house with a chainsaw and my husband, son and quite a few other men exited their vehicles to lend a hand with the piece by piece removal of parts of the tree. It was heavy work and hard work but everyone helped out and after almost an hour they had secured a pathway for all of the vehicles to flow through!

Now that is what I call people in action willing to lend a hand, and this just happened to occur on a Wednesday! So never hesitate to help out in any small or large way possible, it’s so rewarding!