Random Thought.............

"I prefer to fight the European armies, but they do not fight as men - they fight as dogs! Men prefer to fight with swords, so they can see each other's eyes! Sometimes, this is not possible. Then, they fight with rifles. The Europeans have guns that fire many times promiscuously and rend the Earth. There is no honor in this - nothing is decided from this."

Mulay Hamid El Raisuli the Magnificent, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers

The Wind and the Lion

Thanks Guys...............

Just wanted to thank all of you that sent me notes of encouragement as well as their best wishes and prayers during the recent illness and death of my mother.

Ya'll just don't know how much they meant to me. It's been tough these past few months and I figure there will be some hard days ahead but with friends like you guys, it will be easier to deal with.

Thanks again.

M.

G*d Has A Sense Of Humor...............

My quest for a new church continues. I have noticed that most of the church members of places I have visited are "graying out" and look at me and lick their lips as I am a potential younger (although I ain't no spring chicken) new member.

A friend of mine invited me to visit his church and told me a story about a homecoming that they had just celebrated. They brought in a visiting preacher and just before he was to preach they warned him about a few older members that just couldn't stay awake for the entire sermon. (This included my friend's uncle, a fellow named Jimmy) Well the visiting preacher thought he would stop that, so the night of his sermon, he started out and sure enough Uncle Jimmy dropped off. The preacher kept his normal voice and asked everyone that wanted to go to heaven, please stand up.

The entire congregation with the exception of Uncle Jimmy who slumbered on, stood. The preacher then had the congregation sit and asked the question "And just who here wants to go to hell? STAND UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hearing the stand up, Uncle Jimmy jumped to his feet and looked around and seeing he was the only person standing in the church (other than the preacher) rubbed the back of his neck and said "Preacher, I ain't sure what we just voted on, but it looks like you and me are the only ones that stood up for it"

I think I may try that church this weekend...............

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.........

Here is a link to the story of Fox Movie studio's attempts to obtain the rights to the book Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/fox-tries-bloody-hard-for-lincoln-vampire-hunter/


The thing that made me spray coffee was a reader's comment containing the possible lyrics to a theme song for the movie. Of course, done to the tune of Shaft.......

Who’s the 16th President of the United States
That’s a sex machine to all the chicks in town?
LINCOLN!
Ya damn right!

Who is the U.S President
that would risk his neck for his brother man?
LINCOLN!
Can you dig it?

Who’s the cat in the stovepipe hat
When there vampires all about?
LINCOLN!
Right on!

They say this cat Lincoln is a Republican…
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I’m just talkin’ ’bout Lincoln.
THEN WE CAN DIG IT!

He’s a complicated chief-executive and vampire-hunter
but no one understands him but his woman.
ABE LINCOLN!

The Last Doughboy............

Today is Veteran's Day and my fellow bloggers have covered thanking all of the men and women who have worn the uniform in their country's service much better than I could have. I wanted to look at this day from a different angle.

How many of you have ever heard of a man named Frank Woodruff Buckles? Mr. Buckles lives with his daughter in Charles Town, West Virgina. He was born in 1901 which would make him 109 years old. That in and of it's self would make Mr. Buckles someone of interest but what makes him even more noteworthy is that he is the last surviving American who served in World War I. Mr. Buckles lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army and was shipped overseas in 1917. He served in England, France and in occupied Germany as an Ambulance driver and prison guard.

Mr. Buckles adventures didn't end after World War I and his discharge from the army. He ended up working as a purser for a shipping line and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You see, he was working in Manila Harbor in 1942 when the Japanese Army captured the Philippines and he spent the next three years in a prison camp. After being liberated in 1945, Mr. Buckles led mostly a quiet life as a farmer still driving his own tractor until he turned 102. These days, he has slowed down and his last wish is that the country build a monument to all the servicemen that served in what was optimistically called "The War to End All Wars"

So today, take a moment and remember Mr. Frank Buckles, the lone survivor of America's generation of warriors who fought to make the world safe for democracy in World War I.

Thelma W. 1927-2010

After a long hard battle with C.O.P.D. my mom died last night.

There isn't a heck of a lot I can say right now. She was one tough lady and what ever I am or will be is the result of her teachings and example. I was very lucky to have had her as a big part of my life.

The following words have given me a great deal of comfort these days.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is a object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" There are other eyes watching her approach and other voices ready to take up the glad shout:"Here she comes!"

And that is dying.

Henry Van Dyke