Photography by John Michael

Get Mom Something Special…

Perplexed and confused about what to get for mom for Mothers’ Day?

Let me suggest something that will keep on giving and you can even get yourself a set !

Photo Copyright Photography by John Michael

I’ve dug into my vast portfolio of flowers and selected a dozen or so that might be attractive.

The cards are custom printed on heavy card stock (I looked for over TWO years to get just the RIGHT paper – great to the touch and easy to write on – the photos jump off the paper they’re so realistic) The final cards are blank on the inside and measure 4.25 ” x 5.50″ and come with matching envelopes. Check out the flyer and if you have any questions, contact me.

You Give Me Strength

You Give Me StrengthLord God,
thank You for loving me
Even when I turn away from You.
I am grateful for Your constant care and concern.
Though I feel unworthy of Your great love,
I thank You that through my weakness
You give me strength,
And in my wandering
You show me the way.

–Author unknown

The Sack Lunches

(My roommate from college sent me this one… so let me share..)

“The Sack Lunches
“I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down
in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight.
‘I’m glad I have a good book to read Perhaps I will
get a short nap,’ I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the
aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding
me. I decided to start a conversation. ‘Where are
you headed?’ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
‘Petawawa. We’ll be there for two weeks for special
training, and then we’re being deployed to Afghanistan
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made
that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It
would be several hours before we reached the east, and I
quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time..
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his
buddy if he planned to buy lunch. ‘No, that seems like
a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn’t
be worth five bucks. I’ll wait till we get to base.

> His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying
lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the
flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to
all those soldiers.’ She grabbed my arms and squeezed
tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me.
‘My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it’s almost like you
are doing it for him.’
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the
soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked,
‘Which do you like best – beef or chicken?’
‘Chicken,’ I replied, wondering why she asked.
She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a
minute later with a dinner plate from first class.
‘This is your thanks.’
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the
plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me.
‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here,
take this.’ He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain
coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he
walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he
was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane.
When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand,
an said, ‘I want to shake your hand.’
Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the
Captain’s hand. With a booming voice he said, ‘I
was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone
bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never
forgot.’ I was embarrassed when applause was heard
from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch
my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of
me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left
another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to
deplane Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man
who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned,
and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five
dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering
for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and
handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some
time to reach the base. It will be about time for a
sandwich. God Bless You.’
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect
of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car,
I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers
were giving their all for our country. I could only give
them a couple of meals.
It seemed so little…
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life,wrote a
blank check made payable to ‘ America for an amount of
‘up to and including my life.’
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this
country who no longer understand it.’
May God give you the strength and courage to pass this
along to everyone on your email buddy list….
I JUST DID”

Perspective…

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

–Marcel Proust

And then there were TWO…

DAYS LEFT to purchase the collector’s item “The Old Guard on Parade – 2009″

Come 01 APR and it’s gone.

ATTITUDE is…

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
– Thomas Jefferson

Leadership….

“A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops ….. under his command make him”

–General Douglas Mac Arthur

Interesting…

In wildness is the preservation of the world.

- Henry David Thoreau

A lesson for today’s times…

“Moderation is the key of lasting enjoyment.”
-Hosea Ballou

Gifts…

If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation it would be the ability of each individual to learn to laugh at himself.

–Charles Schulz