The talent for being happy is

Having a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at yourself in trying circumstances

1. Basically my wife was immature. I'd be at home in the bath and she'd come in and sink my boats." I never had a boat in my bathtub before. Just staring at it while soaking in hot water makes me seasick already.
2. "I am not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens." If it rains, it pours.
3. "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." It could get worse when you're guzzling on beer… or mouthwash, and it happened to me more than once!
4. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." At least he doesn't smite us with lightning, and I'm thankful for that. And despite of what may happen to all of us in the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years, I guess we all have to see things in a different kind of light and not just perspective. I can't seem to imagine life without any piece of wisdom that could guide us. Whether we're religious or not, it takes more courage to accept your fears and learn how to deal with them is all that matters when it comes to even just getting along. And to sum things up, here is the last nugget of wisdom to go by… however, whenever, and wherever we may be.
5. "The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have."

Today is a special day

From About.com
 Leap Year has been the traditional time that women can propose marriage. In many of today's cultures, it is okay for a woman to propose marriage to a man. Society doesn't look down on such women. However, that hasn't always been the case. When the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years. That day was February 29th.

St. Bridget's Complaint
It is believed this tradition was started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. According to legend, St. Patrick said the yearning females could propose on this one day in February during the leap year.

February 29th in English Law
According to English law, February 29th was ignored and had no legal status. Folks assumed that traditions would also have no status on that day. It was also reasoned that since the leap year day existed to fix a problem in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust custom that only let men propose marriage.

The first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when Scotland supposedly passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. Tradition states they also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.

Sadie Hawkins Day
In the United States, some people have referred to the first Saturday in November as Sadie Hawkins Day with women being given the right to run after unmarried men to propose.

Sadie Hawkins was a female character in the Al Capp comic strip Li'l Abner. Many communities prefer to celebrate Sadie Hawkins Day in November because Al Capp first mentioned Sadie Hawkins Day on November 15, 1937.  However Sadie Hawkins day became associated with Leap Year.

AB C D E F G the New Alphabet song for the next generation

As I think about my grandson who is just approaching one and will be being read to and who will in the next few years be starting to learn his ABC's I dedicate this post.

For those of you who have kids, this is your homework. You will be tested tomorrow.
Looks like we have to learn our ABCs all over again.

The Latest from Nursery Schools' Syllabus:

 A:  APPLE

B:  BLUETOOTH

C:  CHAT

D:  DOWNLOAD

E:  E MAIL

F:  FACEBOOK

G:  GOOGLE

H:  HEWLETT PACKARD

I:     iPHONE

J:  JAVA

K:   KINGSTON

L:   LAPTOP

M:  MESSENGER

N:  NERO

O:  ORKUT

P:  PICASSA

Q:  QUICK HEAL

R:  RAM

 S:  SERVER

T:  TWITTER

U:  USB

V:   VISTA

W:  WiFi

X:   Xp

Y:  YOU TUBE

Z:  ZORPIA

Thank God .... A is still Apple

Passion is the key

This month we celebrated Valentines day which is a day for lovers, but also a day for many singles to think about their lack of a partner and as we move toward the 29th this may be forefront in some peoples minds. Leap year is the time when lovers can reunite or when singles can find true love. As we think about this we have to think about passion. Passion for life is, in my mind, the most important aspect to consider at this time of the year.

Passion for the adventure of life can be seen in toddlers and infants. Every minute of every day there is a new experience to be tried--watch an infant learning to walk, or seeing a new item in the room. The smiles light up their faces as they get ready to explore, create and experience what the new will bring.

As we get older, we loose site of the joy we experienced as toddlers, we need to get it back. My generation is moving into a new cycle of life and perhaps we need to reach back and bring forward the joy of experiences we had when we were young. I talked to a friend the other day about why he was returning to work. He stated that when he first retired, he found himself sitting in front of the TV wasting away. He said that he had been told find your passion and explore this when you retire. His statement to me was that he had no passion. He liked all sorts of things, golf, travelling, reading, music, money, but he could find no passion in anything. So he decided to return to work so he could make more money and spend this money on the things he liked. I thought about what he said and it made some sense. However, when he was working he did appear to have a passion for his craft and build a very strong program because of his passion for his area.  Passion attracts others, as they want to experience the joy you feel.  Perhaps in time my friend will find his passion again. I hope so.

As we think about friends, lovers and family at this time of year, I suggest you consider what your passion is and how you can ignite it once more.