Well, we are into another July 4th Week and it might be an ideal time to let our families and friends know that we appreciate them. As I have said before, I am convinced that three of the most important words in the English language are "I appreciate you." Probably at least 90 percent of what people do is worthy of praise but, unfortunately, it's the other 10 percent we usually hear about. There are so many areas of activity going on all around us that are worthy of appreciative attention, and when we give people a sincere compliment, words of encouragement, or just a warm smile, we make their world (and ours) a better place; (2) When we express our approval or gratitude for something someone has done, we will not only enhance their lives, but we will enrich ours as well, and, (3), When we are loyal to others, they are very likely to be loyal to us. Philosopher William James said, "The deepest principle of human nature is the desire to feel important." This is easy to understand since ALL OF US are VERY important. And let's remember to be proud of ourselves. We sometimes tend to be our own worst critics. In one of my Seminars, a gentleman told about how he had driven a certain route from his home to his office on a regular basis, always making the correct turns and going in the right directions. He had done this correctly for hundreds of times, but then one morning he was deep in thought and he missed one of those turns. He immediately lashed out at himself, saying "What is the matter with you, how could you make a wrong turn like that?" It then occurred to him that on all those other hundreds of times that he had driven perfectly, he had not once congratulated himself for doing so. Folks, let's be proud of ourselves while showing those around us that we are also proud of them.

Now to close on a humorous note: A young farm boy accidently overturned his wagon load of corn. The farmer who lived nearby heard the noise. "Hey Willis," he yelled, "forget your troubles, come in and have dinner with us, then I'll help you get your wagon back up." "That's mighty nice of you," Willis answered, "But I don't think Pa would like me to do that." "Nonsense, come on!" the farmer insisted. "Well, okay," the boy finally agreed, "But Pa won't like it." After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. "I feel a lot better now," he said, "but I know Pa is going to be very upset." "Don't be foolish!" the farmer said with a smile, "and by the way, where is your Pa?" "Under the wagon!"

Have a wonderful day!