I hope your Labor Day Weekend has been wonderful in every way, and that you are looking forward to a great upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas Season. How time flies we need to LIVE each day as fully and completely as possible and count our blessings. There is the story about a man who was passing by some elephants and seemed puzzled that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front legs. No chains. No cages.

It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but they did not. The man saw a trainer nearby and asked why these huge animals just stood there and did not attempt to get away. The trainer said, "When they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them, and at that age it is enough to hold them. They try several times at that young age to break away, but as they grow up they are conditioned to believe that the rope can still hold them, so they just stop trying to break free." Like these animals many of us go through life believing that we can't do something, simply because we failed at it once before. The truth is we can do most anything we set our hearts and minds on doing if we just believe we can. Things usually work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out, and most things happen for a reason.

For example, it was not "by chance" that I traveled all the way to New York City to meet My Emma, which led to 58 years of a wonderful marriage and the addition to the world of three precious children, five precious grandchildren, and the recent arrival of a Great-grand son. There are miracles happening all around us, and we need to recognize them, like the story of the 24-year-old young man looking out from the train window and shouting, "Dad, look at the beauty of the trees!"

His dad smiled, but a young couple sitting near them looked at the young man's childish behavior with pity. He then suddenly shouted, "And look, Dad, at how fast the clouds are moving with us!" The couple asked, "Why don't you take your son to a good doctor?" The old man smiled and said, "I did, and we are just coming from the hospital. My son was blind from birth, and he just got his eyes today!" COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!

Now to close on a humorous note: A father, mother, and child went to spend some time on the beach on a hot Summer's day, but as soon as they reached the beach they discovered there was a black flag there, a sign not to enter the water. The boy really wanted to get in the water, but his mother did not agree so they stayed on the beach to rest in the sun and play in the sand. After a few minutes the father got bored and turned to his wife and said, "Keep an eye on our son, I'm going into the water, there's no way the sea is really that dangerous."

After a few minutes the boy asked, Mommy, why did you let Dad get in the water and not me?" "Because you and your father are two different people, and there are things he can do that you can't," answered the mother. "Is it because Dad knows how to swim really well?", continued the son. "Not really," answered the mother. "Is it because Dad is big and strong?" "No."

"Then why is Daddy allowed to enter the water and I'm not?", and the mother said, "Because Daddy has life insurance." HAVE A GREAT DAY!