A friend sent me this. I thought I would share. the continuation of the details of my adventure will wait for another day.


Have you considered...


What would you do if every time you fell in love with someone you had to say good-bye?

What would you do if every time you wanted someone they would never be there?

What would you do if for every moment you were truly happy there would be 10 moments of sadness?

What would you do if your best friend died tomorrow and you never got to tell them how you felt?

What would you do if you loved someone more than anything else and you could never have them?

Some people live and some people die. Don't wait until it is too late before you tell them, "I love you and you are a true friend. I will always be here for you when and if you need me. If I died tomorrow, you would be in my heart forever. Would I be in yours?"

Let old friends know you haven't forgotten them, and tell new friends you never will.

I miss you Grandma!

Hurry back so we can have some more ice cream,
blow some more bubbles, and have some more laughs!

I love you bunches!

An Unexpected Amazing Adventure


When I started out on my trip to Cleveland, I never anticipated the various twists and turns that would become part of my journey.

I wrote earlier about the blessing of meeting a Guardian Angel disguised as a trucker (smile).

It was fantastic being in Murfreesboro with my son Tom and his family. According to the weather station the weather was gloomy….I had so much fun that I never felt gloomy. We went to Chuckie Cheese and played games. The sounds of laughter and children at play were terrific. Hope and Noah won lots of tickets but the real reward was seeing them with Tom and Shelia, a happy family.

Sunday was Sunday School and Church. Noah wanted me to attend his Sunday School Class but I elected instead to visit Tom and Shelia’s Class. Four junior high teenagers were there students. They interacted comfortably with them. They interacted with each student and using the kid’s own examples they illustrated their message.

Music is a large part of Believers Chapels service. I enjoyed it very much. It moved me to interspection and thought.

Sprinkle throughout my visit, there were wonderful moments: Curled up finding things on the computer with Hope and Noah. Watching Tom and Shelia read to them before bed. Hearing laughter in the house. Feasting on delicious food. Listening to Hope play the piano and take her to her lesson. Seeing the loving care given Noah when he was sick. Noticing times when Shelia and Tom were loving and caring to each other in an everyday, comfortable manner.

On Monday I discovered that my car was frozen. I couldn’t get my key in the lock much less open the door. Ice was thick on all the winds. I found that the best solution was to pour warm water on the door. It worked like magic to open the doors. I followed up by giving the car a warm water bath. It worked like a charm.

I left on Tuesday to drive on to Huntington, West Virginia. I admit I was frightened to drive. I was unsure of what the road conditions might be as Kentucky had been battered by a treacherous ice storm the day before.

My anxiety increased as I approached Lexington. The landscape looked like Jack Frost had painted the trees and wires with glistening ice. The beauty was awesome. Unfortunately, so were the problems and complications caused by frozen power lines and downed trees.

One lane of the highway was open. Traffic was moving steadily. On the radio disc jockeys were trying to coordinate relief activities. People who had electricity were calling in volunteering to fix hot meals or house others not so fortunate. Some called with offers of heaters and generators. People reaching out to help others, it gave me a wonderful warm feeling.

I managed to arrive safely and before dark, YEAH!

Stay tuned for Huntington and beyond.

Disguised as a truck driver.


Sometimes angels can be found in the most unlikely places.

It had taken me nearly 10 hours to get just north of Atlanta from St. Petersburg, Florida. The weather had been cloudy, occasionally rainy, nothing that would cause any problems or delay. Now as darkness arrived, the sky opened up and torrents fell. It became more and more difficult to see and to complicate matters the traffic was horrendous. Stopping seemed the wise decision. Unfortunately, at each exit the hotels were expensive so I drove on.

As I approached Chattanooga the weather worsened and fog arrived. Now stopping was more than an option, it became a necessity. I was fearful about driving over the mountains in such conditions.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who wanted to be cautious. Now each hotel at the exits were full – no vacancies. My mind started to play the “if only game.” If only I had stopped and paid the higher rate I would be safe and sound now. It is rarely productive to play this game so I stopped and tried to figure out what to do.

Number one, I needed gas. So I found the nearest gas station. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Called a friend and that helped to sooth me. Now out into the rain and fill my tank. It is amazing how wet a lady can get filling her car (smile). It didn’t help the overall feeling that the temperatures were in the 30’s (yuck).

When I went into the convenience store to pay for the gas, I noticed that a large semi was in the parking lot and what appeared to be the driver was talking to the clerk. Courage came to me as I went up to him and asked, “Are you going over the mountains towards Nashville?” He said he was enroute to his home in Nashville. I asked, “May I follow you? I am nervous about driving in the fog and rain and if I can follow your lights and the reflectors on the back of your truck that would be great.” He said his name was Jack and that he would be happy to help me out. I smiled and told him, “Thank you so much. I’m Judy. If I see a billboard for a hotel as we go along, I am going to pull off and stay there tonight if they have availability.” He smiled and off we went.

I felt confident as I followed his lights, 5 across the top and 6 along the bottom with reflectors outlining the back of the truck. The rain was pouring and the fog made visibility difficult. As we reached the top of one of the mountains there was a billboard for a hotel nestled among large warehouses selling FIREWORKS. I turned on my blinker and was surprised to see the truck do the same.

We both pulled into the Best Western parking lot. I told him it wasn’t necessary for him to wait. I didn’t wish to hold him up but he was concerned that if there wasn’t any room I wouldn’t have his lights to lead me on. Sure enough the hotel was sold out. Jack noticed a Holiday Inn Express across the way. Thankfully, they had one room left.

The rain was pouring. Jack helped me get my luggage inside. He was a gentleman remaining at the door as I placed them in the room. I thanked him and ask what I could do to repay his kindness. I offered my business card so he could contact me if he ever needed anything; I even offered him money for his trouble. He declined it all with a smile. He said, “Judy lets just keep it Judy and Jack. I am glad I could help you when you needed it. Maybe someone will help my wife or daughter if they need it.” With that he shook my hand and left to go to Nashville to his family.

Sometimes angels can be found in the most unlikely places.

And they say men don't know how to zing their lady with that special gift....(smile)


Upon awakening, a woman told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine's day. What do you think it means?"

"You'll know tonight." he said.

That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it - to find a book entitled, "The Meaning Of Dreams."

Tough Love...I was told this today


If you don't trust yourself, if you need other people to validate your dreams, it will wear you down.

Among the plethora of jokes that circulate through cyberspace, sometimes a thought provoking gem arrives, this is such a story.


One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

It may be a chilly, soggy Saturday here in Florida yet nevertheless a sensational gift.


Everyday is a new opportunity to be the way you want to be and live the life you want it to be.

Makes You Think - Makes You Smile


Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. - Dennis Wholey

Sticks and Stones...


When I was a little girl and someone said something hurtful, there were little sayings to fall back on. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me." "I'm rubber. You're glue. Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you."

Unfortunately, sayings aren't really shelds to keep you from being hurt when people say things (many times unintentionally) that cause pain or self doubt.

By the same token words can be encouragers and make people feel wonderful. One of my favorite books is "Silver Boxes" by Florence Littauer. She says genuine compliments, words of encouragment, catching people doing something right and acknowledging it are gifts - silver boxes. Words can make a positive difference in someone's day.

Over the years I have discovered my mouth must be a size 7 since my foot seems to fit so perfectly in it. I wish I always stopped to think before I spoke, unfortunately many times I don't. The words come tumbling out. Knowing that about myself makes it easier for me to understand and forgive when someone says something that inevitably hurts my feelings.

Superman has his kryptonite that causes him to lose his powers and feel less. I have discovered my kryptonite is..."I don't need you." "I don't want you." "I forgot you." Thankfully, just as Superman has been able to regain his powers if he gets away from that powerful green crystal, if I take a moment or two and realize the circumstances the words that hurt my heart were spoken it is okay. I rebound.

May we all realize the power of our words. Our mouths should come with a "proceed with caution" label, "handle with care" (smile).

It is easier to read words than it is to give yourself permission to believe them.


Life success shouldn't be measured by the approval of others.

Share Our Eyes


Today it was my pleasure to have a conversation with a man I haven't seen or spoken to since high school. I enjoyed hearing about his life over the past years. I was flattered that he was candid and shared his thoughts and experiences on a variety of topics.

At the end of our talk, I was wishing he could borrow my eyes to look at his life. Sometimes it would be nice to see our circumstances from someone else's point of view.

Compassion


Be kinder to each other. We are only here for such a short time. One word - one thoughtful act - one smile at a time. Being more compassionate can change the environment we live in.

Grown Up Love...


when their happiness is essential to yours.

"Reality is for those who lack imagination." Albert Einstein