Mine was super, how was yours?
Ray Mitchell
The smallest good deed is greater than the greatest good intention.
unknown
I hope your weekend was as rewarding as mine was. If you read last Thursday’s Daily you know that I was scheduled to answer phones at one of Indianapolis’ leading radio stations as they hosted the 15th annual Central Indiana Salvation Army Christmas Radiothon. I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 AM until noon, although I had to leave at 11:30 on Sunday for another engagement I was able to work the shifts without any problems. There had been some concern by my caregivers that I had not recovered enough from my recent illness but fortunately they were wrong and the whole experience was exhilarating and probably therapeutic. I have been doing the Salvation Army Radiothon for some years now and always find it to be one of the highlights of my holiday season.
First the big news; the good people of my area with a huge boost from Wal Mart contributed over a quarter of a million dollars. As I am sure you know these are tough times for many of our fellow citizens as they struggle to just get by. The generosity of our contributors has made it possible for the Salvation Army and its hundreds of volunteers to be able to brighten children’s holidays, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry and provide nurture to the sick and the infirm.
I loved talking to the many callers who phoned in their donations. As an example I spoke to a widow of a former British RAF pilot who told me that her husband said to her many times over the years how much he appreciated all that the Salvation Army did for him during the second world war and that no matter how poor they became he wanted to make sure they contributed to the Salvation Army each Christmas. She told me she lived on a small pension and didn’t have much but she wanted us to take $10 a month out of her account for twelve months and in addition she was making a contribution of $50, money she had saved through the year: she touched my heart. I also had a casual caller reach me yesterday and donate $5000 which was by far the largest donation I received, naturally I was more than grateful, but it was not as heartwarming as the gift from an eighty-some year old widow in the memory of her husband who had passed away years ago.
I also had the great pleasure of working with some old friends and many newly made friends. Three of my special friends volunteered to join us as well. I always get a great boost when I get to work with others who are doing what they can for the good of all. I have learned that joy is multiplied many times over when it is shared with others working for the benefit of others.
Yep, I passed my health and energy test with flying colors and received a huge infusion of human kindness helping folks from all walks of life to do something for someone else. Now if my brain scan on Wednesday turns out OK I may see if Santa Claus wants company on his Christmas journey.
~~~
“We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind.”
Wangari Maathai
~~~
Speaking of ways to live our lives, here are some alternatives that you might want to consider.
Follow your dream! Unless it's the one where you're at work in your underwear during a fire drill.
If a motorist cuts you off, just turn the other cheek. Nothing gets the message across like a good mooning.
Each day enjoy something from each of the four food groups: the bonbon group, the salty-snack group, the caffeine group and the "What-ever- the-thing-in-the-tinfoil-in-the-back-of-the-fridge-is."
~~~
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Mohandas Gandhi
~~~
Pete and Gladys were looking at a new living room suite in the furniture store. Pete says to the salesman, "We really like it, but I don't think we can afford it."
The salesman says, "You just make a small down payment. Then you don't make another payment for six months."
Gladys wheeled around with her hands on her hips and says, "Who told you about us?"
~~~
A word of advice - don't give it.
~~~
A newly married man asks his wife, "Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a fortune?"
"Darling," the woman replies sweetly, "I'd have married you no matter who left a you a fortune."
~~~
A lot of trouble in this world is caused by combining a narrow mind with a wide mouth.
~~~
At the airport for a business trip, I settled down to wait for the boarding announcement at Gate 35. Then I heard the voice on the public address system saying, "We apologize for the inconvenience, but Delta Flight 570 will board from Gate 41."
So my family picked up our luggage and carried it over to Gate 41. Not ten minutes later the public address voice told us that Flight 570 would in fact be boarding from Gate 35.
So again we gathered our carry-on luggage and returned to the original gate. Just as we were settling down, the public address voice spoke again: "Thank you for participating in Delta's physical fitness program."
~~~
A reporter was interviewing a 104-year-young woman. "And what do you think is the best thing about 104?" the journalist asked.
"No peer pressure," she replied.
~~~
Differences Between You and Your Boss...
When you take a long time, you're slow.
When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough...
When you don't do it, you're lazy.
When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy...
When you make a mistake, you're an idiot.
When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human...
When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority.
When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative...
When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed.
When your boss does it, he's being firm...
When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude.
When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original...
When you please your boss, you're apple polishing.
When your boss pleases his boss, he's being co-operative...
When you're out of the office, you're wandering around.
When your boss is out of the office, he's on business...
When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick.
When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill...
When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview.
When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked...
~~~
A well adjusted woman is one who not only knows what she wants for her birthday, but even knows what she's going to exchange it for.
~~~
A man goes to the track and sees a Priest blessing a horse before a race and quickly goes to the ticket window and bets. The horse wins. He watches the Priest carefully for the next four races, and continues to win, until he has quite a small fortune. He decides to bet it all on one last race.
Before the horse crosses the finish line however, it drops dead. The man rushes up to the Priest, confronts him with what he's seen and demands an explanation.
The Priest just shakes his head sadly and says, "That's one of the problems with you Protestants. You don't know the difference between a blessing and the last rites."
~~~
An act of goodness is of itself an act of happiness.
No reward coming after the event can compare with the sweet reward that went with it.
Maurice Maeterlinck
~~~
Stay well, do good work, and have fun.
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies.
The editor is somewhat senile.
This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can join at http://groups.google.com/group/Rays-Daily. Back issues are posted at http://raykiwsp.multiply.com/journal currently there are about 1500 readers from all over the world.
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