Good Sunday morning, Everyfriend. There's DDs to go with your coffee or tea.  Have a blessed Sunday.







At Building Supply Store

A man goes into his local building supply store and orders 10,000 bricks.

"May I ask what you're building?" asks the man behind the counter.

"It's going to be a barbecue."

"Wow, that's a lot of bricks for one barbecue."

"Not really. You see, I live on the 12th floor."



Commitment - A Dying Trait
(By Stephen Kollock)


I have a friend who builds houses for a living - a process that fascinates me. Not just building houses but constructing anything on a grand scale; from ships to bridges to the house or apartment you live in.

When we had our house built, I was able to see the process first hand. The first thing they do is level the land on which the house is to be built. Once that is accomplished, a foundation is dug. Then comes the floor to support the walls, which support the second floor, walls, which support the roof. All of it was lots of work, taking months to finally get to the finished product.

The reason it took so long was because it had to be done right. If one stage was done wrong, the whole thing could fall down. It takes time to build something - at least to build it right. It takes planning. It takes skill. Most of all, it takes dedication. Building anything the right way it takes someone dedicated to doing the job right.

On the other hand, it doesn't take much to tear something down. It doesn't take a whole lot of skill - picture me with a sledgehammer in the middle of your living room. In a matter of minutes a bulldozer can bring down a house that took month's to build and has stood for years.

Seems strange that something that was built with such care can be destroyed so easily. But it's always easier to tear down than to build up, isn't it. It's easier to throw out than to bring back in. It's easier to stop than to keep going. I think in our lives today we are missing an ingredient that it would serve us well to revisit: commitment.

Remember commitment? It's the idea of saying you are going to do something and then actually doing it. It's saying I will marry you no matter what and then when "no matter what" happens, staying married. Or saying I want to have children and even when they become the little monsters you swore your kid's would never be, you keep being their parents.

Commitment is saying you love and appreciate your parents and all their sacrifices for you, to the point where you will bring them to your home instead of "shipping them off" to the nursing home in the winter of their life. The problem with commitment is really simple though; commitment requires something most us do not want to consider: sacrifice.

Commitment may mean sacrificing your time or your money or some of your own dreams because you said you would. It means walking through the fire that will inevitably burn you because you knew going in that hurt could be part of the deal. But more than that, it means staying the course until the end, no matter what the cost. Commitment means sacrifice.

I am afraid in our society we have made it too easy to turn from our commitments. We find it so easy to just stop if something gets too hard, to walk away and start over later or with a different person or maybe in a different place.

We are a people of excuses. And the excuses are mostly to relieve any guilt or apprehension we have about one thing: not living up to our commitments.

Here are some examples of those who display the kind of commitment I'm talking about and wish I had more of. The single mother working two jobs for the simple reason that she made a commitment to her kids. The father who goes to fight for his country because when he signed up he knew that was part of the job. The pastor who stands up for God even when he knows it will cost him his way of life.

I admit it, I've taken my share of shortcuts, letting people down along the way. But the problem is so many people take most of their commitments with a grain of salt. We have looked and found all kind of exit clauses and loopholes to get us out of any commitment we make. Now it's as easy to get a divorce as it is to get married. If you don't want the child you are carrying, you can always go to a clinic and skip the commitment that comes with parenthood. We often say we believe in something until it's really put to the test.

Sadly, many Christians have fallen into this "limited commitment" category. We are often committed as long as it doesn't interfere too strongly with what we like to do. We all like to pick and choose. "I agree with the part about adultery but the part about honoring God with everything seems a little outdated."

With commitments like these and sacrifice being a thing of the past, is it any wonder our houses are falling in?




"Great marriages don’t happen by luck or by accident. They are the result of a consistent investment of time, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, affection, prayer, mutual respect and a rock-solid commitment between a husband and wife."

- David Willis

Good morning everyone

Kelly

Thank you Joan for your welcoming posts every day,

Kelly

Good morning, Kelly.

Good morning everyone..

I would dearly love to sleep in but I guess that isn't happening any time soon.Today is a day of rest here...just have to get a load of wood for the wood box and make meals...easy peasy 

The weather guesser said it is to warm up this week with  a threat of either snow or rain by Wed/Thur...I for one want to not dance with the snowblower or shovel.

I cooked salmon for supper last night and have enough leftover for today.Just need to whip up a dessert...hmm rice pudding will do the trick or tapioca pudding..

Kelly ,good morning to you!

Joan, love the blossoms ,great graphic,thank you Bubble for sharing. Joan I will look for my raspberry DD to have with my tea..thank you for breakfast.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Hi Sun
It is worth looking at voice recognition as it is very good and I have used it for a number of years.

The software is quite expensive, but i think  it is better than the cheaper software.

Kelly

Hi Amy
A very good morning to you

Kelly

Hi CallieOK
I am not sure what Bill Bryson meant.

The Isle of Man has no motorways, you call then Highways I think.  It has no flyovers and has narrow roads. 

It has old transport, now used as what the Island used to be like with transport.

Such as horse pulled teams, in service since about 1880.  A small steam railway, still using the same rolling stock from 100 years ago.

An electric tram system and a electric Mountain tram system with again teams from 100 years ago in use.

Manx cats which have no tails.  And other things that are to do the Island.

These are what we see as what the Island is about. To Bill Bryson it might seem quaint or in his words peculiar perhaps.

Kelly

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I'm just marking my place as I'm running late and must get ready for church immediately.  BBL

Good Morning everyone.
I have on my page Jane ,bis , Kelly.and Amy.
Amy I hope you get the warm weather with out danceing with the snow blower also. jane pray for us all.

Lloyd

Good morning Lloyd
Wish you a good day

Kelly

Good morning, Amy.  Hopefully you won't have to date the snowblower or shovel again until next winter.  Salmon sounds sooooooo good.  Extra DDs are in the hidey hole.

Janie--Good morning.  We'll see you after church.

Good morning, Lloyd.

Good morning everyone, cold below freezing again but sunny to start the day, if it isn't too windy again should get warmer later.

BUBBLE  love your graphic  in use for this week. Different framing for beautiful flowers.

JOAN  now you know I cannot pass up a lemon DD at any time of day. Glad I don't live in the same building as the man in Chuckles. Food for Thought, oh boy I think we all nave know someone who were not into Commitment except for what they want for themselves. Thank you for today's goodies.

KELLY  Moghrey Mie, have a good day.

AMY  a shovel or snow blower would not be the dance partner either. Beautiful to look at if it stayed off roads and walkways. In the low 20
s again here this morning, would love to feel the warmth of a wood stove or forced hot air. Baseboard heat leaves much to be desired. Nothing to get near for that bit of warmth that we like feeling.

JANE  don't rush too much.

LLOYD  good morning.

Good morning Gloria and everyone I may have missed or those later comming. cloudy here and we may get some of the rain Amy wants instead of the  snow, Amy hope we both get the rain. want it to wet things down I want to fenish burning trash that did not burn when I had to call fire dept. it is rumbleing off in north west of here hope it comes this way. have a great day.

Lloyd

wish some one would tell me how to make spell cheker work?

Good morning, Gloria.  The wind is gusty, and it's only 57° at my house, and for here that's cold.  Enjoy that lemon DD.

Lloyd--I don't know how to make spell check work.  That's a question for the Webmaster, I think.

Good Morning from the warmer,
and breezier Rocky Coast of Maine.   

Just a few more weeks and it will be May, 
which usually is and outstanding month
here in the North East.   

The buds come out,  They begin to bloom
and farmers plant their seeds.

Such glorious times a head.   

I do know that the Golf channel is not
showing the golf live at the masters.   
I have listened to enough of it this week
so I will wait until this afternoon,
when the real golf on the final day
of the Masters, is on CBS.   

In the meantime,  I have plenty of shows
recorded and choices on Netflix and
Amazon Prime,  to keep me happy
until then ... 

Happy and away from the bogus so
called "news" stations,  which have
nothing to do with real "news" ... 

Oh happy day!
Sandy
   

Happy Sunday!     

Hi everyone. It got rather chilly here last night getting down to 39 degrees at 7 am but is now warming up a bit.  I am not sure how comfortable the people at the golf course watching the Master's have been this week.  Today should be better as I don't think we will have the gusty and steady winds of the last couple of days.  We will not make it to Sunday School  this morning as Pat is moving slowly today.  I did fix her some fruit and some scrambled eggs with ham and cheese to help her conserve her energy to get ready to go  to church this morning.  Nothing else on the schedule for the day.  I will watch the last round of the Master's this afternoon after listening to at least some of Don's Sunday Music program on the radio and probably getting in a little nap.

Callie, Pat and I played party bridge for many years but haven't played for probably more than 5 years and am pretty sure we won't again.  We will now play Hearts or Spades or a more simple game, which is still fun.  I was also raised playing board and card games.

Joan, the plants are easy to care for or I wouldn't have them. 

Joan, that is indeed a beautiful graphic you shared with us for this week. Bubble you do fine work with your graphic, as do the others who have shared their talents in that regard.  Always thankful to Joan for her faithful and diligent work to share her many efforts for us and selecting the graphics that help make this discussion so pleasant. 

Kelly, it sounds like the IOM is a very unique and pleasant place to live. 

Good Morning,

Kelly,  Bill Bryson wasn't describing the Isle of Man as such.   He was commenting on the number of islands in the British Isles and wrote "quite a number are only kind of British".  He gave the Channel Islands as an example:  <quote>  "Citizens carry British passports, but have no representation in Parliament and aren't officially part of the United Kingdom. They are a 'Peculiar (italics mine)of the British Crown'.   So is the Isle of Man."  <end quote>

I've never heard the term "Peculiar" used this way and wondered if you could explain why that particular word is used.

A silly dream woke me earlier than usual this morning.  It involved a friend from church and I hope she's there this morning so I can tell her about it. 

Wishing Everyfriend Everywhere a lovely day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sZSAfTq5as

Good Morning Everyone!
Doesn't windows 10 have voice recognition software already installed?  And I think Mac has some already installed.  It may be just basic I don't know for sure.  But you can buy Dragon very inexpensively on Amazon.

Got to get a move on, church this morning. 

Good morning, Sandy.  You say soon it will be May--can't believe we'll be into the fifth month of 2016 so soon.

Larry--Good morning.  How nice of you to prepare Pat's breakfast so she will have the energy to go to church.  I have neighbors who go to watch the entire Masters every year.  Sure not the nicest weather for standing outside all day.  Thanks for your kindness in acknowledging our graphic artists and my work for the SS.

Callie--I sure hope your friend is at church.

Lloyd--Thanks for the link.

Good morning, halkel.

Hi CallieOk
The Isle of Man has its own passports, but has its own Government.  It does not need a representative in the UK parliament.

It does have reciprocal agreements with the UK, but can make its own laws.  The laws do need royal approval, but the laws are Manx governed.

Kelly

Thank you Joan.  Glad you liked it.

Hello world. All packed up and ready to head off to the studio.
In case you're interested, I posted a Name That Tune quiz in the Music Quiz forum

I liked it too, Bubble.

I'm running late today.  It seems like the harder I work the behinder I get!   

So, I'll BBL, too.

Good morning, early for me.  33 when I got up, but not as windy.

Joan, thought of the Day, is so very true, thats why Cyriel and I lasted 62 years. I was far from perfec  and he sure was not perfec, but thats what makes life interesting, we were never board. I stil miss him.
As always I also will have a lemon DD'

Bubble loved the Spring graphic, thanks

Lloyd I too, am waiting for spell check to come back. also I still am trying to put my Temp. thingy in here.

Sandy, this time they had the golf on one of the sports channels, 36 here.  I watched all day yesterday, and one of my neighbors came in for a few hours and wtched with me.

Larry, I lived in Southampton whe the USOpen was played there, it was course was a half mile from our house, so you know how busy the roads were, and people were renting there houses out for big money. Our property ended on the 18th green of another golf course. My sons use to sell lemon aide out there on hot summer days
Gloria we did not get the snow that was in yesterdays forecast, I did not see if you got any.

Good Morning dear Amy, I am happy to hear you are taking a day of rest. That is what Sunday is for. Where I live now there are no activities at all for Sunday, except a church service, and then activity for those who care for us. The rest of us tend to have a quiet day.

Bubble, a lovely graphic for us to enjoy. Thank you.

Bis, doesn't spell checker have to be a part of your individual computer ? I have one but never installed it, and now all by itself, it not only shows it is spelled wrong, it corrects the spelling itself. This does not work with my email however.

Callie, the British seem to have many various in language that we never use, even though it is called English Language here, we certainly do vary.

Hal..me too..gotta get a move on, I have just 28 minutes to play here, then off it goes. It is a short walk from one building to another as we have our own Chapel here at Rowntree Gardens.

Don, have a fun time with your music today. I am so glad you are able to do it again.

They are threatening us with flash flooding in So. Ca., but nary a drop of water yet. They said it would be from Orange Co., Riverside Co. down into San Diego area. Nature has its own way of keeping us on the alert.

Hi Bubble.

Radioman--I'll tune in.

Linedancer--Both partners have to give 100% to have a good marriage, IMO.

June--Right below the posting box there are three words--Post, Preview and Spell Check.  I believe that's the Spell Check folks are referring to.

June
When on the farm Sunday was a day of rest. You did  chores and then had the day off.I had to milk the cow twice a day and feed the other animals but that was it.