Well, it is that time of year again when teachers, otherwise known as “horrible people” according to my wife, gather in old brick buildings across the Nation and snare our children from our homes and take them back to school. As you may recall, last year at this time I shared with you how my wife dreads the thought of summers end, which means days spent without our 2 daughters. She understands the educational system, I guess she just doesn’t like it, or at least the separation part. Anyway, apparently these teachers keep these kids for several unbearable hours and then release them, only to repeat the process the following day. This goes on for many months and then they stop for a bit, they call that a “summer break”. Apparently this summer break is over for now and off our children go. (This email goes out to many educators and so I must make it clear to those in the profession that I really do not think of you as horrible people, my wife may, but I have nothing but the utmost respect for all of you)
What a week it has been, tears have been shed all over the place. From the Moms and Dads who said farewell to their young adults as they headed off to college, to those that tried to walk their young student to the bus stop. I said “tried” as any kid that considers him or herself cool will certainly not allow Mom to make that walk.
My kids were raised on a cul-de-sac and every year we would all gather with our kids at the corner bus stop for the first day of school and take a group photo.
I do not know if we thought of it back then, but the tradition turned out to serve as a pretty neat documentation of our kids as they progressed from first graders to high school. Looking back at the photos, it is fun to see how they slowly changed in to who they are today.
My oldest has been out of high school for a bit, but her sister left this morning for her first day as a “Senior”. She was not at the bus stop today for the group photograph, rather her photo was taken as she entered our car for the drive to the high school…..times go by a bit fast. Seems as I get older they go even faster and I am so happy that I took the time to spend time with my kids as they grew up. From coaching to school plays to Christmas pageants, I tried to make them all. To those of you with young ones, I hope you stop and take charge of those moments, you will forever remember them.
Which takes me to a recent email a good friend of mine sent to me. I am sure you likely have read this one in the past, but like all good things, it is always worthwhile to hear it again. It is entitled the “Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers”. At first I was not going to send it out, a bit mushy, but ’ya know what, it may help you keep things in perspective, it sure has done so for me. So, compliments of my good friend John, here it is-
Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers..
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls
He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar, he shook the jar lightly, the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls
He then asked the students again if the jar was full? They agreed it was
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar, of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full? The students responded with a unanimous “yes”
The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand….. The students laughed
Now, said the professor as the laughter subsided, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life
The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car
The sand is everything else---the small stuff
If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls
The same goes for life
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness
Spend time with your children
Spend time with your parents, visit with grandparents, take time to get medical checkups
Take your spouse out to dinner, play another 18
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal
Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter
Set your priorities, the rest is just sand
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented?
The professor smiled and said, I'm glad you asked!
The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.
NUKE ‘ EM
Well, we just finished our battle with K2 , Spice (synthetic THC like substance) and the so called “Bath Salts”. Now a new lure for our kids presents itself and it is called “Nuke’Em”. The back of the packaging makes it clear that it is not for consumption, but that obviously is what kids are going to do and it also reports that this stuff is “legal” because it does not contain a listing of all the ingredients that made K2, Spice, et al illegal. That is why they call these items “designer drugs” as those that make this stuff remain one step ahead of the law by designing the formula just outside the definitions of what our legislators have defined as illegal. Unfortunately, if we eventually make this stuff illegal, they again will design yet a new product and the process starts anew.
If you open the package, you will find that it very much resembles marijuana and I imagine those that smoke it are hopeful that it will provide the same effects as marijuana. I do not know what it does or does not do, but I am guessing it is not something I want my kids smoking, the package clearly warns against consuming it. Watch for it and talk to your kids about it. It is legal, but who knows what may happen down the road to those that smoke it? Here is what the packaging looks like
SEAT BELTS
I have attached a short video that someone passed along concerning the use of seat belts. It gets the message across and for the most part, American drivers have embraced the idea and wear seat belts. Want to take a guess as to who is likely to fight it? The National Safety Council tells us that teenagers, commercial drivers, males in rural areas, pick- up truck drivers, people who drive at night and those who drive after a few drinks tend to shy away from using those belts. That is a shame since a seat belt remains the single most effective safety device for preventing death and injury while in a vehicle. It is estimated that more than 75,000 lives were saved due to seat belts for the period of 2004 – 2008 and that 42% of passengers killed in 2007 were unbelted. Take a peek at the attached video and share it with a loved one.
SMART 911
For those of you out there that reside in Porter County, this message is for you!
The Porter County Emergency Communications Center now offers you a free service to assist you should you ever have to dial “911”. In anticipation of an emergency call, you may opt to provide details concerning special medical needs, like heart conditions, allergies and other medical history that may assist and facilitate emergency care. The system allows you to identify the number of residents in your household, including pets, that the Fire Department will be made aware of as they are responding to your location. The site guarantees privacy and security and the information you provide is shared only with 9-1-1 Dispatchers and first responders in the field when you dial “911”. For more information, feel free to visit their site at www.smart911.com
Well I guess that is it for now and so I close as I always do. If it does not seem right, it probably isn’t. Call the police and let us figure it out, that is what we get paid to do.
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