Today’s Thursday Thought is a very tall order. Yet, if each of us accomplished even one of these things with at least one person every month…what a world this would be!
“What action is most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the wrongs of the injured.” — Mohammed
Humans are such strange beings……
Life is hard for veterans, who may come back to face loss of jobs, family, friends, life-focus, homes, physical disability, emotional hurdles. So much so that many resort to suicide. It’s up to us, the people they defended, to protect them. Keep this phone number handy to pass on to a vulnerable vet. In fact, loan the vet your cell phone and be with them while they make the call. It’s the least we can do.
Kids can often teach adults some important lessons. For example, 11-year-old Ruby teaches compassion, consideration, and generosity of spirit. She saw residents of a nursing home who were sad, missing the little pleasures in life, and she did something about it. Read about what she did, why, and the results at 11-Year-old Girl Has Been Granting the Simple Wishes of Nursing Home Patients.
Presidents’ Day–What is it, how did it grow out of Washington’s Birthday, why do we celebrate it, and was George Washington really who the legends say he was? Find out at https://www.almanac.com/content/when-presidents-day.
45% of the total energy used in U.S. homes goes toward heating. So it pays to let the sun in, seal drafts, use insulated window coverings, and replace your old furnace, which is probably only 65% efficient (or less) and might burn 400 more therms of natural gas than a new model that’s 95% efficient. It’s good for you AND for the Earth.
[For more easy, money-saving, Earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]
Gotta love those funny TV commercials! How about the ad where one guy hits another in the head with a cell phone, twice, or where a woman bounces a cue ball off the forehead of an obnoxious man? Then there’s the guy who breaks down a wall to be allowed to answer a quiz question. We’re supposed to laugh, of course. If we do, though, what we’re telling our kids is that violence is both an acceptable response to minor irritants and funny. It’s time to change this way of thinking. We start not by laughing at the aggressive scene but by using the ads as a chance to talk to our kids about violence against our fellow humans. Our discussion will likely bring out stories of similar antagonism on the playground or among their friends and give us a chance to offer guidance in how to handle such situations.
Sometimes I see a tee-shirt that resonates truth. Like this one, which I offer as today’s Thursday Thought.
Valentine’s Day is almost here and you don’t have a gift for your Special Person. Why not choose a gift that says, “Let’s share our love!” Present Sweetie with something that benefits a group or cause. Many companies dedicate proceeds from the sale of certain products to fighting cancer, preventing domestic violence, or helping victims of disasters. Others offer “fair trade” products–food items, for example, whose production has been overseen to ensure that workers have not been enslaved or mistreated. Possible gifts include cosmetics, gloves, scarves, T-shirts, fitness aids (exercise mats, heart-rate monitor watch, etc.), lunch boxes, coffee, and chocolate.
Are you a fisherman? A Bible student? Or neither. This is just a cute cartoon to begin our week on a much-needed lighter note.
