1385818's blog: "My Thoughts."

This past Tuesday, Nov. 17, there was a terrible accident here in my home town of Houma, LA. A crane at EBI ship yardbroke loose of its pedestal and crashed into a building. Inside that building were my brother Adam LeBouef and my brother-in-law Heath Perkins. By some miracle when the crane crased something fell and hit my brother and through him back, This saved his life. Unfortunately my brother in law was killed. A beam feel across his body causing major internal injuries. He left the shipyard alive and died about an hour and a half later. He and my sister have a 1 year daughter and she is 12 weeks prejeant with their second.

When things like this happen you realize just how important life is and the people in your life are. I am most grateful for my husband and my children. They are my life.

The Classroom

   A lesson that should be taught in all schools. . and colleges!

   Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at  Robinson High School in  Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten.  On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom.

   When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.  'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?'

   She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'

   They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'

   'No,' she said.

   'Maybe it's our behavior.'

   She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior..'

   And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period.  Still no desks in the classroom.

   By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

   The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk less classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'

   At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.

   Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk.  The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand along side the wall.  By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

   Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you.  Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn,  to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it..'

   By the way, this is a true story.  Martha Cothren is the daughter of a WWII POW.


   Please consider passing this along so others won't forget that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S. Veterans.

Change Your Thinking

It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.


As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.


Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.


It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.


The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'



'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'