KITTEN's blog: "Sweet"

There are things in our lives that upset us, things that make us scared, things we hate. I am a happy easy going fun loving woman, but, this week...... I HATE...... Not being able to tell Someone Special how I feel about Him. Being scared, Being lied to, I HATE This State, Crying, alone, cold weather, roses dying This State! asparagas people only doing things half way, not with their all. racism, stupidity, moodiness, This State! broken promises, oil prices, jealousy, abuse in any way, shape, or form, bad movies, thieves, stalkers, being worried, this State! feeling blue, meaness, crazy drivers, users, threats, crybabies, people who cant speak our landguage, This State disrespect, rudeness, short tempers, parents who dont control their kids in public. people who poke fun at disabled or handicapped people. bullies, people who lable others, lame commercials, someone who gives up, this State! someone who eats the last of m&m's and dont tell me!(lol, happens a lot). not having ice cream around when I am this upset! Sorry, can you tell I am extremely upset? Keep A Smile My Friends!!

Before you kissed me only winds of heaven Had kissed me, and the tenderness of rain – Now you have come, how can I care for kisses Like theirs again?

You said you loved me, You said you missed me. You said you think about me, You said you need me. (Wall it all just a lie) You now conceal tenderness, You now hide emotions. You now discourage, You now are dismissive of me. (Was it worth my pain) You have broken my heart, You have ripped out my soul. You have spat in my face, You have laughed behind by back. (Did it make you happy) You destroyed my heart, You destroyed my being. You destroyed my trust, You destroyed my world. (Did you enjoy my misery) You made me heavy with tears, You made me eternally blue. You made me broken in pieces, You made me incomplete. (Did it excite you) You made my heart once sing, You made my heart crumble. You made me sorely bitter, You made me distrusting of ove. (Do You Know What Love Is!)

So we must say goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. Your kisses close my eyes and yet you stare As though God struck a child with nameless fears; Perhaps the water glitters and discloses Time's chalice and its limpid useless tears. we renounce except ourselves; Selfishness is the last of all to go; Our sighs are exhalations of the earth, Our footprints leave a track across the snow. We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death.

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay! , physi cally and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child." Then he told the following story: Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning." Shay struggled over to the! team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he ma d e it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-! eyed an d startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his b reath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay" Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, a nd the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, ru! n home! Run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. "That day", said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world". Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day! AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwardin g t his message, chances are that you're probably sorting out! the people in your address book who aren't the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of m essage. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them. You now have two choices: 1. Delete 2. Forward May your day, be a Shay Day

I never was a huge fan of stereotypes. I still think that stereotypes are a copout. But hey what do I know? I'm just a nut right? Err…wait…I'm insane. Yea that's it. I mean…gosh…am I weird these days? Someone please tell me! What the heck am I? It's funny listening to people talk about you when they don't know you’re listening. At least that's what I'm told. Over the course of the past year I have come to realize a few things. These are a few things that I believe should be taught to kids with an unusual laugh, eccentric tendencies, and a craving to kick back to the good old' days of infancy. For those of you who don't know whom that may be describing, please, read this aloud. The first life-tip I have learned is that words are only as good as the power you give them. For example, these words that appear in black and white on the paper in front of you are only as good as the power you entrust them with. You can read my entire column but you can decide to not let anything sink in. Only you can let things in and either motivate you or start a domino effect that could lead to self-destruction. My personal experiences with this life-tip are all the times that someone has said to me, "You're a loser! Why do you matter?" Oh I know that the preceding statement seems fabricated, but that's what makes it all the more tragic. One of my fellow classmates, who shall remain nameless, said this to me numerous times throughout our tenure in Elementary school. And for years, that ate away at me and ate away at me until finally my self-esteem was either on a distant vacation or simply non-existent. Now, years later, I completely realize and accept that it was my fault, not the one who threw the stone, that it shredded my self-esteem like a termite eats wood. I'm not saying that the person was justified in saying this. I do not feel that way and I'm sure most of you don't. But, life is 90% attitude and 10% what you make of it. The second life-tip I have come to terms with recently is that if you cannot be labeled in high school, you're S.O.L. - and you know what that means - because of your sheer individuality. In a society where everyone is taught that each one is special and different from the next, the more radical one may seem the more wrath from his or her peers that person receives. My personal life experience with this wonderful life-tip is that I have always been a "floater". I've never remained with one clique due to my uncontrollable need for variety in my life-diet. I've also been a very unique individual with my values, beliefs, hobbies, interests, and vocabulary. This has led to many "weirdo" and "crazy" remarks being directed at yours truly. Now, to me this simply means that if you are unable to be pigeonholed then you will either be praised for you truly being yourself or you could be outcast as something of which you know nothing about. And now the final life-tip! If you wake up in the morning and know it's going to be a bad day…it will be a bad day! However, if you rise and say, "Today I'm gonna have some fun!" then the odds are stacked for you to have quite the enjoyable day. Again life is only 10% what happens and your attitude makes up the other 90%. In closing… Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Bill Andrews was a big, awkward, homely guy. He dressed oddly with ill fitting clothes. There were several fellows who thought it smart to make fun of him. One day, one fellow noticed a small tear in his shirt and gave it a small rip. Another worker in the factory added his bit, and before long there was quite a ribbon dangling. Bill went on about his work and as he passed too near a moving belt the shirt strip was sucked into the machinery. In a split second the sleeve and Bill were in trouble. Alarms were sounded, switches pulled, and trouble was avoided. The foreman, however, aware of what had happened, summoned the men and related this story: In my younger days I worked in a small factory. That's where I first met Mike Havoc. He was big and witty, was always making jokes, playing little pranks. Mike was a leader. Then there was Pete Lumas. He always went along with Mike. He was a follower. And then there was a man named . . . Jake. He was a little older than the rest of us -- quiet, harmless, apart. He always ate his lunch by himself. He wore the same patched trousers for three years straight. He never entered into the games we played at noon, wrestling, horse shoes and such. He appeared to be indifferent, always sitting quietly alone under a tree instead. Jake was a natural target for practical jokes. He might find a live frog in his dinner pail, or a dead rodent in his hat. But he always took it in good humor. Then one fall, when things were slack, Mike took off a few days to go hunting. Pete went along, of course. And they promised all of us that if they got anything they'd bring us each a piece. So we were all quite excited when we heard that they'd returned and that Mike had got a really nice big buck. We heard more than that. Pete could never keep anything to himself, and it leaked out that they had a real whopper to play on Jake. Mike had cut up the critter and had made a nice package for each of us. And, for the laugh, for the joke of it, he had saved the ears, the tail, the hoofs -- it would be so funny when Jake unwrapped them. Mike distributed his packages during the noon hour. We each got a nice piece, opened it, and thanked him. The biggest package of all he saved until last. It was for Jake. Pete was all but bursting; and Mike looked very smug. Like always, Jake sat by himself; he was on the far side of the big table. Mike pushed the package over to where he could reach it; and we all sat and waited. Jake was never one to say much. You might never know that he was around for all the talking he did. In three years he'd never said a hundred words. So we were all quite astounded with what happened next. He took the package firmly in his grip and rose slowly to his feet. He smiled broadly at Mike -- and it was then we noticed that his eyes were glistening. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down for a moment and then he got control of himself. "I knew you wouldn't forget me," he said gratefully; "I knew you'd come through! You're big and you're playful, but I knew all along that you had a good heart." He swallowed again, and then took in the rest of us. "I know I haven't seemed too chummy with you men but I never meant to be rude. You see, I've got nine kids at home -- and a wife that's been an invalid -- bedfast now for four years. She ain't ever going to get any better. And sometimes when she's real bad off, I have to sit up all night to take care of her. And most of my wages have had to go for doctors and medicine. The kids do all they can to help out, but at times it's been hard to keep food in their mouths." "Maybe you think it's funny that I go off by myself to eat my dinner. Well, I guess I've been a little ashamed, because I don't always have anything between my sandwich. Or like today -- maybe there's only a raw turnip in my pail. But I want you to know that this meat really means a lot to me. Maybe more than to anybody here because tonight my kids," he wiped the moisture from his eyes with the back of his hand, "...tonight my kids will have a really..." He tugged at the string. We'd been watching Jake so intently we hadn't paid much notice to Mike and Pete. But we all noticed them now, because they both dove at once to try to grab the package. But they were too late. Jake had broken the wrapper and was already surveying his present. He examined each hoof, each ear, and then he held up the tail. It wiggled limply. It should have been so funny, but nobody laughed -- nobody at all. But the hardest part was when Jake looked up and tried to smile. This was where the foreman left the story and the men. He didn't need to say anymore; but it was gratifying to notice that as each man ate his lunch that day, he shared part with Bill Andrews and one fellow even offered him his shirt.

To love and to lose is one of the biggest tragedies in life, yet one fails to see the blessing in the loss. We lose for many reasons - a death, a divorce, a broken friendship and the end of a relationship. In that moment, we feel our life has come to an end. How are we to go on? A piece of your soul is taken leaving an empty hole in your heart. The question of "why me" repeats in your mind but as the beauty of time progresses, we see the answer. Loss makes us stronger and wiser. A loss helps us to appreciate even the smallest, insignificant things in life. Our hearts become softer and full of even more love than we had to begin with. A loss helps us to see that we can't do it alone, that we need faith and hope to get us through. We learn the mercy and grace of God. When the grieving and the healing have taken their course, we are renewed, ready to begin a new chapter in our lives with a whole new outlook and attitude. Only then are we able to appreciate the lesson learned through that loss. One never forgets those we lost, but we do learn to let go. We learn to keep living even though we don't want to. We learn to treasure each moment and each person. In turn, losses make our lives a lot richer. To love and lose is a tragedy, but it's not the end of our lives. It's part of our journey.

FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD POLICE 1. Your 5-year-old kid getting pushed down by another 5-year-old kid is NOT a police matter; talk to the other kid's parents, not the police. 2. If your kid won't do his homework or do his chores, 911 is NOT the answer. 3. If a cop causes a car accident, we usually get a ticket, and sometimes we get suspended. When is the last time you got 3 days off (without pay) for rear-ending a guy at Wal-Mart. 4. If you think you can fan all the pot smoke out of the car before we smell it, good luck. 5. We know you've had more than two beers. When I've had two beers, I didn't hit six parked cars, drive my car through the front doors of a Toys-R-Us, piss my pants, or pass out at a traffic light. 6. When you see an emergency vehicle behind you with its lights and sirens on, pull to the RIGHT, and stop. We are usually required to pass cars on the left. 7. When you're driving in the fast lane and you see a cop behind you, don't go 5 MPH OR MORE under the speed limit. We are NOT impressed by how safe of a driver you are, we're trying to go help someone (or catch that guy in the SUV that just cut you off). Safely move over and let us pass please. 8. If you get a warning instead of a ticket from a motorcycle cop, go buy a lottery ticket, because you've already beaten the odds. 9. When you see an officer conducting a traffic stop, or with a suspect in handcuffs, it is generally not a good idea to approach him and ask for directions. If you do, don't expect the officer to be nice when he tells you to get lost, and don't expect the officer to take the time to explain. 10. Here's how to get out of a ticket. DON'T BREAK THE LAW! 11. If you drive a piece of crap, that is why you're getting pulled over. 12. In one week, I pulled over 10 cars for minor equipment violations. 5 out of 10 had no vehicle insurance. 3 out of 10 had suspended driver's licenses. 2 out of 10 had warrants. 1 out of 10 had felony warrants. 1 was a known sex offender with his 12 year old niece in the car without her mothers knowledge. 13. If you've just been pulled over doing 70 in a 35, do not greet the officer with "What seems to be the problem, officer." 14. We get coffee breaks too, and sometimes we run into stores and do some shopping during them. Hey, just remember if you were working a 12 hour shift, wouldn't you like to eat some lunch. Don't bother a cop when he is eating, your remarks about who is on the streets are very unwelcome, and the cop is short on time. As soon as he gets a call his lunch is over, whether that be a full meal or two bites of a hamburger. 15. When you're the victim of a burglary, take the time you spend waiting for the officer to find the model numbers and the serial numbers of the stuff that was taken. Also, remember, a cop has worked a few burglaries before yours, so don't talk to him like he's stupid. Remember you called him. 16. Some cops are just jerks, but take heart in the fact that other cops don't like them either. 17. If it's nighttime and you're driving a vehicle with tinted windows and I pull you over, it's not because of your skin color. I usually can't tell if the vehicle even has a driver until the windows rolled down. 18. Every time you hear on the news about people running away from a crazed gunman, someone's son or daughter in a police uniform is running TOWARD that crazed gunman. 19. Yes it's true; cops usually don't give other cops tickets. Think of it as an employee discount, perk or benefit. Other cops are family and you wouldn't give your brother a ticket if you were a cop either. 20. If your local police agency has a helicopter, everyone knows it's loud and annoying, but did you know it can cover the same area as 20 patrol officers and safely chase criminals that are driving 90 MPH through city streets. Many times the guy has no idea it's there and slows down. 21. Police work is mainly writing reports. 22. If you rob a gas station you're only going to get about $100, but I get to see a K9 dog use your arm as a chew toy. For all I care you can keep the $100. 23. In one year of patrol work in a large city, only about ten minutes would be cool enough to be on the television show COPS. 24. Every traffic stop could end in gunfire, but we have to be polite and professional until that time. 25. I've taken about the same amount of men and women to jail for domestic violence, so, NO, it's not always the man. Plus, a lot of the time NO ONE goes to jail. 26. People love fire fighters. 27. If the light was yellow, we wouldn't be having this conversation. 28. Most Police Officers are white males, so that doesn't make him racist if a white Police Officer shoots a black male. It has nothing to do with the color of your skin. If you try and kill a cop, even if you're purple with green dots, the officer has the right to protect the public and himself. 29. We don't wear Bullet Proof Vests because they're comfortable. Plus, bullet Proof is a bit misleading. 30. Cops know you pay taxes and that your taxes pay cops' salaries. Cops also pay taxes, which also pay cops' salaries so, hey, this traffic stop is on me. Now sign here; press hard. There are five copies.

Happiness keeps You Sweet, Trials keep You Strong, Sorrows keep You Human, Failures keeps You Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But Only Friends keep You Going!