FYI (and tickle) time

Laughs from my cyber mailbox.  Jane, thanks for passing this on!

Health Report!‏

It takes your food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.  

One human hair can support 6.6 #.

The average man's penis is two times the length of his thumb.

Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.

A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.

There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.

Women blink twice as often as men. The average person's skin weighs twice as much as the brain.

Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.

If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.

Women will be finished reading this by now.  

Men are still busy checking their thumbs. 

Are you married to the right partner?

The following reached my cyber mailbox in 2004 from the brother of an old friend of mine.  I saved it with the intention of sharing it someday.  Well, that someday is now!  Unfortunately, due to the many forwards that this article might have gone through, the author of the piece was lost in transmission.  Whoever that person is…. Thank You!  For your efforts, the least I can do is to memorialize your writing in cyber space.

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, "How do I know if I married the right person?" I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.

Here's the answer.

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love.  With your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love...Because it's happening TO YOU. People in love sometimes say, "I was swept off my feet." Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU. Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience.

But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown.  People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it.  I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later.

Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND. SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you.  You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to make it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression "the labor of love."  Because it takes time, effort, and energy, And most importantly, it takes WISDOM . You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage. Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable. ..you can "make" love work.

Love in marriage is indeed a "decision"... Not just a feeling.

Budjie's note:  As one song aptly puts it... "Love the one you're with."

Keeping Alzheimer's away

One day a couple of years ago, I found this message in my cyber mailbox...

8 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's
Tip of the Day 6/23/2009
Dr. Andrew Weil

Worried about Alzheimer's disease? While the exact cause of Alzheimer's
remains unclear, the greatest known risk factor is increasing age: the
chance of developing Alzheimer's seems to double every five years after age 65. After age 85, the risk of developing Alzheimer's is about 50 percent. If minimizing the risk of Alzheimer's is on your list of healthy life changes, add these steps to your daily routine:

1. Challenge yourself.  A growing body of medical evidence suggests that
lifelong stimulation is the key to building and maintaining brain cells,
staving off memory loss and maybe even preventing Alzheimer's disease. Try doing interesting work (paid or volunteer), pursuing hobbies, engaging in an active social life, taking music or language lessons, or learning a new computer program.

2. Take a daily low-dose aspirin. Some studies link the use of aspirin
and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) with reduced risk of Alzheimer's.

3. Supplement with vitamins C and E.  A study at Johns Hopkins
University suggested that vitamins C and E taken together might slow the progression of Alzheimer's.

4. Use a daily multivitamin that provides adequate levels of folic acid
and other B vitamins. They help the body reduce levels of homocysteine, an amino acid formed by the breakdown of animal protein that, at elevated levels in the bloodstream, has been linked with increased risks of Alzheimer's.

5. Use healing spices in your cooking. Turmeric, ginger and red pepper
can add zing to meals and are all natural anti-inflammatories .

6. Eat a diet rich in omega-3s, including wild Alaskan salmon,
sardines, freshly ground flaxseed and walnuts.

7. Incorporate plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables in your
meals.

8. Reduce your intake of polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as
sunflower, corn and safflower oils), replacing them instead with
extra-virgin olive oil.

Save your heart!

The following information was forwarded by my BFF Josie (best friend forever) which I'm passing along...

Self CPR

What are you to do if you have a heart attack

While you are alone.

If you've already received this,

It means people care about you.

The Johnson City Medical Center staff actually

Discovered this and did an in-depth study

On it in our ICU.

The two individuals that discovered this then did

An article on it, had it published and have had it incorporated into ACLS and CPR classes.

It is very true and has and does work.

It is called cough CPR.

A cardiologist says it's the truth

If everyone who gets this sends it to 10 people,

You can bet that we'll save at least one life.

It could save your life!

Let's say it's 6:15 p.m. And you're driving home

 (alone of course), after an usually hard day on the job.

 You're really tired, upset and frustrated.

Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain

 In your chest that starts to radiate out

Into your arm and up into your jaw.

You are only about five miles from the hospital

Nearest your home.

Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be

Able to make it that far.

What can you do?

You've been trained in CPR

But the guy that taught the course didn't tell

You what to do if it happened to yourself.



Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed to be in order.

Without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint,

Has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.

A deep breath should be taken before each

Cough, and the cough must be deep

 And prolonged, as when producing sputum

From deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated

About every two seconds without let up

Until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

 Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and

Keep the blood circulating.

The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save their lives!

From Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240s newsletter 'AND THE BEAT GOES ON '

 (reprint from The Mended Hearts, Inc. Publication, Heart Response)

BE A FRIEND AND PLEASE SEND

THIS ARTICLE

TO AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE



Household tips from Cyberland

On many occasions, the forwarded e-mails from my contacts have proven useful around the house.  Check this out…

HOUSEHOLD TIPS

Ants Problem:  Keep the skin of cucumbers near the place or ant hole. 
To get pure and clean ice:  Boil water first before freezing. 
To make the mirror shine:  Clean with spirit.
To remove chewing gum from clothes:  Keep the cloth in the freezer for an hour. 
To whiten white clothes:  Soak white clothes in hot water with a slice of lemon for 10 minutes 10.
To give a shine to hair:  Add one teaspoon of vinegar to hair, then wash hair.

To get maximum juice out of lemons:  Soak lemons in hot water for one hour, and then juice them.

To avoid smell of cabbage while cooking:  Keep a piece of bread on the cabbage in the vessel while cooking. 
To rid the smell of fish from your hands:  Wash your hands with a little apple vinegar. 
To avoid tears while cutting onions:  Chew gum. 
To boil potatoes quickly:  Skin one potato from one side only before boiling. 
To boil eggs quickly:  Add salt to the water and boil. 
To check freshness of fish:  Put it in a bowl of cold water. If the fish floats, its fresh. 
To check freshness of eggs:  Put the egg in water. If it becomes horizontal, it’s fresh. If it becomes slanting, it’s 3-4 days old. If it becomes vertical, it’s 10 days old. If it floats, it’s stale. 
To remove ink from clothes:  Put toothpaste on the ink spots generously and let it dry completely, then wash. 
To skin sweet potatoes quickly:  Soak in cold water immediately after boiling. 

To get rid of mice or rats: Sprinkle black pepper in places where you find mice or rats. They will run away. 
To get rid of mosquitoes at night:  Keep mint leaves near your bed or pillows and in around the room.   

An Easter blessing

Easter Sunday was another occasion for me to feel God’s blessing.

On Saturday my home computer found itself in a bind.  I was working online when out of the blue a message popped up on the screen:  “Firewall disabled threatening online intrusions possible.”  I attempted to go to my computer’s Security Center to enable the firewall, but a message box containing an XP Anti-Spyware 2011 solicitation ad kept popping up.  Not only could I not turn on the firewall, my access to the Internet was blocked!  (Don't computer hackers ever take a day off?)

It was early evening and my cyber lifeline, the Microsoft technical support folks, was no longer available.  So I had no choice but to call it a day, close my eyes and hope that come Sunday a computer virus wouldn’t spoil my joy over my Savior’s Resurrection.  Before I went to sleep, a Voice in my head told me to quit worrying because the next day my problem would be solved.

Easter came and before noontime I was showered with God’s amazing grace.  I tried to call the Microsoft line but the recording greeted me every time I connected.  It was a sign that the folks were off enjoying their holiday break.  I almost felt crushed because without my computer, I seem to feel disabled!  The Internet has been my link to worldwide family and friends as well as my invisible passport to the world. 

Out of nowhere a Voice (the Holy Spirit I’m sure) told me to turn on my computer and work in Safe Mode so that I could restore the operating system to a date when my computer worked fine.  I was all too familiar with this process because it was, if I remember correctly, the last step I did last month when the Microsoft technical support person (Madhu) helped me resolve my Trojan malware situation.  Doing it on my own, the restore process didn’t successfully happen right away.  I tried two more times and on the third attempt, I finally saw the restore process pushing forward.  Fortunately, the computer virus wasn’t serious enough that the restore process couldn’t fix the problem.  If a vicious virus got into my computer, I’m sure that professional technical help would have been in order.

I shared with my BFF (Josie) the wonderful news of my Easter Sunday “miracle.”  We are both proponents of counting our blessings and for me that computer-fix-without-help-from-the-techie incident was certainly an amazing grace to feel grateful for.  Yesterday I couldn’t help but say “Thank You, Jesus” throughout my day.  I thanked Him not only for sacrificing Himself on the cross to save mankind, but for always helping me get out of my hole and staying with me during cloudy days.

Jesus is a wonderful God-Friend.  My hope is that everyone everywhere can find the time to spend moments with Him.  No one will ever feel lost with Him in our life!

Smile from God

A very long time ago, I received the above photo as an e-mail attachment,  I saved the picture, but can't recall what the message was all about!  All I know is that the three birds in the sky and their smiley face formation uplifted my spirit and brought a smile to my face. 

It is Easter Sunday, a day of celebration for many Jesus believers.  No matter what our religious persuasion may be, let's pause and marvel at this picture, a vision that was captured for posterity by a perceptive photographer.  I'm thankful that he or she seized the moment.  If it's actually a photoshop creation, it still made my day.  Whoever you are,

Thank You! 

All too often words aren't necessary to enjoy a moment in time.  This is one of such special occasions.

Enjoy!

Cakes not meant for eating

My BFF (Josie) sent me an e-mail containing photos of untraditional cake creations.  See for yourself....



The key ingredient of these amazing products is the painstaking detail involved in the creative process.  You really can tell when people put their heart in what they do.  The result is outstanding excellence!

All I can say is that there are folks out there who either have too much time... or too much talent... even BOTH!  Thank you for sharing your incredible creative skill with the world!





Notes from our Chief Executive in Heaven

My faithful Australian friend, Kenneth, forwarded these lovely notes.  He also happens to be my favorite boss ever.  Thanks, KCT!



God's Little Notes



Heaven without Mother Mary?

My April 3^rd blog, Part 3 of the Fatima “Secret", brought a strong reaction from my brother.  Like everyone in my family, my brother was born and raised Roman Catholic.  He was educated in Catholic schools, and at one point studied in a seminary and we all thought that he contemplated on becoming a priest.  Somewhere along the way, he had a change of faith and is now an active member of his congregation.  Nothing wrong with that.  It’s a free world and anyone can worship in the church of their choice.

Below is my brother’s e-mailed comment on my Fatima posting:

I read your blog about the 3rd Secret Of Fatima.  It came from the Papal Office, the 666 or the anti-Christ or The Beast.  As far as I know, Mary herself acknowledged her need for a Saviour (Read the Canticle of Mary found in the gospel of Luke in the Catholic Bible).  The Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY Mediator between God and man mentioned in the Bible.  St. Paul warns about the devil masquerading as an "angel of light" in order to deceive many people, even the righteous.  Mary cannot make any apparitions because she is still asleep or "dead."  She will only rise again together with the other dead in Christ when Christ returns during what is known as the rapture of the saints.  This will happen at the tail-end of the Great Tribulation prophesied by our Lord Jesus Christ (Gospel of Matthew 24-25).   After that an era of 1,000 years of peace on earth (Jesus Christ ruling and reigning with His saints) will begin which shall culminate in the Armageddon and the destruction of the heavens and the earth by fire.  The current heaven and earth will disappear and then God will raise the rest of the dead in what is known known as the Second Resurrection (the First Resurrection is when Jesus Christ returns and raises the dead in Christ and those still alive in Christ will be transformed from mortal to immortal during the "rapture") to judge the rest of the dead.  It is only during this time that man will be judged and sent either to hell or heaven depending on his/her earthly sojourn.  You might hate me for this but this is the TRUTH.  There won’t be a nuclear war as foretold in the Fatima apparitions because the destruction of the earth by fire will be providential and not man-made as aforementioned.  And this will happen only after the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ and His saints.  Instead of a World War lll, what will take place will be the "Great Tribulation" caused by natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, economic depressions, famines, wars (not a world war) and rumors of war, religious deception and persecutions.  Satan is working overtime and using Mary as an instrument (within the Catholic Church because she is most beloved and popular) to deceive many people and bring them to hell…

Saint Paul admonished those particularly within the Roman Catholic church (and other false religions) to "get out of there" so as not to share in her impending judgment and destruction.  Incidentally, although hell is in existence, it is still closed, therefore contrary to what was mentioned in the so-called Fatima apparitions, nothing is there yet.  It will be opened only when Satan and the False Prophet and the Beast followed by those who were deceived by Satan after the final judgment of the dead are thrown there. God's kingdom is ruled only by God and Jesus Christ.  There is no queen.  The "queen of heaven" does not exist.  You will be surprised on judgement day if you aren’t convinced now.  While there is still time, begin to search the Scriptures (start with your Catholic Bible) and start asking questions regarding your own salvation.  "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."  Jesus Christ is the ONLY Savior of mankind.  It is but right to listen ONLY to Him and to no one else.  After crossing-over, there will be no turning back.  Man will just be awaiting the great judgment day. 

That should cause enough fear and trembling to anyone's heart.

My response:

I have always been a Roman Catholic, growing up worshipping, not only Jesus the Savior, but God the Father and the Holy Spirit, and honoring His Blessed Mother.  Fortunately, the Good Lord has blessed me with an open mind, accepting and not questioning other people’s religious beliefs even if a few border on the realm of "controversially questionable."  If The Virgin Mary is missing in the other religions, it's the faithful's loss, not mine.  As far as I’m concerned, praying to Jesus’s Mother has always brought me solace and peace.  Little miracles in my life happened through her spiritual intercession.  If, indeed, there is a valid reason to question the Heavenly Queen’s existence, I have no cause to be convinced based on my personal relationship with Jesus's Mother.  My faith remains unshattered because as far as I know, Mother Mary has always been there to comfort me!  Non-Mary believers might think that my positive and hopeful thoughts might have been instrumental in the flow of good things becoming my reality (and not the consequence of the Blessed Virgin's intercession), but I stand by my faith and will breathe my last honoring my Mother in Heaven. 

After more than half a century believing in a Divine Mother, sending her a multitude of prayers and simply basking in the knowledge of her being, erasing her existence from memory now might drive me to a shrink for some serious psychological and emotional repair.  Quite honestly, I’m not up for such nonsense!  I have been so abundantly blessed and the sheer thought of considering the notion of Mother Mary's non-existence is for me a shameful act of ingratitude.  Call it an act of divine treason.  (Sorry, bro!)

While we're on the subject, my BFF (best friend forever) recently forwarded the e-mail below.  Thank you, Josie!

CARRY YOUR ROSARY EVERYDAY
When you carry a Rosary, Satan has a headache.
When you use it, he collapses.
When he sees you praying it, he faints.
Let us pray the rosary every time, so that he'll keep fainting.

Maybe one day, he'll have a stroke and never be able to work.
Did you also know that when you are about to forward this message,
Satan will try to discourage you?
Forward it anyway and help hasten the triumph of Mama Mary!
Send this to your prayerful friends and see how the Holy Spirit works!

There is a great deal to gain and absolutely nothing to lose!

Hi Everyone,

Imagine what might happen if every Catholic in the world would pray a Rosary on the same day! We have an example in October of 1573, when Europe was saved from the invasion of the mighty Turkish fleet, by the praying of the Rosary by all Christians!
So, on Good Friday, let us all pray a Rosary for peace in the world and the return of moral values into our communities. If possible, please pray your Rosary between Noon and 3:00pm.

Also, please e-mail this message to every Catholic on your address list, and ask them to pass it along to every Catholic on their lists. Let's unite in praying one of the most powerful prayers in existence, for these intentions, on one of the holiest days in our Church year.

God bless us all!

Lenten meditation

This week I received an e-mail from a long-time friend (thanks, Mary!) which is most appropriate reading for this Lenten season.  If you’re ready to pause and reflect on what this week is all about, read on…

60 seconds with God:

For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever
you're doing and take this opportunity.
Let's see if Satan can stop this! 

  THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS 

  At the  age of 33,
Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.

 At the  time, crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet, it was even more dreadful for Jesus.  For unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross by His Hands and Feet, rather than tied.

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.



The nails
were driven into His Wrists, not
into His Palms as is commonly
portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that 
extends to the shoulder.  The Roman guards knew
that when the nails were being hammered into the
wrist, that tendon would tear and
break, forcing Jesus to use His Back
Muscles to support Himself, so that He could breathe.

Both of His Feet
were nailed together. Thus, He was forced to 
support Himself on the single nail that
impaled His Feet to the cross.  Jesus could
not support himself with His Legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His
Back and using His Legs just to continue to 
breathe.  Imagine the struggle, the pain, the
suffering, and the courage.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.  Yes,  over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from His Wounds.  From common images, we see wounds to His Hands and Feet and even the spear wound to His Side.  But do we remember the many wounds  made to His Body.  A hammer driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped and a nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing  His Side with a spear.  And, before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten.  The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His Body. The beating was so horrific that His Face was torn and His Beard ripped from His Face. The crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His Scalp.

Most men would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood
to bleed out, only water poured from His 
Wounds.  The 
human adult body contains about 3.5 liters
(just less than a  gallon) of blood.

Jesus  poured all 3.5 liters of His Blood;
He had three nails hammered into His
Members; a crown of thorns on His Head, and, beyond
that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His 
Chest.

All  these without
mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own
cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd  spat in His
Face and threw stones (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, to which His Hands were nailed).

Jesus had to endure this experience,
so that you may have free access to God,
and so that your sins can be "washed" away.
All of them, with no exception!
Don't ignore this!

JESUS 
CHRIST DIED...FOR YOU!

For you, who now reads this e-mail.
Do not believe that He only died for others
(those who go to church or for pastors, bishops, etc).

He died for you!
It is easy to e-mail jokes or silly photos,
but when it comes to God,
sometimes we feel ashamed to forward a message about Him on
to others.
We are worried of what they “may think.” 

Accept  the reality, the truth:
JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD! 
God has special plans for YOU!
Share this with all your family and friends...
about what He went through to save you.
Really think about it!

May God Bless You!