A Letter to the USADA

A truthful witness gives honest testimony,

but a false witness tells lies.

Proverbs 12:17

 

Integrity:  firm adherence to a code of moral values;

the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions.

 

Hypocrisy:  promoting virtues, moral beliefs, principles,

etc., that one does not actually have, and is also

guilty of violating.

 

Cheating:  An immoral way of achieving a goal;

the breaking of rules to gain advantage

in a competitive situation.

Lance Armstrong:  “I went and looked up the definition 

of cheat, and the definition is to gain an advantage on a 

rival or foe.  I didn’t view it that way.

I viewed it as a level playing field.”

 

Dear Travis Tygart:

 

Lance Armstrong can tell his "story" to Oprah Winfrey or anyone else who will listen (what was he paid for that interview, by the way?), paint his past actions any color he desires, ignore his detractors, whine about his harsh punishment, give white-washed definitions to age-old crimes, and pout about his banishment from sports competition.  At the end of the day?  He is still nothing but a cheater:  a man who would do anything to win, including breaking the fundamental rules of the game; a man who lied, and lied, and lied - and expected everyone around him to lie with and for him.

 

What does Mr. Armstrong want now?  Why, to be let back into the game - to have the ban lifted that prohibits him from competing in sports.  He wants a slap on the wrist and a return to glory.  I, for one, do not believe he should ever be allowed to return to competition.  Why?  It's very simple:  the man does not know how to compete without cheating.

 

The prophet Jeremiah asked the question, Can a leopard change its spots?  The obvious answer is, No.  Neither can Mr. Armstrong change who he fundamentally is:  a man who believes himself so privileged that he is above and beyond all the rules - a law unto himself.  His character is not one that we would hold up for our children to emulate; instead, he is the poster boy for all that we don't want our children to be.  Rather than allow him back in the limelight, I believe that his doping and the subsequent massive coverup should be sufficient evidence to permanently bar him from any sports venue. 

Thankful: For Integrity

Do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and

nothing but the truth, 

so help me God.

~Witness's Oath

My father was a big fan of the truth.  He told me that a person's word - his/her truthfulness - was the most important part of their character.  He said that my integrity was based on my honesty - on my ability to face up to and live the truth.  He also told me that no matter how look it took, the truth would always come out eventually. There were times growing up when I didn't want to hear what he had to say, but through the years I have come to realize that those lessons were the finest counsel he ever gave to me.

 
Through the years of his sports career, I have never had an opinion one way or the other about Lance Armstrong.  I am not a cyclist, and have never been a fan of the sport of cycling.  Yes, I heard the news of victory after victory at the Tour de France, but I never thought much about him one way or the other.  He seemed a pleasant-enough fellow, and his story of over-coming cancer was certainly inspiring.

Over the years, the accusations of doping by Mr. Armstrong never seemed to die away.  His vehement denials seemed sincere enough.  As my father said, however, the truth does eventually rise to the surface, and that is certainly true in the case of Lance Armstrong.  Evidence painstakingly gathered by Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, laid bare the moral decay of Mr. Armstrong and his cronies and their blood doping scheme.  Stripped of every title he has earned after years and years of deception and lying, Armstrong finally decided that he would come clean and tell the truth on a television show with Oprah Winfrey.

Problem is - when you have lied, cheated, deceived and schemed for most of your adult life, you come to the place where you wouldn't know the truth if it slapped you in the face.  The "confession" that Armstrong told to Oprah is the one he wants us to believe.  Is it the truth?  USADA's Tygart says, no, it's just more lies.  When one of his former teammates says, "I wouldn't believe a thing that comes out of his mouth anymore," then chances are, we probably shouldn't either.

 

Thankful: For Snow

...though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow.

Isaiah 1:18

I woke up early this morning - full of bustle and energy - at least an hour before my usual rising time.  My daughter and I dropped off my car at the Napa Auto Center around 7:50 a.m., then I took her back to the house and borrowed her car to go across town to the credit union, Tom Leonard's farmer's market, and Trader Joe's.  A stop at my insurance office to sign a document for my youngest daughter, and I was finished with the day's "run around" chores before noon - a record, I'm sure, for me!

After lunch, I busied myself with finishing up my grades for the last nine weeks, going through mail, dragging out the vacuum cleaner for a thorough run through the house, setting out some fresh Sabbath flowers, finishing up the order for matching shirts for the adult handbell choir, and doing some research on the Internet.  Around 3:00 p.m., I walked out of the office and decided to check outside to see how cold it was.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and found a beautiful mantle of white covering the lawn, the streets, and our cars!  When I checked the weather this morning, it did not say one thing about snow - so where did this all come from?  I grabbed a hat, coat, gloves and the snow shovel and moved the first inch of snow off the porch, sidewalks, driveway and vehicles.  I ended up going back outside around 6:00 p.m. to remove the last (almost) inch from the same surfaces.

New-fallen snow is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.  Within the brilliant white is a clarity and purity that can be found few other places.  This snowfall started with light, fluffy flakes, then changed to little tiny spheres of ice, topped by more of the fluffy stuff.  It turned my brown winter grass into a sparkling fairytale landscape. Viewing a fresh snow scene always fills me with a sense of peace and joy.  How marvelous of Jesus to use a snowfall as the illustration for what He can accomplish in our lives.

Thankful: For a Sense of Humor

Our mouths were filled with laughter...

Psalm 126:2

I worked a 10-hour day yesterday (children's crafts, getting music ready, re-writing script, etc.), then came home at 8:50 p.m. to get ready for a new nine weeks of teaching at the Specialty Center this morning.  We were snowed out of having our 9-weeks Studio 1 and Studio 2 recitals last Friday, so we needed to make up both recitals today.  I also had to finish grading the 1st semester projects for both classes and put the finishing touches on their packets of new music, rehearsal cd, and homework to hand out today to my eleven freshmen (8:45 a.m.) and 5 sophomores/2 seniors (10:45 a.m.).  

I worked straight through from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. this morning, when I finally had to set the stuff aside to get a little sleep.  I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., figuring I would be able to finish everything up before I had to leave for school at 7:45 a.m. When my two alarms went off in the wee dark hours, I struggled out of bed, wrapped up in a warm robe, and was about to get back at it when a buzzer alerted me to a new email.  My boss was writing (at 5:45 a.m.) to say that we were on a two-hour-delay this morning because of snow flurries (I had no idea the white stuff was even active!).  At 6:15 a.m., she messaged me that the freshmen recital was wiped out by the delay, but we would have the sophomore recital at the regular time of 10:45 a.m..  The freshmen would not have their recital until next Wednesday.  All the stuff that I struggled last night to finish would not be needed until next week. (sigh)

I felt like crying, but my daughter saw the hilariousness of the situation, and got me to laughing out loud.  The laughter continued at school when my supervisor asked me to "make my best guess" at how my freshmen might have performed if we had been able to have the recital (you've got to be kidding, right?), and turn in those guesstimates as their recital grade (tonight) because all grades for this last nine weeks are due tomorrow.  My sophomore kids had more than a few chuckles when the only boy in the class showed up in a neon blue hoodie instead of his tuxedo.  He forgot we were making up the recital today.  He looked hilarious next to the girls in their evening gowns and the orchestra members in their concert black, but hey - the show must go on, right?

Those grades will get turned in tonight some how (not based on a guess, but on the kids' performance at the dress rehearsal.)  I will get some sleep, snow will begin falling again while I slumber, and tomorrow should be a wonderful day!

Thank you, God,

for the gift of laughter.

Thankful: For Guinea Pig Research!

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

Psalm 127:3

 

Almost every Wednesday night, from September through May, I teach a class of children ranging in age from Kindergarten through 5th grade, in a program called Music & Missions.  The evening starts with choir, followed by a mission lesson.  This year, we have been studying Heifer International, a charity that provides animals to poor families around the world.  Each week since September, we have talked about one of the animals that is regularly given by Heifer, and then we make a craft representing that animal.  Each week, the children bring their pennies, dimes and quarters to put in our piggy bank, and once a month we make a presentation to the congregation, asking them to help us purchase a specific animal for a needy family.  To date, we have raised the funds to buy a pig, a llama, two sheep, 14 flocks of chickens, some honey bees, and a trio of rabbits.  

Finding a craft for the children to make for these various animals has been both a challenge and a great deal of fun.  Craft stores and online outlets have some animal craft kits, but for others (such as the llama), I had to come up with an idea from another source.  Never was this more true than this week, when we are studying guinea pigs and their distant relative, the grasscutter (pictured below).  I don't know about you, but I have rarely seen a guinea pig craft in a retail store.  What to do?  Get on the Internet, of course.

I don't know how I would have ever done this Heifer series without the blessing of Internet research.  All I had to do was Google "guinea pig craft,"  and up popped several really cute ideas of projects to make - complete with photos and patterns.  Tomorrow night, the kids will be making their own stuffed felt guinea pig out of materials that we already had in our craft closet - a second blessing to be thankful for.  

For the endless ideas available

on the Internet - 

I am grateful!

 

 

Thankful: For Exercise!

Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health...

3 John 1:2

 

Trying to stay healthy and fit is tough at any age, but the older you get, the harder it is.  Face it - it's a whole lot easier to just plant yourself on the couch in front of the TV than to jump on the elliptical, skip rope, do P90x or go for a run outside.  I have joined countless gyms and unjoined them three/six/nine months later because I never went.  I have been an exercise fanatic and a physical slug.  Finding an exercise regimen that I will stick with has been really tough.

Then I found Leslie Sansone's Start Walking! videos.  I purchased the 3 Mile Walk at Walmart on a whim, popped it in the DVD player one morning and was hooked from the start.  This particular video is an advanced walking program which is perfect for me.  I can actually talk myself into lacing up my shoes and turning on the TV!  The program is endorsed by the American Heart Association and only takes 45 heart-pumping minutes. 

I purchased an elliptical machine as a "gift to me" Christmas present.  I've made a "deal" with myself that if I want to watch an hour of television at night, I have to do so while using the elliptical.  With the exercise video in the morning and the exercise machine most nights. I just might lose the extra 20 pounds I've been carting around.

To Leslie Sansone - for

being a GREAT walking coach.

Thank you!

Gratitude

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One,

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

~Don Moen

In the February 2013 issue of Good Housekeeping (my reading of choice on the train ride home from NYC), there is an article entitled, 2 Little Words.  The author, Janice Kaplan, states that one of the simplest steps you can take to boost happiness in your life is to be thankful - to have and express gratitude.  According to Kaplan, recent studies have shown that feeling grateful and expressing it "...decreases stress, increases happiness, and general makes people feel better about life."

Kaplan tells stories about men and women who have decided to make gratitude a focal part of their day - to develop a "gratitude habit" whereby they end each day expressing thanks for something that has happened that day - looking for the positive, and spreading appreciation to those around them.  As I read the article, I wondered if it were possible to end every day thinking about one thing for which I am grateful.  That would certainly guarantee that I would approach most of my day looking for positive blessings.  I've decided to try it for thirty days and see what happens.

Things for which we are grateful don't always have to be big acts of kindness or tremendous moments; we can be thankful for the smallest portion of our day or something that others might deem insignificant.  Tonight, I am very thankful for generous friends and family who gave me small gift cards during the holiday season.  I was able to do some shopping today, purchasing necessities at Target and a few groceries at Kroger's without paying almost anything out of pocket.  And I still have cards for Dollar Tree, Panera, Kohl's, Lowe's and Boulevard Flowers (a local nursery).

To those individuals who shared with me

the gift of choices (gift cards),

Thank you. 

 

Never Judge a Book...

You can never tell a book by its cover.

~From Murder in the Glass Room

 

My post from yesterday needs a few revisions:

• The name of the company is spelled Bvlgari.
• The brightly lit creature on the outer walls of the Bulgari building is not a lizard, it is a serpent.
• Bvlgari is famous for its serpent necklace, shown in the picture above.  The necklace is the star of the Bvlgari 2012 Serpenti collection.
• The head of the serpent is on 5th Avenue, while the body wraps around the corner and up to the roof on 57th street.  The tail then come out of the roof on 5th Avenue and curves underneath the head.
• NYC Bvlgari's serpent is but one of three; the other two creatures are in Rome and Tokyo.
• The snake is 62 meters long and almost 30 meters high.  It has 80 scales, each over three feet tall.
• The serpent contains 120,000 LED lights and over 2000 meters of luminous tubing.
• The serpent has been a Bvlgari trademark for over 60 years.

All of that is fascinating, but the area in which I really missed the mark was in Bulgari's philanthropic giving.
Three years ago, Bulgari partnered with the Save the Children charity.  In 2009, the jeweler designed a silver ring specifically for their Save the Children campaign.  About 20% of the profit was donated to the charity.  This year, a new silver and ceramic ring was designed, selling for 390 euros; Bulgari donates 70 euros for every ring sold. Since the inception of this partnership with STC, Bulgari has donated over $20 million!!

The following information is found on the Bulgari website:

Each contribution of 70 euros will have a meaningful

impact on a child's education.  70 euros can provide:

Books for 18 children in Brazil

Setting up a school library in India 

Safe drinking water for one student and their family in Uganda

Training for 13 teachers in Indonesia

50 boxes of colored pencils for young migrant children in China

I salute Bulgari (and their dazzling "diamond" serpent) for their understanding that wealth brings certain responsibilities to the underdeveloped portions of this world that are "poor" by anyone's standards.  I certainly cannot afford to purchase anything in your store, but I greatly admire your commitment to giving back.

Generosity from Childhood

And they'll know we are Christians by our love,

by our love;

Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

~Peter Scholtes, lyrics; Carolyn Arends, music

I tried very hard to raise my three girls to be generous.  My philosophy has always been that no matter how poor you are, there is always someone who is worse off.  Even during the period when we were so poor we were on food stamps, I would give a $1 stamp to the girls to give to someone who was hungry.  After we finally were stable financially, I never let them pass a red kettle at Christmas time without contributing something, even if it was only a quarter.  The same principle worked with the collection plate at church.  Even if it were just a few pennies, we always gave something.  Now it is blankets for the homeless in the local downtown park, food the the food pantry, and so many other ways that we can be generous.

I received a phone call from my youngest this week with news of a tragedy.  Her best friend's older sister was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident.  She leaves behind an adolescent daughter whose future is now very uncertain.  My daughter's first reaction was to suggest and then facilitate the setting up of an account where people could donate to a fund for this child's education.  She then called me to say, "Mom, someone needs our help."

Is there someone who needs your help today?  Is there someone or something that would be blessed by your generosity?  And remember...

Goodness is about character - integrity,

honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage,

and the like.  More than anything else,

it is about how we treat other people.

~Dennis Prager

A Giving Argument

Give and it shall be given to you...

Luke 6:38

Yesterday while walking the streets of New York, I paused for a moment at Starbucks.  As I was sitting in the window watching the people passing, I noticed two young men with clipboards who were trying to elicit opinions from their fellow New Yorkers.  One was particularly aggressive, reaching out to touch the arm of passerby's (usually women), which did not bring the response he desired.  He then switched to holding out his hand for them to shake.  Being flu season, he did not have any gracious takers with that ploy either.

When I left Starbucks, this young man was engaged in a conversation with an older gentleman - the pace of which was becoming more heated by the second.  Apparently the young man's questions were regarding the topic of giving to charities.  Something the man said had struck the questioner wrong, and instead of remaining impartial, he began an argument.  Finally, the man, clearly preparing to turn his back and leave, shouted, "There are a million charities in this world, and almost none of them are worthy of my time or my money."  With that, the man turned on heel and strode away.

There are indeed thousands, if not millions, of charities in this world.  Some are extremely well known - others much less so.  They range from elaborate (and sometimes endless) appeals through the mail, to celebrity hawkers on television, to your average Joe situated at a card table outside Walmart. With the huge variety of constant appeals, it can be daunting to decide which one to give to.  Most of us do not have endless money to give. What we do need to be cautious of, however, is not allowing the constant requests for funds harden our hearts against giving at all.  The gift of money (time, labor, etc.) blesses the recipient; the gift of giving blesses us. 

From Horror to Hope Part 2

And now these three remain:

faith, hope, love.

But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Far, far away from Bangladesh, a man in Ohio heard the story of the young boy brutalized and maimed in the alleys of Dhaka.  He contacted CNN to say that he wanted to help restore this child to wholeness.  CNN contacted the Director of Pediatric Urology at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital, who agreed to donate his skills to perform the surgery, and gathered together a team of medical professionals who were likewise willing to assist.

When the boy arrived in the United States and was examined at the hospital, the pediatric urologist proclaimed that it was the worst mutilation injury he had seen in all his years of work at John Hopkins.  But when the surgery actually began and all the scar tissue was cut away, the doctors found that there was enough living tissue that was still sensate that the reconstruction of the genitalia would be a complete success.  Both the doctors and the family were elated with the unexpected results.  A surgery that was expected to take 10-12 hours was reduced to three, and the resilient young man recovered quickly.

Before coming to America, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, the lad said that he wanted to be part of the police - to avenge his injury against the gangs who routinely capture and maim children.  When asked the same question in Baltimore, his answer was immediate and quite different:  I want to become a doctor, he said, because I want to save people.  And when I do, I won't take any money from them.  One of the nurses suggested that perhaps he could become a surgeon and come back to Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital.  The nurse said, That would be a miracle!  The boy's father replied, This story is full of miracles.

From Horror to Hope - Part 1

And because of the abundance of evil, 

the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:12

 

It is morning in the capital city of Bangladesh in 2010.  Four adult men surround a boy of seven, forcing him into an alley.  They bind his hands and his feet, then crack open his head with a brick.  They hold him down and cut his throat with a switchblade, slash his chest and abdomen in an upside down cross, then hack off a portion of his genitalia.  Having gone a "little too far" for their purposes, the men leave the child in the street to die.

 

The boy's mother was looking for him, and finally found him so covered with blood he was almost unrecognizable.  His father hired a rickshaw (the quickest transportation the poor man could afford) to take his child to the hospital, holding the boy on his lap, pressing his hands on his son's slashed body, trying to keep his insides from falling out. 

 

If you have not seen this story, I am sure you are asking why in the world the men would do this to a young child.  The answer is simple.  They belong to a gang who force other people to beg for them.  People in Bangladesh live on less than $1 a day.   The men believed that people would give more money to a maimed or injured child than to an adult.  They have maimed at least five other children - all of them about the same age.  One of the men who confessed to mutilating this boy told investigators that the gang would keep children confined for months in tight spaces or even barrels.  Then they would send them out to beg.  Each child would bring back about $7 a day.  The gang would keep all but about 25 cents - the amount the beggar child was given to stay alive.

Blest Be the Tie That Binds

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast,

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget, I will not forget you.

Isaiah 49:15

My oldest daughter was born with multiple heart problems that required two heart surgeries before her first birthday.  On the eighth day of her life, we were told that she would not live through the night.  Through the grace and healing of the Great Physician, that diagnosis was not fulfilled, but the first seven years of her life were a never-ending stream of doctor visits, or so it seemed.  During those years, I gave birth to two additional girls.  At the time, if you had asked me if I was neglecting my other children in favor of the firstborn, I would have laughed (or been offended), and said, "Certainly not!"  And yet I did.  Although I love all three of my girls equally, there was more energy and concern poured into the child with the cardiac defects, and my other two girls recognized the difference.  I, on the other hand, had no idea that I was more involved with one than with the others.  Looking back to those years with my younger children has been a real eye-opener for me.

One of my students' older brothers was involved in a catastrophic accident that resulted in a massive head injury.  For days - and then weeks - his condition was so fragile that he could have slipped away at any moment.  Several times they were advised to prepare for his death.  During this traumatic time for her family, she began to be keenly aware of what she perceived as a loss of closeness with her parents.  Their energies and concern lay with her brother, and she misses the interaction terribly.  I was grateful that I could give her a different perspective on the problem, urging her to understand that her parents are not neglecting her on purpose, and that eventually things will return to a more even keel.  Life in her household will probably never return to what it was; however, if she can approach her parents with maturity and understanding for their grief and anxiety, that will go a long ways toward strengthening their family bonds of love.

Yes, I Can

Anything is possible with God...

Matthew 19:26

Yesterday was a day for one student to throw in the towel and quit.  It was also, praise God, a day for a similar student to say, "Oh yes, I can!"  The contrast between the two was both heart-wrenching and glorious.

Both students were completely unprepared for their first nine-weeks recital.  Both came to the dress rehearsal not knowing their song.  I told both of them that they would have to sing at the recital using their music (which would cause a deduction in points).  One of them went on stage with the music and did a credible performance.  The other walked up, set the music on a stand two feet away, refused to look at it, and proceeded to completely tank their performance.

The one who actually made it through the recital was heard afterwards describing me in very unflattering terms because I insisted that music be used.  One of the people listening was a member of my sophomore class, who immediately challenged this student to straighten up, really practice, and get it right the next time.  Throughout this nine weeks, the sophomore and the freshmen have worked together every week, concentrating on accurate memorization of the music and getting the language pronunciation correct (Italian).  When I called on this student yesterday in class, the person who strode confidently forward bore no resemblance to the student of the 1st nine weeks.  A bit of a swagger, a confident grin, and a wink of the eye told me that this time everything would be different.  And it was! The performance was the total package: accurate music, accurate language pronunciation, and confident presentation.  

When faced with a seemingly impossible mountain, one teenager gave up, and the other utilized the help of a fellow student to climb to the summit.  As I grieve over one, I celebrate the other.

Giving Up

Anything is possible with God...

Matthew 19:26

Today was a sad day for me as a teacher.  I had a student throw in the towel with a stubbornness that saddened me.  This kid has struggled since the beginning of the year, mostly because of an unwillingness to put in the necessary work to learn the music.  It is difficult, to say the least, to perform a song in public if you are not willing to learn it in private.  All appeals on my part to spend a little more time on the music fell on deaf ears, and the first recital was a disaster for this student.

I had hoped that this second nine weeks would prove to be different - that there would be a settling in and settling down.  I gave all of my students a pep talk prior to the Christmas vacation, reminding them that the next recital was two weeks after school resumed, and if they did not keep up with their rehearsals and music memorization during the break, they would have to pay the piper come January.  When it came time today for this teenager to rehearse, it quickly became clear that my warning had not been heeded.  

I hate to see any student go down in flames when just a little effort to the contrary would make such a huge difference.  This is definitely a case, however, that proves true one of my father's favorite proverbs:  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.  I can offer all the help in the world, but at some point, the other party much reach out and meet me half way.

A Little Honesty, Please

Honesty is the best policy.

-English proverb

I found a couple of brand new Creative Memories scrapbooks in a box during the holidays, along with unopened packages of extra pages and page sleeves.  I decided to put them on Craig's List, because I no longer had a use for them.  I set up my ad, set my price, and waited for the return emails.

The first email that I received asked if the item was still available.  When I indicated that it was, I received an email back, very oddly worded, that said the person was being transferred and couldn't come buy to look, but would send me a check if I gave him my full name, complete address, cell phone number, etc., etc., etc. 

The next email that I received also asked if the item was still available.  When I verified that it was, this person, supposedly a female, said that she was going to London for business but would send a certified check (with $20 extra for my trouble), if I would just send her all my personal information.  Believe it or not, I received a third, very similar inquiry asking for my information so that a check could be sent.

I am assuming that all of these requests for information are for identity theft purpose.  By politely responding to the first inquiry, they have my name.  If I supply everything else that they ask for, they have enough information to run with it.  Craig's List is rife with this kind of blatant dishonesty, and the trap that is set can be very easy to fall in to.   

To Your Health!

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health

and that all may go well with you, even as your 

soul is getting along well.

3rd John 2

There is a really nasty virus going around the Richmond area, the Washington D.C. area, the New York area, and probably many other areas in this country.  My NYC daughter brought it home for Christmas.  I, unfortunately, succumbed to it.  She left to return to work on Tuesday, and I came down with the symptoms on Thursday evening.  I don't get sick very often, but this one really did me in.  I would not wish the chest and head congestion on my worst enemy.

I hope your 2013 has started off on a brighter note.  I, for one, will be glad to get back on my feet and return to the land of breathing freely.  Until then - here's to your health!

Happy New Year 2013

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. 

"They are plans for good and not for disaster, 

to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

Happy New Year 2013

May you have a year filled

with joy and blessings.