Suda

My son also had trouble pronouncing some letters early in his speaking days. One day he was walking around the house, shaking his head "no", and saying "Bat shi+". I tried to determine what he was referring to, to no avail. Late in the afternoon, he and his sister had a spat, and he yelled "Okay, I've had it, bat shi+". It was then I realized he was mimicking what he often heard me say when I was frustrated with the little ones "Okay, I've had it, that's it. Stop _______ (whatever it was they were doing that was irritating me)."

One of my son's favorite jokes Which cheese in the refrigerator does not belong to you? Nacho cheese.

She offered her honor He honored her offer And all night long it was honor and offer

I can't get to the article referenced in the opening of this thread. Can anyone help me find it or another article discussing the charges, evidence, sentencing, etc.? Thanks!

Ex10, You told the story as well here as you did on Live Chat the other night. Even though the George's were mixed up, it was still a great experience. Tell J* we're proud of her for acting like the gracious southern lady she is; shows her mom and dad taught her well. I'm sure both you are hubby are quite proud of her. Another great story to add to the M* true tales. When I told hubby the story the other morning, he remarked "It's just like the kind of thing that always happened to ex-10's dad all the time. That family has great stories." Looking forward to hearing the next one! suda P.S. Are you going to be able to make it to the GGGW in June - see CoolWaters post - we'd love to have you join us and all the other gals!

Count me in - looking forward to it.

I see the assets, what are the liabilities? A balance sheet is to show both. You takes the assets less the liabilities to come up with the net worth. If they have practiced their "no debt" philosophy in-house, there should not be many. But one large line item would have to be for legal expenses and monies set aside for settling law suits. Wonder how much they have estimated this amount to be? Courts/lawyers have probably advised on the amounts that are needed to be in reserve for this.

Laleo, I agree with you entirely. When etiquette is forced it is a sign of egotism imho. Especially when people live in close contact with each other daily. For example, etiquette calls for a man to stand whenever a woman enters the room. It would be ridiculous if I required my husband or son to stand up whenever I entered a room in my home that they happened to be in. I agree in introductions, it's nice to stand for clergy, or if they are entering a room to preach, but just because they walk into a lunchroom, and are already known by all, nope. You stand out of respect for their position and what it represents. In a lunchroom, they represent just another hungry person.

My oldest daughter loves this site. Only place she orders and wears shirts from. Some are offensive, but many are just a hoot! Fortunately she hasn't ordered any of the offensive ones that I'm aware of.

Sorry to derail again, but had to respond to Sudo’s comments about the power of prayer. When I was told by a friend about the article (may be the one Sudo has linked to above and I reference excerpts from below) that prayer does not have any effect, my immediate, gut-level response was bull****. Too many times I have seen the powerful, beneficial effects of prayer. One camp seems to side with this quote (bold supplied by me): “But Paul Kurtz . . . had a simpler response when asked why the study had found no evidence for the power of prayer. "Because there is none," he said. "That would be one answer."” Another camp sides with these quotes (bold supplied by me): - “The results of the study provoked discord among doctors and scientists in the US, many of whom questioned the wisdom of subjecting prayer to the conditions of a research project.” - “Dr Richard Sloan, . . ."The problem with studying religion scientifically is that you do violence to the phenomenon by reducing it to basic elements that can be quantified, and that makes for bad science and bad religion."” - “Intercessory prayer under our restricted format had a neutral effect," he said.” - “Dr. David Stevens, . . ., told the AP that he believed intercessory prayer could influence people's health, but that scientists were not equipped to measure the phenomenon.” Also, it’s interesting to note that the prayer participants were told what to pray “The worshippers starting praying for the patients the night before surgery and for the next two weeks, asking God to grant "a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications".” In my opinion, true prayer comes from the heart, it is a one-on-one, personal conversation with God. It is not reading a script from a piece of paper. So, it is questionable whether this scientific experiment even measured true prayer at all. And if it did not, the results are meaningless. They also note the fact that: “"Do we control God through prayer? Theologians would say absolutely not. God decides sometimes to intervene, and sometimes not," he said.” Another good conclusion from the study: “As for the new study, he said, "I don’t think... it’s going to stop people praying for the sick."” And why not? Because too many people know how effective the power of prayer is. As for Sudo’s question, “why would God . . . demand that people beseech Him first before he performed deliverance on His people? Why must He be begged to do what He's said He was going to do anyways? Heal the sick and deliver the infirmed?” First of all, God does not demand that we pray; it’s our choice whether we do or not. And it is not begging for something He said He was going to do anyway. It’s talking to Him, sharing our thoughts and concerns with Him, and asking for guidance and direction. We can ask for specific outcomes, but that doesn’t mean He’s going to give us exactly what we ask for. At times the sick and infirmed are healed, sometimes they are not. But that’s not our decision, it’s Gods. There are many more variables at play than what we are aware of. But does it hurt to talk with Him, ask Him for deliverance? No. Does it help? I think so. It may not result in the answer we were wanting in that situation, but it does help in building our relationship with Him, every time we go to Him with anything. Since we can’t go visit God, or call him on the phone, the only way we can talk with Him is to pray. Let’s look at that from another viewpoint. Why do children ask their earthly parents for things? Could be the parents are unaware of something they want or need, and unless the child asks for it, the parent does not know to supply it for the child. Sometimes we know what they need, but wait until they are aware of it enough that they can articulate it themselves, and then ask us for it. Sometimes we know what they need, but they don’t want our help, so we withhold it until they ask for it. And just because they ask for something, does it mean that we automatically give it to them? Of course not. Often as a child when I had a problem, all I wanted was to talk to my parents about it. In our conversations I often came up with the answer to my problem, but would not have without using them as a sounding board. Communication is just as important with our earthly parents as it is with our heavenly Father. And just as it is with our spouses. We may not always agree on everything, but every time we go to each other with our concerns and problems, and talk them out, it brings our hearts closer together, even if the concern or problem is not settled in exactly the way we wanted. Same way with our prayer life with God. It just brings our heart closer to Him when we talk to Him. Guess there’s no need to go on and on about my beliefs in the power of prayer. People either believe it, or they don’t. But with prayer being in the spiritual realm, I don’t think the effects of it can be measured in physical terms. So I guess I shouldn’t get bothered by someone thinking that an experiment like that should actually prove to anyone who believes in prayer that their beliefs are in error. Guess what got my dander up was what I interpreted as a condescending, bitter tone in the post. Glad to know that when I want/need prayer or a prayer partner, there are many people who believe in it’s power and are glad to join in with me. And thankful to know that God is there as is my mediator, Jesus Christ, to help me with whatever situation I take to Him. Suda (stepping down from her soap box, and apologizing again for the derail) (P.S. Just in case your wondering, I am not here trying to diss my husband. I love him and feel free to respond to his posts, just as I would to any other person’s post.)

This thread has been on my mind all evening. I may be totally wrong, but it seems to me that at least two groups of people emerged from twi. (I'm sure more than two, and my thoughts here may not include many with our shared history in twi.) For some of us, twi gave us something we had been searching for - a way to finally connect with God in a personal, intimate way. We learned to communicate with Him, our prayer life blossomed, and we learned how to recognize the still, quiet voice that is God. We learned how to search the scripture and find answers to questions personal to us - not from a Way magazine article, a SNS tape, a twig fellowship, but by going to God and having Him teach us individually. And we were fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of good people that were also on their personal spiritual quest, and were there for us to share with, both the good times and the bad. We had dear friends that we could turn to in times of trouble, who really cared about us and wanted to help, and who would join together with us in prayer and learning to find the solutions to problems, answers to questions, etc. We saw the signs, miracles, and wonders in our lives that the Bible had told us were available, and we rejoiced that we had finally found the desires of our hearts, a God that loved us individually, and that we knew He was always by our side. That's not to say everything with our lives was peaches and roses, for indeed it was not. I don't think life is ever that way for anyone. We have lots of times of trouble, but it contains enough of the "signs, miracles, and wonders" that we always have hope and the desire to take that next step and keep living life to the fullest no matter what comes our way. (Sometimes God's hand seems to just be sprinkling in our lives, other times His blessings seem to be raining down.) Through our years with twi we built on this foundation, and continued to do so after twi, and still live that way to this day. God is alive to us, and always will be. Then there seems to be a group that never experienced any spiritual ephipanies, never saw the hand of God at work in their lives. I wonder if just never happened for them. But since everyone else was always talking about their positive experiences, this group pretended (this may not be the best choice of words) that these things were happening to them, too. Due to the "group think" mentality many experienced, maybe they were fearful of speaking up and voicing a different tune to the rest of the wayfers. And if these thoughts are correct, then when they left twi it would stand to reason that since God, prayer, etc. had never "materialized" for them in twi, why not leave God, prayer, etc. behind also? I can see where becoming agnostic or atheist would make sense for them. Maybe God was present in their lives, and they didn't recognize it. Or maybe He wasn't. I don't pretend to know or understand what happens in another person's life. But hopefully, for them, there was at least a little something good that they brought with them from twi. I think for most everyone, we made dear friends there, and are still making new friends today here at GS with people from our shared twi days. Anyway, as I said earlier, I may be totally off base here. But these are the thoughts I had this evening while pondering the opening post on this thread from ChasUFarley asking how someone involved with twi later became agnostic. I'd welcome any comments people have on my thoughts. ChasUFarley's question is one I have wondered about often, also.

For those of us who experience a powerful prayer life and see miracles in our lives, it seems unfathomable that others can come to the conclusion that there is no God. My heart goes out to them, because I cannot begin to imagine a life without God. But I guess that is just me wishing that others could experience the same kind of joy I have had in my life. Those people probably wish for me that I could also experience life through their eyes and come to the same conclusions as they do. Guess that what's so great about freedom of will, each gets to decide for him/herself how to direct his/her life. I am glad I have chosen to have God at the center, because He always comes through and helps to turn around times of trouble and turmoil, and make the good times even sweeter.

Great Idea! Only I want to be on Norwegian Cruise Lines because they are the only ones that offer freestyle cruising - can eat whenever you want with whomever you want - and can dress or go casual (some restrictions on places for casual dining). Because of freestyle, it's the only cruise line I plan to patronize at this juncture in my life. Maybe a lot of Greasespotters can choose the same ship, and we'll get one of the cafes named the Greasespot Cafe! Wouldn't that be a hoot!

Lots of my favorites already listed, but didn't see The Big Chill Play Misty for Me The Jazz Singer Fatal Attraction

According to Letitia Baldridge's etiquette book (she was Jackie Kennedy's social secretary, and succeeded Amy Vanderbilt as the etiquette guru), "rising to greet" members of the clergy is protocol, as well as is rising for much older people or a very prominent person. She does not go into the pecking order of who rises for whom, but it stands to reason that since one rises as a gesture of respect for a person's position, that no position would be elevated above one that is supposed to represent God.

Happy, happy birthday to you, Sir. May it be your best ever, with many more to enjoy!

Oldiesman, As far as I know, anyone can order from LTA. Hope you hear from them soon. Suda

Oakspear, dmiller, and frank123lol, I am glad to see your posts and how you try to handle dilimenas in a mature, logical manner. Others remind me of two middle schoolers circling and yelling insults and threats on the playground, hoping a brawl will break out so they can prove who really is the big bad boy. A lady in distress is thankful and relieved when a man comes to her aid and comports himself like a knight in shining armour. His cool head, manner of speaking about the sailient issues, etc. can diffuse the situation by guiding all parties towards a win-win solution to the problem. I fear her distress would only be heightened by hot heads trying to best one another with insults and throwing punches. Seems like a lose-lose-win outcome, with no solution to her problem. But this is just mho. Templelady, I do hope Allen has gotten the message to stop stalking you from thread to thread just so that he can throw a punch at your statements about LDS; it's just so juvenile and pointless, as everyone already knows how he feels. Looks like maybe you are just ignoring him, and letting his behavior be his problem, not yours. That seems like a winning outcome for you. Keep up the good work in your postings - they're interesting and thought provoking. suda (who likes the Mormans and respects them as a successful religious group, as evidenced by the good fruit they produce).

Happy Birthday and many more to come! I love the 50's. It's truly when the good life begins.

Oldies man, You can order from LTA. Happy reading and listening to you! Suda

Adam wakes up and sees Eve for the first time. He asks, "God, who is that?" He replies, "Eve, I made her as a help mate for you." Adam: "God what do I do with her?" God: "Give her a hug." Adam: "God, what's a hug?" God explains, Adams does as explained, and says, "God, that was great! What do I do next?" God: "Give her a kiss." Adam: "God, what's a kiss?" God explains, Adam follows his directions, and says, "Now that was fantastic! What do I do next?" God: "Make love to her." Adam: "God, what's make love?" God explains, so Adam goes to Eve to enjoy this experience. He returns rather quickly and asks, "God, what is a headache?"

For those who want to know what LTA is: Living Tree Academy consists of a group of dedicated people determined to improve the quality of education in order to benefit youth in various geographical locations. The organization's initial focus will be developing a program for preschool children in areas without sufficient financial resources to implement such programs. Living Tree Academy's goal is to initiate educational programs giving children an introduction to the joys of learning and to provide them with the necessary skills to be successful from preschool to graduation. Success will be determined by the overall impact on the students, the teachers, and the community. The organization believes that the students will have a greater desire for learning, the educators will have a greater desire for teaching, and the community will be enriched and recognized by the developed skills and discipline produced by this experience. As a facilitator and provider of education, Living Tree Academy's goal is to devise curriculum for one age level and add an age level to the curriculum each year. These private schools will be made successful and held to high standards by qualified educators. Children from all socioeconomic backgrounds will have the opportunity to participate in the programs. Living Tree Academy is designed to give children ACCESS to educational opportunities that are not presently available. This access includes the best teachers, the best facilities, the best curriculum, and the best universities. LTA will also provide teachers with access to challenging, rewarding, and adventurous experiences. Living Tree Academy plans to initiate these programs both domestically and in other countries. The first initiative is in the country of Belize, which is located in Central America. The program in Belize is being undertaken for many reasons. A primary reason is that this country, which was formerly known as British Honduras, is English speaking. Also the country is readily accessible from the continental United States, and it has a developing nation status with such organizations as the United Nations. LTA continues to meet with Belizean representatives to develop and refine the initial program. The Board of Directors of Living Tree Academy is a diverse group of individuals who have the skills and talents that are necessary to make this program a reality. The common thread that binds all of the board members is a fervent desire to help youth throughout the world. They are undertaking this program for the benefit of society. This program is necessary to help children, and it will be successful with the dedication of these board members. Living Tree Academy is committed to having a cost-effective program, utilizing volunteer support as much as possible. The organization is currently seeking volunteers to help design and administer the program in Belize confident in finding schoolteachers and administrators willing to share their wisdom and experience.

THE BELIZEAN NATIONAL PRAYER Almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ has revealed Your Glory to all nations, please protect and preserve Belize our beloved country. God of might, wisdom, and justice, please assist our Belizean government and people with Your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude. Let the light of Your divine wisdom direct their plans and endeavours so that with Your help we may attain our just objectives. With Your guidance, may all our endeavours tend to peace, social justice, liberty, national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge. We pray, O God of Mercy, for all of us that we may be blessed in the knowledge of Your most holy law, that we may be preserved in union and in that peace which the world itself cannot give. And, after enjoying the blessings of this life, please admit us dear Lord, to that eternal reward that You have prepared for those who love You. Welcome, Freelady. I think you will be very blessed with the PFAL class. It still changes lives and sets people free because of the truth taught and the foundation for personal spiritual development. I'll keep you and your class in my prayers.

"You can't order me, I'm not steak." Working Girl Melanie Griffith's response to her boyfriend when he tells her what she has to do.

I believe in all nine manifestions and got a great foundation of understanding them through VPW.