EB* – Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. Pope John Paul II

JD – The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. – Plutarch

JW – Private Warmbir! You’re ate up like a soup sandwich! – Drill Sergeant Acosta

MS – Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. – 1 Corinthians 13:4

JR – Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose. – Bill Gates

A few of the inspiring quotes lately have been from Mr. Warmbir about his time in the Army.

We all have a good chuckle and smile as he tells us about a silly time or joke that was made.

But I never forget that his service was serious business.

He signed up for the real deal. Signed up to volunteer his time and efforts (and maybe his life) to make this country safer and better than it would have been otherwise.

And so are the troops that are currently enlisted.

I am thankful for all of them and especially for my friend, Mr. Warmbir.

Thank you to all you who have served.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and blind can see." – Mark Twain

Be nice.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of being nice.

Being kind to another is a basic sign of respect of love for others.

I know that all of you are plenty nice already. But let’s take this as a reminder to go the extra mile today.

Make it a point to be extra nice today.

To do something above and beyond for a coworker.

To reach out to a friend that is hurting.

To leave a big tip.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Time flies like an arrow – but fruit flies like a banana. – Terry Wogan

Annie turned 7 yesterday. Your kid’s birthdays are great reminders of just how quickly the time seems to go by.

They serve as a reminder to do your best with each day you are given.

Each birthday, anniversary and other special events are reminders that we need to seize the day and make the most of our opportunities.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/7xMxmsNYLGc

The trick is to learn to enjoy the ride.

All the ups and downs.

All the flat parts.

Enjoy the ride.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! – Dr. Seuss

I know I have sent this out before but I wanted to send out the reminder again.

You are awesome.

There is no one that is more you than you.

You were purpose built and are capable of great things.

Don’t ever forget it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

When you are curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. – Walt Disney

There is no such thing as boredom, only boring people. (Can’t remember the author on that one)

Curiosity is one of those characteristics that influences so much in our lives.

It influences our relationships, our growth, our careers, and so much more.

Keeping up a healthy curiosity is essential to having a great life.

Spark your curiosity by finding out something you didn’t already know about.

Ask your spouse questions until you get to something you didn’t know.

Ask a coworker a few questions until you find out something new.

Do a little research into a new topic that interests you.

There are always new and interesting things to do, as long as you are curious enough to look for them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings. – Robert Bloch

EB – It’s all about how you fill out a t-shirt. (That one is an original!)

JW* – My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I’ve finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already. – Dave Barry

MS* – If at first you don’t succeed . . . so much for skydiving. – Henny Youngman

A little humor for everyone today.

If these didn’t do it for you, go find something that makes you laugh.

Make it a point to laugh today.

Life’s too short to not laugh (almost) every day.

Sure, life has those moments when laughter isn’t possible, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. We are built to laugh and smile and be joyful.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again." – James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams

Major League Baseball started over the weekend.

Even if you aren’t that into sportsing, I think we can all appreciate the sentiment in the quote above.

As time and change roll through, it is great to have something constant through it all.

Something to remind us of where we came from and of a simpler time.

Something to remind us of what is really important.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday’s sermon at church was about the story of “Doubting Thomas”.

Thomas was one of the 12 apostles who refused to believe that Christ had risen until he could see and feel the wounds himself.

Christ showed Thomas the wounds and let him feel them and afterward tells Thomas the importance of faith. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”.

Faith is belief in what we have not yet seen.

Our success lies partially in our ability to believe in the future we would like to see.

Our unshakeable belief that everything will work out ensures that everything works out.

If we can build up our faith, we can build up our future.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW* – "I have great faith in fools – self-confidence, my friends call it." – Edgar Allan Poe

EB* – "We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." – Japanese Proverb

MS* – "The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being, but to remind him that he is already degraded." – George Orwell

JD – "I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it." – Jack Handey

April Fool’s Day is here.

Hopefully you have some kind of funny prank set up.

Remind yourself to laugh a little today.

Make it a great day.

Jake