Hectic Holidays!

Of course, you’re going to invite the same old crowd.

In the spirit of the holiday season, would you consider inviting a lonely person who has nowhere to go?

It will make his or her day and yours.

And there is another issue that could be addressed.

Will you forgive and forget an old grudge?

Forgiveness is a very timely attribute to practice at the holidays.

Make this holiday about more than food and drink.

Reach out to improve the life of someone else!

If not today, when?

Happy Holidays!

Paris Bans Scooters!

Parisiens have voted against the use of electric scooters.

Over the past few years, electric scooters have been brought to Paris and dozens of other cities worldwide by various startups.

They promised an environmentally-friendly individual transport option.

What cities have gotten instead is chaos:

Scooters are shooting down sidewalks at dangerous speeds or laying abandoned on pedestrian thoroughfares.

Both riders and pedestrians have been injured and sometimes killed.

Scooters sounded great in theory.

In practice, they’re much more of a menace than a convenience.

What has been the scooter reaction where you live?

Till Death Do Us Part

One is always left to carry on!

Will your surviving parent carry on ALONE?

I heard an interesting story yesterday.

His father is a widower and 94 years old.

My friend is one of 10 children.

He lives a 5 hour drive from his father.

He has 9 siblings, 3 of whom live near their father and their childhood home.

They want their dad to go to an assisted living facility, but dad wants to live out his life on his farm.

So, my friend drives the 5 hour drive every other weekend to stay with his dad.

My friend cooks for him and takes him to church.

As he drives the 5 hours back to his home on Sunday night, he fears his dad will die alone.

Dealing With Stress

Chronic stress can have long-term consequences.

Studies have shown that it can raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

It’s associated with a worse immune response and decreased cognitive function.

Individuals experiencing stress are also more likely to endorse unhealthy behaviors, like smoking, excessive drinking, substance use, lack of sleep and physical inactivity.

These lifestyle factors in turn can lead to worse health outcomes.

CNN: What techniques can help in addressing stress?

First, awareness is important.

Know your own body and your reaction to stress.

Sometimes, anticipating that a situation may be stressful and being prepared to deal with it can reduce stress and anxiety.

Second, identifying symptoms can help.

For example, if you know that your stress reaction includes feeling your heart rate increase and getting agitated, then you can detect the symptoms as they occur and become aware of the stressful situation as it’s occurring. (CNN)

Jill Biden’s Decision

The First Lady felt like inviting both LSU and IOWA to the White House.

It’s never been done before.

LSU was the winner.

Tradition has it that only the winning team is invited.

Mrs. Biden attended the game as shown in the photo above.

LSU players think inviting the losing team is a JOKE!

After LSU players complained, Mrs. Biden changed her decision.

What would you have done?

Put Spouse First!

100+ Wedding Ring Pictures | Download Free Images on Unsplash

Could your spousal relationship be better?

It is the most important relationship of your life.

You promised that you would be married to this person always.

In order to be happily married, you must put the needs of your spouse before all others.

Do you do that? Consistently?

Because you are different people, you have different needs.

That’s why it’s important to understand your spouse’s needs and and provide for them.

You can be “Happily Ever After!”

Just put your spouse first.

If not today, when?

15 Days Till Tax Due

Tax Return Pictures | Download Free Images on Unsplash

Yes, it’s that time again.

We put together the basic facts and then send them to our accountant.

It seems like income tax laws have some changes every year.

So, we think it’s important to have a professional help us.

We try to avoid turning in a late return.

Good luck with yours!

First Child To Be Buried in Nashville!

PHOTO: Evelyn Dieckhaus is seen in this undated photo.

Her name is Evelyn Dieckhaus, Age 9 Years.

She and two other nine year olds were gunned down while attending a private school in Nashville.

The principal and two other members of the staff were also killed.

Her funeral is tomorrow.

We’ve got to stop killers from walking into our schools!

The world won’t be as nice a place without Evelyn.

Every school in America must have only one door unlocked and there must be an armed guard at that door.

We must deny killers free access to our schools!

If not today, when?

Europe’s High Speed Trains

In the Czech countryside, not far from Prague, a ghostly white train is speeding around and around a huge loop of track.

From the air, the single circuit looks like a giant model railroad. Only this one isn’t being used for fun. It’s one of Europe’s few dedicated facilities where new trains can be intensively tested away from public tracks.

For six months, the anonymous white train will make endless laps of the circuit at up to 125 miles per hour (200 kph), allowing technicians to monitor every aspect of its performance.

Meanwhile, a second train will be sent to Vienna in Austria, to be tested in temperatures ranging from minus 20 C to 40 C (minus 4 F to 104 F), blasted with snow and ice, and put through a wind tunnel of speeds of up to 100 mph in Europe’s only specialist climatic testing center.

Why is this important? Well, for French National Railways (SNCF) it marks the beginning of a new era: a reboot for its iconic TGV trains.

This latest generation of 200 miles per hour (320 kph) TGVs will be tested to its limits for more than two years before it can start carrying passengers in 2024. (CNN)

Interested In World Affairs?

Free photo medium shot man reading news

I realize you have a busy day every day.

And perhaps it is difficult to find time to keep up with world news.

The world is changing fast and these changes will affect you and your children’s future.

If you watch the network evening news shows, you’ll find that they don’t cover world news like they once did.

I don’t mean for this to sound like a commercial, but publications like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal cover world news very well.

Even if you go through the first section and merely read the head lines, you’ll be well informed.

Your children are growing up in a vastly different world than the one you knew as a child.

It’s good to be informed.

If not today, when?