(Carlsbad Desalinization Plant in San Diego County)

Los Angeles (CNN)As California battles a historic drought and a water crisis looms, the state’s coastline protection agency is poised to vote Thursday.

The issue is on whether it will allow a $1.4 billion desalinization plant in Huntington Beach that would convert ocean water into municipal water for Orange County residents.

Poseidon Water, which has been trying to build the plant for decades, says it would be capable of producing up to 50 million gallons of drinking water a day.

This additional plant would help to make the region more drought resilient.

But desalination opponents argue less expensive and less harmful conservation tactics should be the first resort.

Regardless of which side of the argument you may on, as the earth warms, less water will be available for a growing population.

There are already some parts of the world that have no water.

“You cannot go into a war zone and not come away unchanged.

You don’t have to see the sorrow with your eyes because you can feel it with your heart.

The thing about grief is that it veils one’s face.

It’s like a haze has descended.

The tears of the mothers stay permanently on the edges of their eyes, as if they can barely contain their sadness.

They grasp their children’s hands or touch their hair as if they can’t bear to lose the physical connection.

A young mother I met in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, told me that when she and her family ventured out in search of food, Russian soldiers would shoot into the lines of people waiting for a piece of bread.

They wear brave faces, but their emotion is portrayed in the slope of their shoulders, the nervousness in their bodies.”

If you are inclined to pray, pray for the families in Ukraine.

Why Not?

Think of someone other than yourself!

We need a kinder, gentler world and we need it now!

The only thing we have in common is that we’re Americans.

And it stops there.

Surely, we can find something to argue about because we both have strong opposite viewpoints on particular topics.

Many times, our differences even come in the form of a greeting.

“Oh, here comes that liberal.”

We Americans must pull together.

There are many forces out there that would like to witness our demise.

Let’s NOT do it to ourselves!

Why is Trader Joe’s a success?

The simple answer to any success story is differentiation!

With the birth of the 747, Joe saw that international travel was growing fast.

So, he decided to offer products not normally stocked in the typical grocery store.

And he really loaded up on wines from around the world.

He knew the secret to success is DIFFERENTIATION.

If you own a business or are thinking of starting one, take a different approach than your competitors.

If you are an employee of a company, what can you do to be an outstanding team player and get rewarded with a raise or promotion?

Be different. Be willing to work extra hard, accept longer hours or do the things no one else is willing to do.

If not today, when?

I honestly can’t think of a more important day than Mother’s Day’

A woman offers up her one and only body for the creation of another human being.

Once that decision is made, there are 9 months of uncertainty ahead with frequent doctor visits and constant changes to her body.

Once the big day arrives, pain arrives with it.

More pain than she has ever experienced before.

Some moms don’t survive the birth process.

Let’s keep our priorities in order.

Every day should be Mother’s Day!

If not today, when?

No one contributes more to a family than a woman who is willing to take on child birth.

Oh, and let’s not forget, motherhood doesn’t end with child birth.

No, that is merely the opening stanza to a relationship that will endure as long as mother and child endure.

Many fathers don’t stay the course, but most moms remain the pillar around which survives the family with all its triumphs and disappointments.

Yesterday, we honored my little sister, the mother of 11 single births.

She had a heart attack a few years ago and, thank GOD, recovered.

Make every day Mothers Day in your life!

If not today, when.

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My parents had 5 boys and a girl who came at the end of the line.

Yep, that’s my little sister.  Each of her children was a single birth.

Each of her children is a college graduate.

She is truly remarkable.

It’s no co-incidence that she also has a strong belief in God.

I cannot imagine what she and her husband had to face along the way

As I get older, I am in complete admiration of the accomplishments of other people, including my sister.

Thank you GOD for Cathy.

You can accomplish more in this world than you think you can.

I don’t know if the Supreme Court will recover from the leaked verdict on Roe vs, Wade.

The Executive branch has had its share of misdeeds over the years.

The Legislative Branch may well be the undoing of our Democracy.

The one branch I hoped would behave was the Justice Branch.

Now, it is on rocky ground.

We have found another tool to tear this country apart.

It had been predicted that if our great experiment would fail, it would fail from within.

I hate to even say this, but failure seems to be creeping up on us.

Greed, selfishness and a complete lack of patriotism will be the culprits.

About10PM every night, a long freight train passes near our house.

As we lay in bed, we know it’s coming by that old familiar sound of the train’s whistle.

The closer it gets, the louder is the rumbling sound of all those freight cars laden with cargo.

It’s a long train because we hear the rumbling for a while.

Why do I write about the night train?

Because, as we lay there, it brings us peace.

I think its predictability creates a soothing effect knowing that there are still some things that we can count on.

The sound of the whistle can be heard as it repeats its warning far down the line.

So few events can be anticipated in our daily lives.

There are so many surprises in today’s world.

But, not that night train!

It’s always on time as it keeps on rolling down the line.

Six years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

My regular urologist chose surgery, but I didn’t like his recommendation.

I decided to get other opinions.

So, I called The Mayo Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, Northwestern University Hospital, University of Michigan Medical Center, Henry Ford Hospital and Beaumont Hospital.

Everyone I called suggested surgery except for Beaumont Hospital, which was using radio active pellets.

It was a non-surgical procedure that cured me with no side-effects.

I will always be thankful that I took the time to check around.

You should too.

There are always new medical discoveries. Some doctors use them. Some do not.

For the sake of your own health, take the time to check around.

If not today, when?