In our youth, we pursue various activities that appeal to us.

Sometimes an activity becomes a passion.

My passion was sailing.

At the age of 15, my brother and I would go out in our little wooden sailboat when we heard small craft warnings because we knew we’d have strong winds.

One problem was that the little boat had a hole in the bottom.

So,, we brought a pail with us.

One of us would sail while the other would bail.

My passion for sailing continued to grow.

I was in over100 sailboat races.

The biggest thrill was racing on a 70′ yacht from Chicago to Mackinac Island.

We traveled the length of Lake Michigan.

Now that I’m 80, it’s time to walk away from sailing.

But, I’ll always have the memories!

Use your memory to make better decisions.

Why?

Because your memory is always available and is absolutely your best teacher!

You won’t make the same mistake twice if you consult your memory before making an important decision.

Your memory is a storehouse of all the things you did right and those you did wrong.

You are a summation of all your unique life experiences.

Draw upon them.

Use them to build a better life for yourself and loved ones by avoiding the mistakes of the past.

How do we make a better life?

It’s simple.

We make better decisions.

Consult your own precious memory before taking that next step.

It will not fail you!

If not today, when?

(Photo of Aiden with his grandfather)

A fundraiser set up to help 2-year-old Aiden McCarthy, whose parents were both killed in Monday’s mass shooting during a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois, has raised about $2.6 million since it was created on Tuesday. 

As of Wednesday evening, the GoFundMe has raised $2.58 million, with its organizer, Irina Colon, noting that she created the fundraising effort with permission of the boy’s family.

The toddler wasn’t injured in the shooting.

Kevin McCarthy, 37, and Irina McCarthy, 35, were among those killed during the mass shooting, and Aiden was separated from his parents during the chaos.

Dana and Greg Ring told CBS Chicago that they found the child with a stranger, who was in shock, and that they took the boy and looked after him until a Highland Park police detective picked him up and reunited him with his grandparents at a hospital.

Americans are truly very generous people!

GOD loves us!

We must, in return, love GOD with the way we live our lives!

We live our lives best when we love one other.

Those we love should include those we know and those we don’t know.

How do we love others?

BE THERE FOR THEM!

Be the one they can count on in time of need.

Become an example to others in the way you live your life.

As JESUS said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Show them that you have faith in GOD even in tough times.

Practice patience.

Practice forgiveness.

Practice compassion.

Practice generosity.

LOVE HIM WITH YOUR LIFE!

The photo above is what’s left of a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, IL.

Six killed and 24 taken to hospitals.

Many families are heartbroken this morning.

Of course, the gun was a rapid fire weapon that could hit many victims in a minute.

A recent editorial in the Baltimore Sun asks:

“Is it just an uncommon amount of evil in the U.S. or is it just an uncommon access to weapons capable of murdering dozens of people in a matter of minutes?”

Evil is as old as humankind, but the ability to take out a person’s evil intent with a rapid fire killing machine is new.

Why do we sell military type weapons to the general public?

Why would someone need a military type weapon in order to live their life?

When will we begin to make good decisions that protect the innocent people being slaughtered in our streets?

If not today, when?

What does July 4th mean to you other than fireworks and family gatherings?

To me, it’s living proof that those who govern can come together and do the right thing.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776.

I’m sure many of the politicians at that time disagreed on many important issues.

But, they set their differences aside and came together to create a document that has persevered 246 years.

Are present day politicians capable of reaching “across the aisle” to move this country in the right direction?

They have not done that very often in recent years.

They must put the country instead of their own self interest first.

That is called patriotism.

We need more patriots in positions of authority!

Happy 4th of July!

New York (CNN Business)All stores have marketing tactics to get you in the door — stylish mannequins, elaborate display windows, posters screaming about all the discounts you can find inside.

But some are far more subtle, so much so that chances are you’ve hardly ever noticed them.

Picture your local grocery store, for example. What do you see when you first walk in?

Most likely: Flowers. Big, bright bouquets of fresh-cut blooms greet shoppers inside just about every major grocer, from Whole Foods to Kroger to innumerable New York City bodegas.

That’s no coincidence — there’s a strategic decision behind those flowers’ placement.

“It is very, very simple,” If you can get someone’s nose and saliva glands working, they become a much less disciplined shopper.”

And you’re likely to buy more things if you are “a less disciplined shopper!”

Watch out for those flowers!

A workgroup developing a second-grade social studies curriculum for the Texas State Board of Education last month suggested using the term “involuntary relocation” to describe people who were sold into slavery, the board’s chair said.

We’re getting further and further away from the TRUTH on many topics.

Now, I guess, SLAVERY is one of the proposed topics that some educators in Texas want to change when teaching 2nd graders.

It a ll began with POLITICAL CORRECTNESS and its ramifications are still being felt in the public dialogue.

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Very few people attempt to walk around the entire world, and even fewer actually manage to complete the journey.

On May 21, 2022 Tom Turcich, from New Jersey, became the 10th person on record to achieve this remarkable feat, while his four-legged companion Savannah was the first dog to do so.

The pair were greeted with a huge homecoming celebration attended by many of Turcich’s friends and family, along with well wishers.

The triumphant moment brought about the end of a seven-year, 48,000-kilometer (29,826-mile) journey that he’d spent even longer working toward.

“It was very surreal,” Turcich tells CNN Travel from his parent’s home in Haddon Township.

“I had imagined what the ending would be like for a long time.

And when it happened, there were people lining the streets and walking with me.

“The primary emotion was just relief.” (CNN)

Anything is possible. Don’t give up on your dreams!

From an age measurement, they are adults.

From a behavior aspect, they’re not.

We have so many people not stepping up to their rightful responsibilities.

Politicians are the most notable adults who are making decisions that serve their own self-interest, not as a patriot who puts America first.

And how do their children react when their parent teaches them that lying is acceptable?

But, many parents are also abdicating their role as mentor and head of the household.

In too many families, the kids are calling the shots.

The example set by the parent is never forgotten by their children, good or bad.

Bad decisions lead to bad consequences.

What are the values that you choose to live by?

Are they honorable and are you showing your kids that your values should be practiced by your children in order for them to become responsible adults?

If not today, when?