After a great famine in Ukraine years ago, children were taught not to leave breadcrumbs on the table.

Which brings to mind the larger question:

How careful are we with our precious food stock?

The issue has come front and center because of the war in UKRAINE.

Russian ships are blockading Ukrainian ports so that wheat can not be exported to the world, primarily Africa.

Ukraine has been one of the largest exporters of wheat until now.

Wide starvation is being predicted for those countries who previously depended on its wheat.

With climate change beginning to affect weather, the future of traditional food producers may be in jeopardy.

So, it is incumbent on all us to avoid wasting food.

If not today, when?

Social stress such as discrimination and family problems, along with job and money, can contribute to premature aging of your immune system, a recent study found. That’s a double whammy, as the immune system already deteriorates with age.

Do optimists live longer? Of course they do

Immune aging can lead to cancer, heart disease and other age-related health conditions and reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, such as Covid-19, said lead author Eric Klopack, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

“People with higher stress scores had older-seeming immune profiles, with lower percentages of fresh disease fighters and higher percentages of worn-out T-cells,” Klopack said.

T-cells are some of the body’s most important defenders, carrying out several key functions.” (CNN)

SO, CHILL OUT!

If not today, when?

I was sitting in the car while my wife was shopping.

I noticed the various couples coming and going from the store.

They were in all shapes and sizes.

They represented all the ethnicities.

Human love is an interesting phenomenon.

Why does this person marry that person?

Is the attraction physical, emotional or financial?

The motive could also be timing.

Maybe time was running short to marry during the child bearing years.

Some people marry a best friend from childhood.

Whatever the attraction was, I hope they will overlook each other’s flaws and stay together!

None of us is perfect and it’s not a perfect world.

It was never meant to be!

On Custom House Quay sits one of the city’s newest attractions: the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, winner of Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction by the World Travel Awards for the past three years in a row.

Designed by the same award-winning team as Belfast’s Titanic Museum, it tells the stories of 10 million or so people who have departed from Ireland over the centuries, for reasons ranging from famine to economic necessity to conflict to religious persecution.

They went to Britain, the United States, Australia and beyond, building railroads and farming frontier territory.

Tearful goodbyes and longed-for returns have become part of the national identity, the arrivals area at its airports are filled with billboards aimed at homesick expats, hungry for Brennan’s bread and Tayto crisps. (CNN)

My grandmother and grandfather were 2 of the 10 million expats who left for a better life in the U.S.

My grandmother, as a child was sent to America to care for sick relatives.

My grandfather was a fireman in County Cork who rose to Battalion Chief of the Chicago fire department.

In many ways they have all contributed to cultures around the world.

Everyone in the neighborhood knew the local garbage man, Delvar Dopson.

What they didn’t know was he had a number one fan, three-year-old Brooklyn Andracke.

So, when Dopson hopped out of his truck one morning to meet the little girl, a neighbor knew she had to get it on camera. Little did she know what was actually happening.

Delvar Dopson had been the garbage man in Bloomington, Illinois, for years.

His Thursday route brought him to the same neighborhood, his face easily recognized by the residents of the community.

While people didn’t know Dopson personally, there was one little girl who looked forward to seeing the sanitation worker each week — three year old, Brooklyn Andracke.

Brooklyn gave Delvar a cupcake each Thursday morning when his truck pulled up. (CNN)

Even a three year old understands the value of KINDNESS.

How about you?

If not today, when?

If you are lacking certain human qualities, it’s not too late grow as a person.

Some of the qualities that lead to success are the following:

DIPLOMACY-You must be able to get along with all kinds of people.

If a person likes the way you treat them, they’ll tend to be more cooperative.

COURAGE-There will always be situations in your life that will demand courage.

I am not limiting the topic of courage to physical courage.

There is also emotional courage to say and do the right thing.

PERSEVERANCE- Nothing worthwhile is easily accomplished.

You must not allow disappointment to deter you from your objectives.

The world is filled with people who gave up too soon.

KINDNESS- Are you kind to strangers?

We need a lot more kindness in present day society.

It’s not enough to be kind to friends and loved ones.

You can become a better person.

If not today, when?

Many years ago, there was a movie entitled, “Quo Vadis?”.

The translation is, “Where are you going?”

Do you have a goal or more than one goal?

If so, do you have a plan on how you will accomplish each goal?

You must have plans in order to accomplish objectives.

Success is not an accident.

It is the result of a well designed plan and the perseverance to carry out that plan regardless of the obstacles that you meet along the way.

You can enjoy a more fulfilled life if you plan for it.

If not today, when?

Yes, Carpenters, plumbers and electricians can name their pri.

A graduate of a trade school has an immediate job.

The reason is that young people don’t want to do physical work.

They’d rather do some kind of work involving a computer and the Internet.

So, there is a big shortage of skilled trades people.

And I don’t see this trend changing.

We just recently needed some carpentry work done.

We had to wait five months for a good carpenter to find an opening in his schedule.

Think about pointing your child in the direction of trade school.

It is guaranteed future employment.

If not today, when?

More companies are pressuring their employees to begin working at the office once again.

After years of working at home, this will become a difficult adjustment for many.

Many moms could work at home and watch minor children, thus avoiding expensive child care.

There was also more freedom on how to plan the day while working at home.

Also, some co-workers have sought jobs elsewhere, so there are new faces in the office.

This will cause a change in the interactions between new and existing employees.

How about your choice?

Will you refuse to return to the office and begin searching for those job openings that will allow you to continue working at home?

The whole world of work has been torn apart by Covid.

What are the long term consequences for your future?

For many of you, it’s decision time.

If not today, when?