Have the difficulties of your life left you with a hardened heart?

It could happen to any of us.

It probably depends upon the severity of your setbacks.

As naive as it sounds, we must try to put the past in the past.

The only way we can improve the quality of our life is to thank GOD for today!

Every morning offers us an opportunity to start anew.

This approach gives us a chance to find some peace with the past.

And hope for the future!

If not today, when?

I’ve always had tremendous admiration for WOMEN!

Frankly, I’ve been surrounded by great women all my life.

To begin with, they have to live with such complicated bodies.

Men’s bodies are so simple when compared with the ladies’.

And how about PREGNANCY???

Why does such a MIRACLE have to begin with MORNING SICKNESS?

That’s why SALTINE CRACKERS were invented!

The physical adjustments a woman’s body endures to produce the MIRACLE is major!

And then the moment of DELIVERY is the unique contribution to the continuation of the human race.

And that moment is painful.

And a mom’s life has only just begun.

The hard part lies ahead.

To any man reading today’s blog:

BE GRATEFUL!

Yes, the great American pasttime has returned.

And so has the hot dog in all its glory!

Of course, I’m a Detroit Tigers fan.

If you’re a sports fanatic, baseball is the game to watch.

Why?

Because they play another ball game almost everyday.

So, you get constant entertainment.

Another nice improvement is a rule that the pitcher must throw the ball based on the clock.

Go out to a ball game!

The hot dogs are just as good as ever!

If not today, when?

“Peggy and Molly” were a match made for the internet.

Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs.

In the four years since their unlikely bond was posted online, the odd couple has attracted almost two million followers on Instagram and Facebook.

But in an emotional video posted online Tuesday, Peggy’s owners, Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, announced that the animals had been separated.

“It breaks our heart to make this announcement today,” said Wells. “We had to surrender Molly to the DES – Department of Science and Innovation – as we had a small group of people constantly complaining to them.”

Fans online were quick to demand justice.

“Our tax-payer funded departments should be using their resources to help out the community and save mis-treated wildlife, not harm them!!” said the comment, which attracted more than 1,000 likes. (CNN)

At 1:30AM, Eastern Time, a large container ship hit a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD.

This collision brought the entire bridge down including approximately 20 vehicles.

Probably most those vehicles were occupied by people returning home from work as they had many times before.

Little did they know this crossing would be their last.

So, the title of today’s blog is “BE PREPARED!”

Are you at peace with your relationships with loved ones and friends?

And with your GOD?

We know what physical courage means.

How about MORAL COURAGE?

As we see in the graphic above, only one person has a hand up.

This is a dramatic example of Moral Courage.

We need more people to raise their hand because modern society is turning away from accepted values.

This is especially true if you are a parent.

As a parent, do you show your kids the values you hold dear?

Do you help them stand up to harmful trends practiced by others?

Do you tell them that honesty is not old fashioned?

If not today, when?

I guess babies have tempers too!

We all know the words you use in a temper tantrum can never be taken back.

And that’s why your temper can ruin your life.

And the lives of friends and loved ones!

Here are some ways to deal with your temper: (Mayo Clinic)

THINK before you speak!

ONCE CALM, express your concerns!

GET SOME EXERCISE before talking to the other person!

TAKE a timeout when you’re about to lose it

IDENTIFY possible solutions!

ONLY USE “I”, never “YOU!”

DON’T HOLD A GRUDGE!

DON’T LOSE CONTROL OF YOURSELF!

There will always be someone who is more wealthy, better looking, with more friends, etc.

So, how do we allow these facts to affect us?

My research suggests that many people possess varying degrees of jealousy.

Taken to an extreme, it can ruin marriages and friendships.

Envy and jealousy involve coveting something you don’t have.

Jealousy, however, focuses more on the anger or resentment of this feeling.

Envy is the feeling itself.

Only you can decide to be content with your life or consumed by jealousy.

Maybe it’s time to count your blessings!

If not today, when?

Violent crime is rising against seniors and women, and authorities are urging residents to carry a simple new safety device that can thwart even the most vicious of attackers.

It was supposed to be a normal day of shopping for 76-year-old Donna Mason, but instead, her shopping trip took a terrifying turn.

“I was walking to my car, which was parked pretty close to the store” she remembers, “but I had an odd feeling – like I was being watched.”

Her instincts were spot on – she was being watched.

And targeted. In the middle of the day, no less.

Right when she was unlocking her car, a man came up behind her and tried to grab her.

“He told me ‘just give me your purse and I won’t hurt you!‘ and he reached for my purse. I was terrified, but I guess my instincts took over, and I yelled and pulled the pin on my alarm”

“The SafeAlarm immediately went off, with the loudest alarm ever. It must have surprised him because he stumbled backwards and ran like hell. (CNN)

From old cellphones to broken refrigerators and discarded e-cigarettes, global electronic waste has reached record highs and is growing five times faster than rates of recycling.

This brings a host of health, environmental and climate problems, according to a new analysis.

The numbers are staggering.

In 2022, the world generated 62 million metric tons of electronic waste, also known as “e-waste,” according to the United Nations Global E-waste Monitor released Wednesday.

To put that in perspective, this waste could fill more than 1.5 million 40-metric-ton trucks which, if placed bumper-to-bumper, could form a line long enough to wrap around the equator. (CNN)

This is something we never think of, but is symptomatic of modern society.