The pump at the Texaco station would not accept my credit card.

So, I went inside to pay.

I saw this tiny lady behind the counter.

She just had to be 90 years old.

She was bent over and very wrinkled.

I felt badly for her because she still had to work on her feet all day.

When I got home, I told my wife about the little old lady.

She said, “Let’s look on the bright side. She had a reason to wake up each day and she got to meet new people and to make a little money.”

When I was leaving the station, the old lady wished me, “A good day!”

Minneapolis/LondonCNN — 

Not all pandemic recoveries are created equal.

The world’s richest economies have taken diverging paths in recuperating from the devastating effects of Covid-19.

At a time when multiple forces and crises — wars, geopolitical tensions, the pandemic’s lingering aftershocks, high inflation and steep borrowing costs — weigh on global growth, there have been few bright spots.

The US economy is one of them.

Gross domestic product in the United States grew at a remarkable 5.2% in the third quarter, ahead of China, long the engine of global growth.

The United States has powered ahead of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and other advanced economies this year.

Nice to hear GOOD NEWS!

Professor Robert Enright (University of Wisconsin-Madison) helped develop the field of forgiveness science back in 1985.

Yes, this is an actual field.

His work specifically explored how forgiveness might be consciously cultivated.

What does that mean?

It means you can make yourself a more forgiving person?

He believes you can. And he even created what is now known as the Enright Model of Forgiveness, which lays out the steps to get there.

What I can tell you is that almost everyone agrees that having a forgiving brain is a good thing and there is plenty of evidence showing the psychological benefits including reduced anger, anxiety and depression.

We also know that forgiveness can have a tangible impact on your physical health.

It can lower your blood pressure, better sleep, lower levels of stress induced inflammation.

Enright believes that forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting.

You can, after all, forgive and remember.

It also doesn’t necessarily mean reconciling with the person who hurt you or not seeking justice when it’s called for.

It’s just forgiveness, pure and simple!

(Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Neurosurgeon)

What are some of the good manners that are important in a marriage?

Respect

Please and Thank You

Good Listening

Showing Appreciation

Kindness, Always Kindness

If not today, when?

What do Iceland, Denmark and Ireland have in common?

The answer is they top the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Peace Index for 2023.

In these times of rising global conflict this is an achievement to be celebrated.

They excelled on measures including:

Acceptance of the rights of others!

Equitable distribution of resources!

Good relations with neighbors and free flow of information. (CNN)

WOW!

Would you like to see these three virtues practiced more often in the U.S.?

Well, it begins with us.

You and I can make a positive difference in the lives of others!

If not today, when?

Night trains have been making a resurgence across Europe.

After decades of decline, the prospect of more sustainable ways of crisscrossing the continent has travelers looking to find alternatives to flying.

There’s nothing quite like an overnight train.

The excitement before an evening departure. The sense of adventure. The cosmopolitan mix of international travelers.

Led by Austrian Federal Railways, overnight links between major European cities have been restored and expanded over the last few years.

They will receive another boost this month when luxurious new trains enter operation between Vienna and Hamburg.

Featuring comfortable sleeper cabins, the 33 new trains are perhaps the most visible sign that night rail trips are back. (CNN)

On the day of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s swearing-in at the Supreme Court, many girls and women started thinking for the first time about legal careers.

One couldn’t help but wonder: If she could succeed in the legal field, why can’t I?

Justice O’Connor received no offers for an attorney position in private practice after graduating in the top 10% of her Stanford Law School class.

Through merit, government service and grit, she nonetheless became a formidable force in Arizona and ultimately the First Woman On The Supreme Court. (CNN)

In later years, she admitted that she did not seek her appointment, but knew she had an enormous responsibility to all women to face up to her awesome task!

History has judged her as an icon in the law profession and an example for all young people striving for excellence.

Everything in life must be viewed in the proper perspective.

This is especially true when talking about thankfulness.

If I was to ask you to enumerate your current problems, I think you could do that easily.

If, however, I ask you to list those things you are thankful for, you might hesitate.

We must always keep our blessings uppermost in our minds and hearts.

Look at the world around you.

Do you see the daily suffering of the great majority of people in every society?

I ask this because they exist.

Don’t ever hesitate to be thankful.

Share your thankful spirit with others.

If not today, when?

When people are planning the biggest, longest vacation of their lives — their retirement — most don’t plan what they’re going to do.

They think about how to save money, where to invest these savings, and how to minimize their tax burden.

Yet, they have only a vague sense of how they want to spend their free time or what their health will enable them to do as they age.

That’s the big error people make in planning for retirement.

They’re focusing on the money, without nearly enough thought to the activities that they will actually be doing. (CNN)

Does this sound familiar?

If so, there is an answer.

GET A JOB!

VOLUNTEER!

Do something!

If not today, when?

I hope it’s more than a footprint.

Obviously, we want to accomplish goals we’ve set for ourselves.

Will your goals include benefits for others also?

Your life can be a “win-win.”

You just have to put it in the back of yur mind.

Opportunities will present themselves and you can act.

Be aware!

If not today, when?

tomervin50@gmail.com