Feelings or Emotions

Have you ever used the term? “It just feels right.” Maybe your are looking for a new car or busying a new home in a new neighborhood or whatever. You have looked at all the things that are related to that decision and it has for the most part met all of the criteria that you have used in reference to that decision.
Feelings about things and emotions about things are two different scenarios. We need to be careful in making decisions especially when we let our emotions get in the way of us making sound decisions. We bought a new car a few years ago and we had been looking at a pretty blue gray one. After deciding that we would purchase the car we noticed a pretty red one with the same equipment and price. We made the decision at the drop of a hat to buy the red one. Low and behold the car was a lemon. We had noting but trouble with it. I always wonder how reliable the blue gray one would have been.
Of course there are some decisions that we make that are probably neutral driven. In other words it really doesn’t matter if we choose either option. Probably buying the red car really was a neutral decision. We just weren’t very fortunate for the turn of events.. But other decisions can have serious ramifications. For instance if we choose to marry a guy/girl because he/she has lovely blue eyes that are just adorable, and forget every other needful character trait, we could be letting ourselves in for a real experience. It is best, if when making decisions to put the level of study and thought into making the final decision commensurate with the level of consequence or desired result. Obviously some decisions are life changing all the way down to (shall I have a burger or a burrito). One could effect you for life or eternity and the other might cause indigestion. It is important to study the important things out in your mind, and it’s ‘ok’ to ask other for input, but on major decisions a person should make the final decision. Then they own it. We then cannot blame someone else for the decision. Look, we all do the best we can. If after all your effort, you can say, “yea, it feels right” . Hey go for it! And live and do all those things that will make the decision the right one!
P.S. Don’t forget to pray!

Food for thought

When the winter months come each year it is a good time for sitting by the fire and visiting or watching a good movie or picking up a good book and reading. Reading is such a wonderful medium for entertainment or for learning or keeping one abreast of what is happening in our world. For those of us who love to read it would seem like a very sad thing to consider what we would miss out on in our lives if we had not been taught to read, or to read poorly and not understand or comprehend. We know that there are many in the world who cannot read. Some have never learned to read because of circumstances beyond their control or because they did not develop that ability at a young age or any age. I’m thankful for parents and teachers who took the time to teach me reading fundamentals and comprehension. Reading for entertainment is one of my interests. You can learn things by reading for entertainment. We especially have the opportunity to learn by studying text books on a particular subject and also by studying the scriptures and other books relating to religion, science, history and human relations.
By reading for example we can come to know that there where what is referenced to as ‘the dark ages’. Where learning was suppressed. Aren’t we thankful that the ‘age of learning’ or ‘understanding’ came to be. I am thankful for those who took then and take the time now to put good things in print, for our learning and joy. We truly do live in the greatest age of mankind. Think of all that is available to us in writing. Books and magazines and publications as well as the internet. We need to be careful of what we take in. Someone once said ‘garbage in, garbage out’. There is multitude of good and wholesome things to read. Lets soak up some good stuff!
“And the eyes of their understanding were opened”

Governed by LAW

We are all governed by “law”. Usually we think of laws that are set by society to govern behavior of those who live there in. There are also laws relating to other aspects of our life. There are laws of nature and laws of science and mathematics. Some laws are irrefutable. In other words you cannot escape them. If you put your hand on a hot stove, you will be burned. If you jump out of a tall building you will either be seriously injured or suffer death. If you follow the proper formula for doing a mathematic problem you will get the correct answer. Other laws given to govern people’s behavior are not inviolable. We have a choice to either follow the law or to ‘possibly’ be penalized if and when we are caught. I always say that if we ignore or try to avoid abiding the ‘basic’ law of behavior (for instance) then if and when we are caught, we will become even more intimately aware of the ‘remainder or supporting laws’ that are related to that law. For example say we steal something from someone. We are caught and not only do we have the basic law presented to us, we then are subject to all the remaining laws and penalties regarding that law.
Living by law is really a wonderful thing. Having a secure knowledge that if we are in obedience to the laws governing things we understand and know, will increase our happiness and joy. We learn these things from the time we take our first breath until we take our last one. We are nurtured in our homes and learn in our schools and our life’s work. I think laws also are related to how we treat others. If we are kind and forgiving, generally we are treated kindly ourselves. Someone once said something like this “what we send out usually comes back to us”. May we live so as to garner the best in our life’s efforts!

Politics as usual.

Well the Republicans are on a high tonight if Brown is elected in back east in Ted Kennedys stronghold. What is really the difference between a Republican and a Democrat anyway? They both are corrupt. Nothing is going to change UNTIL! We read all kinds of e-mails about why we lost the election to the Democrats.
You know the sad thing I think is that we as Republicans still don''t get it either. We lost the election because the Republicans stink too. We don't determine elections by land mass or location of people but because of numbers of people. We lost because the Republicans got off track and are no better than the Democrats. The sooner we really find an alternative political party the better. The Republicans need to have their feet held to the fire on TRUE conservative principles! Until we hold them there we will not really gain any leverage against abortions, etc. It will continue to be a seesaw battle for majority in our leadership that will not really fix anything in this country. It will just allow different people to rip off our country at any given time.
Wow I feel better now!
marshall

Text messaging board

Now most of you have a sweet heart at home and you really want to give her something to (remember ) you by. Believe me they will remember you. You can get these for 3 small monthly payments of 195.00. This totals up to just a few bucks for you buckaroos. Anyway let me splain what this little ltem can do your you and your relationship buildin with the little ladie. You present this to here say just before hunting or fishing season. It hangs on the wall in visible place where she can eye it from time to time and contemplate on just exactly what it is for. Anyway after you give it to her you explain to her how it works. You can call it your TMB (text messaging board) or your GPB (Global positioning board) Now let me splain how it works. Say you are going fishing to your favorite water hole. (no I don't mean tavern (we are Mormons) And the little lady does't have a klue where that would be. And since you want her to find you or your body (So she can collect the insurance) case you don't return in a few days or weeks, she can point the local search and rescue and give them a general idee where you may be. So anyway you just draw her a litle picture (this is a black board) of a rough sketzh of where you are a headin. Presto she will know where you are at. Now say you want to use it as a TMB. Say you get outa bed early before she rises and you don't want to wake her and as you are eating your korn flakes or burnt toast and jam you get to ruminating as we are all prone to do when we are eating, just what we will be a planning for the next meal. It never hurts to plan ahead. So you just jot down on the TMB (text messaging board) what you want for supper and the general hour (give or take 4-6) hrs you expect to have it put in front of you. Your wife will really love this way of a comunicatiing. Also if you are a little timid of verbalizing (that means talking direct to the little lady) you can leave little tidbits of love talk to here here. Like say you could rite ( I like you better than my black powder pistol) or something real tender like that. or Your pelt is cuter than a possum or ??? You will notice that you an stick little magnets on the board as well. The little women love those magnets. You can stick those water bills or garbage bills under a little magnet and agin presto she'll jump right on getting it paid. Also you will notice those 270 shell casings for little hangers. Great for earrings, for her and binoculars for you and other items to hang right there so you can grap them and head either out on the town or out to lake or woods. This is hot item and will go fast so get your orders in. It is guranteed to bring real life into your relationship.

Get your facts straight

Theory vs. Fact

A few years ago I took a personality survey to determine what type of personality I had. I was skeptical about these types of things and began the activity with a cynical attitude. After all of the questions were answered, I realized that the survey certainly had me for the most part, accurately identified.
At the beginning I felt that all the parameters were based on theory rather than facts. At the end, I realized that someone possibly had a theory and then gathered relevant facts and could determine through a set of questions and their answers, the characteristics that made up certain predominant personality traits. Thus by surveying people and getting honest answers, someone could determine how someone would generally behave. (More on this later)
As we go through our lives it is important that we understand that much of what we study or learn is based upon one or the other. We don’t want to be misled by theory. We can also be misled by facts distorted or misrepresented or taken out of context.
For instance let us consider the following: In our present time we see almost on every hand, old customs and ideas being challenged. What has worked for centuries and has proved good and useful is now being challenged with so called progressive ideas. Now I for one am not against being progressive in terms of moving forward, or raising our level of understanding and knowledge.
I for one think this is a forever or eternal part of our very existence.
But to just advocate progressiveness on unsound or non factual theories is regressive rather than progressive in nature. Instead of moving our society upward we will digress to a lower level.
In the study of history it is not hard to see a pattern of growth and achievement only to be followed by period of social upheaval and or destruction or unrest. If we are not careful we can continue this cycle, rather than learn from it and really move the whole world upward and forward.
As we are sitting here in Clay Springs we might wonder what we can do here in this little place to accomplish so great a task. Well we really can make our influence felt by just doing those things that we already know will make a difference right here in this little part of the world. If we can make this little part better then won’t we have influenced a part of the whole? I think so! Yes by doing what we know to have been factually realistic in the past, will also work in the future. Yes we can explore new ideas and if they prove to be factual and true, it will work for the betterment of mankind. If we plant corn we can expect corn to come if we nurture it and follow proven theories. We cannot expect to always have corn if we do not plant or do plant and try unproved practices. If no corn is planted there will eventually be no corn chips.

Good Thinking!

Benjamin Franklin said, “The foundation of all happiness is thinking rightly.” We spend our whole lives sorting out, what is ‘thinking rightly’? From the time we are infants and as we age, we are constantly evaluating and rationalizing things. For the most part we can only determine what is ‘right’ from our personal experiences and our observations and from the learning and wisdom we have attained. I think the one of the keys to ‘thinking right’ is to feed our minds. Read books, listening to people and searching and pondering upon positive information will help provide us with stimulation to ‘good thinking’. From our births we are in what I call ‘the discovery mode’. It should never stop. Isn’t it a wonderful thing? Isn’t it marvelous to behold little children discovering new things? Even when we are older and maybe tend to consider that we have accomplished our work, the family is raised and we are retired, we are still discovering new things about ourselves, our health, our relationship with others, etc. There is something that attends ‘good thinking’ and although intangible, is a powerful influence upon good thinking which leads to good behavior. A person can feel its effect upon him/herself and even those around them. We are not alone!