Christmas 2013

As I am sitting here at my computer on this night before Christmas Eve of the year 2013, my wife Pat has gone to bed, and the house is quiet. . . It usually is at this hour of the day.  The two dogs, Wendy and Sarge have gone to bed as well, not that you can tell it as that is what their normal day is like anyway.  You see, they belong to us, and we are not the most active folks around, so they emulate their surroundings very well.  But I am thinking of Christmas past and what they have meant to me.

In my younger years, Christmas was always a hubbub of a holiday where the Saffell kids were squirming and anxious about what Santa would bring them.  We started our celebration on Christmas eve, a large family dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Saffell's house with all our cousins, aunts and uncles.  Of course us kids got our own special table as we sat eating our Capon, mashed potatoes and dressing, tons of gravy and more food than was humanly possible to eat all at one time.  It was a wonderful evening full of laughter and happiness bubbling over. After dinner and the dishes collected, everything washed and put away, we gathered around in the living room as we exchanged presents.  One of my favorite gifts was from my cousin Lee.  It was a metal Lincoln Continental hardtop, robins egg blue with opening suicide doors and a continental kit on the back end!  What a wonderful gift.  After everything was opened and thank you's exchanged,  we all went to our homes full of good food, a Christmas gift from a family member and the warmth of spending Christmas eve with those we loved.  When we got home (which took almost an hour drive) we put out our Christmas, extra large stockings, hanging them from one of the posts of a kitchen chair and rushed to bed because Santa was coming . . . but not before we went to sleep.

That was our Christmas eve when I was a young boy.  My older sister and two younger brothers were so blessed by our folks who taught us values and how family is and does things.  Sometimes we make wrong decisions as life works its thread through us.  Sometimes we seem to stray away and do things without remembering where the root of our lives are.  Sometimes decisions are made on financial conditions instead of what would be better for "the family".  There are things in all our lives that we can look back on something and say to ourselves "I wish I had done that differently" or "If I could re-do THAT"  We all have excuses for our actions don't we?  Life is like that, and it's ok.  God loves us in spite of our short comings.  It is times like this time of the year when we have the opportunity to gather with family and enjoy each other and celebrate being part of something that we all have in common.  That common thread is what makes our family.  When we gather around and celebrate our Heavenly Father and the birth of His Son and our Redeemer Jesus the Christ, it seems to bring happiness to us all.  It is with the love that has been placed in our hearts knowing that God is in control, and knowing that He knows who each and everyone of us are . . . right down to the shadowy part of our inner selves, and loves us anyway!   What a joy that is.

Being a Christian is all I know.  I have some Jewish friends. I have lived a short time in the midst of the Muslim community in Saudi Arabia, have been exposed to the non-believers right here in the United States.  Guess what?  We are ALL God's children!  In a perfect world, we would all get along and value each other as much as we value our own family.  In a perfect world we would not have hate and anxiety about what tomorrow will bring, and who will do something bad.  But we do not live in a perfect world.  It is our job to bring happiness and joy through how we live and what we say and how we say it.  God will sort it out.  Be a joy giver.  Bring the peace that you have in yourself and share it with others.   Hope, Peace, Joy, Love    All words that each of us desire within our own lives.  This is the time of the year that makes it the BEST gift to share with others.  To help them understand what we have and how they can share as we do.


Back to the Saffell Christmas....We were doubly blessed to have BOTH of our Grandparents, not only in the same town, but about four miles or less from each other.  So, our Christmas Day was spent at my Mother's parents house, Grandma and Grandpa Rockart.  We seem to gather around food a lot in our family, because we had a full blown Turkey dinner with ALL the trimmings!  My oh my . . . what more can be said.  How blessed we are to have each other to share the meaning of this season.  The Birth of Jesus the Christ.  For us, it is NOT "Happy Holidays". It is Merry Christmas.   As Christians we welcome everyone to share the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that we do.  Why would we do that?  Because God wants us to.  Because it is the Right thing to do.  Because it feels good to do.

Merry Christmas to YOU.  May the Peace that God has sent to us, be with you through this season and the New Year.

Blessings,
Gary

Saturday FUNNIES!

Played hard.....resting a bit to play some more.

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Saturday Funnies!

IT'S SATURDAY!!!!!

Our overactive DOGS!  (have to slip them in every once in a while)

NO.....its better than that....it will be SUNDAY!!!!!!  YAY!

HAPPY SATURDAY!!!!

Saturday FUNNIES!

Happy SATURDAY!

LIFE . . . what's it all about?

The title of this post is what billions of people through the ages have been searching for.  Am I qualified to answer such a difficult question as that?  From my perspective, the answer is yes.  Of course my perspective, I would guess, is completely different from what yours is.  Common sense would indicate that is correct, and here is why.

As individuals, we each have our own unique experiences, our own challenges in physical, emotional, and conditional responses to how we deal with life that we are exposed to.  For instance:  I grew up in the the late 50's and 60's.  Life was somewhat less complicated in those times.  My grandfather once told me (as I was a child), "If you want a job and go apply for it, answer YES to all the questions.  If you are hired, LEARN your job you were hired to do."  In those days it might have worked that way. Today's technology has eliminated that general assumption that you can learn on the job though.  We need additional schooling or advanced training to land a job that looks like we would like to "do" it.  For instance:  I was working as a printer for the City of Las Vegas and a position opened up in the Graphic Artist field.  I asked the boss if I could apply for that job.  He told me yes, but I wouldn't be hired as I didn't have any training or knowledge of that position.  In his words:"We aren't a training school, we hire those that already have the skills needed."  As disappointed as I was, I continued my job as a production person in in the Print Shop....doing camera work, stripping negatives, burning plates, running the presses when needed, helping in the bindery with cutting paper, operating the folding machines, padding presses, and a myriad of other production processes for the City.  In downtime or breaks, I would visit the Graphic Artists and learn what they were doing.  It was equally as fun and I learned a lot.  Did I ever get a position of Graphic Artist? No....I got a very good position that the city folks made in the system and called it a Customer Service Technician.  I got the job beating out over a hundred applicants.  That is what position I retired at when I turned 60 years old.

During the "working" part of my life, I had joined the Navy Reserve at 17 years old...still in High School.  That started me off on my Military Career which lasted over 30 years, two wars, and the opportunity to see more of the world than the average American has the opportunity to see.  After graduating High School, I went on Active Duty and saw the Mediterranean Sea, which included Italy, France and Spain.  Nine years along in that branch of service, I changed over to the Army to finish out my career there as a Master Sergeant.  We can cover my military history some other time I think, because what I want to focus on today it how each of our lives are different because of the freedoms we chose to implement.   Mine are completely different that anyone else's, just as your's are.

This country was founded on individual freedom.  That includes the freedom to choose what you want to do to support yourself and your family.  That also carries the responsibility to prepare yourself for a job to do that.  In today's work environment training IS necessary.  If you choose to be a worker for a company that provided entry level employment to provide you needs, you will have to adjust your lifestyle to live that life...and to be truthful, it won't work well for you.  BUT if you chose to be employed by a company such as that, until you can complete your schooling, etc., then what is expected, is that you will have qualified  yourself to a higher paying position, in another company.  What you have learned from your first job is how business works.  How to come to work on time, how to provide the company with your skills they have trained you with to provide a service to the customers, etc.  Kind of like Basic Training.   Then as your skill level, knowledge level and expertise in the field you are interested in improves, your employment ability improves and you move forward, not necessarily in the place you started.  That's how it works.  If you like working in a place that does't pay you what you think you are worth or what you need to survive, go some place that does! That is YOUR freedom.   It has worked well for me.  It can work well for you too.

Freedom has its own responsibilities.  With the Freedom to chose, is also the responsibility to accept whatever the results of choosing you make.  If you choose to take property that doesn't belong to you, that is your freedom to do so.  HOWEVER, that is against our laws and you must suffer the consequence of your freedom of Choice.  IF you choose to work at a job that doesn't pay you enough to live on, that is your choice.  If you want to make a higher pay level so that you can afford to live in a nicer home, have nicer things, etc. then you have the choice to get the training to earn enough money to do so.  There are all kinds of places that offer tuition assistance, etc. to help you get ahead.

There are ALWAYS exceptions to the normal processes, I am sure.  We as humans tend to get ourselves in awkward positions at times.  I have found a comforting saying that is something like this:  "God won't give you more than you can handle. " That seems all feel good doesn't it?  What seems impossible, is most times possible if someone is asked to help.  Of course that someone, needs to be one with the solution to your challenge.  Look for them....God hears you concerns and with the right mind set, you will find your way out.

Freedom is something we all cherish.  If misused it can lead us to ruin.  Take time to Thank God for your blessings, and take time to Ask God for help if you need it.  It is never too late to talk to God, He doesn't go anywhere.  He is always there to listen, then it is up to you to be open enough to understand His answer/solution.  There are times when we are so blocked up with our present challenge that we don't take the time to follow through with our part . . . you know . . .  the part that we see what the answer is.  Perhaps it is a person that can help us, perhaps it is an idea that we haven't thought about or followed through with.  Maybe we are too focused on getting that particular job, when in fact, God is tell you to "Wait...I have something MUCH better for you."  It is when that happens that clarity reveals itself, and happiness and joy come into your life . . . that is what Life is all about.

May you never stop Laughing, smiling, or singing

Blessings,
Gary

Saturday FUNNIES!

You want to KEEP ME?

Women can now drive in Saudi Arabia

HAPPY SATURDAY!

Thanksgiving USA

This morning I am thinking about recent and past experiences and things said.  It makes me so very thankful that I and those that I love and care about have been blessed with being born in the United States of America.  Just recently, daughter Amy has been helping me with a computer problem of installing some programing in our church laptop, so we can provide Power Point to our Worship Services.  This required Microsoft technical assistance.  those folks seem to be living and working in India.  Amazing they don't celebrate our Thanksgiving!  That got me thinking of how fortunate WE are!  I think our country has a lot to be thankful for, with our FREEDOMS of living among the top of the list.  It is our FREEDOM from interference from government that was a basic tenant from the beginning.  It is unfortunately being eroded away, a little piece at a time.  Our FREEDOM to choose our education, our FREEDOM to choose where we live and how we live.  We choose what occupation we want to have, and what we want to do with that information.  As Americans we used to have those decisions available to us.  We used to be responsible for our own actions and the repercussions of those actions, should they affect someone else adversely.  What went wrong?

It has been creeping up on us for years, a little bit taken away at a time, the doers being forced to provide for those that CHOOSE not to participate in our FREEDOM of choice on how we can provide for ourselves and our family.  The more the Government provides for the things in our daily lives the less FREEDOM we as individual American Citizens have.  Take care of those who are mentally or physically incapable of taking care of themselves is one of the basic byproducts of this great country of ours.  Those that CAN'T are taken care of.  Those that CAN need to take their own responsibility to provide for themselves.  The Bible even addresses this point.

I believe that we need to take our own responsibilities unto ourselves and provide for our families the fruits of our own labors.  The FIRST 10% of our earnings goes to GOD.  That means the total before taxes and expenses.  That is a Positive, tried and true tenant that we have found in our lives.  It was scary at first, but with faith that GOD had provided us the ability to earn a living, and gave us those directions of what to do with our fruits, it indeed WORKS!  The more you give the more God provides.  What a FREEDOM that has brought to us.  We have been rewarded with a loving family, a loving church family, a joy of helping and giving of the talents (both definitions) HE has given us to share with others.

One of my points are that today, we in the United States of America, have been blessed because our country was founded on Biblical principles.  It was founded on our government was there to protect us from outside interference.  We as a people have, on the most part, lived up to our end of the process.  We DO provide for those that CAN'T provide for themselves.  We HAVE established learning centers to equip ourselves for a productive and healthy life, to raise our families, provide assistance for those who are struggling, and to train others to attain their personal dreams.

In the process, Satan has reared his ugliness and is morphing the system to encourage those that CAN provided for themselves if they choose, but REFUSE to participate in the blessings and gifts that GOD has provided for themselves, making the American Dream much more difficult for those that want to be responsible for themselves to lift themselves up, because the system is being overloaded with the LAZY and the unwilling to suck the funding from the system.  Does that make sense to you?  I have no problem at all contributing to programs to assist the "THOSE THAT ARE UNABLE" but NOT to those that are leaching from the system because the WON'T take their personal responsibilities seriously.  We see those that are doing that, strutting around in $200 Tennis Shoes, playing Xbox games, and driving expensive cars, fancy hairdos that expensive necklaces, etc. ALL on welfare money . . . that makes no sense to me.  Funding is being misused that could be going to educate and equip those that WANT to uphold their end of the picture by being a productive person, responsible for themselves and their family.  The bloat in the government is caused by GREED.  Pure and simple.  We need to change that.

Can we get back to the basics?  Or is it too late?  We have millions of folks just wanting a chance to succeed and do what is right, but are unable to get that education, job training, etc. because of lack of funding because of those who are abusing the system.

In spite of all our problems, challenges and abuses, the United States of America is still the BEST country in the world.  The fact that we are attempting to provide for those that can't says volumes for our basic nature as Americans.  It is THAT, that we can be thankful at this time of celebration and contemplation.  We are thankful that AMERICA is the land of opportunity.  We are thankful that GOD is still a part of our nation.  We are thankful that HE hasn't given up on us yet.  Today, we take a few moments and think of all the many blessings we have, because GOD is the basis of all that we have.  We have not done this on our own.  We are here, celebrating our THANKFULNESS that GOD has given us the ability to help ourselves and for our country as a whole to help so many others in the world that HE has provided.  Whenever there is a need in this world, it is usually the United States of America that has provided relief, help and rebuilding to that country, etc.   No, we haven't done it on our own.  That would be impossible.  But with GOD we as individuals and as a Nation can do many good things.  For THAT, we can be Thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Remember,
Keep singing, keep laughing and keep smiling

Blessings,
Gary

Saturday FUNNIES once again.

HAVE A HAPPY SATURDAY!

It's time for: Saturday FUNNIES

One of my Favorites

This is sad, AWESOMELY Touching!

Happy SATURDAY!