We Need Each Other

Many living things need each other to survive.

I have lived for most of my life near trees known as Colorado aspens. If you are familiar with this tree, you may have noticed that it does not grow alone. Aspens are found in clusters, or groves. We're told that the reason for this is because aspens can multiply from the roots. They send up lots of new shoots every year. These become saplings that grow quickly and make new baby aspens of their own. In some groves, all of the trees may actually be connected by their roots. It is as if they are one tree.

Another tree, the giant California redwood, may tower 300 feet into the sky. We've seen pictures of tunnels carved into massive trunks wide enough to drive an automobile through. It seems they would require the deepest of roots to anchor them against strong winds. But instead their roots are actually shallow -- they spread out wide in search of surface water. And they reach in all directions, intertwining with roots of other redwoods. Locked together in this way, all the trees support each other in wind and storms.

Aspens and redwoods never stand alone. They need one another to survive.

People, too, are connected by a system of roots. We grow up in families that nurture and guide us. We learn early to make friends who support us in different ways. We are not meant to survive long without others. And like the giant redwoods, we do best when we hold onto one another and help each other to keep standing through life's storms. We need others to hold us up, encourage us and to stand with us.

When I'm not doing well, it is often because I am going it alone. I don't always let others in. I forget to ask for help; I keep my problems to myself. And though I may not see it, others around me might be doing the same thing.

It helps to remember how much like those trees we really are. It might be time to let someone else help hold you up for a while. Or perhaps someone needs to hang on to you.

-- Steve Goodier

You just need a PocketMod

If you don’t have a fancy Pocket PC or organizer, dun fret ... With PocketMod, you don’t need one!
Let's check it out!

So, what is a PocketMod?

Believe it or not, but it’s not another electronic gadget. You actually just need a piece of paper and you can use it as a personal organizer. And best of all, it's completely customizable!

Just follow the instructions on the website and you are all set to go!!

Hope you find this useful in helping you get organised ... :)

Interesting photos

Simply amazing

Just saw this video on a fellow blogger's blog ... and i find it simply amazing, unbelievable talent.

Watch it and i bet you will be amazed, too ... Heehee

Loving Life Again

Dave was struggling through a bus station with two huge and obviously heavy suitcases when a stranger walked up to him and asked, "Have you got the time?"

Dave sighed, put down the large and cumbersome suitcases and spoke to his wristwatch. "Time please."

"The time is five thirty," came a voice somewhere in the timepiece.

"Wow! What a watch!" exclaimed the stranger.

Dave brightened a little. "Yeah, it's not bad. Check this out. The time in Japanese, please." The watch responded in Japanese. Then Dave asked for German and Swahili and a realistic voice gave the time in those languages. And then, "What time is it in London?" Dave asked, "with a British accent?" The device gave it to him.

The stranger was incredulous. "Watch this," said Dave. "Home monitor," he said to the wrist-watch. Immediately a 3-dimensional hologram projected in the space between the two men that perfectly displayed his living room. He could even see a half inch of coffee in the bottom of a cup he'd left on the table earlier in the day.

"Unbelievable!" said the stranger.

Then Dave spoke to the device. "Leave a voice message for Sharon that the bus is late and send flowers to my sister for her birthday. And give me the 5 O'clock news."

"Done, done and done," the voice confirmed. Suddenly a high-resolution hologram screen appeared in front of Dave. The two men felt as if they were sitting in the television studio watching the newscast.

The stranger was struck dumb with admiration. The display was of unbelievably high quality and the voice was simply astounding.

"Now, look at this -- `wedding photos'" Dave said the timepiece. Photos of his recent wedding appeared in front of them as if they were floating on air. "And play Bach," he said, and music filled the space as the wedding album scrolled.

"This timepiece is a super powerful voice-activated computer. In addition, it is in contact with most of the world's major satellites. And it is also a two-way radio that reaches halfway around the globe."

"I want to buy that watch!" said the stranger.

"Oh no, it's not ready for sale yet; I'm still working out the bugs." said Dave.

"I've got to have that watch!" said the stranger.

"No, you don't understand; it's not ready ..."

"I'll give you $10,000 for it!" interrupted the stranger.

"Oh, no, I've already spent more than ..."

"Then make it $20,000!" the stranger blurted. "Or just name your price."

"But it's just that ..."

The stranger pulled out a fat wallet. "All right -- $50,000. I'll give you the cash now."

Dave blinked. He could always make another device and $50,000 would give him a nice profit.

The stranger thrust the money at Dave. "Here, take it! I have to catch my bus."

Dave made his decision. "Okay," he said, and took off the timepiece.

The stranger smiled and hurried away. "Hey, wait a minute!" called Dave.

The man turned back warily. Dave pointed to the two suitcases he'd been trying to wrestle through the bus station and said, "Don't forget your batteries."

I think life is like that for some people. What should be wonderful and exciting is complicated and burdensome. It is as if they are dragging heavy baggage wherever they go. They feel tied down (to a job? to a lifestyle? to a relationship?) and long for simpler times.

Many people wish their lives were less complicated. They remember a carefree time and dream of returning to a simpler day. They yearn for more freedom. Less worry and more laughter. If only they could trade some of today's complexity for yesterday's simplicity.

American essayist and novelist Charles Dudley Warner said, "Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough."

Rudyard Kipling yearned for less when he said, "Teach us to delight in simple things."

Author Augustus Hare observed that "the greatest truths are the simplest -- and so are the greatest men."

Maybe it's time to make a decision for greatness; a decision for simplicity. Maybe it's time to let go of that which weighs you down and walk with a lighter step. Maybe it's time to love life again.

-- Steve Goodier

No More With Me

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me! I don't mean to hold you up," he said as he struggled to get off the escalator.

I'll admit to it. There have been times when walking or driving behind an older person that I've gotten impatient and upset. I've huffed and zoomed around them, because I was in a hurry to get nowhere. Perhaps I'm more aware of it now, because I see myself there one day soon. Today, I saw myself in this old man's shoes and it caused me to slow down, stop and ask for his forgiveness.

He was about five or six people ahead of me. I was in a hurry and saw him as an obstacle. I've seen people get off the end of an escalator and stop dead in their tracks, gather their things and suddenly, there's a pile up of angry people behind them. You can't stop an escalator full of people behind you. Like the Energizer bunny, they keep on going.

This man was well aware of the challenge. He tried desperately to step aside. Fumbling with his small packages, struggling to gain his footing, you could see how troubling this was for him. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me! I don't mean to hold you up," he said as he struggled to get off the escalator.

I suddenly saw this in a whole new light. It was like I was watching my future. I felt sorry for him. I felt sick to my stomach because this man was apologizing to everyone, when we should have been helping him and calming his fears.

One by one, people zipped around him. I heard a few angry comments whispered as one lady passed by him.

I saw me.

By the time I got to him, he was just about steady on his feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know there was more," he said.

"No, sir. No more with me," I said. This really hit me hard. I realized right then how sad it was that the world was in such a hurry. That, of course, included me. But no more with me. Count me out.

This wonderful man paid his dues. For whatever time he had spent on this earth, he most likely walked many rough roads and too many important miles. Now, he should be apologizing for moving slower?

My heart ached as I looked into his eyes. I wished I could see what he had seen all those years. His face weathered from life itself, was creased and wrinkled. The small soft pockets under his eyes and the gentle lines that curved up and around them told me he had many happy moments, too. Those were traces left behind from laughter and a smiling, happy man.

"My friend, can I help you with those things?" I asked.

Hesitant at first, he finally said, "Well, yes, thank you!"

I placed my hand under his left arm and walked with him a safe distance away from the rush of people.

"So, what are you shopping for, sir?"

"Oh, just a little something for my neighbor. She's a young mother raising kids on her own. She's always so nice to me. I thought a box of candy," he said, stopping suddenly as he searched the inside pocket of his sport coat.

"Do you need something?" I asked.

"Oh, no. Here. I think I have it right here. I always carry them with me," he said. Then pulling out a hand full of papers, he shuffled through them and handed me a business card that read:

"John A. Pomicter: Friend to all. Enemy to no one!"

"I said a prayer today and you were the answer. Thank you!"

"That's for you," he said. "Thanks for stopping to help an old man."

"My friend, you helped me. I discovered that I was unhappy with the world and I was part of the problem. Now, I'll be part of the solution. No more with me!"

"Then this was meant to be," he said smiling.

"You know God sends me gifts everyday and always at least one special person. You were my gift for today. Let's go get some chocolates, my friend!"

--Unknown