Friday, March 18, 2011

Something To Think About As We Rush Into Spring

When spring arrives after a long cold winter we all want to get out and have a million things to do but we need to slow down and be safe. I got the following in an e-mail recently and read it just after I was almost hit by another car at an intersection about a mile from my house. I had slowed down at the intersection as I always do even when I have the green light. My light turned green as I approached and green as the other car went through the intersection. If I hadn't slowed down the other car would have hit me on the driver's side. It scares me I'm not sure either of us would have survived the accident.

Read This Slowly
Jack took a long look at his speedometer,
Before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone.
Fourth time in as many months..
How could a guy get caught so often?
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour,
Jack pulled over, but only partially.
Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard..
Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror.
The cop was stepping out of his car,
The big pad in hand..
Bob? Bob from Church?
Jack sunk farther into his trench coat
This was worse than the coming ticket.
A cop catching a guy from his own church.
A guy who happened to be a little eager
To get home after a long day at the office..
A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow..
Jumping out of the car,
He approached a man he saw every Sunday,
A man he'd never seen in uniform.
'Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this..'
'Hello, Jack.' No smile.
'Guess you caught me red-handed
In a rush to see my wife and kids.'
'Yeah, I guess.' Bob seemed uncertain.
Good.
'I've seen some long days at the office lately.
I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once.'
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement.
'Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight.
Know what I mean?'
'I know what you mean.
I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct ...'
Ouch.
This was not going in the right direction.
Time to change tactics.
'What'd you clock me at?'
'Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?'
'Now wait a minute here, Bob.
I checked as soon as I saw you.
I was barely nudging 65.'
The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
'Please, Jack, in the car'
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard..
He was in no rush to open the window.
The minutes ticked by.
Bob scribbled away on the pad..
Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?
Whatever the reason,
It would be a month of Sundays
Before Jack ever sat near this cop again.
A tap on the door jerked his head to the left.
There was Bob, a folded paper in hand
Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches,
Just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
'Thanks..'
Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.
Bob returned to his police car without a word.
Jack watched his retreat in the mirror..
Jack unfolded the sheet of paper.
How much was this one going to cost?
Wait a minute.
What was this? Some kind of joke?
Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:
'Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter..
She was six when killed by a car.
You guessed it - a speeding driver.
A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free.
Free to hug his daughters, all three of them.
I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven
Before I can ever hug her again.
A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man.
A thousand times I thought I had.
Maybe I did, but I need to do it again.
Even now.
Pray for me.
And be careful, Jack,
my son is all I have left.'
'Bob'
Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car
pull away and head down the road.
Jack watched until it disappeared.
A full 15 minutes later, he too,
pulled away and drove slowly home,
praying for forgiveness and
hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived...
Life is precious.
Handle with care.
This is an important message;
please pass it along to your friends.
Drive safely and carefully.
Remember, cars are not the only things
recalled by their maker.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Cats

Bentley
March 2011

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Proud Mom

Like all mom's I am proud of both of my children. I've never liked to be one bragging ALL the time but there are times that they need to be bragged on! Last night we attended the Superintendent's Honors Banquet at the Chattanooga Convention Center this was for the students and their parents. The top ten percent of the senior class from each high school in the county. He is 6th in his class! Keep up the good work!
We attended this banquet two years ago when my daughter was a senior!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Surprise at the Birdbath!

Not my cat but it is my bird bath! The birds got a surprise when they came to the birdbath this day!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

March In Like a Lion!!

I surely hope that a Feb. 28 storm counts as March coming in like a lion!  I would hate to think we have to get another bad storm. We didn't have the damage that many people in our area had but this is a picture of our driveway which looked like a river. Thanks to my husband and son's hard work last spring we didn't get any water in the house. In the past we would have gotten water in the house with a rain like yesterday.

The Electric Power Board said there were 37,000  people without power after the storm. Many trees were down on power lines and houses. Our power never went out but Mom's was off for 19 hours! If you want to read more about the storm go HERE

Even our cat Starsky (6years old) knew what to do during a storm, when it was over I found him coming out of the closet. Bentley who is just one slept peacefully through the whole thing on our bed. I guess he hasn't lived through enough storms to know he should go hide! You may be asking how does Starsky get in the closet? If the door isn't open he will work until he can slide the door open just enough to get in.

I'm happy that today is a BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY!!