Christmas is something that can be celebrated everyday!
Think about what Christmas means to you…..
Is it connecting with others you have neglected all year.
Is it helping someone in need?
Is it sharing the love of the birth of Christ?
Is it a meal with family and friends?
Is it taking time to understand creation and how you fit in?
Is it ponding the meaning of life and what Jesus came to show mankind?
Is it thinking about Mary and how she felt when Gabriel came to chat with her?
How do you think Joseph processed Mary being with child?
Do you hear angles?
How are you different after December 25th each year?
Do you think you can take the spirit of Christmas with you every day?
Think about what Christmas really means to you and then try to share that concept in everything you do every single day!
Peace, joy, respect, understanding, kindness, tolerance, love what else can you add to the qualities you can express on a daily basis that can make a difference in the world!
Peace on earth, good will to men……. do we have a part in this idea?
When we stop learning we stop growing. When we stop giving we stop living. When we stop trying to be better what is the purpose existence?
Loving our neighbor as ourselves gives us a bar to work towards. We have to love our selves first in order to love our neighbor. Try writing down what you love about yourself. Don’t be shy and think about everything…. you brush your teeth. You keep your room clean, you open the doors for others, you wait to speak until someone else is done… all kinds of ways to love our selves. Then think about the good things to love in your neighbor. You will be surprised how your life will change when you are looking for things to love about someone instead of looking at things to judge or criticize about them.
Everyday can be a Christmas filled with Love and Kindness too!
It’s the Flag below with no content so feel free to share your own thoughts as we reflect on the 4th of July.
If you missed my fun post on great ways to use flickr to create url’s you can find it here. As I get older the thoughts of the 4th of July get deeper…. so for growth in grace here we go!
Thinking about 1776, where we have come from and where we are going as America.
Thinking about the founding Fathers and who they had a common vision for FREEDOM.
Pondering:
• What responsibilities do I have as an American citizen?
• What can I do to help myself and others?
• What does the constitution mean to me and it’s amendments?
• How am I making a difference in America?
The basics include: The Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The Constitution: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Did you know that the 1st 10 Amendments are known as the Bill of Rights?
Did you know there are 27 Amendments to the US Constitution?
Did you know that the 26th Amendment gave 18 year olds the right to vote in 1971?
World peace comes through learning, respect and kindness to allow all mankind to think and believe the way they want without judgement, criticism from anyone for their beliefs
Living the Golden Rule…. treating others the way we would want to be treated is an ethical principle embraced by all faiths.
By understanding how different individuals think, we can learn tolerance and give each other the right to share without harm to ourselves by just listening and trying to learn how others think. We might just find that good is at the bottom of all behavior, most people try and do their highest sense of right every single day.* It might not be what we would do but we have to appreciate that everyone is doing the best they can.
As we allow our beliefs to be shared we come together as one in Love and consideration for all no matter what the doctrine.
On a personal note we are getting ready for a celebration dinner on Easter Sunday with friends. Going to an interfaith sunrise service on Sunday which we have never done, so am expecting an exhilarating experience with our community coming together to rejoice the risen savior.
Jesus was crucified for living his beliefs and loving God. He humanly died for what he believed in. We embrace the fact that his resurrection is our resurrection…….the raising up of our thought to a spiritual level. In a nut shell we believe… Jesus came to show us the way… not to do it for us. We have the responsibility to live our highest sense of right everyday and let our light shine through our actions. Jesus, the Christ idea, showed us by example with his living and healing all manner of sickness, sin and disease. He PROVED that life is eternal on Easter Sunday. This was his purpose and reason for being.
Hurricane Sandy has just devastated the east coast like no other storm in our recent history! To rebuild the ruble is going to take billions of dollars and human beings helping one another like never before.
Could this be a sign of how we need to pull together to get our nation from under the “turmoil” it is experiencing. Will the storm be over after November 6, 2012 or will it be SSDD ~ that is “Same Stuff Different Day.”
Sandy came along and for me it was a flashing light, like a beacon on the shore for ships at sea. I have been thinking about this post since mid October when I filled out my election ballot and mailed it in. Millions of dollars were going to be spent in the next 30 days in waste for the commercials and flyers for a few undecided voters who could change the election… REALLY, should those final few waiting till the last minute be the “special interest group” that determines the fate of the direction our country will go?
Think about it, what 30 second “negative” commercial is going to change someone’s mind who can read, think and reason on their own. I am sorry, if you are reading this and are letting television commercials help make your Presidential and Congressional candidate decisions you are not utilizing all your own reasoning power! The media is SELLING you what they want you to buy… and many times the message is NOT factual. It’s the media spin to manipulate you to do what they want.
The time has come for all good men (generic term) to take a stand and DEMAND some real change. Let the news cover the Democratic and Republican National Conventions along with the televised debates and let social media do the rest of the campaign. Let the political parties put their money where it helps the PEOPLE not the party. The political paybacks are not worth the investment of the American people.
Most of my friends had already made their minds up and knew who they were voting for after the convention and debates. The constant stream of facebook, google+ and twitter posts for someones candidate is annoying beyond belief. Sharing statements that are not correct makes the initiator look like an imbecile.
Discussing the concept of “after the storm” what are the people who have been SHOUTING their strong beliefs going to feel like if their candidate loses on November 6th? How do they take back all those unkind words and cartoons which exuded hate when the candidate does not win?
There WILL be anxiety for some when their candidate is the loser, so preparing for that possibility will help in maintaining balance if you process it NOW.
Face the facts, there will be a winner and a loser. Some will be happy and some will not. You are going to need to build a bridge and walk on over it if we are to heal this nation and come together as a united front.
Neighborhoods on the east coast and community services are all going to have to work together to rebuild the natural disaster we have just experienced. The same principles are going to be needed to reconstruct our nation. Compassion, kindness, forgiveness, consideration, patience and ingenuity are all qualities which need to be incorporated in our daily lives to rise above the horrific mess we are in financially.
Let’s take all the fear out of the politics that are out there. Think about who directs and controls your life right now? You need to TRUST and know that you will still be directed and controlled by the same Principle that has been in effect since the beginning of time. This is a personal decision and you control your thoughts on this one! Take responsibility for your own thoughts, you are in control of your own fear.
The candidate who gets elected on November 6, 2012 needs our support and positive thoughts. Each candidate talks about “crossing the lines” to help the American public, lets support them in doing it. This should not be campaign rhetoric, both sides need to walk the walk, AFTER THE STORM!
We need to think about the concept from our personal perspective and realize we are going to have to “cross the line” with our individual thoughts and work together as a Nation to correct this ”monster” debt and unemployment situation. We have a part to play in the process and that is to be the BEST American’s we can be, supporting our Congress and President no matter what party gets elected.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi. He was a man of power, a man of peace and he changed the world.
We need to think about the future, we need new energy sources, we need to recycle, we need to develop cars that are fuel-efficient, we need to get rid of all the excess that is tearing our country apart. We need to start with ourselves and think about what we are doing to facilitate the changes that are needed. We need to love our neighbor before we can have world peace. We HAVE to reach “across the isle” if our favorite candidate does not win and see what we can do to make things different and change the destruction from within going on right now.
You and I are the difference in America. It is NOT the Republicans or the Democrats. It is us and the way we behave. The way we reach out, the way we help others, the way we treat the environment, the way we love one another. The same way we will have to come together “after the storm” with Sandy. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army need our donations NOW!
Apply the universal concept of the Golden Rule, in this time of escalated challenges. “Treating others as you would like to be treated” is a moral Principle, found in the teachings around the globe. It can dissolve the anger and lead to peace one day!
Please think about this, if you were the newly elected President, how would you want to be treated? Then, let your individual answer direct your actions.
Through the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers
Carra Riley will give s short introduction about Pinterest and then dive right into the types of boards that would be of interest to buyers and sellers.
She will share some methods of how to engage with pinners, and drive traffic to your website.
She will discuss creating pins from photographs of lisitngs and community blog posts where the consumer will ultimately connect with all the pinners social media venues and know who the pinner is.
What is Pinterest?
What boards would be of interest to buyers and sellers?
How to engage on Pinteret
Creating pins that drive traffic to your website.
Connecting your social media Venues
The sesson is complimentary and offered exclusively to CRB Members. Please sign-in to the CRB Website (top right hand corner of the link) to access the Webinar registration link. Instructions will be sent via e-mail on how to access the Webinar after registering online.
If you are NOT a CRB member and would like to know about Pinterest to sell any Business, Product or Service.…. Please leave a comment and we will let you know when the next webinar will be given.
2012 is going to boil with business and a HOT list will fuel the steam engine that needs to get to 212 to move. It’s all a function of having the right tools to run the machine.
This is the 4th Tip in a 30 day program of sharing ideas to help develop new strategies and habits to stay on track.
Each day there will be a post with one idea that might help with creating balance and reducing stress!
Creating your HOT list.
Do you have a sphere of influence list which should include:
name
address
cell phone
home phone
e-mail
social media links
website
The sphere of influence list should be a list of everyone that you know including teachers, club members, doctors, dentists, house keepers, lenders, service providers etc. Someone you know and could call if you needed something.
This list is beyond your holiday card list and should include anyone you would recognize and could talk to at the grocery store. This IS your sphere of influence list NOT your HOT list.
If you don’t have one of these lists you NEED to create one. Make some forms that you can have with you in your purse or computer case. When you are talking with someone, ask yourself “Do I have all their current contact information?” If you do not, then have them fill out the form or take out your smart phone and add them to your contact management program.
Every day you should be adding at least 2 to 5 new people that you meet personally to the list. Yes, that should be an HVA (High Value Activity) daily if you have a business product or service you have to sell.
Don’t forget about meeting new people in social media… another Cow Tip on adding new contacts to Google+, facebook, twitter, foursquare and linkedin.
Have a value added subscription program like a newsletter, video blog or tips on your business, product or service as a door opener to be able to get the new information from the contact. This concept will be discussed in another future Cow Tip.
The HOT List!
The HOT list is a sub category from your sphere of influence. These are people you have lunch with or do things socially. These are people that love you, support you, will help you unconditionally and you would do the same for them.
Go through your sphere of influence and select the people that should be on your HOT list. Create a letter that, you will hand address specifically to them letting them know they are on your HOT list and that you want to know what you can do to SUPPORT THEM. You might want to have a form in the letter for them to update social media connection links, websites and e-mail. Make it fun.
Send the letter in a colored envelope with a fun stamp. The post office has Love stamps, Celebrate Stamps and
all kinds of causes. Pick a stamp the friend will look at and think they are special. Maybe a cartoon stamp would work better for you. Decide what stamp works from you and your personality.
Use your home address as the return and again, HAND address this letter.
Think about the impact of getting a letter in a colored envelope with an interesting stamp hand addressed. What about including a $2.00 certificate to Dairy Queen or Mc Donalds for an ice cream…. they will laugh and should think you are a fun person. Be creative and be yourself. Come back and let us know if you think of something else to add.
In the letter encourage your HOT list friend, to call you and set a time for you to get together to have coffee or lunch to talk about supporting each other in 2012.
Personal referrals are the key to success in any business so to make 2012 the year that boils at 212 degrees you need to do something different. Creating your HOT list is going to work. Create your own specific dialog in print and think about what you will talk about when you get together. Each business, product or service is unique just like your networking style so develop conversation that you feel comfortable with.
Fishing in the pond of people who know you, love you and will refer you is the place you want to be. Your HOT list can be the source of new people to connect with and the job is much easier if someone has given a referral as an introduction.
Think about this concept. Take it and work it. I would be honored to give you individual ideas to help 2012 BOIL with your HOT list!
Please Sign up for our weekly VIDEO cow tips which cover a vast array of unique topics. Take the ideas then make them into something that sounds like you! I believe that copying is the highest form of flattery and I encourage you to copy any of my ideas to help you achieve success.
Get immediate access to the past 52 weeks of videos in the archive barn for many different ideas.
If you have something that will help others, please let us know and we might be able to feature you, what you do and your idea on a weekly video Cow Tip.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Take advantage of talking to Carra Riley for a 30 minute FREE consultation on any type of planning,
Also check out Carra’s Cliff Notes (Social Media 101) Connecting the very BASIC Dots for those wanting to learn and integrate twitter, skype, linkedin, facebook, and google+ into their business.
2011 was the best of times and was the worst of times for the Riley family.
Sharing some of my deepest thoughts, I am letting you know, dear reader, I was so happy to go to bed in 2011 and wake up to a new day and a new year and a new way of thinking! I have seen many posts on facebook and google+ with similar feelings and I am excited to try and get to a higher altitude with you in 2012.
Controlling thoughts and emotions can be a challenge throughout life and this is the year…. 2012 where things are going to boil (212 degrees).
Pondering the concept of turning up the heat made me think of separating the silver and gold from the dross. Things have to get heated up to purify and refine the silver and gold to get to the pure substance. The dross or the imperfect materials have to be purged to get to the gold. Another thought about heat comes from running a steam engine. The heat has to be up to the 212 to make it run! So turning up the heat in 2012 to refine the gold and run the engine is going to be exciting.
As members of the human race we are all connected in one way or another. It is my humble opinion we are all one, through the creator. We are in charge of our thoughts and have complete control of where they go. Life is about demonstrating the skill in exercising what we will and won’t think and accept in our thoughts. We can dwell on the positive or we can submerse ourselves in the negative. We do manifest what we believe.
Our cup can be half empty or it can be half full. When you think about it… whether the cup is half full or half empty with liquid, it is ALWAYS overflowing with air. You see your cup runs over no matter what, you just have to decide to accept that fact or not. You are in charge! Self talk helps us be victorious over those disturbing thoughts that take our peace away. This year I am going to try each day to only listen to positive messages and know that my cup is running over being grateful for what I have and my ability to read, think and reason through any cow pie out there. I look forward to sharing with you on our 2012 journey.
A journey around the world was on our “Goddard List” (aka bucket list) and we saw the world for the best of times. We started to think global and act local.
A near death experience with a young family member made it the worst of times. I won’t go into the details at this point but we all learned from it and continue to appreciate new sides of all situations and gratitude for everything.
Learning from the past, our family has been through financial difficulties where we even sold our furniture to eat so I know the pain of having no money and not knowing where the next meal was coming from. We were basically on numb getting through each day one moment at a time. Getting over the embarrassment and humiliation of this difficult financial life experience in 1992 helped me relate to others in similar situations. I can look anyone in the eye and say “I KNOW how you feel and this is what we did.” I am happy to report we worked through the financial meltdown one step at a time never declaring bankruptcy and paying back every dime we owed through Consumer Credit Counseling. Experiences are trials that help us grow and make us stronger and gives us the ability to help others through similar situations.
On the voyage around the world I took lessons from the universe and completely listened as we embarked on foreign ground. A new book from the Cosmic Cow Pie series is emerging with the global lessons which should be launched in 2012 “Connecting The Dots Around The World.” It will inculcate lessons from major land marks we visited. The book will have pictures from sites like India and Brazil that have been photographed by thousands and I will share a message to help trigger a change of thought when experiencing a stress situation. The book will take global icons and the message should help the reader think about new “coping skills” to navigate the cow pies of life that continue to be in the way no matter what year it is. Life really is about how we put our boots on and get through those piles. SSDD Same Stuff Different Day applies as nothing is constant but change.
One of my favorite quotes applies to everything happening today in a most timely manner, “You can’t change the wind you can only adjust your sails.”
As the winds of change blow they bring new challenges and new ways of thinking. When trying to modify thoughts to stay with the positive, build a bridge, walk on over it and never look back.
Taking control of your thoughts requires forgiveness. If you are trying to think only positive and good thoughts in 2012 so you can get that steam engine running you can’t have negative energy coming in taking away from your ability to go forward. Whatever was in the past needs to be in the past and you need to forget it. Throw it over that bridge and don’t think about it again. Forgiveness means that you forget it ever happened. If you keep bringing up the past you can’t live in the present.
The present is here and now and will reflect the way you think.
Don’t be thinking about old issues. If you can resolve a conflict just DO IT. If you can’t, simply build that bridge and walk on over it.
Let’s make 2012 the best of times together.
Join us on Google+ or facebook for our 30 days of VALUABLE Cow Tips to reduce stress and create balance.
Just returned from the NAR 2011 Convention with some great information.
2012 is less than 45 days away. The five best practice concepts might be a jump start on business or personal plan ideas.
The Anaheim Convention Center is located on the outskirts of Disneyland Over 20,000 members of the National Association of Realtors and service providers came together to learn and share with one another in this ever changing new world.
Take Away 1. Stay in budget: from Michael Eisner.
One cannot think of Disney and not think of the name Michael Eisner. His accomplishments speak for themselves and his ability to lead a team to success.
Michael Eisner has been a leader in the American entertainment industry four decades. He began his career at ABC, where he helped take the network from number three to number one in prime time, In 1976, he became president of Paramount Pictures, turning out hit films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Terms of Endearment. This string of critically acclaimed and blockbuster films led the studio to become number one in box office and profitability in both theatrical movies and network television production.
In 1984 Michael assumed the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company and, in the ensuing 21 years, transformed it from a film and theme park company with $1.8 billion in enterprise value into a global media empire valued at $80 billion.
In 2005, Michael began the “next act” of his career by founding The Tornante Company, a privately held company that invests in, acquires, incubates, and operates media and entertainment companies.
Michael emphasized working within financial boundries.. make things happen within the framework of what you have. Don’t overspend, keep it in the box as far as the cost and out of the box as far as thinking. I have been using the Disney “box” planning formula since 1979 and use it every year to create a plan that ALWAYS works when the boxes are followed in the action footsteps.
Identify a budget for your business and stick to it. Think of creative ways to achieve the goal within your budget to stay on track and take your business to the top like Michael has done four decades.
Michael Eisner shares: “Everyone has growing pains it’s just part of the process.” Keep seeing the green and going forward.
Take Away 2. Rule of 5: Jack Canfield
Jack Canfield and Carra Riley with “Know Your Monkey™” in hand.
Jack shared J. Paul Getty’s Success strategies.
Rise early
Work hard
Strike Oil
Motivate yourself to do something different. Change your behavior, do something different.
Walk away from negative talk or behavior.
Change the word can’t to won’t and see what a difference that makes.
Drop the word can’t, change to: I wish I was able to.
Television is an income reduction box. Watching it reduces your income!
Chicken Soup for the Soul aka Jack Canfield series….. was rejected by 144 publishers so when you think of quitting think of the dedication it took to present his book to 144 publishers.
Now this is interesting…. who do you hang out with? “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Hang out with people making more money than you.”
Rule of 5: Do 5 things a day to help you get to your goal. Your self talk should be “what 5 things am I going to do to day to achieve my dream?”
Take away 3: Learn about personality types and how different people fit with your traits.
Every business could be considered a team and a very helpful idea to increase productivity and consumer satisfaction it is to learn about different personalities and how they work together in a DISC assessment test.
The typical American company bases 80% of their hiring decisions on the “intellectual” aspect of an individual: skills, resume, training and experience.
The National average rate of successful hiring is less than 50% because of Behavior or Style incompatibility. Here in lies the major disconnect or wrong hiring practice. The person can do the job but it is not getting done. By using the DISC assessment method an employer can better understand the thinking process of the potential hiree and see if the person is a good fit with the vision and direction of the company.
The important take way is to really learn about how different people think and adjust what you do and how you present what you have to share accordingly if you are in sales. The DISC study does require an action item on your business plan to help balance the way the work flows in all environments and the type of communication that will be successful.
CRB is just completing some major modifications in their courses and have added many new trainers to their instructor cadre. I am delighted to share the fact I am a new CRB instructor and look forward to talking to you about the classes and the program designation that can be presented in your area.
Technology Super Stars Bill Lublin, Jay Thompson, Chris Smith, Nobu Hata, Todd Carpenter shared the latest web sites and tools to know about today. Check out Bill and Chris on their mobile devices during the presentation. If you are not mobile… you should be!
“Inducted into the Apple “App Hall of Fame”, NY Times “Top 10 Must-Have Apps”, Winner of the Best Mobile App Award from TechCrunch, Mashable and the Webbys.”
Evernote turns the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad into an extension of your brain, helping you remember anything and everything that happens in your life. From notes to ideas to snapshots to recordings, put it all into Evernote and watch as it instantly synchronizes from your iPhone to your Mac or Windows desktop. See why millions of people worldwide use Evernote:
Now get your own Personal Cloud! File sync and online backup for all your devices including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and more!
In a head-to-head review of SugarSync, Dropbox, Apple’s iCloud, Amazon’s Cloud Drive, Google, and many others, SugarSync was named the “Ultimate Victor” as the best online storage solution of 2011.
Track this now to see what people are saying about you, your company and your brand.
Twittrratr How do you rate and is it positive or negative, what are people saying?
Search.twitter.com search any thing you want like: buying a new house in Phoenix Arizona. Buying a ______ (whatever you sell) and see who is tweeting about what you do.
Walkscore.com Type any address to get a walk score and see what is nearby and how far you are from aything.
localmind.com iphone app to see what is going on around you locally.
NOW foursquare matters: localmind connects with “local check ins” to help you find out about where you want to go.. how crowded a place is and what the hours are etc.
Localmind is a new service that allows you to send questions and receive answers about what is going on—right now—at places you care about.
MUST be in Google Places! Must get past clients to give you reviews. Participate and share the Google Connection. 40% of mobile searches are local in nature.
Google+ BE there… “get past the Google Creepyness and just say ‘What’s Next?'”
Scott Carpenter, social media expert from NAR says the most important aspect of social media is to:
“Prove to me that I can trust you.” Create relationships in social networks and do business on your website. Spend more time on Linkedin. Get recommendations online for Linkedin. Make sure your profiles are correct on Zillow, Truilia, and Realtor.com
Take Away 5: Be part of making the world a better place!
NAR President Ron Phipps led the keynote session with poise and inspiration. He honored our men and women of the armed services and requested us to take action in expressing gratitude.
“If you see someone in uniform, stop and THANK THEM for service to our country.”
Ron also presented the REALTOR Good Neighbor Award Winners and encouraged each and everyone of us to join the Good Neighbor Society.
“Capture the good neighbor heart and put it into action. We have 1,000,000 Realtors… see what 5 did!”
“For the past 12 years the Good Neighbor Awards program has recognized Realtors® who are devoted to strengthening communities through volunteer work and helping those in need. The five individuals named as this year’s REALTOR® Magazine Good Neighbor Award winners are leading examples of how Realtors® value service and are committed to improving communities.
The 2011 Good Neighbor Awards winners are:
LeRoy J. Bendickson, Edina Realty, Edina, Minn., for National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minnesota Chapter
Marta Karpiel, Alain Pinel Realtors®, Carmel, Calif., for Freedom Fields USA
Vito A. Pampalona, Vito Anthony Homes, Rochester, Mich., for the Yellow Ribbon Fund
Judy Pitt, Wright Kingdom Inc., Boulder, Colo., for Kazi Yake (His Works)
Wayne J. Shaffer, Shaffer and Associates, Santa Cruz, Calif., for St. Francis Catholic Kitchen, Siena House Maternity Home, and Jesus Mary Joseph Home
The Good Neighbor Awards have been granted annually since 2000 and are presented by NAR’s REALTOR® Magazine. Winners receive a $10,000 grant for their charity and a $2,000 Lowe’s gift card, and are profiled in the November-December issue of REALTOR® Magazine.
Ron leaves us with the vision of going out to help our world and make it a better place!
“We are at the tipping point of changing the future in so many ways… go back to the problem and leave a bright future for our children and grand children……
We fail if we give up. “
To get our country back on track we have to help one another…. what do you think?
July 4th has always had special meaning to me because it is my birthday!It’s a big party and America celebrates with me!
Memories for a lifetime are made on this special day in summer!
Thinking about the Declaration of Independence and what it means to me and what it meant to the colonies in 1776 requires some quiet time to ponder. Let’s all take Five Minutes For Freedom with our families and friends this 4th of July!
It is with great humility I am asking that you to take 5 minutes to think about our freedom, the men and women who continue to fight for it on a daily basis and where we fit in with responsibility to America today. Please think about what is really going on in America NOW, think about the debt we have and how we are going to pay it back. We are one big family and if this was happening to your family think about what you would do. When looking at the debt picture with more money going out than coming in does it spell bankruptcy to you? Why do we keep borrowing? Think about how we can we make a difference with participation and what that really means. To balance the budget things have to be cut which is going to be painful. Elected representatives need to KNOW what you are thinking and what your ideas are. If we are silent the special interest groups continue to get their way.
Please take 5 minutes on the 4th for Freedom with your family and friends. Share together this burden we need to shed! We can do it with joy and peace if we all unite and work together to get back on track…. it is “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
Where do we fit into the vision that emerged in July of 1776?
Below please find the beginning of the document and this is the link to the balance of the work which started American Independence.
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. –Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world…….
America is great because we have many freedomsthrough our Constitution: speech, religion, press, the right to vote, justice, the right to bear arms and on. We are free because our forefathers fought to give us these freedoms. Taking 5 minutes with your family and friends to think about the unique freedoms really shows respect and gratitude for what they did to give us what we have.
Thank you for reading along with me today and I am have high hopes that your family and friends will feel as moved as you did to share the five minutes for freedom thinking with others even after the 4th.
Celebrate the 4th and ignite your freedom of speech and action!
What is going on in your neck of the woods?
Williams, Arizona the Gateway to the Grand Canyon has a wonderful day of fun on the 4th of July!
One of the longest parades in Northern Arizona starting at 4pm on Rt. 66 at town center.
Rotary BBQ
Kiwanis Korn Roast
Old Fashion Ice Cream Social @ Methodist Church.
Activities at the Williams Rodeo Grounds and Barn with family fun for everyone.
Carra Riley's Blog 