" I've Learned"

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned - that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned - that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned - that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I've learned - that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that,you'd better know something.

I've learned - that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do but to the best you can do.

I've learned - that it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.

I've learned - that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned - that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.

I've learned - that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned - that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.

I've learned - that you should always leave loved ones withloving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned - that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I've learned - that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned - that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned - that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned - that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned - that learning to forgive takes practice.

I've learned - that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.

I've learned - that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned - that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned - that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned - that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned - that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I've learned - that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned - that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned - that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I've learned - that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny,
but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.

I've learned - that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned - that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned - that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned - that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned - that sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.

I've learned - that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I've learned - that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.

I've learned - that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned - that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I've learned - that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned - that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I've learned - that there are many ways of falling and staying in love.

I've learned - that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves
get farther in life.

I've learned - that no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them most.

I've learned - that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I've learned - that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I've learned - that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.

I've learned - that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.

I've learned - that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned - that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.

I've learned - that although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.

I've learned - that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and
not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.

Source: (K. Hansen)

If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don't;

If you'd like to win, but think you'll lose, you're lost.

For out in the world we find success begins with a person's faith;

It's all in thestate of mind.

Life's battle don't always go to the stronger or faster hand; They go to the one who trusts in God and always thinks "I can."

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life".

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.
You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love human touches -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn

Thoughts And Quotes

You were not created a copy. You were born an original. You are unique and special in your own way. Be happy with yourself.

Life is like a roller coaster ride - it has its ups and downs, but if you’re not screaming, you’re not getting your money’s worth.

If you want to do something, you should do it today - tomorrow it may be against the law.
You gain strength courage and confidence,by every experience in which you really stop
to look fear in the face. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The treatment must not be worse than the disease. Alan Tiernstein

"In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these."
Paul Harvey

Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them. ~ Edward R. Murrow

"Because I took a moment to speak. And you took a second to smile. A tiny part of me will leave with you. And a little bit of you will stay." ~ Jevanaf

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day." ~ Sally Koch ~

"Our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our foolishness."
~ Sacha Guitry ~

"I would rather live in a world where life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it." ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick ~

"Confidence on the outside begins by living with integrity on the inside." ~ Brian Tracy

Irish Proverbs

A kind word never broke anyone's mouth.

A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied.

A lie travels farther than the truth.

An old broom knows the dirty corners best.

Put silk on a goat, and it's still a goat.

A friend's eye is a good mirror.

It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.

God is good, but never dance in a small boat.

Even a small thorn causes festering.

Every dog is brave on his own doorstep.

You'll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.

Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbor. It makes you shoot at your landlord and it makes you miss him.

You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.

"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little." ~ George Carlin

Music is the Words of the Soul.

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~
Leopold Stokowski

Without music life would be a mistake. ~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

If the King loves music, it is well with the land. ~ Mencius

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. ~
Victor Hugo

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water-bath is to the body. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable. ~ Aaron Copland

Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul. ~ Plato

Music is the soundtrack of your life. ~ Dick Clark

Love the music in yourself, not yourself in the music. ~ Jon Peter Lewis

If music be the food of love; play on. ~ William Shakespeare

If one hears bad music it is one's duty to drown it by one's conversation. ~ Oscar Wilde

" Don't meddle in the affairs of the Dragon for you are crunchy and good with ketchup "

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle.

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? ~ Vincent Van Gogh

"Imagination is more important than intelligence" ~ Albert Einstein

Food for Thought

Two wrongs do not make a right, but three lefts do

My wild oats have turned to shredded wheat

Is reading in the bathroom considered multitasking?

Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of it.

Police station toilet stolen........cops have nothing to go on.

Schizophrenia beats being alone

If at first you don't succeed, redefine success.

You have the capacity to learn from your mistakes...you'll learn a lot today.

Heck is where people go who don't believe on Gosh!

Time is just nature's way to keep everything from happening at once.

Hard work never killed anyone, but why chance it?

All true wisdom is found on T-shirts

Strip Mining Prevents Forest Fires

I don't have a solution; but I do admire the problem.

I think sex is better than logic, but I can't prove it.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up a thousand times the memory.

The Meek shall inherit the earth...after we're through with it.

Two can live a cheaply as one....for half as long.

Ham and Eggs....a day's work for a chicken; a lifetime commitment for a pig.

Lord, if I can't be skinny, please let all my friends be fat.

Good Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The buck doesn't even slow down here so keep it going

Confession is good for the soul, but bad for your career

Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough

It hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.

Welcome to Utah...set your watch back 20 years.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

The trouble with life is there's no background music.

Money isn't everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch

What happens if you get scared to death twice?

Losing a husband/wife can be hard. In my case it was almost impossible.

We have enough youth. How about a fountain of "SMART"?

"This is a lifetime deal.... Just remember these three things.... There is NO DEPOSIT----NO REFUND----and absolutely NO RETURN"

" It is worse to be sick in the soul than in body." ~ Polish Proverb ~

" Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death." ~ Roadside Church Sign ~

" The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie." ~ Ann Landers ~

" I will charge thee nothing but the promise that thee will help the next man thee finds in trouble." ~ Mennonite Proverb ~

The fruit with its seeds on the outside: strawberry.

The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh is lettuce.

"Vision without strategy is little more than a daydream." John Maxwell

"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those." ~ Michael Nolan

WISE WORDS

'Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

A sharp tongue can cut my own throat.

If I want my dreams to come true, I mustn't oversleep.

Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends...B1.

The happiness of my life depends on the quality of my thoughts.

The heaviest thing I can carry is a grudge.

One thing I can give and still keep...is my word.

I lie the loudest when I lie to myself.

If I lack the courage to start, I have already finished.One thing I can't recycle is wasted time.

Ideas won't work unless ' I ' do.

My mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime! It is never too late to become what I might have been.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right...
Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back. Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away. Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong. Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late. I don't want to let that happen so I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I never lose you.

Source: Internet

The Work Injury

An insurance company asked for more information regarding a work-related accident claim.

This was the response:

"I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. I am an amateur radio operator and was working on the top section of my new 80 foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware.

Rather than carry the materials down by hand, I decided to lower the items using a pulley. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools into a small barrel.

Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the 300 pounds of tools.

You will note in block number 11 of the accident report that I weigh 155 pounds. Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope.

I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower .In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.

I regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel.

Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower.

In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming up.This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools so only three vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report, however,that as I lay on the tools, in pain,unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope..."

Source: Internet

Wisdom From Grandpa ...,

Whether a man winds up with a nest egg, or a goose egg, depends a lot on the kind of chick he marries.

Trouble in marriage often starts when a man gets so busy earnin' his salt that he forgets his sugar.

Too many couples marry for better, or for worse, but not for good.

When a man marries a woman, they become one; but the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

If a man has enough horse sense to treat his wife like a thoroughbred, she will never turn into an old nag.

On anniversaries, the wise husband always forgets the past - but never the present.

A foolish husband says to his wife, "Honey, you stick to thewashin', ironin', cookin' and scrubbin'. No wife of mine is gonna "work"."

Many girls like to marry a military man - he can cook, sew, and make beds and is in good health, and he's already used to taking orders.

Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

You know you are getting old, when everything either dries up or leaks.

Old age is when former classmates are so gray and wrinkled and bald, they don't recognize you.

Source: Internet

Made In The USA

ONE LIGHT BULB AT A TIME

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American .

Good idea .. . one light bulb at a time . . .


Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking ..

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now... I do not buy it any more.

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico .... now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything ..

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price .. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio ..

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here ..

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . . . yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago.)

Let's get with the program - help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

Source: Internet

The Strangest And Most Beautiful Streets (And Roads) In The World

Elvis’ Cadillac Auctioned

This car is a tribute to Elvis and his love for the American Cadillac. It was custom made by John D’Agostino, a California custom car designer. The car was auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 20th.

Elvis owned over 200 Cadillacs in his lifetime, many of which were gifts. He had a great love for Cadillacs. Elvis and Cadillac were almost synonymous, when you thought of Elvis, you thought Cadillac, and vice versa. The car is associated with Elvis in 1959, when ducktail hairstyles, white suede shoes and peg pants were in fashion. The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Cabriolet was the most EXPENSIVE American-made car in the United States at the time.



Only 975 1959 Eldorados were produced at a then-staggering price. This will be the ONLY 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Seville in the world, and the only convertible Seville (only one in existence) The custom bodywork included a 3" chopped top, cockpit shortened 18" with kustom scoops above the rear seating area, chrome bullet grille, and a perfect air ride suspension.



This stunning car consists of over 100 carats of pavé diamonds and crystals and 10 carats of amethyst stone set in solid silver custom cast Cadillac crests all inlaid in metal on this "Elvis" tribute Cadillac.

Hand-cut and hand-shaped out of solid bronze metal were 2 Landau irons on either side of the cabriolet top, which are then set with solid 14 carat gold Signature D’Agostino crests, surrounded by diamonds and amethyst stones. John D’Agostino has designed 3 tributes to famous movie stars of our era — Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe and now Elvis, this being the 3rd of a trilogy and also being the most expensive and elaborate ever being designed to date.


There is over 19 feet of lush diamond dust, pearl lavender paint and diamond-studded jeweled automotive art on this kustom. Dual crystal ash trays and a princess telephone are some of the accents designed into the gorgeous kustom-dyed pearl lavender leather. This true masterpiece and work of art features kustom-dyed brocade cloth inserts with silver mica thread woven throughout.


The engine is an original 1959 390 cubic inch Eldorado with 345 horsepower and tri-power six pack carbs restored to original Cadillac specs.

Source: Topspeed