Kids

are such a nice way to start People  

In the "olden days", the community helped each other build house's, raise church's, they helped each other when they were sick..they also all had a part in raising that communities  children.
They offered help, not judgement
If we could only visualize this .....
happening in our communities today
allot of child abuse could be
eliminated.  We all need to "watch
out" for our children & the children
that live in our neighborhoods...
A child is a child....whether yours or
someone else's.  We CAN make a difference. ;) one child at a time.

All children are angels... all of us are
put on this earth to serve a purpose
helping "guard" & "guide" these
kids.  This is a grave responsibility
and can be done successfully with
unconditional love.
Please take time to look at the kids
below, you may be able to help find one.....

This is a great story

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence, then it gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was  easier to hold his temper than to drive  those nails into the fence.  Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.  He told his father about  it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.   The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all  the nails were gone.  The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  
He said, "you have done well, my son,
but look at the holes in the fence.
The fence will never be the same. 
When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. 
It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. 
A verbal wound is as bad as a
physical one.  Friends are a very rare
jewel indeed.  They make you smile
and encourage you to succeed. 
They lend an ear, they share a word
of praise, and they always want to open
their hearts to us.  This is a very important lesson for all children......

A Prayer For the Children

We pray for the Children who sneak
Popsicle's before supper,
who erase holes in math & workbooks,
Who can never find their shoes..

And we pray for those who stare
at photographers from behind barbed wire who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes",
who are born in places where we
wouldn't be caught dead
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world

We pray for the Children who bring
us sticky kisses and fistfuls of
dandelions, who hug us in a hurry
and forget their lunch money.

And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag
behind them, who watch their
parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser, whose monsters are real...

We pray for the Children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery
store and pick at their food
who like ghost stories
who shove dirty clothes under the bed,
who never rinse out the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool, who squirm in church
and scream in the phone
whose tears we sometimes laugh at
and whose smiles can make us cry

And we pray for those
whose nightmares come in the daytime
who will eat anything
who have never seen a dentist
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and
cry themselves to sleep
who live and move, but have no being

We pray for children who want to
be carried and for those who must
who we never give up on and
for those who don't get a second chance

For those we smother, and for
those who will grab the hand of
anybody kind enough to offer it....

This was written in memory of the children and teacher killed in the shooting, in 1998  in Jonesboro, Arkansas...

The following are pictures of our family, our kids
our wonderful grandchildren, and I have to add
I have the most wonderful daughter in laws a
mother in law could have. ;)

Our oldest daughter Jeri & Her family
summer of 2002

This is when we visited them in Alaska....2001

Our next to oldest daughter Debi
& her Dad at Christmas 2005

Debi's son Cass

Our oldest son Vance
a professional artist in Alaska

Our next to oldest
Bill and his son James...Bill is now
living in Alaska with his new wife & James is in Oregon..

Next would be Alan, trying to
find pictures of his family

Richard next to youngest son
holding our little Luna 2005

Richards wife, Hiroko

Son Ricky

Nicole, Elisia & Cyndi
At Neah Bay, Washington

Cyndi Christmas 2005

Ricky graduated 2005

Nicole Senior this year

Cyndi 2005

This is Dennis our youngest Son and his new wife Shannon,
Three lovely girls...Sadie, Erika & Amanda

Shannon...great smile!!!

Shannon, Dennis & Dad Christmas 2005

Elisia & Amanda
her cousin on their cheerleading picture day

Sadie School Pic 2005

Sadie Christmas

Erica 2005

  Amanda the youngest

Our Youngest Daughter Jill &
Husband Pat & daughter Elisia

Jill...Christmas 2005

Their daughter Elisia

Our wonderful son in law Patrick

Jill's & Pats Celtic Wedding