Monday, September 20, 2010
Renewing Old Friendships
Sunday I attended a birthday party of a good family friend in the DC area. Clay turned 90 and I was able to attend his party and enjoyed seeing his son and his daughter again. His daughter Jane and I were friends growing up and her brother and my brother were friends. You remember how it works, your parents are friends with another couple so the kids have to be friends even if they did not like each other!
In our case, it was not a problem, we all liked each other and got along.
I had a great time meeting Jane's husband and her son. I also had fun meeting Bob's wife and one of their daughters and her husband. We shared pictures and stories and even though we had not seen each other for decades!...Yes, I said DECADES, it was like we started over where we had left off all those years ago. How does that happen???
Life is too fast, childhood friendships are way to fleeting, but I am blessed to have renewed these friendships. I would encourage everyone to try to reconnect. It is very special.
Ross
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Yemi
I am in DC this week for an American Banker/Oklahoma Banker meeting.
I love DC. It is a special place. It makes you proud to be an American! It is like a booster shot and especially needed by me right now.
On the ride in from the airport I had the good fortune to meet Yemi. Yemi was my taxi driver and he is an outstanding man. Married to a nurse, father of five, one in college. Yemi is a very upbeat man. He came to America about 10 years ago and recently became a citizen of this great country.
He loves this country and he loves the freedom and the opportunity. Now I am really proud!
Ross
Friday, September 17, 2010
**SPECIAL EDITION **Get Ready for the Tax Waive**SPECIAL EDITI0N
SO; WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ONE - "CHANGE JUST KEEPS COMING"
This was checked out on Truth or Fiction and it is true. The bill
is HR-4646 introduced by US Rep Peter deFazio D-Oregon and US Senator Tom Harkin
D-Iowa. It is now in committee and will probably not be brought out
until after the Nov. elections.Suggest that you pass this along and also to
your state senator and representative and US Congressman and Senators. Tom C. One percent
transaction tax is proposedPresident
Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1%
tax on all transactions at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit
Unions, etc.. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i.
e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social
Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry
a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1%
tax charged.This is from the man who promised that if you make under
$250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax. Keep your eyes and ears open, you will be amazed at what you learn. Some will say "aw it's just 1%"... remember once the tax is there they can raise it at will and almost always do.
ROSS
This was checked out on Truth or Fiction and it is true. The bill
is HR-4646 introduced by US Rep Peter deFazio D-Oregon and US Senator Tom Harkin
D-Iowa. It is now in committee and will probably not be brought out
until after the Nov. elections.Suggest that you pass this along and also to
your state senator and representative and US Congressman and Senators. Tom C. One percent
transaction tax is proposedPresident
Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1%
tax on all transactions at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit
Unions, etc.. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i.
e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social
Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry
a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1%
tax charged.This is from the man who promised that if you make under
$250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax. Keep your eyes and ears open, you will be amazed at what you learn. Some will say "aw it's just 1%"... remember once the tax is there they can raise it at will and almost always do.
ROSS
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Growing Up Is Hard To Do
Have you notice, it is hard to grow?
Think about watching a child learn to walk. How many times do they fall and bang their heads before they get it?
Think about learning to ride a bike. How many times did you fall over before you learned to balance?
Think about learning to drive. I heard about a girl that took her driving test the other day. The first thing she did was back into a car!
Think about learning to pray. It was really hard for me at first and still is sometimes.
Think about growing a business, especially now. Talk about hard!
Think about your relationship with your wife. It is a process and over the years it should get deeper and stronger.
Think about your faith. For most of us I think it comes with as much or more challenges as the things I mentioned above. Why do we think we should have a full measure the day we begin the journey? Nothing else in life works that way. Our faith should grow as we experience life and learn to have a relationship with God.
Ross
PRAYER REQUEST...PRAYER REQUEST...PRAYER REQUEST
One of my kids asked me to post a special prayer request for Martha Rhodes.
Martha had a heart attack and is in serious condition. She is a wonderful Christian lady that runs the
children's department in their church. She loves the Lord and loves the kids. Please pray for her recovery.
Think about watching a child learn to walk. How many times do they fall and bang their heads before they get it?
Think about learning to ride a bike. How many times did you fall over before you learned to balance?
Think about learning to drive. I heard about a girl that took her driving test the other day. The first thing she did was back into a car!
Think about learning to pray. It was really hard for me at first and still is sometimes.
Think about growing a business, especially now. Talk about hard!
Think about your relationship with your wife. It is a process and over the years it should get deeper and stronger.
Think about your faith. For most of us I think it comes with as much or more challenges as the things I mentioned above. Why do we think we should have a full measure the day we begin the journey? Nothing else in life works that way. Our faith should grow as we experience life and learn to have a relationship with God.
Ross
PRAYER REQUEST...PRAYER REQUEST...PRAYER REQUEST
One of my kids asked me to post a special prayer request for Martha Rhodes.
Martha had a heart attack and is in serious condition. She is a wonderful Christian lady that runs the
children's department in their church. She loves the Lord and loves the kids. Please pray for her recovery.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
My Grandmother - Part 3
Part-3 Living legendary lives takes more than wishing. It takes commitment, purpose, intention, and action. Welcome to living life to the full in God's great kingdom! By George R. Skramstad, 2010.
I like that word "intention" for that is exactly what describes my grandmother. Her intention was to bless people. My mom told me that grandmother took care of everyone, did for everyone and never asked for anything. What an example! She had to have commitment, she had to have purpose and of course she had to act. If she never accomplished more than planting the seeds of faith in me I am eternally grateful to her. But, I know she did more.
Grandmother was a very unassuming woman. She was born in 1895. She was poor when she was born and she was poor when she died in 1985. I never heard her complain about her lot in life. Just think of the things she witnessed in her life time. From horse and buggy to men on the moon!
Besides watching the storms we always ate at least one pepperoni pizza when I visited her. She liked it as much as me!
I flew my mom and grandmother out to Oklahoma in 1984. Grandmother had never flown and the flights out and back were thrilling for her. God blessed her on the flight out. The pilot treated her like a queen. He took her into the cockpit and he gave her his wings right off of his shirt. She could not stop talking about it. A year later when I went back home for her funeral the wings the pilot had given to her were pinned to her lamp shade next to her favorite chair.
I guess you can tell, Grandmother left footprints firmly in the sands of time for me and a bunch of other people to remember and cherish. I hope I can follow in foot steps.
Ross
I like that word "intention" for that is exactly what describes my grandmother. Her intention was to bless people. My mom told me that grandmother took care of everyone, did for everyone and never asked for anything. What an example! She had to have commitment, she had to have purpose and of course she had to act. If she never accomplished more than planting the seeds of faith in me I am eternally grateful to her. But, I know she did more.
Grandmother was a very unassuming woman. She was born in 1895. She was poor when she was born and she was poor when she died in 1985. I never heard her complain about her lot in life. Just think of the things she witnessed in her life time. From horse and buggy to men on the moon!
Besides watching the storms we always ate at least one pepperoni pizza when I visited her. She liked it as much as me!
I flew my mom and grandmother out to Oklahoma in 1984. Grandmother had never flown and the flights out and back were thrilling for her. God blessed her on the flight out. The pilot treated her like a queen. He took her into the cockpit and he gave her his wings right off of his shirt. She could not stop talking about it. A year later when I went back home for her funeral the wings the pilot had given to her were pinned to her lamp shade next to her favorite chair.
I guess you can tell, Grandmother left footprints firmly in the sands of time for me and a bunch of other people to remember and cherish. I hope I can follow in foot steps.
Ross
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
My Grandmother - Part 2
Thanks for the many notes I received about your grandmothers. It was heart warming to hear your great stories about your grandmothers.
Picking up where I left off yesterday;
Part-2, James Bryan Smith says it this way in his book, The Good and Beautiful Life, " Those who are in Christ become living beatitudes, walking, talking blessings to the world. Immediately after the Beatitudes Jesus says, 'You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven' (Mathew 5:13-16). Those who live with Jesus Jesus in His kingdom are destined to be witnesses for another way of life, where the last are first and the greatest are least." Written by George R. Skramstad, 2010
I love that line "living beatitudes, walking, talking blessings to the world". Why? Because it reminds me so clearly of my Grandmother. I think about the way she went about her life. It was a life of service to others. She loved people, she loved to serve them, to take care of them and to be kind to them. She loved to encourage them. I can remember sitting on her front porch watching thunderstorms. We would watch the lighting and hug each other waiting for the crack of the thunder to follow. Every time the thunder roared we would hug each other even tighter!
She always managed to get me to do the right things by encouraging me and telling me to make her proud, to make my parent proud, to make God proud. She would say, "you know God would want you to be kind to Johnny" or "you know your parents expect you to have character and so that means you don't take what is not yours". She was never too tired to hug me, never too busy to listen to me, never to worn out to be a great example to me and others.
"Living beatitudes, walking, talking blessing to the world", I pray somehow I can be that for my kids, grandkids, my employees, my customers and my friends.
Ross
Picking up where I left off yesterday;
Part-2, James Bryan Smith says it this way in his book, The Good and Beautiful Life, " Those who are in Christ become living beatitudes, walking, talking blessings to the world. Immediately after the Beatitudes Jesus says, 'You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven' (Mathew 5:13-16). Those who live with Jesus Jesus in His kingdom are destined to be witnesses for another way of life, where the last are first and the greatest are least." Written by George R. Skramstad, 2010
I love that line "living beatitudes, walking, talking blessings to the world". Why? Because it reminds me so clearly of my Grandmother. I think about the way she went about her life. It was a life of service to others. She loved people, she loved to serve them, to take care of them and to be kind to them. She loved to encourage them. I can remember sitting on her front porch watching thunderstorms. We would watch the lighting and hug each other waiting for the crack of the thunder to follow. Every time the thunder roared we would hug each other even tighter!
She always managed to get me to do the right things by encouraging me and telling me to make her proud, to make my parent proud, to make God proud. She would say, "you know God would want you to be kind to Johnny" or "you know your parents expect you to have character and so that means you don't take what is not yours". She was never too tired to hug me, never too busy to listen to me, never to worn out to be a great example to me and others.
"Living beatitudes, walking, talking blessing to the world", I pray somehow I can be that for my kids, grandkids, my employees, my customers and my friends.
Ross
Monday, September 13, 2010
My Grandmother - Part 1
As you may recall I was in my home state of Ohio a week or so ago to celebrate my mom's 86th birthday. As part of the celebration I took mom to Portsmouth, Ohio. It is my moms hometown, the city of my birth and where my Grandmother placed the seeds of faith deep within my heart. I loved my grandmother very much.
This past Sunday as I sat in church and read the Morning Thought my mind went back to Portsmouth and to my Grandmother. She changed my life forever. I would like to share what was written in the bulletin with you but broken into several parts.
Part -1, "People who leave their footprints firmly in the sands of time for people in future generations to remember and cherish, do so only by living well in whatever circumstances they find themselves with God's help and ultimate blessing. These folks are legendary in their vision in their service, and in their character". These words were written by George R. Skramstad.
As I reflect on these words and on my trip back to see my roots I was amazed at the poverty my grandmother lived in. Even back then as a very young child I realized she was poor but only as I have matured do I comprehend the depth of her financial poverty. Grandmothers home site was surrounded by the railroad yards, three very old shoe factories and a warehouse that was still painted a dull red some 45 years later. We both realized the depth of her poverty and by contrast the richness of our own material blessings.
Yet, poverty nor her life circumstances ever seemed to phase grandmother. She cared for her sick dieing husband and at the same time her alcoholic brother who lived in her basement. Her faith was rich, she was upbeat, she made me pancakes and homemade syrup. She took me to church and read her bible to me. She told me the things of God especially where nature was concerned. I miss her more than I can express in words. Without her life example I would not know Christ today. She taught me many more things, like being honest, polite and to be gracious. She taught me the importance of "living well in whatever circumstance".
Ross
This past Sunday as I sat in church and read the Morning Thought my mind went back to Portsmouth and to my Grandmother. She changed my life forever. I would like to share what was written in the bulletin with you but broken into several parts.
Part -1, "People who leave their footprints firmly in the sands of time for people in future generations to remember and cherish, do so only by living well in whatever circumstances they find themselves with God's help and ultimate blessing. These folks are legendary in their vision in their service, and in their character". These words were written by George R. Skramstad.
As I reflect on these words and on my trip back to see my roots I was amazed at the poverty my grandmother lived in. Even back then as a very young child I realized she was poor but only as I have matured do I comprehend the depth of her financial poverty. Grandmothers home site was surrounded by the railroad yards, three very old shoe factories and a warehouse that was still painted a dull red some 45 years later. We both realized the depth of her poverty and by contrast the richness of our own material blessings.
Yet, poverty nor her life circumstances ever seemed to phase grandmother. She cared for her sick dieing husband and at the same time her alcoholic brother who lived in her basement. Her faith was rich, she was upbeat, she made me pancakes and homemade syrup. She took me to church and read her bible to me. She told me the things of God especially where nature was concerned. I miss her more than I can express in words. Without her life example I would not know Christ today. She taught me many more things, like being honest, polite and to be gracious. She taught me the importance of "living well in whatever circumstance".
Ross
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