Have we forgotten God?

I ran across this quote from Honest Abe, and couldn't help but wonder if he spoke these words nearly 150 years ago, how much more do they ring true today? Let's not allow them to be a commentary on our lives. On an individual basis, we can change.

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth, and power as no other Nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

Abraham Lincoln, in an 1863 resolution

(John Wesley Hill, Abraham Lincoln, Man of God, 4th ed., New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, p.391.)

The Nile: The Life-Blood of Egypt.

One year ago, Katie was teaching a unit to her 6th graders about ancient Egypt. She enlisted me to help grade their end-of-unit tests. So late one night, we sat on the couch, reading the answers aloud to keep from falling asleep. The whole experience was quite entertaining for us and has proven to be a source of many laughs since.

The test question that yielded the most amusing responses was: "In at least one paragraph, explain why the Nile river is often called the "life-blood of Egypt."

The answers below are real answers from 6th graders, grammar errors and all. Enjoy!

• It could be because it meant every thing to them. It would give them water. I gave them water for there plants. It gave them the ability to travel faster and cary hever things that they would trade. It expeshally helped them for wars and other things like that.
• They used it to live, for irrigation, and for their cows. They drank the water, grew crops. And fed their cows who gave milk. Which left them with strong bones to get more water from the Nile.
• The Nile river is called the life-blood of Egypt because it provides water. A nother reason why is it grows plants like the reed plant other nowen as papyrus. And it helps grows food. the farmers use it to grow there crops. It helps ceep animals and the Egyptians alive and usually fish live in water.
• The Nile was how the Egyptians survived, it was used for irrigation, building, water, the animals needwater so the Egyptians could have bacon ect.

In my 30 years, I've learned...

Today is my birthday! For those of you who know me well, I love my birthday. I openly admit that I am much like a seven year old with regard to the level of anticipation and excitement I feel about my birthday. I may not manifest that excitement the way a seven year old would, but I love my day nonetheless! My birthday always gives me the chance to look back at where I've been and look forward to what may lie ahead. This birthday, I've thought quite a bit about what I've learned and about significant experiences which have affected the course of my life. Here are a few quick thoughts.

1. I've learned... that life is better without television.
2. I've learned... that when you're in love, it shows.
3. I've learned... that just one person saying hi to me makes my day.
4. I've learned... that having a child fall asleep in my arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
5. I've learned... that being honest is always the best choice.
6. I've learned... that forgiveness (both giving and receiving) is a sweet feeling.
7. I've learned... that I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
8. I've learned... that no matter how serious life requires me to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
9. I've learned... that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
10. I've learned... that simple walks with my mother when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
11. I've learned... that we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
12. I've learned... that money doesn't buy class.
13. I've learned... that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
14. I've learned... that under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
15. I've learned... that we all express and recognize love differently and that I should strive to love others in ways they recognize as love.
16. I've learned... that to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
17. I've learned... that being debt-free is almost as liberating as skinny-dipping.
18. I've learned... that life isn't always about me. In fact when it's not, it's more enjoyable.
19. I've learned... that God really loves me.
20. I've learned... that everyone I meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
21. I've learned... that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
22. I've learned... that life is tough, but I'm tougher.
23. I've learned... that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones I miss.
24. I've learned... that when I harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
25. I've learned... that some things are really better left unsaid.
26. I've learned... that one should truly treat others as he wishes to be treated.
27. I've learned... that a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
28. I've learned... that I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
29. I've learned... that the hardest things in life are ultimately the most rewarding.
30. I've learned... that learning is a lifelong endeavor and I've only just begun.

My Life.

So I believe that the last year or so of my life can be related closely to these quotes:

1. "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." ~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. "Keep in mind: whatever is not within your reach today will certainly be sometime in the future. Just be patient." ~ a wise man
3. "Plead with the Lord for peace." ~ Scott Anderson
4. "It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." ~ Walt Disney
5. "The opportunity of a lifetime must be taken within the lifetime of the opportunity." ~ Elder Neal A. Maxwell
6. "The Lord's plan is a plan of happiness." ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley

Hi! My name is Friend.

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

EuroEnglish.

The European Union commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as EuroEnglish (Euro for short).

In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c". Sertainly, sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard "c" will be replaced with "k." Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced by "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20 per sent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go.

By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" by "v".

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou", and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil b no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drem vil finali kum tru.