Ebb and Flow

Ebb & Flow - Mary Wagstaff

William Shakespeare wrote in "Loves Lost Labour"

"As true we are as flesh and blood can be:
The sea will ebb and flow."

Ebb and flow is the flowing out and in of the tide. The physical happening of water flowing in and out. The wave "flows" into the beach and then "ebbs" back out into the vast waters of the ocean. The movement causes changes to the shore in small and sometimes in large ways.

There are sea shells left deposited for wondering eyes to search out and treasure. Gentle layers of sand are slowly shaped and carried back out to sea. It is a constant and almost imperceptible change.

There are then the major events in which a strong storm surge violently attacks the beach front. Wide swaths of beach are reclaimed by the sea, sand castles destroyed and the landscape changed forever.

Our lives and those around us are impacted by the 'ebb and flow' of connections between each of us. Our daily life with family and friends are constantly being affected by relational ebb and flow. Our words and actions that may seem mundane have a long term affect. We either leave small jewels of goodness or take away in a selfish manner. The 'beach' we have established with another person can change over time.

At times there may be a large storm within those relationships where lives can be turned upside down. Homes can be destroyed and the landscape of our existence can change forever.

If you build a strong base and take care of it, the home (relationship) can remain standing even after the storm subsides. It is for us to understand the 'ebb and flow' that is occurring in our own life. By doing so, we can strengthen the foundation of our connections with others. In turn, when a storm comes along, we are better prepared to overcome the fury.

"As true we are as flesh and blood can be: the sea will ebb and flow."
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April Fools Day Quotes

(Image from Nova Reinna)

No one will take me serious with anything I write
today anyway. So here are some famous quotes by other
folks. Enjoy, reflect and enjoy the day!

April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what
we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four.
~Mark Twain

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
~Chinese Proverb

If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings.
~Welsh Proverb

I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it.
~Jack Handey

We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
~Japanese Proverb

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people
all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
~Abraham Lincoln

The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.
~Will Rogers

A man always blames the woman who fools him. In the
same way he blames the door he walks into in the dark.
~Henry Louis Mencken

A common mistake that people make when trying to design
something completely foolproof is to underestimate
the ingenuity of complete fools.
~Douglas Adams

It is the ability to take a joke, not make one,
that proves you have a sense of humor.
~Max Eastman

I have great faith in fools;
self-confidence, my friends call it.
~Edgar Allan Poe

Suppose the world were only one of God's jokes, would you work

any the less to make it a good joke instead of a bad one?

~George Bernard Shaw
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Small Acts of Gratitude

I was reminded the other day about my son's service in the military. He spent 15 months on a base outside of Tikrit, Iraq serving in the U.S. Army. The tasks he was trained for required travel into the countryside, to smaller bases and in the training of Iraqi personnel. This exposed him as it does thousands of soldiers each day to the possible violence that can occur.

It is his service and the service of hundreds of thousands of other military personnel that are helping a country rebuild itself, for which I am thankful. The political debate can take place in other forums of discussion, yet it is in my heart to know that military personnel are simply doing their job and doing it well.

And so it is with that, I thank them. You also have a way to thank service men and women when you see them in public. A very simple and easy way is by giving the 'gratitude' sign to military personnel. It is similar to the 'thank you' sign, but many folks may have a tough time giving a 'blowing kiss' sign to the military.

In the 'gratitude' sign language, you can use both hands or a simple one-hand indication. The idea is to simply sign a non-verbal symbol of thanks to those in the military for their service. I'm thankful to my own son for his service and to the many others. I thank you for thinking of them as well.

"That best portion of a good man s life? His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love." - William Wordsworth
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Send In The Clowns

Today is about forgetfulness, the kind that a sibling shouldn't have but does in a hectic life. Okay, now I'm starting to make excuses. It was A. A. Milne that said, "Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” Well that is what I did a couple of days ago, started to think about calling my brother on his birthday and then....

What was it I was talking about again? Oh yeah, my brother John's birthday. Being that he is six years older then me, forgetfulness should be more akin to someone his age than mine.

So without further ado and before I forget again,

Happy Birthday To You, a few days ago !!
Happy Birthday To You, a few days ago !!
Happy Birthday dear John, a few days ago !!
Happy Birthday To You, a few days ago !!

Okay, I've paid my penance. Can I have my marbles back now?

P.S. Do clowns still bother you?


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