Saturday, August 25, 2007

Who Packed Your Parachute ?

Post 296 - - - - - Saturday, 25th August, 2007.

Hi Everyone ~~ Well I hope you are all OK and enjoying a great
weekend. The weather here is starting to get very pleasant with
temperatures of around 2o degrees C which is about 65 F.
It can stay like this for a while, but with some rain - preferably
at night. I think maybe, Queensland has had enough for now
and we would be glad to have some of it down south.



First photo tonight is my grandfather, Mum's father. He died when
I was very young. And as one commenter has said "You are real old."



A nice picture of Mum when she was on holidays with one of her sisters
on the Gold Coast at the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary. The two of them
had two wonderful trips together with Dell doing the driving.


The story tonight is called "Who Packed Your Parachute ?
Author Unknown.

Sometimes in the daily challenge that life gives us, we miss what is really
important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate
someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a
compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in
Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a
surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy
hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist prison.
He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from
that experience.

One day when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a
man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb ! You flew
jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You
were shot down !"

"How in the world did you know that ?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb grabbed his hand in surprise and gratitude. The man
grabbed his hand and said, "I guess it worked !"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked,
I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. He
kept wondering what that man might have looked like in a Navy
uniform. He wondered how many times he might have seen him
and not even said good morning, how are you or anything, because
you see, he was a fighter pilot and the man was just a sailor. Plumb
thought of the many hours that sailor might have spent in the
bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the
silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time, the fate of
someone he did not know.

Now Plumb asked his audience, "Who is packing your parachute ?"
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it
through the day.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when
his plane was shot down. As you go through your week, month, and
even New Year, recognize the people who have packed your parachute
and enabled to get you where you are today !!
<><><>

My friend Gledwood has tagged me to post 8 random facts about me
some of which most of you know, but here goes anyway.

1. I have been married twice, gone through a divorce, 1980 and
have been left a widow in 1986.

2. I have 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls, 3 of whom are adopted. I love
them all very much and am proud of them and their families.

3. I have 12 grandchildren, 8 girls and 4 boys, and I have two
great grand-daughters.

4. I had breast cancer 28 years ago and had a mastectomy.

5. I smoked for 40 years, but gave it up in 1996.

6. I sit up until well after midnight every night, but am trying to
change that to more reasonable bedtimes. I don't get up until 9 am.

7. I tend to have a very cluttered house with fairies, teddy bears
books etc etc everywhere. No one to please but myself !! Plan to
gradually declutter, so as not to be too great a shock.

8. I never feel lonely as I have family, friends, books, magazines,
my computer and all my great blogging friends. My family keep a
check on me with visits, phone calls and e mails. Always something
to do and to learn. Not enough hours in the day for me.

I hope they are OK Gleds. This young man lives in England and is
a great writer who posts music videos daily, but has a few problems
that he is trying very hard to overcome. Good luck, my friend.
<><>

Now for a few jokes - - - - -

Murphy turned up at Mass one Sunday and the priest was amazed
because Murphy had never been seen in church in all his life.

After Mass, the priest caught up with Murphy and said, " Murphy,
I'm so glad you came, but what made you come ?"

Murphy said, " I got to be honest with you Father, a whie back I
misplaced my hat and I really love that hat. I knew that McGlynn
had one the same and that he came to church every Sunday. I knew
he had to take his hat off during Mass and I planned to steal
McGlynn's hat."

The priest said, "Well, Murphy, I notice that you didn't steal his
hat. What changed your mind ?"

Murphy said, "Well, after I heard your sermon on the 10 Commandments
I decided that I didn't need to steal McGlynn's hat at all."

The priest gave Murphy a big smile and said, "After I talked about
'Thou shalt not steal' you decided you would rather do without your hat
than burn in Hell, right ?"

Murphy slowly shook his hesd and said, "No, Father, after you talked
about 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' I remembered where I left
my hat."
<><>

What do you call a handcuffed man ? Trustworthy.
<><>

An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman were wandering
through the desert, hungry and hallucinating, when the came across
a dead camel.
"Well," said the Englisjman, "I support Liverpool football club, so
I'll eat the liver.

"I support the Hearts Club," said the Scotsman, " so I'll eat the heart."

"I support Arsenal", said the Irishman, "but I seem to have lost my
appetite."
<><>

A man went to see the Rabbi. " Rabbi, something terrible is happening
and I have to talk to you about it."

The Rabbi asked: "What's wrong ?"
The man replied, "My wife is poisoning me."
The Rabbi very surprised by this, asks, "How can that be?"

The man then pleads, "I'm telling you, I'm certain she's poisoning
me. What should I do ?"

The Rabbi then offers: "Tell you what, I should talk to her. Let me

talk to her and I'll let you know."

A week later the Rabbi calls the man and says, "I spoke to your wife.
Spoke to her on the phone for three hours. For three hours I spoke
to her. You want that I should give you my advice ?"

The man said, "Yes." and the Rabbi replied, "Take the poison !!"
<><>

Your dog's barking at the back door. Your wife's barking at the front.

Who do you let in first ?
Well it's your call . . . but the dog will stop barking when you let him in.
<><>

Some sayings or quotes , some without the author - - - -

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do say will be
misquoted and used against you.

Most people learn by observation, and there are the few who learn by
experimentation. And then there are those who actually TOUCH the
fire to see if it's hot. - - - Anonymous.

Every 10 seconds a woman is giving birth; she must be found and
stopped.

I never need to see the sun again; there's enough light in your eyes
to light up the world.

There's a light at the end of every tunnel . . . just pray it isn't a train.

Love will die if held too tightly, love will fly if held too lightly.

If you don't like my driving, stay off the sidewalk.


Enough for tonight my friends. I hope the weekend is nice for
you. Spread some sunshine around. Love and best wishes to
you all. Cheers, Merle.

Post 296 - - - - - Saturday, 25th August, 2007.
<><><><>




12 comments:

Jim said...

Hi Merle -- Your list of eight was nice reading. I didn't know nearly all that about you.
We have most of them somewhat in common, I've not had cancer, my second spouse, Mrs. Jim, is still living, and I've only stopped smoking for 30+ years (of course, like someone commented, you might be ...).

Thanks for the blonde joke, one more time! My father drove on the sidewalk one time in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the little green Mustang II.
He was on the University of Nebraska campus and thought their wide sidewalks (with all the pedistrians) were streets.
..

Puss-in-Boots said...

I've read that parachute one before. It makes one think, doesn't it?

I laughed at the joke about the camel and the football clubs...eeeww!

Breast cancer...that's a terrible thing, especially when it's occurring in some many young woman. Glad you survived it, Merle. Good that you gave up smoking too.

Hope you're getting some rain. The sun is shining brightly here today...first time for over a week!

Take care and a big hug xoxo

Mandy said...

Hey - I'm new to your blog, and I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here...just blog surfing, I suppose. But I enjoyed the read!

Stop by sometime: http://www.mrs-mandypoo.blogspot.com

Lee said...

Lovely post and pics, again, Merle.

It stopped raining here this morning but it's started up again and is raining quite heavily at the moment. I don't mind at all! My washing is getting another rinse on the line! ;)

Val said...

Loved the photo of your grandfather, Merle. At first I thought it was Mark Twain!

Lucy Stern said...

Hi Merle - I loved the story about "Who packed your parachute" and all the facts about you. The doctors did a good job getting rid of your cancer, you are still here after all those years...I'm also glad that you quit smoking...Sounds like you have a wonderful family.....I liked the picture of your dad. Have a good day.

Jeanette said...

Hi Dear Merle love the Parachute story. nice photo's of your Grandfather and your Mother,I had to look twice I thought it was you Merle on holiday. good jokes
the English, Scot and Irish gave me quiet a chuckle tonight. Take care dont stay out in the garden to long. love Jan

Tammy said...

I so enjoyed the eight things about you! Especially number 8
"I never feel lonely as I have family, friends, books, magazines,
my computer and all my great blogging friends. My family keep a
check on me with visits, phone calls and e mails. Always something
to do and to learn. Not enough hours in the day for me."

We've been discussing getting Clarence a new home due to my allergies and Hubby thinks I would be lonely...I feel the same as you and don't suffer loneliness much!!
Thanks for sharing my friend!
:)

Mountain Mama said...

Your pictures are great. Your grandpa looks so comfortable sitting in the yard reading. And your mother with all the lovely birds. She seems to be enjoying herself very much.

The story about the Irishman and the arsenal made me laugh out loud. I'm sure glad I swallowed my coffee first! LOL

Lady Di Tn said...

Merle
Nice photo of your Mum's father. Your mother looked so happy with all those birds around her.

I am glad you got tagged to give out facts as I feel I know you better. I admire anyone who adopts. Those were 3 lucky children.

Lol with the priest joke.

Hope you had a wonderful day. Last evening around 8 we got another brief shower.

love and prayers

ancient one said...

I ran over here from mreddie's post. Loved your blog.

audrey` said...

Hi Merle

The 8 facts are so encouraging.
Thank you for being so warm and helpful all the time =)
(((HUGS)))