Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

- Deuteronomy 7:9

The Haircut

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.  After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, "I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing community service this week."

The florist was pleased and left the shop.  When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a "thank you" card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop came in for a haircut, but when he tried to pay his bill the barber said, "I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing community service this week."

The cop was happy and left the shop.  The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a "thank you" card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber said, "I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing community service this week."

The Congressman was very pleased and left the shop.  The next morning when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

The Need to Criticize

When confronted with an undesirable situation or event, it seems that human nature automatically requires that we criticize or find fault with someone or something. I’m not sure why, but often it’s second nature to subconsciously protect our own ego at all cost.

Have you notice that people usually find fault more often than they find solutions. Why? The answer is obvious. It’s always easier to spot the problem than it is to find a solution. Finding a solution requires thought and processing and analysis and too often when confronted with a difficult situation, our mind goes on auto-pilot and doesn’t take the time to look at our predicament from all angles before we speak.

In the long run, criticizing, complaining, or condemning others is probably not going to produce the intended result. We may feel at the time that solutions will be found through negative examination of the facts. However, what is likely to happen is it will create more problems that could spiral into a downright slugfest resulting in both emotional and physical damage.

The usual reaction of a person being criticized is to defend himself, which often leads to losing touch with the real issues that need to be dealt with in the situation. Criticizing hurts a person’s pride and self-importance and causes resentment, a precarious situation when trying to find solutions to the problem.

Give yourself a moment to reflect and do the necessary analysis of the situation.

I find that most of the time when I do this, I realize the situation is not as bad as my initial reaction. In fact, I’ve come to realize that unless confronted with a life or death situation that requires immediate action, taking a few moments or minutes or even hours to contemplate the best plan of action is beneficial to everyone involved.

Oftentimes, when a situation falls short of our expectations, we forget that a positive meeting could provide a way to straighten out the situation. When misunderstandings happen, as they often do, a second chance with more enlightened information, rather than confrontation, will likely provide a conclusion that is more agreeable for everyone involved.

http://worldvillage.com/the-need-to-criticize

The Toughest Lesson I Learned as a New Father

When you become a new father there is so much you have to learn. You’ve walked through marriage for a bit. You’ve learned how to live with and love  your wife and what makes that relationship work. But, being a father brings out a different set of responsibilities. To me it wasn’t the normal things. Changing diapers, feeding the baby, etc. – all those things I was fine with. However, learning how to discipline them and learning how to direct them in the right path were really the toughest things for me to learn. To tell you the truth, I’m still learning that after seven kids! They’re all a little bit different. Each one responds differently. Finding out what makes each of those young ones tick was the biggest challenge for me as  a new father.

- Tony Dungy

http://www.allprodad.com/dungy/2011/06/27/the-toughest-lesson-i-learned-as-a-new-father/

Damsel in distress ... and Dudley Do-Right

"This has always bothered me ... On the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, there was a segment with Dudley Do-Right. The damsel in distress (often, Dudley's girlfriend, Nell Fenwick) is always tied up by Snidely Whiplash and laid on the railroad tracks, but is never tied to the tracks themselves ... why didn't she just save herself by simply rolling off the tracks instead of waiting for Dudley Do-Right to save her???!!!"

TOP FIVE SLOGANS FOR MEN'S T-SHIRTS

If there's no beer in heaven, I ain't going.
I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian.
Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional.
If you were me, you'd be awesome!
What if the Hokey Pokey is really what it's all about?

http://www.joke-archives.com/oneliners/tshirtslogans.html

TOP FIVE SLOGANS FOR WOMEN'S T-SHIRTS

Sorry if I looked interested. I’m not.
If they don’t have chocolate in heaven, I'm not going.
I used to be schizophrenic, but we’re OK now.
If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen.
You have the right to remain silent, so please SHUT UP.

http://www.dailyquotes.me/?p=6943