The Final Analysis

I saw this poem this morning in a business as I was waiting on my change. I loved it.

The FINAL Analysis

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the FINAL analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Written by Dr. Kent M. Keith

Winter Weather & Signs

This is our 5th winter in North Carolina. Previous to the current one, we have had very little snow fall. Summer 2008, our county was one of 6 in the state to be rated as Exceptional Drought conditions. Then Winter of 2008 the rains came and the lakes and rivers began to rise little by little. Fast forward to the week before Christmas 2009, we got 6 inches of snow. Last weekend while in Buford, we got at least another 6 inches here. Thursday night it snowed another couple of inches. The weather forecasters had predicted earlier in the week an ice storm for this weekend. Thankfully we only got a little snow and the rest rain. I am not sure the amount of total precipitation we have received this winter but I know it is a lot. We can't seem to dry out before it starts again. I am looking forward to a beautiful Spring and a lush Summer in the Smokey Mountains.

On a different note (or if you believe that our weather is a sign, then it is not so different), I am fascinated by small businesses that advertise things that don't appear to me to be related. The first one I saw after we moved to NC was a business on Main St. that advertises sheet music & pet supplies. I saw a sign in the front yard of a farmhouse that said "Fresh eggs & Used Computers". I am glad the adjectives weren't switched. The other day I saw a new business that wanted you to be sure and shop there for Valentines Day. The sign read, "Flowers, Gifts & Knives". I could only think that the last one was in case you forgot the first two.