Gifts

Which of the gifts that were given to you have your chosen to use?

Which of the gifts have you chosen not to use?

(Laurie Beth Jones, The Path, p. 38)

31 January 2013

Mistake

When you realize you made a mistake and sincerely regret it, your regret means you're willing to change your actions or your perspective so it doesn't happen again. (Rev. Michael Beckwith in For The Love Of God by Shield and Carlson, p. 52)

******

There was a tragic nightclub fire in Brazil over the weekend.  Around 230 people died.  There was only one entrance/exit open. Fire extinguishers were inadequate. The band used pyrotechnics. Road flares in Brazil cost about one dollar. Flares that possibly could be used indoors, if someone wanted to take a chance of setting a building on fire cost, about $35.00 each. News reports this morning indicate that the cheaper road flares were used. As usual, in these nightclub fires, anywhere in the world, there is no lack of stupidity on the part of the club owners and the band members and the fire marshal.

Yesterday I repaired another of the books I'm reading each day, Leadership, by John C. Maxwell. The first ten pages were falling out of this one. I applied a thin stream of Elmer's glue and piled some boxes on top of the book.  This morning when I checked the project it appears to be a success.

I continued to add more information to HenthornFamily Wiki. Yesterday I made available a PDF of Recollections and Comments About Jackson Genealogy by Albert Geddes Macdonald.  It pleases me to be able to once again share some of the projects I accomplished in the past.

Mr. Dickie

30 January 2013

Yesterday

Yesterday Once More

The Carpenters

When I was young

I'd listened to the radio

Waitin' for my favorite songs

When they played I'd sing along

It made me smile

Those were such happy times

And not so long ago

How I wondered where they'd gone

But they're back again

Just like a long lost friend

All the songs I loved so well

(*) Every Sha-la-la-la

Every Wo-wo-wo

Still shines

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling

That they're starting to sing's

So fine

When they get to the part

Where he's breakin' her heart

It can really make me cry

Just like before

It's yesterday once more

Lookin' back on how it was

In years gone by

And the good times that I had

Makes today seem rather sad

So much has changed

It was songs of love that

I would sing to them

And I'd memorize each word

Those old melodies

Still sound so good to me

As they melt the years away

Repeat Chorus (*)

All my best memories

Come back clearly to me

Some can even make me cry

Just like before

It's yesterday once more

No matter what don't ever let yesterday use up too much of today. ... Life is too short to spend it being angry, bored, or dull. (Barbara Johnson in Promise Of Joy, p. 22) 29 January 2013

Travails and Tribulations

In a world where somebody may at any moment, rain on your parade; where if something can go wrong it is likely to; where you may, at any corner, be driven up the wall; in this kind of world gratitude comes to us in spite of travails and tribulations. (Lewis B. Smedes, A Pretty Good Person, p. 22) 28 January 2013

Authoritarian Personality

Rigidity of thought may lead the authoritarian as far as resorting to:

• personal insults
• ridicule and even
• physical violence

With authoritarians of any type:

• Rational and constructive discussion is virtually impossible
• Dialogue is never a pleasant or stimulating chance to learn something new or experience a different way of seeing things
• It is never a cooperative effort to reach agreement, beginning with mutual respect on each side
• It is usually perfunctory and abrupt
• [Any thinking person will say no thank you and retreat]

(after Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, The Sky's The Limit, p. 67)

27 January 2013

Violence

As long as there is violence there will be war. One cannot defeat violence with more violence, only with resistance to and non-participation in it. (Leturno in A Calendar Of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 29 December) 26 January 2013

Affirmations

Affirmations

• If I am morose and discontented, I will deliberately cultivate happy thoughts.
• If I am prone to criticize, I will seek out what is good and pleasing and fix my mind on that.
• I will replace my fruitless doubts and fears with faith and confidence.
• If I am bored, I will learn something new - even a new way to make the old chores more enjoyable.

(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 25 January)
25 January 2013

Respect Freedom

You should respect freedom in yourself, and in your neighbor, and in all people. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar Of Wisdom, 25 October) 24 January 2013

Emotional Drama

... often people don't feel alive unless they're experiencing emotional drama. (Rev. Michael Beckwith in For The Love Of God by Shield & Carlson, p. 53) 23 January 2013

Trust And Belief

We have been disappointed so often that we find it difficult to know who to trust and what to believe. (David Jeremiah, Journey, 21 January) 22 January 2013

Generosity

To cultivate the quality of generosity in your life, do the following:

1. Be grateful for whatever you have.
2. Put people first.
3. Don't allow the desire for possessions to control you.
4. See money as a resource.
5. Develop the habit of giving.

The only way to maintain an attitude of generosity is to make it your habit to give:

• your time
• attention
• money
• resources.

(John C. Maxwell, Leadership, 21 January)

******

I'm making good progress on the project to learn how to use my new FreePages account on RootsWeb. Yesterday I modified the HTML that I use at the top and bottom of each webpage to bring it up-to-date and make it work with FreePages URLs.  The next step is to select an old file that I want to share, make the necessary modifications and upload it to my FreePages.  Stay tuned for further progress reports.

Mr. Dickie

21 January 2013

Pain In The Neck

We change when the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of changing.
(Alcoholics Anonymous in Boundaries Face To Face by Cloud and Townsend, p. 26)
20 January 2013

Philosophy Of Life

Philosophy Of Life 

Creating a carefully constructed and passionate philosophy of life is not something modern people do. Today many blindly follow their clergy, their ideologies, their political leaders, and the press. Many get their life guidance from television and rarely have original thoughts about their experiences. Others may have many opinions based on the latest studies but generally have not worked out a deep vision. They are informed, but they haven't thought deeply enough. (Thomas Moore, Dark Nights Of The Soul, p. 29-30)

19 January 2013

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

Do not be afraid of the way your intellect calls into question old stories and legends. The pure intellect cannot destroy anything without replacing it with the truth: this is one of its essential qualities. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar Of Wisdom, 5 December) 18 January 2013

******

Yesterday former Library of Congress colleague Dave Naylor and I went to lunch in Bowie, MD and then attended the Bowie Seniors Computer Club (BSCC) meeting where the guest speaker was Stephen Deming of Microsoft.  Mr. Deming talked to the club twice before so I knew what to expect.  He is very knowledgeable and creates a good bond with his audience.  He discussed and demonstrated, Windows 8, the Surface tablet and the latest version of MS Office.

Mr. Dickie

18 January 2013

Don't Be One Of Them!

Photo by Corel

Some people live their entire lives never sharing what they discover about themselves or about life.

Others never explore these questions and never experience what the answers can uncover.

Don't be one of them!

(Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 21 November)

17 January 2013

Remember

The virtue of a person is measured not by his outstanding efforts, but by his everyday behavior. (Blaise Pascal in A Calendar Of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 21 November)

When you remember me,

• It means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. 
• It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. 
• It means that if we meet again, you will know me.  
• It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.
• For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. ...
• If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone.
• If you forget me, part of who I am will be gone.

(Frederick Buechner, Listening To Your Life, 16 January)

******

Yesterday I installed the third of three Serif programs I recently purchased, PhotoPlus X4.  This is a photo editor similar to Adobe Photoshop.

I found and downloaded a 21-page PDF titled, Working With Rootsweb FreePages Accounts by Patricia Geary.  I believe this document has all of the information I will need to start setting up my FreePages website on Ancestry.com. The Ancestry help pages leave a lot to be desired. It's very important to understand the folder structure on the host before starting.

Mr. Dickie
16 January 2013

Holistic Health

There are a few [medical practitioners] who are beginning to look seriously at the prospects for behavioral medicine and methods of teaching people to think, feel, and behave in healthy ways, from the very beginning of their lives. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, The Sky's The Limit, p. 27) 15 January 2013

******

Serif

Yesterday I installed the Serif program, WebPlus X5 on my computer.  I purchased the prior version at a discount from Serif.  This is a WYSIWYG HTML editor used to create and maintain web pages.

RootsWeb/FreePages

I received notification from RootsWeb that my request for FreePages web space has been approved.  My goal is to learn how to use this hosted genealogy space to post some of my genealogy data that was available on AOL prior to the fall of 2008.

Goals

My goals for 2013 are ambitious and the learning curve may be steep.

1. Master the use of the following programs:

• RootsMagic 5
• PhotoPlus X4
• PagePlus X5
• WebPlus X5

    2.  Create a website in the RootsWeb FreePages space.

Mr. Dickie

15 January 2013

Being Present

How can you expect to get what you want if you are not physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually present to receive them. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 23 December) 14 January 2013

Change

Things can change when the person experiencing the effects of the problem takes the initiative to resolve it. (Cloud & Townsend, Boundaries Face To Face, p. 16)

******

Serif had a good software sale, on older versions of their programs, at the end of the year.  One of the computer club members sent a heads-up Email.  I couldn't make up my mind whether I wanted to spend the money or not.  I waited until the last minute before deciding to order three programs for $15.00 each.

I purchased and downloaded:

• PagePlus X5 - installed on 12 January 2013
• WebPlus X5
• PhotoPlus X4

I'll be very busy in 2013 if I intend to master these three programs.  Stay tuned.

Mr. Dickie

13 January 2013

Blazing A Trail

Anyone can follow a path, but only a leader can blaze one.

(John C. Maxwell, Leadership, Intro)

12 January 2013

The Power Of Purpose

The Power of Purpose

A purpose will:

• motivate you
• keep your priorities straight
• develop your potential
• give you power to live in the present
• help you evaluate your progress

(John C. Maxwell, Leadership, 9 January)

Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one's aim. (John D. Rockefeller 1874-1960 in Pocket Positives)

11 January 2013

Leadership

Slick brochures and catchy slogans will never overcome incompetent leadership. (John C. Maxwell, Leadership, 2 January) 10 January 2013

Role Playing

Whatever role we play in life, we have to make decisions. Even when they seem trivial, they still carry ... [the potential to profoundly impact] our lives and those of others. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 18 August) 9 January 2013

Your Sense Of Identity

The Bridge of No Return - Panmunjom, Korea

To confine the entire sum of your personality and gifts within the boundaries of your current job is to put yourself in the precarious position of losing your sense of identity when your job changes. (Laurie Beth Jones, The Path, p. 9) 8 January 2013

When People Go Bad

... something bad happens to all of us when people go bad on us.

• Big-time brokers cheat on the system and defraud the people who trusted it. 
• Rich and powerful people betray the trust of little people. 
• Preachers of the gospel cheat their followers out of cash and hang out in scruffy brothels. 
• Political leaders violate the rules of their own game. 

And while the haves are stuffing their pockets with more, people living all around them have no homes and their children do not have enough to eat.

It makes us wonder: What sort of people are we getting to be?
(Lewis B. Smedes, A Pretty Good Person, p. 3)
7 January 2013

Do Your Best

Doing our best involves the following factors:

• giving our genuine attention to the task
• getting input from others on how to do the job
• asking God for insight
• following through on what we agreed to do
• managing our expectations of how well a project turns out

(Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 22 December)

6 January 2013

Freedoms

In future days, which we seek to make more secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential freedoms.

• The first is the freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
• The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in the world.
• The third is freedom from want.
• The fourth is freedom from fear.

(Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945, in Pocket Positives - For Our Times)

It's the start of 2013, how do you think we are doing?
Mr. Dickie
5 January 2013

Mission Statement

A mission statement is, in essence, a written-down reason for being - whether for a person, or for a company. It is the key to finding your path in life and identifying the mission you choose to follow. Having a clearly articulated mission statement gives one a template of purpose that can be used to initiate, evaluate, and refine all of one's activities. (Laurie Beth Jones, The Path, Introduction, p. xi) 4 January 2013

What Did You Say?

We all have different backgrounds, goals, motives, standards and hopes, and these can come into conflict when we find it difficult to communicate with each other. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 27 December) 3 January 2012

Leadership

If you are a leader, a lot of people depend on you:

• Family and friends need leaders who model purpose-driven lives.
• Children need leaders who help them reach their potential.
• Churches need leaders who chart the course and equip the saints.
• Businesses need leaders who build great places to work while making a profit.
• Communities need leaders who create a better place to live.
• [Governments need leaders who govern for the majority of the people.]

(after John C. Maxwell, Leadership, p. 9)

2 January 2013

Welcoming The New Year

This year is a book of clean blank pages on which I will write a record of my experiences and my growth through the daily following of my program. ... I can live my life only one day at a time.  Perhaps my confusion and despair are so great that I will have to take it one hour at a time, or one minute at a time, reminding myself constantly that I have authority over no life but my own. (One Day
At A Time In Al-Anon, 1 January)

******

2012 Reading Program

On December 31st, 2012 I completed my 2012 daily reading program when I finished nine books on that day.  In all I read thirty-three books during the year.

Ambrose, Stephen E. - Pegasus Bridge

Ambrose, Stephen E. - Citizen Soldiers

Ambrose, Stephen E. - D-Day, June 6, 1944

Andrews, Andy - The Traveler's Gift

Anonymous - Twenty-Four Hours A Day

Anonymous - One Day At A Time In Al-Anon

Anonymous - Touchstones

Arnold, Johann Christoph - Escape Routes

Barclay, William - The Revelation of John (Volume 2)

Barclay, William - The Revelation of John (Volume 1)

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich - The Cost of Discipleship

Canfield, Jack, et al. - Chicken Soup for the Father's Soul

Casey, Karen - Keepers of the Wisdom

Chopra, Deepak - The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

Clayton, Ashleigh Bryce - A Gentle Spirit

Creasy, William C. - The Imitation of Christ - Thomas 'A Kempis

Dyer, Wayne W. - Pulling Your Own Strings

Ehrman, Bart D. - God's Problem

King, Larry & Rabbi Irwin Katsof - Powerful Prayers

Kushner, Harold S. - The Lord Is My Shepherd

Miller, Michael - Cloud Computing

Murphy, Audie - To Hell And Back

Nakken, Craig - Finding Your Moral Compass

Ratey, John J. - Shadow Syndromes

Reich, Robert B. - Aftershock

Rooney, Andy - My War

Rule, Ann - Don't Look Behind You

Sachs, Jeffrey D. - The Price of Civilization

Tolstoy, Leo - A Calendar of Wisdom

Vanzant, Iyanla - Until Today!

Various Authors - Daily Guideposts - 2010

Various Authors - Daily Guideposts - 2011

Velez-Mitchell, Jane & Sandra Mohr - Addict Nation - An Intervention For America

Zacharias, Ravi - The End of Reason

2013 Reading Program

I selected twenty-five books for my 2013 daily reading program.  I've only read one of them before.  I'm aware that this is an ambitious goal.  I'm hopeful that my interest and my eyes will be equal to the task.

Anonymous - One Day At A Time In Al-Anon

Buechner, Frederick - Listening To Your Life

Carrington, Rebecca - Promises of Joy

Casey, Karen - Keepers of the Wisdom

Cloud, Dr. Henry & Dr. John Townsend - Boundaries Face To Face

Dyer, Dr. Wayne W. - The Sky's The Limit

Dyer, Dr. Wayne W. - The Power Of Intention

Feiler, Bruce - Learning To Bow

Griffith, Harry & Emily - This Love We Share

Jeremiah, David - Journey - Your Daily Adventure With God

Jones, Laurie Beth - The Path

Maxwell, John C. - Leadership - Promises For Every Day

Moore, Beth - Praying God's Word Day By Day

Moore, Thomas - Dark Nights Of The Soul

Pinkney, Maggie (Compiler) - Pocket Positives For Our Times

Sawyer, John F.A. - Isaiah Volume 2

Sheey, Gail - Understanding Men's Passages

Shield, Benjamin and Richard Carlson - For The Love Of God

Smedes, Lewis B. - A Pretty Good Person

Vanzant, Iyanla - Until Today!

Various Authors - The One Year Book Of Bible Readings

Various Authors - The Upper Room Disciplines - 2003

Various Authors - The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008

Various Authors - Daily Guideposts - 2012

Virtue, Doreen - I'd Change My Life If I Had Time

Blogging Recap

During 2012 I continued my interest in blogging.  I posted to Mr. Dickie's Blog and Arrow Prayers on 363 of the 365 days in the year.  Here's a recap for each of the four blogs, listing in order: 

• Blog name
• Current Number of Blog Views
• Number of Blog Posts

Mr. Dickie's Blog - 34500 - 1654

Arrow Prayers - 20729 - 2457

Henthorn Genealogy News - 51104 - 777

Henthorn Genealogy Obits - 20996 - 294

HenthornFamily Wiki

During the year I became interested in Wiki's and how they could be used for genealogy.  I created the HenthornFamily Wiki. Anyone interested in Henthorn genealogy is invited to contribute to the growth of the Wiki.

Best Wishes for the New Year

Mr. Dickie

1 Jan 2013