May you always have work for your hands to do.

May your pockets hold always a coin or two.

May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.

May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.

May the hand of a friend always be near you.

And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.”



- Irish blessing

Veteran's Day

I was posting on The Knot this afternoon while at work and the following post came up.

"List the Veterans in your life, living or not."

My list is pretty long, so here goes.

• Lambert Rebstock (mom's uncle)- WWII, POW in Japan
• 4 older Rebstock brothers, Matthew Mark Luke & John (we're Catholic can ya tell?, also mom's uncles)- WWII, died in action
• Walter Ditman- (mom's dad) WWII US Army
• Grandpa Ditman- (mom's grandfather) US Army
• Joseph Clark- (dad's dad) WWII US Navy
• Uncle Walter- (dad's uncle) WWII US Air Force
• Daniel Clark- (dad) Vietnam, US Air Force
• Zach Lang- (cousin) soon to be serving, US Navy
• Jason Schultz- (drew's best friend) currently serving & stationed in Iraq, US Army
• Danny DeArmond- (my friend Julie's brother) currently serving, US Air Force
• Karl Jacobs- (former boss/mentor) Vietnam, US Army
• John Poi- (dad's friend) Vietnam, US Army
• Vance Munsen- (dad's friend) Vietnam, Marine Corps
• Len Pietrusciewicz- (dad's friend) WWII, US Navy

Reading this list makes me cry. There are no words to express how grateful I am for the sacrifices these men made and are still making. I am truly humbled to consider them my family and my friends.

1908

I got this email from one of my friends at work. It's very interesting to see what a difference we've made over the last 100 years!


THE YEAR 1908This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1908.One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :
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• The average life expectancy was 47 years.
• Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
• The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
• The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.
• Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead , they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
• Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
• The American flag had 45 stars.
• The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
• Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
• Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroinclears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." Shocking? DUH!
• Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over the world in a matter of seconds!Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

IT STAGGERS THE MIND!