Charisma!

This was taken from a book I am currently reading, "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader... Becoming the Person Others will want to Follow"...

The Cleverest in England

During the second half of the nineteenth century, two strong men vied for leadership of Great Britain’s government: William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli. The two politicians were intense rivals. You can detect how they felt about each other based on a comment once made by Disraeli: “The difference between a misfortune and a calamity? If Gladstone fell into the Thames (River), it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, it would be a calamity.”

Many people believe that Gladstone, leader of the Liberal Party for three decades, personified the best qualities of Victorian England. A career public servant, he was a great orator, a master of finance, and a staunchly moral man. He was made prime minister of the United Kingdom four different times, the only person in the nation’s history to achieve that honor. Under his leadership, Great Britain established a national education system, instituted parliamentary reform, and saw the vote given to a significant number of people in the working classes.

Benjamin Disraeli, who served twice as prime minister, had a different kind of background. In his thirties, he entered politics and built a reputation as a diplomat and social reformer. But his greatest accomplishment was masterminding Great Britain’s purchase of shares in the Suez Canal.

Though both men accomplished much for Britain, what really separated them as leaders was their approach to people. The difference can be best illustrated by a story told by a young woman who dined with the two rival statesmen on consecutive nights. When asked her impression of them, she said, “When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.” Disraeli possessed a quality that drew people to him and made them want to follow him. He had charisma!

I don’t know about you, but I know I want to be just like Mr. Disraeli. When others are around me, I want THEM feel clever, special, loved and valued.

Beware of Dogsitter!

Okay... so I am more than a little concerned about my dogsitter. I think she has gone off the deep end this time. She claims she makes him happy when she's there and that he really enjoys being dressed up, but come on, now, does he look happy? You be the judge!

Oh - and why is he on my couch? I can't decide if the look on his face is because he is afraid of this doggy-dress-up time with the dogsitter or if it's because he knows mama 'aint gonna be happy when I see that he has been on the couch! :0

Ten Things I Love About You!

So, a few weeks ago, my family started a daily ritual at the dinner table. What we realized was - the dinner table can too often times become a place for "complaining" about our days/weeks. We tend to bring all the "stuff" from our days to the dinner table and unleash it all. Okay - NOT HEALTHY! So, we decided to try something different. Every evening at the dinner table we start with prayer and then go around the table sharing one thing we love about each other. It can be anything at all! Just spending time appreciating one another is such a great booster and has really worked for us! I decided to come up with a 'top ten' list for the members of my family and would like to share them...

10 Things I love about - TREVOR
- Your sense of humor
- Your honesty (even when it hurts)
- Your patience (even though you don't think this one is true!)
- Your constant support
- Your devotion to our family and marriage
- Your humbleness
- Your generosity
- Your calming spirit
- Your helpfulness
- For being my best friend and confidant!

10 Things I love about - CHLOE
- Your sense of humor
- The way you light up the room!
- Your giggle
- Your spunky personality (I bet you get this from your dad!)
- Your cuddles at nighttime and in the morning
- Your generosity
- Your happy spirit
- Your thoughtfulness
- Your contagious joy
- Your smile!

Thank you for being my FAMILY! I thank God every day of my life for both of you. I don't know where I'd be without you...

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Okay - I must be the world's worst daughter! In the midst of my own "stuff" I TOTALLY forgot that today was my parents anniversary! I cannot believe it! It's been 35 wonderful years for them today and I totally blew it! Mom...Dad... if you're reading this - please forgive me.

But really - I have two of the most incredible parents on the PLANET EARTH and I am grateful to them in more ways than I can count! They are truly a blessing to mine and my family's lives! I am thankful to them for their love and support and encouragement over the past 33 years! For their patience and guidance and understanding. For always being on my side - NO MATTER WHAT!

Happy Anniversary mom and dad - I LOVE YOU!!!

Quotes...

I received this in an email yesterday afternoon and I really enjoyed these and wanted to share them...

"The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child." Joe Houldsworth

"There is no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." Doctor Who

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare and compete, everybody will respect you." Lao Tzu

"You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing." Michael Pritchard

and my FAVORITE...

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; Perfection is God's business." Michael J. Fox

First Day of School!

It's hard to believe that my BABY (and I say this very quietly so Chloe doesn't hear me call her this) is in First Grade this year! Where does the time go? Someone once told me that time would FLY once I had kids... I never would have believed it until I sent her into that big girl school all by herself just one year ago.

This is Chloe's first grade year and that certainly means a lot of "frists" for her. The first time she will eat in the big cafeteria with her class... the first time she will actually have an art class outside of her regular classroom... the first time she will have homework (four nights a week of math is what I heard today!) It's a milestone year for her and I thank God every day for blessing my life with this remarkable daughter! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her life this year!

I love you, baby!