I got this as an email and I just had to share it.
Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the
luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned
seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm
glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will
get a short nap,' I thought.
Just before take-off,
a line of soldiers came down the aisle and
filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding
me. I decided to start a conversation.
'Where are you headed?'
I asked the soldier seated nearest to
me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two
weeks for special training, and then we're being
deployed to Afghanistan
After
flying for about an hour, an announcement was
made that sack lunches were available for five
dollars. It would be several hours before we
reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch
would help pass the time...
As I reached for my
wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if
he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems
like a lot of money for just a sack lunch.
Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks.
I'll wait till we get to base.'
His friend agreed.
I looked around at the
other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked
to the back of the plane and handed the flight
attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a
lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my
arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with
tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in
Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for
him.'
Picking up ten
sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the
soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and
asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or
chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied,
wondering why she asked. She turned and went to
the front of plane, returning a minute later
with a dinner plate from first class.
'This is your thanks.'
After we finished
eating, I went again to the back of the plane,
heading for the rest room.
A
man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to
be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me
twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned
to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down
the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he
walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but
noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my
side of the plane. When he got to my row he
stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I
want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my
seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand.
With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier
and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought
me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never
forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was
heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the
front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A
man who was seated about six rows in front of me
reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He
left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed I
gathered my belongings and started to deplane.
Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man
who stopped me, put something in my shirt
pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a
word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the
terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their
trip to the base. I walked over to
them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It
will take you some time to reach the
base.
It
will be about time for a sandwich. God
Bless You.'
Ten young
men left that flight feeling the love and
respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to
my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe
return. These soldiers were giving their all for
our country. I could only give them a couple of
meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone
who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank
check made payable to 'The United States of
America ' for an amount of 'up to and
including my life.'
That is Honor, and
there are way too many people in this country
who no longer understand it.'
San Francisco Skyline

This is a Tip of The Hat to Sandee, my Former Co-Author and blog wizard.
I've been in my own boat sitting out in this water looking at this view. Awesome!-Sandee.

MY HAMMERED DULCIMER

There are various Hammered Dulcimer postings from YouTube of different tunes, and NO I AM NOT PLAYING ANY OF THESE TUNES.Maybe some day when I have the equipment to do so.I have included a link to my You Tube Channel.I invite you to go and watch any of my videos on the site also check out some of the different channels I subscribe to.

ABOUT THE HAMMERED DULCIMER
The hammered dulcimer is an ancient trapezoidal musical instrument played by striking the strings with wooden hammers.
Originating in the Middle East about 2000 years ago, English soldiers brought the instrument back to England after their failed attempt to conquer Persia during the Crusades about 1000 years ago. Dulcimers have many names in many lands: santur in the Middle East, yang q'in in China, hackbrett in Austria, zither in Germany, and cymbalom in Hungary. The name "dulcimer" is derived from Latin, meaning "sweet sound". Hammered dulcimers were popular in England during the reign of James I, when the Bible was translated into English as the King James Bible. The dulcimer was mentioned in the Book of Daniel 3:5 among other instruments "..the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music..." The dulcimer was later mechanized to become what we now know as the harpsichord which later evolved in the piano.
Originating in the Middle East about 2000 years ago, English soldiers brought the instrument back to England after their failed attempt to conquer Persia during the Crusades about 1000 years ago. Dulcimers have many names in many lands: santur in the Middle East, yang q'in in China, hackbrett in Austria, zither in Germany, and cymbalom in Hungary. The name "dulcimer" is derived from Latin, meaning "sweet sound". Hammered dulcimers were popular in England during the reign of James I, when the Bible was translated into English as the King James Bible. The dulcimer was mentioned in the Book of Daniel 3:5 among other instruments "..the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music..." The dulcimer was later mechanized to become what we now know as the harpsichord which later evolved in the piano.

THE BLOG ROLLS.
IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS PAGE LOAD EASIER I MOVED THE BLOG ROLLS TO A SEPARATE BLOG, THE BLOG ROLLS CAN BE FOUND HERE AT G.C.R.S. BLOGROLLS.

THE SERENITY PRAYER

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen. - Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

WHEN I'M HAVING A BAD DAY.

WHEN EVERYTHING IS JUST TOO MUCH, I WILL BE HIDING, PLAYING MY GAMES AND STAYING IN MY OWN LITTLE WORLD.

HEY MIKEY,THIS MEANS YOU!!
IF IT IS NOT BROKEN DO NOT TRY TO FIX IT MIKEY, YOU GOOF! - SIGNED ME
Mike - Take the word DELETE out of your vocabulary. Big hug... Sandee
Mike - Take the word DELETE out of your vocabulary. Big hug... Sandee

NATIONAL SUICIDE PROVENTION LIFELINE
With Help Comes Hope
Veterans Hotline & Online Chat
Are you a veteran in emotional distress? Please call 1-800-273-TALK and press 1 to be routed to the Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline.
OR Veterans chat live with a counselor.
Are you in crisis? Please call 1-800-273-TALK
Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.
I URGE ANYONE THAT NEEDS TO MAKE THIS CALL TO PLEASE DO SO.YOU ARE A PRECIOUS HUMAN BEING,YOU ARE SOMEONE'S LOVED ONE. GOD KNOWS WE ALL GO THROUGH A CRISIS AND NEED THE HELP.PLEASE CHOOSE LIFE!
I URGE ANYONE THAT NEEDS TO MAKE THIS CALL TO PLEASE DO SO.YOU ARE A PRECIOUS HUMAN BEING,YOU ARE SOMEONE'S LOVED ONE. GOD KNOWS WE ALL GO THROUGH A CRISIS AND NEED THE HELP. PLEASE CHOOSE LIFE.
THIS IS HERE TO REMIND ME AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE THAT LIFE IS IMPORTANT.
Veterans Hotline & Online Chat
Are you a veteran in emotional distress? Please call 1-800-273-TALK and press 1 to be routed to the Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline.
OR Veterans chat live with a counselor.
Are you in crisis? Please call 1-800-273-TALK
Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.
I URGE ANYONE THAT NEEDS TO MAKE THIS CALL TO PLEASE DO SO.YOU ARE A PRECIOUS HUMAN BEING,YOU ARE SOMEONE'S LOVED ONE. GOD KNOWS WE ALL GO THROUGH A CRISIS AND NEED THE HELP.PLEASE CHOOSE LIFE!
I URGE ANYONE THAT NEEDS TO MAKE THIS CALL TO PLEASE DO SO.YOU ARE A PRECIOUS HUMAN BEING,YOU ARE SOMEONE'S LOVED ONE. GOD KNOWS WE ALL GO THROUGH A CRISIS AND NEED THE HELP. PLEASE CHOOSE LIFE.
THIS IS HERE TO REMIND ME AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE THAT LIFE IS IMPORTANT.

Blog Changes
Since I have decided to shut down Both Mike's Place and Loonytoon Central, Music Monday/Mondays Music Moves Me, Thursdays Tune, 5 On Friday, Feline Friday and the Google Doodles will now all be here.

The Blogger's Prayer
Lord help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.

IF YOU WANT TO SHARE ANY POSTINGS
ANYONE IS WELCOME TO TAKE THE STUFF POSTED HERE TO SHARE ON YOUR SITE. ALL I ASK IS A TIP OF THE HAT AND A LINK BACK. UNLESS I SAY HANDS OFF THIS POSTING!!!

Sunday, November 14, 2010
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10 comments:
That's very touching Mike. Glad you shared it.
Mike this is a wonderful story...just wonderful. It brought tears to my eyes when I read the part about honor...it's so so true!!
We are so scared this time for Bill. It will be his 3rd tour and he has already been to the special training thing. So it's just a matter of time!!
Thanks for posting this!!
Hugs,
Jackie:-)
Mari,when I got this email,I could not finshi reading it without tears in my eyes.Yes big men do cry.
Shinade,I pray that ALL out Fighting Men and Women come home safely.
Wow, Mike, I loved this story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Blessings and prayers for you today.
Charlotte
Love and honor that is so amazing!
Charlotte,thank you for stopping by,I am glad you enjoyed this one.Blessing and Prayers to you and your family.
Wanda's Wings,yes it is.
With several friends and family in the military, I too had tears in my eyes. I pray for my beloveds, Shinades, and others for safety and provision from God. Thank you for a sweet smile for Spiritual Sunday.
Kaye,thank you for stopping by.Right now we do not have any of our family that aremilitary members that I know of,I do kkep out military in my prayers that God keeps them safe.
great story Mike. Thanks for sharing it....Have a great weekend.
Sarah,I'm glad you enjoyed this one.
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WELCOME TO GOLCH CENTRAL WHERE COMMENTS ARE WELCOME. THAT BEING SAID GO AHEAD AND MAKE MY DAY! GIVE ME A COMMENT, EVEN IF YOU LEAVE A NEGATIVE ONE. THE ONLY COMMENTS THAT WILL BE DELETED ARE SPAMMERS AND PERSONAL ATTACKS ON ME. I ANSWER YOUR COMMENTS, SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT I SAID COME BACK FOR A VISIT. Be kind and NO SPAM or personal attacks as those comments will never see the light of day on this blog! AS ALWAYS I'M GRATEFUL THAT YOU STOPPED BY.