BRIGHT SIDE ARCHIVES FROM AOL: FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13TH, 2006

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

DECEMBER 13TH,2006

TODAY'S THOUGHT

At Christmas, all roads lead home.

Marjorie Holmes

TODAY’S ACTION

Pledge to maintain all year the warmth of love and cordiality generated by this Christmas season

TODAY’S QUOTE

Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself.

Norman W. Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas"

HAPPY WEDNESDAY

It was a warm day yesterday, but windy and the sun didn’t shine much! I’m just thankful it stopped snowing and we have this nice break in the weather . After all Winter doesn’t begin until 8 days from now.

Today we may see some rain. If it doesn’t rain, I may have to take the car to the car wash it is very white yet from the road salt last week. I’d like to do it on a sunny day so that it will stay clean for at least one day.

Have a great day all ! Another wonderful one on the Way !

Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

TODAY IS…GET A NEW CALENDAR DAY!

How did the days get their name?

The Romans named each of them after a planet.

Sunday - named for the Sun

Monday - named for the Moon

Tuesday - named for the god of war

Wednesday - named for the god of peace

Thursday - named for the god of lightening

Friday - named for the goddess of love

Saturday - named for the god of harvest

And... it's time to get a new one for next year!

TODAY’S TRIVIA

Today is Count the La's in "Deck the Halls" Day, so you can tell everybody you know how many la's there are. Be careful: don't count the fa's.

Today is National Cocoa Day

Today is New Calendar Day, time to pick up the 2007 model

Today is Santa Lucia Day in Sweden

1835: Phillips Brooks was born in Boston. He became an American Episcopal clergyman and produced ten books of sermons. But most remember the song he wrote in 1868 for the children of his Sunday School, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

1843: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, was first published

1903 Wright Brothers make 1st flight at Kittyhawk

1978: The U.S. issued the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the first U.S. coin to honor a woman. It still circulates, but not much.

TODAY’S CHRISTMAS TRIVIA

St. Lucia's Day St. Lucia (also called Lucy) was a fourth-century Italian martyr. Her name is derived from the Latin lux, meaning "light," so she has become associated with festivals and celebrations of light. Before the Gregorian calendar reform in 1752, her feast day occurred on the shortest day of the year (hence the saying "Lucy light, Lucy light, shortest day and longest night").

St. Lucia Day is especially important in Italy and in Sweden, where the youngest daughter dons a crown of burning candles and wakes the family with coffee and St. Lucia buns (sweet rolls seasoned with saffron).

Question: Charleston, South Carolina's Spoleto Festival is a world-famous celebration of art and music. What noted composer introduced the festival?

Answer: Gian-Carlo Menotti, famous especially for his Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors

TODAY’S RECIPE

Yesterday someone asked if I had a recipe for Ambrosia as it was mentioned in the Daily Trivia

Here is a nice easy one that I found

1 can (20 oz. size) pineapple chunks, drained

1 can (11 oz. size) mandarin oranges; drained

1 1/2 cup seedless green grapes

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup vanilla yogurt

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately or chill several hours

(You can use sour cream instead of the yogurt)

TODAY’S CHRISTMAS SMILE

There was once a man who didn't believe in the incarnation or the spiritual meaning of Christmas, and was skeptical about God.

He and his family lived in a farm community. His wife was a devout believer . One snowy Christmas eve she was taking the kids to the Christmas eve service at church. She pleaded with him to come, but he firmly refused.

He ridiculed the idea of the incarnation of Christ and After they left, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As he looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.

After awhile he looked out to see a flock of geese out in the cold. He had compassion for them and wanted to help them.

He thought to himself, "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the

Starting to get frustrated, he went over and tried to shoo them, run after them, and chase them toward the barn. They only got scared and scattered into every direction except toward the barn.

Not Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me! Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm! How can I possibly get them into the one place to save.

He stood silently for a moment as the words that he just said reverberated back to himself in his mind: "If only I could become like one of them -- then I could save them."

He thought about this

As the winds and blinding snow abated, his heart became quiet and pondered this thought. He understood what Christmas was all about. He knew why Christ had come.

Unknown

TODAY’S LINK

THE SNOW GLOBE

http://ww12.e-tractions.com/snowglobe/globe.htm

TODAY’S WORD

No·ël also No·el

noun

1. Christmas.

2. A Christmas carol.

TODAY’S REFLECTION

When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law

Galatians 4:4

During this Christmas season, it’s good to keep a firm grip on the reality of Easter. While the two events are celebrated at different times and in very different ways, they are both integral parts of God’s initiative in His grand plan of salvation.

The stable in Bethlehem and the cross of Calvary remind us that “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son . . . to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).

Christmas is coming—and so is Easter.

Our Daily Bread

http://www.rbc.org

TODAY’S ADVICE FROM THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

A barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion.

8 DAYS UNTIL WINTER !

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your Heart

Psalm 37:4

I Love You All !!!

Be Blessed !!!

MY HOMEPAGE

I believe we should live ‘ON THE BRIGHT SIDE’