You don't want to go home for the holidays? This is why you should.

As some of you younger people are dreading going to your grandparents’ house because you want to be with your friends, let me tell you this and believe it or not. There will come a day when you would give anything to be sitting at that table eating and listening to all the corny stories they are telling.

You want to run with those friends instead of sitting with the best friends you will ever have. The ones who will always have your back. One day you won't have that table to sit at, and you will certainly miss it. So, if you still have that family, suck it up and do it because as you get older, that will be the most treasured days of your life!

Here are some questions to ask your grandparents and other family members. Write their answers down because you will forget them.

50 Questions to ask your grandparents (or your parents)

1.      What is your full name?

2.      Does your name have a special meaning?

3.      Who named you? Why did they name you that? Were you named after a person? Middle name?

4.      What was your maiden name?

5.      Did your name change over time? Why? (Did it change when you arrived in this country?)

6.      What is your ethnicity (or if a mix, name all of them)?

7.      Tell me all you know about your ancestors

8.      Did you build an ancestry/ family tree? Can I copy it?

9.      Did you have a nickname growing up?

10.   When were you born? Full date if known (day, moth, year)

11.   Where were you born? (town and state and country)

12.   Where did you grow up? (and which towns did you move around to)

13.   What kind of house did you grow up in? What was the neighborhood like?

14.   What education did you and your parents attain?

15.   Were your parents/grandparents well off or poor?

16.   What jobs did your parents have?

17.   What is the earliest memory that you have?

18.   What did you do for fun as a child?

19.   Did you have a favorite toy?

20.   What clothes were in fashion when you were young? [more questions below the photo]

21.   What was your first pet?

22.   How did you spend your time playing with friends?

23.   Did you play sports in school?

24.   What was your favorite school subject?

25.   What did you want to be when you grew up?

26.   Did you get into trouble when you were young? What did you do?

27.   What were your favorite foods?

28.   What did you eat on holidays or birthdays? Do you have old recipes for these foods?

29.   Which holidays did you celebrate? How did you celebrate it?

30.   Did your parents celebrate your birthday? How? What gifts do you recall?

31.   Did you get an allowance? How much was It and what did you spend it on?

32.   What were your first few jobs? What did you do, and do you remember how much you earned?

33.   What music did you grow up listening to?

34.   What was your first car?

35.   What Is the biggest lesson you learned from your parents?

36.   What Is different about growing up today than when you were a child?

37.   What was the best advice you received from your family?

38.   Did you ever win an award that you were proud of, and what was it for?

39.   What was the best advice you ever received from anyone?

40.   What’s your favorite memory of your dad? Your mom?

41.   What’s the best thing your dad/and mom taught you?

42.   What’s your favorite motto, quotation or saying? Where did you hear it?

43.   How did you meet your spouse?

44.   What was your toughest lesson learned in life?

45.   What traits do you have that your parents also had?

46.   Which side of the family do you most resemble?

47.      Have you written any of these old stories down?

48.      Can you write me some recipes in your handwriting?

49.      Do you have old photos that I can snap a pic of with my camera?

50.      What have I not asked that you want to talk about?

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Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

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40 Independence Days in America

This is my video from 2014, and still 100% applicable now. I did it impromptu after I finished speaking to the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State meeting in Illinois. Divisiveness has increased since I recorded this message, and I am still grateful. I am getting closer to 50 years in America. Do you agree with my assessment about how fortunate we are?

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Doctor Goes to Hospice, Writes a Letter Of Advice

Hi. I’m Habeeb Habeeb, and this is your inspirational minute.

John was a doctor. A couple of days before he died, John told people it was time to go to Hospice Care, where he died three days later. And he left this message:

"Please don't send flowers or be sad for me, I had a great life. Instead, give yourself the gift of having joy in life. Have a cookout. Fly a kite with your child. Forgive yourself for actions that happened in the past and move on. Live your life and love without fear of being hurt. Look for the good. Donate your time for a good cause. Look to make things a little better everywhere you go.

Don't waste time. The number one complaint I saw in my medical practice was not disease, it's loneliness - don't fall into the trap of thinking you have time to spare. Laugh more, and worry less.

If you want to remember me well, do a kind thing today, smile for a stranger, or be patient with someone struggling with their day.”

Wow! What great advice from a doctor. I don’t know if he was a Christian, but his advice sounds like Biblical advice. Don’t waste your days, instead do good unto others and have the joy of the Lord.

I’m Habeeb Habeeb. You can read more at HabeebHabeeb.com

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Optimism and Perspective

Don't you love optimism and a good perspective?

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Success Is Not Always What You See

What you see on social media is not necessarily success.

What you see in a marketing campaign is not necessarily success.

Success could be your grandma living a simple, honorable life with love and integrity.

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This Is What Great Bosses Do

This is what great bosses do. I give this a score of 10 out of 10.
The person who wrote this was a supervisor with a firm we partnered with.

Hugs to all the mommies and parents who work their buns off.

Maybe more bosses could write a letter like this one to their team’s children.

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The Devil Knows Your Name

The devil knows your name but he calls you by your sins. God knows your sins, but he calls you by your name.

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Parenting Hammock

We have all gone through this parenting hammock.

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A Servant Leader Does Not Love Power

A servant leader does not love power. A servant leader understands the power of love.

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When You Are In The Final Days

When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? This quote if from Max Lucado.

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Daddy, How much do you make per hour?

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"

SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "That's really none of your business. Why do you ask?"

SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"

DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."

SON: "Oh. (With his head down).

SON: "Daddy, can I please borrow $50?"

DAD: "REALLY?! If you're asking to borrow money for some silly toy or game, you can just march yourself straight to your room to think about why you're being so selfish. I work hard everyday to provide for this family, and this is the thanks I get?"

The little boy went quietly to his room and shut the door.

The dad sat down and started getting even angrier about his son's questions. "How dare he ask question like that just to get some money?" he stewed.

After an hour, the dad calmed down, and started to think: "Maybe there was something he really needed the $50 for? He doesn't ask for money often..."

So, the dad went to his son's door and opened it.

DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"

SON: "No daddy, I'm awake".

DAD: "I've been thinking, and maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling.

SON: "Oh, thank you daddy!"

Then, reaching under his pillow, the boy pulled out some crumpled-up dollar bills. When the dad saw the boy already had money, he started getting angry again as the little boy slowly counted out his money and looked up at his father.

DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"

SON: "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do. Daddy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and begged for his forgiveness through a stream of tears.

Just a reminder to all working so hard in life to not let time slip through our fingers without dedicating special time with those who matter most.

If we die tomorrow, the company we may work for could replace us in a matter of days.... but, loved ones we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives, having only precious memories to hold.

Priorities!

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Who's Your Daddy?

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg , TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, 'I hope he doesn't come over here.' But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.

'Where are you folks from?' he asked in a friendly voice.

' Oklahoma ,' they answered.

'Great to have you here in Tennessee ,' the stranger said.. 'What do you do for a living?'

'I teach at a seminary,' he replied.

'Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you.' And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, 'Great ... Just what I need ....another preacher story!'

The man started, 'See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?' Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'

He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?'

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.

Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?'

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy?'

'This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy.. 'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.'

With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.'

'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them , 'I'm a Child of God..''

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, 'Isn't that a great story?'

The professor responded that it really was a great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, 'You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!' And he walked away..

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over & asked her, 'Do you know who that man was -- the one who just left that was sitting at our table?'

The waitress grinned and said, 'Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee !'

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of God's children!

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His Eye Is On The Sparrow

The theme of the song is inspired by the words of David in the Psalms and Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye (Psalm 32:8). "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26) and "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29–31).

Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, said of her inspiration to write the song based on the scriptures:

Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.

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The Pickle Jar

The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom.

When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy, I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled.

I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar to admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window.

When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production. Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck.

Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. 'Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son. You’re going to do better than me. This old mill town’s not going to hold you back.' Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly. these are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life like me.'

We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm. When we get home, we’ll start filling the jar again.’ He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other. 'You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,' he said. 'But you'll get there; I'll see to that.

No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the mill, and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar.

To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me, when you finish college, Son, he told me, his eyes glistening, You'll never have to eat beans again - unless you want to.'

The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been removed.

A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words: he never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently than the most flowery of words could have done.

When I married, I told my wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me.

The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad’s arms. ‘She probably needs to be changed,’ she said, carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes.

She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the room. 'Look,' she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins..

I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins. With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak.

This truly touched my heart. Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse.

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The Baggage We Carry

This starts my 22nd year of teaching middle school. Yesterday was quite possibly one of the most impactful days I have ever had. I tried a new activity called “The Baggage Activity”. I asked the kids what it meant to have baggage and they mostly said it was hurtful stuff you carry around on your shoulders. I asked them to write down on a piece of paper what was bothering them, what was heavy on their heart, what was hurting them, etc. No names were to be on a paper. They wadded the paper up, and threw it across the room.  

They picked up a piece of paper and took turns reading out loud what their classmate wrote.  After a student read a paper, I asked who wrote that, and if they cared to share. 

I’m here to tell you, I have never been so moved to tears as what these kids opened up and about and shared with the class. 

Things like suicide, parents in prison, drugs in their family, being left by their parents, death, cancer, losing pets (one said their gerbil died cause it was fat, we giggled😁) and on and on. 

The kids who read the papers would cry because what they were reading was tough. The person who shared (if they chose to tell us it was them) would cry sometimes too. It was an emotionally draining day, but I firmly believe my kids will judge a little less, love a little more, and forgive a little faster. 

This bag hangs by my door to remind them that we all have baggage. We will leave it at the door. As they left I told them, they are not alone, they are loved, and we have each other’s back. 

I am honored to be their teacher.

(By George Murray)

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Tribute to America on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

My tribute to America in today's newspaper (a full 2-page center spread): "Thank you America: forever thankful, forever grateful. This world is STILL a beautiful world, and America is STILL a wonderful country. If we look for the good, we shall find it."

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When things Get Tough

This is a post I just read and wanted to share, a true story. I think many can relate to it:

"I was laid off from a job I loved yesterday. It was 10 minutes before picking up my three elementary school children, in fact. Blindsided. Gut punched. Devastated.

As a newly single father, I cherish every moment with my kiddos. However, when my 8 year old asked me why I wasn't more excited to see her, I knew then and there I needed to be resilient. So, I smiled, hugged her close, and we did our routine. Cheer practice, parent teacher night, dinner and homework. All the while, I felt every lingering self doubt about my abilities imaginable deep in my gut. But I had to be resilient. After I tucked them in, I laid out their clothes, made their lunches, and checked on them one more time, I finally let it all sink in. I was unemployed.

I really wanted to wallow. Feel sorry for myself. But there is no time for that. I continue to teach my kids (both at home and at work), that it's defeat that really defines us. That grit, and yes resiliency can determine what happens next. So I made some calls. Reached back out to recruiters. Talked to old friends. Essentially, figure out the next steps for my family. Because at the end of the day, I can't talk about forging forward unless I'm willing to do the same. Eventually, I will share with my kids about this night. That it wasn't about suppressing emotion, or muting my feelings. It was about finding my inner resolve to push through even when I didn't want to.

I don't know what my future will lead. There will be time to mope later. Have a drink. But for now, I will hunt hard for my next role. I will be tenacious. I will be fearless. I will be resilient.

I hope you will too.

(true story, a post Tony Teshara on LinkedIn)

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I Hope You Fall In Love With Being Alive Again

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Our lives fly by at warp speed. Let’s make every day count! #NoRegrets

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