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On The Bricks

December 29, 2017

E.E. Cummings said, “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” He is someone that would be fun to sit and visit with on the patio.

“Psychology confirms that when people have fun, the brain releases feel good chemicals such as oxytocin and dopamine, leading to feelings of bonding with people,” according to an article in the Toastmaster magazine. Author Scott Christopher refers to a 9.1 million person study by the Great Place to Work Institute that “made the connection between the top places to work and the amount of fun employees have. Studies show that fun in the workplace can increase profits and employee camaraderie, lower absenteeism and reduce workplace conflict.”

So, grouchy people need to work alone and not have anything to do with customers. That’s tough to make happen. But we can decide not to be grouchy. It is true. I know it is because I see people who blame all sorts of things and people for their bad attitude, but then there are lots of people who have worse problems that don’t have bad attitudes. So, it’s in the decision on whether you’re going to be a grump or not.

Look up Shaquem Griffin. A recent Sports Illustrated magazine featured him as a “Best Inspiration” article. As a very young boy he lost a hand. And yet he is a leading college football player in the nation. The article said, “Shaquem hated hearing excuses. ‘A lot of people in our generation like to make excuses about little things that really don’t hinder them from doing what they want to do,’ Griffin says. ‘It always comes down to the work ethic. God put you on the earth for a purpose. I feel like my purpose is to get away from people making excuses.’ That’s why Shaquem declined a disabled parking permit even though he’s eligible for one.

‘It’s not a deformity unless you make it one,’ he says. ‘You’re not disabled unless you say ‘I’m disabled.’

“Shaquem’s platform will get bigger next year, when he gets his shot at the NFL. At some point during the predraft process, a league general manager will take one look at Shaquem’s left arm and say, ‘No. Not him.’

“That will only open an opportunity for another team to land a player who won’t stop until he proves all his doubters wrong.”

All this means we need to start being more positive and have more fun.

And we need to quit making excuses for not doing so.

A couple other things to put on the “Quit List” are to stop trying to please everyone, stop fearing change, stop living in the past, stop putting yourself down, and stop overthinking. Lots of things for us to work towards. But remember, according to Shaquem, who puts us all to shame, it’s all in the work ethic. Let’s work on it.

A couple of excellent working groups that have things coming up you might enjoy is TCEC and the Guymon Lions.

On Thur., Jan. 11, during the lunch hour, noon to 1, go by Charles White Insurance at 1024 N. Main Street for the Co-Op Connections Spotlight. You can sign up for the drawing for $100 in Main Bucks. You can spend your Main Bucks at Beauty and the Beast, Bob’s Cowboy Bar, Chamber of Commerce, Cheryl’s Quilt Corner, Christine’s Home Furnishings, Dancers, Dizzy Bs, G & G Electronics, GABS Liquor Store, Garrison Insurance Agency, Golden Crown, Guymon Furniture, Harana MedSpa, Helm’s Garden Shop, Inspirations, Lumber Mart, Maddox Farms, Merle Norman, Mitchell Theaters (Northridge Cinema), Panhandle Pest Control, Pub on the Bricks, Reid’s Furniture, Roberts and Keenan, SPC, Top Value Grocery Store, Urban Bru, Whispering Bliss Boutique, Willows Inn, Wirtz Lumber, Wolf Creek Mini-Mall. The Co-Op Connections Spotlight is done by TCEC, highlighting the deals you can get through the program. Go see all the opportunities by visiting www.TCEC.coop.

The Lions Chili and Stew Supper is Jan. 16 at the Methodist Enrichment Center, 6th and Quinn, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. The cost is $7 for an adult, $5 for kids from 5 to 8 years old and free for kids under 4. And don’t miss out on the homemade pies!

Lots of fun to be on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

December 28, 2017

The end of 2017 is near and it could be known for many things.

I read an article in the Rotarian magazine about the year 2016 and what it is known for. The article had an interesting title and some good points to ponder. I’m going to share some of these points from the article “Could be Worse: When the Story Seems Grim, Rewrite the Ending.”

The author, Frank Bures, says, “The idea that 2016 was the worst year ever started circulating after several celebrity deaths (Prince, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen) were followed by an election that did not go the way many people wanted it to. After that, the worst – year – ever meme became unstoppable, and in 2017, the drumbeat of decline has not stopped.

“Offhand, I can think of a lot of things that are worse than a cold winter day: the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 1929 stock market crash, the Bataan Death March. But it’s true that things do feel worse than they actually are. Part of the reason lies in the 24 – hour news cycle and it’s never – ending flow of bad news.

“As writer Jia Tolentino put it in The New Yorker, ‘There is no limit to the amount of misfortune a person can take in via the Internet, and there’s no easy way to properly calibrate it. …Our ability to change things is not increasing at the same rate as our ability to know about them.’

“Contrary to what you might think, violence is at all – time lows, as is the rate of global poverty. War deaths are fewer than ever in history. On most indicators where you might think progress is not being made, the opposite is probably true.

“Nicholas Kristof recently pointed out in a column in The New York Times: ‘2017 is likely to be the best year in the history of humanity.’ He continued, ‘Every day, another 250,000 people graduate from extreme poverty, according to World Bank figures about 300,000 get electricity for the first time. Some 285,000 get their first access to clean drinking water. When I was a boy, a majority of adults had always been illiterate, but now more than 85% can read.’

“Likewise, Steven Pinker said stated in his book that the world is not more violent, more racist, more genocidal, or more unjust than in the past. He documented long – term declines in homicides, as well as massive gains in education, health, and wealth. He showed that diseases are not spiraling out of control. None who which is to say that things are perfect or that our progress is permanent. But the world is far more perfect than it used to be.

“Yet many of us have given in to a pessimism, a hopelessness, a sense that things are going from bad to worse. Minnesota winters notwithstanding, it was shocking how many people rushed to declare 2016 the worst year ever, when in fact it was one of the best.\

“This disconnect between perception and reality was noted by sociologist Barry Glassner …. He explored the growing distance between the things we fear and the reality of those threats. Throughout the 1990s, people became more afraid of crime, even as crime rates were falling. Other threats, such as road rage and child abduction, proved wildly overblown, while others – the satanic cult scare and Y2K, for instance – turned out to the entirely fictional.

“…The stories we tell ourselves matter, and what we see around us often says more about our inner world than our outer one. All lives have positive and negative things that happen in them. But it’s about how you take time and draw connections.

“Stories are contagious, and negative stories even more so. But it matters for other reasons too. One reason is that a negative outlook doesn’t let us acknowledge the accomplishments of those who are doing good work: people fighting to eliminate polio, or end child marriages, or combat global warming, or conserve our water, or educate our children.

“But the most important reason is the simple fact that no problem has ever been solved by people who didn’t think it was possible to solve it. When we let the negative memes take over – when we consume them over and over online – they create a cage of despair from which we can’t see an escape.

“Look around you and write a new story that reflects the world as you want it to be.”

See you on the bricks … and be sure to tell me about your new story.

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On The Bricks

December 22, 2017

Your choices can make a difference to a lot of people. If you choose locally owned businesses for your shopping, you are supporting the people who support the schools your children and grandchildren are in, the programs that are set up for you and your friends and family. You are also helping to make paychecks for friends and neighbors of yours and supporting local banks and their employees.

It goes on and on, does this ripple effect. The taxes paid locally pay for the water and streets that you use, not that someone else uses. So, if you like to spend your money in other towns, don’t be complaining about your hometown streets or water system. You’re part of that problem.

But rather than be negative, let’s talk about the positive things that happen when you shop locally.

You benefit from expertise if you go in the store, rather than shopping online. And you hear the advice from people you can go back to. There is a face moisturizer that is wonderful with my very sensitive and very old skin. Paige at Beauty and the Beast special orders it for me … and not only that, she special orders it so that she has it there BEFORE I run out. When I walk in the door, she already has it on the counter by the time I get there. That’s customer service.

That’s shopping local. You can save time and get the right thing by relying on the local retailer.

You connect with the community.

Shopping locally means bumping into friends, enjoying lively conversations in the store, and trading neighborhood news with the people behind the counter. Local businesses make communities work.

You strengthen our local economy.

One study says that compared to Amazon, independent retailers create twice as many jobs for the same amount of revenue. Local retailers hire local people, pay local taxes, and source goods locally. When you shop local, you expand opportunities where you live.

You cast a vote for the American Dream.

Starting a small business has long been a pathway to the middle class. By supporting local entrepreneurs, you invest in a future that works for all of us.

Places with more small businesses have less income inequality, which means your community does better for its citizens.

In places with more local businesses, people have stronger social ties and participate more in civic affairs.

So, where do you choose to invest your dollars?

Be honest.

You aren’t going to be held accountable to anyone but yourself, so don’t let me or anyone else make you feel guilty where you spend the money that you worked hard to earn. But ponder it and be honest with yourself.

And I’ll see you on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

December 20, 2017

None of us is perfect.

Once again, I’m going to retell a story that was printed in the Toastmaster magazine. Although I am going to cut out about half of it because I don’t want you to quit reading and it is a little long.

The article is about a pharmacist who eventually began to be a public speaker / leadership coach. His name is Glen Savage.

“I was born with a hereditary hand tremor. I came to believe that if I spoke to a group, the audience would be distracted by the tremor and assume I was a shivering bag of nerves and it would affect trust and credibility. That is what I’d much later come to learn was a limiting belief.

“My confidence in speaking was pretty low, and my doctor stepped in with beta-blockers to stop the tremor when needed. That was helpful, except I then had another limiting belief that I couldn’t speak unless I took a tablet.

“Then I explored all of this with a great Neuro – Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach. I discovered that my beliefs were just beliefs – a way of thinking that was inhibiting me. I developed a newer, healthier belief that I could speak and train without tablets and the tremor didn’t matter. My NLP coach helped me focus on the possibility that people would be interested in what I had to say and the benefit I could deliver. I haven’t taken a beta – blocker in over 15 years. People do in fact listen to me. And no one has ever commented on my tremor.

“Focus on the audience, rather than yourself. If you take on the mindset that you have something others deserve to hear, you’ll speak stronger and deliver more benefit. It’s all about the message and not about you. If they happen to like you, that’s just a bonus.”

These things are so true. When we focus on something that we don’t like about ourselves, we start to believe that everyone notices the same thing when it is likely that nobody does. When I was a freshman in high school, the dentist pulled my front four upper teeth and put in fake ones, they call it “an appliance”. It corrected an overbite that I thought was very unattractive.

Nobody knew I was getting my teeth pulled and the appliance was put in right after the teeth came out. I had pizza for supper that night. After the weekend, we had school and nobody said a word to me about my new teeth. But I knew, and I smiled more. Finally, one girl said, “Did you do something different, Melyn? Cut your hair?” She had no idea. And she’s the only one who said anything.

It was an awakening for me. Not everybody was as focused as I was on me. And it probably would have been a lot happier life before had I not been so focused on my bad points, too. So, give yourself a break. Everybody isn’t watching you when you walk in to the room. I promise. They aren’t. Everybody isn’t noticing that your clothes are kind of old or your shoes don’t match or that you don’t have on earrings. Honestly, people really don’t care.

But they do notice if you smile. And they notice if you talk to them.

So maybe those are the things we should be focusing on. Take a gander and think about your limiting beliefs. And be realistic.

And I’ll see you on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

December 6, 2017

Today is a sharing time. There are some great people with such admirable attitudes and choices that it’s time to share some of those.

Last month Denise Lunt sent me an email. And this email is something worth sharing because it’s about the entire community and you all deserve to know what she’s saying about you.

“We have so much here to be thankful for …,” wrote Lunt, a local business owner. “We also have a great community that steps up so often to help other. I am proud to live here and claim Guymon as home ….” I don’t know if you know Denise, but she isn’t one to say things that she doesn’t honestly believe. She’s pretty blunt and pretty honest. So, you know she is talking straight here.

What Denise says reminds me to share another email I recently received, this one from Charles Michael, about the Lions Christmas Shopping Spree for Needy Children. This year it is on Sat., Dec. 16 and they need donations and volunteers to shop with the kids. Contact Charles at 580-651-5633 if you’re willing to help. And going by what Denise says, I think some of you will contact Charles.

Charles is also very involved in the Guymon Community Theater, who has the production “Oklahoma” going on right now. The first weekend a group of us went to the play. Wow. It’s great. The main character, Curly, is played by Michael Ask from Goodwell and to hear him sing is well worth the cost of the $8 ticket. It’s a play for all ages and don’t miss out on it. The final productions are Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8 and 9, at 7 pm and Sunday the 10th at 2 pm. Call 338-0019 to get your reservations. And when you go, be sure to tell Shayla Gaillard, a new friend of mine, that she did a great job!

Get into the Christmas spirit on Sat., Dec. 8, with the Christmas Open House downtown from 5 – 9 pm. The Christmas Tree Lighting starts the evening off and there are all sorts of great things to do during, including a kids activity so you can shop childless. Call 338-6246 if you want more information.

Here’s another piece of interesting information. In Iceland, books are exchanged as Christmas Eve presents. Then you spend the rest of the night in bed reading them and eating chocolate. The tradition is part of a season called Jolabokaflod, or “The Christmas Book Flood.” Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country and sells most of those books between September and November due to people preparing for the upcoming holiday … and probably for cold weather, too. I loved the idea.

The other morning my mind pondered on what was the best thing that happened in my family during 2017, which is about to end. There were many great things and things that my children and grandchildren and the spouses have done. But what made me proudest is something that my son – in – law Cody Cartwright is a part of. He is one of the Texhoma coaches that had the high school girls track team bring home a fourth state championship. Four years in a row. Amazing.

So, with that conclusion, I decided to share with the family because too often as parents and grandparents (and certainly as mother – in – laws) we are saying things that are not so positive.

Here’s what I sent to my family, “Not only is this something that is unprecedented, it probably won’t happen again in my lifetime … hopefully a fifth and sixth will, though! And the best part is that Cody did this with great commitment and dedication. And what he did was not about himself, but he made an opportunity for some young kids to do great things. I love it.”

Our whole family is proud of Cody Cartwright, who does not strive for the limelight. Who are you proud of and should you be telling them?

Here’s to sharing with your family and friends. Stay positive and I’ll see you on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

December 5, 2017

Even if you don’t believe the story of Christmas, you can partake of the Christmas happiness and good cheer. It is a time where people are nicer than usual and their families take priority over other things. These you can do, no matter what you believe.

“The Value of a Smile at Christmas” is a story so appropriate for now.

“It costs nothing, but creates much.

“It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.

“It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

“None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.

“It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is countersign of friends.

“It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature’s best antidote for trouble.

“Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away.

“And if in the last minute rush of Christmas buying some of our salespeople should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours?

“For nobody needs a smile so much s those who have none left to give!”

Remember those who are working long hours during the holiday season. Remember those who are far from home. Remember those who have lost someone and are facing Christmas without them. Remember others.

Don’t count calories from December 15 to January 2. Don’t be unhealthy, but celebrate the holidays.

Mend a broken relationship with a friend or relative during the holidays. There are people in your life who are more important that hurt feelings.

Take a basket of Christmas goodies to a notoriously grumpy neighbor.

Be nice to sales personnel. They are probably wearier than you are.

Make an effort to attend every Christmas party and program you’re invited to (those that cost money don’t need to be included), even if you can stay only a few minutes.

Place your children’s stuffed animals under the Christmas tree as a welcoming committee for Santa.

Remember that the loving holiday spirit in your home depends more on the words you speak than on the gifts you give.

When you’re with a child and see a blinking red light in the sky, ask her, “Do you think that could be Rudolph?”

If someone disappoints you this season, don’t give a lecture. Give acceptance and forgiveness.

Fill your house with the holiday fragrance of cloves, orange peel, and cinnamon sticks simmering on the kitchen stove.

Let go of a problem you can’t solve. Enjoy the season.

Hang a favorite Christmas tree ornament from your car’s rear – view mirror.

Don’t forget our feathered friends during the holidays. Spread peanut butter on pine cones, then roll them in bird seed, and hang them on a tree near your kitchen window.

Wait until Christmas morning to place the infant Jesus in your Nativity scene.

Call the nursing or assisted living home and get the names of five people who don’t often receive mail. Send each one a beautiful Christmas card. Sign it from “Santa.”

Instead of using a traditional Advent calendar that produces a treat for every day, this year make a reverse Advent calendar. Find a box and on every day of Advent add an item to it that can be used by a family in need, such as canned food or toiletries. After Advent, donate the box of items to the homeless shelter. This is a great way to refocus the season on giving rather than receiving.

Here in Guymon you can donate to the Tree of Love at the Heritage Community Nursing Home. They are taking donations that help with dental work, medications, glasses, nursing supplies, rent assistance, hearing aides, clothing, and more that is all related to elder care. For more information, call 338-3186.

You might want to help with the Lions Club Shopping Spree for Guymon’s needy children. The spree is on Sat., Dec. 16. If you would like to help the children shop, come to the Methodist Enrichment Center at 6th and Quinn by 7:30 in the morning. You will be bused to the Ambassador for breakfast and then to shop at Walmart.  The club is also taking donations for the spree. Contact Charles Michaels at cmichael@odot.org. Or call Colleen at Ken Lane Insurance.

Anytime Fitness is doing a Christmas Toy Drive up to Dec. 8, when they will be added to the toys gathered from the Christmas Cheer for Children.

The Christmas Open House happens on Sat., Dec. 8 from 5 – 9 pm and includes a Christmas Tree Lighting with singing at the courthouse, carriage rides, the YMCA Polar Express for children up to 12 years in age (cost is $2) at 502 N. Main. And secret elves out all evening. The Shop and Dine is also taking place that evening at Merle Norman, WOW SPC Boutique, Golden Crown, Beauty and the Beast, and others. Take your TCEC Coop Connections card and see what deals you can have from it!

Whatever you do this holiday season, do it with a smile and an open heart.

See you on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

November 30, 2017

If you’re always wondering how you can improve your parenting / grandparenting, consider these questions that you can ask the kids when the come home from school. Try these rather than the very vague “How was your day?”.

  • What made you smile today?
  • Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw today?
  • What did you do that was creative?
  • Who did you sit with at lunch?
  • Was anyone in your class gone today?
  • Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday.
  • What was the hardest rule to follow today?
  • If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?
  • What made your teacher smile?
  • Did anything make your teacher frown today?
  • If you could switch seats with anyone in class, who would it be? Why?
  • What kind of person were you today?

This brings out some discussion points we should probably consider about ourselves. What kind of conversations do we have? Are they ones that make everyone want to go outside, close the door, and not listen to your gloom and doom? Do all of your sentences start with “I”? Yawn.

There are some people who are good to have conversations with. You can tell who they are, because people gather around them. And there are people who are great listeners. You can tell them because people gather around them, too. Those are the sort of things that we can aspire to be better at.

If you are at a loss for small talk, maybe with people you don’t know, ask them something about themselves. And then listen to their answer. It works wonders. People usually like to talk about themselves. And you might find something you have in common and find a new friend.

Go visit or read about somewhere that is interesting. Find one fun fact about where you visited (not the food, please) and have it to tell. Leave out the itinerary though (that’s what I tend to tell).

Talk about something that is coming up and is going to be fun. Like the Christmas Tree Lighting on Dec. 8. You know, those happen when it starts to get dark. Hope to see you there! It happens at the Texas County Courthouse.

I like the conversations that the veterans banners have opened up. I love having them hanging on the street. I think if you have a veteran in your family, you should think about maybe getting them a banner. Call Jim Norris at 580-651-1018. If you want to look at Guymon’s banners, go to www.troopbanners.com and hit Guymon.

And remember, the person who speaks about things in a positive manner is much more interesting than the one who is critical.

Now, go downtown and catch a conversation with someone!

See you on the bricks.

Categories
On The Bricks

November 29, 2017

Do you like hearing folk tales? In the Colorado Life magazine this month there is the story of a miracle at Colorado’s oldest church. I found it really interesting.

“The San Luis Valley was Ute territory when Hispanic settlers founded the village of Culebra Abajo there in 1853. Ute warriors, unhappy with the intruders, set out to attack the village while the men were away tending their sheep.

“The terrified villagers prayed to Saint Agathius, or San Acadio, for protection. According to local lore, the Utes suddenly halted their attack when a vision of heavily armed warriors appeared out of nowhere to protect the village. To celebrate this miracle, residents named their town San Acadio and built a church in the saint’s honor. The adobe San Acadio Mission Church, completed in 1868, still stands as the oldest church building in Colorado, and a stained – glass image of the saint watches over the faithful.”

The town of San Acadio promptly earned a spot on my “visit someday” list. The story reminds me of Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, NM, one of my favorite of all places to go. And if you like stories like those, be sure to watch the old Sidney Poitier movie “Lilies of the Field.” Oh, man, it’s the best.

Do you have a list of places you want to visit someday?

I get teased all the time because I want to plan everyone’s holiday trips. Yes, where to visit, the route to drive, the whole thing. I can even put in interesting bathroom stops if you have little kids. Don’t laugh. Everyone needs a hobby. And mine doesn’t cost a thing … for me!

Are you in the midst of buying Christmas presents? Remember, it isn’t the cost … it’s how much they want them! Seriously, I would rather get a box of fruit teas that I love than some expensive gadget I can’t figure out. While shopping, be sure to use your TCEC Connections Card and get a little discount at some places.

You can use your card and Guymon Tire and Auto and get 5% off purchase of four tires. Wouldn’t that be nice to have someone buy you new tires for Christmas? Yikes, I would love it. Or, you could take that person’s car down and have the oil changed and get $5 off. Great gift and you save five dollars! Check out www.tcec.coop to learn of other places you can use your card and what you get back.

Be sure to use your card if you buy some spirits for the holidays at Dancer’s. That’s a thought for another good gift for drinkers. A little eggnog, anyone?

And remember when you go to the grocery store, you might get a little bit for the local food pantry, Loaves and Fishes. Or just drop them a check to help? I remember reading in an old Rotarian magazine where the Rotarian interviewed said, “When hunger and education compete, hunger always wins.” We need to remember there are hungry people all around us.

Another great gift to someone who enjoys the Guymon Community Theatre are season tickets! Speaking of, they have the play “Oklahoma” coming the first of December.

Have fun finding the perfect gifts and enjoy visiting our unique and fabulous Guymon stores to find them.

See you on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

November 27, 2017

Had a conversation with a couple of food servers not so long ago and what they said really disappointed me. They said that the servers hate to get the Sunday afternoon shift. The reason they hate it is that the church crowd is rude and they’re the worst tippers.

Let that sink in for a moment.

These are the people who profess openly to be Christian, who are taught to love one another and treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself. To treat others as you would treat Jesus Christ himself. Hmmmm.

So, with that still rolling about in my head, I heard the Bible passages at church last Sunday.

First reading is from the Old Testament, Ezekiel 34:15-22. “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the inured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.”

Ouch. I don’t know about you, but it makes me decide to be a little nicer.

The Gospel reading was from Matthew 25:34-46. “’Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’”

Now, if you’re thinking of other people as you read that, stop. This is not told to us to judge others, but to gauge our own actions. And I know that not only do I need to be nicer, but it wouldn’t hurt me a bit to skip a few meals and help those who are really hungry. And it wouldn’t hurt my family to have a few less toys or electronic devices or make up or whatever for some to have food on their table or shoes on their feet.

It’s the holiday season and we need to reflect on what we are doing right and what we can do better. Because all of us can do better.

See you on the bricks!

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On The Bricks

October 31, 2017

We recently finished a series of eight Breakfast and Business that had various speakers and topics geared to help business owners and managers. One of those meetings was about retirement. Actually, more like getting ready to retire and having a retirement for your employees and such. It was a good meeting and I learned a lot. But that’s not difficult. When talking about almost anything with numbers, I know very little. So, it isn’t hard for me to learn something.

Sitting there in the meeting, for some reason I just thought I had to join in the conversation. It doesn’t make sense, but it happens all the time. I like to talk. And so, I mentioned the article I read about teaching your children how to save on the 80 – 10 – 10 method. Only I said 80 – 20 – 20. And I am sure I spoke with the utmost confidence.

After the class I made the comment about me not really understanding numbers well. David Winger, who I have known for 30 years or more, piped in, “I noticed. You know that 80, 20, and 20 is 120, don’t you?”

Oh.

Did I mention that the classes were taped by PTCI and will run for the On the Bricks programs on Channel 2? Oh, yeah.

When I asked Winger why he didn’t correct me, he mentioned something about the TV camera. Ummm hmmmm.

Reminds me of the saying I recently read, “Some things are better left unsaid. Which I generally realize right after I have said them.”

My life.

There has also been a really fun happening in my life recently. My orphan Neptune (the former OPSU football player, now an alum) had his Naturalization Ceremony in OKC on Oct. 27. I got to go with him. Such an honor for me. It was a small group, only 50 plus a few. Twenty – two countries were represented by those taking the oath. Have you ever heard what the immigrant or new citizen says?

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

Neptune, who moved here with his family from Haiti when he was in second grade, has been legal all these years and the road was expensive and time consuming, but not difficult, to citizenship. But while he was there he met a young man who had been trying for 13 years to get his citizenship and had spent over $60,000. We should appreciate what so many are working so hard to get.

America isn’t perfect. No way. Each of us needs to appreciate it and work to make it a better country.

Neptune’s English is his third language. And he speaks it with no accent at all. I admire this so much. I am so proud of him.

My life.

What else is happing in our lives here in Guymon?

Shop and Dine is Thur., Nov. 2, from 4 – 7 pm and you can win a great swag bag worth $250 in a drawing. Visit SPC WOW Boutique, Golden Crown, Merle Norman, La Amistad, and / or Beauty and the Beast to learn more. All this on the fourth and fifth blocks of Main Street.

Then on Nov. 4 are several great happenings. You can learn more about the Medicaid prescription plan and more at enrollment in the Library from 10 am to 3 pm. Free help and they won’t be trying to sell anything to you. That same day is the Benefit Arts and Craft Bazaar at the Guymon High School Commons Area from 9 am to 6 pm. This same Saturday starts the Pumpkin Patch weekend, great arts and craft vendors at the Texas County Activity Center from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday the 5th.

OPSU has a free play happening on Sun., Nov. 5 at 3 pm and at 7 pm on Nov. 6 and 7. It happens at the Centennial Theatre in Goodwell and is titled “No One Cries in this Play.”

Starting on Nov. 6 and every Monday evening in November is the class “Control Your Diabetes for Life.” This starts at 6 pm in the Texas County OSU Extension Office, 301 N Main in Guymon. The program is based on food choices and meal planning for those with diabetes or someone preparing food for a diabetic. For more information on this, call 580-338-7300.

See you on the bricks!