With flowers in hand to tend Father's grave,
I knew I must hurry along.
But I couldn't help but linger while
at that cross that just didn't belong.
The date on the front confirmed my suspicions
of what already I knew.
A child lay beneath that horrible cross
and its faded color of blue.
What selfish parents they must have been
to bury their child all alone,
Without flowers or candles to light the night
and not even a simple headstone.
I looked even closer at that awful cross
that was nearly splintered away.
And there on the back, I read the words
that changed me forever that day.
"This cross isn't grand, but it was carved by my hands
so you'll know, son, how much I care.
It's the color of blue to remind me of you
and how painful it is I'm not there,
That it's you who is gone and it's me living on
while your young life has come to an end.
And I'm left alone, never again with a home
and a grave that's too painful to tend."
Tears stung my eyes as I looked all around
at the monuments that ragged cross put to shame.
And I shared with those parents their horrible loss
that brought them such terrible pain.
And all the tombstones, some even taller than me
suddenly seemed small in a way,
Next to that little handmade cross, carved with such love
and the flowers I planted that day.
By Cheryl L. Costello-Forshey
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From a friend: ** WATER VS. COKE! ***
NOTE: I haven't verified some of the points below, if any list
members know one way or the other, please send that in. Thanks.
Tim
We all know that water is important but I've never seen it written
down like this before. I'm going in the kitchen right now to drink
a glass!
75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies
to half the world's population)
In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it
is often mistaken for hunger.
Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much
as 3%.
One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost
100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary
research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly
ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory,
trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen
or on a printed page.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon
cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and
one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?
========================================= COKE
No wonder Coke tastes soooo good:
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two
gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car
accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be
gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet
bowl and .......Let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean.
The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper
with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can
of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola
to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking
pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the
ham is finished, Remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the
Coke for sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a
load of greasy clothes, add detergent, And run through a regular cycle.
The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze
from your windshield.
FYI:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its Ph is
2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck
must use the hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive
materials.
3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines
of their trucks for about 20 years!
Still Want a Coke?????????????
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ANSWER: Four.
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