THANKSGIVING DAY PRAYER
(Clipped from Ann Landers)

We come to this table today, O Lord,
humble,thankful and glad.
We thank thee first for the great miracle of life,
for the exaltation of being human,
for the capacity to love.
We thank thee for joys both great and simple -
For wonder, dreams and hope;
For the newness of each day;
For laughter and song and a merry heart;
For compassion waiting within to be kindled;
For the forbearance of friends
and the smile of a stranger;
For the arching of the earth and trees
and heavens and the fruit of all three;
For the wisdom of the old;
For the courage of the young;
For the promise of the child;
For the strength that comes when needed;
For our family united today and everyday.
Of those to whom much is given, much is required,
May we, our children, and our children's children
remember this.

O heavenly Father:
We thank thee for food and remember the hungry;
We thank thee for health and remember the sick;
We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless;
We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.

May these remembrances stir us to service
that thy gifts to us may be used for others. AMEN.

A funny song was sung by the well-wishers during the golden anniversary of a beautiful couple,Chong and Jimmy on May 17, 2004. To the tune of "Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music, the song goes....

"Maalox and eyedrops and needles for reviving
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Jeepneys and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Pollident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of our favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones crack,
When the knees go bad,
We simply remember our favorite things
And then we don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of our favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin,
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin,
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then we remember the great life we've had,
And then we don't feel so bad!"

Lola Nitz' message to Denise on her 18th birthday....

Dear Denise,
Tonight I bring with me the wishes of the Mercado side of your family. We wish you a very happy birthday! You are one of the best things that have happened to us. You are our first grandchild and our first granddaughter. We have watched you grow and develop not only in beauty but also in wisdom and in grace. We thank the Lord for the gift which is "you'.

Our main wish is for you to be able to follow your dream. Someone has said,"if you can dream it, you can do it." In following that dream we ask you to be guided by four important reminders and they are:

"that you think without confusion clearly;
that you love your fellowmen sincerely;
that you act from honest motives purely;
and last but certainly not the least,
that you trust in God and Heaven securely."

Happy Birthday Denise!