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If you could go back through your life would you change anything? If you did would it matter anyway?

My View

I believe that each decision we make is the beginning of a new path. All of the decisions, large or small, that I have made throughout my life have brought me to where I am today. For example, I probably could have played football at a collegiate level, but my high school coach was a jerk, so I quit the team. I met my future wife when I was 19, so if I had played college ball somewhere we may not have met. I wouldn’t have the great family that I have today. I believe that it’s possible that my life could have turned out drastically different. This is one example of a multitude of paths that have led to the life I enjoy today.

My Wife’s View

My wife, on the other hand, believes that if we have an ultimate destiny then all paths must eventually lead to that destiny; although some paths may be longer than others. She believes that if we were meant to be together then we would have met somehow. For example, she believes that if I had played football then perhaps we would have met when I was home visiting. So, no matter what choices we make we would still end up in the same place.

So What’s The Answer?

It appears that both theories could be correct, which means that both could be incorrect. They seem to support each other and at the same time oppose each other. Is each choice a kind of mini-destiny that leads to an ulitmate destiny, or do all choices eventually lead to an ultimate destiny? Did a decision you made 10 years ago eventually lead you to this artilce? Would you have been exposed to this article one day anyway? Will you click on this link? If you don’t will you eventually run across the linked site someday without me? I know there’s no real way to prove or disprove either. It’s just something to think about.

Tags: Deep Thinking, Life Lessons, Religion by Eric Sanders
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I thought that instead of a straight up “what I’m thankful for” I would do a “look at the bright side.” So the next time…

…I have to yell at my kids for jumping on the furniture, I’ll be thankful that I have healthy kids who can run and jump.

…I hear some freaks abusing their freedom of speech by bad mouthing the soldiers who gave them that freedom, I’ll be thankful that I can exercise that same freedom when I call them freaks.

…I can’t find the TV remote, I’ll be thankful that I can make my two kids look for it.

…I have to work with some idiot, I’ll be thankful that he isn’t thinking the same thing.

…I get frustrated working on our house, I’ll be thankful that I have the knowledge, skills, and money (that last one is a stretch) to build a new house.

Ok, so I’m subject to being humorous at times, or as my wife calls it a “sarcastic butthead”.

But in reality I am thankful for my God, my family, my country, and all of the blessings that I have. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tags: America, Holiday, Inspiration, Religion by Eric Sanders
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In an amazingly pathetic display of I’m-almost-out-of-the-game-so-let-me-do-something-to-get-attention, Denis Kucinich joined the SOA protest at Ft. Benning on Sunday. Well what do you know? He got his picture on the front page of a local paper.

Hillary Clinton moves to New York, puts on a Yankees hat, and gets elected to the Senate. If she ever puts on a New England Patriots shirt…watch out Tom Brady! He’ll be left picking up trash in the staduim after home games.

John McCain changed his stance and joined the attack on Hillary Clinton because she changed her stance on the Iraq War. First, is anyone suprised when a Clinton lies just to tell people what they want to hear? And second, McCain changed his stance to attack her for changing her stance…which one is the pot and which one is the kettle?

Then there’s Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani. You could put both of these in a turd bucket, shake them up, and I don’t care which one came to the top I wouldn’t vote for him. Obama doesn’t even like America, and Giuliani is a Democrat in Republican’s clothing.

Is America really that gullible? Well obviously some are. I mean, Hillary got elected to the Senate for putting on a baseball cap. But I believe that most Americans are tired of the political games. We need more real, everyday Americans in Washington. We need people with common sense who will do what is right regardless of what their party thinks. We need individual people, not a Republican sideline and a Democrat sideline. I just wish we actually had people like this to choose from.

Tags: America, Politics by Eric Sanders
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Cinram, a DVD packaging company in Huntsville, Alabama, has started recruiting foreign workers who are willing to work 12 hour shifts for $8 per hour. They employ approximately 2500 workers with 1350 of them coming from Jamaica, Bolivia, Nepal, Ukraine, and the Dominican Republic.

Each year the U.S. Department of Labor issues 66,000 H-2B work visas. These are for unskilled, non-farm workers. Cinram is following the law, and the workers are here legally, but this doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy by any means. There are obviously ways, as Cinram has shown us, to follow the law and still operate unethically. Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks said that if this is the way Cinram wants to do business he would prefer they do it somewhere else.

I don’t blame any of the workers. They were presented with an opportunity to legally come to the greatest country on Earth; they were offered a good (relatively speaking) wage and an opportunity to better themselves and their families. They would be insane to reject an offer like that. My problem is with the company. When I say “company” I don’t want you to have a picture of some collective corporate structure. I want you to think about the individual, living, breathing people who have the opportunity to help local families, yet choose to go overseas to hire workers. I’ll bet these people would pimp out their own grandmothers to make a dime.

Tags: America, Business, Life Lessons, Politics by Eric Sanders
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Walter E. Williams is a must read syndicated columnist. His articles are right on, and that’s about the best way I know to describe them. I have a link to him in my sidebar, but his latest two articles are such homeruns with me that I had to put him in the spotlight. Here are the latest articles:
Congressional and Leftist Lies
Academic Cesspools II

I also urge you to visit his syndicated page to read more great articles, and check out his biography.

If your heart tends to bleed easily you might want to skip this and find some poetry to read.

Tags: America, Education, Life Lessons, Motivational, Politics by Eric Sanders
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Let me think…do I want my kids ingesting lead paint or the date rape drug? Those seem to be the choices today with the junk we import from China. After months of hearing about the recalls on Chinese products I have a pretty obvious question, why do we still have so much Chinese junk coming into this country?

Greedy American Companies

The main reason is because the businesses who sell this junk are making truck loads of money. These people worship money to the point of endangering our children with poisonous products. It’s all about the buck. I guess you could argue that these companies are ensuring employment for the Chinese children who are making the products that are being imported into America. Oh wait, employment infers money for work; I think that these kids are on the work-or-else program.

American Consumers Are Guilty Also

That’s right, if we don’t buy it these retailers won’t carry it. As long as we continue to sacrifice quality and safety for price this junk is here to stay. I have been as guilty as anyone in the past, but in recent years  I have been trying to pay attention to the products that we buy and only buy American made products. It’s even rubbed off on my kids. I have a six and a seven year old, and they check the “made in” information when we are shopping.

Some Trade Is Good

I realize that some international trade is good, but I also know that the United States has a huge trade deficit with China. In 2006 the total U.S. trade deficit with China was 232 billion U.S. dollars. Through September 2007 the deficit was $187 billion, which puts us on track for a $250 billion deficit for 2007. Let’s see if we can start spending some of those billions here at home.

Humorous note: I overheard my kids talking about where to put different toys. I moved in to listen ( as long as they are living in my house their business is my business, but that’s another artilce) and discovered that they were sorting toys by their “made in” information. My son said that he wants to have a collection of toys that are made in America. The funny part was when my son brought in a toy and exclaimed, “Hey, I found a toy that was made in Philippians!”

My daughter also gathered some items that she had made by hand and wrote “Made in USA” on them with a Sharpie.

Tags: America, Business, Education, Motivational, Politics by Eric Sanders
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I usually try to post my weekly updates on Friday or Saturday, but I’m a little late this week. I went camping with my son this weekend and that was the reason for: 1) I didn’t get to post an update, and 2) I only lost 1 pound. I enjoyed hobo dinners, hotdogs, chips, s’mores, and all of the other camping essentials. I’m back on track now, but I’m not worried about last week. The time we had camping was more than worth taking a break from my diet.

Week 6 weight: 357 pounds
Week 6 loss: 1 pound
Total loss: 29 pounds

Tags: Diet, Inspiration, Motivational by Eric Sanders
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I have recently added the “Stretching Shoulders to Stretch Lives” image to my sidebar. By clicking on this image you will be introduced to a wealth of information on shoulder performance and rehabilitation.

Scott Kay and Chris Melton, the owners of Joint Mechanix, have developed The Rotater, a shoulder stretching and rehabilitation device. The initial purpose of  The Rotater was to aid in post surgical rehab and physical therapy. As The Rotater made it’s way around the country it gained popularity in other areas as well.

The Rotater in Athletics

Many athletes, who have perfectly healthy shoulders, have been drawn to The Rotater because it provides an increased range of motion to enchance their performance. Golfers in particular have seen the benefits of using The Rotater. PGA teaching professionals and long drive champions have recognized that increased shoulder flexibility promotes increased shoulder turn which leads to more power and distance.

Breast Cancer Survivors Can Benefit From The Rotater

The advantages that The Rotater offers to breast cancer survivors were totally unexpected. Loss of shoulder strength and mobility is very common after women undergo breast cancer treatment. Scott’s sister and Chris’ aunt were both diagnosed with breast cancer, so these guys were inspired to use The Rotater as a weapon against breast cancer.

Giving Women The Strength To Overcome

While The Rotater alone helps increase shoulder mobility, Scott and Chris recognized the need to increase shoulder strength as well. They went straight to work and the result is the Strong Arm. This device is used along with The Rotater to help strengthen shoulders. The Strong Arm will soon be available on their website as a accessory for anyone who owns a Rotater. However, Scott and Chris realized that breast cancer patients need them now. They started producing a special line of pink Rotaters, and each one is packaged with a free Strong Arm device.

Funding The Fight Against Breast Cancer

Scott and Chris will donate 10% of all revenue from the Pink Rotaters to breast cancer research. The slogan “Stretching Shoulders to Stretch Lives” was born out of their desire to help.

You Can Help

I’m sure that as you have been reading this you have thought of someone who could benefit from a Pink Rotater. I’m asking that you also think of the people who will benefit from the generous donations that Scott and Chris have pledged. Order a Pink Rotater today!

Tags: Education, Inspiration, Motivational by Eric Sanders
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Operation Christmas Child is a program that sends shoeboxes filled with gifts to children all over the world who might not otherwise receive anything. This program is through Samaritan’s Purse, a Franklin Graham organization. These people visit countries all over the world to deliver these gift boxes and to share God’s love. Each of my kids put together a box, and they loved it. They included a personal letter to the kid who receives their box with the hope that the child will have the resources to write back. They are excited about making a new friend in a part of the world that they may never be able to visit. We watched a video about Operation Christmas Child that taught us how fortunate we are to live in America. There were stories  and video from poor countries all over the world. One that really stuck with me was a man who searched for used shoes every day so that he could resell them to feed his family. I wake up every day and have to decide what I want to eat out of a well stocked refrigerator. This man’s only goal every day is to find enough food to carry his family for one more day. I encourage every person who reads this to check out the Samaritan’s Purse site and join in Operation Christmas Child. They have a “suggested gifts” list on the site. Also, be sure to check out the “do not include” list as well.

Tags: America, Christmas, Education, Inspiration, Kids, Life Lessons, Motivational, Religion by Eric Sanders
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I was tagged by Brad Baggett to participate in The Think Different Challenge. The idea is to take a situation that I would normally consider negative and look at it in a positive light. I struggled with this a bit, but then it hit me. I have been very concerned about either Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama becoming our next president. As hard as it may be to believe, I have found a glint of hope in this possible outcome.

 I wasn’t old enough to vote until Bill Clinton was elected in ‘92. I was mildly interested in politics, but not enough to vote. After his first four years I realized that the Republicans needed me, and I have voted ever since. My dad told me that he had never voted until Jimmy Carter was elected, which made him see the error of his ways as well.

If Hillary, Obama, or both end up in the White House it could bring about a revival among conservatives in America. Maybe in 2012 the American people will be so fed up with liberalism and the erosive effect it has on the American family that we will unite to put this country back on the path that our Founding Fathers cleared for us through their sacrifice, tears, and bloodshed.

I tag:
 Alan Anderson

Sara Christensen

Tags: America, Motivational, Politics by Eric Sanders
4 Comments »