A good friend recently authored an incredible book titled "Prelude To The Ultimate." I found it to be one of the most fascinating books I've read in a long time. It is part action/adventure, romance, spiritual, and comedy all rolled into one. Click on the link to see for yourself.
Best selling author and syndicated columnist Ann Coulter has a great article on her website about the state of the pro-life movement in the US, it pretty much nails it on the head. Check it out, its a great article.
The annual March For Life weekend craziness that somehow seems to surround all of us former Franciscan University students was no different this year as all the stops were pulled out, everything from roaming around the barren streets of D.C. all night long, crazy car crashes, the Dubliner (of course), a random bar called 'Madem's Organ in the heart of Adam's Morgan', 6 inches of snow, lots of football watched and beer drank, and of course the coldest pro-life march in recent memory! No matter how you look at it though, the 90 or so pictures I took definitely will be enjoyed by all who were there (and those who weren't).
Once upon a time, all the animals in a special advanced animal kingdom became very excited about the new school that was being formed for all the animal children. Modern administrators organized the school and adopted a curriculum of activities consisting of running, climbing, swimming, and flying.
All the animal parents flocked to the school, eager to enroll their children in this new progressive school. After all, they wanted the very best for their offspring. Mr. and Mrs. Duck enrolled their son, Donald Duck, and expected great things from him because he was an excellent swimmer. In fact, he was better than the instructor. However, Donald had been in school only one week when the administrators discovered that he was quite poor in running, jumping and climbing trees. So they made him stay after school and practice those skills. Finally, Donald's webbed feet became so badly worn from climbing trees that he then was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in this school, so no one worried about this except Donald Duck who really loved swimming.
Now, Ronnie Rabbit was at the top of the class in running but ended up having a nervous breakdown because of having to do so much makeup work in swimming. And Sammy Squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed cramps from overexertion and got a "C" in climbing and a "D" in running.
Ernie Eagle was a problem child and was frequently disciplined. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the trees, but he did not follow the procedures for climbing and insisted on getting to the top of the tree using his own method. He was not a good team player and often went off on his own. His teachers could not understand his desire to see new things and reprimanded him for daydreaming in the classroom. Ultimately he was put on Ritalin to try to make him a better student.
At the end of the year, Freddie the Goldfish could swim exceedingly well and could also run, climb and fly a little. Freddie had the highest overall score and was voted valedictorian of the class.
The neighborhood dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and fetching to the curriculum. They had noticed the emotional strain on the other students and were considering starting a school of their own.
How sad that we often diminish our best gifts by struggling valiantly to develop in someone else's area of ability. It is better to focus on your uniqueness and do that with excellence than to end up with mediocrity in several areas. Use this rule of thumb for organizing your work strategy:
~Work where you are the strongest 80 percent of the time.
~Work where you are learning 15 percent of the time.
~Work where you are weak 5 percent of the time.
O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
~Walt Whitman
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
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literature,
poems
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