My Daily Smile

Life is short - begin every day with a smile!

“Choices”

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“I’ve had choices, since the day that I was born.”  –George Jones (via the song “Choices”)

That line from that song has always resonated with me, because it’s so true.

Our Creator gave each and every one of us the ability to think for ourselves and make our own choices as we live out our lives here on planet Earth. Of course He also gave us the ultimate guidebook to consult as we evaluate the range of choices before us, but we are still completely free to ultimately make our own choices as we see fit.  [Read more…]

Video: The Story of the Wright Brothers

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You probably know the Wright Brothers designed, built and flew the Wright Flyer, the first successful heavier-than-air aircraft.

And chances are you have seen the short video of their first successful flight on the windy beach at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with Wilbur piloting the machine and Orville running alongside it.

The short video below takes us behind the scenes for a look at the Wright Brothers’ early lives and the experiences that led them to become the formally untrained, but genius aeronautical engineers they would become.  [Read more…]

“For the love of the game…”

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“The biggest thrill a ballplayer can have is when your son takes after you. That happened when my Bobby was in his championship Little League game.

He really showed me something. Struck out three times. Made an error that lost the game. Parents were throwing things at our car and swearing at us as we drove off.

Gosh, I was proud.”
     -–Bob Uecker [Read more…]

In memory of my friend Charles: “The King of the Hill”

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“Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I’ll miss you until we meet again.”  -–Unknown

Do you remember the first time you heard that one of your best friends had passed away? No doubt it was a sad experience, to say the least.

It’s hard enough losing someone you care about as an adult, but it’s even harder when you’re too young to understand why.

This is the story of my childhood friend, Charles…  [Read more…]

Ten Questions with Jana Jae: Hee-Haw’s “Girl With the Magic Blue Fiddle”

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Jana Jae – “The girl with the magic blue fiddle”

Living (and loving) Life

Do you happen to enjoy classic country music?

If so, you’re surely familiar with Jana Jae, the award-winning musician whose superb mastery of the fiddle prompted country music icon Buck Owens to invite her to join his band as the very first female Buckaroo.

Jana performed with Buck and many other top-tier singers and musicians over the years, most notably as a member of the cast of the ultra-popular Country music variety show Hee-Haw.

Never one to sit idle while the world passes her by, Jana is still hard at work playing her iconic blue fiddle in concerts both here in the U.S. and all around the world.

And when time permits she also loves teaching and mentoring aspiring musicians of all ages.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jana about her long and successful career and her abounding love of music.

Here are ten questions and answers with Jana Jae…

[Read more…]