This seems to cover it all:

Desiderata

by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly,

and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant;

they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

CAN'T MAKE YOU LOVE ME/CANDY DULFER BAND

Here's another great video from Candy Dulfer. I love her smooth-playing sax, but this video showcases her whole band. And I love the song that Bonnie Raitt made famous, but wait until you see what Candy's lead guitarist, Ulco Bed does with it. Fantastic solo! Right after he performs his intricate harmonic phrase, the listener understands that this song is HIS song. Click on the title above for the link.

MY LITTLE GIRL

I'm not a huge fan of country music, but every now and then, I hear a song that hits home. Here's a video of Tim McGraw singing "My Little Girl" that kind of pulls at the old heart strings. And with tomorrow being Mother's Day, I'd like to dedicate this posting to my daughter, Jennifer, who is a very special mother to her children. The video reminds me of when it was just Jenny and me and I miss that special relationship that a dad and his little girl have. I was thankful, however, to have spent the day today, with my grandaughter, Alyssa, who has filled in for her mother as my surrogate "little girl". Of course, now she is almost 13. ( Chase, I enjoyed you today too)



Happy Mother's Day, Jenny! I love you.

(click on title for Tim McGraw's My Little Girl video)

PELICANS ON THE LAKE

Thought I'd tell you a funny story. The other day, one of our country club pros and trainers sent out an email saying that twelve pelicans had escaped from the Detroit zoo and had taken up residence on the lake by the golf course. I thought, "How cool!" But then I wondered how she knew they were from the Detroit zoo, so I sent an email to our club general manager to find out and asked if they had a GPS device or something on them. He responded with this: "They have Chrysler emblems on their necks and left due to lack of work and food." I had been had! The joke went right over my head, and now I laugh everytime I think of his reponse!

But we really do have pelicans on the lake here at the Country Club of Colorado and there are actually about 15 I'm told. One person observed all of them apparently following a school of fish, zigging and zagging in perfect unison and then dipping their large, scooping beaks into the water at the same time as if they were performing syncronized swimming in the olympics. We have kind of a minor pelican hysteria going on and one email even went out that had a poem I'd like to share:

IN HONOR OF THE PELICAN

A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak.
Food enough for a week,
But I'm damned if I can see how the helican.

Dixon Lanire Merrith

P.S. This poem is often attributed to Ogden Nash, whose style is very similar