I learned that........

Age 5 I learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night".
Age 7 I learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 9 I learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 12 I learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 14 I learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
Age 15 I learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 24 I learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
Age 26 I learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.
Age 29 I learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.
Age 30 I learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Age 42 I learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. Age 44 I learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.
Age 46 I learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
Age 47 I learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 48 I learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
Age 49 I learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.
Age 50 I learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
Age 51 I learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
Age 52 I learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
Age 53 I learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
Age 58 I learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
Age 61 I learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage.
Age 62 I learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
Age 64 I learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
Age 65 I learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
Age 66 I learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
Age 72 I learned that everyone can use a prayer.
Age 82 I learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
Age 90 I learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I learned that I still have a lot to learn.
Age 92 I learned that you should pass this on to someone you care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.

In the News

78-year-old woman heads down baggage chute
An elderly woman misunderstood instructions while checking in at Sweden's main airport and was whisked down a baggage chute after she placed herself instead of her luggage on the belt.
The woman, who was not named, was preparing to fly from Stockholm's Arlanda airport to Germany yesterday when she lay down on an unmanned baggage belt in the belief she was following check-in instructions.
She was quickly swept off to the baggage handling center, where staff members helped get her back on her feet. The woman suffered no serious injury and caught her flight as planned.
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Soup Causes Emergency Landing
A Ryanair plane was forced to land in Germany after a passenger had an allergic reaction to mushroom soup.
The soup leaked onto the man from a jar in an overhead locker on a flight from Budapest to Dublin on Monday, the airline said.
His neck reportedly swelled up and he struggled to breathe, forcing the plane to divert for emergency medical help.

Toddler cancer spotted via e-mail

A toddler in Florida has been diagnosed with cancer after a Manchester woman saw early warning signs in a picture.Madeleine Robb, from Stretford, who has never met her pen pal, spotted a shadow behind one of Rowan Santos's eyes on pictures from her first birthday. She then e-mailed her mother Megan advising her to get medical help.The toddler was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer - Retinoblastoma - and underwent an operation and is having chemotherapy.
The two mothers became friends on an internet messageboard after their children were born on the same day. But when Mrs Robb saw the pictures she said she knew something was not right."The eye was reflecting a light but it wasn't just reflecting in one picture - but in a few of them. I sent her an e-mail just saying it was important she have it checked."Megan Santos took her to the doctor the same day and her condition was diagnosed. The toddler will still lose her eye, but doctors have said her chances of survival are much greater thanks to the early diagnosis.
NEWS Video

Arctic seal's ice therapy to cure cold phobia

For an Arctic seal living in sub-zero temperatures, a phobia of the cold is not ideal. It is a fear that has almost cost Sahara, a young hooded seal, his life as he has swims thousands of miles in search of warmer waters.
Now though sanctuary staff have resorted to a giant ice-making machine in a last-ditch effort to cure him and rehabilitate him into his natural habitat.
Twice, two-year-old Sahara has swum thousands of miles from the icy waters off Iceland and Greenland in search of heat, first to Morocco and then Spain. On each occasion he has been found washed up, bald and malnourished and close to death.
Staff at the National Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, Cornwall, who have looked after Sahara each of his great escapes, now say if he is to stand any chance of being naturally rehabilitated, he must spend months getting used to the cold.
So they have hired an ice machine capable of generating half a million tonnes of ice each day, which the Hooded Seal is encouraged to roll around and play in.
His carer, Tamara Cooper, said: "Basically the problem is Sahara is an Arctic seal who is afraid of the cold. It's a bit like being a bird which is scared of heights. Hopefully the phobia will be cured with a bit of aversion therapy and Sahara will be proper ice-loving seal again."
PICTURE and More

Dog Collect’s Shoes

Residents of Waveland, Ind., believe a stray dog is behind a rash of shoe thefts.
Shoes that were left outdoors in the southern Indiana town started disappearing in June and began showing up near the town's fire station.
A stray brown and white dog was seen carrying a shoe in his mouth near the fire station.Acting town marshal Rob Kiger and others have seen the dog - possibly a beagle - carrying a shoe in its mouth around town. Others have seen the dog lying in the sun near the fire station.
Susie Calvert, who works near the fire station, said she finds shoes in the area and places them on the ledge at the station, hoping that the owners will collect them. Kiger said he's tried to take the canine shoe bandit into custody, but it runs away every time he gets close.

Stroll Down Memory Lane

Oldies but Goodies