Our traditional poem of humor before we say goodnight and Merry Christmas
Feel more comfortable this season
Become The Boss of Your Health and Your Wealth!
We have just returned from the awesome NSP I-Inspire trip to Barcelona and a Mediterranean cruise with stops in Spain, France and Italy. It was a bit nerve racking that terrorists made an attack in Barcelona 2 days after our Royal Caribbean cruise ship left port, and then again in Marseille 1 day after we toured this beautiful French city and countryside. One began to wonder if the terrorists were following us. It is sad that all people in the world cannot live together peacefully and feel the need to express their thoughts and feelings in such violent ways. However, it was a wonderful trip that was made even happier by having managers in our successline on this trip and to be able to spend some time with most of them. The tours were great and it would be difficult to pin point the best one.
Thanks to all of you, we were fortunate to have achieved the Platinum qualifying level and earn a three day pre-cruise trip to Barcelona, where we toured the famous Sagrada Famillia church which has been under construction since 1882. Anton Gaudi, who was the primary architect on the church until his death in 1926, said he saw the building of the Sagrada Famillia as “The temple as a whole, as well being a place for divine worship, will artistically represent the truths of religion and the glorification of God and His Saints.” Apart from the color provided by the actual construction materials used, such as the different types of stone and tiles in the vaulting, there will be many colored symbolical features, like the stained-glass windows and the inscriptions on the lights located in the columns, as well as the skylights in the vaults. Each of its 18 towers has a special significance. Once finished, these towers will be an extraordinary sight with the highest elevation being the central tower which dedicated to Christ. 70% of the work on the temple has been completed; the goal is to complete all of the architectural work by 2026.
To Joy, the tour to Naples and Capri, Italy and visiting the ancient city of Pompeii was beyond words (Pompeii was destroyed over 2500 years ago by the volcano Vesuvius. Excavations of the archeological ruins of Pompeii uncovered relics of how these people lived and how advanced they were – devising a means of pumping cold water onto coils in trenches in their homes during the hot summer months, a means of air conditioning that our current advanced world only invented in 1902. (A devastating earthquake hit Ischia, a small island very near Naples, 3 days after we were there).
While clearing out junk, Dick found a funny clipping asking “If My Body Were a Car?” It begins with “If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I’ve got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull…But that’s not the worst of it. Almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!”
This reminded Joy of a poem she wrote many years ago that addresses this. We are sharing it for your enjoyment, and also some serious thinking about how you treat your classy chassis. We hope you will enjoy it.
I KNOW WHEN MY ENGINE IS SLUGGISH,
YOU ASK ME…HOW DO I KNOW?
BECAUSE THIS BODY IS MINE,
I MAKE IT STOP AND I MAKE IT GO.
I CALCULATE ITS FUEL,
I CLOG ITS CYLINDERS WHEN I FEED IT JUNK.
IF I DON’T SYSTEMICALLY FLUSH IT,
ITS PIPES WILL BECOME PUTRID AND FILLED WITH GUNK!
I KNOW I MUST ACCELERATE,
AND IMPROVE MY MILAGE EVERY DAY…
TO PHYSICALLY STRENGTHEN MY CHASSIS,
TO PREVENT FREEZE-UP AND DECAY.
YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST MECHANIC,
YOU RESPOND WITH EVERY MOVE THAT YOU MAKE.
YOU CANNOT BE REPLACED WITH A NEW MODEL,
SO…STEP ON THE GAS AND LET OFF THE BRAKE.
DEPEND ON NO ONE AS MUCH AS YOURSELF,
ON THE SURFACE YOU MAY LOOK JUST FINE.
IT’S WHAT LIES UNDER YOUR COAT OF PAINT,
THAT WILL CARRY YOU TO THE END OF THE LINE.
YOUR EYES ARE LIKE YOUR HEADLIGHTS…
ONLY YOU CONTROL THE BRIGHTNESS OF THEIR BEAM.
YOUR FEET CAN REVEAL YOUR WORN OUT TREADS…
YOU MUST KEEP THEM INFLATED AND CLEAN.
YOUR SPINE CAN BE A CLASSY CHASSIS,
TO KEEP YOUR MOTOR IN TUNE AND ALIGNED.
YOUR FOOD MAY BE A PREMIUM FUEL,
DEPENDING UPON WHAT YOU HAVE DINED.
JUST ASK ANY EXPERT MECHANIC,
WHAT IS THE BEST AND LEAST COSTLY WAY?
YOU SPOT THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT ERUPTS,
YOU USE PREVENTENTIVE MAINTENANCE EVERY DAY.
GIVE INTO YOUR BODY,
WHAT YOU WANT IT TO GIVE YOU BACK.
THIS YEAR’S MODEL IS ALL THAT YOU HAVE –
YOU GAUGE ITS PERFORMANCE ON THE TRACK.
WILL YOU BE A VINTAGE MODEL?
WILL YOUR VALUE INCREASE WITH AGE?
OR WILL YOU BECOME A DECREPID MODEL,
LISTED DAILY ON THE OBITUARIES PAGE?
Joy Williams
November 5, 1983