It's Not What Happens to Us, It's What We Do With What Happens

 After learning to play the keyboard for only a couple of weeks at the age of 10, Georg Telemann knew his life's passion. Having taught himself to play other instruments, he started composing his own pieces and had composed an opera by 12.

 Despite discouragement from his mother and even going to a University to study law, his life always brought him back to music. His first wife died and his second cheated on him and squandered most of his money away, yet he concentrated on his music. 

 He inspired such greats as J.S.Bach and was the godfather to Bach's son Carl Phillipp Emmanuel Bach, who became a great composer in his own right. After finding that some of his early works were being distributed without his credit, he bought back the publishing rights to those pieces, which was one of the first times a composer had bought the rights to his own music. Even later on in life, as his health began to fail, he kept composing. 

Which goes to show, it's not what happens to us, but what we do with what happens.

 

For full biography go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Philipp_Telemann

I want to help the @RedCross give life. #GiveBlood #GiveOfYourHeart

There is a nationwide Shortage of blood donations in the U.S. I want to do what I can to change that. But what can be done? I would like everyone reading this post to either visit www.redcrossblood.org or to call the American Red Cross Blood Donation Center ( 1-800-GIVE-LIFE) from now to 02-14-2012 (yep, Valentine's Day) and make an appointment. If you are squeamish, then I would like to encourage you to pass this along. 

This is not an official event, so you can set an appointment for any time that you feel is comfortable for you.

This is to raise awareness about the blood donation shortage and to increase the amount of donors..

Donating Blood is painless, doesn't cost you anything, and is done with the greatest of care by Red Cross Volunteers.

The Beauty of the Human Race

  Every race is beautiful and every culture is poetry.
When one maintains their ignorance with a racial fortress,
   they are depriving themselves of a beautiful world.

Faith

"Faith is like a redwood tree

Which starts out small
But with time
Becomes deep rooted
And with a strong Foundation,
Reaching to the Heavens,
Becomes a sign of Strength for all to see."

Veronica Basye
10/2011

"I am important"

"I am Important.."

Look into the mirror, say it and mean it..

Not

"I am more important than.."

"I would be more important if.."

or

"But I am not as important as.."

  Realize that your existence is not by accident;

And nothing in life is by happenstance..

 

Center of the Universe Syndrome

  Center of the Universe Syndrome. We all have it, but there are some who make it their way of life. You see it everywhere. From the guy that cut you off in traffic to the angry soccer mom speeding down the highway trying to get her little ducklings to school before the bell rings, it's not hard to catch the very contagious CUS.
  You may not feel it at first, it may take a few more infected people to get you to start thinking, "What about me?" Then it gets to, "Don't they understand, I'm going to be late!"
...Oh well, no time for explanations, you'll just have to cut that poor slowpoke in the next lane off. You're very careful, I know.. Anyways, there's no harm done, right?
   However, it can endanger or kill someone...
   January 20th,2007, my cousin was killed in an automobile accident by a person with Center of the Universe Syndrome. The guy that killed him was driving his truck down a 2 lane highway when he decided to get on the opposing lane to pass up the cars in front of him. What that guy didn't know was that there was a slope and he couldn't see the oncoming traffic ahead. He collided head on into a small sedan with a mother and adult daughter inside, the impact killed the mother.
  That car flew backward into my cousin's car. The impact killed him and his stepdaughter instantly, leaving behind his fiance and (at the time) infant daughter.
  This could've been prevented by just being selfless and thinking of the consequences. Nobody wants that on their conscience.
Remember~ there is more to life than just you.