WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME

Recipient: Cary Jeffries
Sender: Lisa S.
Subject: I Was Asked To Keep This Going; I will gladly do so...

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME
This email is being circulated around the world - please keep it going

to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

.....to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.

....to control his frustration when a colleague gripes
about his coffee being cold.

....to just walk away when someone says
they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

....to be forgiving when someone says how
hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

Recipient: Cary Jeffries
Sender: Lisa S.
Subject: Two True Stories; These 2 tales are truly a couple of nifty yarns!

     Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
       Capone had a lawyer nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
       To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
       Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.
       Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly.. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education... Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.
      And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
       Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
      One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.
       He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al 'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.     So, he testified.
       Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.
       The poem read:
       'The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.'

      STORY NUMBER TWO

       World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.
       He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
       One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.
       He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.
       His flight leader told him to return to the carrier... Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
       As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.
       The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet..
       Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he d! ove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.
       Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.
       Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
       Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.
       Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.
        This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.
       A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29... His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
      So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.
        SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAV!E TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
       Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.
       (Pretty cool, eh!)

Recipient: Cary Jeffries
Sender: Marc S.
Subject: 45 Life Lessens Learned

This is something we should all read at least once a week!

Written By: Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more."

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles..

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Recipient: Cary Jeffries
Sender: Maec S..
Subject: Theo Spark; "The Last Of A Few": Video Link

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Video: Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Can't Substantiate Obama Saved Jobs Claim