February 29th 2008
So this has absolutely nothing to do with business, but it’s Friday. Let’s be honest. If we were working together, in an office as co-workers, on Friday afternoon at 3:50, we would be loosening up a bit by now.
Just received this in an email, and it’s great for a giggle.
Happy Friday
February 19th 2008
I received an email this morning from a friend, and I found it very touching. I never forward on the ‘forwards’ I receive, but this one was too good to keep to myself.
I think we can all learn a lesson from these stories.
*Editor’s note: The author of the following piece is unknown:
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50’s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read:
“Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away… God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.
“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
“Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies..
You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.
The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who moved the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts…
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare &serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.”
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away”.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Remember…
“Work like you don’t need the money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody’s watching.”
February 12th 2008
This is totally and completely off topic, but I just had to share!
Many of my readers are busy business women, and we ladies tend to crave chocolate. A lot. (Scott and Darrell, I know you both read my blog every day and you aren’t girls, but you’ll like this too ;))
How would you like a piece of homemade chocolate cake right now? Real chocolate cake in only minutes…
I found this recipe while searching for something special to make my sweetie for Valentine’s Day. While this won’t be on Thursday’s menu, we had some last night. Yum.
Microwave Chocolate Cake
Directions:
There you have it. An individual sized serving of homemade chocolate cake, to be enjoyed at 3pm, midnight or whenever.
If you love to bake but just never have the time, this is a great recipe for you. If you’d like to get back in the kitchen more often, consider outsourcing those tasks that keep you away to a virtual assistant 
January 18th 2008
After reading my posts from this week, I realized I did some complaining. It’s time to lighten things up!
So, in all honesty, I’m not really sure what a ‘meme’ is, but I’ve been tagged by Patty Dost, so I am going to be a good sport.
I must tag seven people. For those seven, here are the rules:
1. Link to the person’s blog who tagged you. (That would be me)
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog.
I am a very..er..quirky person, so it’s not hard to come up with weird things about myself:
1. I don’t like my food to touch. I’m not extreme about it, but if I have something really wet on my plate (coleslaw, cranberry sauce, etc.) I don’t want anything else on my plate touching it.
2. I can cross my eyes two ways - in towards my nose or out towards my ears.
3. I have an irrational fear of spiders and mice.
4. I name my cars. Marty was my first car, a Chev Celebrity. My next car, a brown Oldsmobile, was Mr. Brown. Then came Wendall….and on and on
5. When I order coffee from a drive-thru, I get it ‘double cupped’ (and keep the spare cup for next time) so my hands don’t get too hot.
6. I don’t buy food at bake sales, cause I don’t know what kind of kitchen the food was prepared in.
7. I don’t mind needles. I actually enjoy them in a weird, twisted way. Especially dentist needles.
The seven people I choose to tag are:
1. Victoria Santiago
2. Mark Hodder
3. Connie McVicker
4. Maureen Kerr
5. Yvonne Weld
6. Cristina Favreau
7. Kylie Short
OK everyone! Now it’s your turn!!!
TGIF 
January 14th 2008
This is a business blog, but I am human, and today’s post is not business related.
On Saturday morning there was a tragic highway accident in New Brunswick, a neighboring province of PEI. It claimed the lives of eight people - seven of those were boys between the ages of 15-18, all members of a basketball team from Bathurst. Their coach was driving the van which lost control on black ice and collided with a tractor trailer. His wife was also killed in the crash.
I don’t understand why things like this happen. As a mother, my heart is heavy with grief for the families and the entire community that is mourning today.
I found this quote, and thought I would post it here because it sums it up quite nicely.
“Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate.” -Charlotte Gray
Rest in peace, boys.
