Sometimes amidst the hustle and bustle, the shopping and baking, the wrapping and Santa, we need to pause for a moment and remember what this night is really all about. This year it was the children who helped us remember the silent night, the holy night.
At this time of year, people tend to light up their homes with colorful and bright lights. It is always a joy to drive through your own or other people’s neighborhoods and see the spirit that is behind those lights.
If you are in need of a truly “feel good” experience and want to know how you too could become a real life “elf”, we’ve got a great movie for you to rent or stream this Christmas.
With the current situation we find ourselves in, and only three weeks until Christmas, it is more and more common to just order from big on line business as we shop for gifts for family and friends. It’s certainly safe and easy. But there is another side to only shopping like this.
At an Australian coffee house customers who can afford an extra cup of coffee pay for one and are given a post-it on which to write a note. They then place the note on a board where people who are struggling or have fallen on hard times can grab the note and exchange it for a cup of coffee.
TV game shows will never be the same. Yesterday the world said good bye to the consummate host of a TV game show. Alex Trebek, the host of Jeopardy for 36 years, passed on after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer.
With all the stories in the news about people who are angry, disgruntled, and acting out in negative ways, it is a gift to all of us to hear a story about a truly good guy.
Albert Einstein is considered one of the greatest people who ever trod the earth. He left us with a rich legacy. Because of him, a very different world was seen by the time he left the world. The following might surprise you!
It’s no secret that we have come to a difficult place on any number of fronts in our country. While the issues are serious, nothing should be beyond a bit of wisdom and sometimes the wise thing is to inject a bit of humor. We came across something from a chum with a great sense of humor and got a good chuckle. We thought you might get a little midweek chuckle too.
Queen Elizabeth II is one of the richest royals in the world with a net worth of $600 million, but some of her spending habits might surprise you. While the queen definitely splurges on certain luxuries like helicopter travel, she can also be very thrifty.
We all (well, I speak for a lot of chums of ours) love black and white…its makes quite a statement but have you ever wondered if zebras are black and white for any reason?
Ever have those days when you just can’t seem to please the people in your life? We came across a bit of humor to help you cope and a word of advice for those you’re attempting to make happy.
Exploring Christopher Columbus facts is a great way to travel back in time and learn about history. Fun Christopher Columbus facts for children are one of the best ways to get them excited about the history of the New World.
But, because Columbus lived so long ago, primary evidence of some Christopher Columbus facts has been lost.
We do know:
Cristoforo Colombo is the real name of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa (in 1451) and traveled to England when he was 25
Christopher Columbus moved from Italy to Portugal in 1477
Columbus taught himself three languages
He was very religious and wrote a book near the end of his life called The Book of Prophecies
Spices were as valuable s gold in the 1500’s and were kept under lock and key
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain funded his now famous voyage across the world
He made four trips across the Atlantic to the Americas
Christopher Columbus is a household name, certainly, and there are many so-called facts floating around (and some being drowned) about him. It is rather fun to think back to when people thought the world was flat and if you went all the way to the other side, you would fall off. Thankfully, that belief has been debunked and here we are believing that the world is round.
Based on this, one has to wonder, really, what other so-called “facts” we believing and basing our lives on, that might be mere fiction.
And, speaking of Audrey Hepburn (yesterday’s post) whose first love was ballet, do you think you know where ballet first started? France, maybe Italy or Russia?
We loved the post we put in today and put it in thinking that it was a true story.
We are so grateful that one of our dear chums who lives in Des Moines, sent us this:
“Love this story, and have heard it told many times and in its varied forms. Being from Des Moines, please know that our local Iowa Methodist Hospital (now Unity Point) John Stoddard Cancer Center is actually named after a prominent engineer who gave millions to see it built after receiving his own cancer treatment at Iowa Methodist. When the original work of fiction about a ‘Teddy Stallard’ and his inspirational teacher was written, it somehow later evolved and gained momentum with even more fiction about the Stoddard connection. And yet, still a lovely read with a sweet message.”
Always wishing to be transparent, we share this with you and have to agree with our chum – it is “still a lovely read with a sweet message”.
To say that John Cassabria is an animal lover is an understatement. He grew up surrounded by pets and is currently the proud owner of four dogs, four cats and even a pet snake.
It is no secret that we live in contentious times. As November 3rd approaches there is no shortage of opinions and feelings about the coming elections.
When I was quite a little girl and visiting London for the first time, my darling father took me to the Regent’s Park Zoo, a wonderful zoo in the middle of London. The very first place he wanted to visit was the ant colony and for a very specific reason.
Although Friday is the end of the week and, for most people, drives us into the weekend, it still needs fortifying at times. This one is especially lovely.
What we are sharing here below appeared on a bulletin board in a shop the other day and we knew we had to share it with our chums. As we’ve said many times we think laughter is the best medicine for WHATEVER ails you!
If you own a Le Creuset or other heavy enameled pan or Dutch oven, you know that over time and with much use they become very discolored. I came across what looked like a great solution on Pinterest and thought it would be a wonderful idea to share it.
“After I became president,” Nelson Mandela is quoted as saying, “I asked one day some members of my close protection team to stroll with me in the city and have lunch at one of its restaurants. We sat in one of the downtown restaurants and all of us asked for some sort of food. After a while, the waiter brought us our requests, I noticed that there was someone sitting in front of my table waiting for food. I told then one of the soldiers to go and ask that person to join us with his food and eat with us. The soldier went and asked the man so. The man brought up his food and sat by my side as I asked and began to eat. His hands were trembling constantly until everyone had finished their food and the man went.
“The soldier said to me: The man was apparently quite sick. His hands trembled as he ate!””No, not at all”, said Mandela.”This man was the guard of the prison where I was jailed. Often, after the torture I was subjected to, I used to scream and ask for a little water. The very same man used to come every time and [torture me more] instead. So I found him scared, trembling, expecting me to reciprocate now, at least in the same way, either by torturing him or imprisoning him as I am now the president of the state of South Africa.
“But this is not my character nor part of my ethics.
“The mentality of retaliation destroys states, while the mentality of tolerance builds nations.”
What brilliant words of love and forgiveness Mandela shared and how we all can learn from them.
All of us seem to watching more TV these days while at home more than we’re used to being. If you are anything like your Two Chums you are probably always on the lookout for something interesting, or uplifting, to watch on television.
This Sunday is the day set aside in celebration of those very important men…fathers. We think that dads deserve a big shout out and certainly deserve some love this Father’s Day. One of the things we have been hearing over and over during this time of trouble and unrest in our country is that much of it stems from a lack of fathers in the home. We don’t always value them the way we should so this Sunday is a chance to tell those men in our lives who are fathers or father figures what a difference they make.
The Bible tells us to be childlike….not to be confused with being childish. We think this is because often children see things so much more clearly and simply than adults who, sometimes, can unnecessarily complicate what should be simple.
This photograph was taken last week in honour of the 99th birthday of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. I think you will all agree with us that he looks amazing!
Certainly, the name Dale Carnegie is a well known one…one that is known, amongst other things, for wonderful presentation and knowing how best to get things across to another. Here are a few of his suggestions:
It has been a hard week for America and the weekend brought more images of anger and grief, rage and sadness. But amidst the tragedy and horror we all witnessed on our TV screens, there were also stories and images of hope and love that went largely unreported by national media. We want to share just a few of those with you today.
As those of you know who know Two Chums, we are all about the act of being grateful! We found these wonderful quotes on AZ Quotes and want to share them with you!
VE Day is otherwise known as “Victory in Europe Day” and commemorates the day towards the end of the Second World War when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end. This took place 75 years ago today and was cause for great rejoicing.
Your Two Chums have thought a lot about what we can learn from this time of “sheltering in place” because if we do not come out on the other side having learned something, it has all been for naught!
Don’t you LOVE the phrase? A FLAMBOYANCE of flamingos! Yes, that is the term one may use when speaking of a group of these wonderfully colored creatures. This is not the only term used but read on to find out all about this distinguished regiment of birds!
Everyone’s “normal” has been shifted to a different place. We are in unknown territory, a land that is unfamiliar to any of us. But for most of us, the results of this pandemic are largely inconvenient. For some who have themselves become ill, or have family members who have, or who have lost their jobs or businesses, the results can be very frightening. And for those who have lost loved ones, this has been devastating.
Today we share a true story of a family who faced massive loss, the kind gratefully, few of us hopefully ever have or ever will, face in our lifetimes. But the point of this story is not their hardship and loss, but rather in the face of the grief, sadness and personal loss and devastation, their response.