thetentguy's Xanga

Small Firemen and a lesson in thankfulness...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:32:21 GMT

The following is a true story:

In Phoenix , Arizona , a 26 year-old mother stared down at her 6 year-old son, Frank "Bopsy" Salazar who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now, that was no longer possible...The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true.

She took her son' s hand and asked, "Bopsy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"

"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up."

Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."

Later that day she went to her local fire Department in Phoenix , Arizona , where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6 year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.

Fireman Bob said, "We can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards!

And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat - not a toy -- one-with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix , so we can get them fast."

Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Frank, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck.

Frank got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls for that station in Phoenix that day and Frank got to go out on all three calls.

He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic's' van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Frank, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.

One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone - began to call the family members to the hospital.

Then she remembered the day Frank had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Frank as he made his transition.

The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"

About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Frank's third floor open window and 5 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into his room.

With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.With his dying breath, Frank looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?"

"Bopsy, you are, and the Head Chief, God, is holding your hand," the chief said. With those words, Bopsy smiled and said, "I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing."

With that, he closed his eyes one last time.

Happy Thanksgiving my friend. When you're tempted to feel like there's nothing in your life for you to be thankful for this year, remember little Bopsy and be thankful to be alive! :)

News and Olds from a Mobile

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:39:19 GMT

As you know, finding an instance where thetenguy doesn't have anything to say about current events is rare indeed, but that's precisely what's happened. I have nothing to say about how the Democrats are wrecking the country, how Rush Limbaugh is getting too bitter for my taste and how Joe Biden's mouth is beginning to resemble a cave what with him constantly sticking his foot in it...

Oops, did I just contradict myself?

Moving on...

Lots of new adventures and lots of old ones wrapping up in the life of thetentguy. I'm starting to look forward to 2010 and the newness it promises. This year has been packed with activities enough to fill a book, indeed someday they might, but for now I'll be happy to look back and be satisfied I made it through alive and in one piece!

2010 will hold a lot of new adventures, but some of the irons I have in the fire are going to have to be pulled out and go cold to give me some breathing room. It's a simple fact of life, doing something with excellence requires commitment and I want to be the best at what I love to do- which is not always the same as what I'm good at doing!

Have you noticed that? There are certain things in life that we're just not good at, but deep inside we love doing them.

Like dance. I've always loved movement in conjunction with music, it just does something to me. But every time I try to dance I lose my balance and end up looking like a goofball, much to the amusement of my friends.

My little sister is an accomplished freestyle ballet dancer, she can hear the movement in music and then interpret it into a dance that will blow your mind. There are never dry eyes in the room when she finishes a dance.

There's an unnamed dancer at an unnamed church in an unnamed city that has the same gift, she can stand up on the stage and with a simple flourish of her arm make the song come alive. It's out of this world. I cry every time I see her dance.

I feel the moves ready to burst out of my own soul too, but I'm afraid to let them out. What if someone laughs? What if someone thinks I'm gay?

Well, there you have the excuses why we don't see any guys getting involved in the dance teams at churches; up till now all we've had is the ladies doing their thing while us guys sit in our chairs afraid of looking gay, all the while feeling the rhythms and moves ready to burst out at any moment!

I don't think we have to do the flowery stuff, we just need more male expressions of the arts. We need masculine dance moves to compliment the feminine dance that for so long has been the church's only expression.

Dare I try?

And the music. I love British music, don't get me wrong, it's just that it seems to be the only style of worship in church nowadays; the high male voices with somber sounding sustained guitar with just a hint of overdrive; I call it British Pretty Boy Pop. :) I really like it, but I think there's room for more. Where are the deep, gravelly and full sounding songs that reach into your spirit and make you want to shout? Where's the SOUL?

Dare I sing it out?

Well, you've been allowed a glimpse into my thinking lately. I admit I haven't shared it with too many people yet, so just between you, me and the rest of the entire world, let's keep it a secret between ourselves ok?

Heroic Deeds

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:58:31 GMT

I received this as an email forward today and I'm sure some of you have as well. I rarely pay attention to forwards, but since this was from someone who I know doesn't just forward everything I took a closer look. After reading the story I checked it out and from all accounts it is true. Read on...

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena.

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises..

During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard.

After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected.

Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

Isn't it just like our politically correct times for someone doing work in a politically hot topic field to receive more recognition than this heroine? Ah... such is our times.

Gideo Vames

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:28:52 GMT

I rarely play video games. It's not that I think they're generally bad (obviously I think overly violent and demonic ones are), I just seem to always have something else to do. When I do play them I really get into it, forget this playing them for a diversion and stuff! Like Nacho Libre said at the bottom of his wrestling career, "I wanna hweeen!".

I like the Wii, it keeps you active and ties you into reality, which is good because I can get lost in alter reality pretty quick! Wii boxing rocks. When I play I really box, none of that soft tapping stuff here- I'm more likely to KO the screen or any fellow player who accidentally gets close than I am my virtual opponent!

You know you're having fun when you work up a sweat playing a video game...

But I can't get into Guitar Hero or anything that has to do with music. Maybe it's because I already play music, but I just see no point in it. SOME people, however (and I won't name any names) love Guitar Hero and Rock Band. And they're not teenagers. In fact, they aren't even in their 20's. Or 30's. Or 40's... But they love it and they are good at it too.

Hence, I dedicate this post to all my geeky Baby Boomer friends. May your riffs always be on the dot. :)

Quote of the day

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:15:36 GMT

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the
government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of
taking care of them.

~ Thomas Jefferson

American capitalism gone with a whimper (Pravda)

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:11:30 GMT

Found this interesting article in Pravda, the main Russian newspaper. Seeing America from a Russian perspective is enlightening:

"It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blinds the foolish."....

Read the full article here >>>>>

The Hunt

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:48:20 GMT

The dewy grass sparkling in the early morning sun must have been playing tricks with my mind: for there, from behind the trunk of a towering pine, came the biggest Blacktail buck I had ever seen in my life.

His posture belied his regal heritage as he surveyed his domain, which unbeknownst to him held a very green and very excited young bow hunter, yours truly.

As he stepped tentatively out into the field below where I was hiding, I got a good look at his magnificent rack as he turned broadside; this buck had to be the Boone & Crocket world record! I slowly drew my bow, took aim and...

“Theron, wake up. You're foot's slipping into the creek!”

It was my brother Calvin. Sure enough, my foot had slid down the creek bank I had been napping on and was almost in the water.

It was all a dream. A wonderfully twisted and tortuous day-mare...

It took me a minute to get my bearings back. We had been bow hunting for four days, getting up before dawn and hiking out to our hunting grounds to hunt the elusive Pacific Blacktail deer at daybreak. Problem was, we had yet to even see a buck, let alone get a shot at one.

“Remind me again why we picked Blacktail for our first bow hunt?” I sleepily asked Calvin.

“Because we like challenges, remember?” he says.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Ha ha. Very funny.

Blacktail deer are widely considered one of the hardest species in the Northwest to hunt, giving fits to even veteran black powder hunter Jim Shockey. And here we are, on our first bow hunt, taking on the hardest animal we could pick!

Just that morning we had passed an old orchard where a huge black bear was helping himself to a breakfast of apples. It would have been an easy hunt had we been hunting bear. “Dang, I should have gotten a bear tag!” I thought to myself as I fingered the pistol on my belt, carried legally in case of a bear or mountain lion attack.

But no, we're after more elusive prey. God knows how long it will take us to find Mr. Blacktail, but find him we will. We've trained for accuracy with our bows and are confident in our technical skills, but nothing prepares you for the absolute silence as you stalk or wait for a deer in the deep Pacific forest. It's another world out there.

Bow hunting will either make you extremely frustrated, or extremely determined. Anyone can buy a high powered rifle, spot a deer with a bazillion power spotting scope, “stalk” to within 500 -700 yards and shoot. But that's not really sporting in my opinion, that's meat hunting. It's great if you need to fill the freezer and feed the kids or get a nice trophy to hang on your wall, but not if you want that true feeling of primitive pursuit.

Bow hunting is hunting in the purest form like our ancient ancestors used to do it. It actually gives the animals an advantage over the hunter. It requires more than being a good shot to be successful; it takes nerves of steel (most shots are between 20 and 35 yards), patience like Job and the ability to think like the animal you're hunting.

And it takes minimizing your body odor because deer have an acute sense of smell. Which of course means I'm forced to take more showers than I'm comfortable with during hunting season, but sacrifices must be made!

Back in the woods the next day, I use binoculars to check the edge of the forest clearing for signs of deer. Nothing yet. Might as well get comfortable, Mr. Blacktail is taking his sweet time, why can't we?

Looking out over the peaceful golden meadow while watching and waiting, I can't help but feel like I'm the most blessed man in the world. It's moments like these when from the depths of my heart come prayers of thanks to the Creator for all His goodness. What a beautiful world!

It's moments like these too that I can leave my worries behind and just spend some time in quiet solitude. Perfect ingredients for yet another daydream...

Are Christians obligated to support free healthcare?

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:18:47 GMT

I realize I might be inviting a firestorm of debate in asking this question, but the more I think about it the more I think it needs to be asked.

The reason I ask this question is not to start a shouting match, but because I really want to know.

Some have made the claim that Christianity is more like socialism than we would like to admit, to which I respond that Christianity is a faith, not a State and therefore can't be classified in that way. We are united under a common belief that transcends governments and culture, whereas a State is united under a common geographical location and a distinct culture.

But more and more I hear that if I want to be a real Christian, I should be supporting things like free healthcare, “spreading the wealth around” and so called environmental causes and legislation.

Recently President Obama, in endeavoring to revive a stalled debate about healthcare by trying to appeal to people of faith, claims in essence that because “I am my brother's keeper” I should support his healthcare bill.

As our leader tries to sell us on these supposedly moral obligations I can't help but wonder- if I am my brother's keeper, why are they trying to make the GOVERNMENT my brother's keeper? To me that doesn't make sense. That means that my government wants to step in between God, my brother and me and play mediator to something that should be between God, my brother and me.

But this whole brother's keeper thing got me thinking too. (Can you tell a lot of things get me thinking?) What if we as a community of believers took better care of each other, like actually doing what they did in the Bible? What if we really were our brother's keepers?

What if, instead of donating money to TV evangelists we instead started a fund to help those with medical needs? What if instead of spending money on pleasures we don't really need and sometimes don't even really want, we invested in a medical sharing program for our family? What if, instead of idly waiting “for the Lord to bless me with finances so I can bless others” we got out there and actually created some finances through shrewd investing and hard work?

I have a feeling America wouldn't be debating this issue if that were the case because there would be such a wave of VOLUNTARY benevolence that there would be no need for the government to step in to force us to give to those in need.

Government can never understand the principles of relationship and community, even if we are led by a community organizer who says we are committing a sin not to support his healthcare plan.

I'm wondering if the real solution isn't found in government at all, but in the community of faith.

So I ask: Are we as Christians Biblically, morally and spiritually obligated to support a system that forces us into benevolence?

What do you think?

What you should know about the new health care bill

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:20:11 GMT

There are some big changes afoot in America these days.

As I'm sure you're aware, there is a very important debate going on right now in relation to health care.

I believe it's very important for my friends to be aware of the nature of change that could soon be forced on us, hence I'm posting this note not as a politically motivated smear job, but as an encouragement to you to FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

The times now are such that you cannot hide from the debate because you don't want to make waves. The waves are going to be coming your way whether you want them or not, so it's up to you to be ready with your surfboard to ride them out... :)

There are some town hall meetings going on around the country right now and some have been getting bad press for the way in which the protesters are making themselves heard. My opinion on the matter is that we can get more done by civilized debate first, let's leave the shouting for when our leaders stop listening to our civilized debate.

This health care debate is fast moving to be more about freedom than it is about health care. Basically what we're looking at is in exchange for free healthcare, the citizen gives up their right to choose what kind of healthcare they want.

Make no mistake, the writers of this bill will claim that you can still opt out of it, but there is simply no way private insurance can compete with a government run program. Sooner rather than later private insurance will be put out of business, so you will be able to choose, but have nothing to choose from.

Don't let partisan propagandists try to fool you, our President is a supporter of eventual single payer (which means government run) health care. Watch the unedited video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE

Under the proposed legislation there will also be what are called "Health Choices Commissioners" who will be tasked with deciding what treatment the state can afford to provide for you. It doesn't matter that you might need a particular treatment to stay alive, if the HCC decides you don't need it, you don't get it.

This is discriminatory against our seniors because under this new law they will be subject to a government official, instead of qualified health professionals, telling them what kind of treatment they need. What better way to "control the population" (as Obama's Health Czar wants to do) than to let those who aren't "productive" in our society die off? It's a horrible thought, but in my conversations with radical proponents of this bill, it's not too far fetched!

And yes, ABORTION will be fully covered under this new plan.

To those who support this bill I have only one thing to say: Look at the way government runs other programs. Look at the IRS. Look at our federal deficit! That should be enough to scare you away from government run health care alone.

An ignorant citizenry is a citizenry in bondage. If we could just take a very short time to get informed about what's going on instead of relying on the partisan news networks to feed us with their propaganda, things will be different.

Let's not let what's happening in Iran happen in America. Stop the totalitarianism before it starts through honorable, civilized and well researched debate!

So if you happen to have a town hall meeting in your city with a Senator or Congressperson and are wondering just what this healthcare debate is all about, you need to read the bill first:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text?version=ih&nid=t0:ih:402

After getting informed about just what this bill is going to change in America, then start asking civilized, calm and well formulated questions. Ask them firmly, but nicely. Keep in mind that those hotshots up there on the podium work for YOU and not the other way around!

Visit: http://www.scsuscholars.com/2009/08/questions-on-health-care-for-your.html to find some basic questions you can ask. There will be more posted on this blog in the future.

Let Freedom be the cry of all our hearts!

Mini Van Demolition Derby

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:26:53 GMT

Here's one for the guys (and the girls who like cars) :)