After a stressful tax session, treat yourself to something nice. Check out these post tax coupons.
day (5)
I was in church this past week and the pastor spent the whole message going over the value and reasoning behind the Sabbath. For those of you that aren't church goers, the Sabbath is the 7th Day of the week. Traditionally most Christians celebrate it on Sunday, but some denominations like Seventh Day Adventists and Jews celebrate it on Saturday. Muslims celebrate a special day of prayer and rest on Friday. No matter how you flip it though, most religions agree that there should be a day out of the week that you DO NOT WORK!!!
I'm as guilty as many of you reading this blog in that I might have a "day off", but that just means I don't go into the office. I STILL spend 2-5 hours in my home office or on my cell phone answering emails, returning calls, etc. SO.....for the last two weeks my family and I have challenged ourselves to do away with the TV, internet, phone, fax, email, Facebook, and whatever other electronic addictions we possess for an entire 24 hours. IT WAS DIFFICULT....but a few things happened:
- I found myself with more time to spend with my kids. I read a book I'd been waiting to start for months.
- I took a nap and felt more rested going into Monday than I have in months
- My business didn't burn down. The urgent emails I felt like I needed to address, waited until Monday morning for a response.
I'm curious for those of you who have been in the business for a while, do you have a day of complete rest?
If not, do you think you could be a better agent, father, or husband by taking one day truly off ?
http://agentacceleration.com/god-gave-us-the-sabbath-to-rest/
"Virginia was here on this day."
On this Memorial Day weekend, I would like to thank all of the men and women who have defended this country from its inception to the present day. It is not without great sacrifice and dedication that you have put your lives in harm's way for the promise of a peaceful return to a more simple life. Those of us who have benefited from your commitment salute you and humbly thank you for your selfless acts.
One of the greatest conversations transcribed during war came at the battle of Gettysburg between Colonel Arthur Freemantle and Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead (a notable Virginian). That conversation is played out in the movie, "Gettysburg." Armistead reveals, in this short discourse, the very heart of Virginia. But, this dialog could have played out on a hundred battle fields since the Revolution. One of the reasons America is great is reflected in the great men and women who have sworn to defend her.
Col. Arthur Freemantle: I'm told you're descended from an illustrious military family.
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Who told you that? Kemper?
Col. Arthur Freemantle: He tells me it was your uncle who defended Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, and that he was therefore the guardian of the original "Star-Spangled Banner." I must say, I do appreciate the irony of it all.
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: Colonel Freemantle... it does not begin or end with my uncle... or myself. We're all sons of Virginia here.
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: That major out there, commanding the cannon... that's James Dearing. First in his class at West Point, before Virgina seceded. And the boy over there with the color guard...
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead: ... that's Private Robert Tyler Jones. His grandfather was President of the United States. The colonel behind me... that's Colonel William Aylett. Now, his great-grandfather was the Virginian, Patrick Henry. It was Patrick Henry who said to your King George III, "Give me liberty, or give me death." There are boys here from Norfolk... Portsmouth... small hamlets along the James River. From Charlottesville and Fredericksburg... and the Shenandoah Valley. Mostly, they're all veteran soldiers now; the cowards and shirkers are long gone. Every man here knows his duty. They would make this charge, even without an officer to lead them. They know the gravity of the situation, and the mettle of their foe. They know that this day's work will be desperate and deadly. They know, that for many of them, this will be their last charge. But not one of them needs to be told what is expected of him. They're all willing to make the supreme sacrifice... to achieve victory, here... the crowning victory... and the end of this war. We are all here, Colonel. You may tell them, when you return to your country... that all Virginia was here on this day.
Keller Williams Realty Associates may be taking the day off on Thursday, May 13, 2010, but it will hardly be a day of rest. Over 25,000 associates across the United States and Canada will spend their day off by giving back as part of the company’s community service initiative: RED Day.
Short for “Renew, Energize and Donate,” RED Day was created to unite Keller Williams Realty offices and associates in an international day of service. During RED Day 2009, over 25,000 Keller Williams associates participated in activities ranging from food and blood drives to cleaning up trash in public parks, doing yard work for neighbors in need or revamping gardens at nursing homes. Last year on RED Day, the company donated over 130,000 hours.
As part of the RED Day effort, Keller Williams Realty of Tracy has chosen to spend the day with McKinley Elementary, one of the 1st schools to be established in Tracy, CA. We have found that this aged site is lacking an outdoor sports field & sports equipment and many of the 450 children come from families with little to no income, making necessities such as paper and pencils a rarity. With the majority of students being on free or reduced lunch and/or breakfast, these teachers and staff have many obstacles to overcome in order to provide the learning facility that each and every child deserves.
We’ve made a commitment to McKinley Elementary to donate 450 backpacks filled with school supplies to start out the 2010-11 school year on the right track. We are reviving the sports field and building a soccer goal for the kids and their soccer field. We’re also hosting a BBQ for the staff and enjoying an afternoon of outdoor play with all the students; DJ playing Kids BOP, activity booths, raffle prizes and soccer play with Troy Dayak of Dayak’s Den.
The Silveria Team has raised nearly $1,000 of cash donations to contribute toward the school supplies. We’ve received gift cards and meal vouchers from many local businesses, which we greatly appreciate.
We are all very excited to spend the day with the students and staff of McKinley Elementary. We would like to invite you all to join us in our RED Day activities. We will start our day at 8:20 AM and stay until school lets out in the afternoon. If you would like to make a donation of school supplies, soccer equipment, raffle prizes or your time, we would love to hear from you.
