
July 28, 2017 De
Nada
Last week I got a
lot of comments about my intro on charitable giving (I posted some of
them at Travelingboy.com).
So I hope you don't mind that I touch on a similar topic today.
Sammy (not his real
name) went deep sea fishing over the weekend and told me he had some fish
for me. I thought he was kidding. I mean, nobody gives me "fish!"
But true to his word, he called me at the end of the day and said he was
delivering his promise.
In my mind, I was
thinking "what's the catch?" Is this a prank? But he
handed me a vacuum packed chunk of that 125 pound tuna. The texture and
color were perfect and when my wife and I put it in our mouths, it was
amazingly fresh. The last time I had so much fresh fish was before I was
married. Thank you "Sammy."
The next day, out
of the blue, my wife's office mate gave her a box of fresh yellow kiwi.
Kiwi never tasted that good.
What was going on?
Why were people suddenly so generous? I pondered about it, and concluded
that kindness is actually quite common. In my circle of friends alone,
these good people are quite abundant.
I know of Wendy, who is going to Haiti on a medical
mission trip next month to do chiropractic work; there's Kyle, another
chiropractor who joins a rescue team in Big Bear on a regular basis; there's
John who is going on his 10th trip to Nigeria to teach about entrepreneurship;
there's Ray who is close to 90 and gives lectures on job creation; there's
another Ray, a dry cleaner, who gathers old clothes for poor families
around Christmas time; there's Romy who orchestrates sending doctors to
the Philippines to repair cleft lips; I have countless church members
who volunteer to care for kids, seniors, and the homeless; there's my
Rotary group that helps build houses for orphans in Mexico. One of my
sisters and her husband also goes on mission trips and builds classrooms
and lectures on emergency preparedness. My brother works with NGOs to
uplift poverty and his daughter started a non-profit to redistribute food.
Of course, there are "pretenders" who give with "strings
attached" but there are "genuine people" who give and expect
nothing in return.
I'm sure you can share
of your own friends who are just the nicest people in the world, right?
Let's keep paying
it forward. Even if the generous person says "de nada" (Spanish
for it was nothing), you know it really was something. Let's
always show our appreciation.
Let me confide in
you. I've stopped volunteering to do caricatures for some non-profits
because they simply forgot to say "Thank You." True, I told
them I didn't want to get paid; but honestly, that was the one payment
that I did expect.
"Gratitude
makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision
for tomorrow."
– Melody Beattie
TGIF people!
What's
Your Name? Contributed by
Skip of CA
A burglar breaks into
a couple's bedroom. The startled husband and wife wake up and the burglar
says: "Too bad! Now that you have seen my face, I have to kill
you!"

Pointing a gun at
the wife, the burglar asks: "before I shoot you, I need to know
your name."
"Elizabeth!"
sobbed the wife.
The burglar is shocked.
"That is my mother's name! I can't shoot you! I can't shoot my
own mother!"
Pointing the gun at
the husband, he demands: "What's your name?"
Nervous, perspiring
and deep in thought, the husband responds: "My ... my ... na ...
name is J.. J ... Joe! ... but my close friends call me 'Elizabeth!'"

TGIF Videos

Pranks:
Stealing Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA
Another set
of pranks from our "prank researcher" --- Art of Sierra
Madre.
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5
Amazing Inventions Sent by Peter Paul of S Pasadena
Here are some
inventions that are changing the way we live and have fun. The coolest
thing about them? They're already available!
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Actual
Footage of Me as a Child Sent by Joseph of Quezon City, Philippines
I certainly
hope this isn't "Joseph" as a child. Watch and you'll
understand.
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Parting
Shot Thanks
to Naomi of N Hollywood who provided this photo

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Comments
Anonymous
Wed, 08/02/2017 - 11:21
Permalink
Appreciation
Thanks Raoul.
I appreciate what you do here and the periodic messages that go along with it, including your personal stories. I look forward to seeing your jokes and fascinating material each week.
Blessings to you and your wife!
Pastor Lee, AZ
Anonymous
Wed, 08/02/2017 - 11:22
Permalink
Cadre of Friends
Congratulations on your cadre of great friends. What goes around comes around and you deserve the benefits. Take Care.
Tom of Pasadena