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We are all the same size inside
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No power tonight
The leaf is proud


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today 		"The things we want are really the times we share."

"The most important things we bring with us are within us."

"If I had only one thing I would take a smile over an iPod."

~ Rob Hueniken

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Article

Thumbnail image for The strength around us

The strength around us

January 31, 2011

We see fire hydrants every day, fortunately not often in use. But there they stand, along our route and near our homes — silent, patient reminders of our shared commitment to safety and community. The fire hydrant, or "fire plug", dates back to the 1600s, when fire crews would prepare a water source by digging deep into the ground to reach the water table. Afterwards, they covered the well with a plug, so that they were ready. When a fire broke out they'd remove the fire plug and use a bucket brigade — a human chain — to move the [...]

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Honoring Others with Alternative Gifts

December 10, 2010

There is a growing and excellent trend moving through our society: honoring our friends and family with special gifts for their birthday and on holidays. While there are still times when people need a new iPod, TV, or other gizmo, a lot of people already have a lot of things, and enjoy going out themselves and buying the particular model they want. And while there are no shortages of sweet things and entertaining things we can buy for people we love, there is also no shortage of people in our world who really need our help, be it clothes, food, [...]

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Thankful for the people

November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving weekend is one of my oldest and favorite memories. Occurring in the fall, its usual reason is the celebration of the harvest. Thanksgiving arrives amidst fresh apples, orange leaves and and even more brightly orange pumpkins. The corn fields, tall from a busy summer of growing, are now laden and dense, ready for their harvest haircut. The fall is definitely a time of plenty. So if you said that Thanksgiving is about turkey and pie you wouldn't find many people to argue with you, but you would definitely find people. After a summer of going off on vacation, Thanksgiving [...]

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Trying Hard – Still a Key to Life

October 30, 2010

Lost in the marketing maelstrom of our culture is an eternal truth: that life is hard and requires us to try hard.  It doesn't matter how many songs we have on our iPod, how many friends we have on Facebook, or how many dollars we have in the bank — without an understanding of our personal commitment to making things work out it all eventually falls apart. Others can help keep things running for a while, but life requires our own determination and action. This is not just about a person's career — trying hard is about all aspects of [...]

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Our Society’s Toughest Commandment (#10)

September 25, 2010

One of the main characteristics of our North American society is its focus on money and entertainment. Everywhere we look there are opportunities and offers of services, goods to buy, and recreation. Advertising blitzes us continuously, mostly portraying smiling, beautiful people sharing a good time and taking possession of something they really want. And if smiling, beautiful people can't sell us something then the marketing machine uses fear to convince us that we are missing out on something important or we're at risk. Either way, we have a society encouraged to want things, and to never be satisfied. In advertising [...]

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Thumbnail image for Waiting Long – a poem for moving on

Waiting Long – a poem for moving on

August 23, 2010

I recently attended a party held outdoors in farming country. Near the road was an old piece of farm machinery, slowly rusting. I wrote this poem for what is past and unchangeable: Waiting long: For men to bind me to their task. For sun and wind and dirt and grass. For purposed motion past that tree. For harvests that are not for me. As the sun set I was struck with the awareness that each of us has had times of achievements — of getting things done, of doing well — but feel now that time is passing without the [...]

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The purpose of technology is community

July 18, 2010

Perhaps the most apparent feature of our society is our use of technology. Whether it is cell phones, high def TV, MRI scanners or air bags, technology surrounds us and is embedded into our lives. Everywhere you go you see people using devices — if there's a gizmo then people are using it. There is, of course, money to be made creating and using technology, and jobs and benefits for many people. There are busy and industrious people inventing devices, refining them, and bringing them to market. There are legions of truckers and sales people providing them to us, and [...]

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Climb the Right Mountain

Thumbnail image for Climb the Right Mountain May 27, 2010

"It takes as much work to climb the wrong mountain as it does the right mountain," says Brian Warren, the Founder of KidsFest. In the same way that KidsFest helps low-income children achieve their full potential, each of us needs a reawakening, and a fresh commitment to truly living our lives. In our busy world there is always a lot going on — not all of it good for us or in line with our personal goals and values. Living in a culture of plenty can open a lot of doors for exploration and personal fulfillment, but it can also [...]

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Mothers are God’s most obvious agents of love

Thumbnail image for Mothers are God’s most obvious agents of love May 9, 2010

In celebration of Mother's Day: The heart symbol represents both life and love. This heart-in-a-heart symbol is a baby growing within its mother, and the loving arms that long to hold us close forever.   In the beginning, God created not just the universe, but also life and love. Today we celebrate Mothers, whose bodies enable life and whose spirit helps love grow. Mothers are God's most obvious agents of life and love, and we honor them, today and every day. Thank you, Mom, for life and love. [Return to the home page of MakingMoreOfToday.com.]

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Subtle warmth and color

April 3, 2010

Back in the days of wood heating, the fireplace was a central and essential part of the house. Stoked and prodded, fire was a bright orange source of heat, and a strong reminder of our shared interests in warmth and community. Atop the fireplace, on the mantle, was always something of personal meaning to the family, be it a family portrait or a treasured heirloom. Chairs were positioned around the fireplace, and it was a focal point that drew us together frequently, to talk and share time. Nowadays, most homes are heated thoroughly and invisibly by a furnace or baseboard [...]

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