54 years ago today!

54 years ago today I went from being an Airline Stewardess to being a wife.......I married Don L. Peterson an airline pilot for Western Airlines in Mancos, Colorado in the Methodist Church by a Mormon Bishop. Don's family drove down from Salt Lake City. It was the typical small town wedding, where everyone in town were invited, because I had grown up there and knew everyone. My best friend Janet Brown/McCabe was matron of honor and my father walked me down the isle.
We were married a little over 30 years, when he walked out on his family. We had three beautiful daughters and loved traveling around the world. BUT, "things happen for a reason......just believe." So here I sit on my 54th wedding anniversary trying to decide what color tile I want to put in on the back splash of my kitchen and what kind of dish washer and refrigerator to buy. I just remodeled my kitchen, putting in new cabinets and granite counters. It is so pretty. You never know where the road will lead you after you say "I Do"........ would I go back and do it again? Yes, I had to go through what I did to get to where I am today and have my three beautiful daughters. I am well, happy and surrounded by my loving kids and grandkids and good friends. I have been divorced coming up 24 years, good years. Seen the world, watch the grandchildren grow up and make me proud. But, on that very special day that comes around once a year it is hard not to reminisce a little. Perhaps spending 30 years of your life with someone is not meant to vanish in thin air, and some memories are o.k.

And I might add Happy Birthday yesterday to my baby brother (only brother) Jim.....64.

Happy and Sad

How can you be really happy and sad at the same time? I am so happy because my roommates just got engaged .........

Well...........Goldie her baby didn't get engaged but she will be moving out with Tiffany in October. That is why I am sad, I will miss them after almost five and a half years. We have had so much fun together, long talks, dinner out, movies and a glass of wine together. Never a cross word between us and she never leaves the house without us telling each other "I love You, have a good day." You love your kids, but sometimes you worry more about your grandchildren. Tiff is a wonderful girl. She has finished college and worked at the University of Utah for five years or so. About a year ago she met Scott and and in March when they went on a cruise with his family he gave her a ring. We love Scott and he fits into our family great. He has been very good to her grandmother.......which really makes points with me. We are up to (our) armpits with wedding plans which is so exciting! Where to have the wedding, who to invite, the wedding dress, the bridges maids clothes, flowers, photographer, invitations, food and entertainment........Wow, her family are busy. Hard to believe this time of year 54 years ago tomorrow her grandmother was getting ready to walk down the isle. So much water under the bridge since then. Interesting how time marches on and each generation takes their turn at repeating the traditions of their loved ones. I am proud of my kids, for making this a happy time for their child ( my grandchild ) and know they will pass it on. So, I may be happy that Tiffany and Goldie will move out this fall into their new life, BUT, I am sad they will no longer be roommates to Gigi and I.

"Nothing is worth more than this day"

We are getting more and more SOS's lately. They only seem to be getting bigger and bigger and ruining life for more and more people. This week it is the volcano in Iceland......"Eyjafjallajokull volcano"....I hope i spelled it right, but don't ask me to pronounce it. For five or six days now the airlines have shut down and people are stranded all over the world. They are running out of money and their medicines and places to sleep. I was an ardent traveler for over 45 years, I have been around the world and I never ran into the problems people are having now days. Tsunami that wiped out a beautiful place in Thailand, that I had been to and loved. Earth quake in Haiti was so sad, Argentina and Beijing. This new volcano really had a ripple effect on our lives. People stuck, loss of money for airlines, for their food vendors, for their gas supplies. Car manufacturers shutting down for a few days because parts were not being delivered. Mail slowed down and Insurance on the people traveling have not been covered in some instances.........they don't do volcano's! Floods, hurricanes, tornado's, fires, mud slides, I get the feeling somebody up there isn't to happy with us. That why I have decided everyday counts when we have food and a place to sleep. So remember ,"nothing is worth more than this day!"

"I promise......to never remodel again!"

This is what I think my poor head looks like inside...........If stress had a picture this is what is going on inside of me. I keep telling myself, "Now Betty, remember your Wabi-Sabi lesson of finding the beauty in imperfection or the good in the bad." Part of me is trying to do this as the other part is not going along with it completely.

I know I'm not the only person in the world who decided to do some remodeling in their home, but that should be for young, ambitious, flexible people, not for the old who likes things nice and tidy.

I got through the part of deciding on the cupboard material, door fronts, hardware for them, and the granite counter top, the sink faucet, picking out a new microwave and garbage disposal, (still working on the back splash), but I did this because my sweet daughter took me by the hand and helped me through it.

Then we needed a plumber because the old, old plumbing would not turn off. Monday we took care of that, Tuesday Five very large people came in and had the old cabinets out in a couple of hours. We.......well not really we, my sweet granddaughter and her fiance volunteered to paint before the installers came Wednesday and my son-in-law came in to plaster all the holes. Got most of the painting done on schedule, then Wednesday was a complete loss because of the weather. Thursday at nine was the new due date. The boss arrived at 9:30.........he and I stood around staring at the blank kitchen, finally I got a magazine and he got out his Ipod thingy to play games while we waited for the cabinets to arrive.......... at 11:00 a truck load was stashed in the kitchen and everyone took off to get another load! I figured they would take an hour for lunch and we would be back at it by 1:00 at the latest. Wrong! At 3:30 they showed up with another load and finally showed some interest in making things happen. By then I have had my lunch, ( a piece of cold pizza, cottage cheese, salsa and chips and finished off my pot of coffee, I have plugged in, in the bathroom). I have found in the past that writing helps my stressful times so I decided to write this all down. I even went as far as to text my daughter and see if I could borrow one of Charles ( her dog's ) pills for my stress. She remodeled and reminded me she warned me if they say three weeks, that means six to handle all the delay. They just informed me my floor isn't level..........and I'm thinking O.K. at least they are here working on it. Remember look for the good in with the bad. My daughter in Vernal called to cheer me up and reassured me this to will pass and it would be worth it. I am learning patience.

Happy Birthday To Me

It all started here 78 years ago today. I was born April 19, 1932 in Mancos, Colorado to Hazel Marie Goff and Richard H. Yeomans. I was born in this little brown house that was my grandma and grandpa Goff's home. I was the first child of a family of five. All three of my little sisters were also born in Grandma's bedroom here. I have many wonderful memories and learned many lessons that I have used all my life from this "little brown house." I have nothing but good memories about growing up down the street from my grandparents. Mancos is a small town where everyone knew everyone and you could wander freely, safely exploring your world. These past 78 years have flown by looking back. After graduating from high school in 1950, my summer job was a waitress in Spruce Tree Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park, then off to BYU to college. that next summer I went to Denver and lived with an Aunt and Uncle and worked at Berkhardt Steel Company as a secretary for a year. The following summer I went to Estes Park and was a waitress in Coolidge Cafe for the summer. I returned to BYU for another year of school. My goal since graduating from high school was becoming 21 so I could apply to be a "Stewardess".....Well, finally that magic number arrived! I went to airline school in Kansas City,Mo and then to Denver to apply at six airlines. I took the first one that was hiring, which was Frontier Airlines, I started in January 1954. I was stationed in Salt Lake City. I flew two and a half years before quitting to marry an airline pilot, April 28, 1956. (wow almost 54 years ago!) We were married a little over 30 years and had three beautiful daughters. We traveled the world taking the children on many trips with us. It was a busy life. When the twins were 18, he walked out on the family. I have been divorced almost 24 years, they have been good years. I have three wonderful son-in-laws and nine "perfect" grandchildren and a granddaughter is getting married in a few months so hopes of great-grandchildren are in view. I have traveled around the world, worked as a conceirge, gone back and taken classes at the U of U. Learned Spanish, spoken on cruise ships, learned to text, am on face book, have a blog and can email. I have enjoyed my family, who spoil me royally. I hope I haven't wasted one minute of the past 78 years and will take advantage of every minute I have left before I add a few more birthdays. As I move on the birthday numbers will mean nothing, in fact other nonessential numbers also include my weight, height and waist measurements. Yes, April is a good month: The twins, (born one week before my 36th birthday), my grandson Kennedy, my only brother Jim and my favorite cousin all share April with me.

More Wabi-Sabi

Remember the definition of Wabi-Sabi? A term from the Japanese that describes the beauty found in imperfection..........Wabi stems from the root Wa which refers to harmony, peace, tranquility, and balance. Generally speaking, Wabi had the original meaning of sad, desolate and lonely but poetically it has come to mean simple, un-materialistic , humble by choice and in tune with nature.

Sabi by itself means "the bloom of time". It connotes a natural progression, a patina that extinguishes the gloss. It's the understanding that beauty is fleeting. Wabi-Sabi is an ancient design concept of paring back to the simple essentials. It is under stated and modest, a kind of quiet, undeclared beauty that waits patiently to be discovered. Well, after completely emptying out my kitchen to the bare walls preparing it for remodeling I try to envision how it will look when it has waited patiently to be rediscovered. They are moving right along with the plans and Karrie and Annie helped me tie up the loose ends today. A plumber will arrive this weekend to redo the water turn- off handles under the sink so they can tear everything out on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday they will install new cupboards and possibly Friday the new counter top. Thanks to Karrie and her understanding of Wabi-Sabi many treasures found their way into the garbage sack. "Mother you never use them and will never miss them". She is a no-nonsense, keep it simple kind of gal. The kind of person I needed to unload unnecessary clutter. I keep reminding myself "Wabi-Sabi is an ancient design concept of paring back to the simple essentials!" I have been intrigued by this concept and feel it can be a great help to me in my life. Look for the good and beauty in everything instead of the negative and ugly. I will be grateful when my new kitchen of black and white is in place.

,

Life Is Full of Journeys

We take many Journeys in life. A journey doesn't apply only to physically leaving a place to somewhere else. Our life is filled with thresholds to cross and paths to walk, far beyond the realms of cars, planes and trains. A new baby can be the beginning of a new journey for a young couple, the start of a new career, purchase of a new home, the loss of someone through death or divorce are all journeys we embark on. But when I think Journey.........I think travel to somewhere fun and exotic.......or not. Along the way of my years of travel I have collected fun thoughts about traveling from other people.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." Lao Tzu

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen" Benjamin Disraeli

"Anywhere is walking distance, if you've got the time." Steven Wright

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost."

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. " Martin Buber

"Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled." Mohammed

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

"The map is not the Territory."

"The only real journey is the one within." AND a very good thought I found the other day sums it for me.

"The saying, "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines! Security searches, clothes off, no carry ons, high price to take your clothes and bring home your dirty ones. No food, pillows, blankets and some charges for drinks of water or pop.

I have flown around the world, but I have decided it is time to stay home and enjoy the travel channels on TV.

Happy Birthday to my Twins

On this day 42 years ago I became a member of the "Mothers Of Twin Clubs", an exclusive club, where God picks the members. Their big sister Pam and I had waited a very long time (11 years) to get her a baby sister she named Karrie. Like they say, be careful what you wish for.....you might get it. Well Pam did, and then some. She got two baby sisters so we named the other baby Sherrie. The twins were a month early and only weighted 3 lbs 13 oz and 4 lbs 5 oz. Karrie spent two weeks in an incubator and Sherrie spent three weeks in the incubator before Pam and I got them home. They are identical twins, in fact called mirror imagine twins. One is left handed, the other right handed so when they face each other they are using the same hand. I sewed all their clothes and dressed them alike, until they rebelled. They were the same but different in many ways. Sherrie was the leader always thinking up something fun to do, Karrie supported her. They had the same friends growing up, but different interests. Sherrie was a cheer leader, Karrie an officer in the seminary. They have stayed close and to this day can still finish each others sentences and will arrive some place dressed similar. Sherrie got married first and if we still had polygamy Sherrie's husband would have had two wives. Their first children were born in the same year 11 months apart. Their second child one day apart and their last child about three years apart. The children feel at home with either mother! I have enjoyed every minute with these precious girls and feel myself very lucky to have three wonderful daughters. Happy Birthday Sherrie and Karrie!

GOD'S ROSE BUD

"It is only a tiny rosebud, A flower of God's design,

But I cannot unfold the petals, with these clumsy hands of mine."

The secret of unfolding flowers, is not known to such as I,

God opens this flower so easily, but in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God's design,

Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in God for leading each moment of my day,

I will look to God for guidance, in each step of the way.

The path that lies before me, only my Lord knows.

I'll trust God to unfold the moments, just as he unfolds the rose.

I love this little poem, think how lucky we are if we have faith and trust that our lives are on track and day by day God is unfolding our lives as the plan that we agreed on was laid out. How great to know we are in control of our lives with God's help. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Sherrie's boys

Do you love these pictures or what? The left is Sherrie and Kennedy when he was about one year old. The boys were young and let Sherrie dress them up to look like the little boys of several generations ago. That would not happen today!

Sherrie's baby will be 12 years old this month. He is a tall, skinny, and a beautiful boy with blond hair and blue eyes. He has his definite likes and dislikes. He loves legos and can build the most amazing things. Oh yes, his favorite "person" in the whole world is Sponge BOB Square Pants.

Sher's second son is Brayden. He is my 4th grandson. (at the top). He will be 15 this summer and can get his drivers permit. Brayden is the sweetest thing and so good to his grammy. Brayden is going to be a big man and can do anything. He is a peace-maker and an inventor. His mind is full of big dreams and wonderful inventions......that his grandmother knows he will share with the world someday. He will get his Eagle Scout this summer.

Alex is 17. Sherrie's first son. He is tall, thin and very shy and so cute! He was my second grandson and has had charm and charisma from day one. He loves cars. He loves tearing them apart and building them back together. He loves outdoor sports with his family. He is a very hard worker and very dependable, his father's right hand man. Last year he went to Europe with the young ambassadors and got a touch of the real world. He also got his Eagle Scout Badge last summer. I am such a lucky grandmother.

And my Sherrie never stops. She is the perfect mother of boys. She can do anything and never stops surprising us with her talents. She just published a book "THE POWER OF A PENNY" which led to book signings and tv interviews and speaking engagements, which she handled beautifully. She is contributing part of the book profits to "Koins of Kenya". She is doing a blog-cook book that is so fun. She started a scrapbook paper company which she sold and now has a purse business. She adores her horses and big blue barn and can drive anything from trucks, tractors, hay baler's or pooper scoopers. She is very active in the church and in her neighborhood. Entertains on their house-boat and in their cabin. She is like the pink bunny that just keeps goin and goin and goin......

Go With The Flow-

Well, today I did something I promised myself I was never going to do again..........I signed on the line to redo my kitchen. Does it need it? Yes, it is old and outdated but the only real reason I have a kitchen is that it came with the house. First i was just going to get a new microwave and sink. Then maybe a marble counter, then they give me such a good price for tearing out and replacing my cabinets and having a custom built kitchen that I weakened. They are estimating to have it done by the end of the month, but my kids say, "don't hold your breath." All I can say to myself is, "this too will pass." When it is done I am sure I will love it! It's this "Feny Shui" thing I have going on in my brain. Feny Shui is the Asian art of designing space to allow for the optimal flow of energy through a room. Right now my house needs a little help in this area.

Have you walked into a living room and looking around wondered........does anybody live in here? Hey, there is a reason a living room is called a living room. They are meant to be lived in! When you walk into my living room there is no doubt someone lives in it. Someone who loves to travel and bring back a souvenir of every place she has ever been in her trips around the world. Bringing in all the elements that represent the best aspects of my life of travel creates a warm, interesting, friendly room that people can enjoy.

When you walk into a squeeky-clean room without any accessories you think to yourself, what are these people about? I am the first to admit my home has more "tchotchkes" that I need lying around, but each one is dear to me and has a story to tell that brings back a great memory of some strange land or place I have been. But, bottom line, as I grow older and can no longer travel the world like I have done in the years gone by, it validates to me "Been There Done That." I feel very lucky to think I have Gypsies blood soaring through my veins.

And, I don't kid myself one little bit, the minute I die the girls will have the biggest garage sale on the block and someone else will be the lucky owners of my treasurers. I will continue to work on my Feny Shui skills arranging and rearranging my goodies to keep the flow of energy at a high level in my living room, dinning room and soon to be new kitchen.

Today I am grateful for seeing 120+ countries, 6 continents and 48 states and have a "tchotchke" from everyone of them to enjoy.

What I think I know for sure.....or not!

There might have been a time in my life when I thought I knew everything for sure! But as the years have passed more and more I hear myself say, "I didn't know that". When I read Oprah's list of what I know for sure.........or not, there are a lot of her thoughts that ring true for me in what I have learned the past 78 years.

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. A smile, a kind deed, a word of praise for something well done.

2. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power. Yes, the choice is yours, so I made the choice that the higher I climbed the lower he would sink. It worked.

3. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you. You do have a choice here.

4. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe. Your belief can become your passion and conviction in life.

5. I know without God in my life and the peace and help he has given me, my life would be very sad, lonely and empty.

6. There is no such thing as failure, only feed back. Stop, look and listen and learn from your mistakes and go on with your life.

7. Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn't lie. That little voice inside you is there for a reason so go with your "gut" feeling.

8. Love yourself and it will be easier to love others. Your body is not you, remember that. You are where you are in life from the choices YOU made, and the choices your parents made. Your religion, your education and the models you follow all come from your parents.

9. Every day brings a chance to start over. Take that new day and choose to make it even better than the last.

10. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere should stand up and declare it so. It is also the most rewarding job on the planet to be a witness to the job you have done.

11. When you don't know what to do, be still and let the answer come. We already have all the answers to our life, we just need to chose the right road that leads to them.

12. This too will pass, trouble doesn't last.

13. THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON............JUST BELIEVE. This is the creed I live by.

"EASTER SUNDAY"

When you think of Easter Sunday, what comes to your mind? God, resurrection, his empty tomb, church services? Or, like to many of us, we think new Easter dresses and hats, baskets full of bright colored eggs and chocolate bunnies.

When I think of all my past Easters I'm afraid it was always the latter. But, on this Easter Sunday, also the second day of the annual Spring Conference of the LDS church, I have other thoughts and feelings.

Today my heart is filled with God and his resurrection. I have had the privilege to travel to Israel. I walked where Jesus walked. I have been to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent time anticipating his own calcification and resurrection. So near to the places where he prayed, was taken prisoner, where he was tried and condemned. Outside the city walls we were shown the place called Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified. Close by we were told was the cave in which it is said the body was lain and the stone rolled over the entrance. I tried to think back through all those years and the story of his resurrection, while seeing the River Jordon, floating in the dead sea, strolling atop the ruins of Masada. We passed by the hills where the dead sea scrolls were found and I put my prayer on a slip of paper to put in a crack with the many other hopefuls on the Wailing Wall. Yes, Jesus lived and left his foot steps many places for mankind to follow.

So now as I celebrate my (almost) 78th Easter Sunday today I only have God and what he did for us in my heart. No, I don't have a new Easter dress, I didn't get an Easter basket of eggs or a chocolate bunny, but best of all I have been invited to have Easter dinner with my oldest daughter and her family. My other two girls and their families are out of town on Easter vacation trips with their families and wherever they are I wish them "Happy Easter." Today I have much to be thankful for.

Hindsight or Foresight

At this age I only had foresight.........never dreaming of what my years ahead would bring. Studies show we make about 200 decisions a day.......from what to wear each day, what to eat or what job to do. I have read our life is channeled by DIVINE PROVIDENCE. What is Divine Providence? "The word "providence" comes from the Latin word proveeder, pro meaning "before" and veeder meaning "to see." Providence means that everything that is happening has been orchestrated with foresight. What's happening now must take place because of what is predestined. Often it is hard for us to appreciate this until we see what happens later." All I can say to this, 70 years after this picture was taken is "Amen."

By what unfolds in our lives today, we can sometimes recognize how God directed our life yesterday or a year ago or a decade ago, to put us where we are in life today. When something bad or negative happens, we may be upset, but then events end up playing out in such a way that suddenly we look back and realize "Oh my goodness! Everything had to happen as it did so that this could happen." I look at my life today of almost 78 years of unfolding one year at a time and everything was so incredibly planned, so masterful and magnificent. I feel somewhere in the great beyond I had a hand in choosing my parents and siblings, where I would be born, what problems and hardships I would be able to handle in order to progress into the kind of life I felt I wanted to have.

We can all think of a difficult time in life that looking back at it now, was actually a gift. My 30 year marriage was one for me. My husband never touched me, but the mental abuse was far worse, the unfaithfulness and dishonesty killed my love. After the twins were 18 and he was free from child support he walked out. Yes, there was the pain of rejection, the doubt at 54 I could go on alone. But it did not take me long to realize what a blessing in disguise the divorce was! I bought a house, a car for each of the twins, invested my share of our life, went back for more education and a fun job as a Conceirge at a hotel. I began traveling around the world, speaking on cruise ships, enjoying the children and grandchildren. No more being treated like I was a worthless idiot. I found lots of new friends and realized who my real friends were in my "other" life. Each year has just gotten better. If we can see the Divine Providence in such twists and turns, we are actually seeing God's wisdom. Looking back, we are able to see how much god was looking forward for us. That is Providence. Thank y6u God...........

MARLEY AND ME

This is Karrie and Marley Christmas morning, the day after they got him from the pet store. The family met him Christmas Eve at the family Christmas party. Marley spent Christmas Eve curled up on Andrea's lap taking in his new family...........Well, a lot has happened in Marley's life since Christmas. The first part of the year he became a "father" of 10 beautiful puppies. The mother, Izzy also belongs to Karrie's family. He has grown up and is huge.....my dog Gigi and Tiffany's little dog Goldie give Marley lots of room around the house. Marley and I are having a battle to settle who is "alfa dog" of my house! I am baby sitting Marley and Izzy for the Cooks while they do Easter vacation in St. George. I can see now how he takes up so much of Karrie's time as he is very loving and clinging and wants to be right with you every minute. Marley loves me that I know and we have become very good friends, it's just that when we go up stairs I want to go first.........and so does he. When I tell him no, he doesn't listen till I use my grandma voice........everyone listens then! Having four dogs and two of them very large dogs is quite an experience. We are a family of dog lovers, all my children have at least one dog and we all pitch in and baby sit for each other. Sherrie took her dog with her to Mexico this weekend. Pam just got home from New York and her son tended their two, plus my x's dog while he is in China. Goldie belongs to my granddaughter that lives with me and her boy-friend has a dog. The dogs all get along thank goodness. Today has been nice and sunny and they have enjoyed being outside as long as they can see me through the sliding door. I think I will just stick to one dog, but the family knows grandma is a good dog sitter.

LAUGHTER IS NO JOKE........

APRIL 1st.......April Fools Day!

This is a day of pranks and jokes........which are suppose to make you laugh. According to scientific study, laughter is good for you.

No one teaches you to laugh, you just do it. Laughter is a way of communicating, it comes involuntarily and in certain spots in a conversation. Rather than just laughing at something funny, laughter is about social responses. "laughter above all else is a social thing, and usually requires another person."

Like a smile is a smile in any language, a laugh is a laugh in any language. People of all language groups laugh with a basic ha-ha-ha. It is thought there is a pattern generator in our brain that produces this sound. Each "ha"is about 1/15th of a second....or not. Some people laugh longer or shorter, louder or simply chuckle. Still, a laugh is in the mind. "It's a joy; it's positive engagement in a person's life!" It is very social.

Of interest deaf people laugh without hearing and people laugh when having a conversation on a phone without seeing anyone. This illustrates that laughter is not dependent on a single sense but, due to social interaction.

Some studies of animals think laughter produces an insulin like growth factor chemical that acts as an antidepressant and anxiety reducer.........this probably happens in humans also. When scientist can figure out what is going on in the brain during laughter they could make a vaccine or pill that fights depression and anxiety in people. At any rate there is nothing in my life that makes me feel better than a really good laugh, I love friends who make me laugh! So I will continue to smile, chuckle or just laugh out loud. "Laugh and the world laughs with you, Cry and you cry alone." And that is no April Fool.........