1. In honor of national coffee day – Sept 29 – here are some statistics about coffee in the US:
• 50% of Americans age 18 and over drink at least one cup of coffee each day
• 400 million cups of coffee are consumed in the US each day
• $4 Billion worth of coffee is imported into the US each year
• The average price for a cup of brewed coffee in the US is $2.38
• 65% of all coffee consumed is during breakfast
• 35% of all coffee drinkers prefer their cup of joe black
• Men say that drinking coffee helps to get their job done
• Women say that drinking coffee helps them to relax
2. On Sunday night, the girls and I were reading from a devotional during dinner. We were to read a passage from Genesis when Gabbie said, “Dad. Let’s do it old school.” I said, “old school?” She replied, “Let’s not use the iPad. Let’s use the real Bible.”
3. Life Isn’t Fair, by Max Lucado: “May I gently but firmly remind you of something you know but may have forgotten? Life is not fair. That’s not pessimism, it’s fact. It’s not a complaint, it’s just the way things are. I don’t like it. At some point someone needs to say to us, ‘Whoever told you life was going to be fair?’ God didn’t. Jesus said, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world. My kingdom is from another place.’ When all of earth turns against you, all of heaven turns toward you.”
4. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner resigned this past Friday effective at the end of October. Now, the Speaker is unloading against the hardline conservatives in his party calling them “unrealistic” in their quest to force their agenda. Politicians, even when they resign, never seem to take responsibility for anything and blame everyone else for their shortcomings.
5. Yankee legend Yogi Berra died recently. He was known for his famous sayings. Some of my favorites are as follows:
• “You can observe a lot by just watching”
• “We made too many wrong mistakes”
• “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you”
• “You’d better cut that pizza in fours, because I’m not hungry enough to eat six”
• “The future ain’t what it used to be”
• “Pair up in threes”
• And the best one… “I never said most of the things I said."
6. From the “remember when…” column. I attended my daughter Grace’s volleyball game yesterday. On the back of the chair on which I sat, I noticed the name and address of the company that made or sold them. The address was “RD#2 Conestoga, PA.” How many of you remember addressing letters or other pieces of mail with “RD”, which stands for “rural delivery"? Reminds me of the old party lines for telephone calls.
7. Houston Texan J.J. Watt on Sunday met with Mario Lopez aka A.C. Slater from “Saved By the Bell.” While J.J. was happy to meet with Mario, he really wanted to know where was head cheerleader Kelly Kapowski aka Tiffany Amber Thiessen. Has it really been 22 years since “Saved By the Bell” went off the air (it was on TV from 1989-1993).
8. What's your vote? Two winners from the following nominees will enter the National Toy Hall of Fame in November: the spinning top, coloring book, Wiffle Ball, American Girl Doll, Battleship,, Jenga, Playmobil, the scooter, Super Soaker, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Twister.
9. PGA Tour player Jordan Spieth just completed a year in which he won two major titles, five tournaments and $22 million. To me, what I admire about this 22 year old is his humble attitude. At every press conference, he says "we" instread of "I" such as "we hit the ball where we wanted it" to "we executed the game plan just as we drew it up." His "we" is his team - his trusted caddie along with his coaches and family. Jordan has certainly carried himself well for someone so very young. Most importantly, his emphasis of giving the credit to 'team over himself' is something I believe in wholeheartedly.
10. Still no budget in PA. At least the governor and the leadership in the Legislature are talking. The question remains: why are my PA Income taxes still being withheld from my paycheck? Where is the money going?.
Believe.Act.Serve
Reedy.Right.Now