Two years ago, on May 3rd, 2007, Madeleine McCann was abducted from the families holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

There has been little progress since the McCann’s were released and the charges against them dropped, and the files handed over by the Portuguese authorities had no clues to assist with the continuing investigation.

Earlier this year, the private investigators working on behalf of the McCann’s arranged to film a reconstruction of events in Praia da Luz. Gerry and Kate McCann went to Praia da Luz along with friends Jane Tanner and Matthew Oldfield who were also there on the night Maddie vanished without trace.

On May 7th at 9pm GMT, the reconstruction will be shown on UK TV and will include information that has not been made public as it was buried deep within the police files and given no significance. But there may be a clue in there somewhere to jog people’s memories.

The  programme will also feature interviews with Gerry McCann, Jane Tanner and Matthew Oldfield and will also be available on the Find Madeleine website. Negotiations are also underway to have the film broadcast across Europe and Portugal.

Missing Maddie in 2007

Madeleine was 3 years old when she disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday and this image is known worldwide as the picture of ‘Missing Maddie’.

Two years on and this little girl will have changed much in appearance and with the expertise of a forensic imaging artist from the United States’ National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children below is the ‘age progression’ photo created with computer technology and pictures of both parents at around the same age, but one thing will not have changed and that is the iris in her right eye.

Missing Maddie 'age progression' image

There is also a short video clip showing the ‘age progression on findmadeleine.com

There is also a new Poster of Support which can be downloaded from the Bring Madeleine Home website. Click the link or the image below.

Don't Give Up On Me - New Poster

This young child, along with many others, is still missing, there is no evidence to suggest otherwise and the search continues with sightings around the world but all have been false alarms.

Someone, somewhere, knows the truth of what happened on the fateful evening when Maddie disappeared. There has been no evidence to substantiate claims that the parents murdered their own daughter and what they did by leaving young children alone may have been morally wrong, but that does not mean that they were guilty as the press and prosecuters claimed at the time.

The prosecutors dropped the charges and the press payed out large sums in compensation for their wild accusations.

A Europe-wide alert system for missing children has received a £900,000 European Commission handout on the eve of the second anniversary of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

The Mccann’s campaigned for closer co-operation between EU States and took their case tothe European Parliament twice last year which gained support from MEPs for increased action to set up a US-style ‘Amber Alert’ early warning system.

In the US it has led to the safe return of hundreds of children when the alarm has been raised across state lines and a similar network across 27 European countries could have helped raise awareness faster about Madeleine’s apparent abduction.

The European Commission funding will be used to support work on several EU-wide projects aimed at improving joint child abduction procedures and to put into place a system in place that will transmit the pictures and details of an abducted child similar to the ‘Amber Alert’ used in the US.

European countries fail to cooperate effectively when a child goes missing and the first 72 hours are crucial.

This is still a search for a little girl who has disappeared and  the witch hunt against the parents has finished, although there are still those who maintain their guilt. Until there is proof of guilt then they are innocent, this is the way the law works and it is sad that they, along with other parents have to be put through such trauma when a child disappears.

It’s that time of year again when folk around the world will celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.

It used to be celebrated only as a religious holiday but in 1903 it became a public holiday introduced by an Irish Member of Parliament called James O’Mara. He later introduced the law which required that pubs be closed on March 17 because of its religious connections to St.Patrick.

The first St. Patrick’s Day parade held in the Irish Free State was held in Dublin in 1931. The first Saint Patrick’s Festival was held on March 17, 1996 and 1997, it became a three-day event and by 2006 the festival was five days long.

The idea was to promote Ireland and its culture by offering a national festival that ranks amongst all of the greatest celebrations in the world.

The biggest celebrations in Ireland outside of Dublin are in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, where Saint Patrick was buried following his death on March 17, 493.  In 2004 the week-long St. Patrick’s Festival had over 2000 participants and 82 floats, bands, and performers, and was watched by over 30,000 people.

Irish-American immigrants also took  Saint Patrick’s Day to the United States. The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in the 13 colonies took place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737.

The New York parade has become the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the world, outside Ireland. In 2006 more than 150,000 marchers participated in it, including bands, firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, and social and cultural clubs and was watched by close to 2 million spectators lining the streets.

‘Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig’ is the Gaelic way of expressing a wish that you have all the blessings of St Patrick’s Day and the “luck of the Irish” to go with it.

An Irish Wish

One of the explanations for this expression comes from the legend of the ‘Little People’ of the land, know as leprechauns. Finding or catching a leprechaun, who would then give you gold, was a lucky event that could only take place in Ireland.

An Irish Leprechaun

Many Irish people will wear a bunch of shamrock on their lapels or caps on this day and girls traditionally wear green in their hair.  Green is the theme including the wearing of green clothes and drinking green beer.

Green Beer

Some cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green while others, including Chicago, dye major rivers green and Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green.

The history of St Patrick is full of unknowns, legend and hearsay. Centuries of religious writings and re-writings which have been used to great effect to make Patrick a ‘brand name’ for the various elements of the Christian persuasion. In the end you believe what you want to believe and perhaps that is what makes it all the more intriguing.

Go raibh tú daibhir i mí-áidh
Agus saibhir i mbeannachtaí
Go mall ag déanamh namhaid, go luath a déanamh carad,
Ach saibhir nó daibhir, go mall nó go luath,
Nach raibh ach áthas agat
Ón lá seo amach.

You have to forgive to really live

By Emma Atkins

Many family practice doctors are discovering some extraordinary things about our health complaints. Almost ninety percent of all the complaints their patients tell them about in the examining room are stress related. In fact, many studies show over eighty percent of diseases, even cancers, are exacerbated by high stress levels, negative attitudes and over-extended lifestyles. We eat poorly, we sleep restlessly and our hormone levels begin yo-yoing. We put junk in to shove our emotions back down and do not replenish our bodies with nutrients such as acai berry antioxidants, calcium, vitamins and fiber.

Irritable bowel syndromes, headaches, high blood pressure and backaches can all begin with a little seed of discontent that can fester inside of us for years. That seed is called unforgiveness. Like the pea in all of those mattresses the princess could still feel, unforgiveness can irritate us deep down in our souls. But over time, if that princess was forced to sleep with that pea, she’d become so used to it she could not sleep without it. It’s the same with our unforgiving thoughts.

Maybe it’s the little things that build up over time. Perhaps it is a whopper such as abuse, abandonment or a false allegation. Maybe it is the unthinkable such as the act of death taking away the one we love. The bare bone harsh truth is twofold. First, “hurting people hurt people”, as Joyce Meyer is famous for quoting. Hurting people are focused on themselves more than the people they hurt. Perhaps it is a familial pattern or a way at getting back at someone they need to forgive. Yes, they are responsible for their actions. But, my friend, so are you. That is the second truth. You are the only one who can control how you react. Not your mom, your spouse, or your friends. You. And the longer you let negativity and hurt fester in you; sooner or later it will come out. Often it comes out in a physical way. You gain weight because you stress eat and the gut starts expanding and bloating. You can’t sleep in that deep restorative REM very long. You try not to let your moods be irritable so your bowels take over the job. I am not saying forgiving is easy. Far from it. It may be the most gut-wrenching, cleansing thing you ever do, but even through the painful process, it will be worth it. You need to realize that your unforgiveness is doing you more harm than they ever did to you. The longer you have lived with that unforgiveness, the longer it may take to release it from the grasp it has on you.

The Lord’s Prayer says “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those…” There is a reason that is in there along with asking for daily bread. Both are necessary for healthy living.

Over last weekend my daughter came to stay and as the weather was dry we decided to go to Dartmoor.  Now, Dartmoor is a wide open expanse  of moorland in the centre of Devon, England and is protected by National Park status, it covers 368 square miles (953 square km).

Firstly, we drove out through the village of Bovey Tracey and headed up the winding country lanes that lead to Haytor.

Haytor seen from the car park

Haytor

Haytor or Hay Tor is a granite tor on Dartmoor and has a height of 457 metres and is situated right on the eastern side of the moor, providing excellent views of the coastline, the Teign estuary and the rolling countryside between, with the ridge of Haldon behind. It is near the village of Haytor Vale in the parish of Ilsington and until the late 18th century Haytor was known as Itterdown.

Adjacent Haytor Rocks

Haytor and the adjacent Haytor Rocks, is a natural beauty spot popular with coach parties and walking groups.  The granite here is of a particularly high quality and there are several disused quarries near the tor, the rock being transported by the Haytor Granite Tramway to the Stover Canal.

Quarry Face

Inside Quarry Basin

The tramway itself was built out of the granite it would carry,much of which remains visible today.  Granite from the quarry was also used in the construction of London Bridge which was opened in 1831, but by 1962 the bridge was sinking and had to be replaced. The last rock was quarried here in 1919 and it was used for the Exeter war memorial.

Piles of Granite Blocks from Quarry

Haytor on left looking over the Teign Valley

View to West over Dartmoor

After walking back down to the car park we drove on to Widecombe-In-The-Moor which is probably best known for Widecombe Fair, held annually and celebrated by a well-known folksong of the same name, featuring ‘Old Uncle Tom Cobley and All’.

Widecombe-In-The-Moor from Widecombe Hill

Widecombe-In-The-Moor sign depicting Uncle Tom Cobley and All

The church of St Pancras is known as the ‘Cathedral of the Moors’ in recognition of its 120 foot tower and relatively large capacity for such a small village. The church was originally built in the fourteenth century using locally quarried granite and was enlarged over the following two centuries, partly on the proceeds of the local tin mining trade.

The church clock tower

Inside, the ceiling is decorated with a large number of decorative roof bosses, including the tinner’s emblem of a circle of three hares (known locally as the Tinners’ Rabbits).

The church was badly damaged in the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, apparently struck by ball lightning during a severe thunderstorm. An afternoon service was taking place at the time, and the building was packed with aaround 300 worshippers. Four of them were killed and some 60 injured. According to local legend, the Great Thunderstorm was caused by the village being visited by the Devil.

The Church bell clappers from 1638

In Widecombe churchyard is the grave of novelist Beatrice Chase who spent much of her life in a cottage close to the village. Her real name was Olive Katharine Parr, and she claimed to be a direct descendant of William Parr, the brother of Catherine, the sixth wife of Henry VIII.  Chase was often referred to as ‘The Lady of the Moor’ following the publication of John Oxenham’s novel in which she was the heroine. The book was called My Lady of the Moor, and she simply adopted the title.

Headstone of Beatrice Chase -The Lady In The Moor

She died in 1955, and was buried in Widecombe churchyard. The small granite cross on her grave is inscribed with Beatrice Chase on one side and Olive Katharine Parr on the other.

Reverse side of Beatrice Chase headstone

The village is very small, but locals would walk for many miles over the open moorland from other hamlets to attend church, and the pathways across the moor can still be seen and are also used by many walkers. Even now, it has around 196 households.

The village is full of old buildings and one of the earliest signs of a settlement is the Saxon Well, which is said to never run dry.  One of the most picturesque wells in Devon, even if its antiquity is disputed. Located downhill from the centre of the village, just below the old post office this charming little well is known variously as ‘Holy’, ‘Wishing’ and most commonly ‘Saxon Well’, although no one really knows how old it is. More recently coins have been thrown in and  a door was fitted.

Saxon Well

Inside the Well

The lyrics of Devon’s best known folk song tell a simple enough story, seven men and a grey mare set off for Widecombe Fair, but before completing their journey the old horse becomes sick and dies.  People from mid-Devon would have travelled to the annual livestock sale at Widecombe at the end of every summer to trade their goods for sheep and it is this cross-country journey that is described in the lyrics of the song.

The song lyrics, in full:

Tom Pearce, Tom Pearce, lend me your grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lee.
For I want for to go to Widecombe Fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

And when shall I see again my grey mare?
All along, down along, out along lee.
By Friday soon, or Saturday noon,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

So they harnessed and bridled the old grey mare.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And off they drove to Widecombe fair,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

Then Friday came, and Saturday noon.
All along, down along, out along lee.
But Tom Pearce’s old mare hath not trotted home,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

So Tom Pearce he got up to the top o’ the hill.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And he seed his old mare down a-making her will,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

So Tom Pearce’s old mare, her took sick and died.
All along, down along, out along lee.
And Tom he sat down on a stone, and he cried
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

But this isn’t the end o’ this shocking affair.
All along, down along, out along lee.
Nor, though they be dead, of the horrid career
Of Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

When the wind whistles cold on the moor of the night.
All along, down along, out along lee.
Tom Pearce’s old mare doth appear ghastly white,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

And all the long night be heard skirling and groans.
All along, down along, out along lee.
From Tom Pearce’s old mare in her rattling bones,
With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney,
Peter Davy, Dan’l Whiddon, Harry Hawke,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all,
Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

We have broken through the target of 1,000 and will let it continue to increase, it does NOT stop here. Many thanks to everyone who has participated and congratulations to all , please continue to update your lists.

So please add your name to the list if you are not already on it and please update your list and move it to your front page. This is important for ALL participants to maintain and increase your blogs statistics. You will create more links but this needs to be kept alive as links only last for 180 days.

If you are not participating then please feel free to join us.

Let’s face it; one of the main goals of joining a meme is to increase links.

So, let’s call a spade a spade and see how “Big” of a “Bang” we can get.

The goal is to exceed 1,000 sites. Can it be done? With your help we will leave all the other memes in our dust!

Just follow the instructions. No thought necessary.

My Tags for this meme: Hanna – Colorado Baby – Lisa - Lolli – Norm – Paula- Angelbaby – Carol – Shoshana Rose -Chris – Francine – Joy – Mary Ann – Claudette – Jeremy – RennyBA

Anyone else wishing to participate please feel free to do so, and please ensure that you let me know.

As always, there is no pressure to participate. It is your choice. If you do decide to join in publish your post then comment HERE with your blogs name (anchor text) and URL to be added to the Master List.

IF YOU HAVE JOINED THIS PLEASE RETURN HERE TO UPDATE YOUR LIST OFTEN SO THAT LATECOMERS BENEFIT TOO. THANK YOU.

If you would like the scroll box with updates please leave a comment and I will email it to you in html code so all you have to do is copy and paste it.

Important: Do NOT become a victim of Valentine’s Day eCards – More details click here

I Love You in Other Languages - Let’s go Global

Click the arrow! Pump up the volume and Have A Very Happy Valentine’s Day

I posted this last year, but I thought it was too good to leave it in the dust so I have brought it back to the front page

Afrikaans – Ek het jou lief                                        
Albanian – Te dua
Arabic – Ana behibak (to male)
Arabic – Ana behibek (to female)
Armenian – Yes kez sirumen
Bambara – M’bi fe
Bangla – Aamee tuma ke bhalo baashi
Belarusian – Ya tabe kahayu
Bisaya – Nahigugma ako kanimo
Bulgarian – Obicham te
Cambodian – Bung Srorlagn Oun (to female) Oun Srorlagn Bung (to male)
Cantonese/Chinese Ngo oiy ney a
Catalan – T’estimo
Cheyenne – Ne mohotatse
Chichewa – Ndimakukonda
Corsican – Ti tengu caru (to male)
Creol – Mi aime jou
Croatian – Volim te
Czech – Miluji te
Danish – Jeg Elsker Dig
Dutch – Ik hou van jou
English – I love you
Esperanto – Mi amas vin
Estonian – Ma armastan sind
Ethiopian – Ewedishalehu : male/female to female Ewedihalehu: male/female to male.
Faroese – Eg elski teg
Farsi – Doset daram
Filipino – Mahal kita                                
Finnish – Mina rakastan sinua
French – Je t’aime, Je t’adore
Gaelic – Ta gra agam ort
Georgian – Mikvarhar
German – Ich liebe dich
Greek – S’agapo
Gujarati – Hu tumney prem karu chu
Hiligaynon – Palangga ko ikaw
Hawaiian – Aloha wau ia oi
Hebrew – Ani ohev otah (to female) Ani ohev et otha (to male)
Hiligaynon – Guina higugma ko ikaw
Hindi – Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hai
Hmong – Kuv hlub koj
Hopi – Nu’ umi unangwa’ta
Hungarian – Szeretlek
Icelandic – Eg elska tig
Ilonggo – Palangga ko ikaw
Indonesian – Saya cinta padamu
Inuit – Negligevapse                               
Irish – Taim i’ ngra leat
Italian – Ti amo
Japanese – Aishiteru
Kannada – Naa ninna preetisuve
Kapampangan – Kaluguran daka
Kiswahili – Nakupenda
Konkani – Tu magel moga cho
Korean – Sarang Heyo
Latin – Te amo
Latvian – Es tevi miilu
Lebanese – Bahibak
Lithuanian – Tave myliu
Macedonian Te Sakam
Malay – Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu
Malayalam – Njan Ninne Premikunnu
Maltese – Inhobbok
Mandarin Chinese – Wo ai ni
Marathi – Me tula prem karto
Mohawk – Kanbhik
Moroccan – Ana moajaba bik
Nahuatl – Ni mits neki
Navaho – Ayor anosh’ni
Nepali – Ma Timilai Maya Garchhu
Norwegian – Jeg Elsker Deg                      
Pandacan – Syota na kita!!
Pangasinan – Inaru Taka
Papiamento – Mi ta stimabo
Persian – Doo-set daaram
Pig Latin – Iay ovlay ouyay
Polish – Kocham Cie
Portuguese – Amo-te (Europe)
Portuguese – Africa -  Eu te amo
Portuguese – Brazil – amo você
Romanian – Te ubesc
Roman Numerals – 333
Russian – Ya tebya liubliu
Rwanda – Ndagukunda Scot
Gaelic – Tha gra\dh agam ort
Serbian – Volim te
Setswana – Ke a go rata
Sign Language – ,\,,/ (represents position of fingers when signing ‘I Love You’
Sindhi – Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan
Sioux – Techihhila
Slovak – Lu`bim ta
Slovenian – Ljubim te
Spanish – Te quiero / Te amo
Surinam- Mi lobi joe
Swahili – Ninakupenda or nakupenda
Swedish – Jag alskar dig
Swiss-German – Ich lieb Di Tajik Man turo Dust Doram
Tagalog – Mahal kita
Taiwanese – Wa ga ei li
Tahitian – Ua Here Vau Ia Oe
Tamil – Naan unnai kathalikiraen
Telugu – Nenu ninnu premistunnanu
Thai – Chan rak khun (to male) Phom rak khun (to female)
Turkish – Seni Seviyorum
Ukrainian – Ya tebe kahayu
Urdu – mai aap say pyaar karta hoo
Vietnamese – Anh ye^u em (to female)
Vietnamese – Em ye^u anh (to male)
Welsh – ‘Rwy’n dy garu
Yiddish – Ikh hob dikh
Yoruba – Mo ni fe
Zimbabwe – Ndinokuda

Related posts:
Happy New Year in other languages
Merry Christmas in other languages

Are you superstitious?  It is estimated that 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed.

According to folklores, there is no written evidence for a “Friday the 13th” superstition before the 19th century.

Most folklore is passed on through oral traditions and determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it’s mostly guesswork.  Consequently, several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition.

In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness:  twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus and so on, whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular.

There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.

Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century’s The Canterbury Tales, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects.

Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s. It has also been suggested that Friday was the day that Jesus was crucified.

The actual origin of the superstition appears also to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as ‘Witches’ Sabbath.’

Another theory traces the event to the arrest of the legendary Knights Templar. According to one expert:

“The Knights Templar were a monastic military order founded in Jerusalem in 1118, whose mission was to protect Christian pilgrims during the Crusades. Over the next two centuries, the Knights Templar became extraordinarily powerful and wealthy. Threatened by that power and eager to acquire their wealth, King Philip secretly ordered the mass arrest of all the Knights Templar in France on Friday, October 13, 1307 – Friday the 13th.”

The connection between the superstition and the Knights Templar was made popular in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code.

It wasn’t until the 20th centurythat the superstition became common, with little evidence to support it prior to 1907 when Thomas Lawson’s novel ‘Friday, the Thirteenth’ was published, telling the story of an unscrupulous broker taking advantage of the superstition to create a panic on Wall Street on a Friday the 13th.

Have a wonderful Friday the 13th!

I came across this at The Painted Veil and thought that as Jackie had put it up then I would follow suit and see what happens.  Well, apparently I am ‘The Wheel of Fortune’….maybe I should question this lol

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

So come on, what Tarot Card are you?

JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: ‘Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?’

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn’t remember any more. Melanie said, ‘If you don’t remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.’

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. ‘I love you so much that when you die I’m going to bury you outside my bedroom window.’

BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she’d have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: ‘How does it know it’s me?’

SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups: ‘Please don’t give me this juice again’ she said ‘It makes my teeth cough.’

DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: ‘How much do I cost?’

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: ‘Why is he whispering in her mouth?’

CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, ‘I don’t know what will happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?’

JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His Dad read: ‘The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and ‘flee’ out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.’  Concerned, James asked: ‘What happened to the flea?’

HOLLY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Holly looked at her for a while and then asked: ‘Why doesn’t your skin fit your face?’

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget. This particular Sunday sermon ‘Dear Lord,’ the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. ‘Without you, we are but dust.’  He would have continued but at that moment the Mom’s very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, ‘Mom, what is butt dust?’