I was sitting in the emergency room at our hospital’s clinic last month. My grandson was being treated for an unusually high fever. He was spending, what was supposed to be, a fun weekend with his grandpa. As it turned out, he broke out into sweats in the middle of the night. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I brought him in for care immediately. While sitting there, this young couple were discussing how they were looking into unsecured business lines of credit for the floral shop they were planning on opening. I thought to myself, I sure wish something like that was available when I was struggling to get my business on its feet.

Take it from me, if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, think healthy. Taking care of your body will give you the drive and energy to make anything possible. Next advice is to be sure you don’t bury yourself carelessly in debt. I saw a friend obtain one of those unsecured business loans for way more money than he needed. He developed a lifestye based on the big number in his bank account. The business venture didn’t live up to expectations. He is now working two full time jobs to keep up with payments he never should have saddled himself with.

I don’t know about you but I, in a silly sort of way, get all excited to see what choices people make regarding their wedding decorations. Whatever they choose will make an indelible mark in their minds forever. They spend a bunch of money and time selecting the theme and the materials and in only a few hours its all over. Even though the decorations are short lived, they remain an extremely important part of the beginning of the most important journey of their lives. It reminds me of a bottle of fine wine. All the labor and time it takes to produce it and the bottle is consumed in minutes once it’s opened.

If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it. My adventurous four year old nephew imagines himself as a leading celebrity. He takes every opprtunity to show his stuff at all family gatherings. It was no shock to watch him jump up on the bandstand at his aunt’s wedding reception. He really is sort of a prodigy. His aunt, my sister, had him look at about fifty different wedding cake toppers and select one for her cake. He did this because he wanted to dress like the groom on the cake and sing a song he actually composed for her wedding. Even for him, it was one of the most creative things I had ever seen.

I have been preaching for years that each and every one of us should learn to perform the Heimlich maneuver. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to find out that through the years, more than a million lives have been saved by use of this wonderful technique. Three weeks ago I was at one of those multi-room reception halls. I was attending a retirement party for a co-worker. I heard this disturbance coming from the wedding going on in the next room. As it turned out a little two year old girl was choking on one of the wedding decorations. I ran into the room and what I saw was incredible. A young boy scout who had been taught the maneuver a week earlier was applying it and saved the toddler. What a blessing.