Good evening friends.

We hope everyone had a wonderful day today.  You gotta love Thursdays. The anticipation of the weekend is so severe that people treat Thursday nights like they are Friday Nights.

Just is in case anyone is confused as to why we start talking about Christmas as soon as Halloween ends, its the same concept.  The lead up is better than the actual event. With that said, why not celebrate New Years Evening and Memorial Day on the same night ?

Its funny, society always has us 3 to 4 months in advance of where we are.  20 years ago, i jumped in the camp of not celebration anything other than each day that i wake up.  Kind of why I count the days since I’m in Puerto Rico.  I just want to be where I am.  Every time I try to be where i am not, the _hit hits the fan.

OK, so not to belabor the point, let’s close with Two Positive Notions.

1. Happy Thanksgiving

2. Happy Labor Day, yup Labor Day.

Signing off from Puerto Rico on day 307, Dr. Harp Seal for Sammy & Family.

Good evening friends.

We hope everyone had a nice Veteran’s Day.  It’s important to remind ourselves that it was their service and sacrifice which paved the way for our Freedom.

God bless all of them; past, present and future soldiers. It a great annual reminder of their service and sacrifice.  We’ve all heard stories over the years that Veterans don’t get the benefits they deserve.  Like the country turned their backs on them once they were regular civilians.  I sincerely hope that situation has improved for them.  You should Not have to fight for your country and risk your life, and then have to fight for your benefits when you return.

These hero’s should be held in the highest regard and treated like Gold.  So with that, a big salute to all those who have served, are serving, and have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

No lives will go in vain, no pain will go unnoticed. Amen. Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.

Good evening friends.

Its great to be here with everyone.  We hope everyone had a nice Tuesday. If you did not, sometimes a good night sleep resets us to a better place.  I am actually in that camp today.  And tonight, I will be taking my own advice.  Its kind of the reverse slogan of: “Do as I say, not as I do”  — Tonight, I am going “Do as I say, and Do as i Do”

OK, lets close out with two positive notions.

1. Lets take a quote from; Sir Anthony Hopkins; “Its none of my business what people think of me, I am what I am, I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything and it makes life so much easier”

2. From Morgan Freeman; “The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit. Winning and losing is in your control. Even when it seems as if you have lost, as long as you don’t stop, you’re a winner”.

See you in the morning friends.  Signing off from Puerto Rico on day 305, Dr. Harp Seal for Sammy & Family.

Goodnight dear friends and family, This is Jessica writing to you tonight.

We hope you had a great Monday. I know how tough it is to get back into the swing of things, after the weekend seems to fly by. Monday is always the hardest day of the week for that reason.

I wanted to speak tonight about children. Children have such great potential for so many many things.  As everyone knows, each child is born with a different temperament. Each child is unique in their very own way.

Since my oldest daughter was a baby and now with my younger children, so many times Im surrounded by parents who I know love their children very much, but because of the social pressures around them,  when they speak of their kids, they are speaking mostly of the child’s achievements in sports, academics , puzzle skills, awards etc. Those are all great things, but still I feel there needs to be more of a focus on being proud of what kind of people they are, how much they live with and act from their heart. It’s time to praise our children for how kind they are,  and how much empathy they have for other people and animals. It’s so important to teach those qualities and instill them at the youngest possible age.

It is the children who hold these “jewels”, that move me the most, and that stand out amongst all others. These are the children who can truly make a difference and change the world.

Another thing is that I don’t believe in judging all children’s intellect and creativity by using the same model. If you use the same formula to determine that, you are cheating so many children, and you are cheating yourself. I am a firm believer that each child learns in a different way, and that they need to be approached for learning in a way that clicks for them.

Many times, parents are told that something is wrong with their child, simply because their child is more artistic, or more creative, or has more energy than most children. This is all because their child does not fit into a standardized box. When in fact these are all just different versions of “normal”. There is nothing wrong at all with children who learn differently, and that is a fact.

All in all, we need to overhaul our whole way of seeing, teaching and nurturing our children’s minds and souls.  We need not be concerned of labels and the small minded judgments of people who just Cannot and will not understand anything beyond what they’ve learned incorrectly themselves. We know our own children more than anyone else possibly can, and that will never change.

Kindness, compassion, empathy, creativity, imagination, and uniqueness. These are the things to nurture and be proud of in our children.

Goodnight everyone.

No lives will go in vain, no pain will go unnoticed. Amen. Jessica Lee Smith for Sammy & Family.

Good evening friends.

Kelly wanted to swing by and how everyone her new haircut.  Isn’t she just lovely ?  Getting a haircut does Not change who we are, but it sure feels refreshing.  Every time i get my long hair cut, I feel like a million bucks, lol.

We hope everyone is enjoying the weekend.  Saturday nights are awesome, they are so open and free. Better yet, immediately following Saturday night is Sunday Funday.  Win Win.

Goodnight everybody. Signing off from Puerto Rico, Kelly & Family.