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 <<>>   VOLUME 3    <<>>   Issue 25  <<>>   April 19th, 2005    <<>>

A Heartfelt Welcome
ARISE and be FREE
Your ARISE Article
Can I Get ARISE Outa You?
Poignant Ponderings
Giving  Back
Will You ARISE & Help Me?



Dear Valued Subscriber,
 

On this day, 14 years ago, I closed the deal and sold my drycleaning business. As if it were yesterday, I remember that feeling of absolute freedom that came with knowing that I no longer would be strapped down to a very complicated business. Mind you, I loved my employees and customers and in fact they threw a surprise 'retirement' party for me which I will never forget. Still to this day, I have former staff call me just to check in and see what's up. Not having to wear a shirt and tie and fire up boilers and machinery before the crack of dawn has been a good thing:-) I'm happy to say that the new owner and I have remained good friends and the business is still thriving.

We've had many, many new subscribers these past few weeks for which I am grateful. Welcome one and all to ARISE! My hope is that you will benefit from the things I present and that even in the smallest way, this publication will make your life a little better.

Some sad news. I have shared my home with two really amazing roommates for 4 years now. My fine-feathered friends Jacob, a Red Factor Canary, and (my pet) Peeve, a Gouldian Finch, have occupied this large cage in my office keeping me unconditional company and filling this space with joyful songs and stunning beauty. Arriving home after having dinner with a business partner last week, I discovered Peeve laying lifeless on the bottom of his cage. I was shocked. On my way out that evening I had cut some fresh broccoli (their favorite) for them and both birds chirped loudly while I was at the cage. They looked and acted their happy, healthy selves. Now, Jacob has been singing louder and for longer than he ever has. As male Canaries prefer not to have other male birds in their cage, I am left to wonder whether he is happy to have his digs all to himself or is mourning the loss of his buddy. As I really miss the little guy, I'm inclined to think it's the latter.

It was one of those moments I wished I had brought my camera. The tykes were lined up at the pool's edge listening intently to the swimming instructor tell them how to gently dive into the pool. One by one they went, most electing to reach out and have the teacher help them into the water. Second from the end was my eldest grandson, itching to give it a go. And go he did, with a full thrust lunge off the deck and huge bellyflop that reverberated off the walls of the large complex. I instantly stood up, flashed 'a 10' and gave him two thumbs up as my daughter nudged me to knock it off because the shocked teacher wasn't very pleased with his big dive. His "papa" was very pleased with his all-out effort though:-)

Linda Aspen Baxter and I have been equally busy this past year and we decided to extend the submission deadline for "The Ultimate Teenager's Survival Guide" until April 30, 2005. Inquiries and submissions (some great stories received and being developed with the authors) are growing but we still need more, so please, if you know of a school or a teacher or a community group/leader  that is centered around teenagers, I strongly encourage you to visit our site, and contact those persons to help spread the word. Please send those people here. Thank you!

The featured article was written by first time contributor Matt Forck. I ran across this piece in Bob Proctor's ezine (who features my articles from time to time) and emailed Matt for permission to share "A Dream World" with you. I am sure you will enjoy it. Welcome to ARISE! Matt!

Now, please kick back (and if you can't right now, just click on the Print This Page icon at the top, scoop the pages from your printer and take it to bed with you:-) and enjoy this issue of ARISE!

As always, my greatest wishes for your complete success,

Rick Beneteau

ARISE and be FREE

I'd love for you to take advantage of the following free gifts I've provided just to show my deep appreciation for your choosing to receive my publication:

Pearls of Success - My Free Inspirational eBook

Special Inspirational PDF Files

 Inspirational Screensavers

My 9/11 Tribute Song

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YOUR ARISE ARTICLE

A Dream World
by Matt Forck
 

"I look at that family, that car, that house and that job and I think, what a dream..."

I confess that years ago I gazed longingly at luxury cars. I dreamed of owning one, brand didn't matter, I wasn't picky, any one would do. I continued living in this dream world until one day I came to a simple yet powerful realization...that at one point in time a luxury car was a dream for the person who now drives it. With few exceptions, he or she didn't always have the skill or education to earn the money to buy that lavish ride. It was a dream for them...one that came to fruition through hard work and focus. I guess one could say that today, they are living a dream world?

Over time I thought more about 'living a dream world' and bringing dreams to reality, until finally I arrived at a staggering yet unmistakable conclusion that it is all a dream. In the past I glanced at a Lexus or Mercedes and thought that person is 'living in a dream world.' Over time I have expanded my thoughts to conclude that everything we see, use, consume or have is a result of a dream...let me explain.

The technology in the computer I type on at this very moment was a dream of many scientists years ago. The computer that now sits on my desk was made by a company that just a few short years ago called a garage their world wide corporate headquarters. What began as a dream of an energetic entrepreneur is now a worldwide fortune 500 company. The parts and assembly for this computer are the careful work of many hands, people who thought they would probably not be assembling computers for a living. Yet, this work lets them foster their dreams of providing a nice living for their family, an education, a new television, a daughter's wedding or a car for their teenager.

This computer now rests on my desk, one that I dreamed of having in a study that I imagined years ago. I call my study 'the room of knowing.' Its walls are lined with articles I have published, book jackets from books I have written and some awards that I have won, accomplishments I only dreamed of years ago. It is called 'the room of knowing' because I now know I can accomplish my dreams if I set my mind to it, this room reminds me of that. It could also be called the 'room of dreams,' after all, that's where it all started. I guess one could say that as I type...I am working in a dream world, a world of my dreams (the study) and others (the computer)...

As I drive to work this morning, I realize that I can run through the same 'dream' drill with my car. It was made by a company that started small...a dream. Engineers with a vision (or dream) designed it. Workers who are working a dream job because it provides for and creates their dreams assembled it. I can run the same dream drill with the STOP sign at the intersection by my home. It was put there by a crew who dreamed of working outside. In a subdivision that was a dream of a developer. Ordered by local, county and state laws, laws passed by people who dreamed of serving their community and country. The sign is in Cole County, Missouri, one of 50 states that make our great country, a country that began in the hopes, hearts and dreams of our forefathers.

I could run through the same dream thought process as I pass the local McDonalds restaurant, my CPA's office, the public library or the state capital. I could do the same with the water at my tap or the road I drive on or the Green Tea that I quietly sip but that would be redundant, you get the point, each and everything around us is part of a dream that has reached fruition. This reality proves dreams do come true. That anything we touch, have, hold or use is a result of the hopes, energies and imaginations of the ones who create it...it is part of a dream world. Focus on 'a dream world' for just five minutes today and you will realize an appreciation, astonishment and empowerment that you have not felt before...you will literally be opening your eyes, for a first time, in a dream.

"I look at that family, that car, that house and that job and I think, what a dream..."

© 2005 Matt Forck
All Rights Reserved

 

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Can I Get ARISE Outa You?

GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER:


1. Sag, you're It.
2. Hide and go pee.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy.

SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE:
1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.
2. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on them.
3. You change your underwear after a sneeze.

OLD IS WHEN:
1. Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.
2. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
3. Getting a little action means I don't need fiber today.
4. Getting lucky means you find your car in the parking lot.
5. An all-nighter means not getting up to pee!
6. A Friend Is Like A Good Bra. Hard to Find, Supportive, Comfortable, And Always Close To Your Heart!

7. When you forward this joke, you send it to 4 people you already sent it to in the past plus the person who just sent it to you.

Thoughts for the weekend:

I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose-fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose-fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!

When I was young we used to go "skinny dipping," now I just "chunky dunk."

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? (Actually, I may have to format the hard drive.)

Stress is when you wake up screaming and then you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet.

My husband says I never listen to him. At least I think that's what he said.

Just remember...if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.

If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!

Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.

 

Poignant Ponderings

Old Farmers Advice


 * Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

* Life ain't about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.

* Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

* The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm, 'cause the colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

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GIVING BACK

You might already support these or similar organizations, but it's the sad truth that we can never really do enough to help people, especially children. Here is what I support and encourage you to review:

The Internet Toy Drive  
Founded by Anne Marie Baugh and myself, and sponsored by Drew Bledsoe (#11, 2001 Super Bowl Champion quarterback), we are official corporate sponsors of the U.S. Marine's Toys for Tots program.

My WorldVision Children
This is the special group of children from around the world that I sponsor. WorldVision is a Christian organization that has been around for decades and almost every penny donated goes directly to these needy children and their families. Nothing beats receiving a handwritten letter, or even an email now, from "your child":-) You can even buy chickens or cows that get right to these families in dire need!

St. Jude Children's Hospital
My father was a lifelong musician and played piano in bands with Danny Thomas (founder of St. Jude and father of Marlo Thomas) among others during the depression, thirties and early World War II years. Understandably, this world famous research hospital is close to my heart:-)

Parenting with Dignity P
If you are a parent, expecting to be one in the future, or even believe you've done your parenting job, do yourself a great favor and check out this fabulous resource! Drew Bledsoe, his father and family members, my great friend Tom Heatherington and many more have established an absolutely wonderful foundation devoted to the betterment of children and families (Mac Bledsoe was interviewed on ABC's 20/20 this year).

Will You ARISE & Help Me?

I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few seconds to tell just a few of your friends about ARISE. Simply Forward this URL to everyone in your Address Book.  All they need to do is enter their email address below (it will NEVER be shared or given away).

Thank You!!

   

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