Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     August 13, 2024: Set your heart and mind to do good in all things. Even then you may have some regrets, but you will know that you did the best you could. The enemy of your soul will always seek to keep you in the bondage of condemnation, but he is a liar and the father of lies. Walk in truth and peace. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - BONDAGE OF CONDEMNATION

     Don't use all your health to chase after wealth, only to spend all your wealth later to get back your health. You are destined to reign in life. You are called by the Lord to be a success, to enjoy wealth, to enjoy health, and to enjoy a life of victory. It is not the Lord's desire that you live a life of defeat, poverty, and failure. Even when you have failed, Jesus is right there with you, ready to pick you up and restore you to wholeness. Jesus is a faithful, dependable and trustworthy friend. The world looks at what you have, while God sees who you have. The world's system is based on what you have done, while God looks at what Jesus has done on the cross for you.
     The law condemns the best of us; but grace saves the worst of us. As you walk in God's divine wisdom, you will surely begin to see a greater measure of victory and good success in your life. Under the law, even the best failed. Under grace, even the worst can be saved! Grace is not a theology. It is not a subject matter. It is not a doctrine. It is a person, and his name is Jesus. That's the reason the Lord wants you to receive the abundance of grace, for to have the abundance of grace is to have the abundance of Jesus. It will never be about our love for God. It will always be about His magnificent love for us.
     Beloved, there is nothing you can do today to make God love you more, and there’s nothing you can do to make Him love you any less… Beloved, it’s not enough that you know that God loves everyone. You need to know and believe that He loves you, and let that revelation burn in your heart, especially when you fail. Look within, get depressed; Look around, get distressed; Look to Jesus, find perfect rest.
     Jesus Himself has already paid the price for your sins, so stop condemning yourself! Today, when you look into the mirror, what do you see? Do you see yourself trapped in all your failings, mistakes, and sins? Or do you see what God sees? My dear friend, when God sees you today, He sees Jesus. Use your eyes of faith and believe that as Jesus is, so are you. In God’s eyes, you are righteous, you are favored, you are blessed, and you are healed. You are freed from all sin, all pangs of guilt, all forms of condemnation, and every bondage of addiction!

     Joseph Prince (born 15 May 1963) is a Singaporean evangelist and the senior pastor of New Creation Church, which is based in Singapore. He was one of the church's founders in 1983. Prince was born in Singapore, the son of a Sikh priest of Indian origin and a Chinese mother. He converted to Christianity at age 12. 

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - RENEWED DAY BY DAY 

     Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. In the past, whenever I had fallen short in almost any undertaking, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. No one lives on the top of the mountain. It's fine to go there occasionally -for inspiration, for new perspectives. But you have to come down. Life is lived in the valleys. That's where the farms and gardens and orchards are, and where the plowing and the work is done. That's where you apply the visions you may have glimpsed from the peaks.
     People who take the risk make a tremendous discovery: The more things you care about, and the more intensely you care, the more alive you are. This capacity for caring can illuminate any relationship: marriage, family, friendships-even the ties of affection that often join humans and animals. Each of us is born with some of it, but whether we let it expand or diminish is largely up to us. To care, you have to surrender the armor of indifference. You have to be willing to act, to make the first move. Some people confuse acceptance with apathy, but there's all the difference in the world. Apathy fails to distinguish between what can and what cannot be helped; acceptance makes that distinction. Apathy paralyzes the will- to- action; acceptance frees it by relieving it of impossible burdens. 
     Everyone's life is a chain of memories. In each chain there are shining links, happenings where this element of wonder...was very strong. Why don't you reach out and relive some of those memories? If you work at it, remembering the wonder can revive your ability to live life as it should be lived. Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them, day after day. What you promise today must be renewed and redecided tomorrow and each day that stretches out before you.

Arthur Gordon Webster

Kenneth Davis

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

New Research: 75% of Past COVID Patients

 Now Have This Heart Condition

By Miranda Manier Updated: May 23, 2024

https://www.thehealthy.com/

     COVID infection repeatedly resulted in five specific changes to the cardiovascular system based on MRI scans of individuals between 18 and 83 years old. New research reported by NPR this week revealed that many Americans who’ve experienced long COVID have suffered major career and financial setbacks as a result. Long COVID symptoms are wide-ranging, with a few of the most common including brain and cognition issues and difficulty breathing—but now a new study also indicates that cardiovascular complications from COVID-19 are remaining for months after testing positive with the virus.

     The study, published in Clinical Therapeutics in May 2024, tracked the prevalence of lingering heart symptoms following COVID infection. Researchers followed 200 patients between the ages 18 and 83 (with an average age of 46) who’d been diagnosed with mild COVID between June 1, 2021, and August 31, 2021. These participants had been previously discharged from the hospital with elevated levels of troponin, a protein complex involved in regulating muscle contraction and often used as a biomarker for heart muscle damage. According to the study, the researchers observed a variety of heart health issues persisted for patients, including:

⦁ Heart arrythmia

⦁ Difficulty breathing

⦁ Rapid heartbeat

⦁ Chest pain

     Orthostatic intolerance, a condition where the body struggles to regulate blood pressure and heart rate upon standing, which can lead to dizziness, fainting or rapid heartbeat. (The researchers also note that in general, symptoms such as clotting and “inflammatory lesions” are among the “pathological changes” that research has shown can manifest in the cardiovascular system “during coronavirus infection.”)

     Resulting from their research, among 75% of recovering COVID-19 patients magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed “cardiac injury.” Testing also indicated that 73% had “supersensitive” troponin, a type of troponin that is more responsive to calcium, enhancing its role in muscle contraction and potentially leading to more dysregulated muscle contractions, which can affect heart function. Additionally, 45% of patients had active myocardial inflammation, “emphasizing a substantial impact on the cardiovascular system,” the researchers report, adding: “Patients aged 40-60 years exhibited the highest percentage of cardiovascular diseases.” After 60 days, researchers observed a 5-10% reduction in symptoms. After 90 days, they observed a decrease of 25-35%.

    With greater than half of participants affected by serious heart problems, researchers say this indicates a “significant prevalence” among people recovering from COVID-19. “This emphasizes the necessity for heightened vigilance and specialized cardiac care when managing patients with COVID-19,” according to the study—and arguably with patients who no longer have the virus, as well. The moral of the story for you might be that whether or not you’ve had heart issues in the past or you have a family history of cardiovascular disease—and, regardless of age—it’s crucial to be aware of how COVID symptoms may present long-term. Don’t dismiss what might seem like a minor symptom and be sure to flag it with a licensed medical provider.

     This is for information purpose only, and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

Kenneth Davis

      T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - REMAIN DILIGENT

     Your mind is a powerful thing. When you filter it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change. The world is a looking glass. It gives back to every man a true reflection of his own thoughts. Rule your mind or it will rule you. Develop a mind that is vast like space, where experiences both pleasant and unpleasant can appear and disappear without conflict, struggle or harm. Rest in a mind like vast sky. Let yourself be open and life will be easier. Let your mind become clear like a still forest pool. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.
     Know well what holds you back, and what moves you forward. Why cling to the pain and the wrongs of yesterday? Why hold on to the very things that keep you from hope and love. Do not be the judge of people; do not make assumptions about others. A person is destroyed by holding judgments about others. The right time to show your good character is when you are pestered by someone weaker than you. If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path. Sometimes it's better to be kind than to be right. We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens. You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. All life is temporary. Why worry about anything that's only temporary.
     No one can escape death and unhappiness. If people expect only happiness in life, they will be disappointed. The way to happiness is: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Do as you would be done by. Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have. Those who are truly wise will remain unmoved by feelings of happiness and suffering, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, gain and loss. They will remain calm like the eye of a hurricane. To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.
 

     Siddhartha Gautama (better known as the Buddha, l. c. 563 - c. 483 BCE) was, according to legend, a Hindu prince who renounced his position and wealth to seek enlightenment as a spiritual ascetic, attained his goal and, in preaching his path to others, founded Buddhism in India in the 6th-5th centuries BCE.

Kenneth Davis

TIME FOR ANOTHER 
THROWBACK
 THURSDAY

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N    
TODAY'S WORDS - OUT OF THE DARKNESS 

     Life's too short to care about what other people think. Besides, they should accept us for who we are. God deals us all different hands. How we play 'em is up to us. Whoever coined the phrase 'a man's got to play the hand that was dealt him' was most certainly one piss-poor bluffer. No child is born a delinquent. They only became that way if nobody loved them when they were kids. Unloved children grow up to be serial murderers or alcoholics. Sometimes something catastrophic can occur in a split second that changes a person's life forever; other times one minor incident can lead to another and then another and another, eventually setting off just as big a change in a body's life. Too much hard luck can create a permanent meanness of spirit in any creature. You have to find the redeeming quality and love the person for that.
     We all have our baggage, and I think the trick is not resisting it but accepting it, understanding that the worst experience has a valuable gift wrapped inside if you're willing to receive it. But no matter how much planning you do, one tiny miscalculation, one moment of distraction, can end it all in an instant. Confidence doesn't come from thinking you're perfect or flawless. That's arrogance. Confidence comes from appreciating the beauty of your texture. You can't prepare for everything life's going to throw at you. And you can't avoid danger. It's there. The world is a dangerous place, and if you sit around wringing your hands about it, you'll miss out on all the adventure. Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential. It's so much of what art and creativity are, being able to confront your own demons. If you can do that, you can get through just about everything.
     You can't cling to the side your whole life, the one lesson every parent needs to teach a child is "If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim. We're stronger than we realize. I believe that everyone has some huge talent in them; the really lucky ones discover what it is. Teaching is a calling too. And I've always thought that teachers in their way are holy - angels leading their flocks out of the darkness. When God closes a door, he opens a window, but it's up to you to find it. Don't be afraid of your dark places. ... If you can shine a light on them, you'll find treasure there. If you want to be reminded of the love of the Lord, just watch the sunrise. Life is a drama full of tragedy and comedy. You should learn to enjoy the comic episodes a little more.

Jeannette Walls

Kenneth Davis

WELCOME TO 
SMOOTH
 CONTEMPORARY JAZZ 

ART GALLERY CONTEMPORARY

PAINTS AND PRINTS

KATHLEEN CAMILLO

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO 
ERMA SANDERS HOLMES

We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. Do the things you know, and you shall learn the truth you need to know.
~Louisa May Alcott~

Kenneth Davis

     Greetings Warrior Family! There's been a change of format to the annual fundraiser, held by the BTW Class of 1971. I received this message explaining the format change, from Inez Epps Siggers:

     Good afternoon, Kenny, here is the information about the food catered by Leonard's BBQ for the contest. Food will be provided from 12:30-1:30pm The cost is $20 per person and has to be paid by 9-13-24. The $20 fee includes, BBQ pork, chicken, BBQ beans, buns, slaw, lemonade and or tea. It includes plates, napkins, cutlery, cups and ice. The people who have prepaid will receive a wrist band. Only those with a wrist band will be served. This frees up the cooks to prepare only for the judges and keeps everyone from being overly tired! Cash App to $btw71 or mail to Marsha Harris 3635 Wilshire Rd Memphis, TN 38111... 

     Your Cookout/Picnic Committee representatives have decided to join the pow-wow, once again. The entry fee of $150 has been paid by the Committee Members. We encourage you to purchase a wrist band, should you desire. However we won't be participating in the contest. We've decided to simply assemble underneath our teepees as normal. Intentions are to enjoy the great company and camaraderie of seeing everyone and exchanging shared stories of fame, fortune and future visions of delight. Additional information will be provided upon receipt...Looking forward to seeing you there....

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORD - MANTRA 

     Life begins with love, is maintained with love, and ends with love. Right now, while we're alive, is the time to practice and express love. So please take care of your love. Love is capable of reaching so many people. Look at your life. Look at the ways in which you define who you are and what you’re capable of achieving. Look at your goals. Look at the pressures applied by the people around you and the culture in which you were raised. Look again. And again. Your emotional understanding about the preciousness of your human birth comes through conscious, repetitive mind training. Keep looking until you realize, within your own experience, that you’re so much more than who you believe you are. Keep looking until you discover the wondrous heart, the marvelous mind, that is the very basis of your being.
     A mantra is basically a means of talking with your thoughts and feelings. It's a time-honored method sometimes referred to as prayer, but really, it's an opening of a conversation between the heart and the mind. Being carefree, you can fit in anywhere. If you’re not carefree you keep on bumping up against things. Your life becomes so narrow, so tight; it gets very claustrophobic. Carefree means being wide open from within, not constricted. Carefree doesn’t mean careless. It is not that you don’t care about others, not that you don’t have compassion or are unfriendly. Carefree is being really simple, from the inside. Dignity is not conceit but rather what shines forth from this carefree confidence.
     You don't have to say anything. You don't have to teach anything. You just have to be who you are: a bright flame shining in the darkness of despair, a shining example of a person able to cross bridges by opening your heart and mind. Let yourself become that space that welcomes any experience without judgement. If we can allow some space within our awareness and rest there, we can respect our troubling thoughts and emotions, allow them to come, and let them go. Our lives may be complicated on the outside, but we remain simple, easy, and open on the inside. 

Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

Kenneth Davis

   SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns

     August 18, 2024: Press through the darkness and resist the work of degradation against you. Continue to push until your existence is found in My kingdom where trust and righteousness prevail. This is a matter of where you invest your time, energy, thoughts, emotions, and will. You do not have to subject yourself to the work of the enemy even when it seems to be pervasive, says the Lord. Romans 13:11-14 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore case off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - TRUST AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

     Adversity will surface in some form in every life. How we prepare for it, how we meet it, makes the difference. We can be broken by adversity, or we can become stronger. The final result is up to the individual'. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other. Many of us are perpetual reactors. We let other people determine our actions and attitudes. We let other people determine whether we will be rude or gracious, depressed or elated, critical or loyal, passive or dedicated.
     Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. 
     The best and most clear indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming unto Christ is the way we treat other people. There is a great need today for all mankind to heed the plea to cease to find fault one with another. Some of us are so accustomed to wearing faultfinding spectacles that we cannot see past them.  Do not doubt your abilities. Do not delay your worthy impressions. With God's help, you cannot fail. He will give you the courage to participate in meaningful change and purposeful living. Victories in life come through our ability to work around and over the obstacles that cross our path. We grow stronger as we climb our own mountains.
     As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him. What a great blessing to be created in his image and know of our true potential in and through him! What a great blessing to know that in his strength we can do all things! Peace is a blessing that comes to those who trust in God. It is established through individual righteousness. True personal peace comes about through eternal vigilance and constant righteous efforts. Blessed is he or she who avoids being offended. Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.

Marvin J. Ashton

Kenneth Davis

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS
 TO 
LILLIAN MARSHALL

     Life is a garden forever in flower. Let there be many windows to your soul, that all the glory of the world may beautify it. There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul. Always continue to climb.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox~

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N  
TODAY'S WORD - GIFTS

     Everyone came here to do something magnificent. What is important is that you live your life to your fullest potential. That's how you open your gifts and share them with the world. You should only be doing that thing that lights up your soul. I've had enough experience with knowing that things will turn out just fine. I pray for that. There's a lesson in everything. Looking for the lesson is grounding. I do what I do because there's nothing else for me to do. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. It is in my soul to spread love and laughter. Even if I wasn't an actress or a comedian, I would be spreading love and laughter [with] whatever I did.
     You should only be doing the thing that makes you happy. Not just surface happy. That content, all-is-well-with-my-soul happy. It's the thing you would do for free, and if you do it, you actually become hugely successful and make a lot of money, because the universe is going to send you the resources. I do what I do because there's nothing else for me to do. This is what I'm supposed to be doing.
     I'm happy to get up in the morning. I'll tell you a little secret: I still want to work in Hollywood. However, I get really excited about getting on a plane, flying to a city, and talking to a group of people about finding the gifts they already have inside. GIFTS is an acronym for Gratitude, Intention, Forgiveness, Triumphs, and Self-love. I believe that those are the principles we need to explore in order to discover our true gifts. Open the GIFTS actually came out of this quest. I ended up going into a pretty deep depression that people don't know about, and now I'm talking about it. I was too focused on, If I'm not working, who am I? Why am I not doing that thing that I want to do the most? Why am I not successful in this moment? Don't be concerned with how many followers you have, be concerned with where you are leading them.

Kenneth Davis

IT'S TIME FOR 
JUST JOKING MONDAYS

Joycelyn Lacy (Somerville)

Kenneth Davis

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns
     August 20, 2024: I keep hearing the lyrics of an old song--pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. It is indeed good advice for these days. Let today be a new day and a new beginning. Leave the past behind and look with hope to the future. Isaiah 43:18-19 Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

  T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - GOOD ADVICE 

     Change is growth. For me it has been a very spiritual and musical rebirth. Music is my life; it is a reflection of what I go through. I've woken up from dreams and the whole song is there. I'm listening to it in my dreams. I consciously have to wake myself up and get a tape recorder because I hear it like a record. I was taught by my grandfather that anything that your mind can conceive, you can have. It's a reality. My career has been a gradual climb. I think that's part of the reason why I've had longevity. I'm in this for the long haul. I've been making music my whole life.
     We weren't put here to be miserable. We were put here to do the best we can, and we should take our energy and improve our state of being. You're never promised your next breath. God is always in my life, and that's the most important thing to me. There are so many people that don't believe in themselves and don't have faith. People always accuse me of being motivational in a way, like it was a bad thing, but that's just how I was raised. My mom raised me in a positive environment, with lots of love in my heart, and that reflects in my music. My mother gave lots of good advice and had a lot to say. As you get older, you realize everything she said was true. I am trying to get closer to God.
     God gave me the gift to be able to play instruments and I have to play. I am not trying to change the world. I am just offering my gift that God gave me, and if somebody is moved by it, that's beautiful. That's a big gift when people say to you that a song helped them or brought them to some place in their life where they needed to be. I always try to keep the circumstances in my life fresh. I like to change the physical environment I live in, change the people around me and try to experience things for the first time. I think that keeps one on their toes, creatively and spiritually. I do my best to try to keep God with me on a personal level. It's my belief that God really wants a personal relationship with us.

Lenny Kravitz

Kenneth Davis

 T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N
TODAY'S WORDS - BE ASSURED

    Our world hangs like a magnificent jewel in the vastness of space. Every one of us is a part of that jewel. A facet of that jewel. And in the perspective of infinity, our differences are infinitesimal. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. The greatest gift that you can give another person is to gracefully receive whatever it is that they want to give us. The connections we make in the course of a life--maybe that's what heaven is. As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have-something inside that is unique to all time. If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.
     There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind. Some days, doing "the best we can" may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn't perfect on any front-and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else. The older I get, the more convinced I am that the space between people who are trying their best to understand each other is hallowed ground. Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered just one kind word to another person. I believe that appreciation is a holy thing--that when we look for what's best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something sacred.
     Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else. At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service. In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers. What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What really matters is helping others win too. Even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then. The purpose of life is to listen - to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find ... from within and without.

 
Fred Rogers

Kenneth Davis

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Here’s What It Means If You Have Ridges on Your Nails
By Marissa Laliberte
Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, MD
Updated: Jul. 22, 2024

     They don't make for the prettiest of manicures, but are they something more than a cosmetic problem? Here's what a dermatologist and research have to say. Fingernails seem like a pretty uneventful body part. They grow. You cut them. Maybe paint them. And that’s about it. But in reality, your nails can give you a glimpse into your overall health. If something is going on in your body, your nails could start to change, sometimes developing ridges. Depending on what the ridges in fingernails look like, you might want to schedule a visit to the doctor.
What do vertical nail ridges mean?
     Lines running from the bottom of the nail to the tip are the most common form of ridges in fingernails, affecting about 20 percent of adults. In the vast majority of cases, it’s just a sign of aging, says Ivy Lee, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Pasadena, California. Fingernails are made mostly of keratin, a protein also found in the hair and outer layer of skin. In the same ways that the skin gets drier and the hair feels rougher, the nails also change with age because the body has a harder time retaining moisture.
Other nail changes
     But if you see other changes in the nails, like splitting or a color change, you might want to consult a doctor, says Dr. Lee. In rare cases, ridges in fingernails could be a sign of anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, or cardiovascular problems, according to research in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal. A single ridge in the middle of the nail, for instance, could be a sign of a nutrient deficiency like protein or folic acid. Keep an eye out for these other 11 health secrets your hands are trying to tell you.
What do horizontal nail ridges mean?
     Ridges in fingernails that run side to side are less common and might give you more pause. Also known as Beau’s lines, they could signal disease or just be a remnant of an old injury, says Dr. Lee. “They arise because there is a temporary stop in nail growth in the proximal nail matrix, where the fingernail is made,” she says. “They are most often benign and due to mechanical trauma: manicures, jamming your finger in the door, etc.”
     Sometimes, though, they point to a skin disease like eczema, psoriasis, or chronic paronychia (an infection of the nail folds that makes the skin swollen and red), so inspect your skin and fingertips for signs of redness and rash. Your dermatologist might be able to offer a treatment option. While you’re at it, look into these things your nails can reveal about your health.
A symptom of bigger health issues
     Ridges in nails aren’t all about the skin—they can also be a sign of other systemic problems. For instance, an over or underactive thyroid can affect the hormones in charge of nail, skin, and hair growth, resulting in ridged nails in some cases. If all 20 finger- and toenails develop Beau’s lines at the same time, it could even be an infection like pneumonia, mumps, or syphilis, or even a problem with the heart, liver, or kidneys, per the research in the Indian Dermatology Online Journal. Particularly if your ridged nails have also become thinner, split, discolored, or misshapen, schedule a visit with your dermatologist pronto to get to the bottom of the problem, says Dr. Lee.

     This is for information purpose only, and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from an external panel of individual doctors. Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns.

Estella Wright (Mayhue-Greer)

My Country  Benjamin Franklin

God grant that not only 

   the love of liberty

But a thorough knowledge

   of the rights of man

May prevade all nations

   of the earth, so that

A philosopher may set

   his foot anywhere

On its surface, and say,

   "This is my country."

Kenneth Davis

   T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N   
TODAY'S WORDS - INTEGRITY

     We have been endowed with the capacity and the power to create desirable pictures within and to find them automatically in the outer world of our environment. When you see the ugliness behind the tears of another person, it makes you take a closer look at your own. It's no good telling somebody they're trying too hard. It's very much like ordering a child to go stand in a corner for a half hour and never once think about elephants.
     At times it seems as if arranging to have no commitment of any kind to anyone would be a special freedom. But in fact, the whole idea works in reverse. The deadliest commitment of all is to be committed only to oneself. Some come to realize this after they are in the nursing home. Being an adult means accepting those situations where no action is possible. If the cards are stacked against you, reshuffle the deck.
The only thing in the world worth a damn is the strange, touching, pathetic, awesome nobility of the individual human spirit. You have to start knowing yourself so well that you begin to know other people. A piece of us is in every person we can ever meet. Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will. People cannot endure inexplicable worthlessness.

     John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916 – December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. One of the most successful American novelists of his time, MacDonald sold an estimated 70 million books.

Kenneth Davis

 TIME FOR ANOTHER 

Kenneth Davis

 T H O U G H T   F O R   C O N S I D E R A T I O N 
TODAY'S WORDS - SMOOTH

     What is music anyway? It's a form of communication, and that's why I play the kind of music that I think - that I hope - can communicate with people. I think everybody has to kind of decide what the word 'jazz' means to them, and that's fine. Just figure out what you think jazz is, and then if it fits into that category, it's jazz, and if it doesn't, it isn't. It's no big deal. I started realizing that music is the one area where I've always let go. When that saxophone goes into my mouth, I get into a space where I never think about the notes I've already played or anticipate the notes ahead. When I play live, I feel how the audience is going and follow and lead at the same time.
     Maybe the biggest thing that I've learned musically is that anything is possible. Things can work when maybe they don't seem like they can. I just started as a part of the public-school music program. I took lessons at the school every Friday and was a part of the school band. I was just a normal kid taking instrumental lessons at school, nothing special. I don't play the traditional Charlie Parker songs. But I do improvise, and I do create with my instrument, and that to me is jazz. But there are people who use the word 'jazz' only in a traditional sense, and they would be offended by that, and that's fine. Well, Grover Washington was my main influence and when I went to college, I started listening to more of the jazz masters like Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, and John Coltrane. The whole rise of new adult contemporary music and smooth jazz was a nice surprise.

Kenny G