CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL COLLEGE SPRING BREAKERS FOR YOUR VOLUNTEERISM

For many years, College students who were on Spring Break made headlines for their crazy antics while at a beach resort, a ski resort, or any other vacation venue where there was just fun-loving practices, excession drinking and lunatic activities. However, many College students were determined to break those bonds of negative spring break headlines with positive activities that impacted the lives of those in need of more affordable housing, learning disadvantages, and the lonely and forgotten in our many communities. These projects used the tremendous resources of the energetic and enthusiastic young minds to build rather than to destroy the images that College-age students are often subjected. You encouraged a HAND UP rather than a HAND OUT!

Thank you and congratulations for all of those College Spring Breakers for assisting in building and rebuilding the Ladders of Achievements in the communities throughout the United States and throughout the world community. Your positive efforts are well-noted and rewarded by the smiling faces of the recipients of newly built affordable houses and by the hope that you brought to the community centers that were enriched and enhanced by your providing literacy training for those who were looking for a positive learning environment.

Many college students assisted in helping the homeless receive hope in the face of a declining economic environment by their helping to fix and repair challenging environments. Your efforts were noted in the soup kitchens and the long lines of the unemployed and the underemployed who needed encouragement to seek out positive avenues for training and retraining. Your countless hours in church-related activities brought about a renewed spiritual energy that is lacking in a godless society that ignores the poor, the oppressed, the disadvantaged, the disabled, the health care facilities that have been overwhelmed with devastation for many reasons, and the elderly care facilities that have lost the value and the dignity of the human person by their attitudes.

Yes, THANK YOU, COLLEGE SPRING BREAKERS, FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD BY GIVING OF YOUR TIME, YOUR TALENTS, AND YOUR LIMITED TREASURES FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE. You are God's army of love that shows what can be done by the private sector when given an opportunity to respond to the needs of a Country starved of love, joy, and peace.

Your exemplary examples have given hope to those who are striving to regain their energies to CLIMB THEIR LADDERS OF ACHIEVEMENTS one day at a time.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY FOR ACHIEVEMENT LOVERS

Today, we celebrate in many parts of the world and in the United States of America the feast day of Saint Patrick who is the Apostle of Ireland. "During his three decades in Ireland, Saint Patrick raised the standards of scholarship, encouraged the study of Latin, brought Ireland into closer relations with the rest of the Western Church; and, of course, converted the Irish to the faith they have so fiercely defended through the centuries." (Dictionary of Saints by John J. Delaney, p. 447). Saint Patrick's symbols in art are the baptismal f0nt, the cross, the harp, the serpent, and the shamrock. Saint Patrick converted most of the island of Ireland to Christianity. Saint Patrick, pray for us and intercede for us with God. May our Christian faith grow stronger because of your exemplary example.

For all of Saint Patrick's achievements throughout his special ministry to Ireland, we have all become touched by his ways of bringing others to the true faith even with bitter adversity and trauma. Many miraculous miracles have been attributed to the intercession of Saint Patrick with the Triune God.

For all 21st century Ladder of Achievement enthusiasts, may the following Irish Blessing be upon you and your family on this day: SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

"MAY THE ROAD RISE TO MEET YOU. MAY THE WIND BE ALWAYS AT YOUR BACK. MAY THE SUN SHINE WARM UPON YOUR FACE, THE RAINS FALL SOFT UPON YOUR FIELDS, AND UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND."

IDES OF MARCH 2009 RECOGNITION AWARD - 21st CENTURY TRADITIONAL FAMILIES

Congratulations to all of the World's Traditional 21st Century Families especially in the United States for their commitment to values, goals, and visions that reflect the holistic family as God, the Creator, intended for all families. Yes, having a Mother, a Daddy, and children that have a foundation of divine love as well as human love in their daily living out of God's plan for the most basic unit in society. The primary teachers of all children are the loving parents.

The family has been under attack for many years because some philosophical proponents want to control a godless entity that has no basis of existence except to exist in a vacuum. There are some societies that like to separate the Mother, the Daddy, and the children from each other and indoctrinate them separately to live in a prescribed manner and brain-washed manner. Even the media goes along with the attacks on the family by encouraging distorted values exaggerated by the entertainment industry, the political climate, the economic challenges, and the societal mores that undermines any holistic approach to growing as a family unit. When women are exploited by men to make money at the expense of the woman's dignity as a human being, respect is thrown out the window and humiliation replaces respect for God's wonderful creation. Also, men are encouraged to satisfy their gratifications at the expense of their own dignity and the dignity of the woman involved. Unwanted pregnancies occur because love is missing from animal tendencies to seek lustful endeavors.

For a mother to be a mother, she is asked to bring human life into existence with the respect and admiration of her husband and her supporting community. Anyone can be a father, but it takes a special someone to be a Daddy. In most minority family units, the father figure is missing and the mother is alone to fend for herself and her children. When the father becomes a real Daddy, he takes on the responsibility to raise the children brought about by a divine loving relationship to grow into what God has intended for all human beings.

To accept the commitment of "for better or for worst, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to death do us part" means a selfless giving of each other to a commitment lifestyle that has all of the traditional wrappings even in the 21st Century. For many persons, that commitment ends too soon because of a lack of a total giving to each other and to the children that are a blessing from this special marriage of a man and a woman. For some who are church-going, the statistics favor a better chance of survival in the long run by a 2000 to 1 ratio. The divorce rate for those who are uncommitted to any spiritual involvement is a ratio of 2 to 1. In other words, for man and woman things can become very impossible; but with the help of God's blessings, nothing is impossible for God.

YES, CONGRATULATIONS FOR ALL OF THOSE MARRIED COUPLES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WHO ARE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE LOVE OF THEIR CHILDREN. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND MAY YOU CONTINUE TO ENTHRONE GOD IN YOUR LIVES AND IN YOUR HOME TO GROW HOLISTICALLY IN EVERY WAY.
YOU HAVE EARNED THE IDES OF MARCH 2009 RECOGNITION AWARD FOR YOUR LOVING WAYS AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO MAKE LOVE HAPPEN!

MARCH MADNESS ACHIEVEMENTS ENCOURAGES POSITIVE ATTITUDES

In every age and in every circumstance, you will find individuals who have made a change in their lives by making sound choices that were motivated by encouragment. Yes, encouraging words to a person who has low self-esteem and low self-confidence ignities a fire in the listener to rethink their choices if they are willing to take the positive risks in achieving success. Even successful failures have learned the reasons for their past choices in limiting their full potential as a human being. In listening to external voices that manipulate their decisions, many discouraged individuals have given up because they were influenced by negative people. Negativism begets negativism. A positive approach to life every day spurs an individual to try again and again even with limited successes. We all seek a HAND UP RATHER THAN A HAND OUT!

For many persons who are trying to find themselves during temporary disappointments because of marital concerns, educational challenges, financial setbacks, and other day-to-day events will find consolation in attempting to turn their lifestyles around to a more positive approach. To give up on life and to neglect their emotional, physical, and emotional state is fostered by the "gloom and doom naysayers" who want to control others' fates. To be internally motivated takes a decision to say "Yes" to the smallest concerns as well as the most complicated concerns. We spend a lifetime in finding ourselves and in discovering our inner worth. GOD DOES NOT MAKE JUNK! We are made in the Image and Likeness of God and we belong to GOD! If we ignore our God-given talents because we are following the "wrong voices," our decisions and our day-to-day choices will haunt us until we say, "I need assistance and guidance from a divine resource that really cares about my lifelong achievements."

Each day seek out individuals who are positive in their approach. Read literature that will inspire rather than lower our expectations. Create a plan of action that reconsiders our short-term and our long-term goals to grow as a human being as God intended us to develop. Our time, our talents, and our treasures are needed in a world that fancies itself in glitter and in the wasteful. Using our God-given talents, time, and treasures for the benefit of others means we are growing into a lifestyle that will bring us PEACE, JOY, AND LOVE. Our successful adventure with our Ladder of Achievement will depend upon our positive choices that reflect a divine plan in conjunction with our plan that coincides. In every step that we take to be the person who we are meant to be takes courage, patience, wisdom, understanding, and an awe for the divinely inspired examples that we witness every day of our natural life. "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you."

ACHIEVEMENT LADDER SUCCESSES DEMANDS ULTIMATE CHANGES IN ATTITUDES

With all of the challenges that career orientated persons face in the 21st Century, our approaches to resolving the economic crisis that we experience from time to time is left in the hands of a few persons per capita in the United States. With less than 600 persons nationally recognized political and economic strategists, our American population of over 300,000,000 are left out of the picture after the votes are counted and allocated with the current Legislative, Executive, and Judicial elected officials/and or appointees. In addition, many federal agencies are implementing the decisions made by these few individuals. For over 73 years, our American policies and political decisions have been controlled and regulated by social and political practitioners who have their own self-serving agendas to bring about an enormous deficit the likes of which are unparrelled and unprecedented.

Our American climb up the Ladder of Achievement in the political and economic environments have been hampered by philosophies and theories that appeared to be the ONLY answer to the many challenges of a young and growing Country. To think that ONLY at the federal level will our challenges be solved and resolved is begging the real question. However, history has indicated otherwise especially with the successes in the private sector of our economic and social growth and development. HASTE MAKES WASTE. In many hasty decisions, waste has followed and a tremendous DEFICIT has occurred by SPEND HAPPY FEDERAL POLITICIANS AND THEIR ASSOCIATES. Someone forgot to read the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights that really impacts the AMERICAN PEOPLE. What are some ways to consider to renew and to improve our current plight? Here are but a few considerations that may have some food for thought. You are encouraged to agree or to disagree.

l) Set up term limits for the U.S. Senate (2 terms of 6 years with a maximum serving time of 12 years). Set us term limits for the U.S. House of Representatives (4 terms of 2 years with a maximum serving time of 8 years). The President of the United States is already set up with a 2 terms of 4 years with a maximum serving time of 8 years). This method will provide new blood and new approaches to old challenges. For the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, those individuals who want to rerun for their respective offices will be required to sit out at least one full term before attempting to rerun again.

2) Collect from the "Underground Economy," which amasses wealth of over ONE TRILLION dollars from their various enterprises. These monetary resources are untaxed and are uncollected revenue that could reduce the federal deficit.

3) Reduce the size of federal governmental agencies, which implements the various legislative agendas. Many of these service oriented careers could be more effectively and efficiently completed by the private sector and bring about tax resources at all levels. Less bureaucracy is always a PLUS!

4) Abolish the current IRS System and convert to a simple "Flat Tax" approach to collecting revenues with NO loopholes. Everyone would pay their fair share as is currently happening with the Sales Tax approach.

5) Use the adjusted gross payroll amounts only once in calculating taxes. After the first tax is calculated, the adjusted gross payroll amount would be reduced to a new amount for the next calculation. In allocating tax revenues, the emphasis should be on the local level first, the county level next, the state level next, and the federal level last. Provide the funds where the taxpayer lives and works and contributes to their community.

6) Issue VISA permits to all persons seeking to enter the United States for an extended stay beyond the usual visiting and tourist permits. Encourage those individuals to apply for a temporary green card to work in United States employments legally. With all illegal immigrants who enter the United States illegally, process their return to their country of origin unless they are seeking extenuating circumstances on a case- by-case basis.

7) Emphasize the importance of supporting American entrepreneurs and workers by providing an atmosphere of BUY AMERICAN FIRST to protect the American-based enterprises. Increase the tariff on all goods and services that are competing to take away jobs from the American worker and taxpayer.

8) Encourage support at all levels of educational preparation and updating for individuals who are being retrained for careers and career changing occupations. Many of the unemployed and underemployed would genuinely benefit from an educational environment that promotes transfer skills and new career skills to other careers that have long lasting results and benefits. Many careers and jobs go unfulfilled everyday because there are insufficient applicants who are QUALIFIED or QUALIFIABLE.

The American Spirit is Alive and Well. Even when challenges are present to their climb up and down their Ladder of Achievement, these American enthusiasts are willing to set aside their past accomplishments and to find NEW AND MORE LASTING adventures to CHALLENGE their TIME, their TALENTS, and their TREASURES. What these individuals need is SELF-CONFIDENCE and PATIENCE to excel at new LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS AND GROWTH DEVELOPMENT.

CHANGING REQUIRES ACHIEVEMENT REASSESSMENT

For all that we have heard about the word, "CHANGE," during the past two years especially in the political arena, we often are receiving an incorrect signal for the real value of effective change. In political rhetoric, the purpose is to obtain enough VOTES to initiate an agenda that may or may not be efficient and effective in bringing about HOLISTIC CHANGE. The lifestyle principles of making change for change sake is always suspect and needs adequate discernment. There have been many avenues in the past that have proposed the methodology of Change without Change ever happening either in the short run or the long run.

Over two thousand years ago, many traditionalists challenged a lifestyle change made by a very dedicated individual who saw through the agendas of the local leaders promoting social and governmental rules and laws that were cumbersome. He saw thr0ugh the duplicity of the local leaders who were selfish and greedy about many economic conditions. Making laws for law sake was their way of controlling the general population and keeping the people ignorant of any other way of living their simple lifestyle for a real purpose and reason. Over time, more and more people listened to the new lifestyle change that this one individual offered to all that he met in his journeys.

With his emphasis on the value of the individual and the sacredness of human life, he made a difference that the local and regional leaders envied and sought to eliminate. Eventually, these hard-cored leaders duped the people into believing that this individual who they admired was an enemy of the state. With smear tactics, with discredit measures, and with destroying the reliability of the individual's honesty and purpose, these political leaders gained control of the discussions in the public arena. These leaders challenged the reasons why this person should continue to spread his message, his "Good News," to so many innocent, law-abiding and willing recipients of wanting to change their lifestyles.

In the end, many duped persons realized that the leaders were promoting their own self-interests and agendas at the detriment of the common good of all. Yes, in the end, the individual who was promoting an eternal answer to life's challenges was sacrificed by a public crucifixion that was demeaning and disgraceful. However, this individual has continued to spark the lifestyles of many persons over the centuries even to this day by His successful achievement of his ladder of success of FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE. He is the ALPHA and the OMEGA of all that is worthwhile in any lifestyle change. He gave HIS WORD that He would be with his faithful to all of his followers until the end of time. His Way, his Truth, and his Life is the hallmark of any realistic lifestyle change that is the most effective and the most efficient of any political or national leader.

During this time of Lent, we are reminded to make a Lenten Reassessment of improving our mind, our heart, and our spirit in line with his method of EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT CHANGE that will really make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of the ones who we love, respect, admire, and cherish. Our lifestyle Changes will be inspired by a positive attitude of climbing our Ladder of Achievement with His living among us through His spirit and love changing attitudes. We will accomplish life's challenges by relying on His loving assistance and gifts of the Spirit, if we are willing to CHOOSE LIFE in HIM.