Happy Birthday Bobby and Pat!!

These picutres were taken at the celebration of my father's 90th birthday. They were taken at an Inn in Southern Pines, North Carolina. My father now lives in an assisted living facility there. The left picture shows Pat Small, Bob Small, Jeremy Small and Stephanie Small. Below is Pat and Francis Small.

Above is Pat Small, Bob Small and his wife, Gay Small.

The left picture shows Pat Small, his wife, Stephanie Small and Bob Small. Above is a pictue of the two people all these pictures are dedicated to, my brothers, Patrick Francis Small and Robert Daniel Small. Happy Birthday to both of you, and may you have many, many more.

This is a picture of Anna Small, Bob Small and Regina Small Shinners. Anna is Bob's daughter, and Regina is my father's youngest sister. This picture was taken at the Small Family Reunion held in Baltimore, Maryland in September 2000.

The picture on the left is Pat. This was also taken in Alabama. The picture above is Pat and his son, Jason Small. Jason was in the Marine Corps, and this picture was taken in Jacksonville, Florida on Jason's wedding day.

This is a picture of me, my father, Francis Small, my brother Pat Small and my brother Bob Small. This was taken at our aunt's home in Gulf Shores, Alabama. My parents had moved to Alabama after my father retired. We were all in Alabama to celebrate my father's 80th birthday.

Gay and Bob Small and Their Children Jeremy and Anna

This is a picture of my brother Bob, my mother, Bernadine Small, my father, Francis Small, my nephew, Jeremy Small and my neice Anna Small. Since it looks like it is Spring, I would guess this was also taken at Easter.

These pictures were taken one Easter. This was our house in Green Haven, Maryland. On the left is a picture of Bob and Pat and on the right is Bob, our father, Francis Small, and Pat.

This is Bob, me and Pat in our grandmother's back yard in Baltimore, Maryland. When we were little we lived four doors down from our grandmother.

Bob Small on the left, Pat Small on the right. These pictures are obviously School Pictures.

Pat Small

This is my brother Pat. The horse he is riding was made by our grandfather.

My brother Pat celebrated his 62nd birthday on March 13th, and my brother Bob will celebrate his 64th birthday on May 12th. Unfortunately we are not as close as some siblings. By the time I was in high school both of them were in college, so for several years I was like an only child. Pat lives in Marina del Rey, California and Bob lives in Atlanta, Georgia. We don't get to see each other very often, so I thought I would post these pictures to tell them both Happy Birthday and let them know I am thinking of them. The picture on the left is my father, my brother Bob and my mother. On the right is my brother Bob.

Famous Quotes By Famous People

Recently a very good friend of mine--one that I have known for many years--sent me an e-mail of famous quotes by famous people. It was a three minute video produced by "Simple Truths". I was very impressed by the video and many of the quotes were extremely touching and applied to so many things in our daily lives. I wanted to share these quotes with as many people as I could, but I am aware that many times when we forward e-mails from one person to everyone in our address book they get deleted or ignored. I don't know that more people will see these quotes by posting them here on my blog--I really don't know that very many people make it a point to read my blog very often-- but at least they will be out there for anyone who happens on my blog to see. I am sure the majority of people seeing them will recognize all the famous people whose quotes are here, and I hope everyone will take time to read them and reflect on what meaning they may have in your life. I found some of these to be very powerful quotes, some more than others. Read and enjoy them and leave any comments you feel are appropriate. I hope you are able to apply them to your own life.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston Churchill

1871-1965

"If you can dream it you can do it."

Walt Disney

1901-1966

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."

Albert Einstein

1876-1955

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

Dwight D. Eisenhower

1890-1969

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."

Henry Ford

1863-1947

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

Benjamin Franklin

1706-1790

"We must become the change we want to see in the world."

Mahatma Gandhi

1869-1948

"The boisterious sea of liberty is never without a wave."

Thomas Jefferson

1743-1826

"The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart."

Helen Keller

1880-1968

"Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain."

John F. Kennedy

1917-1963

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

1929-1968

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time."

Abraham Lincoln

1809-1865

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellance, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

Vince Lombardi

1913-1970

"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination."

Nelson Mandela

1918-

"In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love."

Mother Teresa

1910-1997

"If a man loses his heart, what else is there?"

George S. Patton

1885-1945

"The worst prison would be a closed heart."

Pope John Paul II

1920-2005

"Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours."

Ronald Reagan

1911-2004

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Eleanor Roosevelt

1884-1962

"To reach a port, we must sail--sail, not tie at anchor--sail, not drift."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

1882-1945

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt

1858-1915

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

Albert Schweitzer

1875-1965

"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

Harry S. Truman

1884-1972

"There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up."

Booker T. Washington

1856-1915

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidences."

George Washington

1732-1799

San Juan Capistrano Mission
If you follow the link above it will take you to the Wikipedia Page on San Juan Capistrano and the history of the mission. You will also find the story of how the swallows return to Capistrano every year on St. Joseph's Day, March 19. I hope you enjoy. Please leave any comments you'd like. If you like you can also follow the other links on the site to read as much as you like about the mission.

These are pictures of the grounds and the inside of a chapel. I wonder how many people visit each year?