Hiya!

Hey y'all I'm Wes! Email anytime at gridiron93@gmail.com, and get to know me better! I'm a fun guy, and love people!

Forgiveness

It is a secret that is hidden in plain sight. It costs nothing and is worth millions. It is available to everyone and used by few. If you harness the power of forgiveness, you will be revered, sought after, and wealthy. And not coincidentally, you will also be forgiven by others.

Most people do not ask for forgiveness. Amazingly, many of these people who dare to occupy our minds with angry thoughts are actually wandering about in life without any knowledge of our feelings or any conviction that they have done anything wrong.

For many years, I thought that forgiveness was akin to a knighthood - something I bestowed upon some poor wretch who groveled at my feet and begged my blessings. But as I matured and observed successful people, I gained a new perspective on forgiveness.

I cannot recall a single book, including the Bible, that says in order for you to forgive someone, he or she has to ask for it. Think about this concept! Where is the rule written that before I forgive people, they have to deserve it? Where is it written that to be forgiven by me, you must have wronged me no more than three times? Or seven? Or seventeen?

The unmistakable truth about forgiveness is that it is not a reward that must be earned; forgiveness is a gift to be given. When I give forgiveness, I free my own spirit to release the anger and hatred harbored in my heart. By granting forgiveness, I free my spirit to pursue my future happily and unencumbered by the anchors of my past. And forgiveness, when granted to others, becomes a gift to myself.

Now I must warn you that without a forgiving spirit, your effectiveness as a husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, boss, or leader of people will be at an end. The key to everything your future holds, the touchstone that will, for you, bring dreams into reality, is forgiveness.

Faith vs. Fear

Faith vs. Fear. It was an interesting thought that just popped into my mind. I started thinking about how different they are. But then I realized, they're not very different at all. All men are guided by faith or fear-one or the other-for both are the same. Faith or fear is the expectation of an event that hasn't came to pass or the belief in something that cannot be seen or touched. A man of fear lives always on the edge of insanity. A man of faith lives in perpetual reward.

Faith is to believe what one has not seen. The reward of faith is to see what one has believed.

Many men do not consider themselves men of faith nor of fear. Instead they consider themselves men of reason. Reason can only be stretched so far, but faith has no limits. The only limit to your realization of tomorrow is the doubt to which you hold fast today.

It is a fact that great leaders-great achievers-are rarely realistic by other people's standards. Somehow, these successful people often considered strange, pick their way through life ignoring or nor hearing negative expectations and emotions. Consequently, they accomplish one great thing after another, never having heard what cannot be done. That is precisely why one should never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing.

Awesome recipe!

Hey yall, it's make and bake time with Wesley! Okay, so some of you may not have the run-around-the-house-screaming-and-yanking-curtains excitement that I  do for baking and cooking. But the thrilling excitement that comes with seeing a job well done is equatable to finding a $20 bill in your pocket that you didn't know that you had. That's the shizzles. Almost as good as a cup of tea. But anyways, the recipe. And the name of the recipe is...drumroll please...PUMPKIN GINGERSNAP CHEESECAKE! Non-salivation is not an option.

I'm supposed to write a description of this cheesecake. It's good. Really tasty and luscious. Oooo! I like that word! Luscious. Luuuuuscious. Lusciouuussss. It's a very round and orbicular word that just seems to roll out of your mouth. Say it. Was that not the most funnest word to say? RECIPE INGREDIENTS For the Crust: 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs 3/4 cup gingersnap crumbs 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 egg white, well beaten For the Filling: 2 cups (16 ounces) cream cheese 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 4 large eggs, separated 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon canned unsweetened pumpkin puree 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of ground cloves For the Topping: 2/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (see Note) 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Position a second rack directly below it. FOR THE CRUST: In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker and gingersnap crumbs, sugar, and ginger. Stir in the melted butter. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Brush the crust lightly with the egg white and chill for at least 15 minutes before filling and baking. FOR THE FILLING: In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, and brown and granulated sugars, using an electric mixer, until smooth. Gently beat in the egg yolks, then the pumpkin puree, vanilla, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, with a whisk or an electric mixer, until stiff peaks are formed. Fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and place in the oven. Set an 8-inch-square baking pan filled halfway with hot water on the rack below the cheesecake (this helps prevent the top of the cheesecake from cracking). Bake until the center does not tremble when the cake is gently shaken, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes. Place a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat source of a broiler. Preheat the broiler. FOR THE TOPPING: in a small bowl, combine the walnuts, ginger, and sugar. Add the butter and mix together with a fork or clean fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle over the warm cheesecake and place in the broiler to melt the sugar and caramelize the topping, 30 to 40 seconds. Watch carefully so that the topping does not burn. Remove the cheesecake from the broiler and let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours or as long as overnight. When it is chilled, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and remove the pan rim. Set the cheesecake on a serving plate without removing the pan bottom. Note: To toast walnuts, spread shelled nuts in a shallow pan. Toast in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Enjoy this...luscious...cheesecake with whipped cream (none of this fakey whipped topping stuff) and a cup of tea. And save a slice for me.

Sweet Video!

Hey yall, I just found an awesome new video for the video of the week type thing. Pretty stinkin awesome. The guys name is Michael Winslow, and he makes "noises"! Enjoy, or laugh. One or the other.

Totally wicked.
Wes

The Truths of Life

Thanks to Peter being the 3rd person to follow me, he chose the subject of humor. So I pondered this for a long time, because after all, I usually try to make my posts at least fairly entertaining. So a couple of days ago, I was eating a chimi-changa for my lunch, when suddenly came a wave of (ahem) bowel discomfort. Stupid mexican food. So off to el baño went I, with much discomfort. Relief soon came like a massive tidal wave, after which I started thinking. (FYI to those who aren't my family, sitting on the toilet is one of two places where I get most of my brilliant ideas.) Anyway, as I flushed away that mexican stomach chaos,  I thought one of my brilliant thoughts just then. "Why does everyone HAVE to be so quiet in a library?" says I. "Me," I says to myself, "this could be the start of something really good." So maybe that mexican gastric content helped after all! Who woulda known....

So anyway, I thought to myself "self, why don't I think of a bunch of other truths of life, carve them on a big statue, and put them in the middle of chicago!" But then my lazy side kicked in, and decided to underachieve by putting them on my blog. So here goes.

1. Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
2. Indecision is the key to flexibility.
3. No matter how hard you try, you can never predict when the toaster will pop, and it will scare you (or at least me) every time.
4. Jonny Depp is about as old as all the other actors his age.
5. Never wrestle with a pig: You both get all dirty, and the pig likes it.
6. Approximately one-seventh of your life is spent on Monday.
7. How can a life without a just, righteous and loving God ever have any meaning? If a person does not believe in God, then life has no meaning. You are born, you grow up, if you are lucky, then you become famous, you get old, and you die. Nothing more. Big whoop. But when you have Christ in your life, not only does he make it challenging and ever interesting, He gives life meaning and purpose. What stems from that is true happiness. The key to true happiness is found when we sacrifice our wants and desires for something greater in life. And in order to get that something greater, we must give up what we treasure the most. That is the key to true happiness, and true happiness can only be found in God. Salvation is God's marriage proposal to the soul.
8. Money cannot buy happiness, but it will make misery easier to live with
9. 9 of 10 people suffer from diarrhea. The truth is, the tenth guy enjoys it.
10. Supplemental poker rule: Colt 45 magnum beats ace of spades.
11. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you. 
12. Nothing is fool proof to a sufficiently talented fool.
13. No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
14. Growing up is mandatory; growing old is optional.
15. Morality is not defined by individual choice.
16. No matter how hard I try, I can not figure out which way the train went by looking at the tracks.
17. Eschew obfuscation, and everything will be simpler.


Cheers
Wes

The Stuff of Life

This is a very good short story about life.  Thought you might like to read it.

 

Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane that was heading for Washington D.C.

 

She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him. She's now the Mom of a beautiful little girl, Mary.

Lisa recalled this story:

"I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack.  About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students.  As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important.  Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves.  None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end.  It can be taken away at any moment. 

 

Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day.  Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise.  From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice.  

 

It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground.  Please look for these things, and cherish them.  For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life.  The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy.  The things we often take for granted.

 

The class was completely quiet.  We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently.  That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester.  Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today.  Go barefoot.  Or walk on the beach at sunset.  Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone.  For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do. 

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."