Finding Hope After the Death of a Child

I am still in shock at the death of my daughter, the 45-year-old mother of twins. The shock of her death in a car crash will be with me forever. Fortunately, I am blessed to have twin grandchildren and my new mission in life is caring for them. My husband and I share this mission.

I know my grandchildren and they know me. They know I love them, will care for them, and keep my promises. Though they are living with their father my mind is filled with parenting thoughts about them. Do you have enough lunch money. Have your bus fees been paid? What clothes do you need?

Somehow, while I am dealing with questions, legal procedures and financial ones, I must find hope. It is not easy. Every day I look for hope, for as a health writer, I know its spark can keep me going. Where is my hope?

MY DAUGHTER WAS AN ORGAN DONOR. After consulting with our grandchildren, my husband and I signed an agreement with Life Source to donate our daughter's organs. The Life Source representative called the next day. "Your daughter saved three lives," she said, "and because of her another will see." Knowing my daughter helped others gives me hope.

FRIENDS HAVE SHOWERED US WITH KINDNESS. Because my husband and I are active in the community we have received cards from friends, people we barely know, and strangers. Some of the comments on the cards make us cry, but we are still comforted by them. The kindness of others gives me hope.

MEMORIALS IN MY DAUGHTER'S NAME GIVE ME HOPE. At the end of our daughter's obituary we suggested memorials to Mayo Clinic. The memorials we received added up to a substantial donation to Mayo Clinic. Helping Mayo Clinic to carry out its mission of medical practice, education and research gives me hope.

MY DAUGHTER IMPRINTED HER VALUES ON HER CHILDREN. The twins started thinking about their mother's values the moment she died. "Even when Mom disciplined us she was never angry," my grandson said. "Mommy always tried to make people smile," my granddaughter said. The twins know their mother wanted them to go to college and we will make this dream come true -- a mission that gives us hope.

THE SIGNS OF SPRING LIFT MY SPIRITS. The piles of snow around our house are melting and I am starting to see green grass. Next to the house, the birch trees show signs of budding. I saw my first robin yesterday. She (or he) sat on a tree near the house and sang for several minutes. Spring gives me hope and I am looking forward to it.

These hopeful signs are helping to heal my grief. I am also trying to make something good from grief and writing articles is a way to do this. Grief is a common bond that joins people together and makes us human.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson

Office Supplies

The term "office supplies" is a generic term that encompasses all products that are used in the office by businesses and other types of organizations. These products include paperclips, staples, pens and pencils, and paper. Larger, more expensive products, such as computers, printers, fax machines, photocopiers, and cash registers, are also included in the classification of "office supplies." Also included are office furniture, such as cubicles and desks.

Office supplies are the single largest, as well as the most important expense in most businesses. This is the reason why the office supply industry is a $225 billion industry and is still growing. The revenue of some of the largest retail distributors of office supplies can exceed $13 billion a year.

Today most office supply companies have also expanded into providing services related to the business, such as acting as copy centers, and creating products such as business cards and personalized business stationary. These services are also adding to the overall value of this industry.

Costs

For businesses, the cost of office supplies is a very large part of their budget. The initial cost will be the largest part of their business. They will need to first furnish their offices, as well as buy computers, printers, and fax machines. These purchases alone are a very large investment that can exceed as much as $20,000, depending on the size of the office.

Alone, the cost of paperclips, staples, paper, pens, and pencils do not cost very much. However, the large number of these products required to run a business will add up.

Other Products

Typically, anything used in an office is considered an "office supply." Although not widely recognized, cleaning supplies used in the office can also be classified as an office supply. Products used to clean the computers, the floors, and even the restrooms can also be called an office supply.

The Oil Depot Explosion That Rocked My Home And Brought Me Inner Peace

On Sunday morning, 11th December I got up early. I like sitting down to write when the house is still quiet, before day light glides over the hills and the silence of the night is chased away by the hectic activities of the day. There is something delightfully creative about those early hours for me and I was keen to finish another instalment of a piece I am writing called '7 Steps to Inner Peace and Personal Power in 2006'.

Although my daughter was staying at a friend's house at the other end of the country, through habit I sneaked quietly into the dark bathroom to get my dressing gown. Suddenly an unfamiliar, pink-coloured flicker lighted my way. I was startled for a moment; except for my sleeping dog I was alone in the house. Where could this eery glow come from? As I returned to the bedroom and looked out of the window, there was the loudest thunder roar I had ever heard, followed a split second later by a wave that shook the house as it sped right through, sweeping away the last trace of mellow sleepiness and leaving me stunned.

Some kind of explosion. The railway station, I thought - or maybe a large gas boiler in one of the shops or restaurants in the nearby town. And then I remembered the huge oil storage depot just 4 miles away and turned on the TV. It didn't take long for my suspicion to be confirmed as reports started to arrive with pictures of sky-high flames and huge volumes of deadly black smoke being thrown into the air. Now, we have the largest peace time incident of this kind in the UK, just a deep breath away.

And I was about to write about inner peace and personal power. How ironic. For a moment, my inner peace was diminished by thoughts of my own vulnerability and mortality; of concern for how it affected people who were even closer and ultimately the environmental impact this catastrophe would have.

But then came the determination to get my balance back and walk the talk and I asked myself, what are the conditions for true inner peace? How can anyone have personal power, when really we are mere pawns of the power of chance, of nature, of the whim of politicians and of the commercial interests of the high and mighty? How can we sleep at night and be happy by day if our lives can be changed with one spectacular blow of fate?

The answer I gave myself was the one that every spiritual leader, every guru or compassionate priest would have given me. It's the same answer that has come up to so many of my questions throughout the years of my own conscious journey to inner peace. The same simple truth that underlies all personal power and builds the foundation for inner peace, no matter what the external circumstances are.

True inner peace comes from within - from the power of our own minds. Viktor Frankl, the psychotherapist and author who survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps by using the only thing he had left, his inner resources, put it like this:

'Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances; to choose one's own way.'

When something shakes our world to the core and throws us off course, even if we may think we don't, we still have the power of choice. We can choose how to react. The personal power that comes from this realisation is immense.

Wherever you look, you will see people who made the choice to let a crisis empower them rather than crush their confidence and break their spirit. People like the family of the murder victim Anthony Walker, who forgave the young men who so cruelly took their son and are not haunted by the poisonous power of hate, people who have courageously built a new life after the floods in New Orleans rather than wallow in self-pity and blame.

Those are the people who chose to take the path of inner peace and personal power. They are who I chose to use as my inspiration this morning, as I continued my writing under the ever-growing toxic black cloud.

I wish you inner peace and hope you find it easy to make that choice today. Greetings

Advice For Newbies When Buying Used Picture Framing Equipment

Have you been trying to make picture frames for a while now or have you just started recently?

Whether you're an experienced framer or a total newbie you might want to save some money. You can do so by purchasing used picture framing equipment instead of buying new tools. It's possible to save plenty of money but it is very important to choose the right gear to buy and to get your tools from reputable sources.

It can be a good idea to try to save some money by purchasing used equipment but it's also important to not buy just any old tools you can find. You will be able to find plenty of sellers on the Internet and in the classified advertisements. If you want to meet sellers in person you can visit various weekend markets. Please keep in mind that some used picture framing stuff can be a total waste of money instead of a sound investment.

There is a big difference between the type of tools you need if you are a professional custom framer and the type of tools you need if you just make frames for a hobby. Professionals generally lease or buy new framing equipment of the type they require rather than run the risk of getting something that is past its use by date.

Recently, I bought a vertical glass cutter from an online auction by placing a bid before I had a chance to go and view the item. The photograph looked good and I knew the brand was reliable because I had used one before. Little did I know that one of the cutting heads that is used to trim backing boards was missing and the manufacturer no longer serviced that model. It still cuts glass great but it would have been even better with the extra head.

You can't afford to buy worthless tools that can't be used for your picture framing projects and that's why you should always do your homework in relation to the machines you are trying to buy. Often it makes sense to visit professional framing shops and framing suppliers to ask if they have any second-hand equipment available. They will be able to understand your needs and meet your demands and you will get the opportunity to inspect the items before purchase. Everyone will be happy with such a deal since you will save money and they will make a new contact that they can help in the future.

You might wonder how old the framing tools can be before you end up getting worthless equipment. The age of the equipment doesn't really matter but the quality and reliability should. Well maintained tools are often better than newer tools that have been neglected. Some tools can be reconditioned. The old style C&H Matcutter is a good example of a reliable manual mat cutter but it does have problems when the brass bushings become worn with use. These bushings can easily be replaced often giving the machine many more years of life. With nearly all modern professional picture framers using CMC computer controlled mat cutters there is an abundance of second-hand manual machines on the market. Depending on the type of picture framing you intend to do it would be worth considering a second-hand mat cutter over say a new Logan Mat cutter for hobby picture framers. I really like Logan cutters for people who want simplicity and only require low volume production but if you are a serious prospective custom framer then a used Fletcher or Keencut mat cutter would serve you better.

Try to find some quality used picture framing equipment that will be yours for only a small outlay. Remember though, you will soon forget the price if you are making quality picture frames and that's what you should focus on rather than saving a few dollars and gaining a world of pain.

Take Online Survey Offers For Money - Get Paid At Home

If you have ever wanted to take online survey offers for money, now is the time to get going. If you want to get paid at home, there has never been an easier way to do it than by taking surveys.

You have probably scoured Google or Yahoo, trying the find the best way to make legit money online. Most of the opportunities that you have found are nothing like what they claim. Everything from the data entry jobs to the phone jobs are not worth your time, but if you want to take online survey offers, you can be sure that there are 100% legit sites to do exactly this.

Sure, there are even online survey sites that are scams, but these are easy to spot and you can learn what to watch out for in no time at all. It is because of these scam survey sites that pop up every now and again that real, paying survey sites get a bad name. This is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. The bad part is that millions of people are missing out on a great money making opportunity. The good part is that you can take advantage of the millions of people that are not taking surveys. Since all of those people do not want to take online survey offers, this leaves more room for people like you, that actually do want to do them. This allows you to take more surveys and make more money.

There are also a bunch of people that have tried taking surveys, thought it took too long, and never bothered with them again. This is a shame; because that just means that they didn't find the right survey sites. They probably joined the first one or two that they saw and didn't like them, so they swore off surveys forever. If they would have actually taken a bit more time, they would have found the survey sites that pay top dollars and are 100% legit. Whatever your situation, the faster you familiarize yourself with the top survey sites, the faster you can stack your money. If you have ever wanted to take online survey offers for money, now you know that it can be done very easily.

Managing Conference Call Services

Distance and time have a way of hampering communication and interaction in an organization. In a global economy where competition is at the highest level, every edge counts. That is why conference call services have recently come into vogue. Even when travel is cost or time prohibitive, there is still a way to get together and discuss strategy and planning.

Your Options

Reservationless conference call services enable you to set up meetings without a lot of planning. Participants are merely given the information that will allow them to join the call. You can conduct a call with any given number of people in separate locations at a moment's notice. Reservationless conferencing is also lower in cost. The disadvantage is that security in this type of service is lacking. You will also personally have to handle the comings and goings of all the participants in the call. Operator-assisted conference call services basically assign the logistics of the call to someone else. This way, you can focus on what the meeting is about. These services are costlier, but offer more value for your money. There are added security features including monitoring of participants, roll calls, and wrap-up reports. The operator can also handle additional parties to the call and help resolve any technical issues that may arise. Operator-assisted conferences have proven particularly useful in deal-making sessions.

If The Price Is Right

Conference call services are generally billed on a per-use basis. Most do not require long term agreements. There is also no need to use the same service as that which handles other aspects of your operations. You are free to experiment with alternatives to find out which is best for your needs. The pricing is usually per minute and per person. Pricing has experienced a drop in recent years. Flat rate pricing is also gaining popularity and is suitable if you have a high volume of calls and people in those calls. Only you can determine which is best for your situation.

There may be additional fees for features, such as call recording and translation. Conference call services can vary greatly in this regard. You can check which features they include as standard in any package that they offer. If you are a high volume user, you may be eligible for discounts. Also, look for tiered pricing as this may offer you flexibility in your particular situation.

The Deal Breakers

Technical support should be a primary factor in your decision. There is nothing worse than finally setting up a meeting with VIPs and having to fiddle with the telephone while they are all waiting. Even worse is the conferencing service that fails to hang up while you're already discussing the call in the office. Can you say awkward? Finally, check for lower rates if the calls are local. Chances are you can save even more money for the company in this area and show what a fiscally responsible executive you are. And that is great for the company and great for you.