Hello again,
We hope you get a chance to try out some of the free action games to your right, after all, having clean, enjoyable fun makes life worth living. Tonight's lesson comes from a favorite book of the Bible. Psalms. Listen up kids, because this lesson concerns a king called David who had been through alot of termoil, and guilt. He was given this gift from God, knowledge that can applied to today's time as well. The verses are from Psalms 37 which applies to two things, greed, and patience. The first goes like this,

"A little that a righteous man has if better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken but the Lord  upholdeth the rightous. The Lord knows the days of the upright  and their inheritance shall be forever."

What does this mean? Simply put, it means that many people strive in life for success. There is nothing wrong with success, it's admirable, satisfying and praised. David had went from a mere shepherd, herding goats and sheep in the mountains, to one of the finest palaces in all of Israel. He was successful. However he like so many who attain success, are not content with maintaining their status quo. He had everything a man could want, a beautiful palace, gold and silver, power and glory, military achievements, even a woman who loved him. Yet, he desired more. With this desire, he used deceit, his power and cunning to attain the wife of one of his most trusted soldiers, leading to murder and adultry. Many people strive for glory, power, money success, but do so dishonestly. They do so at the exspense of someone else. Their personality changes, becoming focused only on the prize and not at what cost it takes to get it. When a friend asks you to do something that you know is wrong, remember that God stands behind you and saying no to this dishonest act doesn't go unnoticed.Now for you parents.
I heard a woman say once that she would do anything to be manager of her company. Within four years, she had attained such a goal. Everyone outside the office saw it as the most wonderful thing ever, praising her for her hard work and achievments. Little did they realize that to get that promotion, she had placed her family, her friends, even her fellow coworkers behind her. She became obsessed with profit, always stydying the competition, never realizing it was her son's birthday party, or her anniversary, or her daughter's dance recital. To her, saying I'm sorry, or it was all in the name of work which brought more money home to them, was the perfect bandaid for their dissapointment. People she had known since high school, became not good enough to hang out at her house. Business parties and upper management took center stage. When her district manager called one night asking her to cover the night shift, she never considered her families concerns and feelings. When vacations were cancelled and overtime became manditory profit never lost out over the feelings of those closest to her.
Then one morning, she came home after an all night inventory rush. It was the end of the year and her company needed her there. On the table next to her daughter's unfinished glass of juice was a note. Her husband had taken the kids and left her. The Lord tells us that gain isn't a bad thing. However the methods we use and the focus of our gain, is .  So many people feel that they are helping their families by taking on the world. What we fail to remember is, there are sacrifices and costs for achieving greatness and there are ethical choices we must make. To be successful comes in all shapes and forms. A man has a great family, a loving home and a simple way of life. I would say he was a success. To others he was a failure because he never made it out of high school. Those who see him as a failure should reevaluate life as we know it. Far too many are successful out of corruption, selfishness, lust and greed. Far too many lies, deceit and bitterness toward their fellow man brought them there. I've discovered that being in leadership is a cold business because at the top all that counts is profit, profit, profit. Thus the verse is saying, The little money, power, house, car, savings account, that a rightous man has, is better because he earned it honestly. He didn't insult his workers to get it, he didn't take from the poor, or step on someone to rise above it. He didn't falter from the ethical standards his Lord placed before him. And for that God shall give him his interitance to replace the riches he didn't have. This riches of a wicked man shall do him little good when he faces the judgement, for his bargaining, craftiness and sales marketing strategy does little good. I'm not saying all wealth is based on wickedness, many men and women got to the top through hard work and good strategies. However many have not. Keep the sun in your face and you'll always find your way home. Keep the sun to your back and you'll always be walking in a shadow. Try it sometime.


Moving on to lesson number Patience.
Psalms 37:34
"Wait on the Lord , and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. when the wicked are cut off you shall see it."

What that means is we are all too eager to get ahead and prosper. We do this without following the true course that the Lord prepares for us. We want all of it, and we want it right now! Sound familiar. Like that commercial for settlement payments. "I need my money and I want it now!" The woman sounds like many of us out there today. We all want to control our piece of the pie and do it before we reach 30. This is how we begin to listen to our own will and ignoring the will of God. It's like a train who wants to make it to Richmond at 3:00 am, when the conductor knows that the train station will be blocked until 3:30 with two other trains. The train after thinking about it for a moment, decides his position at the Richmond terminal is more important than the other two waiting in line. So he takes off without the condutor and what happens? He arrives alright at the Richmond terminal but ends up scrap metal after crashing into the other trains. Our lives are like that sometimes. We never listen to the directives our Lord gives us. Many call it a conscience, I call it the Holy Spirt. He speaks to our hearts, trying to lead us in the right direction. Whether it be a job, a marriage, a relationship, a friendship, or making a purchase, I believe he gives us mental and heart felt signs which far too often we refuse to follow. The Lord in this passage tells us to wait on the Lord, and keep the way. Don't take shortcuts just because we feel he's not listening. He has a time and place for everything, including making choices. He knows what's right and true for us, like a gardner who knows exactly which seasons to plant and sow, reap and till, the Lord knows what's best for us all. It's like an old gospel hymn by Dave Hollister, I heard Sunday, it goes something like this:
"The Potter, He saw a vessel
that had been broken by the wind and the rain.
He sought it with so much compassion
to put it back together again.

Oh, I was that broken vessel
that no one thought was any good,
I cried, "Lord, You are the Potter,"
"and I am the clay,"
"make me over again today".

Chorus:
Jesus picked up the pieces
of my broken heart,
my broken heart that day.
And He made me a new vessel,
He revived my soul again.
We have to start understanding that we are mortal human beings, created and will perish, all of us. We must surrender the reins over to a higher power, allowing the Lord to guide us, lead us, and strengthen us. This world has become far too motivated on social acceptance, political corruption, moral decay, and financially dependant. What this sums up is a boiling pot of desastrous mixes where our human nature created for peace, compassion, and love, cannot survive or advance. When was the last time you went to a corporation, and actually spoke to a member of the executive staff who said hello, how is your family today, hope your life is going well. When was the last time your financial advisor asked about your wife and actually meant it? Would he have said it if you didn't have money with his firm? When was the last time a commercial on television said, Your life is great, are you happy, if so never mind, you don't need this item. No, instead it guilts you into thinking that all the items you have isn't good enough, or your not successful because your not working for the firm. How many movies are based on family values? How many sitcoms these days focus on getting the family together, involved, or teaching them clean moralisitic virtues? None that I can think of.  There is no focus, there is no attention paid to the Lord's directives. So be it. I for one have no faith in the current social, financial, political or economic structure of this nation. It is now up to us to change the way we think, act and live. Listen and wait on him, the Lord will guide you.
God Bless all of you and have a good night,
until next time.
I'm Mericlese the teacher

Let not your heart be troubled>And yet It is for many of us

Good Morning and May your day be filled with happiness, and peace of mind. Today we will talk about another verse of the Bible that applies to us all. I hope you kids can read this as well. It's about our own ideas of what is important and not important in our lives. Jesus had overheard of of his apostles, speaking about how someone had taken his cloak, and now he was cold and without. Jesus said to him,
"Why do you concern yourself with things of this life?What you shall eat or what you shall clothe yourself with. For is life not more than food or drink, nor yet the body more than clothes? Consider the birds of the air. They neither reap nor sow, nor gather into barns, and yet their heavenly father feeds them. And are you not more beloved of the Father than they? How about the lillies of the field? They neither spin nor toil, and yet their heavenly Father adorns them with rainment far more gracious and elegant than King Soloman himself. And are you not worth more to him than these? So if your heavenly Father loves them, which are hear today and then gathered and thrown into the fire, will he not more so provide for you? Oh ye of little faith."

I thought alot about this verse over the last few years, and I began to see more clearly what he meant. We think of ourselves as pretty crafty people. We invent, we create, we imagine. And yet when a crisis happens, many of us lose all of our abilities to do these things. For most in such a techno age, should our own imaginations fail us, it would be catastrophic. This is why Jesus said we must not concern ourselves with these temporary ideas. Have faith in the creator and allow for him to provide for your needs. In prayer, and in counsil with him, we can speak freely of all things and he will listen. The human race has strayed far from the mainland, and relying solely on our own understanding and abilities. However no matter how many reality survival television stories we see, human enginuity only goes so far. Concern ourselves more with helping one another, serving the Lord, and allowing him to give us what we need. "Need" that is a word that has become a back seat to our daily lives. It's not what we Need, that drives our choices, its what we "Desire". This is what's led to millions across the globe becoming obese, over stressed, over worked, insomniacs, diseased, depressed, criminal minded, selfish, angry, violent, etc etc, need I go on? The mindset of people have become so twisted and far off from where we should be, that especially in most modern nations, the economy and the people in it, are on the brink of collapse. Why? Desires. One might make $1200 a month, but he desires to live in a larger house, or drive a fancier car. Perhaps his kids have to have the finest education, or the largest stock pile of toys known to man. Even smaller desires such as sex, the latest fast food craze, or a new pair of shoes, can escalate to larger desires. Of course modern society fuels it. Money is made, billions are made each years off the word desire. Retail has become a household word these days, internet retail sales, store front retail sales, retail outlets, retail malls, retail supercenters. When my great grandfather was a boy, the word retail meant absolutly nothing. Retail or perhaps retailored meant fixing a pair of hand me down pants, or a double knit sport coat.
Why do we concern our every waking hour with stuff? Do we really need that new car? Or will the old one get us back and forth to the market? Would spending a couple hundred on the old one fix it, or is it just easier to borrow and buy a new one? Desire has a friend these days. It's called credit. Every bank offers it, every check cashing place from one end of town to the other sells it. Every credit card mega company thrives on it. So when desire and credit team up against you, well, the loser always tends to be....well you the consumer. Then the after effect is what? Well you have to pay it back don't you? So longer work hours, more stress, more arguments with the family over it, heavier burdens, perhaps a loss of a home, car or even a marriage. Sound familiar? It should it effects millions of families each year. Did you know that highest level of suicides in the world today are caused from over extended burdens? Kids start school, can't make the grade, parent are dissapointed and because they are stressed and over extended they want Junior to not make the same mistakes they did, so go to college get a 70k a year job so you don't have to borrow like me did. Well what's the outcome? Kids realize, they arn't stupid..., that they have let their parent down out of no fault of their own. They feel the best way to avoid the disapointment is to just leave it all behind, and I don't mean moving to Detroit.

Folks if we would just open our eyes and listen to what Jesus was trying to teach his own stubborn apostles over 2000 years ago. The desires were there then, and are still today. Perhaps the Native Americans understood this principle better than anyone else, and what happened? They were labeled uncivilized, ignornant, blind to progress. Exterminated and ostricized for their simple way of thinking. Simple? Perhaps they were far more brilliant than anyone ever gave them credit for. Its so funny now in our apocalypic age. We are now striving to listen to the Mayan, the Hopi, the many other tribes. Why couldn't we have listened back then? Why can't we change now? Because our focus is not on truth, or reality, but desires. Inner desires to make the world a better place. Better for whom? Better for what? The world was just fine before we ever stepped foot on it. God made it that way. Man in his ignorance and selfishness, felt like Satan did when he was in Heaven. That he could make it better than what God had created. So he crafted and plotted and in his own twisted self centered mindset, lost everything. So will we. It's only a matter of time. Speed is great if your a race car, but the world doesn't work like a race track. Nor does it operate like a machine inside a factory. The world was crafted for peace, simplicity and rules based on nature and the elements. Man was to be a part of it, not to dominate it. So Jesus who was God in the flesh tried to teach us this principle. That only through loving each other, placing aside our own inner desires and obligations for the greater good of the land, the water, the air, and our fellow brothers and sisters, would one truly be at peace.

I will close today with this thought. If there was no monetary financial system, no placement of value for one item over another, no standard of weath or power, and no ideals that gain, progress, or success is better than happiness, contentment, or humbleness, what would tomorrow be like? If you woke up, and knew that the main goals of daily living was to care for your fellow man, to serve the Lord who gave your the air to breath and the foot hold to walk on, to say hello to each other and mean it, to allow Nature and what God has given us to provide for our simple needs. What would it feel like to not be concerned about making a buck? To not worry about who drove what because we had all we needed right here where we were. To learn not how to fly to the moon, or to create some prehistoric monster, but to learn how to grow our food, or how to find water and shelter free from the burdons of a bank or financial institution. To believe in something that we couldn't see but knew it was there watching over us like a true Father. Relying not on our own superior intelligence but on a higher far more powerful creator to guide us and lead us along a more peaceful path. I believe in this world. In this place of contentment. Why? Because we live it each day. My wife and I. To become part of a crazy out of control world view, it to be a crazy out of control minded person. To share in the madness is to become mad yourself. It's inevitable. When a dog who was content to sleep soundly on the porch awaiting his master to feed and provide for him, discovers a pack of wolves consistantly chasing after deer, he will join them and before long will become like those wolves, bitter, hungry, savage and discontent. So has the world become such a pack of wolves, blood thirsty, discontent, savage, and selfish, bent only on the next kill, forgetting who their master truly is, refusing to listen, controled by their own dominant self will.

The next time you have a moment, look back to the past. You'll discover people lived just as long as we do now, lived just as happlily, were born, grew up, and died, all without the luxeries we now have today. Next, for those who like to study on things, research the suicide rate, and depression rate from then to now. Lastly, look at family values then and then now. I read a book call the progress of New England, you need to read it. I discovered that when the word possession was created by humans, it changed the way people saw one another and the world around them. Native Americans had no such word in their vocabulary. Hmmm. Imagine that. They never thought of their surroundings or one another as things to possess. What a concept.
God Bless and may your day be filled with humility and happiness.

My life as a Nutcracker

Hello again Nutcracer Fans
 Thanks for visiting this blog from the Nutcracker Headquarters. Tonight we want to talk about something that all people should have come to realize. Life is about choices. Choices about the way we treat people, the way we act, what we buy, what philosphy we live by and the actions we take to get there. There is a verse in Proverbs Chapter 3 that says,

 "Trust the Lord with all thine heart and all thine soul and all thy strength and lean not upon thy own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall show you what to do in all things and thy path." 
I try to live by those words daily. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus as we are, or even if have never known him or his teachings, or  have never even read the first word of the Bible, take this proverb to heart. For it says alot about the human race and the path many have chosen. Let's tonight break this simple proverb down and talk about how it relates to our life and a nutcracker. A nutcracker is shaped and formed from a simple block of wood. Before it's beauty ever shows upon the treasured shelf of a collector, it is a mere chunk of wood or better yet a tree which grows wild in the forest. A tree the Lord God has made. Like this simple unworthy chunk of wood, plain, hard, unpolished, we are all mere mortal beings, cursed since the fall of Adam and Eve, to live, grow old and perish.  To many this is all there is, just live as wild and free a life never caring of what lies beyond death's doorstep, simple to just live, die and go into the ground. I however feel that like this wood, God took and molded us in his image to serve him and in return he would provide us everlasting life thanks to the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ on the cross so many years ago. How simple the words read, Trust the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind and soul. Trust is something many of us find hard to do. We can't even trust each other, much less trusting in something we cannot see, or touch. Further still with all your heart, mind and soul. This is no mere trust that we encounter every day. To trust with all our heart, mind and soul, goes far deeper. It's like taking an egg, and holding it up over a skillet, we want to feed our children breakfast, but is there really an egg in that shell? Or is it a spider? A poison? A serpent which could spring out and strike us? Of course we crack it without hesitation because we trust that inside is a yellow yoke and a clear liquid that will taste good once cooked. We must learn to trust all of our actions to the Lord. To give our minds the confidence that each step we take, each plan we make if something he guides us in. If you trust something with all your heart, soul and mind, there is no doubt that it will happen. Far too often we however place out trust in man made objects, or desires, or truths that lead us to a destructive end. Some kids trust stealing with all their hearts because they know that stealing something will gain them extra spending money. Others trust in their friends to help them make all their major decisions. How often do our friends lead us astray, sometimes without even realizing it. Some trust dating sites, video games, sports shows all to give us peace of mind and satisfaction, only to find out hours later we are bored all over again and crave some other form of excitement. To give over our trust to a God we have never met or saw or heard from for many is asking the impossible. I have two words for ya, "SELF WILL!"  Self will, is going to be the main factor that leads for so many sadly down a road to Hell and judgement. A wise man once told me when I questioned his faith, "which is better a man who builds a boat on a sunny day, or a man who laughs and drowns during the flood?" I want to be the man who built the boat, because it cannot be proven that there isn't a Hell, and better to be prepared and if there's not(which there is), be relieved, versus the others who mock and laugh and one day find torments, Rob Zombie couldn't have even imagined. We just cannot turn our will over to someone else. It means weakness, helplessness,lack of control,  lack of understanding. People, to turn your will over to the Lord is like switching on an extra set of fog lights in a think storm. For once you can have a true sense of direction. A football coach once told me he trained his players to wear anchor weights during running exercises. I asked him why he did that, wasn't it hard on the players? He chuckled. His reply, "Maybe a little, but man when you take those weights off, those running backs will fly!" That's the way life is trusting our will versus God's will. With our will, we are weighted down, trudging along with daily pressures, stresses, no one to turn to but ourselves, which leads to frustration, anger and often either failure or bitterness towards others along the way. God's will is when those weights come off and we are flying through obstacles, around defenders and we now know the true purpose the Lord has prepared for us. The endzone is in sight!
Now on to the latter portion of this proverb. Lean not upon thy own understanding. Simply put, to think ourselves wise we are fools, and to become fools we are filled with wisdom. That was something a Chinese cook once said. I scratched my head too at that time. How similar these two proverbs were. People in today's societies think themselves so smart, so intelligent in our creations, our studies, out accomplishments. Why? What is building a structure that 200 years-300 years it will decay? What is learning ten thousands vocabulary words achieving once we are dead? Will it help us in the afterlife? Will it help amuse Satan's minions? I think not. What makes us boast in our own man made wisdom? How have we become so arrogant in temporary things? The Lord tells us, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. He's not talking about this earth, but the earth when the Lord returns to claim his throne. What does it profit a man to gain the entire world, and yet lose his soul? Does Einstein think about relativity where he is now? Does he care who studies his works? Does Henry Ford relish in the fact that his achievements now have every man and woman zooming from one place to another? I think not. Where they are, these things don't matter much. That's why the Lord says to lean not upon your own understanding. Let the Lord speak to you through prayers, daily, hourly prayer. Allow his power to guide your choices, your decisions. Study his words and teaching, because they are not teaching to create, but to become. Think about that one for a minute. To become, not to create. Become what? Become a person whole, at peace, spiritually of one mind and body, calm in our selections. Why? I end with the final section of this proverb. Because he will guide your path. Like a ship with a smooth wind and a skilled rudder, we will be led on the path that God intended, not one we chose for ourselves. Oh I know people will say this is brainwashing, or foolishness, or even cult like. Not at all. Every morning, I wake up, realizing that out there, is a world filled with hate, anger, bitterness, adultry, sloth, greed, selfishness, unrealistic goals, bosses, low pay, stress, frustration, wrath, killing, depression, lust, lies, cheating and that's just before I get my first cup of coffee. Now, I don;t know about you, but I have led myself through life for over 25 years with my own selfish will, and it didn't get me too far. I'm not talking about fiscal, or financial, I'm talking about emotional, spiritual. How many people get home in the afternoon and think to themselves, I hate my life? Or My day sucked? Or perhaps, I just feel miserable? Why? They were allowed the privaledge to live that day, breathing in and out, and yet, we all complain because of what? Our emotional connection to the Lord, breaks you free of this garbage. It puts it all in perspective.
Ok, I close with this thought. Think hard on it. For you who've read all of this thank you, I hope it helps to change the way you think.

Listen, when I thought I was going to die of a cancerous tumor, I began to see life in not next year, or the next 15 years, or when I will retire. I went into that operating room, thinking of last year, and last month and all the things I hadn't done, or where I would be tomorrow. When I discovered it wasn't cancer, I began to realize that life isn't about how rich you are, or how popular you are, or even how many friends you have attained. It doesn't mean a hill of beans if you are living in a garbage tent, or a five story mansion, all of us are going to perish, once day, some way, we will all take the same exact journey. It might be today, or tomorrow, or ten years. We might have a stroke, a heart attack, cancer, car wreck, Aneurisim, unexpected sicknesses, aids, MS, etc, etc, or natural causes at 102. We all face it. The question is, how do you face it? I have seen far too many people come to Christ on the edge of a bedside, and praise the Lord for it. But people we don't realize there is a wonderful life waiting for us, in fellowship with the Lord, that we can enjoy now. Ever since I found a relationship with my Lord and savior, I think differently, it's like he took the true stressess off of me. I don't care if I drive a Pontiac 99 model with 120k miles on it. It doesn't matter if I live in a mobile home, or eat food from my garden. I dont have to make a million dollars to be happy. Why? Because I trust in the Lord to provide for me and my family every day, and you want to know a little secret? He has. In so many unexpected ways, he does. So thanks to all of you for reading and I hope one day you'll post some comments. God Bless

Life as it should be!!!

Hello all of you,
Been a few weeks since my last post. Been busy here at the Nutcracker Headquarters trying to get everything ready for next Christmas's ride. However. I would like as we do each year beginning with January is to take each month with a dicsussion topic that we find interesting and write a little about it.
Today we are talking about the shooting in Arizona. Everyone's heard of it by now. We want to go back to speaking about what we consider is a society consumed with progress, speed and success. Normally Success wouldn't be a bad thing, except in this case, we feel that it's happening with the expense of your children and grandchildren's happiness. What make success? Alot money? Alot of stuff? Big house, nice new car? Nice clothes? How about the latest gadgets? Make you happy? Really? For how long? Until the next new car comes out on the market? Until you see another house bigger or fanicer than yours?Until you see a new how to do it yourself home show on the tube? What about the money? Does it ever really truly provide you inner peace of mind? Well statistics show other wise. Let's take a quick look at medical figures for 2010.
In 2008, Suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death for youth 15-24. It has risen since then.
Troubling numbers to say the least. Especially when the global average is a suicide attempt every 40 seconds.

What we here at Nutcracker headquarters are trying to say is, we need to start focusing on other things besides exterior frill and greed. We need to stop trying to force our kids to become smarter and let them be who God made them to be, not who we or society wants them to be. Until we begin to realize that being rich, popular and all around in control of half the world isn't the path to happiness. Peace of mind, love, inner beauty and inner riches are all things we here strive to express to others. We encourage our readers to do likewise. The world is spinning way to fast, and all most people have on their minds is money, power, control, popularity, technology, and speed. Why? I have one word that describes them all.....Fear!! Fear of being poor, fear of being not liked, fear of being dominated, fear of being out of sink with the rest of the world. STOOOOOOOOPPPPPP! Just stop for a moment. Go outside, take in a deep breath and just think a moment. Why? Why do you want all these things? Is it really because of you? Or is it instead because of others? I remember an old friend of mine who left his six figure job and moved to upper Idaho, near Priest Lake. Everyone in the community thought he was a nut job for doing it, even his wife and kids. But I tell you, now, I see him as the smartest man alive. He found that stopping point where money, fame, popularity, big houses, and his fancy Lexus wasn't making him happy. His job was becoming more and more stressful, he was fighting with his family half the time, that was when he saw them. He would come home, eat a meal in a box, crash on the sofa for a bout 30 min of TV then cram more knowlege from his labtop, then go to bed, worry all night if that account would actually take the sales pitch and join the firm, then wake up half tired, struggle to place his suit on, and go do it all over again. He did this for over 15 years. Climbing the corporate ladder of success, big corner office, respect, fear from other employees, company parking spot. Wow, the envy of the neighborhood.

But do you know what folks????He was one of the most miserable human beings I ever met. Inside and out. You know what he told me once? He said Joe, you know who I envy? I was like," No, who, your boss? The President of the company?" He shook his head...No Jimmy the janitor? I of course froze and then shook MY head. "What!" Jimmy?" I asked in amazement.
"Yeah, he gets to see his family every night, spend weekends with his son at the ballgame, go to see his dad and mom on the holidays and make a trip up to Canada Moose hunting once a year."

I went home that night and thought, you know..He's right. Jimmy made about 9.50 an hour, but he was a millionare. He had his family, his peace of mind, and his Lord Jesus whom he often spoke of to us from time to time. I thought so many times about that conversation. There stood a man, tall, handsome, successful, weathly, having about as large a house as a man could stand, all the toys and whistles once could enjoy. And yet, he was on the brink of losing his wife, his kids, toys never played with, heck he never had time..Home half lived in, a dining room never eat at. Three bathrooms to further isolate their family. All of it, one day he found totally rediculous. I'll never forget that day. He walked out of the office carrying a box filled with his desk stuff, and awards, plaques, and down to his fancy car he went. Behind him a string of startled and baffled executives, staff and employees, all with mouths open as wide as a mule who just ate a skunk. He went home, threw his stuff in the closet, kissed his wife for the first time in months, hugged his fifteen year old son, and twelve year old daughter for the first time in six weeks, and suddenly realized his daughter had gotten braces. His son he suddenly realized was much taller, and had outgrown his freckles. Then he looked at his wife of fifteen years, and grinned. Oh he was afraid, afraid of what he had just done. But slowly fear turned to relief, relief to satisfaction. He told her how much he loved her, and how he had been a fool for all these years, chasing millions when he had it right there in front of him the whole time. How he wanted to sell the house and move to Idaho where they'd always dreamed of moving. And they did. Of course the kids had a bit of angry words about dad's mental lapse, but soon, they had discovered a life worth living, He took a simple job working at a local call center, home weekends and every night by five. They played board games, and took long walks, went to the national parks and fishing trips on Saturday. At that point, he realized what so many people forget. That when we lose outselves, when we replace our own inner peace with something else, we will never truly be happy until we get it back. If that means less money so be it. If it means cutting down on the technology, So what! Does it really matter who's the richest or most famous, or best looking? Does it really matter if your car is a BMW or a Lexus or a Lamborgini and mine is a toyota, or a kia? What wasa car designed to do in the first place? What did Henry Ford build his trucks to do? Last time I checked they were for driving one to and from a location? No folks it was people who began filling other people with a load of nonsense that to drive one model versus another makes them a lesser being! Total Christmas poo!! I am no more lesser of a person with my kia, than Tom Sunshine is with his Lexus. More over, I am not any lesser of a person because I live in a mobile home, versus someone else living in a three story mansion in the burbs. People...people...listen to me...listen good. Unless we begin to change out mindset and start realizing what is truly important, family, our souls, our pease of mind, our simplicity, this world is in for a large bucket of hurt. We here at Nutcracker Headquarters have found that inner peace of mind. We develped this website to spread this ideology to others who will read it. Some will read it and laugh, others will read it and scoff, others will just ignore it. But that one person who reads it and takes it to heart. That person stressed at work, stressed at home, tired, alone and fearful..well it's all be worth it.