Can you remember the good old days? A time when everything was perfect in your life?

I remember my good old days of the past. Some days were mediocre, while others were simply fantastic! I lived out the first 18 years of my childhood nearby two major lakes; Smith Mountain Lake and Kerr/Buggs Island Lake. Both are located in southside Virginia.

A forty-five minute drive to either lakeside cabin was a great escape from the daily grind. Since the early 50s, my family owned a little piece of land on the water’s edge at both lakes. Each cabin was built to handle all the luxuries and comforts of home. Each man-made lake still offers superior fishing and boating activities to this day.

I learned to master the art and craft of boating and fishing at a young age. Several members of my family used the cabins frequently to get away, but they never took interest in fishing like I did. I remember fishing at night with family and friends. I tried different tactics on every fishing trip. I eventually got so good at it that people around the region wanted to hire me as a guide service. My love and passion was to get away and enjoy life – not to capitalize on my new found talent!

Recently, a few friends stopped by to visit me. During the conversation, I asked several of the older gentlemen, which are in their 60s and 70s, what do they remember about the good old days. One in particular expressed his own version by saying, “Back when I was a child, things were tough. We had no running water, we walked in a foot of snow to use the outhouse, and nobody had a vehicle. We had to walk for miles to fetch supplies from the nearest country store. These were not the good old days, instead, it was survival!”

Some people say we can only create from where we are. Others say we cannot relive the past. Thinking about the best days of our lives teaches us to be persistent. That is difficult to do in this day and age of instant gratification. After all, if you spend time thinking about positive things, then positive things will occur in your life.

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Perpetual Miracles is an overlooked part of our busy lives. It is to remind us how miracles in motion have shaped the course of history and continue to enrich our lives.

Life is full of Perpetual Miracles. As we go through life we are surprised and often humbled by these little sparks of light. They are small events which often have a large impact on our lives. I am sure you can think of many miracles that have enriched your life and made you think about what your existence is all about. They can be overlooked as we spin through the turmoil of living, but if we stop and recognize the miracles that have happened to us, our appreciation of life becomes greater.

Nature itself is full of miracles. One of the greatest ones being the little acorn evolving into a huge majestic oak tree. The oak tree itself was used in olden times as a staple wood in Europe to build many things, including the magnificent old sailing ships. Oak is a hard, enduring wood that was used to build the massive beams of old cathedrals which have stood the test of time for centuries. The oak tree itself can live for several hundred years. This is, but one example of a Perpetual Miracle having a large impact on our lives. Without this important wood things would have been very different, and it all evolved from one tiny acorn.

Another Perpetual Miracle is the life and work of Christ. Christianity has made a huge impact on civilization. Starting from a small and humble beginning in the little fishing town of Galilee, Jesus Christ’s teachings grew into a mighty movement, shaping the course of civilization. Over the centuries, Christianity has spread its message to the far corners of the earth. This can be compared to the small acorn growing to the mighty oak tree with its great spreading branches. It is a small miracle with a huge impact.

Just as the small acorn hold the elements to grow into a large and beautiful tree, so does Perpetual Miracles have the power to inspire many. In small things are the seeds of greatness. Small seeds can blossom into great things and our lives will continue to be enriched by the miracles that surround us.

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Ask anyone what their primary sales strategy is for selling their products or services and their response might seem shocking to you. Why? They make harmonious bonds with their customers!

Simply put, these are advertisements which represent the hidden benefit to reinforce the need for a desired outcome. The consumer makes an emotional connection, whether it’s your customer service, your product, or other factors of human behavior.

Before you develop this style of ad, you must understand the five basic needs or motivating forces from a consumer’s point of view. The theory is that until a lower ranking need is satisfied there is no desire to pursue a higher ranking need.

Below are the five human motivators, beginning with the basic or lowest ranked need and continuing to the highest.

Physiological needs - Include hunger, thirst, reproduction, shelter, clothing, air, and rest.

Safety-security - The need for security, stability, dependence, protection, structure, order, law, tenure, pension, and insurance.

Love-belonging - The need for belonging, acceptance, love, affection, family, group acceptance, and friendship.

Self-esteem - The need for recognition, respect, achievement, responsibility, prestige, independence, attention, importance, and appreciation.

Self-actualization - The need for satisfaction, the desire to achieve fulfillment through reaching self-set individual goals or aspirations.

If you can become familiar with this theory, then you will understand that motivation is always an individual act. The most your advertising message can hope to do is to present an appeal strong enough to stimulate action toward satisfying one of the basic human needs.

If there is one rule that will be most helpful in preparing effective advertising, it is this: The message must put the desire of the potential customer before the advertiser’s desire. Please read that one more time! The rule may sound like a simple one to follow, but frequently advertising messages take the form of a plea to customers to respond rather than solve the advertiser’s problem.

The buying decision is seldom a purely rational one. Emotions always influence behavior. As you explore various techniques for presenting your advertising message, do not ignore psychological and harmonious appeals.

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Preparing for an oral book report can be a daunting task. A thorough research on your book of choice might seem endless at best, however, it’s not as difficult as many make it out to be.

Most educational institutions allow you to pick your book of choice, but some do not. If you fall into the category of choosing your theme, then you’re in for a shocking surprise.

Pick a theme that you absolutely feel comfortable with and one that stays within the realm of your class subject. Read the book cover-to-cover and write out the following:

1. Title, author, and copyright date.

8. Source of the book.

The best part of this entire project is to perform your book report into a role play. Dress up like the main character, or author, and provide similar items depicted in the story. Present it like the real person is standing in your shoes.

The key to putting all this together will be in your written script outlined in the 8 steps. Write out each step and speak to the class in the right order. This works better if you can memorize the script, but have it nearby in case you forget.

For example, let’s say you choose Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. You find a gray haired wig, mustache, and a white medical uniform to wear. You have illustrations, charts and maybe some home made devices resembling his equipment. You enter the class, layout your items, and present your oral book report.

Not only will you impress your classmates, you will hit a home run with your instructor!

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A paragraph can be short, or it can be long. This depends on the length of each story and its segments.

Expository Paragraph

An expository paragraph is a connected series of sentences that presents and develops a narrow topic by material that is orderly in plan and specific in detail.

Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is an abstract statement of the unity of the paragraph. It always presents the subject of the paragraph and an attitude toward the subject. Usually though, not always the topic sentence come at the beginning of the paragraph.

Simple (a sapling with no branches).
Complex (a sapling with at least one branch).
Compound (two or more things or saplings with no branches).

Simple (the dogs bark).
Complex (the dogs bark when the birds sing).
Compound (the dogs bark and the birds sing).

Use of Commas  (,)

Use a comma between main clauses joined by “and,” “but,” “for,” “or,” “nor,” and some of the time, “yet,” and “so.”

However, beware of the compound predicate, “The dogs bark and run around in circles.” Use a comma after a dependent clause that preceeds a main clause. Use a comma after a dependent element that preceeds a main clause.

Use a comma or commas to separate members of a series.

a) A, B, and C.
b) A, B. C, D, E, and F.

Use a comma to set off parenthical elements. But, beware of the restrictive element, which is not parenthical.

a) The children, who are playing, hardly hear the dogs.

Note – Use a comma to separate coordinates for adjectives modifying the same noun.

Caution - Be sure adjectives are coordinate tested. They are if you could replace the comma with “end.”

Use of Semicolon  (

Use a semicolon between main clauses NOT joined by “and,” “but,” “for,” “or,” and “nor.”

a) The dogs bark; the birds sing.

Use a semicolon between main clauses joined by “and,” “but,” “for,” “or,” and “nor.” if the clause contains many commas.

Use a colon to introduce a short development of a generation.

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