I cheerfully agreed and, driving to the address, knocked at the door. A little girl, the sister-to-be, answered.

"Hi, there," I said with a big smile. "Is your mommy home?" Holding up the white bundle of clothes, I explained, "I have a delivery for her."

The child's mouth dropped, and her eyes went wide. "Mom!" She shrieked, "come quick! It's the stork!"

********

When my husband and I showed up at a very popular restaurant, it was crowded. I went up to the hostess and asked, "Will it be long?"

The hostess, ignoring me, kept writing in her book. I asked again, "How much of a wait?"

The woman looked up and said, "About ten minutes."

A short time later, we heard an announcement over the loud-speaker: "Willette B. Long, your table is ready."

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RANDOM TIDBITS

Mosquitoes are known from as far back as the Triassic Period – 400 million years ago. They are known from North America from the Cretaceous – 100 million years ago.

There are about 2,700 species of mosquito. There are 176 species in the United States.

Dark clothing has been shown to attract some species of mosquitoes more than lighter colored clothing.

Movement increased mosquito biting up to 50% in some research tests.

Mosquitoes fly an estimated 1 to 1.5 miles per hour.

Bigger people are often more attractive to mosquitoes because they are larger targets and they produce more mosquito attractants, namely CO2 and lactic acid.

(From the American Mosquito Control Association)

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QUOTES

"Rainbows and butterflies are themselves beautiful and highly symbolic, but they are also representative of all the small miracles of our life - the little things that are so easy to overlook, yet so awe inspiring when we take a moment to notice and to pay attention."

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The rainbow will remind me of the covenant between God and all living creatures.

- Genesis 9:16

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A Letter From Father

This is a letter that my brother, Bishop Dale Bronner, shared with his brothers and children. I asked him could I share it with the MountainWings readers. You may have seen his twin daughters recently in the national news as the first twin college valedictorians. Both had perfect 4.0s.

Below is a letter that I recently sent to all my children. If you find something useable in it to share with your children, please feel free to do so! Here is my letter to them:

Beloved Sons and Daughters,

This is a letter to all my children - Marquis and Dalina, Luis and Neiel, Kirstie, Kristie, and Dale. I want you to know that you mean the world to me! Your life, with your unique gift sets, is a blessing to me and to everyone who has the pleasure of meeting you. As Dad, it has been a joy to pour into your life. I often wish we could go back and re-live some of our great experiences together, but life marches steadily onward!

I am proud of who you are and who you are becoming! My desire for you is that you are always content but never complacent! Success and happiness are never an accident. They are honestly the result of intentional living. You reap the harvest in your future of the seeds you sow in your present!

You've heard me say before that victory does not come in a day, it comes daily! The key to success is always found in your daily routine! The key to focus is simply knowing what to say "NO" to. So don't be driven by your problems, be led by your dreams! Mohammed Ali said, "Champions are not made in the gym... they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision." I want you to never forget that your destiny is ultimately determined by your decisions. Your decisions determine your CHARACTER, CONDUCT and DESTINY!

With that in mind, I want to give you part of my greatest gift from God-- my WISDOM. Here is a short list of some things that will give you a tremendous advantage over others, if you endeavor to put these concepts into practice on a daily basis. These simple ideas will take your life to another level!  Meditate on these and incorporate them into your life to make you an even more exceptional person:

* Spend daily time in personal devotion to God - prayer, Bible reading, singing in worship.

* Spend 30 minutes every day reading for self-improvement. Almost nobody does this. The ones who do are called rich people.

* Don't watch more than an hour of TV every day. Why watch other people's lives on TV when your lives are far more important?

* Don't spend more than 30 minutes a day on Facebook or Twitter or other Social Media/Internet sites, unless it's career-related.

* Call everyone you know and want to maintain relationship with at least once every three months just to say hello. Call everyone who is meaningful to you on their birthday and call everyone who matters to you whenever they experience a life event.

* Relationships are everything in life. Develop and grow only those relationships with people who are positive, happy, godly, upbeat and focused and avoid those who are negative, depressed and lack direction in life. Remember like attracts like. If you want to be godly and successful hang around godly, successful people.

* Exercise every day. Make sure to include 20 - 30 minutes of aerobic exercise in with your routine. Aerobic exercise feeds your brain with oxygen, gets your metabolism going and keeps the weight off.

* Volunteer at least 5 hours a month for some cause you believe in. You'll not only be helping people but you will also develop strong, long-lasting relationships with good people.

* Watch what you eat. Don't eat more than 300 junk food calories a day.

* Save 20% of your net pay and live off the remaining 80%. This forces you to live below your means.

* Avoid accumulating any credit card debt. If you are then this means you are living above your means and you have to cut back.

* Avoid negative addictive behaviors and substances.

* Remember the 5:1 Rule. Listen for five minutes for every one minute you talk.

* Filter every thought you have before it comes out of your mouth. Saying whatever is on your mind is a lack of self-control.

* Control your thoughts. Thoughts become things. If you have positive, upbeat thoughts your life will mirror your thoughts. Do not let negative thoughts or sad thoughts into your mind. Cancel them out and replace them with positive, upbeat thoughts. Use daily affirmations to control your thinking.

* Don't beat yourself up over mistakes you make. Mistakes are good. They are the foundation upon which success is built. The only thing you need to remember about your mistakes are what you did wrong so you don't repeat the same mistake twice. Remember, you WIN some and you LEARN some; you never LOSE until you fail to LEARN!

* Control your emotions. Never lose your temper. Anger is a negative habit that opens the door to Satan.

* Be thankful for what you have. Every day look back on the previous day and think of five things for which you are grateful. This creates a bridge over which future blessings will be brought into your life! Gratitude is the greatest deterrent to unhealthy personal pride.

* Don't confuse a wish with a goal. A goal is only a goal if it is 100% achievable and requires action or some physical activity. Otherwise it's just a wish. Always have at least one major goal you are working towards each year.

* Don't gamble. Gambling is a poverty habit.

* Listen to audio books when you're commuting or exercising.

* Don't gossip. Gossip is negative and entertains an evil report about others. Remember never to advertise anyone else's sins any more than you would advertise your own!

Do these things and watch the difference they will make in your life! It's doing the little things in life that makes the big difference! I believe in you! Go to your destiny!

Love,
Dad

~A MountainWings Original by Bishop Dale C. Bronner~

   Thank you so much, Shari!