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What Your Family Needs to Know
About Our Blog
Our Purpose
We teach Common Sense Principles to help families prepare for any emergency and to expect the unexpected.
Our objective is to provide you a user-friendly, easily recognizable format to find and share practical wisdom and street- smart advice.
Our hope is that you will find the inspiration to help you balance family and career with the invaluable information presented in our Blog.
Our Format
Featured focuses on important special events which impact our families and our communities.Topics deals with important subjects in a practical, simple, well-illustrated way to leave an impression to ponder on.
Journal covers multiple short stories of interest.
Scrapbook is a time machine which we hope will bring back fond memories of family gatherings and special occasions at work. Use this as an example for your own unique Family Blog.
Fellowship Without Walls is a compendium of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help their neighbors.
Resources for Families include highlights of Companies That Care and Organizations that Inspire.
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“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.
Tell me a truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live
In my heart forever.”
Indian Proverb
Never Forget!
Is Your Family Ready for an Emergency? Find Your Score
What If? Do You Know What to Do?
- *Medical Emergency: What if….
Your 3 year old is choking on a hot dog? - Accident: What if…
Your neighbor cuts his foot using his lawn mower and is bleeding badly? - Missing Person: What if…
The senior care home calls to tell you your father who has Alzheimer’s has disappeared? - Victim: What if…
You’re walking to your car with shopping bags and a thief grabs your purse? - Fire: What if…
The smoke alarm goes off at 3:00am, your kids are asleep upstairs? - Natural Disaster: What if…
A category 5 hurricane with 155 winds is fast approching…do you evacuate or stay? - Terrorism: What if…
Immediately after a special news bulletin warning about the threat of a terrorist attack,
you hear multiple explosions and see a strange mist with an unusual odor?
Take the FREE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SURVEY FOR FAMILIES AND FIND OUT YOUR SCORE
Featured Topics
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Fort Worth family loses home to contractor!
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Journal
EPISTLE TO MY DAD
“My heart leaps up, when I behold a rainbow in the sky…”
There were 8 kids in our family spread out in ages so only 5 rug rats were at home. Still it’s not hard to imagine both of our parents working hard to make ends meet.
My Dad had 3 jobs – he worked full time at a dry cleaning plant in the day, a fine dining restaurant at night and at a resort for special events.
So I understood why he couldn’t be at my basketball games or graduations like all the other kids’ parents.
My Dad knew better…so he taught me not to take things for granted, he taught me to appreciate what I had, he gave me the gift of always seeing things as a child does for the first time…like the double rainbow…
On my 7th birthday, Dad took me to see Roy Rodgers, Dale Evans and Trigger, the Palomino horse, doing the hula on stage…I saw it in his eyes…the gift of how to be a child again.
I hope that I was able to share that spirit with my own sons.
“The child is Father of the man.”
I love you, Dad!
IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING!
March 1 in our family was the beginning of “spring fever.”
My wife had visions of tulips, daffodils and pansies. The boys were planning on hitting the balls again – golf, baseball, softball – didn’t matter as long as it was outside.
My thoughts were on riding our John Deere up and down, back and forth over the lawn with the sweet smell of freshly mowed grass in the air.
All of us were looking forward to opening of fishing on Mille Lacs Lake. Dreaming of hopping in the boat every evening around 6:00 to catch our limit of walleye. The fresh water fish dipped in beer batter sizzling on the grill combined with Minnesota wild rice is the best breakfast ever.
Spring also brings with it lots of challenges. If you don’t want to know, don’t ask. We will save those questions for another time.
For now, ler’s enjoy the spring delights of flowers, grass, golf on the tee and my John Deere.
Our grandson, Cooper, likes the JD too.
911 – THE RED BOOK
Discover how to develop a new mindset using a different understanding of the ABC’s and 3 R’s required in our post 9-11 world. Learn a simple technique called the POO Principle, a practical strategy for success no matter what your situation. 911 The Red Book for Emergencies is de- signed to be user friendly so that the entire family will benefit from the practical advice and clear instructions.
FOR YOUR SAFETY
LOVE NOTES
LOVE NOTES is a tool for you to write down your thoughts and feelings for those whom you hold close to your heart. Leave them a journal of favorite memories but also an important road map on what to do after your are gone. This is an opportunity to say in the moment ” You are special to me. If you are at a loss for words and have difficulty expressing your feelings of love and support or sorrow and regret, put it down in writing. LOVE NOTES can ease the burden of your loved ones, prevent any misunderstandings and be your last gift and farewell.
MUSIC OF THE SOUL!
What kind of music is inter generational? What kind of music excites everyone? The answer is the music of the soul – Laughter. Because whenever we laugh, we relive the excitement of our inner child – children laugh all the time for no reason at all. As adults, we always have to have a reason. Maybe we should rethink that. “Anatomy of an Illness” is the true story of Norman Cousins who suffered from a deterioration of his spinal cord. All of the doctors gave up on him and labeled his case hopeless. Terminal, they said. Incurable. Norman didn’t give up. He asked his friends to bring him any film that would make him laugh. He focused on reruns of Abbott & Costello, the Three Stooges, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason…it was the best medicine he could find. The magic of laughter. The doctors couldn’t explain it. Norman was completely cured. Finally, the connection was made that laughter literally changes the chemicals in our body. Tears of laughter can introduce endorphins and peptides into our bloodstream which not only heals the body but makes sweet music for the soul. What we really need right now is a great big Belly Laugh – so we can celebrate the good things in our life. Happy Independence Day!
“GOLDENS RULE”
In celebration of National Golden Retrievers Day…a look back in time..
“ I should have known better…my wife had all the logic in the world…having one puppy litter was good for our dog, Koa…the experience would make her more mellow and less likely to wander from our home or chase after a stray on the beach…besides, puppies grow up fast so after just six weeks it would be done…
She promised she wouldn’t make a fuss about keeping any of the pups…of course not, we learned our lesson from past experience when we had two cocker spaniels…whoever said that two dogs were just as easy to keep as one?…Ha! No Way! She said.
It was about two weeks after the pups were born just when they started opening their eyes that I began to get suspicious…
but when some of the neighborhood kids stopped by to see the newborns and my wife showed off her favorite, announcing to the assembled group that his name was “Buster Brown”…I knew then no discussion was pending and that she had made up our minds…
Word spread quickly and we were inundated by friends who wanted one of Koa’s litter…I must confess I’ve been sneaking down at midnight to play with the pups before they’re all gone…to tell the truth, I’m happy that Buster is now part of the family.
TRUST & TEAMWORK
“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.
Tell me a truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”
Proverb
We got the call at 3:45am Hawaii time on the morning of 9/11. Our son was on the phone and in a very controlled voice asked me to wake Mom up and turn on the television – before I could make any objections, he said, “Dad, our whole world has just changed.”
That call and the visual images of the fire and destruction that followed are burned into my memory.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview someone who was actually in the twin towers on 9/11 – Michael Hingson, the blind man, and his Guide dog, Roselle. His story about how he and Roselle helped save so many lives leading them down 78 stories to safety is detailed in his book “Thunder Dog.”
These are the words he shared with me:
” As we were going down, the thought of all those brave people going up without hesitation is the most vivid memory I have of that day. We were told that while they went up to fight the fire, our job was to descend and get out. We did our job, and they died doing their job.”
Those are the words that are seared into my heart. That is the lesson we must never forget. Our first responders do their job everyday – no matter what! Let us honor the fallen and show gratitude to their families and loved ones.
TEACHERS SAVE LIVES !
A parent’s “worst nightmare.”
Receiving a call from your child’s school or even hearing the information on the news about an Active Shooter on campus.
Rigby Middle School in Idaho was the catalyst for lots of nighmares the past week.
A 6th grade female student injured two classmates and a staff member until courageous KRISTA GNEITING, the 8th grade math teacher convinced the girl to give up the weapon by cradling her in her arms until first responders arrived.
Plymouth Middle School in Minnesota was the site of more nightmares when a student opened fire in the hallway. KIM ROYSTON, the assistant principal, was the first on the scene. He talked the student into dropping the gun and controlled the scene without any injuries.
The overall consensus is that these were two prime examples of teachers saving lives.
UNFORGETTABLE DAY!
April 23 was the dreaded day of my doctoral finals in history at the University of Minnesota. Instead it turned out to be an emotional roller coaster of joy, fear, worry and happiness – the birth of our youngest son. We had made arrangements with the University hospital to allow me to be in the birthing room – something not allowed back in those years – so we were confident I would not be kicked out of the delivery room like I was just a year and a half prior when our first son, Jimmy, was born. Surprisingly, I was not the only guest in the room – there were at least a half dozen medical students observing procedures… my uneasiness about so many strangers in the room quickly turned to joy as our son “Jon” made his grand entrance…the awe then turned to fear when the young doctor doing the delivery kept flicking Jonny’s foot with no results. Thankfully the supervisor in charge stepped in and gave baby a firm slap on the butt – finally, to our great relief, Jonny cried out his challenge loud and clear to the world. And he hasn’t stopped since. Here’s the best part of having children- we are blessed with grandchildren too – here is the son of our son – Cooper celebrating his special 5th.
THE LAKERS ARE CHAMPIONS!
Maybe young folks don’t approach the Father of the Bride anymore like we did back in the late sixties…to be honest, asking for the blessing of your future father-in-law can be stressful. Fortunately, whenever people have trouble communicating in Minnesota, the conversation turns to talk about the weather or sports. Being from Hawaii, I couldn’t understand how you could spend so much time on the weather but I love sports. So when Clayt, my girlfriend’s Dad, asked me which was my favorite basketball team ? That gave me an opening to talk about Jerry West and the L. A. Lakers. Immediately, a big smile spread across his face as he recounted the glory days of George Mikan leading the Minneapolis Lakers to five NBA championships. When he found out I knew all about how the “Lakers” were named after Minnesota ‘s 10,000 lakes before they moved to L.A. I knew I was ready for the next question- but that’s a different story. The point here is that I can only imagine how overwhelmed Clayt would be if he were with us today, to hear that his grandson, Robbie, just helped the Lakers as their GM, put together another amazing NBA championship team despite the challenges of 2020. Ditto for the pride Rob’s Dad must feel from his gym in the clouds. Maika’i, Rob!
THANKFUL FOR 911 RESPONDERS!
The day before Veterans Day a fire broke out on the sixth floor of Naniwa Gardens!
Panic spread throughout the neighborhood as memories of the devastating fire at high rise Marco Polo In Honolulu a few years ago still haunt condo dwellers.
The 911 emergency call was recorded at 5:39 pm. The first responders were on the scene at 5:45 pm. HFD responded with 16 fire companies and over 60 fire fighters.
They had the fire under control at 6:18p.m. and extinguished by 6:45p.m.
The firemen went door to door of every unit to make sure everyone was safe or if anyone needed help. EMS paramedics were on hand to evaluate any injuries. HPD arrived to assist traffic control.
Thankfully no one was home at the time.
Reports indicate that the fire was so hot it burned everything so quickly – sadly it was impossible to save the two dogs inside.
We grieve for the owner who lost her
“Babies.” We saw her two little ones everyday on their walk so we will miss them. I am glad I was able to share a comforting tear with her and talk about the Rainbow bridge that our pets cross.
We have much to be thankful for – our families, our faith, our pets… don’t forget the ones who are always there for us in an emergency.
Have a Happy & Blessed Thanksgiving!
ACTIVE SHOOTER THREAT IN OUR SCHOOLS
- Advice for Parents and Teachers
- How to Improve School Security
- Organizations that were inspired by victim
- And more
Fellowship Without Walls
Celebrate Our Honu!
Stories of dolphins, whales, turtles and other marine life entangled in discarded fishing nets are plentiful.
Fishing nets and buoys lost at sea float around for years and become a clear and present danger that affects and kill our treasured marine life.
In honor of earth day in the month of April I thought I would share a story reported in the Garden Island News sometime ago.
A young man visiting Kauai was eating breakfast one morning with friends on the roof of the Kauai Beach House when they saw a HONU, trapped in the net pictured in the photo below (TGIN).
Without skipping a beat, he jumped into action and tried as best as he could to pull the net from the water but could not as the large fishing net which had washed into shore with the east wind swell was too heavy.
Fortunately, he was able to free the HONU by cutting it free from the tangled net.
That was a special day for the freed HONU- turns out that young man’s visit to Kauai was also life changing. When I was talking story with him, he mentioned that Hawaii always seemed to call to him.
He now resides in Kihei, Maui living his dream and is still involved in helping save lives. He works for New York Life and helps families with long term care. If you need help, call Phillip Bustamante.
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Quis Sum?
Ask me what my greatest success in life is and I’m likely to point to the certificate hanging on the wall addressed to the “Greatest Dad in the World” given to me by my wife and two sons.
Along the way I did go through 3 distinct phases in my career starting off first as an educator. From “Big Ten University” instructor to private college department chairman, from working with high school students in the inner city schools, developing sports programs on the reservation or enhancing adult community programs, I wanted to reach out and help bring out the best in people.
A major life decision brought our family back from Minnesota to the island of my birth. Reconnecting with old friends, I launched an entertainment company which was fortunate to produce shows in every major venue in the state earning trips back to the mainland to appear on television at the Mall of America.
Our award winning shows have played for over one million guests and for Hollywood luminaries while in the islands many of whom are posted in our scrapbook.
9/11 was another life altering event which motivated me to come full circle and focus on education once more. Establishing 911 Seminars, an Emergency and Safety Training company, was the first step in my goal to improve, enhance and save lives through education.
My wife and I hope you will come back and contribute to our What Your Family Needs to Know blog – by adding your comments or even better by joining us as a guest blogger.
We wish all the blessings in life for you and your family,
With fond Aloha,
AJ
Ekolu Mea Nui. “And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love”. Corinthians 13:13