The Toilet

Stone toilet found in 8th century BCE house in the City of David, Jerusalem

A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory. Flush toilets, which are common in many parts of the world, may be connected to a nearby septic tank or more commonly in urban areas via a sewerage system to a more distant sewage treatment plant; chemical toilets are used in mobile and many temporary situations where there is no access to sewerage, dry toilets, including pit toilets and composting toilet require no or little water with excreta being removed manually or composted in situ. The word toilet may also be used, especially in British English to describe the room containing the fixture for which euphemisms such as restroom or bathroom are used in American English. Prior to the introduction of modern flush toilets, most human waste disposal took place outdoors in outhouses or latrines. Pail closets were introduced in England and France in an attempt to reduce disease in rapidly expanding cities.

Ancient civilisations used toilets attached to simple flowing water sewage systems included those of the Indus Valley Civilization, e.g., Harappa and Mohenjo-daro which are located in present day India and Pakistan and also the Romans and Egyptians.Although a precursor to the modern flush toilet system was designed in 1596 by John Harington, such systems did not come into widespread use until the late nineteenth century.Thomas Crapper was one of the early maker of toilets in England.

Diseases, including cholera which affects some 3 million people each year, can be largely prevented when effective sanitation prevents fecal matter contaminating waterways, groundwater and drinking water supplies. There have been five main cholera outbreaks and pandemics since 1825, during one of which 10,000 people died in London alone. The physician John Snow proved that deaths were being caused by people drinking water from a source that had been contaminated by a nearby cesspit; the London sewer system of the time had not reached crowded Soho and many houses had cellars (basements) with overflowing cesspools underneath their floorboards.

According to The Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000 by the World Health Organization, 40% of the global population does not have access to 'excreta disposal facilities', mostly in Asia and Africa. There are efforts being made to design simple effective squat toilets for these people. Usually, they are made by digging a hole, then installing a premade plastic squat toilet seat atop this hole, covering the walls with canvas.

For health, safety and comfort reasons how pleasant and good it is to go to the toilet in the modern Western world compared to say a hundred years ago.Even 50 years ago in the UK spme people still used an outside loo which could have been cold and wet-yet today this comfort is very much taken for granted.How thankful I am for this modern convenience today!

Footpaths

A Footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a thoroughfare intended for by pedestrians but not by motorized vehicles. The term is often for paths within an urban area that offer shorter quieter routes for pedestrians, they may also provide access to the surrounding countryside or parks. In some parts of the world the term 'footpath' is also used for longer Trails in more remote places.

How grateful I am for footpaths, especially on such a wet day like today.Before council's decided to create such concrete paving slabs as we have today, in the UK anyway, there were just muddy trails in which we would have got mucked up. Now we can walk virtually anywhere in the country on a great stone, tarmac or concrete pathway.

Books

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of ink, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an electronic book (e-book).

Books may also refer to works of literature, or a main division of such a work. In library and information science, a book is called a monograph, to distinguish it from serial periodicals such as magazines, journals or newspapers. The body of all written works including books is literature. In novels and sometimes other types of books (for example, biographies), a book may be divided into several large sections, also called books (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, and so on). A lover of books is usually referred to as a bibliophile, a philologist, or, more informally, a bookworm.

The first books I read were White Fang/Call of the Wild and The Colditz story/ Latter days of Colditz. The first christian book I read was God's Smuggler by brother Andrew. I now have about 3000 books now - not all read. The greatest book is of course the Bible and it is interesting that I had just read God's Smuggler (a very exciting book about a man who risked his life to bring the Bible into countries in which it was forbidded) before starting read it seriously. My favourite Christian authors include Spurgeon, Tozer, Stott, Still,Packer, Lloyd Jones and Verwer to name a few, along with Gresham, Jack London and other general reference and historical writers. Check my profile for more favourites.

Television

Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome (black-and-white) or colored, with accompanying sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming, television transmission.

The etymology of the word has a mixed Latin and Greek origin, meaning "far sight": Greek tele (τῆλε), far, and Latin visio, sight (from video, vis- to see, or to view in the first person).

Commercially available since the late 1920s, the television set has become commonplace in homes, businesses and institutions, particularly as a vehicle for advertising, a source of entertainment, and news. Since the 1970s the availability of video cassettes, laserdiscs, DVDs and now Blu-ray Discs, have resulted in the television set frequently being used for viewing recorded as well as broadcast material. In recent years Internet television has seen the rise of television available via the Internet, e.g. iPlayer and Hulu.

Although other forms such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) are in use, the most common usage of the medium is for broadcast television, which was modeled on the existing radio broadcasting systems developed in the 1920s, and uses high-powered radio-frequency transmitters to broadcast the television signal to individual TV receivers.

The broadcast television system is typically disseminated via radio transmissions on designated channels in the 54–890 MHz frequency band.[1] Signals are now often transmitted with stereo and/or surround sound in many countries. Until the 2000s broadcast TV programs were generally transmitted as an analog television signal, but in 2008 the USA went almost exclusively digital.

A standard television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly called a video monitor, rather than a television. A television system may use different technical standards such as digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV). Television systems are also used for surveillance, industrial process control, and guiding of weapons, in places where direct observation is difficult or dangerous.

Amateur television (ham TV or ATV) is also used for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure and public service events by amateur radio operators. Ham TV stations were on the air in many cities before commercial TV stations came on the air.wiki

Some might be surprised that we should be thankful for the TV but like the Internet, money ,knives, guns, eyes, hands etc,etc, it is how we use it. Even things like food can be used for good or evil and television is no different.It can be a great time waster which is bad, it can inspire some to do evil but it can also inspire some to do great good, educate or even bring to faith.

Central Heating

A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building (or portion of a building) from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system.

Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation occurs in one place, such as a furnace room in a house or a mechanical room in a large building (though not necessarily at the "central" geometric point). The most common method of heat generation involves the combustion of fossil fuel in a furnace or boiler. The resultant heat then gets distributed: typically by forced-air through ductwork, by water circulating through pipes, or by steam fed through pipes. Increasingly, buildings utilize solar-powered heat sources, in which case the distribution system normally uses water circulation.wiki

In much of northern Europe and in urban portions of Russia, where people seldom require air conditioning in homes due to the temperate climate, most new housing comes with central heating installed. Such areas normally use gas heaters, district heating, or oil-fired systems. In the western and southern United States natural-gas-fired central forced-air systems occur most commonly; these systems and central-boiler systems both occur in the far northern regions of the USA. Steam-heating systems, fired by coal, oil or gas, feature in the USA, Russia and Europe: primarily for larger buildings. Electrical heating systems occur less commonly and are only practical with low cost electricity or when geothermal heat pumps are used. Considering the combined system of central generating plant and electric resistance heating, the overall efficiency will be less than for direct use of fossil fuel for space heating.

Yes, central heating for the home is a great blessing nowadays and one which I didn't have or experience as a child.Hot water for baths or showers, heat in each room is tremendous for most of us living in the West compared with life for those who lived a hundred years ago. It is expensive to run now and still rising in price. Many people will suffer fuel poverty this winter so we must seek to help our neighbour where we can.I'm thankful for any heat.It really is a blessing.

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on functional considerations (such as a need for warmth or protection from the elements) and social considerations. In some situations the minimum amount of clothing (such as covering of a person's genitals) may be socially acceptable, while in others much more clothing is expected.

Clothing can serve as protection from the elements. Clothes can also enhance safety during hazardous activities such as hiking and cooking, by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. Further, clothes can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping toxins away from the body and limiting the transmission of germs.

Clothing performs a range of social and cultural functions, such as individual, occupational and sexual differentiation, and social status.[1] A uniform, for example, may identify civil authority figures, such as police and military personnel, or it may identify team, group or political affiliations.

In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standards of modesty, religion, gender, and social status. Clothing may also function as a form of adornment and an expression of personal taste or style.

Clothing can and has in history been made from a very wide variety of materials. Materials have ranged from leather and furs, to woven materials, to elaborate and exotic natural and synthetic fabrics.

Not all body coverings are regarded as clothing. Articles carried rather than worn (such as purses), worn on a single part of the body and easily removed (scarves), worn purely for adornment (jewelry), or those that serve a function other than protection (eyeglasses), are normally considered accessories rather than clothing,[citation needed] as are footwear and hats. However, if functional due to local and weather condition and benefits your well being, footwear can be considered clothing
It can be said that there are four primary factors in clothing comfort, identifiable as the '4 Fs of Comfort' (1) fashion; (2) feel; (3) fit; and (4) function.[2] In hot climates, clothing provides protection from sunburn or wind damage, while in cold climates its thermal insulation properties are generally more important. Shelter usually reduces the functional need for clothing. For example, coats, hats, gloves, shoes, socks, and other superficial layers are normally removed when entering a warm home, particularly if one is residing or sleeping there. Similarly, clothing has seasonal and regional aspects, so that thinner materials and fewer layers of clothing are generally worn in warmer seasons and regions than in colder ones.

Clothing protects people against many things that might injure the uncovered human body. Clothes act as protection from the elements, including rain, snow and wind and other weather conditions, as well as from the sun. However, if clothing is too sheer, thin, small, tight, etc., the protection effect is minimized. Clothes also reduce the level of risk during activity, such as work or sport. Clothing at times is worn as protection from specific environmental hazards, such as insects, noxious chemicals, weapons, and contact with abrasive substances. Conversely, clothing may protect the environment from the clothing wearer, as with doctors wearing medical scrubs.

Humans have shown extreme inventiveness in devising clothing solutions to environmental hazards. Some examples include: space suits, air conditioned clothing, armor, diving suits, swimsuits, bee-keeper gear, motorcycle leathers, high-visibility clothing, and other pieces of protective clothing. Meanwhile, the distinction between clothing and protective equipment is not always clear-cut, since clothes designed to be fashionable often have protective value and clothes designed for function often consider fashion in their design.

How grateful I am for clothing especially on such a cold day as today.I love my jeans, tracksuit top, pullover, socks, slippers, vest,under garments. For outside, boots, jacket, scarf,hat. Each one I could spent a time and a half being thankful for. Foods ,shelter and clothing I have- why should I not be happy? Thank God for them. Count your blessings one by one.




When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

A Cup of Tea

Tea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of various cultivars and sub-varieties of the Camellia sinensis plant, processed and cured using various methods. "Tea" also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared from the cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling water, and is the common name for the Camellia sinensis plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.It has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent flavour which many enjoy.

I was brought up on tea then changed to coffee when I got married. Then I got addicted to coffee and now have gone back to tea again. On a cold day what is nicer than a nice cup of hot tea!

I like a nice cup of tea in the morning
For to start the day you see
And at half-past eleven
Well my idea of Heaven
Is a nice cup of tea
I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner
And a nice cup of tea with my tea
And when it's time for bed
There's a lot to be said
For a nice cup of tea

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, and/or stimulate growth.

Historically, people secured food through two methods: hunting and gathering, and agriculture. Today, most of the food energy consumed by the world population is supplied by the food industry, which is operated by multinational corporations that use intensive farming and industrial agriculture to maximize system output.

How I love food. I'm grateful that my wife is also a great cook.In the West we are so fortunate that we have an over abundance of food! What great meals I have eaten -beef,lamb, different types of fish, different vegetables, deserts,cream-there just so many! I'm sure that I will eventually put as a post one of these meals or foods one to be thankful for.Today its for food generally. What have eaten today lamb, carrots, turnips,potatoes,cherry pie,a homemade biscuit,crisps to name a few.I'm thankful that I am well fed.I'm thankful that I do not go to bed hungry each tonight.

The Air We Breathe.

Air is the name given to atmosphere used in breathing and photosynthesis. Dry air contains roughly (by volume) 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1%. While air content and atmospheric pressure varies at different layers, air suitable for the survival of terrestrial plants and terrestrial animals is currently only known to be found in Earth's troposphere and artificial atmospheres.wiki

Thank God for air, thank God for fresh air, thank God that we can breathe long and deep, thank God it is free-no charge and given to all rich and poor, animal and plant.Thank God we have the organs to deal with it-the lungs, the red blood cells. the muscles. What a wonderful body we have .How great is the God we live under.

A Home

A home is a place of residence or refuge.When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either living in the wild or shared with humans in a domesticated environment. "Home" is also used to refer to the geographical area (whether it be a suburb, town, city or country) in which a person grew up or feels they belong, or it can refer to the native habitat of a wild animal. Sometimes, as an alternative to the definition of "home" as a physical locale ("Home is where you hang your hat"), home may be perceived to have no physical location—instead, home may relate instead to a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort. Popular sayings along these lines are "Home is where the heart is" or "You can never go home again".Wiki

What a blessing a home is. A place of refuge indeed. A place of security, love,shelter food, clothing,books, mementos,memories,Cd's, most of for my beloved wife and children. Is there anywhere greater on earth?- not on earth anyway!

The Gift of Time

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~Willaim Penn

Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects.[1] The temporal position of events with respect to the transitory present is continually changing; future events become present, then pass further and further into the past. Time has been a major subject of religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a non-controversial manner applicable to all fields of study has consistently eluded the greatest scholars. A simple definition states that "time is what clocks measure".

Time is one of the seven fundamental physical quantities in the International System of Units. Time is used to define other quantities — such as velocity — so defining time in terms of such quantities would result in circularity of definition.[2] An operational definition of time, wherein one says that observing a certain number of repetitions of one or another standard cyclical event (such as the passage of a free-swinging pendulum) constitutes one standard unit such as the second, is highly useful in the conduct of both advanced experiments and everyday affairs of life. The operational definition leaves aside the question whether there is something called time, apart from the counting activity just mentioned, that flows and that can be measured. Investigations of a single continuum called spacetime bring questions about space into questions about time, questions that have their roots in the works of early students of natural philosophy.

Two contrasting viewpoints on time divide many prominent philosophers. One view is that time is part of the fundamental structure of the universe, a dimension in which events occur in sequence. Sir Isaac Newton subscribed to this realist view, and hence it is sometimes referred to as Newtonian time.[3][4] Time travel, in this view, becomes a possibility as other "times" persist like frames of a film strip, spread out across the time line. The opposing view is that time does not refer to any kind of "container" that events and objects "move through", nor to any entity that "flows", but that it is instead part of a fundamental intellectual structure (together with space and number) within which humans sequence and compare events. This second view, in the tradition of Gottfried Leibniz[5] and Immanuel Kant,[6][7] holds that time is neither an event nor a thing, and thus is not itself measurable nor can it be travelled.

Temporal measurement has occupied scientists and technologists, and was a prime motivation in navigation and astronomy. Periodic events and periodic motion have long served as standards for units of time. Examples include the apparent motion of the sun across the sky, the phases of the moon, the swing of a pendulum, and the beat of a heart. Currently, the international unit of time, the second, is defined in terms of radiation emitted by caesium atoms (see below). Time is also of significant social importance, having economic value ("time is money") as well as personal value, due to an awareness of the limited time in each day and in human life spans.

But how do we use this precious gift. We abuse it and waste it. We can not get it back once it's gone. Oh to use this gift wisely.Well He hasn't always been around
And He won't always be.
But He's on the move at this moment
Measuring life for you and me.

I fear we all submit to him
Existing anxiously,
And no one is able to turn him off
Except the Lord who holds the key.

When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late for apologies.
Too late to forgive your brother,
Too late to get on your knees.
When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late to help the needy
And worst of all it's too late to turn
You must face eternity.

His name is Time and he's coming to an end.
His name is Time where will you be my friend?
His name is Time and he's coming to an end.
His name is Time where will you be my friend?

Most people think he'll never stop
He'll go on perpetually,
But old man time is running out
And he'll cease eventually.

When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late for apologies.
Too late to forgive your brother,
Too late to get on your knees.

When the Lord stops him, that'll be it,
Too late to help the needy
And worst of all it's too late to turn
You must face eternity.

His name is Time and he's coming to an end.
His name is Time where will you be my friend?
His name is Time and he's coming to an end.
His name is Time where will you be my friend.

Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. Its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state (water vapor or steam). Water also exists in a liquid crystal state near hydrophilic surfaces.Under nomenclature used to name chemical compounds, Dihydrogen monoxide is the scientific name for water, though it is almost never used

Water covers 70.9% of the Earth's surface,and is vital for all known forms of life.On Earth, 96.5% of the planet's water is found mostly in oceans; 1.7% in groundwater; 1.7% in glaciers and the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland; a small fraction in other large water bodies, and 0.001% in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation. Only 2.5% of the Earth's water is freshwater, and 98.8% of that water is in ice and groundwater. Less than 0.3% of all freshwater is in rivers, lakes, and the atmosphere, and an even small amount of the Earth's freshwater (0.003%) is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products.

Water on Earth moves continually through the hydrological cycle of evaporation and transpiration (evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Evaporation and transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land.

Safe drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms. Access to safe drinking water has improved over the last decades in almost every part of the world, but approximately one billion people still lack access to safe water and over 2.5 billion lack access to adequate sanitation. There is a clear correlation between access to safe water and GDP per capita. However, some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability. A recent report (November 2009) suggests that by 2030, in some developing regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply by 50%.Water plays an important role in the world economy, as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation. Approximately 70% of the fresh water used by humans goes to agriculture.

Well that's the technical stuff out of the way, Water is great, it keeps us alive it is what we mostly are-a big drink of water. It is great for washing faces, hands, babies, cars,windows. Essential for making coffee and tea as well as for making all sorts of diluted fruit drinks.It also cools the earth and when I was younger cooled me down when I played sport. Without it I would be dead along with all my loved ones- we would never have even made it on this planetwithout it- not me, not anyone!

There was someone who claimed that he had living water and offered to give it to anyone who was thirsty. Two waters essential for life -the natural water for physical life and the living water for spiritual life. Go for it and keep filling up on it!

The Car.

A car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.

There are approximately 600 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car per eleven people). Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007; the engines of these burn over a billion cubic meters (260 billion US gallons) of petrol/gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China and India.Wiki

What a great blessing owning a car is! I love to drive my car more than my motor cycle-when its raining-or cold.It is much safer and is an excellent machine for carrying family and friends around as well as items such as foodstuffs. It is also great for visiting friends and family who live at a distance.It is fast, at least much faster than running and provided it has enough fuel it will keep on going. Over fifty years ago it was only the very rich who had a car but now it is seen as being essential for daily living.The ordinary car is much superior than the chariots of old -what kings of bygone ages would have done to have one. The roads too are fantastic despite the many criticisms of them.
Today I am very grateful that I have a car and also for the roads I'm able drive on.

The Personal Computer

What a great gift the computer is.I'm using one now and if you are reading this it will probably be through some sort of computer connected to the Internet. It's a bit like the brain in our head but not as complex-we understand the workings of a computer because humans invented it but we still are a long way from fully understanding the brain!

Well, the computer is great for keeping contact with those in other countries, for spell checks when writing essays,storing precious pictures of family and friends,news,sport,films as well as access to great websites. I'm glad I have one and when it slows down or crashes my dependence on it is realised.I'm thankful that I have one for sure!

The Gift of Speech

Would a wonderful gift speech is! Through it we can communicate with God and man.We learn to speak at an early age with often 'mummy' or 'Daddy' being our first words before the selfish ones such 'mine' 'my' or 'I want' become more common. As a gift it can be used for good or evil: with it we can bless or curse.We can plot a murder or plan aid for a starving family.We can sing, we can shout, we can sing love songs or songs of hatred.Through speech we can ask for help and the Bible encourages us to call upon the Name of the Lord in such times.

If we lost our tongue and the power to communicate how poor we would we be. Jesus is described as the living Word because known God's will to us.To communicate with our fellow humans is a gift beyond compare but to communicate with our Maker, our Provider, our Saviour, Friend, Lover and Lord is greater by far. If we haven't spoken to God today, call upon Him now. If you feel unworthy, know that Christ came to seek and save all that were lost and that those who go to Him trusting in His mercy and grace He will never cast out.

The Gift of Life.

Life can be hard for most of us. We will certainly have problems from time to time, bereavements, illnesses, money troubles, arguments with friends and enemies and work worries to name a few.Those who suffer severe depression often think that suicide is the only, and most logical way out, while their friends will quite rightly tell them that it is not as bad as they think and they have much to live for.

Steve Jobs had much to live for and had fame, more money than a person could possibly spend in a life time as well as having a loving family. But he is no longer alive. He is no longer with us on earth, his life is over while we you are alive at this moment. We are now better off than even the wealthy Steve Jobs. We are better off all the deceased that ever lived-better off than Shakespeare, Henry the eighth, Plato, Columbus, Einstein, Churchill, Buddha, Gandhi, Dickens. We are ALIVE! Hallelujah:We can therefore be thankful that we are alive today and that God has a definite purpose for our life.

Let us not therefore waste it on mediocrity and pray that the will of the maker of all will be done in our life!

Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done in my life today as it is in Heaven.

The Sense Of Sight.

From the moment you wake up in the morning to the time you go to sleep at night, your eyes are acting like a video camera. Everything you look at is then sent to your brain for processing and storage much like a video cassette. This is a very simplified explanation, but as you read on, you will discover why the sense of sight is actually considered the most complex of the five senses.

How Your Eyes Work
Take a moment to locate an object around you. Do you know how you are able to see it? Would you believe that what you are actually seeing are beams of light bouncing off of the object and into your eyes? It is hard to believe, but it is true. The light rays enter the eye through the cornea, which is a thick, transparent protective layer on the surface of your eye. Then the light rays pass through the pupil (the dark circle in the center of your eye) and into the lens.

When light rays pass through your pupil, the muscle called the iris (colored ring) makes the size of the pupil change depending on the amount of light that's available. You may have noticed this with your own eye if you have looked at it closely in a mirror. If there is too much light, your pupil will shrink to limit the number of light rays that enter. Likewise, if there is very little light available, the pupil will enlarge to let in as many light rays as it can. Just behind the pupil is the lens and it focuses the image through a jelly-like substance called the vitreous humor onto the back surface of the eyeball, called the retina.

The retina, which is the size of your thumbnail, is filled with approximately 150 million light-sensitive cells called rods and cones. Rods identify shapes and work best in dim light. Cones on the other hand, identify color and work best in bright light. Both of these types of cells then send the information to the brain by way of the optic nerve. The amazing thing is, when they send the image to the brain, the image is upside down! It is the brain's job to turn the image rightside up and then tell you what you are looking at. The brain does this in a specific place called the visual cortex.

Protection
Because the eye is such an important and complex part of our body, we have many features which protect the eye. The eyebrows are the strips of hair above your eyes which prevent sweat from running into them. Eyelashes help keep the eye clean by collecting small dirt and dust particles floating through the air. The eyelashes also protect the eye from the sun's and other light's glare. The eyelids sweep dirt from the surface of the eye. The eyelid also protects the eye from injury. Tears are sterile drops of clean water which constantly bathe the front of the eye,keeping it clean and moist.

Imperfect Eyesight
Not all people have perfect vision. People who can see things up close, but not far away are considered to be nearsighted. This happens when the light entering the eye focuses on a point in front of the retina. On the other hand, people who can see far away objects but not those that are up close are farsighted. Farsightedness occurs when the light that enters the eye focuses on a point behind the retina. Whether a person is nearsighted or farsighted, glasses or contacts help that person to see things much more clearly!

What a gift the sense of sight is! Added to the other senses we truly have an abundance of riches. Some believe that sight is the greatest of the senses.Certainly without it we would be the poorer. To see the faces of out family and friends,to see the sky, the mountains, trees, birds, animals, food, to be able to read books, drive a car, use the computer, walk down the street unaided, fulfill our work commitments with relative ease, see expressions on people's faces and know whether they are sad or happy. All these require the great gift of sight.O loss of sight, of thee I most complain!
Blind among enemies! O worse than chains,
Dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age!
Light, the prime work of God, to me is extinct,
And all her various objects of delight
Annulled, which might in part my grief have eased.
Inferior to the vilest now become
Of man or worm, the vilest here excel me:
They creep, yet see; I, dark in light, exposed
To daily fraud, contempt, abuse and wrong,
Within doors, or without, still as a fool,
In power of others, never in my own—
Scarce half I seem to live, dead more than half.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,
Irrecoverábly dark, total eclipse
Without all hope of day!
John Milton

What a gift ,what a wonderful gift. I give thanks to the great giver of gifts. Thank you Lord.

The Sense of Touch

While your other four senses (sight, hearing, smell, and taste) are located in specific parts of the body, your sense of touch is found all over. This is because your sense of touch originates in the bottom layer of your skin called the dermis. The dermis is filled with many tiny nerve endings which give you information about the things with which your body comes in contact. They do this by carrying the information to the spinal cord, which sends messages to the brain where the feeling is registered.

The nerve endings in your skin can tell you if something is hot or cold. They can also feel if something is hurting you. Your body has about twenty different types of nerve endings that all send messages to your brain. However, the most common receptors are heat, cold, pain, and pressure or touch receptors. Pain receptors are probably the most important for your safety because they can protect you by warning your brain that your body is hurt!

Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others because they have more nerve endings. Have you ever bitten your tongue and wondered why it hurt so much? It is because the sides of your tongue have a lot of nerve endings that are very sensitive to pain. However, your tongue is not as good at sensing hot or cold. That is why it is easy to burn your mouth when you eat something really hot. Your fingertips are also very sensitive. For example, people who are blind use their fingertips to read Braille by feeling the patterns of raised dots on their paper. To learn more about Braille, click on the word "Braille" located on the left-hand side of this page!

You have more pain nerve endings than any other type.
The least sensitive part of your body is the middle of your back.
The most sensitive areas of your body are your hands, lips, face, neck, tongue, fingertips and feet.
Shivering is a way your body has of trying to get warmer.
There are about 100 touch receptors in each of your fingertips.
Rattlesnakes use their skin to feel the body heat of other animals.
http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/touch/touch.html

What another amazing gift the sense of touch is. We can feel cold and heat, we can also feel pain and pleasure. This gift is known in its greatest degree by those who have to rely on it more, because they are missing another sense vgift - the gift of sight for example. To feel the touch of a loved one when we hug or kiss.To feel the food go into our mouths as we also have first of all seen it,smelt it then finally tasted it! To feel the sand beneath our bare feet, to feel the water about our bodies as we swim in a great Ocean or swimming pool. To feel the water of a shower after we having sweated from a great run or sports match is sheer joy.

Again the gift of touch is often taken for granted until it is taken away through a disease. How often we use it and enjoy its great benefits-yet how rarely do you and I thank our Maker of this exquisite gift?

The Sense of Smell

Smell is one of the chemical senses, the other being taste. They are so called because they sense chemicals, and smells are, of course, chemicals. With these senses we sample our environment for information. We are continuously testing the quality of the air we breathe (this will alert us to potential dangers, e.g. smoke) as well as using this sense to inform us of other relevant information, such as the presence of food or another individual. The chemicals detected by our sensory systems need to have certain properties. For instance, odour molecules must be small enough to be volatile (less than 300-400 relative molecular mass) so that they can vapourise, reach the nose and then dissolve in the mucus. This tells us that smell, unlike taste, can signal over long distances (an early warning device). We appear to have an innate ability to detect bad, aversive smells. One-day old babies give facial expressions that indicate rejection when given fish or rotten egg odour.

But, is our olfactory system doing more than just giving us warnings? Yes, of course. Amongst other possibilities, it serves a recognition function. We all have our own unique smell (some more pleasant than others! - but that's another story, see "mate choice" below) and can recognise and be recognised by our smell.

Dogs can distinguish between the smell of T-shirts worn by non-identical twins (they couldn't tell the difference between identical twins - presumably because they smell identical!). Children can distinguish between the smell of their siblings and other children of the same age. Babies recognise their own mothers' smell and mothers recognise their own babies' smell. Emotion can be communicated by smell. Dogs and horses are very sensitive to the smell of fear in humans. Recent research has shown that a panel of women can discriminate between armpit swabs taken from people watching "happy" and "sad" films. Men were less good at this. The emotions of others, for example fear, contentment, sexuality, may therefore be experienced and communicated by smell. Memory is often associated with smell. Smell and memory are intimately linked - although this phenomenon is not well understood (see Smell & Memory, below).

How we smell (some estimates suggest we can distinguish around 10,000 different smells - but see "Odour Code" below), why we smell and the impact of smell on our everyday life are poorly understood. We certainly underestimate the importance of smell to our well-being - ask an anosmic (someone who has lost some or all of their sense of smell). Some anosmics suffer from depression and their quality of life is severely affected - at the moment there is little that can be done to help them.

There are suggestions that smell can influence mood, memory, emotions, mate choice, the immune system and the endocrine system (hormones). We can communicate by smell - without knowing it. In fact the sense of smell could be said to be at the mind-body interface.

What a wonderful gift the sense of smell is! Think of the amazing smells of the various foods in the world- chips, fry ups, cooked chicken, puddings, fruits. Here is a list of different smells both pleasant and unpleasant taken from the website Medical Daily.

1. Fragrant

The research team lumped fragrant smells in with perfumery, floral, cologne, and rosy smells. Fragrant scents are the ones that seem light and natural, what is typically described by perfume and cologne manufacturers as “grassy” or “herbal.”

2. Woody/Resinous

Your nose easily picks up deep, earthy smells that remind you of the outdoors, the researchers claim. The smells are distinct to nature, which makes them easily recognizable. The team included with woody/resinous scents of musty, moldy, heavy, burnt, and smoky.

3. Non-Citrus Fruity

Opposite the hearty musk of the outdoors are the light, fresh scents associated with strawberries, banana, and certain perfumes that draw upon these natural aromas. Unlike the sharp, bitter freshness of lemon, non-citrus fruit smells may feel more “smooth” or “silky” to the nose.

4. Sharp/Pungent

You know it the moment you smell it. These smells include sour milk, fecal matter (e.g. manure), sweat, and the natural smell of things that have turned putrid or foul. These scents make you reel the instant you detect them. Oniony and garlicky smells also fall into this category.

5. Chemical

Your nose is particularly adroit at detecting synthetic smells. Even the most realistic perfume has its limits. It’s for this reason you’re able to quickly sniff out bleach and gasoline, or paint and felt tip markers. Researchers also included alcohol and disinfectants in the category.

6. Minty/Peppermint

Described as cool, fresh, exhilarating, the minty/peppermint smell has perhaps no rivals in the scent world. It’s become synonymous with cleanliness and is ubiquitous among oral hygiene products for this very reason. The researchers also include spicy in this category.

7. Sweet

Diverging from sweetness detected in fruit, the researchers classified as "sweet" the aromas of things like chocolate, vanilla, almond, and malty scents. They’re warm, and often light. Oftentimes they’ll be sold as “creamy” or “rich.”

8. Popcorn

Popcorn as the figurehead for the group may be jarring, as its neighboring groups are so unmistakable (not to say popcorn isn’t). But popcorn was grouped with other distinct smells, such as peanut butter, burnt, nutty, heavy, and warm. It’s that earthy smell that isn’t quite grass or wood.

9. Sickening

Sickening and decaying smells are a step beyond sharp/pungent smells. It’s sewage, burnt rubber, sulfuric acid, and household gas. Sickening smells are those that cause you to dry heave when the nose detects them in heavy enough concentrations. They aren’t merely “unpleasant;” they’re usually insufferable.

10. Lemon

Who could forget the trusty scent of lemon? Used in cleaning products for decades, the scent of lemon and citrus connotes freshness — like mint — with a hint of sweetness and sharpness that makes it unique from the others. It’s light and acidic, and the nose knows it instantly.

What things do we like the smell ? Personally I love loads of different smells,particualrly related to food. These include eggs cooked in a variety of ways, chips, sausages, mashed potatoes,a well done stake. I also love the smell of my Motorcycles especially when I've started up the engine-the smell of petrol ,oil, smoke! I lovd the smell of my children when they were babies, the smell of my wife when we are close together-the smell of her perfume. I loved the doggy smell of my wheaten terrier when he was alive. The smell of freshly cut grass, the smell of Roses, the smell freshly baked bread. I thank God today for the gift of smell. Thankyou God.

The Sense Of Taste

Taste (also called smatch or gustation; adjectival form: gustatory) is one of the traditional five senses. It refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc.

Humans receive tastes through sensory organs called taste buds,or gustatory calyculi, concentrated on the upper surface of the tongue.

The sensation of taste can be categorized into five basic tastes: sweetness, bitterness, sourness, saltiness, and umami. The recognition and awareness of umami is a relatively recent development in Western cuisine.MSG produces a strong umami taste.

As taste senses both harmful and beneficial things, all basic tastes are classified as either appetitive or aversive, depending upon the effect the things they sense have on our bodies.

The basic tastes contribute only partially to the sensation and flavor of food in the mouth — other factors include smell, detected by the olfactory epithelium of the nose; texture, detected through a variety of mechano receptors, muscle nerves, etc.; temperature, detected by thermoreceptors, and spiciness or piquance also called Chemesthesis.
(Wiki)
Again it is a gift we too often take for granted. How I love tasty food, be it savoury or sweet-especially as my wife is a great cook! How I would miss a creamy dessert or a fish dinner!
Think what it would be like not to be able to taste fish and chips, steak, eggs fried, boiled or scrambled, tomatoes, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, pears, plumbs, multi grained bread, custard, vanilla ice cream with chocolate dip, cream donuts, chocolate eclairs, lemon and meringue pie, cheese cake, cheese on toast, mackerel, trout, salmon, toasted soda bread, vanilla milkshake, bounty bars,cheese,nutella etc,etc.

Thank God for the gift of taste!

The Sense of Hearing

How often we take for granted the gifts given to us by God-until we start to lose them or they're taken away completely. What a wonderful gift it is to be able to hear. To hear the voice of our beloved, our children, our parents,our siblings,the sweet sound of birds singing, a baby crying, the sound of laughter,a dog barking , the sound of the wind,the sound of the car or motorcycle, the sound of the wonderful different types of music- ballads, rock, jazz, blues, classical, of flutes, guitars, piano,bagpipes, harmonica, Dylan, Elvis, Cash, Mario Lanza, the sound of our own voice, words of love, words, of compassion, words of hope...
Thank you God for the gift of hearing make me always grateful for it.