By Jackie Sagner

As a little girl my father loved to play catch with me. I wasn’t very good at it but he would play anyway. He was always telling me “keep your eye on the ball,” as I would not be able to catch even the easiest of throws.

As I got older, we didn’t play catch as much. If I had a problem and would go to my father and ask for his advice, he would try to make a joke with me and say” keep your eye on the ball”. We would both laugh because usually that advice did not apply to the problem, but he would just try to make me smile.

My father became ill in 1995 when I was 23. There weren’t any more conversations, as he was paralyzed from having a stroke. He could not speak; he could only mouth words which were sometimes hard to understand. I seemed to be pretty good at reading his lips after a while, even better than the nurses that were caring for him.

During one of our last conversations, I was telling him about a problem I was having with my then boyfriend. Once again, I could read his lips, “Keep your eye on the ball” he said. We both chuckled.

That was the last time I saw my father before he passed away.

Sometimes now, all those years later when I get in a stressful situation I just tell myself “keep your eye on the ball.”

© Wake Up With the Wolf Show – 93.1 the Wolf – WPAW.  Please share this with your friends!

Author unknown

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.” Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter’s Basilica
7. China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noticed that one quiet student hadn’t turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.”
The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ are:
1. to see
2. to hear
3. to touch
4. to taste
5. to feel
6. to laugh
7. and to love.”

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

© Wake Up With the Wolf Show – 93.1 the Wolf – WPAW.  Please share this with your friends!

by Joseph J. Mazzella

A friend wrote me the other day and told me that I sure do seem to have a lot of good days in my life. This friend wanted to know what is the difference between having a good day and having a bad day. I thought about it a long time and I think that I finally figured it out. The difference is about 15 minutes.

Think about it. Just how long does it take to really live the way that God always meant for you to live? How long does it take to say, “I love you, God. Thank you for my life”? How long does it take to say a little prayer for someone you care about? How long does it take to tell a friend, “You are looking good today”? How long does it take to stop your child in the hallway and give him a hug? How long does it take to bend down and smell a flower as you walk down the street? How long does it take to scratch your cat’s chin or pet your dog’s head? How long does it take to share a warm smile and a heartfelt “thank you” with a cashier in a store? How long does it take to compliment a loved one, to share a laugh with a friend, and to think a joyous, optimistic thought? You can do all of these things and even more in just 15 minutes a day.

Is 15 minutes a day too long to turn your life around? Is 15 minutes a day too long to live a life full of love, joy and oneness with God? Is 15 minutes a day too long to make this world a better and more Heavenly place? If you want to be doing good in your life then spend that 15 minutes a day truly doing some good in your life. If you want to be doing even better try 20, 30 or 60 minutes a day. If you do you will see how the power of your love can change the world moment by precious moment. If you do you will feel the love of God inside you and hear the laughter of angels surrounding you as you bless the world with your life. Who could ask any more for just 15 minutes a day?

© Wake Up With the Wolf Show – 93.1 the Wolf – WPAW.  Please share this with your friends!

Author unknown; submitted by Wolf Gang member Ed Hitchcock

As you might remember, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One’s car wouldn’t start.
One couldn’t get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work, but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot.  He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone—all the little things that annoy me—I think to myself, “This is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.”

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, you can’t seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don’t get mad or frustrated… It may be just that God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

© Wake Up With the Wolf Show – 93.1 the Wolf – WPAW.  Please share this with your friends!

Submitted by Wolf Gang member Kathy Murphy

Six year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.

He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad.

He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn’t know how the stove worked!. Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas
white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon’s eyes. All he’d wanted to do was something good, but he’d made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him.

Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process!

That’s how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can’t stand our job, or our health goes sour.

Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can’t think of anything else to do. That’s when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

But just because we might mess up, we can’t stop trying to “make pancakes” for God or for others. Sooner or later we’ll get it right, and then they’ll be glad we tried!

© Wake Up With the Wolf Show – 93.1 the Wolf – WPAW.  Please share this with your friends!

Students without documentation of the shot

will be excluded from school on Friday!

Thursday is the last day sixth-graders can attend school without an updated Tdap vaccination. Students who have not received the vaccine or provided documentation will be excluded from middle schools Friday, Sept. 24.

As of Wednesday, 539 students in Guilford County Schools had not provided a record of receiving the Tdap vaccination. The number has decreased by about 200 students each day this week. At the end of last week, 1,141 students were without the vaccine.

Parents can get their sixth-graders vaccinated for free at the Guilford County Department of Public Health. The High Point location at 501 E. Green Drive still has appointment times open this week. Parents can call 336-845-7655 to schedule an appointment. The vaccine may also be available at family physicians’ offices.

In 2008, a state law went into affect requiring all sixth-graders to receive a booster shot by the start of the school year. The vaccine protects children and adults from three serious diseases – tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough). The law states that students who have not provided documentation of the shot must be excluded from school. Appointment cards are not sufficient, according to the state.

For more information about the Tdap vaccine, click here to visit the district’s website.

By Charlie Badenhop

One of the first things I noticed about my newly purchased parrot was that he couldn’t fly. Chico’s wings had been clipped and he was stuck here on earth just like us humans. Once the weather turned nice I took Chico and sat him on a branch of a tree in my backyard, hoping to make him happier. At first he seemed confused. He walked back and forth on the branch looking like an agitated father pacing back and forth in the maternity waiting room. I was surprised to see that he didn’t flap his wings in an attempt to fly. Somehow he knew he was incapable. I always wondered how he knew such a thing.

One day, while sitting on his branch, Chico got way more agitated then he had been when I first took him outside months ago. He was pacing back and forth and talking up a storm. Then all of a sudden, he stopped pacing, let out a spine tingling scream, and started madly flapping his wings for the first time ever. About three seconds later, he lifted off from the branch like the space shuttle! I was amazed and shocked. Little did I know his feathers had been growing back in, and just like a sly convict, Chico had been biding his time until the moment was ripe for escape!

Chico made his break for freedom on a late Monday afternoon, and by late Monday night I knew he was not coming home. Finally, on Tuesday evening Chico returned, but stayed way out of reach. I talked to him and showed him some food, but to no avail. Then I took his cage inside so he would not relate coming back to getting locked up again. Finally, I made him a firm promise that if he did come back I would let him out every day the weather was nice. Shortly after making my solemn oath, he flew onto my shoulder and I took him upstairs.

From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him out early and he would fly around and be back before dark. This routine lasted for about two months and then suddenly Chico became ill. The vet said that he had contracted a disease from the pigeons in the neighborhood. Within a few days he died, and I mourned his loss.

Just once the thought crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly every day, he would still be alive. It was then that I realized that the quality of one’s life is much more important than the number of years one lives. What sense is there in being a bird if you can’t fly?

Chico made his initial break for freedom on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a chance when the conditions are right, knowing you too in your own way, were built to fly. If you don’t set yourself free, what will be the purpose of your life? I would suggest that the quality of one’s life is dependent on feeling one’s essence, and living the design that is you. If you are a fish, your life needs to be all about swimming. If you are a bird, your life needs to be all about flying and spreading your message to all that you meet along the way. What sense is there in being you, if you don’t really let yourself free and express your heart?

© Wake Up With the Wolf Show – 93.1 the Wolf – WPAW.  Please share this with your friends!

If you’ve followed the Wake Up with the Wolf Show for any length of time, you may know that Leanne is a staunch supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association and participates every year in various Memory Walk fundraisers that are held in the Triad.  Her mom and several aunts suffered from Alzheimer’s, what Leanne describes as “a cruel disease that slowly steals someone away from you.”

To help bring attention to this devastating illness and raise money for Alzheimer’s research as well as services to affected patients and families, Leanne is looking for walkers to join her team.  And as she says, “If you can’t participate, please donate!” The 2010 Piedmont Triad Memory Walk will be held Saturday, Sept. 25th at 10am on the campus of Wake Forest University. Walk-up registration is at 9am outside the Scales Fine Arts Center (signs will be posted to direct you). It’s an easy, one-mile walk. You can even bring your kids or your dog! Register online below or just show up at 9am and look for Leanne proudly wearing her WOLF shirt! For details, shoot an e-mail to  Leanne at 931WolfCountry.com or call her at (336) 387-7153.

Donate or register to be a member of Leanne’s WOLF WALKERS team here.

The 21st annual Mayberry Days event in Mount Airy starts today and if you’re a fan of the Andy Griffith Show you shouldn’t miss it!  The complete schedule, along with which celebrities will be appearing, is available by clicking here.

You asked for it– well, actually you didn’t, but we’re posting it anyway… Mark Wahlberg’s third nipple!