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"A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be." -- Unknown

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Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children. ~William Makepeace Thackeray

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I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

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There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

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Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_holiday:

All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween as it has been come to be called, is a popular holiday with children and adults alike. It is a holiday that had its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain or Summer's End. Samhain celebrated the end of the "lighter half" of the year and the beginning of the "darker half".

On this evening the barriers between this world and the Otherworld were believed to be thin and the spirits, good and bad, of the dead could pass through. The spirits of the family's ancestors were welcomed in while evil and bad spirits were warded off by the wearing of masks and costumes. The costumes and masks disguised one as a harmful spirit and avoided harm from others.

It was also a harvest celebration and time to take stock of food stores for the winter. Livestock were slaughtered and the meat prepared for storage. It was the final harvest of the year and the crops were then stored for the winter. Celebrations included bonfires and tales of the family's ancestors.

It was a celebration of the dead and of the harvest.

Today we dress up in scary and not so scary costumes and masks and go door to door for candy or attend costume parties. It is a night for revelry, pranks and fun.

suzieiq:

Though she was frequently prone to burning, one of Suzie's favorite things about the summertime was being able to lie out on the back lawn of the Mansion and have some quality sunbathing time.

In her new baby blue tankini, Suzie lay on her stomach on a beach towel, reading the first Harry Potter book.

avenging_legacy:

Independence Day was by far AJ's favorite holiday of all. It was about cookouts and great food and blowing things up. What more could be better? Sure Christmas was always good, but Independence Day was better than Christmas in AJ's book. He had been making fireworks for the past month. This year would be better than last and the Avengers would get a show they wouldn't forget.

AJ gathered his rather large stash of fireworks and headed upstairs to the lawn.

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What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad